The Rural Independent Group is next. Will Deputy Danny Healy-Rae take the full five minutes?

We will keep you going until they come in.

The issue of publicly funded media has been a live one for a number of years but actions have been slow in coming. The Future of Media Commission report in 2022 recommended that public service media be funded from the public purse. This motion essentially backs up that recommendation. We want to see the TV licence scrapped. Since the multiple scandals in RTÉ became public, people have become cynical and non-payment of the TV licence has rocketed. A diverse, independent and financially sustainable media sector is im…

Last November, there were 13,514 people in emergency accommodation across this State comprising children, young people, families, single people, people with full-time jobs and even a cohort of our elderly people, all with no home to call their own. It is estimated that the real figure is well above that, given the number of people in hostels and rough sleeping, never mind those who are couch surfing or living in overcrowded conditions with family and friends. The trend is only going one way. We see these figures in…

Vulture funds have been let run riot for years at the expense of potential homeowners who scrimp and save every penny they have in the hope of one day owning their own homes. When we debated this issue in May 2021, the Government was warned that the measures it was bringing in were not close to being enough. The Government has always had an open ear for those who seek to make massive profits off the back of the housing crisis. Half-baked measures and half-baked policies are always the order of the day. A couple liv…

The Minister of State is speaking to amendment No. 77.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 10, lines 25 to 29, to delete all words from and including "(1) The" in line 25 down to and including line 29 and substitute the following: "(1) The Minister shall, not later than 2 years after the establishment day, conduct a review of the operation and effectiveness of this Act and shall, not later than 3 months after the end of that period of 2 years, or on the completion of the review, whichever is the earlier, make a report, in writing, to each House of the Oireachtas of the fin…

I note this was discussed on Committee Stage, and I note there are other amendments on it. What I see being proposed is that the mayor will be consulted about the appointment of staff. In my opinion, that is not good enough. Given that the mayor is supposed to have an independent role, they need to be able to select their own staff, and not have their staff imposed on them by anybody. At the end of the day, it is the mayor's programme for office that will be judged at the end of the five-year term. A mayor's staff …

To make things easier for the Minister of State, we will withdraw amendments Nos. 20 and 21, following the clarification we received from him on Committee Stage.

Amendment No. 27 seeks to allow councillors to propose amendments to the mayor's programme for office. While we are conscious that this is the mayor's programme and not the councillors' programme, we feel they should have the power to have a view on it. This amendment would facilitate suggestions from councillors and allow councillors to feel more a part of the programme while having some ownership over its implementation.

I wish to speak to amendment No. 30 in this group, which mirrors the amendment moved by Deputy Sherlock. It seeks to ensure that committees are populated in a fair manner, similar to what is done in this House. Let us imagine a Sinn Féin mayor is elected. Under this legislation, the Sinn Féin mayor could populate the committees with all of his or her party colleagues. I do not believe anybody would think that is fair. If we leave it up to the mayor to do it, it will be left open to abuse.

Here we go again. Another year, another Christmas, and another record for the Minister's Government for all the wrong reasons. There are 13,179 people in emergency accommodation and 3,991 of them are children. This is a shocking increase of 1,782 people since October 2022. The Minister tells us that the Housing For All plan is working, so how have we gotten to this point? It cannot be working with more and more people entering homelessness, month after month after month. The people know who caused this absolute mes…

In your area, Deputy Paul Donnelly-----

It has been almost a week since a horrific attack on three school children and their carer. As a mother and a proud Dubliner, the events of last week have shocked me to the core. How have things got to this point where our school children do not feel safe, nor were they safe in our capital city, when they leave school in broad daylight? I send my solidarity to the young five-year-old girl who is fighting for her life, to her family and to the whole school community in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. I have a simple que…

You have not visited the school, Minister, or met the principal. No, you have not.

I also express solidarity with all the victims of last Thursday's horrendous attack on the children and adults of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square. Children's safest place should be in school, where they are educated, make friends and build life skills. Last Thursday's shocking criminal act destroyed this place of safety for children. The perpetrator must face the full rigours of the law, when possible. What happened in Dublin last Thursday night is unforgivable. All right-minded people throughout Irela…

We all watched in horror as events unfolded in recent weeks. We have all seen the bombs rain down on the most densely populated place on earth. The bombing of Gaza has left thousands of Palestinians injured and dead, many of them women and children. Let us be clear that collective punishment, deliberately targeting civilians and deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure is a clear breach of international humanitarian law, which, in turn, is a war crime. The UN is warning us of a humanitarian disaster unfolding…

The reality is that childcare fees are completely unaffordable for many working families. Many people feel that they have been hung out to dry, despite repeated promises that the Government will make childcare affordable. It is almost viewed as a luxury spend and is not really seen as an important issue for families, particularly women to enable them to get back to work. I have received many emails from people in my constituency who are paying crazy amounts, with some telling me that they are going to have to give …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill today. It seeks to make changes to how the State deals with DSGBV. The establishment of a stand-alone agency to deal with these issues is well overdue. I note, however, that there were concerns at pre-legislative scrutiny stage. I hope they can and will be addressed. The transfer of powers and resources away from Tusla should allow it to operate as it was intended and allow Tusla to focus on its remit. While this issue i…

No.