This is not a back and forth. Allow the Minister of State to answer the question.

Tá ceist Uimh. 114 á thógáil ag an Teachta O'Hara ar son an Teachta Daly.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. I acknowledge all of the groups that have reached out to me and to my office. We all have a responsibility to do everything possible to ensure that all the people of Ireland can get the best treatments, medicines and supports available. I want to highlight specific conditions which have already been mentioned. Members of the Friedreich's ataxia group are still awaiting approval and access to a drug. There has been some movement on that, which I wel…

The issue I raise has been raised by other Deputies in the Chamber. It is something that is happening across Dublin. I was in the Chair last week when colleagues asked about the closure of the sorting office on Griffith Avenue. The response from the Government was, I understand, the one it received from An Post. Before the Minister of State reads out the response he has been given, I ask him to recall why he got involved in politics and the passion he has for his area. Within two weeks of starting a petition on the…

I appreciate the response. As I said, An Post is a semi-State company. This is one of the most frustrating things that has been done. I know it has been done across the globe. When it happens, a Minister can offload the issue to the regulator. That is done with the HSE and the NTA. I would love if that could be revoked in order that we could actually elect people who can make decisions rather than having unelected officials in every Department making them. I was in the Chair when the reply was given. I am not havin…

I want to be clear from the outset that I agree with the sentiment of what the Labour Party is trying to do and I believe the frustration is real. The Minister is well aware that energy is one of my key priorities. Irish families pay too much and it is very clear that data centres are consuming an ever-increasing share of our electricity. These are facts and they do deserve to be addressed. However, I will not support the motion and there are several reasons for this. The moratorium on data centres would cost Irish…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 to provide for the regulation of direct lines; and to provide for related matters. Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom míle buíochas a ghabháil le gach duine a bhí ag cabhrú liom. I wish to briefly acknowledge the people who helped me get elected to the Dáil and also helped me bring this Bill to where it is today. I thank the team at the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, who met me multiple times, and the …

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Gabhaim buíochas le gach duine a labhair faoin ábhar tábhachtach seo. I welcome the Bill and I thank Sinn Féin for bringing it forward. I voted recently with the Social Democrats on its Bill. I suppose when it comes to anything what I always do is ask for advice from my team, my family, my sisters and my mother. I stood up in the Chamber and made a very clear point as to why the three-day wait should be abolished, particularly for a fatal foetal abnormality. I meant every word I said then and I still do. The main i…

Lovely. The O'Shea report spoke about what was given to it. Three years on, women are still living with it. I would like to say to all the women across Dublin Bay North who financially would not be able to go the UK or to have an alternative means for abortion that we will be standing with them. We hear them. I spoke to a lot of these women at the doors. I represent Dublin Bay North. We had over 500 campaigners and it was the largest "Yes" turnout in the country. Those voters were promised change. They were not pro…

Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur ar an Aire Stáit faoi chúrsaí spóirt i dtuaisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath. Is iontach an infheistíocht atá déanta sa chlub Shells, but what steps are being taken to support grassroots sports clubs across north Dublin, including with clubhouses and changing facilities, in light of the recent bad weather? The weather this year, certainly the rain, was the worst in a long time. Multiple sports clubs had young girls and boys who could not play because of the lack of all-weather pitches.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit agus le gach duine atá ag obair sa Department faoi láthair. I thank the men and women of Dublin City Council, go háirithe na laethanta seo. They have put in more toilets than we have seen previously and are doing work in north Dublin. North Dublin has been neglected for too long. It is one of the main reasons I got involved. It is great to see that there is work being done. I thank the council for all the work at the Kilmore West Recreation Centre and the all-weather pitch at the…

I appreciate that update. We will kill two birds with one stone with that approach. We will give children the opportunity at break time in school to get away from the books and get onto the pitch to play football, rugby or whatever they want to play. The club would then benefit later. There are two projects I would love to highlight. I welcome Dublin City Council's plan for an 11-a-side, 3G all-weather pitch. As the Minister of State knows, Dublin produces the best footballers. I will also mention the upgrade to al…

St. Francis Junior National School in Priorswood is short just one pupil. All five local TDs attended a meeting there. I am very proud when Dublin Bay North TDs come together on educational issues. While we differ politically, we have one passion, and that is representing north Dublin. The fact that all the constituency’s TDs are here shows this. A total of 40% of the pupils attending this school are from the Traveller community. Many of them are arriving in this school and need this support. The school is short on…

At the end of the Minister of State's response, which I realise the Department officials wrote for him, he said the appeal was unsuccessful. Who made it unsuccessful? I would love, with all the Deputies present, to invite the them to Priorswood and Darndale and show them the children and the teachers, who are working as hard as they can. The cost of an extra teacher compares favourably with the foreseen disadvantage that will affect the children's lives. The loss of one pupil should not determine the educational ou…

Gabhaim buíochas le gach éinne a bhí ag caint. Aontaím le go leor rudaí atá á rá ag an Teachta O’Flynn faoi accountability but I disagree with him fundamentally on this. The Israelis have not let sport exist. When Alaa Al-Dali was trying to leave Gaza for the Olympics, he was deliberately shot in the knee. His own words described it as "a grenade which exploded". He is now an amputee. I met him when I was on the flotilla travelling to Gaza. Speaking of Nelson Mandela, his grandson was also on that flotilla. I speak…

Tá a fhios ag madraí na sráide cén chaoi a sheasaim ar an ábhar seo. Tá a fhios ag an domhan cá bhfuil na daoine in Éirinn ar an ábhar seo. Bhí mé ag caint ar maidin agus inné faoin gcluiche agus faoi Alaa Al-Dali, an t-aon fhear a bhí ag rothaíocht ar son na Palaistíne. Bhí sé chun a bheith ina Oilimpeach ach rinne an IOF urchar a scaoileadh lena ghlúin agus bhris siad a ghlúin. I would have loved to have seen services included in this. I would have loved to have seen the Attorney General's advice. When I sat over…

The Northside Home Care Services workers are on strike again tomorrow. I submitted a parliamentary question two months ago which was followed up by another one because I could not get an answer. It was followed up by another one which eventually revealed that the Northside Home Care employers were invited by the Department’s own agent to apply for the WRC pay agreement only to be excluded afterwards because of the HSE’s procurement model. The workers have fallen into a Government-created loophole. On my way to the …

Bhí mé ag éisteacht le gach duine ó m'oifig. Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Teachta Byrne agus le Sinn Féin as an motion a chur isteach. Bhí go leor daoine ag caint faoin spórt agus saol na polaitíochta, saying that they do not mix. It has been said before but I want to say it again. We all know they have mixed before. In 1981, the then Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, who was born in Donnycarney in my constituency, summoned the Irish Rugby Football Union, IRFU, and said plainly that the tour to South Africa would cause …

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss the pricing of train tickets between Athenry and Galway. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the need for social and affordable housing in Arklow, County Wicklow. Deputy Keira Keogh - To discuss the transparency of the CODA process for LGFA clubs and players. Deputy Pat Buckley - To discuss the urgent need for a person (details …