The Government has not got the supply.

The illegal use of scrambler motorcycles remains a problem within my constituency of Dublin North-West. With Christmas approaching, I encourage parents not to buy scramblers for their children. The full implementation of the recently enacted legislation, which includes provisions for tackling the scrambler problem, would help to discourage such purchases. There is an understandable frustration in communities that this legislation has not been implemented in Dublin North-West and elsewhere. Can the Minister let me a…

The attack on schoolchildren and a member of staff in Parnell Square last Thursday was a horrific event. My thoughts are with the injured children and the member of staff who was injured while protecting the children. I commend those who prevented a much greater tragedy from occurring and thank the Garda and emergency services for preventing greater destruction in our city. This terrible event does not justify attacks on gardaí, the burning of public transport or the looting of shops. A small minority took advantag…

There is a crisis in areas like Finglas and Ballymun with regard to the availability of places in preschools and crèches. Finglas has expanded greatly over recent years but no thought appears to have been given to a corresponding expansion in the number of crèche and preschool places. Preschools and crèches face a significant challenge in trying to meet the needs of services like Brandon House, Tusla, the children's disability network team in Finglas and Ballymun public health nursing. Setting up a preschool is a c…

I thank the Minister of State very much. Preschools are education facilities. They are no different from primary and secondary schools. Responsibility for them needs to be moved to the Department of Education and they needed to funded as education facilities with proper salary scales. For these people to be paid €20,000 less than a comparable person working in primary or secondary education is absolutely wrong. To give the Minister of State some idea of the scale of it, some 141 preschools closed their doors in 202…

The tragedy that is Gaza's Nakba is being played out for all to see. The atrocities that are being committed by Israel in Gaza are being done with the full knowledge that the world is watching. Gaza has a population of 2.3 million, half of whom are children, in an area that is half the size of County Louth, the smallest county in Ireland. Thousands of them have already been killed by Israeli bombs and tens of thousands more will be forever scarred by the terrible traumas they are witnessing every hour of every day.…

Between 2020 and 2022, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage had a €1 billion underspend in its capital budget. It missed its targets for delivering affordable housing. In his budget speech, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, described housing as the biggest domestic challenge we face today, yet the Government decided it would not make housing the number one priority in its budget. In Dublin North-West, more affordable housing is being built by voluntary housing groups, such as Ó C…

What about your own? There have been objections in my area.

The housing crisis has reached an alarming level with significant implications for individuals and the economy as a whole. The underspend in the Department's capital budget between 2020 and 2022 and the missed targets for affordable housing delivery have only exacerbated this crisis. The Minister for Finance acknowledged, as did the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, that housing is one of the biggest domestic challenges facing Ireland. However, despite this recognition, the Government has failed …

The Finglas Youth Resource Centre has been a force in the Finglas area for almost 20 years, during which time the centre has been empowering young people in the Finglas community by giving them opportunities to learn and grow as valued members of the community. The centre provides young people aged between ten and 25 with a safe and welcoming space where they have opportunities to grow and be themselves, allow them to grow in confidence, reach their potential and build on their own individual strengths. It is a reg…

The Minister's Department funds youth work to the tune of €72.9 million nationally, as he said. I understand that. The National Youth Council of Ireland, the people who advocate policy for young people at national level, is calling for €9.4 million to be invested in the youth work sector. It is proposing that €7.3 million of this additional funding go to various current schemes already in place and €2.1 million to universal youth work, to bring this in line with increases elsewhere in the sector. I am sure the Mini…

Childcare has become a significant issue for both parents and childcare professionals, posing challenges to both groups in terms of cost for parents and proper pay for those working in the childcare sector. The cost of childcare is placing an unbearable burden on many parents. In some cases, it has led to mothers leaving the workforce because of the enormous financial strain on family finances caused by the high cost of childcare, which can be as high as a mortgage payment for some. Additionally, despite their qual…

The purpose of the health information Bill 2023 will be to collect and share health information of a patient, ensuring that this information follows the patient throughout their care and treatment. It will also be important in furthering public health management and clinical research. It has particular importance for patient care. What is the Bill's status? I think the Tánaiste will agree that it is in the interest of both patients and the health service for the Bill to be enacted as soon as possible.

There will be no guillotine on that one.

Scoliosis is a medical condition that can cause significant physical and psychological distress. The history of its treatment in Ireland has been one of limited resources and long waiting lists for surgical interventions. Some children have had to wait many years before receiving the necessary orthopaedic surgery. The delay in treatment has devastating consequences for their overall well-being. Delayed surgery exacerbates the conditions of children with scoliosis. As time passes without intervention, their spinal c…

The Government has announced planned increases to fuel prices that will only exacerbate the problems of the already-burdened ordinary workers and families across the country. Petrol and diesel prices have been subject to a steady rise since May, but it is the recently announced sharp increases that will have a significant impact on the pockets of the public. The planned increases come at an untimely moment, when individuals are still grappling with economic uncertainties caused by the global pandemic. Moreover, man…

The cost-of-living crisis has significant implications for all sections of society but disproportionately affects economically disadvantaged individuals and families who are already struggling to make ends meet. Escalating energy and food costs, increased mortgage rates and spiralling rents have contributed significantly to this ongoing crisis. Economically disadvantaged individuals are particularly vulnerable as they tend to bear the brunt of rising prices for essential goods and services. Low-income households in…

Recent figures have shown a shocking increase in both adult and child homelessness. The figures confirm that homelessness is accelerating at a dramatic pace. These figures do not tell us how many people are couch-surfing or the real number of rough sleepers. The exit of landlords from the rental sector has added to this crisis. Evictions from private rental accommodation have soared since the eviction ban ended at the end of March. Many of these tenants have nowhere to go and end up in homeless services, facing a b…

Local communities, local drug task forces and An Garda Síochána are reporting a huge surge in the use of crack cocaine in communities. Local drug task forces are struggling to deal with this surge and are having to turn people with addictions away from their services due to a lack of funding and a loss of personnel. This crisis in employment in the task forces is because vital personnel are more attracted to the better pay and conditions, and job security, offered by the HSE. This needs to be addressed as a matter …

Disability-proofing is a strategy that ensures the needs of people with a disability are considered and that their needs are included in the development, as well as the delivery, of policies and practices at the earliest possible stage. In the upcoming budget, will the Government ensure that a mechanism is in place to ensure that the Government will disability-proof its budgetary proposals and ensure those proposals are in line with the principles of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities?