In most primary and post-primary schools, school uniforms are mandatory. School uniform policy is generally decided by each individual school's board of management. Increasingly, the cost of uniforms has become a significant concern for many families. This proposed legislation addresses these concerns and outlines a number of ways for schools to offer more cost-effective options for parents. While we are being critical of their cost, we accept that school uniforms can have beneficial effects. They can promote a sen…

As the Taoiseach is aware, a family's weekly grocery shopping has substantially increased in cost. Along with this hit to the pockets of hard-pressed families, it has become increasingly clear that many of the products being bought by families have decreased either in volume, weight or size in a trend known as shrinkflation, while prices for these products have risen substantially. What is the Government's plan to tackle this cynical practice, which affects the spending power of families in this cost-of-living cris…

There are fewer slices in a loaf of bread.

It was in the budget.

With the slaughter that is now taking place in Gaza, it is easy to forget about the five successive wars that took place in Gaza between 2009 and 2022. The Israeli political and military establishment has long held a disdain and contempt for the Gaza Strip and always had an eye to taking it over and ethnically cleansing the area of its Palestinian population. These previous wars resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children. The number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the previous wa…

It is a legal requirement in Ireland to have at least third party car insurance to drive on public roads. Of course, it is important that people have car insurance. It acts as a safety net, protecting those insured against significant financial and personal costs, including medical bills and expensive repairs as a result of an accident. The main contributor to the increasing cost of premiums are personal injury claims. However, figures from the Injuries Resolution Board show that there has been a continuing reducti…

I urge the Government to ban what I can only describe as a barbaric and invasive procedure used on greyhounds whereby they are subjected to surgical artificial insemination. This highly controversial procedure, which is already banned in the UK, involves making a cut in the abdomen of a greyhound and inserting semen directly into its uterus. This is not an isolated, occasional surgical procedure. Figures from 2023 show that in the previous ten years, almost 5,000 greyhound litters were born in Ireland following sur…

The vast majority of people are not aware of this practice. I was not even aware of it for a long time myself. When you explain this to people, they cannot understand how such a practice could take place or how any dog, greyhound or otherwise, could have their uterus taken out, injected and then put back in again. It just does not add up. It is totally and utterly barbaric. The Minister of State said that in June 2024, the former Minister and current Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, announced a public consult…

A large number of landlords with private rental accommodation are willing to engage with local authorities on the purchase of these properties with a view to allowing the existing tenants to remain in situ . Moneys that were allocated for the purchase of such properties within the Dublin region this year have been spent on last year's backlog with no new properties being acquired by the local authorities, putting tenants at risk of homelessness. Are there plans to provide additional funding to purchase properties u…

Over the years, we have lost too much of our national heritage through disastrous developments such as the council offices on Wood Quay, built over a Viking village, or the destruction of the Georgian facades around St. Stephen's Green and Merrion Square because of dubious planning decisions. It was heartbreaking to see the conscious and deliberate destruction of the home of The O'Rahilly. We are not against progress, but we are against progress at all costs with no thought to its impact on what should be regarded …

St. Luke's community centre was built decades ago. At the time, the community of Kilmore and surrounding areas fought tooth and nail to get this badly needed facility. For the best part of a year and a half, it has been closed by Dublin City Council. With little or no consultation with the community, the building was blocked up and closed and access refused. The building itself is in good condition except for a number of works to be carried out, which would cost in the region of €150,000. There is no shortage of pe…

It seems there was no application whatsoever made on behalf of the Kilmore community centre, which is so disappointing. No attempt was made to get funding. However, there is funding in Dublin City Council, as well as from the Oscar Traynor development which has a €7 million fund which could be used to the tune of €150,000 in this case. It seems as though Kilmore has not been given a second thought. It is my opinion that there has been resistance from the management in Dublin City Council about this. It is unaccepta…

The President of Ireland is largely a ceremonial position which acts as the representative of the Irish State both at home and abroad. The President holds some limited legislative powers and is one part of the checks and balances on the Legislature. Our current President has not been afraid to expand the role of the President and has been outspoken on a number of issues, most recently the genocide taking place in Gaza. This is entirely fitting for a person who has, throughout his life, been a strong advocate for th…

That is not true.

I thank all those who took part in the cross-party Raise the Roof motion on the housing crisis. I also thank all those who took part in the Raise the Roof protest at the Dáil tonight. There will also be a Raise the Roof rally in Cork city on 21 June at 2 p.m. and CATU will have a national housing demonstration on 5 July in Dublin. We urge people to come out and support them. Having listened to the speeches during the debate tonight, especially from the Government and those who sit on the Government benches, we get …

We all want the best for our elderly relatives when it comes to their care in the latter part of their lives. They have paid their taxes and contributed to the growth and prosperity of the country. The least they deserve is to have a life without worry or stress in their twilight years. Some parents are cared for by family members in their own homes or in the homes of their adult children, but when this is not possible such care is provided in nursing homes. While many elderly people can thrive in a nursing home an…

This man-made housing crisis continues to spiral out of control. We have once again, to the shame of this and previous Governments Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been members of, reached record homeless figures. Over 15,500 people are now officially considered homeless, of whom over 4,600 are children. Bad as they are, these numbers do not take account of those affected by what is described as hidden homelessness. They are those who have to sleep in their car or coach surf because of their insecure housing situatio…

We are in a housing crisis. Over 2,700 vacant council properties are boarded up and lying vacant across the State. Of those, more than 800 have been vacant for over a year. It is estimated that Dublin alone accounts for 27% of such vacant properties. Dublin has a growing senior population and along with it an increase in the demand for senior citizen accommodation. There are a number of senior citizen complexes in my constituency of Dublin North-West. I often take the time to visit these complexes to meet with resi…

In my constituency of Dublin North-West, there are a great number of children and young people with autism and other special needs and disabilities who have been waiting for assessment and support services for a long time. I have had many parents come into my constituency office who are frustrated at the long waiting times for their children and who cannot progress or get the service they require without first having this assessment carried out. It is important that children are assessed at an early age so that the…

An Saol Foundation is a charity that supports individuals who are unlikely to recover fully from their traumatic injuries and will therefore require life-long support. It also supports families affected by severe acquired brain injuries, SABIs. It is a strong advocate for those affected by severe brain injuries, ensuring respect and dignity for those suffering from this condition. It works with some of the most vulnerable people in society who are unfortunately often left behind by the health service. It also works…