I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I am disappointed the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government is not here. This is a really important issue for so many families living right across the city. There are tens of thousands of people living in flats in inner-city communities that have been neglected for decades. I cannot help but think that the Government is engaging in a form of social marginalisation and is pushing families out from their communities and homes, particularly in older flat compl…

I thank the Minister of State, but his response is disappointing. It is clear to many residents in the south inner city that the Government does note care about them or their families. There seems to be no direction. The only direction is a general descent into dereliction. Looking at the list the Minister of State read out, none of the flats in the south-east inner city are benefiting from funding or regeneration projects. Families in the south-east inner city have been abandoned. They have put up with completely …

I acknowledge the young people from Slí, the sustainable living initiative, from County Waterford in the Visitors Gallery. Their vision is of a global community working together to ensure an equitable and sustainable future for all. Slí is dedicated to fostering a sustainable and ethically conscious community. It tries to empower people through education and action. I commend their ongoing interest and engagement within the community. Recently, I was at a dog rescue hub. It is heartbreaking. In the dog rescue, ther…

While Dublin hurling has had many dark days over the years, Saturday was not one of them. The Dublin hurlers had a fantastic victory over an iconic, amazing Limerick team. Hopefully, Dublin can win their next match against Cork. I acknowledge those who believed in Dublin hurling for so many years and who fought for it during those dark days. I think of people like Shay Connolly from Ringsend and Seán Lane up in Ballinteer St. Johns. They believed in hurling and camogie and fought the fight to ensure Dublin hurling …

I have previously raised the barbaric practice of surgical artificial insemination of greyhounds. Senator O'Loughlin was just as outraged and disgusted by it as everyone else. This is a practice where the greyhound is sliced open, the uterus is removed and the semen is inserted. The greyhound is then sewn back up and expected to carry the pups through pregnancy until their delivery, all while trying to recover from that surgery. The Government carried out a consultation into this practice and had submissions, which…

This Government’s approach to renters is astonishing. Rents are at an all-time high and have been increasing for years, with no hope in sight from Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. Renters have received next to nothing from this or the previous Government. Tenants are being extorted by their landlords and, in many cases, forking over the majority of their wages to the landlord for the privilege of having a roof over their head. Particularly in Dublin, ordinary people are being priced out of the communities they grew up in.…

It is relevant to the residents in Pearse House.

I would also like to express my sympathies to the family of Carmencita Hederman. I knew Carmencita, though not very well. I knew her daughter Wendy, who was a councillor in Dublin Bay South. The family is dedicated to public service, the environment and protecting communities, so I wanted to add my sympathies. Annie Callan's son, Oisín, is 13 years of age. Oisín is another example of a neurodivergent child being failed by the State. Oisín is a lovely, gentle child. He is nonverbal but able to work away independentl…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in and congratulate her on her new role. I think it is her first time to the Seanad in that role. It will probably not be any busier a role than when she was Chair of an Oireachtas committee. It was a pretty hectic committee and she managed it very well, so I am sure she will manage this role very well. The cost-of-doing-business crisis is having a severe effect on small businesses across the city, particularly small independent coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. They have…

I bring the House's attention to this evening's Raise the Roof housing protest that will happen outside Leinster House at 6 p.m. I hope all of us who recognise this Government's failure on housing will attend and show their solidarity with renters, tenants and residents from throughout the country. People throughout Dublin and the country are living in completely unacceptable housing with unaffordable rents and inadequate conditions. Flat complexes in the south-east inner city, including Markievicz House, Pearse Ho…

Most of us at this point would be familiar with the contractual issue affecting Oireachtas broadcasting workers. These workers are getting a fraction of the pay of similarly qualified workers elsewhere in the industry and are denied permanent contracts that would give them the rights they are due. At present, they are forced to find additional employment or rely on social welfare to make ends meet when the Dáil and Seanad are not sitting. They perform a vital service, making sure the public is informed of events in…

Screening for the Israeli military.

Late last year, it was announced that the State would be purchasing four German-built multi-use Airbus helicopters for use by the Defence Forces at a cost of €92 million. In January, The Journal reported that these helicopters contained flight system components manufactured by the Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems, despite the Government stating at an earlier stage that its position was to avoid purchasing Israeli military technology. These helicopters are built with the capability to fire Israeli-built Spike ant…

I thank the Minister of State. The first half of that reply was exactly the same as the reply I got to a parliamentary question. There was nothing new in it. The Minister of State did not confirm whether the helicopters purchased would have Israeli components in them. I did not hear that. The whole thing is very vague. It is couched in language that is open, yet it is not clear to me. The Minister of State might follow that up. It is not surprising. The Government is saying one thing about how horrifying the situat…

I have been contacted a lot by family and friends of Nicola Fox. Nicola Fox is an Irish mother who was jailed in England for a month and whose term was recently extended for another five months. Nicola is an Irish citizen. Her crime was trying to bring her son Harry home. She has had supervised access to her son once every two weeks. She has been very vocal and outspoken, which seems to be why she is being punished like this. Harry expressed the desire to stay with his mother, and the English police detained her wh…

Hear, hear.

I raise a shocking and distressing case affecting a young man from south County Dublin, Robert Brady, and how he has been completely failed by our mental health and disability services. It is horrendous listening to the catalogue of failures he has faced. Robert first showed signs of psychosis in 2019 when he was in secondary school. His family sought help from the State but were told that early intervention supports were not available, something which is not unusual. He was finally admitted to Linn Dara CAMHS unit…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I have, obviously, been given permission. On his 18th birthday, Robert was abruptly moved to an adult psychiatric unit, an entirely unsuitable environment for his needs. His condition has progressively become worse within this facility which has been unable to provide the 24-hour, high-level care he needs. Robert remains in this psychiatric unit today, has been in this unit in Tallaght for five years and his condition and quality of life is getting worse daily. His complex condition is no…

Last night, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael showed their true colours when it comes to Gaza and genocide. The Tánaiste stands up in front of this House, or on TikTok, to talk about how much he cares about the Palestinian people and how he hopes someone should do something to help them. The Tánaiste speaks about his Government, how it is so committed to Palestine and how it is, in fact, on the international forefront in support of the people of Gaza. The Tánaiste is taking the Irish people for fools. We are now 20 months …

I worry about the kids. Some of them may have been killed since then.