Deputy Boyd Barrett does not have to fight for his seat. We do.

The Taoiseach probably read the article at the weekend that told us a senior executive at the company, Applus, which is responsible for running the National Car Test Service, a service that is delivered by the State and contracted out, wrote to a number of Filipino migrant workers and told them that if they do not stop making noise in their accommodation, “I do not want you here in Ireland.” He wrote: “Your number one reason to be in Ireland is to work. … Do it, or I will solve the problem”. That sounds like a slav…

I want to return to the question of community healthcare services and the teams in our community which, as the Taoiseach said, will allow people to access care without being hospitalised. Less than a week ago, along with my constituency colleagues, I asked a Topical Issue Matter, to which there was a very unsatisfactory response from the Government. In fact, on this issue of community healthcare in Drimnagh, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, responded instead of any representative from the Department of Health.…

On accommodation, it is utterly shameful that there are over 400 people sleeping on the streets, and that will probably increase, at the same time as the obscenity of what has been going on in Mullingar. People ask me many questions, and I cannot answer them. How was what occurred in Mullingar allowed happen? That is the first question. How is it that a tiny group of people can deprive others of their human rights and civil rights? Why is it that we have so many empty buildings? I refer here to Baggot Street hospit…

In his engagement with international Heads of State and Government, has the Taoiseach met or does he intend to meet President Macron of France any time soon? When he does meet Mr. Macron, will he condemn the shameful police violence that has been perpetrated on citizens throughout France who are protesting the elongation of their working lives? To be clear, their working lives are not increasing from 62 to 64 years of age. There is also a clause contained in the pension extension that will force most workers to hav…

Is violence ever lawful?

The police were not self-defending. The Taoiseach can see the footage himself.

This figure of €2.9 million gives us just a hint of the failure in this State. The fact that we can purchase credits from Slovakia gives us another hint that the entire EU trading system and sharing efforts are a form of a giant accounting trick. I think the Minister of State knows this. As someone said before, it is like a medieval indulgence that allows you to buy your way out while you continue to sin. The full cost of carbon credits may well be more than €120 million in recent years and even this figure barely …

It is disappointing there is no one from the Department of Health here. The issue for Drimnagh is the total neglect of the area. Moving nurses out of the Mother McAuley Centre on Curlew Road to Armagh Road is adding fuel to the fire. One could argue they are both in Dublin 12, so what is the problem. They are actually very separate geographical areas and there is no bus link joining the two areas directly or joining the two centres. It is important to remember that many of the people who use this centre are elderly…

I will answer that. During the afternoon, there was a session here on safe staffing levels in our health service. Safe staffing levels are not just to do with staff. They are mainly to do with patients. We are putting the safety of the patients in Drimnagh, that is, the elderly and people who need mother and baby care services and people with the dementia, at risk by doing this. I can see why the Minister of State is saying the HSE is left with no choice, because of staff shortages, but these things are connected. …

I thank Deputy Harkin and her group for putting forward this important motion. I hope that given that we have set up an all-party committee on the role of carers, with a focus on young carers, this year and beyond we will begin to change the attitude and climate in this country towards the important role of caring for people in the family and at home. The statistics are startling and I want to say that the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach made a comment at a recent presentation in the audiovisual room by young people on the…

Since we are on the topic of divestment of schools, we are having quite a difficult experience in Ballyfermot with the divestment and amalgamation of schools. There needs to be more forward planning about how we carry it through. When you talk to parents, the vast majority of them say they are for non-ethos based education. Schools often carry out surveys to see how the parents will respond. The surveys are online and, like most surveys, they get a very low respondent rate. The respondents they do get tend to state…

I will be brief. I would like the Taoiseach to comment on the recently published report on stalking and harassment put together by the two doctors in UCC. It was widely publicised and was inspired by the bravery of Una Ring and Eve McDowell. There were ten recommendations in that report. They include training and education for gardaí and a new wording on stalking offences. Do we have a plan to train and educate gardaí on stalking and harassment? As recently as last week, I met a woman who works in Dublin 8 and has …

I want to challenge the Taoiseach on a number of things he said regarding the eviction ban. First, he said earlier in response to Deputy Bacik that one thing we can all agree on is that the eviction ban will have to end sometime. No, we do not. We do not agree with that because no-fault evictions are not the norm in Europe. The Taoiseach often throws the example of Europe back at us when we try to change legislation and normal practices in this country. This is not the norm in Europe; Lorcan Sirr said so on radio t…

We will give them as much backing and solidarity as we can, and we will keep arguing in this House that the law has to change to protect tenants.

Is the Taoiseach going to change it?

I will be sharing time with Deputy Boyd Barrett and possibly Deputy Barry if he turns up.

I start by saying something everybody in this House knows. The 1916 Proclamation promised "to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and of all its parts, cherishing all of the children of the nation equally". The Proclamation refers to "all of the children" but Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Green Party and some Independents seem confused. The Proclamation did not say cherish all of the landlords of the nation equally. We are hearing more and more demands to stop demonising landlords, to give them mo…

Tá mé ag roinnt mo chuid ama leis an Teachta Barry. Molaim gach Teachta a bhfuil ag déanamh iarracht leis an teanga. Tá sé deacair agus bítear an-neirbhíseach. Níl mé líofa ach déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall agus ba chóir dom níos mó Gaeilge a úsáid mar if you do not use it you lose it. Fair play do na Teachtaí atá ag déanamh iarracht an Ghaeilge a labhairt anseo den chéad uair. Ba mhaith liom rud éigin a rá le daoine i mo cheantar, i mBaile Formaid, a mbeidh ag ceiliúradh Seachtain na Gaeilge le comórtas idir na páistí…

Much and all as the announcement of the referendum on equality issues, which is to be held in November, is welcome on International Women's Day, there is a deep irony in the fact that the Government announced earlier today a referendum to remove from the Constitution the insulting provision to the effect that a woman's place is in the home is also to be held. This announcement comes a day after the Government lifted the eviction ban thereby denying thousands of women the right to be in their homes. Anybody who list…