I welcome this motion on the national minimum wage from Solidarity-People Before Profit and add my support to it. This is more than just a discussion on what represents a realistic minimum wage. It is also a discussion about low pay, poverty and workers and families struggling to make ends meet and living from week to week on the wages they receive. According to data from the OECD, Ireland has a far higher level of low pay than countries of similar economic status. Raising the minimum wage, while raising the level …

The Taoiseach is relying on the private sector; that is his problem.

There are 5,000 homeless on the Taoiseach's watch.

My constituency has a varied demographic, particularly with regard to age. We have areas with a high percentage of elderly people and other areas that have a young population, with young families, single parents and so on. The constituency also has areas of economic disadvantage with high unemployment rates and families struggling to put food on the table for their children. There are also areas of the constituency that are more affluent. A number of voluntary groups in Dublin North-West work to alleviate the every…

You could buy a few houses for that.

Mental ill health can have a considerable impact on those who experience a mental disorder and can result in destructive and damaging relationships between the individual and their friends and families. Before Covid, the mental health services for young people were a major problem. Now they are beyond crisis point. Expert evidence shows that the onset of mental disorders peaks during the adolescent and early adult years and is one of the leading causes of disability among many young people. Risk factors associated …

There appears to be an endless saga with the new national maternity hospital as it continues its long, involved journey to completion. It has been beset by a series of incidents from its conception almost ten years ago, when it was planned to relocate the hospital from its current location on the Holles Street campus to a new site. The story of the National Maternity Hospital is one of a project long in planning but beset by delays, complications and justified concerns about its governance and ownership. That has s…

The whole country was shocked by the terrible murder of Ashling Murphy, a talented young woman who accomplished so much in her short life and touched the lives of everyone she met. The tragedy of her murder is compounded by the lost potential of this gifted and popular teacher and musician. My heart goes out to her grieving parents, boyfriend, family and friends. My own constituency experienced two tragedies in the last year with the murders of Jennie Poole and Fabiole Camara De Campos. The community of Finglas was…

Will the Minister outline what progress has been made with regard to the support for Irish survivors of thalidomide Bill, which puts the provision of health and personal social supports on a statutory basis for Irish thalidomide survivors? Will he outline a timeframe for these legislative proposals?

It is a terrible indictment of the Government's housing policies in general that so many people are living a hair's breadth from being made homeless. People's lives are so finely balanced that it would not take much to tip them into homelessness. In the rental sector this has become even more prevalent with so many landlords leaving the market at present. Recent data from the Residential Tenancies Board shows that in 77% of tenancies terminated in the past three years the tenant was informed the landlords were sell…

I welcome this motion on Dublin Fire Brigade. I also wish to commend my colleague, Deputy Paul Donnelly, on bringing it forward. My constituency of Dublin North-West has a large and growing population. It is served by Finglas fire station, which is known as No. 5 station within Dublin Fire Brigade. I cannot but give the highest of praise to all those who serve in Finglas and in the fire services throughout Dublin. I would like to take the opportunity now to thank them for their courage and dedication serving commun…

In today's housing crisis it is clear that many people, as things stand, will probably never be in a position to own their own home. House prices have risen so high that many people find it difficult even to put together a deposit. I hear regularly in my constituency office how a professional couple earning what would otherwise be regarded as good incomes are struggling even to get a mortgage. If the couple have any children, the additional cost of childcare makes it almost impossible under current Government polic…

The Government's proposal to consolidate the community-based local employment services into regional employment services will have a devastating impact on existing local services. In my constituency of Dublin North-West, local employment services are provided by the Ballymun Job Centre and similar services are also provided by the Dublin North West Area Partnership in Rosehill House in Finglas. Both have provided an immensely valuable service to the community in helping to assist people in seeking employment and in…

The introduction of strategic housing developments was a cause of major concern and anger in the community. Local authorities have been bypassed in the planning process for large-scale developments of 100 or more units and also with large-scale student accommodation. This has led to a less than democratic decision-making process in large-scale planning applications, with local residents being forced to make a submission on a planning application for an SHD directly to An Bord Pleanála. Effectively, residents' hands…

It is impossible to calculate the trauma experienced by those who resided in many of the mother and baby homes across the country. To understand the emotional, psychological and physical distress the survivors still experience is something that can only be comprehended by those who lived through the awful experience. We can only attempt to grasp their suffering by listening to their testimonies. It is clear from the many stories these survivors tell that they still manifest the pain of their traumatic past each and…

For some time now, our ambulance services have been under considerable strain. It is not unusual to receive complaints from people who have had to wait for long periods for an ambulance, even after calling the emergency numbers. People have to wait up to an hour or more for an ambulance to arrive. In some cases, on arriving at the hospital, an ambulance has to wait outside with the patient due to overcrowding in the emergency department. There are three hospitals in use for Dublin North-West, the constituency I rep…

I introduced legislation similar to this on several occasions over the past five years to tackle the problem of illegal use of quads and scramblers. It was opposed by this and previous Governments supported by Fianna Fáil. On each occasion the Attorney General was indicated to have opposed it so what has happened since? How many deaths and injuries could have been avoided if the legislation had been implemented? The most consistent area of use of scramblers has been in parks and green spaces, particularly in and ar…

Anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of having to spend time in a hospital or those who have a relative in a hospital will agree the one thing that stands out is the dedication and care that young student nurses give to all of their charges. The burden of work and responsibility that is laid on their shoulders is immense, and it should not be underestimated. They face huge workloads even as they are being exposed to potential Covid infection. The failure to deliver on Sláintecare and to deliver a public he…

This Government had the opportunity to seriously tackle the crisis in renting in budget 2022. However, it chose not to do so. It is hard to imagine a Government would knowingly and wilfully ignore the obvious plight of thousands across the country who are forced each week to put aside greater and greater percentages of their income as they struggle to pay ever-increasing rents. While the cost of living rises and they are paying more in bills, the cost of putting a roof over one's head is reaching astronomical propo…

The constituency of Dublin North-West, which I represent, is a diverse constituency with varying needs and requirements among the constituents. It has its share of social problems, yet with a sizeable population, Dublin North-West is one of the most under-resourced constituencies in the country. We have a growing young population in the constituency. With that comes a need for increased services and resources. However, the reality on the ground is individual families, community organisations, and young people are s…