Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

We were hoping for a-----

It is not just that the Minister of State does not get it or that individuals do not get it; I genuinely think that the Government as an entity does not get it. Consider the counter-motion the Minister of State has put forward. It is a rehash and a restatement of what the Government said it would do in budget 2026. If we want to talk about budget 2026, we can talk about the fact that it leaves families 2% worse off. That is a fact. It is not me pointing that out; it is the ESRI. We could talk about the blunt measur…

It is.

Hear, hear.

Homelessness has doubled since June 2020 under the Taoiseach's watch. He will not ban no-fault evictions and we have the highest level of homelessness ever recorded. Today the residents of Oliver Bond flats are coming to terms with the Government's refusal to fund phase one of a long-promised regeneration project. This development has been beset for decades by damp, mould and severe antisocial behaviour. The Taoiseach visited it himself and committed to the regeneration. Now the Government and the Minister have pul…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make exceptional provision in the public interest for the prohibition of certain termination notices under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 during the period of 3 years following the enactment of this Act, and to provide for related matters. I introduce this Bill because we are in a housing and eviction emergency. Figures published by the RTB show that the number of terminations rose by 41% in the last three months of 2025 compared with the same…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

DEIS plus is a crucial step to break the cycle of poverty and educational inequality. Several Limerick city schools have been included, which I really welcome, but, unfortunately, six schools have not been and they serve some of the most deprived communities in the State. Those schools are Our Lady of Lourdes, St. John's Girls' and Infant Boys' School, St. John the Baptist Boys' National School, Presentation Primary School, CBS Primary School and St. Michael's Infant School. These schools all form part of the Oscai…

I thank the Minister for being here today. It is very rare that one gets the actual Minister when one raises a Topical Issue. We have the OSCAILT network in Limerick and 12 schools are identified in that. It is very similar in the north east inner city where we have the North East Inner City initiative that works with ten of the most deprived schools in the inner city and operates on the same principles as OSCAILT. My understanding is that those schools were all identified and included in DEIS plus. I have a couple…

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. There is clear evidence of the need to reform and change the in camera rule. In practice, the rule restricts evidence and protects perpetrators rather than victims. It has created a culture of secrecy that shields abuse and effectively acts as a gagging order. While in theory it protects privacy, in practice it often prevents public accountability and hinders supports for vulnerable people through its misapplication. In the Minister's amendment, he mentions that a …

Oh, the Simon Harris line.

While we very much welcome the inclusion of Wexford and Fingal in the scheme - my colleague Deputy O'Donoghue, who will speak after me, has done a lot of work in this regard - it still does not cover the fundamental issues that exist with the scheme as it stands. While these changes may be necessary, they are still far too incremental. Because of the way the Government has designed it, the scheme has effectively been designed to fail. The fact the Act still requires rigorous case-by-case technical assessment by the…

Hear, hear.

We are waiting the bones of a decade for the Government to take meaningful action on short-term lets. Where is the Bill? Where are the guidelines? When are we going to see the national planning statement? Will the register be in force for the previous May deadline that was agreed? We need to have a debate on this.

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 John Paul O'Shea - To discuss the provision of bus connections to and from Charleville train station. Deputy Ged Nash - To discuss the fact that no schools in disadvantaged areas of Drogheda are included in the DEIS plus scheme. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí - To discuss the issue of "ghost buses" and the rollout of the new NGAVL system. Deputy Louis O'Hara - …

Thank you, Deputy.

Thank you, Deputy.