This issue has been debated for decades but we still have not got a water system that is fit for purpose. The pace at which the latest upgrade works are being carried out is, I think we can all agree, very frustrating. Questions need to be asked about why it will be 2046 before all lead piping in the system is replaced. This was highlighted in a recent EPA report. This is a public health issue and the replacement programme needs to be accelerated. I will move to a few local issues. Constituents who are unable to mo…

There are four questions in this group and limited time to deal with them. I propose that each Deputy have a minute each to put a question to the Minister, to which she will respond. I ask Deputies to take no more than 30 seconds each for their supplementary questions in order to leave the Minister time to come in again. Is that agreed?

Deputy Dillon will have 30 seconds to introduce the group of questions, to which the Minister will respond. I will then go back to Deputy Dillon, who will have one minute to speak, the Minister will have one minute to respond and then the same will be done for the three other Deputies. After that, each Deputy will have 30 seconds each for supplementary questions, which will leave the Minister time to respond collectively to those questions. We will try that and see how it goes.

Deputy Tóibín.

I thank the Deputies for their co-operation in trying to get through that big group.

I am happy to see this Bill being debated on Second Stage today. This Bill is a protection for families, children and communities that face the daily scourge of drug dealers. We have all heard the stories and we have all seen the court reports. It is accepted that despicable drug gangs have been targeting children and exploiting them to move and sell drugs for many years. These individuals will seek out a child or a group of children to do their bidding. Dealers do this knowing full well that if the child is caught…

We have tabled this motion because workers and families need action on the cost-of-living crisis now. The Government’s proposal was half-hearted yet again and it did not go far enough. Everyone needs to be protected from disconnections for the cold winter we are facing. Sinn Féin wants this ban on disconnections to happen immediately and to run until March. People cannot wait. People are already at the pin of their collar trying to afford rents and food, and that is before their energy bills arrive. Families strugg…

Deputy Seán Canney is substituting for Deputy Verona Murphy.

Deputy Smith will speak for one minute, with a response from the Minister of State, followed by Deputy Canney for a further minute, and a response from the Minister of State, returning then to Deputy Smith. Each Deputy then will be given two minutes each in total.

I welcome the opportunity to address this Bill and to speak on wider issues on the topic of crime. The Bill will give a legal basis to a standalone offence of stalking and harassment and allow for court orders to be introduced to try to prevent these crimes happening. It will also allow for the increase in the term of imprisonment for conspiracy to murder from ten years to life. All of these measures are to be welcomed. My party, Sinn Féin, will be supporting the Bill. We will work with the Minister to progress it …

It has been over a year since the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, launched the Government’s housing plan, but very little has changed. We see families across Dublin languishing on social housing lists for more than 15 and 16 years. Only last week, we saw more than 10,800 people presenting as homeless, a new record. Some 3,220 of those homeless are children. That is some way of marking the one-year anniversary of this Government’s housing plan. In the Minister, Deputy O'Brien's, two years in office, we have seen r…

I welcome the Bill, which is not before its time, considering we have already been fined by the EU for our failure to implement the audiovisual media services directive. The media commission is a much-needed expansion of the role of broadcasting authority. Ireland is playing catch-up with how media have evolved. The Law Reform Commission first mentioned the establishment of something resembling an online safety commissioner back in 2016. In 2017, my colleague Deputy Ó Laoghaire moved the Digital Safety Commission B…

Energy price hikes are crippling people throughout the State. Households are facing into the worst cost-of-living crisis in living memory and are getting hammered left, right and centre by ever-rising prices. A clear sign of the Government not understanding the pressure people are under was when the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, recently suggested ways for people to reduce their energy bills, as if they had not been doing that already. The Government dismissed the Opposition's calls for an emergency budget during th…

In the two years this Government has been in office, we have seen spikes in rents, house prices and the number of people presenting homeless. We have seen Government policy repeatedly failing to do what was promised, with Ministers more concerned about representing the views of the big developers and the hedge funds. Corporate landlords are being treated as the State’s golden goose, with the Government showing little concern for people who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. The shared equity loan schem…

No, the time is up.

No. The Minister has two minutes and Deputy Leddin has one. He will get another opportunity to come back in.

I welcome this Bill, which will finally see protection in place for employees in regard to tips. It will ensure those tips make their way into workers' pockets, regardless of the actions of bad employers. It is sad that we need legislation in this area. It is important to point out that most employers treat their employees well, but it is a reality that there are employers who use any opportunity to exploit their workers for financial gain. I commend my Sinn Féin colleague, Senator Gavan, on his work in this area a…

I welcome this Bill. I will speak specifically to Part 8, which addresses many of the issues raised by the families of the victims and survivors of the Stardust fire. I commend the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and her Department officials on their efforts and on bringing forward this legislation in response to some major concerns that were raised. I mention also my Sinn Féin colleague Senator Boylan, who pushed for change on behalf of the families and has been a fantastic advocate for them over many years.…

Sinn Féin has been vocal for many years in advocating for insurance reform. Some progress has been made but we all know that the latest reforms are not enough. Since they were introduced, we have seen the average personal injury award drop by 42%. Even with these reductions, consumers do not feel that the savings being made by insurance companies are being passed onto them. The idea behind the reforms was to reduce premiums but many of my constituents are still coming to me about the high costs of quotes from insur…

The lack of special educational needs places in schools for children in Dublin Bay North is as bad as anywhere in the State. I have been in contact with a number of parents in recent months who cannot secure a place for their child for the school year starting in September. They have applied to all the schools in the area but cannot access something that is their child's right. These parents face battles every day. They have to battle for their children and are now fighting a battle that they cannot win because of …