This Saturday, at 1 o'clock in Parnell Square, tens of thousands of people will gather to march under the Raise the Roof banner to demand action on the housing emergency. The Government consistently refuses to call what we are living through a housing emergency. Ten years of failure by consecutive Governments on this issue have created the alienation and despair we are now witnessing breaking out and filling a vacuum left in this country. These ten years have created bitter fruits that have allowed fascists and the…

Why does the Taoiseach not call it a housing emergency?

What is the-----

I would like the Taoiseach to look at the promised cost-of-living reduction of €1,000 in third level fees. There is a cohort that is not going to get this reduction, namely, students who have to repeat a year. In many cases, these students are more economically vulnerable and may have to work part-time to keep themselves in college. Can the Taoiseach explain why this extraordinary step has been taken to exclude this cohort from the promised €1,000 reduction as a cost-of-living measure? Can he please look at grantin…

The Government is looking at it.

The Government says it wants more ambition on the limit of 1.50C at COP27 but that loss and damage was a major achievement. The real story of COP27 is the failure of measures to limit global temperatures. It is like saying to the people of east Africa, "We can starve 40,000 of you and give you a few bob" or to the people of Pakistan, "We can cause catastrophic flooding for 30 million of your people and give you a few bob to compensate". We come home at the weekend to find a gloating tweet from the Minister of State…

No, I am saying we should take responsibility for ourselves.

I am talking about actions at home to keep emissions down. The Taoiseach knows that was my question.

I am sorry, that is the answer to Deputy Bacik’s question, not mine. I asked the Taoiseach why the Government issued licences for drilling.

Yes, but the direct question I asked was the irony of giving licences for drilling.

The Taoiseach knows that the Bill to which I am referring would change the law.

It would change the law.

But the Minister is extending licences to drill more.

I was not going to start in this way because it sounds sort of Dickensian, and it is, but having listened to some of the Government Deputies eulogise the budget, I want to start by reading a letter I got in my constituency office from a neighbour who lives on the road near me in Ballyfermot. It reads: I went to my parents’ home at 9 p.m. tonight. My mam had the bottle gas fire right in front of her and my father had his housecoat on him and was in bed. I can’t stand back or stay quiet. My parents need urgent help. …

I want to address several issues that are not central to the question of antisocial behaviour but are central not only to urban spaces in Dublin but to all urban spaces. There are wide issues regarding how we develop our cities and the spaces where people live. If we take Dublin 8 as an example, walking through it we would barely recognise the Coombe or the Liberties because the planners have had it their way. All of the big developments that have taken place and that are smothering the area are built for tourism a…

I welcome this motion from the Rural Independent Group. It is refreshingly progressive and we will fully support it. The motion is unusual, coming from the quarter it does, in that it does not promote fossil fuels, LNG, Barryroe Offshore Energy or anything else. They are completely absent from it and I am delighted to see that because it is progressive. The motion calls for a reduction in the use of electricity by data centres, which Deputy Kenny has just gone into very thoroughly. It also covers things like puttin…

It has been 17 months since the House passed the Second Stage of the Industrial Relations (Provisions in Respect of Pension Entitlements of Retired Workers) Bill 2021. It has been nine months since the consultation process was started by the Tánaiste's office but not a single proposal has come from either the Minister of State, Deputy English, or the Tánaiste regarding the progress of this Bill. Can the Taoiseach get guarantees from that office that attempts will be made to move this Bill to Committee? Will he give…

Last year, the Taoiseach returned from Glasgow having apparently signed up to a pledge to cut methane emissions by 30%. When he got off the plane, however, we discovered that the State had no intentions of doing anything like that. I would like the Taoiseach to address this matter because it may appear that a similar sleight of hand is on display after the lofty rhetoric in Sharm el-Sheikh. There are reports from the EU Council that Ireland has voted to exclude financial investments and funds from the EU corporate …

And 30 seconds for the corporate sustainability EU directive.

That is not the question. The question is does the Taoiseach support the EU directive on sustainability-----