I thank the Minister of State and appreciate his coming in but the reality is that 600 prisoners in Mountjoy Prison are in addiction and there is no addiction nurse. Appointing clinical leads is well and good, but who will they work with? There are no addiction nurses for them to work with. How will that operate? It seems extraordinary. There are 180 prisoners in Mountjoy on methadone. The Minister of State mentioned the chief nurse officer. I understand that on the night shift in Mountjoy Prison, there is just one…

I start by congratulating the women's Irish Homeless World Cup football team on their recent success in Korea. They did fantastically well. It is a huge boost to all the individuals participating in that. In particular, I mention Seán Kavanagh, a long-time supporter of the street league and the Homeless World Cup concept. I also acknowledge the homeless men's team which reached the quarter finals. I noticed that no Minister was at the airport to welcome them home. I say that with a certain irony. After a summer of …

Today I met representatives of Working Animal Guardians, which is a dog rescue group. They are not saying everything the Minister is doing is wrong. They agree with a lot of what the Minister is doing but believes the ban is completely unfair. Working Animal Guardians is a very committed, compassionate group, is very reasonable and has a huge amount of experience with dogs and with XL bully dogs, in particular. It is important to listen to groups such as this and not ignore the stakeholders, which the Minister has …

Bans do not work. This ban is populist, and it is being done with a view to the election that is coming up. Why is the Minister of State not making sure that the existing laws are being implemented and enforced? This Government has been in place for five years and there has been no dent in the illegal puppy farms. I find it ironic that Ireland will have a wolfhound on its passports, given the State's track record on animal welfare and this ban of XL bullies. We do not deserve to have a wolfhound on the Irish passpo…

It is an animal welfare issue. They are still animals.

They are still animals.

There is a hierarchy of animals, is there?

It is populist. It is a populist decision.

It is a populist decision.

After a decade of Fine Gael in power with the support of Fianna Fáil, the Labour Party and the Green Party, we must ask what their legacy is after all these years when it comes to supporting local communities in the inner city of Dublin. What real change can be seen on the ground? When it comes to supports and community services, all that can be seen is years of neglect. Under the Fine Gael and Labour Party Government, we saw the most severe cuts to sports and community services, cuts from which the community is st…

Israel's horrific campaign of slaughter and destruction in the Gaza Strip shows no sign of easing. Yesterday, a school in Khan Yunis was bombed; five children were killed and many others. I visited that school when I was in the Gaza Strip. Last night, Al Jazeera released footage of the horrific attack. Kids and young men were out playing football and, all of a sudden, Israeli missiles rained down on them. Last month, EU leaders signed into action the 14th package of sanctions against Russia. Despite all the documen…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. The Iveagh Gardens is a unique part of our city. It is a hugely important asset to the local community, which has very little green space. It is a five-minute walk from here. It is tucked away at the back of the National Concert Hall. It is in an area with one of the lowest amounts of green space per capita of any European city. We must protect it. It would be devastating to allow this piece of heritage and this green area, which is a jewel in Dublin's crown, to disappea…

Well, it is the ICML, which is a charity.

That is the site where the building will be constructed.

The OPW is going to build it and it was locked into an agreement several years ago.

Yes. If I could just say, the cost of this project started at €15 million. It is now going to cost €70 million.

This project has been foisted on the OPW and the National Concert Hall. The Iveagh Gardens are an extremely important part of our heritage. The location functions as a lung in the city of Dublin and it must be protected. This is the thin edge of the wedge. Three Departments have grant funded the project but they have left the National Concert Hall and the OPW holding the baby. The OPW will build the structure but it will not assess the viability of the project. It has stated this fact. We do not know if the viabili…

It is a private charity.

Exactly.

Trees will have to be knocked. A partition wall is going to be knocked too.