Inniu ba mhaith liom caint faoi rud éigin atá i mbéal an phobail faoi láthair. What steps are being taken to strengthen Irish cyberdefence capabilities, especially in the environment we are in at present? Cyberattacks are no longer hypothetical. They are a real and growing threat to our economy, our national security and our democracy. The Tánaiste has spoken about this before but I want to know what steps have been taken since the formation of the Government to protect the Irish people and to protect our economy a…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste. Tá sé iontach le cloisteáil go bhfuil an obair sin á déanamh aige. It is great to see the Tánaiste is working collaboratively with the Defence Forces to establish this new unit but we need to see our Defence Forces equipped, trained and empowered to meet these real threats. I ask the Department to meet the universities, one of which, DCU, I just left. They are developing new courses but to develop the talent in our population to work in these new Defence Forces offices we need to …

I welcome the fact the Tánaiste will engage with the universities. As I have seen growing up and going through the education system, mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. If we do not invest in education and universities and give them the option, they will go. As the Tánaiste mentioned, cyberdefence depends on highly skilled personnel. I welcome the fact the Tánaiste has mentioned this. I have many friends in the Defence Forces and from speaking to them I know they would like to go down this route. An Garda Síochána also …

Aontaím go mór leis an rún seo. When we speak about education we do not just speak about education, buildings or the boards of management. We speak about values, choice and identity. I can understand a lot of the stuff behind the motion. I agree with the spirit of the motion but I also signed up to support the programme for Government. I did not do so blindly and uncritically. I had a good look at the programme for Government and there is a clear thing that is not mentioned in this debate. On page 66 it says the Go…

Since taking up employment, my parliamentary assistant, who has a disability, has had his travel allowance and disability allowance removed. There are key steps in the programme for Government. Will this Government provide for a universal, non-means-tested payment in respect of disability allowance? We all know the cost of disability. There are huge costs to people with a disability. We need there to be a universal, non-means-tested payment so that when people go back to the workforce or enter the workforce, they d…

I thank every Member for everything they have said about this. I do not want to repeat what we know is wrong. The real question is what we are going to do to make sure it never happens again. This case really exposed more than individual failure. It exposed the culture of silence and of institutions more focused on protecting systems than protecting people. When the person who is failed is someone with intellectual disability, the failure cuts even deeper. Today, I want to ask what we must do right now. First, we n…

Apologies for that. It is just to give attention to the case. I did not give the full date of birth.

I am asking for an update on the commitment in the programme for Government to examine ways to make it easier and more transparent for people on work permits to change jobs legally. Last week, I visited the Migrant Rights Centre. I had a great discussion with it and met many people who had come to this country with the intention to work. There is a matter of basic fairness and of upholding our international reputation as a country that respects the rights of workers.

I welcome the fact there is movement on this, but at the heart of the issue is a simple question of fairness. Workers who come to Ireland on employment permits are legally present in the country, paying taxes and contributing to our essential sectors, such as those mentioned by the Minister of State, but once they arrive, they find themselves tied to a single employer under rigid rules that limit their ability to change jobs. I spoke to one of these migrants who was a mushroom picker about the conditions the worker…

I welcome the fact the Minister of State is engaging with these industries and he should continue to do that. I would also like his Department to examine the fee migrant workers are paying. Off the top of my head, it costs €200 yearly. It is an unfair fee and should be reduced because these people are struggling. They are coming here to work. Workers should not have to choose between leaving a bad situation and risking their legal status. We can and must do better and I welcome that the Minister of State's Departme…

Táim ag labhairt inniu ar son na dtuismitheoirí, na ndaltaí agus na múinteoirí i nGaelcholáiste Reachrann i nDomhnach Míde. Tá an scoil ag feidhmiú i bhfoirgnimh shealadacha le breis agus 20 bliain. Tá sé ráite go minic ag an Rialtas go bhfuil an tionscadal ag dul ar aghaidh ach níl sé. I raise yet again a matter that is a key priority for me. I spoke about it during the negotiations to form the Government. Gaelcholáiste Reachran is a school I know well. Many of my friends attended this school and their brothers an…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Tánaiste agus an Aire. Yet again - and I see why people get frustrated - the Tánaiste did not answer my question. Will the Tánaiste and the Minister commit to a visit to Gaelcholáiste Reachrann before the end of the school term? Will they commit to that? That is all I am asking for - a commitment. The school is waiting. I will drive them there; it is 25 minutes away. It is very simple. The children are in prefabs which are freezing. Children are trying to go to school. They are in north Dub…

There is a commitment, is there?

When I raised this through a parliamentary question on 10 April, I welcomed the Government's commitment to special needs assistant numbers with new posts by 2025 but good intentions are not enough. I asked the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, how the numbers were proposed to be distributed, and specifically for me how they would be allocated to schools in Dublin Bay North where families continue to face serious delays. Hundreds of people are getting in contact with me and my office about this. Behind the nationa…

The NPF is a critical tool in how we shape our housing infrastructure, services and communities. I welcome the revision placed before the House following public consultation and a comprehensive review. However, we need a plan that reflects the major changes our country has seen in recent years. Planning is not just about numbers and maps; it is about the kind of people and communities we build. Too often, especially in north Dublin, as I have seen time and again, including in the examples of Belmayne and Clongriffi…

Right across Dublin Bay North and, indeed, the entire country, vacant and derelict buildings are sitting idle while people are crying out for housing. Hundreds of people email me weekly. They are dying to get into these houses on the same street they are in in north Dublin. Local authorities are struggling with enforcement. I urge that there be an investigation into Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council regarding the amount of funding that is going into derelict and vacant sites investigation teams. Will th…

Go n-éirí leis an Aire ina phost nua. Has the Department carried out any cross-simulation or cost analysis of the potential fines that we are going to face if we do not reach our 2030 climate targets? Does the Minister agree that we should put the equivalent investment into our country rather than paying other EU countries, as a tap on the back, for the hard work they did? I want to know what the Department is doing because we need to do it now, at the start of this programme for Government, rather than in five yea…

In the context of the climate action that we need to take, there is really only one show in town for Ireland, and we all know that is our offshore renewable energy. While I welcome the fact that there has been a €90 million investment in Cork port, it is not enough. We need to be investing hundreds of millions of euro in our ports because we need to extend them out and widen them. Otherwise, the giant vessels that are going to be delivering the components for the future of offshore renewable energy development will…

I welcome the fact the Minister has been engaging with me on private wires legislation and I know he has a huge job ahead of him. I wish him the best of luck in his phost nua. The Government is currently paying for research, funded by Research Ireland and conducted by Dr. James Carton, my previous professor in sustainability engineering at DCU, and his colleagues at UCD. What they are telling us is that we now need to invest hundreds of millions, if not billions, to ensure this is done. Will the Minister's office r…

I thank Uisce Éireann for coming in to meet me recently. It was a very good and informative meeting. I understand that it plays a critical role in managing one of the most essential services that we all rely on every day. Uisce Éireann had a huge portfolio when it began ten years ago, including the treatment of infrastructure and environmental standards. It is really doing its best. However, since being elected to this House, I am not happy with the fact that, as Deputy O'Flynn noted earlier, no one is accountable.…