In his reply, the Tánaiste did not address any of the specific questions I asked. The fact of the matter is that there are elements in this plan that I welcome. Some of those elements are things that we already proposed, such as amending the law to ensure the best interests of children are taken into account by local authorities when families become homeless. Former Deputy Jan O'Sullivan had that in a Bill in 2017. The fact is that the State is not doing enough in terms of directly building social and affordable ho…

To make them smaller and darker-----

Fine Gael's lord mayor is not in favour of it.

Your own lord mayor is not in favour of it.

That is completely disingenuous.

Last week, Limerick Chamber contacted the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, about the Mackey roundabout and the safety issues there to formally request €2.2 million in funding to advance the next stage of improvement works to the roundabout. This is a critical priority for the safety of people in the mid-west but also for our economic development. It is a key interchange in the east of the city, connecting the M7 motorway to the R445 Dublin road. It is a primary gateway to Limerick, including into the University of Limeric…

A wise woman.

Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis na Daonlathaithe Sóisialta agus an Teachta Farrelly as ucht an Bille seo a thabhairt faoi bhráid na Dála. Cuirim fáilte roimh na cuairteoirí go léir atá anseo. Is Bille tábhachtach simplí é seo. I mo thuairim, caithfidh muid é seo a thabhairt isteach, because I believe, and the Labour Party believes, that the voting age should be lowered to 16. This is something Joe Costello, who served in this House for many years, first introduced in a Bill as far back as 2006. This is a fair …

The overall time is up. I will allow the Deputy to speak if she is very brief.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss a dedicated pilot study on all aspects of the health service in the Iveragh and Dingle peninsulas. Deputy Ciarán Ahern - To discuss issues on the BusConnects F spine and S orbital routes affecting Dublin South-West. Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss the urgent need to fund renovations and refurbishment of Mayfield sports comp…

I thank the Deputy.

I thank the Minister of State very much. That concludes the Topical Issue debate.

We have a number of attacks on LGBTQI+ people and community in recent months. In Cork, there was an assault on two drag performers, Krystal Queer and Lucina Schynning. In Limerick recently two young students were hospitalised after they were set upon in a homophobic attack. As a gay man, I would not feel comfortable walking the streets of this country holding the hand of a partner. I do not think many LGBT people would. Homophobic violence is a crime; we know that. It is under-reported and significantly on the rise…

I thank the Minister of State for that response. I am glad she acknowledged we need a step change in how we treat problematic drug users. I represent Limerick city, which the Minister of State knows well. Our city has been absolutely destroyed by drugs, whether the drug barons who prey on vulnerable communities or the crack cocaine epidemic that has ripped through our city. Limerick is unfortunately the crack cocaine capital of Ireland. It has ravaged so many people, even people I went to school with. When talking …

It is the crack cocaine capital of Ireland.

It is.

Hear, hear.

That is not true.

So disingenuous.

The Tánaiste was inappropriate.