Go raibh maith agat.

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion and the Government for not opposing it. All of us, on the doors and in our email inboxes, have heard and read the same stories time and again. It is a huge part of why I got involved in politics and I think that would resonate with a lot of people here. They are the shocking cases of families, young children and adults left behind by the system and of people with disabilities denied the support they deserve. That is why I welcome the increase of €620 million in dis…

I wish to join in condemning any violence that the Tánaiste has faced. No one from any side of this House should experience that. I stand with anyone experiencing that. He has my complete solidarity. Is mian liom labhairt faoi rud atá i mbéal an phobail faoi láthair, is é sin, an méid airgid atá ag dul don Ghaeilge. It is a shame that more than 100 years after the foundation of this State Irish speakers and members of the Gaeltacht will be protesting outside these Houses this Saturday for basic rights for our nativ…

I have had engagement on this matter with the Minister previously. When I stood for election as an Independent in Dublin Bay North, the constituency where the former Crown Paints site is located, this issue came up on the doorsteps. The public want to know. I was one of the only candidates who had immigration on my election literature. The platform I was elected on was based on a more dignified, proactive approach to immigration focusing on dialogue between communities and the Government. We know this was not the c…

Go raibh míle maith ag Deputy Gogarty for bringing the motion to the House. It concerns something we all see across this Chamber in emails we constantly get about antisocial behaviour. The people of Dublin Bay North are raising it with me every single week. Just this week, a parent in Raheny wrote to me to tell me about masked teenagers on e-scooters and scramblers and open drug dealing outside a crèche. I am being told by different representatives that nothing can and will be done. The sense of powerlessness this …

I welcome the publication of the strategy, which is anchored in human rights and our obligations under the UNCRPD. It is worth remembering that when this was ratified, it was my predecessor, the former Minister of State, Finian McGrath, who got it delivered. The progress was slow but I am delighted to see it has been made. I want to raise one concern that was brought to me by multiple DPOs, which was that engagement in the design of the strategy was restricted to the DPO network. While disabled persons organisation…

Inniu, tá mé ag iarraidh labhairt leis an Aire faoi digital reform. Will the Minister outline the specific reforms under consideration following the Department's review of the barriers for infrastructure delivery, and will these reforms include changes to procurement processes, planning timelines or interagency co-ordination?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Is deas é sin a chloisteáil. I am delighted to see that, this week, the Government announced the private wires policy. This was something we discussed during the formation of the Government and I am delighted to see the Minister is supporting it, too. I appreciate the response from him and I look forward to him finishing his contribution, but I heard Deputy McCarthy talk about flood defence. I hope the Minister of State will not forget north Dublin's flood defences as well.

The Minister of State visited the site and the residents are really thankful. While I am following up, the consequences of the poor co-ordination of infrastructure in Clongriffin and Belmayne in my constituency are being felt every day by residents. It is an extremely densely populated area, but there are no community facilities, including no library, no primary healthcare and an undersupply of school places. A submission has been made by Dublin City Council and I hope it will be looked at by the Minister. I was re…

I thank the Minister for his response. I urge his Department to take a more active role in identifying and responding to the key areas and needs left in Clongriffin, Belmayne and all of north Dublin in my constituency. This community has 15,000 people, with more moving in each year. The area does not even have a supermarket; people have to leave. The area has one of the highest rates of car ownership in Ireland. A recent study has shown that. This is because people do not have the ability to do otherwise. Infrastru…

Gabhaim buíochas le Deputy Stanley as an motion seo a chur chun cinn. This motion reflects a shared understanding. The Minister of State has heard multiple Members across this House speak about public dental services, in particular for children, that are under significant pressures. Young parents are in urgent need of our support. I urge the Minister of State not to oppose the motion. When I was knocking on doors across my constituency, one of the things I heard most often during the election campaign in areas like…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Ar dtús, is mian liom míle buíochas a rá leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Butler, for the passionate way in which she spoke. It has been a good debate about the pride that our Government shows. Pride is not just a celebration. It is a call to action. As we mark it here, we must be clear that there is no room for complacency in Ireland. I am really proud to be in the Dáil, listening from my office and since I have been in the Chamber, to how everyone has spoken about the…

I am delighted to see the new private wires policy announced by the Government today. Will this be just for large-scale energy users like Amazon and the big data centres or will it be able to take eco-villages and small, eco- and sustainable projects away from the grid? We risk having a parallel grid that reduces costs for large corporations but does not really help the Irish people. Does the Taoiseach have any update on the North-South interconnector?

Mar is eol don Taoiseach, there are hugely critical recruitment and retention problems for public service workers, go háirithe i mBaile Átha Cliath, i gCorcaigh agus i nGaillimh. These workers include nurses, teachers, gardaí, social workers and paramedics. All of them are key in keeping our public systems functioning. The reality is they are being paid the same whether they are living in Longford or they are living in Lucan or Coolock. They cannot afford to live in the communities they are being asked to serve. In…

An tseachtain seo caite bhí Deputy Brabazon ag caint faoi Belgrove girls' school. Since then a decision was made by the diocese not to allow the addition of a privately sourced teacher for the school. I do not understand how religious entities can dictate public schools' resourcing of their teachers. Is there anything that can be done for Belgrove girls' school?

It is looking to privately resource one.

The Dublin Bay area has the coastline. In this regard, I commend Deputy Bacik on introducing the Dublin Bay Bill. At present, there are fortnightly tests of water quality with no real-time information. The coastline does not have bacterial sensors. I acknowledge that a lot will be done through legislation but one thing I want to know is whether the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will consider, in addition to the huge investment that is already going into the wastewater treatment plant in the context of the com…

I welcome the Bill. It makes good, necessary adjustments. It reflects some of the responsiveness to what has been a frustrating planning environment but we need to be clear that the issue is not primarily judicial review. I have been listening to every Member. There are so many good ideas in the House but we need the planning law that we are making now to drive delivery, not only manage delay. I acknowledge that the Bill provides clarity on permissions under the 2000 and 2024 Acts and how they interact, and it give…

Bhíomar ag caint leis an Aire faoi seo an tseachtain seo caite. I hope the comments that caused real concern for young people and parents throughout the country were a blip. We need to be clear: we came together to put a Government together and we created a programme for Government. I remember us all discussing student fees in the course of the formation of the Government. We all decided on the commitment that the Government would, "Continue to reduce the Student Contribution Fee over the lifetime of the Government…

I reiterate the worry and terror that the Minister's words have spread. I know he has mentioned the great stuff he is doing, but for these parents who are struggling and the students who are struggling to pay their own way through college, is there reassurance he can give to them? I understand that he is tied by the budget of the Government, and he does not want to speak too soon. As Deputy O'Hara said there are multiple people who woke up in terror and are struggling at the moment with everything going on. There i…