I thank Deputy Joanna Byrne for bringing forward this motion from Sinn Féin. I am proud to stand with my constituents in Donegal and countless people across the country and wholeheartedly support the Stop The Game campaign. After more than two years of watching Israel commit genocide against the Palestinian people in real time, we cannot allow Israel to use sport to normalise its crimes. This autumn's Nations League game between Ireland and Israel must be called off. Poll after poll shows the majority of people in …

The State recommended an external wall remediation only in a home where an internal wall was already cracking and carrying specialist hoist equipment used every day to lift and move a paralysed woman. The family were then refused access to see the full technical report so as to understand whether it was a safe decision to only give an outer leaf remediation. My constituent's home was adapted in 2017. She was paralysed after a car accident and it is designed entirely around her needs. Where the hoist is system is us…

I want to raise the matter of how the State is communicating life-changing decisions to people in the defective concrete blocks scheme. A constituent of mine applied in 2022. Her home was assessed by an IS 465 engineer on the Housing Agency's list. The conclusion was clear: scientific and engineering principles dictated that full demolition and rebuilding was the only safe option to restore this unsafe home. The Housing Agency did not accept that, however, and it downgraded the remediation option to option 2, which…

I thank the Taoiseach for that. I have another issue regarding IS 465. We were told the revised IS 465 was due in April or May but now we are heading towards June. The scheme is meant to be the biggest in the history of the State. It has been delayed and delayed. Will the revised version of IS 465 be published in June? The Tánaiste could tell me on the last occasion that publication would be within weeks and now I am asking the Taoiseach, some five or six weeks later, whether he can tell me whether the revised IS 4…

I thank Deputy O'Reilly and Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion on the cost of disability. I reiterate what Deputy Doherty said about the situation that Aaron Langan and Diarmuid O'Sullivan are in. The situation is that a year ago we were in the audiovisual room along with Diarmuid and his parents. Diarmuid's story is that he has DMD. His brother also has it and is on a trial which means that he has the medication while Diarmuid does not. That is serious issue. Diarmuid is up against it in the context of tim…

I thank Deputy Stanley and his staff for bringing forward this motion in defence of neutrality. Maintaining our neutrality has never been more important. From Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan to the escalating tensions in Iran and the wider Middle East conflict, we are facing an era of overlapping conflict, instability, displacement and humanitarian crisis. Millions of people are being affected by war, famine, instability and devastating consequences that extend far beyond borders. Rather than becoming desensitised, now mor…

The fact that 7,000 households across the country have been given an eviction notice in the first three months of this year is terrifying, and we do not know where they are going to go. Behind every eviction is a person or a family who is seriously at risk of homelessness because there are simply not enough houses out there for them. There is already a severe shortage and the more pressure that is put landlords to leave the market, they are leaving the market, and it is going to become unbearable. We should not be …

Nurses play a vital role in caring for patients in hospital and healthcare centres. Their work and their impact extend far beyond medical treatment. They are often the first people patients see. They are the ones who spend the most time providing care and comfort for the sick and injured. They are often the ones who provide emotional support to families during extremely difficult times. They do all of this while juggling immense workloads and dealing with overcrowded hospitals, staff shortages and long working hour…

There is currently a capital advance leasing facility application for 60 new homes in Carndonagh in County Donegal. I cannot overstress how important this development is for Carndonagh. Families across Donegal are desperate for the opportunity to secure an affordable home and build a better future for themselves. The cost of houses has risen, soaring rents have left many unable to afford suitable accommodation and thousands remain on the social housing waiting list. New housing development can play a vital role in …

Will the Taoiseach address the position confirmed in writing by the Government, the Housing Agency and Donegal County Council that homeowners in the defective concrete scheme are required to agree to a remediation determination for their home without first being provided with full engineering evidence, including petrographic and material testing, on which it is based? The Housing Agency has confirmed it has no issue with sharing the engineer's report and stated it could be accessed through FOI or data protection pr…

I have constantly raised the issue of side-by-side rebuilding under the defective concrete scheme through amendments, a motion in the House and parliamentary questions. This is happening in people's homes right now. For many families, side-by-side building is the only workable way to rebuild while staying within their communities in Donegal. The Government has indicated that it will be available in certain, limited circumstances but those circumstances are not clear and the provision is not yet operational. Familie…

Yes.

With respect, there have been 300 homes built in the past five years. There are 3,000 people currently trying to go through the scheme who are stuck in the scheme. Families are waiting for the basics. Side-by-side building is where you go onto an acre of land that could have a house on one side that is defective and a house on the other, and then pull it down and keep the family in this house until the other house is rebuilt, and then pull the defective house it down and move them over. That is what we are waiting …

I agree with you that we do but we need to-----

I am one of them.

I support the inclusion of Fingal and Wexford in the defective concrete scheme. This motion exposes how the scheme is being delivered on the ground. Delivery is still happening in stages. Counties and areas are added one by one, often after long preparatory work has already been completed. This creates delay that is built into the system rather than delay caused by chance. The delay is shown in how slowly the scheme becomes available and how we are separating the tendering and designation processes for each county.…

I welcome that the Minister undertook public consultation to further inform the development of the next rural development policy. It is important to view our rural communities. What matters most for rural communities is that the people in them are considered. I also welcome the fact that the consultation was done online. The latter is very important in order that everybody in the communities can have their say, particularly those with disabilities. It is important that their voices are heard, that the voices of you…

I thank Deputy O'Gorman and his staff for bringing forward this important motion. I particularly want to share my concern that despite a target of 5 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, no offshore wind projects have been delivered. Ireland has huge potential to become a global leader in wind energy, particularly through offshore developments. County Donegal has immense potential given where it is situated and the amount of wind we gather off the Atlantic Ocean and it would benefit hugely from developing offshore wi…

I have an issue regarding the Minister for children not answering a question. The Ceann Comhairle ruled that the question was okay. It feels like we are being silenced here. I need the Taoiseach to ensure that the Government will take a whole approach to addressing children in support hubs with defective concrete.

It was to do with a support hub for children. The question was tabled and the Minister refused to answer it.