I wish the Minister the very best in his new position. It is important for everybody in the country that he is successful. I wish him the best. When it comes to housing, it is hard to know where to start. The list is extremely long. I will start with the regeneration of flat complexes in the city of Dublin. In my own constituency of Dublin Bay South, Pearse House is a large flat complex that was in the process of being regenerated. Stage 1 had been passed. They were looking for stage 2 planning but the Department h…

The Minister of State's colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, said that every member of Government was horrified by what was happening in Gaza. I hear that, but it is really hard to believe it because the actions suggest that is not the case. The Government's actions suggest that it is actually complicit in the horrors that are happening in the Gaza Strip. This Bill seeks to close one of those loopholes, one of the ways in which this country - the Government - is facilitating the murder of thousands of people in…

I wish Jeremy and George well. Best wishes in your new role, Jeremy. For George, it is like replacing Alex Ferguson after his time at Manchester United. He has big shoes to fill, as has been said. Best wishes to both of you. My colleague, Senator Ruane, brought up the issue of the peaceful protest yesterday by Mothers Against Genocide and the fact that protestors were removed. It is of concern to me that the Government, An Garda Síochána and the media are becoming increasingly hostile to anyone who criticises Israe…

I want to raise the ongoing dismantling of Irish neutrality and the attempt to get rid of the triple lock, which it should be noted is being supported by many in the media. The reality is that the only people who will benefit from war and the ending of our neutrality are those in the armaments industry. That industrial complex makes billions of euro. It accounts for a tiny fraction of the population, yet it makes vast amounts of money. A quote that resonated with me was "a rich man's war drenched in the poor man's …

On a point of order, in case there is any suggestion that I am not, I want to clarify that I am very proud of Irish Army personnel. The point I was making is that the vast majority of those fighting on the front line come from working families. I am very proud of the peacekeeping tradition and of Irish Army personnel.

I acknowledge Sarah and Darren and the fight they are undertaking for their son, Freddie. They are replicating the battle that so many people and families have had to put up with in recent years. It does not seem a lot to ask that a child would have access to an education. I acknowledge the Minister of State's new role. It is important and I wish him success. It is important for everyone that he is successful in the role. I am fearful and do not have a lot of hope at the moment. The families of neurodiverse childre…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I wish him well in his role. It is an interesting role. It is in everyone's interest that he is successful. I rise here today to ask a question that weighs heavily on the minds of many in this Chamber but, far more importantly, on the hearts of countless survivors throughout the country. Why will the Department not commission a full inquiry into what went on in St. John Ambulance? The Shannon report, which we have all had the opportunity to review, is nothing s…

I thank the Minister of State. I have heard that response before - that is being honest - and it is not acceptable. No one has been held accountable for the abuse at St. John Ambulance. An apology is not enough. Survivors have been to hell and back. Some are struggling with homelessness and addiction and are struggling to cope. An apology is not good enough and accountability is what is needed. There was significant organisational awareness of this abuse, which went unchecked for decades, and we need to do more. We…

In recent days, the Minister for housing has slammed the door on the redevelopment and regeneration of the Pearse House flats. This is devastating for the residents of Pearse House, who put up with completely unacceptable living conditions that are getting worse by the day. This is just another example of the Government abandoning the residents of the inner city, and it is a case of further broken election promises. Detenanting cannot begin now, as it was hoped would happen, and any progress has now stalled. The re…

Surgical insemination of greyhounds is deeply disturbing and inhumane. It is a practice that continues to plague the greyhound industry in Ireland. It is a procedure where a female dog's uterus is removed, semen is injected into the uterus, the uterus is then returned to the greyhound and she is then sewn back up and expected to carry the litter of dogs for 60 days while recovering from this painful surgery. It is absolutely bizarre. Despite the Veterinary Council of Ireland saying it is unethical, this process is …

When you think the horror in the Gaza Strip cannot get any worse, it does. It gets worse on a daily basis. First, we had the genocide, the destruction of hospitals, the murder and the slaughter. Then we have the starvation, the killing, the terror, the blocking of food, the blocking of medicines and the turning off of electrical power, which impacts the desalination systems and water so there is little drinking water. Starvation is still genocide. It is still against international law. Now we have 1,000 Palestinian…

I congratulate the Minister of State on his new role. It is an important role, as we have seen, for communities across the country. It is also important the Minister of State is successful in it. I wish him the best of luck. The Iveagh Gardens are a green lung for this city. They are more than just a park; they are a piece of our living history. They are one of the few surviving examples of gardens of this type. I suppose every tree tells a story, and to destroy these trees is to destroy the memory of the city. The…

I thank the Minister of State. None of the issues I raised were addressed. The Save the Iveagh Gardens campaign is not happy with any proposals to destroy the area. The long boundary wall will be destroyed. I invite the Minister of State to visit the gardens at lunchtime. They are magnificent. The OPW does a very good job within the boundary walls, but to allow the destruction of the Iveagh Gardens is wrong. This proposal will lead to them being destroyed. The response of the Minister of State is not accurate. The …

I raise the ongoing crisis facing residents in Glovers Court, a Dublin City Council flat complex off York Street, and O'Carroll Villas. Drug dealers run these flat complexes. Glovers Court is like a 24-hour drug shop, with dealers using Kinder eggs to hide their drugs in the playground at O'Carroll Villas. Gangs of young people are egging those using the local shops and businesses. The pace of the regeneration of Glovers Court is glacial, just like it is for almost all Dublin City Council flat complexes. Since ther…

Pearse House flats, which are located just off Pearse Street, are due to be regenerated as part of the flat regeneration scheme. This regeneration is taking place at a snail's pace. The conditions residents have to live in are absolutely unacceptable. In the past week, two residents have had to be moved out of their homes; both of their flats were completely flooded by raw sewage which came up through the floors. They have had to move out and have had almost no support from Dublin City Council. Effectively, the fla…

I congratulate the Minister of State on his new portfolio. It is a really interesting role and is one that I know he is very interested in. I wish him the best of luck in it because it is important for everyone that he is successful. The Irish diaspora is a unique feature of our historical and cultural identity and is crucial to our global influence and political future. Irish men and women have contributed massively to countries across the world with places like the United States, Australia, and Argentina, derivin…

Apartheid Israel has stopped bombing Gaza. It has decided to change its strategy and starve the people of the Gaza Strip. Withholding food and emergency aid is genocide. It is sickening. It is also against international law to continue to do that. Yet, the Irish Government still has not sanctioned Israel. There have been no sanctions. There are no consequences for Israel in the context of its actions or anything it does. It can drive a stagecoach through international law and nothing happens. Israel must face conse…

I congratulate the Minister on his new position. It is well deserved. Last year, the Fine Gael Minister in the previous Government spent €400,000 on a campaign to highlight the need for dog owners to be responsible dog owners. A few months later, the Minister was banning XL bullies and targeting specific dogs, rather than targeting behaviour, and letting irresponsible owners off the hook. This was populist and it was also extremely unfair to dogs. The Government said it wanted to keep the law in unison with a simil…

I thank the Minister. I have to emphasise the importance of having an appeals process and that it is independent. When the ban was brought in, the Government had to bring an independent expert from England, Ms Debbie Connolly, because there is no expertise here in terms of identifying what an XL bully is. Debbie Connolly trained some of the dog wardens. Some dog wardens did not go to the training, while some of those who did go to training did not attend the second day of training. It is important that there is a p…

With the ban, however, the dog is being punished.