It was absolutely right and necessary that people who were fleeing war and the aggression of the Russian Government would be in a position to receive protection, and the Irish people have responded with great generosity. There is no question about that. The changes that have been made already have in effect created a two-track situation between those who arrive after the date of the passing of that legislation into the temporary protection system and those who were here prior to that, even if they are in perhaps no…

While it is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, social welfare policy is the responsibility of the Minister opposite. In any event, further clarity is needed at the earliest possible date. It is not very clear what the picture is at this point. I will ask another question. The Minister was involved in devising the new approach in respect of designated accommodation centres. Obviously, there are likely to be children in those locations. I disagree, incidentally, with being forced out after 90 days. I thi…

Does the Minister wish me to respond?

It did appear that she wanted a response.

I am very happy to respond if the Minister wishes me to do so.

The situation in Cork University Hospital, CUH, is severe and has been for some time. The workforce report which came out during the week identified that Cork has the second lowest level of front-line staff of any hospital in the State and is down 80 nurses and midwives over that period. The workforce generally speaking rose across the system. Does the Minister accept that CUH is in need of particular attention? Does he accept that the recruitment embargo is an exceptionally blunt instrument? We have a situation in…

Ní thógfaidh mé an t-am go léir. Táim á roinnt. An bhfuil an Teachta Ó Murchú sa slot céanna?

Ní bheidh 20 nóiméad uainn. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Beimid ag tacú leis an reachtaíocht seo. Baineann sé le héascú ó thaobh riaracháin. Tá sé chun é sin a dhéanamh chomh furasta agus tapa agus is féidir. Cé nach bhfuil an méid atá ann ródhrámatúil, tá sé ciallmhar agus cuirfidh sé le héifeachtacht an chórais. We welcome this legislation. That it gives greater flexibility in registering major life events is welcome. It is important this is as simple as possible. It is easier now perhaps than it was once…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Tosóidh mé le ráiteas a bhfuil soiléir ach is fiú é a rá, ar aon chor. Níl aon duine ag fáil liúntas na ndaoine atá an Roinn ag tabhairt cúnamh dóibh de bharr go bhfuil sé furasta nó go bhfuil siad compordach. Tá siad á ndéanamh toisc go bhfuil sé tábhachtach agus mar léiriú dá gcuid grá do na daoine atá siad ag tabhairt aire dóibh. I will start with a statement that I think is obvious but is important to reflect upon. Nobody is on carer's allowance because it is easy. Nobody is…

The substance of the matter is clear.

The announcement last week that the Green Paper on disability payments is being scrapped was received with relief by many people with disabilities. However, it does, of course, raise further questions as to what happens next. In several respects, the consultation on the Green Paper was badly handled. My party's disability spokesperson, Deputy Tully, and I have met well over a dozen groups representing disabled persons, who raised issues regarding the consultation, technology and so on. A big concern and frustration…

Auto-enrolment has been discussed for a lengthy period and, in principle, it is something my party supports and has argued for. However, we are not satisfied with the structure outlined in the Bill. Consequently, we will not be supporting the legislation on this Stage. If substantial changes are made during its passage, we will consider doing so on a later Stage. In principle, auto-enrolment is necessary because many workers, unfortunately, do not have adequate pensions to see them through their retirement. Increas…

And so say all of us.

With the Ceann Comhairle's indulgence, I will first acknowledge the passing of former Cork North-West Deputy, Gerard Murphy, who died today. My condolences. I served on Cork County Council with him for two years. He was a very courteous and wise man. My condolences to his family and indeed to Fine Gael. Very few people in this country are not touched by the ravages of cancer. It causes untold damage. Over the course of past cancer strategies, significant progress was made in some respects. In the course of the last…

This has been a saga for the people of Lehenaghmore and Lehenagh Beg. To give the Minister of State some context, since she might not be familiar with the locality, this is an area just south of the link road in Cork city. Hundreds upon hundreds of houses have been built there in recent years but, effectively, it is an island. It is within walking distance of Ballyphehane and Togher but, because there are no footpaths, you would be taking your life into your hands going out onto the road. There is inadequate public…

I thank the Minister of State. It is a substantial scheme; there is no question about that. The Minister of State can imagine the situation for a resident who, fundamentally, just wanted footpaths and to be able to walk to the shops and to Togher or Ballyphehane. They would have liked progress to be made an awful lot more quickly. As good as the scheme may eventually be, this still impacts their day-to-day quality of life and will continue to do so until it is developed. I note the response states €950,000 has been…

I wish the Taoiseach all the best personally. I know it is not an easy day for him but I wish him the best for the future. In the programme for Government, the Government committed to reducing waiting times for assessments of need under the Disability Act 2005 by using the standard operating procedure the former Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, introduced in January 2020. However, parents very quickly became aware of the shortcomings of that approach and aware that the rights of their children were being undermi…

Before last weekend, 130 asylum applicants were living in an inhumane condition in Dublin without on-site hygiene facilities, toilets accessible at night or washing facilities. In an attempt to hide Government failure on asylum accommodation, they were put on a bus and moved to the outskirts of Dublin to the site of a former nursing home at Crooksling. The conditions there were so bad that several of the men who had been ferried there felt they were better off on the street. This is another example of the Governmen…

More than 13,000 children are among the 31,000 people killed in Gaza in a little over five months, with 72,000 people injured. Having completely exhausted food supplies and coping capacities, more than 1 million people are struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation. Famine is imminent. In the past number of days, Israel has denied UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini entrance to Rafah, while also subjecting the 1.5 million people seeking shelter there to overnight missile attacks. Those responsible for cold…

Being able to access a GP is like having money in the bank. The security it offers a family is hard to overestimate. However, it is too often the case that people trying to find a new practice, perhaps having come to a new area, find it nigh on impossible to do so. Even if you are on a GP's books, it can be difficult to get an appointment. While it was not mentioned much in the Minister of State's contribution, this has implications for health. It has real implications for people. Very often, people do not rush int…