It is the Department.

The problem is that the councils did not get funding from the Department.

That is the problem. It is not funding that Dublin City Council has from property tax or anything else.

Is mór an trua nach bhfuil aon Aire anseo chun éisteacht linn, i mo thuairim. Tá sé dochreidte nach bhfuil aon duine anseo ag éisteacht linn agus le mo chomrádaí, an Teachta Eoin Ó Broin, a chuir an PMB os ár gcomhair anseo. The arguments Fianna Fáil and the Greens made against co-living while in opposition were valid then and are valid now. I have no argument with their assessment that co-living is both grotesque and inhumane and is, in the main, profit-driven. There has been a housing crisis in Ireland for many y…

I welcome this motion put forward by the Social Democrats. The issue of child poverty is something I have great interest in. As a parent, there is nothing that means more to me than the welfare of children. What parents do not want to do their best for their children? Who would not want to provide their children with a stable life in a caring environment? The reality is that many parents struggle even to put food on the table for their children. For many children, the only hot meal they receive each day or the only…

There has been an unprecedented increase in the use of illegal fireworks across communities in Dublin. In my constituency of Dublin North-West, we have been plagued by individuals letting off bangers and rockets on a continual basis during the day, in the evening and at night for nearly three months. People are at the end of their tether with these incessant and at times deafening daily explosions. They are causing a great amount of distress to residents, animals, pets and the elderly. What surprises me most is the…

The lockdown and restrictions put in place have affected many industries. The pandemic has hit the taxi industry particularly hard. Most taxi drivers have families to support and many have mortgages to pay and, of course, the usual household bills. As self-employed people they need an income to be able to do all of this. In addition, they still have to pay for their insurance, taxi licence fees, car loans and other ancillary costs. They cannot work from home. When they are not out driving their taxis they are not e…

I know. Bhí an t-am an-chóngarach.

The daily and nightly misuse of fireworks is a menace in our communities. Throughout the country and particularly in Dublin, there has been an unprecedented level of use. With Hallowe'en more than a month away and no sign of their use abating, I shudder to think what we are in for. There have been many cases of fireworks having been thrown at people, animals, cars, buses and shops, resulting in injuries and damage. I have been told by vets that they have seen increasing numbers of dogs, cats and other animals havin…

I am well aware of Operation Tombola and the way it has worked, particularly in Finglas and Ballymun over the years. It has worked well and we have had very few incidents in recent years, but this is different. It has been going on for months, and the number and the strength of the bangers are unprecedented, as is what is happening in our communities. It may be that it is a result of Covid and restlessness, especially among young people, because that certainly seems to have been a factor in the escalation. There ma…

Táim an-bhuíoch don Teachta Joan Collins as an rún seo a chur os comhair an Tí. Five months ago more than 1,000 Debenhams workers in 11 stores across the Republic of Ireland were told the company was going into liquidation and they were to lose their jobs. Rather than set aside funds to pay the workers a proper redundancy package, the company transferred assets to the UK parent company and tried to claim the stock held in Irish stores as British stock. The treatment of its loyal and dedicated workforce is nothing s…

Lockdown, cocooning and self-isolation have disproportionately affected the elderly during the pandemic. This has given rise to serious concerns regarding their mental health. For many of the elderly, especially those who live alone, their only social contact takes place outside the home. As a consequence of the pandemic, they are effectively cut off from any interaction with others in the community. We cannot underestimate the importance and impact of community centres, bingo halls and churches on the mental healt…

The reopening of schools across the country has been a nervous time for parents, pupils and the staff in schools. Covid-19 has brought many challenges to schools, which have a responsibility to protect both staff and pupils by providing a safe environment for all in school. Without diminishing the problems faced by other schools, I will refer to one school that has faced a particular challenge in reopening. I recently corresponded with both the Minister and officials in the Department of Education and Skills about …

There is no doubt that the lockdown and the disruption to the education of children from preschool to secondary school will have had an impact of the capacity of those children to learn. The impact will be greater for children with special learning requirements and children who are marginalised or from vulnerable or disadvantaged sections of society. The fear is that the longer such children are out of school, there is a real possibility that many may not return to education. For vulnerable and disadvantaged childr…

The programme for Government makes a commitment to enhance public transport. There was a commitment to metro north by this Government and previous Governments. Will the Tánaiste outline whether the plan to deliver the project will proceed? Has the target date changed and will funding be a problem? The benefits to the environment would be significant as it provides a vital link to Dublin Airport, removing tens of thousands of car journeys on a weekly basis.

I raise the urgent need for a primary care centre for Finglas. As the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, may be aware, there has been a promise for a number of years to put in place a primary care centre for Finglas, which is also a top priority for the HSE. Some years ago, a previous application for a site for the centre failed. The location that has now been chosen and agreed is on a site of the former Church of the Annunciation in Finglas west. I have real concerns, and many in the community I represent share th…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am disappointed, however, that we have not been given any timescale. The site has been identified and a deal has been on the table with Dublin City Council, which bought the land from the church. It is ready to go. I was concerned Covid was one of the reasons for the delay. However, we need to advance this. There is no point in continuing the way we are. People in the community have mental health issues, small injuries and need to access a dentist but we have not even …

I thank Solidarity-People Before Profit for tabling this important Private Members' motion on the treatment of the Debenhams workers. Unfortunately there is a feeling of déjà vu . We have been here before more than once, where the Dáil discussed very similar circumstances to those faced by the former employees of Debenhams. Not long ago, outrage was expressed in the Dáil about how badly and how cynically the workers of Clerys were treated when it was closed down when we probably made very similar points to those we…

I welcome this motion put forward by the Social Democrats. It speaks to the reality faced by many and highlights the fundamental inequality that exists between those on higher incomes and the majority of people who are just about existing and getting by on low incomes. The reality for too many people in employment is that they are earning barely enough to exist and many are living from wage packet to wage packet. Many have no safety net of savings or have insufficient income to deal with an unforeseen problem such …

It is a huge disappointment for people who voted for change to see Fianna Fáil in charge of the housing portfolio. I agree with Fine Gael's assessment in a 2019 report in which it described Fianna Fáil's housing proposals as lacking any credibility. That was a bit rich coming from Fine Gael, given that Deputy Eoghan Murphy proved to be both unfit and out of his depth as Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government. The programme for Government agreed by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party can be summe…