I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill and thank Deputy Bacik and the Labour Party for bringing it forward. Sinn Féin supports this legislation and any step towards ensuring that survivors of institutional abuse can finally access the justice they have been denied for so long. I welcome the visitors to the Gallery. For decades, survivors have shown immense courage in their fight for recognition and redress. They have campaigned tirelessly to break the silence of a shameful chapter in our history. Sinn Féin…

Last week, we read headlines such as "No improvement to water quality standards in 2025 - EPA" and "Ireland’s ‘best rivers’ continue to deteriorate in water quality". I will raise the specific issue of combined sewer systems. In many of our urban areas, these are a particular contributor to deterioration in water quality. In these systems, wastewater and surface water are combined. The EPA has a programme to address this issue but it is not ambitious enough. Significantly increased investment is needed in the town …

Now that we have the EU asylum and migration pact there needs to be particular recognition and consideration of the Border with the North and the common travel area. Has the Taoiseach discussed or considered how those asylum and migration systems will work North-South and east-west? Are there plans for improved co-operation?

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026. It represents a significant step in establishing the institutional and enforcement framework for the EU AI Act in Ireland. It creates a new AI regulator as an independent statutory body and establishes the supervisory powers and penalty regime we need to meet our obligation to have an operational regulatory framework in place by 2 August. That deadline falls during our EU Presidency. As a digital regulatory hub, it is essenti…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Dublin Airport is incredibly important strategic infrastructure for the island of Ireland. Sinn Féin does not oppose the lifting of the passenger cap in and of itself. We acknowledge the existing cap is no longer fit for purpose and we committed in our 2024 general election manifesto to address that. However, the Bill before us risks rushing headlong into expansion without a proper assessment or plan for the consequences. It fails to meet the basic test of sustainabi…

I thank Deputy Cullinane for bringing forward this important motion. We need action on this issue. A number of parents in my constituency of Meath East have written to me. I was told about a 12-year-old in Dunshaughlin who has never been called to the HSE dentist. One wrote: "My daughter is 11 and has not been called for any HSE dental services at all." A parent wrote about a son, who is 12 this year, who has never been called. Another parent wrote: My son is 12, nearly 13, just about to finish in primary school an…

I want to ask about the measures being taken to address the deteriorating service on the 103 bus route serving areas including Ashbourne and Ratoath to and from Dublin. There is huge frustration about the services. Not a day passes without constituents raising concerns about the service, not just to me but also to Government colleagues in Meath and in Meath East. We need improvement on these services.

As I said, there is not a day passes that constituents do not raise concerns in relation to the service. Sometimes it is better to use their words rather than mine. I will give an example from the last 24 hours. To Whom it may Concern, I am writing this email as i am so disappointed and disgusted with the Bus Eireann service Ratoath/Ashbourne to Dublin. Number 103. I have lived in Ashbourne since 2004 and now in 2026 the bus service is worse than it was 22 years ago. How is that possible? Constantly late, no shows,…

It is very common. Across the political spectrum, local representatives at Oireachtas level and local authority level have met the NTA and Bus Éireann but it is like we are banging our heads off a wall. That is why I am raising this specific route here today. Considerable residential development is happening in Ashbourne and Ratoath and it is welcome but these services are not fit for purpose. If the Minister of State has this information I would appreciate it and if he does not I ask him to send it on to me. He ha…

I welcome the opportunity to speak today. An estimated 300,000 people in Ireland live with a rare disease. Too often, they are faced with years of uncertainty, navigating a fragmented system. This must change. The national rare disease strategy is welcome and provides a framework but it must be properly funded and implemented. It promises integrated life-course care pathways, expanded newborn screening and wraparound supports. To deliver this, the Government must deliver the necessary funding. The development of di…

The level of support provided by the summer programme and its recognised benefits are very clear. It is recognised by school communities, parents and children themselves. There is increasing demand for the programme and, in recent years, an increased number of places have been provided. However, very real problems have been identified this year. Something different is happening in the administration of the scheme this year. In some cases, this means that children who were intended to benefit from the programme now …

I would be interested to know the numbers. I recognise they have been increasing year on year. My understanding from replies to parliamentary question that I have received from the Department is that the budget has increased but it has not increased in the past two years and has been static. I know there were 1,800 schools and 71,000 children last year. How many schools and children are there this year? Will the Minister of State indicate whether more schools will participate this year and whether more children wil…

Go raibh maith agat. I thank an Teachta.

Payment of the TV licence fee has collapsed. Fewer than 300,000 licences have been sold so far this year. It is a significant drop on last year. It is no surprise that far fewer people are willing to pay the licence fee. People are turned off by the financial scandals at RTÉ, the waste of public money, the culture of arrogance and the lack of accountability. We need vibrant, diverse and financially sustainable public media in Ireland but the funding model, through the TV licence, is broken. People are voting with t…

We have set it out in policy.

What about the report of the Future of Media Commission?

We can look at taxation.

The Taoiseach asked me a question.

The Minister pointed on some of the issues that I want to raise. The first is what has been identified as a substantial delay in the planning system. This was reported on and accounted in the Oireachtas committee at the back end of last year. There were examples there, which he touched on, in terms of entering into the planning system in 2024, an expectation that people would have a decision in 2025 and instead they get a massive request for further information. I would make two related points on that. The first is…

That is something that we need to keep a continued emphasis on to ensure that these applications are processed in a timely manner and that all of the necessary scrutiny is conducted from all aspects. One of the key enabling infrastructures around offshore wind is our ports infrastructure. In terms of the development of our ports infrastructure, will we be ready to take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself in terms of offshore wind, whether in terms of ports for the maintenance of these facilities or fo…