The proposal that is before us will do nothing other than reinforce the reality that the Government is led by the interests of developers, vulture funds and cuckoo funds. I represent the constituency of Dublin Bay South where, generation after generation, in communities like those in Pearse Street, Kevin Street, Ringsend and around the Iveagh Trust, people have grown up in apartments and flats. Those apartments and flats are homes as well and the inner-city communities who live in them matter. Unless apartments are…

I commend Deputy Eoin Ó Broin for this motion on housing and for all the work he has done around this issue. The inability to purchase new homes because they are unaffordable is nothing new to residents living in Dublin Bay South. Young working families have not been able to purchase affordable homes for a long time. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Amazon and now TikTok have all moved into Ringsend, the Pearse Street area and right across south Dublin. As they have moved in, the prices of buying and renting even modest…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in at this late hour. The sport of MMA has grown immensely over the past decade. Participation in MMA in Ireland is very diverse. If one walks into any MMA club, one will see a mix of people ranging from office workers to construction workers, young and old. One will see a real mix of nationalities training side by side. We have also seen the great potential MMA can offer young people through programmes such as the MMA coaching and education programme in Drogheda. The aim of…

While I welcome the establishment of a working group on this issue, I really do feel that the process is being used to block recognition of the IMMAA. It is only through meaningful engagement that we will see the IMMAA progress towards NGB status under Sport Ireland. This would give people involved in this sport and those representing Ireland internationally the recognition they deserve and show that their sport is being treated equally. However, I have deep concerns as to how genuine these engagements will be when…

With each passing day we are witnessing more and more brutality, aggression and murder being carried out by the apartheid state of Israel. The line we hear repeatedly from the Government is that of support for the two-state solution, yet the Irish State does not recognise the state of Palestine. In February 1980, Ireland was the first EU member state to call for the establishment of a Palestinian state, yet we are still waiting. We recognise the racist, apartheid state of Israel, so when will Ireland recognise the …

I welcome the Bill and the support it has received from the Cabinet. It is important that we put in place measures to tackle ticket touting. As society continues to reopen and as live events open again to the public, hopefully soon albeit with restricted numbers, it is safe to say that tickets will be in high demand. It is, however, disappointing that it has taken so long to get to this stage. It is four years since my colleague, an Teachta Quinlivan, introduced anti-ticket touting legislation to the Dáil, only to …

Increasingly, the Government and that which preceded it have turned the State into a paradise for vulture funds. Contrary to what most ordinary people think, housing units are now viewed by the State as assets for the purpose of generating capital for investors ahead of building homes for workers. This may have come as a shock to many after what we saw happen in Maynooth. However, this has been a visible reality within communities across Dublin Bay South and inner city Dublin for years now. First-time buyers in com…

What is happening in Jerusalem is deeply disturbing. It is clearly an act of ethnic cleansing. As usual, the apartheid Israeli Government is using brutal force and acts of aggression to carry out this land grab. Not only is the Israeli Government using its rockets and artillery to slaughter innocent families in the Gaza Strip while the world looks on, it is also using medical apartheid to punish Palestinians with the roll-out of the vaccine. How many atrocities and war crimes must happen before the Israeli ambassad…

Our position on the UN Security Council gives us a platform to finally do what is right for the indigenous struggle in Palestine. We saw what happened in South Africa when the world stayed silent. This time, however, we have a chance to be on the right side of history and to do what is right by the millions of people who have been killed and forced out of their homes and who live under occupation. Until this State recognises the state of Palestine in the same way we recognise the state of Israel, we are complicit i…

We need actions.

Sanctions and divestment.

So have I.

It is not about who has been there the most.

It is not working. We need action.

The Minister needs to advocate for action.

I thank Deputy Cian O’Callaghan for bringing forward this important private members' Bill to repeal Part V leasing. We are in the depths of a housing crisis and have been for many years. I see the reality of this crisis every day across the communities in Dublin Bay South. There is a chronic shortage of affordable housing for first-time buyers. Public housing such as Glovers Court, Bishop Street, Cuffe Street and Mercer House are all within 500 m of Leinster House and have all been condemned as substandard by the E…

While I welcome this Bill as a step in the right direction, it must be acknowledged that we are very much on the back foot in the fight against climate change. I am deeply concerned by the notable lack of several important elements that are needed to tackle climate change effectively. The legislation does not include a number of commitments made in the programme for Government, which is very telling about the priorities of a certain party of government when it comes to climate action. Where is the provision for a m…

I acknowledge this important motion brought forward by my colleague, Deputy Ward. We all know how Covid has taken its toll on mental health. Speaking to parents and young people, every one of them says they are in varying degrees of stress and anxiousness. Children have been missing their sports for more than a year. That void has had a huge impact on their mental health and placed increased stress on their siblings and parents. People who otherwise would have had good mental health are struggling and those who wer…

Who is going to care for the carers? It is not this Government it seems. The strain on carers and families is horrendous at the best of times. During this pandemic, however, it has been unbearable. We need to invest in carers. Doing so would be a win-win for both families and the State. It would take pressure off hospitals, nursing homes and GP services. Investing in respite should not be seen as a cost because it is not. The savings would be immeasurable. The State would save on many levels. Financially, there wou…

Deputy McAuliffe looks nothing like him.