I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, for coming in. It is safe to say we both agree how important sport is in Irish society. We are a real sporting nation. It is one of the pillars that sustains Irish society. Whether it is at grassroots or amateur level or supporting our elite athletes and teams wherever they represent us, we simply love sport. Sporting organisations play a major role in community development and in fostering stronger social cohesion. An average of one in ten of all adults frequently vo…

I thank the Minister of State and I acknowledge what he and the Government did for sporting organisations during the pandemic. As he said, it kept many clubs afloat and it is important to acknowledge that. However, we are in another pandemic and there is a lot of talk in advance of the budget on household supports, which are vital, as well as business supports. Equally, there will be sports clubs that will need to be kept afloat. If you go to any park the floodlights will be on and swimming pools need to be kept op…

The Minister, Deputy Ryan, said the Government was only warming up on these schemes. I can tell him the residents in the flat complexes have been forgotten about and they are freezing and terrified. The condition of the vast majority of flats is very bad. Dampness and mould as a result of poor insulation is rife in many flats. The flats in Mercer House, Pearse Street, Whelan House, Rathmines and many council-owned houses are in a disgraceful condition. Glover Court, as the Minister knows, was supposed to be retrofi…

I understand thalidomide survivors are meeting the Taoiseach today. This is a long-overdue meeting. It is welcome but I ask that the Tánaiste and this Government step up to the plate and give thalidomide survivors, who have fought for more than 60 years, what they deserve. They deserve an apology and statutory redress. I seek a commitment that this will happen.

South Dublin County Council recently passed a motion of no confidence in An Bord Pleanála, just a few days ago. I think that if a similar motion was put to this House and there was a free vote, a motion of no confidence in An Bord Pleanála would also be passed here. A Minister, one of the Minister of State's colleagues, recently stated that An Bord Pleanála should be disbanded and it is hard to disagree with that. If it is not disbanded, as has been mentioned, that could cause other issues. It needs to be disbanded…

Yes, allegedly, of course, if that is helpful. How could they have faith in An Bord Pleanála? In 2016, a performance review was carried out and made some recommendations. Needless to say, these recommendations were not acted upon. That is another reason the public has no confidence in the board and another reason An Bord Pleanála needs to be either dissolved or radically changed and a new functioning structure created to replace what is a discredited institution. Salaries of the board members have been mentioned. T…

The soaring cost of living and the rising inflation rate are showing no let-up, pushing ordinary working families to the pin of their collar. The impact is far-reaching, and it is not just in regard to food and household bills that families are feeling the pressure. The cost-of-living crisis is having an impact on the health and well-being of children throughout the State. I have never had so many parents call me to outline the struggles they face to cover the costs of their children's sporting activities. Week in,…

Next week marks 18 years since Mary McAleese, in her first term in office as President, signed the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, EPSEN, into law in this country. That was on 19 July 2004. It was brought into law because the Government at the time acknowledged the failings in supporting our most vulnerable children. Successive Governments have failed to commence the Act fully, meaning a failure of support for our children. This year is no different as we see continued failure in appropria…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. Last month, on statements in advance of the European Council meeting, I raised my deep concerns in respect of the recent trip of Ursula von der Leyen to Israel and her praise of the apartheid system that openly operates there. The message the President of the European Commission delivered was clear for all to see. For increased energy co-operation, the EU is willing to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. Unfortunately, Ireland is complicit in that policy ap…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I agree with some of the points Deputy Matthews made in relation to An Taisce. The organisation has played a really important role in protecting Irish culture and heritage. It has held people to account who need to be held to account. The organisation has done the State a good service. I wish to acknowledge that. Planning and development is an important issue in every community right across the country. The recent controversy in relation to An Bord Pleanála ha…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on the Bill. Like many others, I spent several years working in the hospitality sector. I understand how poorly paid are those working in the sector, how challenging a job it is and how important tips are to staff right across the hospitality sector. My party and I support the Bill. It is important. There has been a long campaign on this matter. It is great to see it advancing through the various Stages. I commend the constant effort of hospitality staff. From persona…

DEBRA Ireland, an advocacy group for epidermolysis bullosa, EB, or butterfly skin, made its pre-budget submission in Buswells Hotel last week on behalf of the families of those who are living with EB. Emma Fogarty and Liz Collins made a powerful presentation on the difficulties and challenges that they face day in and day out. They have three asks in respect of the budget. The first is to create a ring-fenced fund for home nursing care for children and adults with EB. The second is to fund an EB outreach nurse. The…

I welcome the Labour Party Bill. It is so important because it speaks to who we are as a society. Groups such as Involve Autism, which is represented in the Gallery, do such powerful work in advocacy but also in supporting families in communities who are struggling day in, day out. There is also Neurodiversity Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse Street, which does amazing work for families that it should not have to do. We all want to see classes opened as a matter of urgency. Just as a school should not be opened witho…

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak ahead of what will be a great Pride march on Saturday. It is always a great event. It is very positive. It makes people feel good and feel happy. There is a real sense of solidarity on the march. Pride month has many great events. Last week I was at one, the Pride dog show, in the Cabbage Garden off Kevin Street. It was a fantastic event and everybody enjoyed it. It was very positive. All of this positivity contrasts with the homophobic attacks carried out recently. It…

This is an issue I raise regularly. The situation does not seem to be getting any better. If anything, things seem to be getting worse. People living in flat complexes in the inner city are genuinely frustrated in respect of having been forgotten. They feel, and the evidence suggests they are right, that Dublin City Council has neglected them for too long, as has the Government. They are living in conditions that are just not acceptable. These are not all old flat complexes. Many of the newer flat complexes have se…

They are all very fine words and I appreciate the personal commitment of the Minister of State, but the reality is that people living in inner-city flat complexes have to put up with rats, faeces and racism. It is horrendous for residents living in these communities. I do not feel there is any sense of urgency to progress the work. I met residents from Andrews Court four years ago in respect of a proposal from Dublin City Council. It will be another four years before a small block housing 11 families will be dealt …

I welcome the motion brought forward by the Independent Group. It is a very important issue. Many of us know the key role that respite provides in supporting family carers and those with a disability. More than 500,000 family carers provide vital care and support for their loved ones. I will raise one issue, in particular, that was raised with me by a family. They are really struggling to get carers. One member of the family requires a lot of care and carers are constantly not showing up. They cannot fulfil those h…

Baggot Street hospital has been closed since 2019 and is steadily sliding into dereliction. The windows are boarded up and tiles are falling off the roof. Given the homeless emergency, will the Taoiseach intervene to ensure that this magnificent building is used for community purposes instead of being sold off to private investors?

Recent comments from the EU Commission stating that the EU will move to importing natural gas from Israel to reduce the EU's dependency on Russian gas are demoralising. It has to be made clear at the next European Council meeting that one cannot replace dependency on one rogue state with dependency on another rogue state, the other rogue state being apartheid Israel. The Government is opposed to using gas from Russia because Russia annexes and occupies Ukrainian territory, but it wants us to replace it with gas fro…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this issue. Parents of neurotypical children have an expectation that their children will get a decent education. It is not an unreasonable expectation. However, it is not an expectation that parents of neurodiverse children have. One parent from the Neurodiversity - Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse Street and Involve Autism advocacy groups told me recently that as a parent of an autistic child, getting a place in a school is a horrific struggle. Parents feel they are beg…