I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. In the past few weeks, we have seen the devastating impact floods can have on communities, North and South and all over the island of Ireland. Last month in Midleton the main street was submerged in 3 ft of water in only eight minutes, leaving a trail of devastation in that community. There has been similar devastation in County Down, with towns such as Downpatrick, Newcastle and Newry heavily impacted by flooding. In 2002, in my constituency, Ringsend and Sand…

I thank the Minister of State and I would appreciate if he would do so. Clearly ten years is an unacceptable wait for residents for flood relief works to be completed. It is very important that people get their heads together. Everybody in the House would agree that families should not have to live in fear of the next flood. This is what people in Sandymount and Ringsend are worried about. In a related matter, in June there was a discharge by Uisce Éireann of large volumes of raw sewage directly onto the shoreline …

Within a stone's throw of Leinster House, there are many council-owned properties and flat complexes that are in unacceptable condition. Some of the complexes were built in the thirties and they are now destroyed with dampness and mould. They have been long designated for regeneration but the process could not be moving any slower. "Glacial" is the only word that could be used to describe the process. Glover's Court is one example and Pearse House is another. St. Andrew's Court was designated for regeneration over …

The double standards from the Government are absolutely sickening. There was no issue or problem referring Russia to the ICC. The hypocrisy is absolutely clear and is unacceptable. In the past 24 hours, I have received thousands of emails from members of the public asking that Ireland take a stand against the horror, the genocide and the carpet bombing engulfing the Gaza Strip. I have been told from contacts there that dogs are starting to eat the corpses of the bodies in the rubble. It is a never-ending horror. We…

What I saw when I worked in the Gaza Strip were the horrors of life in an open-air prison. Now the Gaza Strip is being turned into an open-air morgue. Bodies are piling higher and higher and apartheid Israel is bombing schools, hospitals and churches. Some 88 UN aid workers have been murdered by Israeli bombs. Over 4,000 children have been brutally murdered. A child is murdered by Israel every ten minutes. We are watching some of the worst war crimes of the 21st century take place and the world is standing by. Even…

What number of children will have to be murdered by terrorist apartheid Israel before the Irish Government will push for a suspension of all EU trade deals with Israel? Given the horror and terror that are being inflicted daily on Palestinians, what is the number of deaths required before Ireland will speak out in a European context to ensure that Europe does not stand idly by while Palestinians are being slaughtered?

On democracy.

Will Ireland raise the issue of European trade deals?

Housing is a wide issue and impacts so many people in so many sectors. Our gardaí, nurses and teachers are all impacted. An area of housing that can be forgotten, and indeed is to a large extent, is public housing. I have said before and will keep saying that the standard of maintenance in public housing estates in shockingly bad. The Minister was in Glovers Court and saw for himself the condition of that flat complex. It is appalling. Rats, mould and dampness are having a severe impact on people's health. Leaks an…

I acknowledge, as did the Minister of State, the contribution and the performances of the Irish rugby team in the World Cup. They were absolutely fantastic. They brought us happiness and joy and, ultimately, heartbreak. I have no doubt they will rise again. I wish Johnny Sexton, who has been an amazing servant for Irish rugby, the very best in his future journey. I welcome the time allocated in the Dáil to the speak on Government's capital support for sports facilities. We are speaking on statements on the importan…

I have heard that it might be coming-----

-----but so is Christmas.

That is good to hear. Then we will have to act on it, albeit three years late.

How can we effectively invest and plan for the development of sports facilities if we do not even have a clear account of what we have or what is the condition of our existing stock of facilities? The Minister of State engages with national governing bodies, as do I. They clearly show the massive demand that exists for increased sports facilities. Many of these national governing bodies have brilliant plans already in place. The missing elements are capital and core support from the Government. These national gover…

The FAI has been good this year.

How many applied for it?

Ursula von der Leyen said "... attacks on civilian infrastructure with the clear aim to cut off men, women, children of water, electricity and heating with the winter coming, these are acts of pure terror and we have to call it as such.". The President of the Commission was, of course, referring to Ukraine. Why do the same laws not apply to the people of Palestine? Clearly, in the eyes of Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission, one life is more important than another. There is no other country in the worl…

I thank the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman, for coming in. I know we have discussed this issue. I would like to welcome Mick Finnegan into the Gallery. Mick has been a tireless advocate for survivors of sexual abuse in St. John Ambulance Ireland, SJAI, and he has been hugely affected, like all survivors have been. He has devoted his life to getting some sort of answers and consequences for those who abused him and many others. I would like to acknowledge …

Does the Minister believe serious reform has happened in SJAI? That is a critical point. He mentioned counselling. My understanding is that only one survivor has engaged in the process to access counselling. Rather than waiting for survivors to engage in the process, the Government, Department and SJAI should be proactive and deal with the individuals. The Minister mentioned that he was establishing an institutional abuse working group to examine the report of Dr. Shannon. Has it been established? If so, who sits o…

People from across the sporting community tuned in yesterday to follow the budget announcements and to hear what support and investment sport and recreation would get in 2024, only to be bewildered and left wondering where was the support for which the sporting sector had been calling. This budget has made it clear that sport and recreation is not even on the radar when it comes to priorities for Fine Gael, the Green Party and Fianna Fáil. Year after year, Ireland has had the lowest level of investment in sport and…