Nothing is happening to Israel.

Yesterday marked 70 years since the Schuman Declaration. It was a time when states were struggling to rebuild after the brutal destruction of the Second World War. With the horrors of that war still fresh in the minds of so many, the core of the declaration presented a strong determination to prevent another war. It aimed to "make war between the historic rivals [...] 'not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible'". This declaration set in place a vision for a new Europe, one with co-operation at its core. Whe…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. Unfortunately since the previous occasion I spoke on this matter the situation in Ukraine has become even worse. The human cost of the war continues to grow as cities are razed, towns are steamrolled and villages are laid to rest. Nowhere appears to be out of reach of Russian brutality. Even cities in the far west of Ukraine such as Lviv are targeted. Sadly we have often seen the brutal use of missiles in recent years by so-called great powers and superpowers. As ev…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, on bringing forward this motion. The latest report from the RTB paints in black and white the devastating impact this Government's housing policies have had on renters, with the average new monthly rent in Dublin standing at €1,972. Rent in Dublin has increased by 100% since 2011. It is safe to say that in my constituency of Dublin Bay South, the average monthly rent is more than €2,000. Today, I saw a three-bedroom apartment in Capital Dock advertised for €5,000 a month. Tha…

News broke yesterday that the next round of training for the Garda armed support unit, ASU, has been halted. I have been informed, however, that gardaí who had been selected for that training were told that it has been cancelled outright. The selected gardaí have been waiting since 2019 to take part in this armed support unit training. Armed support units across Dublin barely have enough resources to be operational and are only at 75% capacity. Ireland has a high rate of gun violence. Our gun murder rate is six tim…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It seeks to enact a wide range of reforms which will change the way in which judges are appointed in Ireland. We support the Bill although we will propose amendments to it to make it stronger. We must see the appointment of judges who truly reflect Irish society, not just a certain section of society. We must have judges who are in touch with all communities, especially working class communities because those communities live with the brutal reality of drug-related c…

Is that related to the Bill?

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Reform is long overdue and has to be welcomed. The issue has been going on for a long time. An especially important element is the law covering the guardian ad litem system, which is long overdue for reform. In the last Dáil, we saw the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019, addressing guardians ad litem , which sought to address these inadequacies but fell with the dissolution of the Dáil in January 2020, which was unfortunate. With this Bill, we will see the much-needed…

As the Tánaiste will be aware, planning permission has been granted for the former Irish Glass Bottle Company site in Ringsend and preparatory works have already started, although they have stalled. The planning permission means that 900 public and affordable homes must be delivered on the site. For residents in Ringsend and Pearse Street who have been on the housing list for many years, it is essential that public homes are delivered on the site rather than on the other side of the city. Dublin City Council manage…

In many regions around the world, people are facing intense oppression and humanitarian crises brought on by oppressive regimes. All these wars are extremely challenging for Europe. The brutal war being raged by the Russian Government in Ukraine has no end in sight. President Zelenskyy has shown strong leadership since the war started, as he did in speaking to the joint Houses of the Oireachtas this morning. Day by day, more horrific accounts of war crimes are coming to light. These must be punished and Putin must …

Vacant homes are a serious issue around the country but they are no less of an issue in the inner city. The difference is that in the inner city, Dublin City Council is responsible for these empty homes. A short walk from here I could show the Minister ten empty flats that are boarded up. That is ten homes that could house people in homelessness or in overcrowded or unsafe conditions. Dublin City Council flats can be empty for months. There needs to be a speedier process to reactivate the flats. In some cases, flat…

Yesterday, there was a welcome announcement by Sport Ireland and Ireland Active relating to swimming pool operators across the country. However, I was taken aback to see the five-star hotels in Dublin Bay South, such as the Merrion Hotel, the InterContinental Dublin hotel in Ballsbridge and the Marker Hotel Dublin, where annual membership is €1,500 and no children are allowed, received large grants for their pools. Seán McDermott Street swimming pool has been closed for nearly three years and Marian College swimmin…

I thank the Minister.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the situation in Ukraine. I send my continued solidarity to the people of Ukraine. The resilience and courage they have shown is inspiring. Every day they are enduring the brutal and deadly reality of Russian aggression. It has been uplifting to see the rapid response, from here and from the rest of Europe, and the opening of doors to give shelter and support to those fleeing this war of aggression. A notable player in this regard has been the Red Cross. It has been doing amazi…

There are some important elements to the Bill which I welcome. Overall, we welcome the Bill. We will be proposing amendments on Committee Stage. The provision to use CCTV in some circumstances to catch illegal dumping is welcome. It will be welcomed in many flat complexes around my constituency. Residents in the likes of Bishop Street, not too far from here, are scourged by people throwing rubbish in the bin storage areas and making them unsafe and unhealthy. That leads to rats and seagulls making the bin areas a p…

I also commend my colleague, Deputy Tully, on the work she has done on this particular issue, which is unbelievably important to many families across the country. The fear people feel when they find out their child is neurodiverse is heartbreaking because they know so many people in their situation who have been failed and they know that the same is in store for them. I know the Minister of State gets that but it seems the Government has no handle on how to get services up to an acceptable standard. It knows the qu…

The Bill before us here today is essentially a fait accompli . As the Minister signed us up to this two years ago, it is something of a rubber-stamping exercise. Before I deal with the contents of this Bill, I feel I should mention the Bretton Woods system itself, from which it derives its name, because the IMF, alongside the World Bank, have been with us since the Bretton Woods system was first launched. Indeed, it is fair to say they have now outlived the very system they were born of. The Bretton Woods system wa…

It is because everything moved so fast.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I thank the Minister of State for arriving. I know he had other plans, but such is life. This is a Bill to amend the Planning and Development 2000 and to repeal section 97(3)(b). The Bill arises because of the scrapping of height guidelines by the then Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government in 2018. There are a number of strands leading to this Bill. First, under Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, each private developer must provide 10% s…

I agree with everything Deputy Ó Broin said. It is very disappointing and the residents in Pearse Street and Ringsend will be equally disappointed. The Minister of State listed off a range of measures, but he did not say what the negative unintended consequences of the Bill would be. It will protect communities. The application in Ringsend was for 15 storeys and there were going to be 48 units on a site of 0.1 ha. Five of those units should have gone to public housing. That means five homes lost and five families o…