I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this very important motion. For years, the housing crisis has been the defining crisis in this State. It has left thousands of single people and families, including children, growing up in emergency accommodation. It has seen huge numbers of young people leave our shores to live in Australia, Canada and elsewhere because they feel they will never be able to own a home of their own or start a family here. It has disrupted the lives of so many people across society. Durin…

Unfortunately, the Government has missed a huge opportunity with this Bill. It has taken what the Supreme Court found and interpreted it in the narrowest of ways. Seanad reform has long been talked about, but the Government has done all the talking and taken no action. Let us be honest; it only moved on this Bill because it was bounced into it. We in Sinn Féin are not in a position to support this legislation as it stands, and we will be pushing it to a vote. Mr. Tómas Heneghan, who took this case, is also opposing…

The notion of affordable housing in this State under this Government is a myth. It is a Government soundbite that has no foundation in reality. Look at the Oscar Traynor Road development. Prices were initially proposed at €475,000 for a three-bedroom semi-detached house. After the initial outcry, this was reduced to €360,000, with the State taking a higher stake in the property. Even at this price, it is out of the reach of ordinary workers and families. It is not affordable for our young people. It is forcing them…

I raise the BusConnects project, in particular, a plan in the area where I live to remove a wall between the Malahide Road and Ayrfield estate in Dublin 13. There is a green space behind this wall where children play daily. There are real concerns about the safety of children in the area. Residents have raised their concerns with the NTA as well as elected representatives. The removal of this wall will mean that there is open access into the estate from the Malahide Road, which is one of the busiest roads in Dublin…

It has not.

It is important that the Football Association of Ireland, FAI, finds a solution to this. As Deputy Andrews said, 400 girls across Dublin and Meath have been left high and dry following the collapse of the Metropolitan Girls League. In my area, three clubs, St. Columbans SYC, Darndale FC and Artane Beaumont FC, have been directly impacted and dragged into this. At the end of the day, it is our young girls who are suffering. They all want to be able to play football in a league that is competitive. The social aspect …

I welcome everything the Minister of State said about the funding. I echo what my colleagues said. We are all on the same page. We need to get these girls back playing football. We need to work together in whatever way we can to make sure we deliver this by January at the latest.

People are very angry at this Government as it continues to waste any amount of public funds. We have the most expensive bike shed in the State, the most expensive children's hospital in the world, a security hut that cost €1.4 million to deliver and modular homes that were supposed to cost €200,000 but the Government ended up paying €440,000 for them. That is all in a couple of weeks. The list is endless. This Government has a track record of treating taxpayers' money like Monopoly money. For as long as I have bee…

I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to Standing Order 34, and with effect from 4th October, 2024 approves the Thirty-Third Report of the Standing Committee of Selection, copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 2nd October, 2024, and discharges members from Committees and appoints members to Committees accordingly.

I am sharing time with my colleague, Deputy Ó Murchú. I thank Deputy Troy for moving this Bill. We will support its progress to Committee Stage, where we can analyse it further. It takes an unfortunately necessary "big stick" approach to how politicians and the public interact with local authorities. We all know the experience of making representations for constituents and how slow some areas can be to provide a proper response. We all know of examples. My staff and I have spent weeks upon weeks following up with l…

As my colleagues have said, we are happy to support this Bill, which will seek to create digital health records for the first time. It would create much-needed streamlining in our health system. My only criticism is that we are only starting the process now. We have been a long time talking about the need for digital health records and I imagine there are health staff across this State who are only delighted to see this Bill today. It is crazy that in 2024 we are still so heavily reliant on a pen-and-paper system o…

When the sentencing guidelines committee was brought in under the Judicial Council Act, we were promised a fundamental reform of our approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The programme for Government committed to tackling the epidemic this country faces. However, Ireland is still an unsafe place for women. Week after week, we have seen sentences handed down for the most horrific crimes that would not put confidence in any victim who was considering the pressing of charges. It is estimated that 80%…

I welcome the publication of the Bill by the Minister. I hope it will finally put some shape on the consequences for providers who do not meet certain standards. It seems the Minister has found a formula that will give Tusla the powers it needs. Childcare providers, while subject to basic standards in child protection and business law, have existed in a bit of a grey space when it comes to regulatory oversight and enforcement. I hope this Bill sets the standard in stone and we see compliance across the sector. It g…

Tonight, we ask the Government to listen to the voices of carers, who are stretched beyond their means and have been left to their own devices by Minister after Minister. Carers throughout this State have to fight tooth and nail for services they should be entitled to. The State takes their work for granted and that is reflected in the lack of State assistance. In its most recent report, Family Carers Ireland found that 49% of carers were paying through the nose for private services they should have access to throu…

The Government has paid lip service to Sláintecare but is miles behind on its delivery. The issue of affordability and a two-tier approach to healthcare is still live. Medical card thresholds have not been reviewed in decades, leaving thousands squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis. We have all heard stories of elderly people who would rather stay at home than attend emergency departments because their previous experiences in EDs was horrific. The Government's failure to address issues in staffing is having a detri…

The increase to the price of petrol and diesel is penalising ordinary workers and families. The average working family continues to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, and while inflation has eased, the cost of basic necessities still remains sky-high. Fuel prices have risen by more than 30% in recent years and if all three of the Government's price hikes go ahead, the price of petrol will increase by 10 cent per litre and the price of diesel will go up by 8 cent. Recent research by academics in Trinity Colleg…

I have very vivid memories of the Stardust fire. I was living in Darndale at the time and my dad was working nights, so he would come home from work and go to bed. We as kids would get up early and watch the television so my da could have his sleep. I remember going down. I cannot remember exactly what was on the TV that day but I remember flicking through the stations and the news of the Stardust came up on the screen. I remember running upstairs to wake my da to tell him about the fire. I remember the panic in hi…

The issue of pensions has been discussed for a long time and the Government has now got around to publishing its plan, following on from the initial submissions that were sought for years ago. The Government is trying to address the fact that Ireland is the only state in the OECD without a pension saving scheme for workers after 25 years of its being talked about. However, we need legislation that is fair and equitable to ensure that pensions are secured for future generations. Unfortunately, this is a missed oppor…

I am really concerned by the latest progress report that states that only one of the 23 recommendations highlighted back in 2017 has been met. When we look at how cancer treatment is rolled out in other European countries, we are ranked mid-table for cancer survival. In some areas, we are going backwards due to the struggle with training, recruitment and retention of staff. Last Wednesday, the chair of the national strategy steering group attended the Joint Committee on Health. He outlined how pressures on emergenc…

Moving on to the Social Democrats slot, I call Deputy Cairns.