Kids in emergency accommodation-----

That is where the demonisation-----

The Tánaiste cannot believe that.

If the Tánaiste says it again, he might actually believe it.

Here we go. The Independent voice.

Did you engage with them by postcard?

More difficult for you.

The Government survived a vote today but the Minister of State should not kid himself - public confidence has not been restored. The Government limped through, shedding some of its own along the way. People will draw their own conclusions about the motivations behind those changes of heart. What is clear is that the outcome of today does absolutely nothing to change the reality that workers, families and businesses across the State are facing. People have lost confidence because this Government is not listening and…

Hear, hear.

There is €12.5 billion of a surplus.

There is a €12.5 billion surplus.

Sinn Féin will support measures that genuinely speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure, and there is no question that this State needs urgent investment and delivery at scale. This Government has a clear problem with delivery. Communities are repeatedly told that projects are coming, funding is allocated and plans are in place, but what they experience instead are delays, stalled timelines, missed deadlines and a lack of urgency. The infrastructure deficit we face today has been built up over decades. Comm…

Tá mé ag tógáil na ceiste seo thar ceann an Teachta O’Reilly. I am taking this question for Deputy Louise O'Reilly. It is to ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the way in which he intends to assist rural communities, both households and local civil society organisations, amidst rising oil prices and general trends indicating a rise in energy poverty, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

On the package of measures announced this week, the general consensus among the public, and certainly on this side of the House, was that it was much too late and far too little. It does not go anywhere near the kind of intervention needed in our society at present, in light of the current crisis and illegal war in the Middle East and the ensuing increase in fuel and energy costs but also in light of the broader context of increasing energy poverty and an increasing cost-of-living crisis. It does precious little fo…

Some 750,000 people are dependent on home heating oil. Many hundreds of thousands of families are already in significant energy arrears with bills. People are going cold and rationing heat and electricity in their own homes because of the wider cost-of-living crisis that existed before the war against Iran. This is the reality the proposals and the measures are not tackling and not facing up to. Nobody would criticise €152 extra paid out over four weeks to bring people up to May but it is not nearly enough. It does…

I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Carthy.

It is very welcome that this issue is under consideration and forms part of the Minister's engagement with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. This issue is impacting rural communities in particular. The lack of tourist accommodation, be it hotel, hostel accommodation or other kinds of accommodation such as glamping pods, is hampering economic development and economic diversification in rural areas that come under the remit of the Minister. It is also adding to the rural housing crisis that is of …

The Minister is right that the attractions are there. The greenways are of really high standard and the greenway in Waterford is a classic example. Unfortunately, the availability of tourist accommodation has not kept pace. On top of that we also see the use of tourist accommodation, and particularly hotels, for the State's responses to the various refugee crisis over the years. The Minister for justice has signalled a move away from that approach in the coming time. There is a concern, however, that many of the ho…

While Government backbenchers might not wish to acknowledge it, workers and families are being hammered under the watch of this Government. Petrol and diesel prices are rising sharply and the Government response is too late and nowhere near strong enough. Households are already stretched and we see it not just in energy but across the board: food costs and school costs are up. The costs of getting to work, doing the school run, caring for family and just living in rural Ireland are increasing. The Government has ch…

I am putting this question on behalf of my colleague Deputy Mac Lochlainn. Five Dutch corporations now control more EU fishing quota than do entire sovereign states, including island nations like ours. They also clearly wield significantly more influence than member states when it comes to quota negotiations. The outcome of the December Council meeting showed that to be true. These five corporations operate across multiple jurisdictions through complex ownership structures and operate fleets under the flags of both…