I see we have skipped over the Government slot. Time and again, workers in the State have been left high and dry when companies collapse, not only through sudden unforeseen insolvency but, all too often, through a deliberate and tactical decision to shut down, to strip assets, to walk away from obligations to staff, to hide assets in corporate mazes, to deny workers what they are owed. Workers, who in many cases gave decades of loyal and long service, are left without wages, without redundancy, without any recognit…

Rural communities are in crisis. Young families who cannot find homes in their communities are being pushed into larger urban centres, which are already under pressure. Rural communities, ár gceantair Ghaeltachta san áireamh, are facing an existential threat. What specific steps are the Minister and his Department taking to support rural and coastal communities facing decline due to the total lack of housing opportunities and availability?

The Minister mentioned Our Rural Future. While I am glad to hear that the next iteration of the Government's rural development policy will look at housing, the previous one did not do so in any meaningful sense. In fact, it had more to say on rural broadband than on rural housing. I believe that is part of the fundamental problem. This Government and its predecessors have wasted years when housing should have been developed. Rural communities need action on housing. They need delivery of affordable and social homes…

I look forward to having those discussions with the Minister both at committee and in the Chamber and, indeed, offline because this is an issue that is not going away any time soon. Much time has been wasted over the past five to ten years when we should have been developing housing, but it is never too late to start doing the right thing. It needs to be focused on keeping rural communities alive because the consequences of inaction are playing out before our eyes in my constituency, which I am more familiar with, …

I thank Deputy McCormack for bringing this up because it is an issue very close to my heart and one I have been considering for a while. I had the opportunity to meet with the Irish Postmasters Union yesterday morning. Speaking to it, a topic that came up was the impact and availability of the post office network, particularly in rural Ireland, to offset some of that exclusion and isolation that happens to all sorts of people living in rural communities but particularly older people. I know there is a Minister of S…

The Minister of State will agree it is unacceptable that Waterford is the only city, and the south-east region is the only part of the State, that does not have a Jigsaw youth mental health service. These services are not only physically based in premises but also offer outreach services. People I am dealing with right across Waterford city and county and also those in parts of south Tipperary, south Kilkenny and Wexford would be able to avail of this. There would be outreach services in towns like Dungarvan, Tallo…

I agree that young people in particular are under huge stresses in this day and age. There is of course a need to constantly improve our acute mental health services, particularly for young people - children and adolescents. As I said, there is a need for early intervention and that wellness piece. There are great organisations working on the ground across Waterford and I met Pride of the Déise recently with Deputy Cullinane and understand the needs of the LGBTQI community. That is important. There is also Waterfor…

What we are witnessing in Gaza is not just a failure of diplomacy but also a moral collapse of the international order. The bombardment, forced starvation and displacement of Palestinians are not abstract tragedies; they are livestreamed horrors etched into our collective conscience. Ireland, with its history of colonial oppression and enforced starvation, cannot look away as mams and dads – those few who are left alive after 19 months of bombardment – watch their babies die of hunger in their arms. We need action,…

It is utterly shameful.

In Waterford, 147 children are waiting for an assessment of need, and some have been waiting for nearly two years. That is illegal. That is the Government breaking its own laws. As the Government knows, under the Disability Act children are entitled to an assessment within six months. That is not optional. That is the law. Yet, the Government breaks that law every single day. Across the State, more than 15,000 children are now overdue their assessment. That number could rise to almost 25,000 by the end of next year…

I thank the Independent and Parties Technical Group for introducing this Bill and giving us the opportunity to speak on the issue to which it relates. I am a trade unionist and have been since I entered the workforce as a teenager. I am the Sinn Féin spokesperson on community development. I worked for many years in the community and voluntary sector. What I want to talk about in the brief time I have is the need for this Bill on trade union recognition to advance trade union recognition for all workers. I am speaki…

Aontaím le mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, go háirithe i dtaobh an leasú seo. Tá cuspóir leis na leasuithe ar fad atá curtha síos agam féin agus ag mo chomhghleacaí taobh liom, agus leis na leasuithe atá curtha síos ag an bhFreasúra go hiomlán, cuid acu ag teacht ó Chonradh na Gaeilge. Is é an téama ginearálta atá ag rith tríd na leasuithe seo ná an daonlathas agus Údarás na Gaeltachta a dhéanamh chomh daonlathach agus freagrach is gur féidir go dtí muintir na Gaeltachta agus pobal na ceantair Ghaeltachta.…

Luaigh an tAire na treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta. Mar a dúirt mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, táimid ag feitheamh leis na blianta leis na treoirlínte sin. Tá ár gceantair Ghaeltachta i gcruachás i ndáiríre. Tá clanna óga ach go háirithe i gcruachás mar gheall ar easpa tithíochta. Tá sé seo pléite againn go mion minic sa Teach seo de bharr theip an Rialtais tithíocht inacmhainne agus shóisialta a fhorbairt sna ceantair Ghaeltachta. Anuas air sin, theip ar an Rialtas creatlach chuimsitheach a bheith ar fái…

Le cead an Chathaoirligh Gníomhaigh, is mian liom cúpla focal a rá maidir le leasú Uimh. 22.

Mar a dúirt mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, ní thuigim cén fáth a bhfuil leasú Uimh. 22, a chuir Conradh na Gaeilge isteach ach a bhfuil ár n-ainmneacha air, as ord ach go bhfuil leasuithe an-chosúil ón Aire ceadaithe. Is dócha go bhfuil double standard de shaghas éigin i gceist. Nílim, mar Theachta Dála agus ionadaí poiblí, sásta leis sin. Ní thuigim é. Is dócha gur ceart míniú a thabhairt ar sin mar tá daoine ag féachaint air seo. Níl a lán Teachtaí sa Seomra anois, ach tá daoine ag féachaint agus beidh …

Beidh mé an-ghasta mar tá sé ráite go beacht agus go soiléir ag mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, atá in éineacht liom. Tá m’ainm ar an leasú agus aontaím go huile is go hiomlán lena bhfuil ráite ag an Teachta Ó Snodaigh. I slí amháin, is féidir léamh a bheith agat ar an srian seo gur ardú céime é do bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta agus a chomhaltaí mar beidh siad ar chomhchéim le hUachtarán na hÉireann. Mar a dúirt mo chomhghleacaí cúpla nóiméad ó shín, is iad seo an t-aon dream, agus is é seo an t-aon toghchán,…

Gan athrá a dhéanamh ar an díospóireacht, bhí muid ag iarraidh go mbeadh gach comhalta tofa agus ní hé sin an cás. Dóibh siúd atá le bheith ceaptha ag an Aire, ba cheart go mbeadh sé leagtha síos go beacht sa bhunreachtaíocht na scileanna, an taithí agus an cumas a bheadh acu, ionas nach bhfuil aon dul as - táim cinnte nach ndéanfadh an tAire reatha an méid seo ach ní hé sin le rá nach ndéanfadh Aire amach anseo é – agus nach mbeadh sé úsáidte mar political patronage. Is é sin an dainséar agus an bhuairt a bheith a…

Hear, hear.

This question relates to the waiting times for inpatient admission for eating disorders and plans that are in place, or not in place as the case may be, to increase the number of inpatient eating disorder beds and to properly resource the model of care. We know from the HSE's estimates that there are 1,700 new presentations of people with eating disorders every year. Between 2018 and 2022, those figures show us that of 700 people who presented to the HSE with an eating disorder, only 46 received inpatient treatment…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. As she outlined, the fact is that there are only three specialist beds and they are in St. Vincent's Hospital. When the current Tánaiste was the Minister for Health, he promised to deliver 20 beds by 2023. He did not promise to deliver them for no good reason. It was understood at that time that there was an urgent need for additional capacity in the system. We must also be realistic here. There might not have been anybody waiting as of yesterday precisely because the HS…