I thank the Minister of State and his officials. I certainly took those points in the manner in which they were intended, that is, constructively. I will go back and look at them all in an attempt to improve this and bring it forward to Committee Stage. This is exactly how this Parliament should work in terms of putting something forward and having a good reasoned debate and then getting good points back. I am happy with that. I thank Deputy Lawless for contributing to the debate as well. I acknowledge Senator Barr…

The Labour Party welcomes the introduction of the pay-related benefit for jobseekers. I heard what the Minister said in her opening statement when she stated that the Bill is about establishing the principle in the first instance and a Rolls-Royce Bill would, as she said, probably mean we would not be having this debate now or introducing the principle in the first place. We welcome that, and it gives us a solid foundation block on which to build, progress and modernise our social welfare and social protection syst…

We need a debate and legislation on ethics in public office. This is long overdue. We are nearly a decade on from the Mahon tribunal. Ethics are not optional extras. We have now had another example of "go away" money from a developer given to, in this case, a candidate in the local elections from the Taoiseach's party. I know the candidate in question has said she is suspending her campaign but she will still be on the ballot paper with the Fine Gael logo beside her name. The Taoiseach is still relatively new. What…

We will need to debate the Housing Commission report. It is a big document but we will need to do that very soon. There is stuff that can be done quickly, which needs to be done and which would, I am sure, have agreement on all sides of the House. I am referring to recommendation 52.5.b on the raising of income limits for access to social housing supports and the cost rental scheme. The limits were reviewed a couple of years ago but they are out of date. In the last week, councillor Brendan Ryan and I have spoken t…

It is understandably disappointing that the Minister is not here. I understand he has a family bereavement and funeral this morning but I hope he gets an opportunity to look back at this debate. I sincerely thank Deputy Shortall and her party for tabling this motion. Not only does it relate to a contemporary, urgent health crisis – one of many – but it is also one to which I feel attached, given my history of dental treatment through the State. From the age of six, I needed emergency dental treatment. In fact, my f…

In 1987, when Beaumont Hospital was founded, the population of Fingal was approximately 140,000. It is now 330,000 and is expected to grow to 400,000 by 2030, yet we are still fully reliant on Beaumont Hospital. Last week, in the town of Swords where I live, we found out that the long-overdue HSE primary care centre is now in doubt because the developer says it cannot be delivered at the agreed price. As a former Minister for Health, the Taoiseach knows how important a primary care centre is. Swords is the largest …

I was watching the Minister's contribution in my office just before I came down. I heard him say that Housing for All is working. It is not. Complex as the housing situation is, in many ways it is quite simple to see why it is not working. There are a couple of key metrics. Rents are going up; house prices are going up; and, key to all, homelessness is going up. Unless those trends are being reversed and the metrics are going the other way, the plan is not working, whether it is Housing for All, a plan by an altern…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: - as of 10th May there have been 73 traffic fatalities this year, an increase of 30 per cent on 2023, the worst total in nearly a decade, and each death a tragedy for their families and loved ones; - for too long the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has not been sharing data on road traffic collisions with local authorities due to General Data Protection Regulation concerns; - roads, paths and cycleways across the country are in an appalling condition, with changing weather pattern…

I am sharing my time with my colleague Deputy Alan Kelly. I want to acknowledge and support the Minister's words spoken regarding our international workers in our healthcare service. Without them, our health service would cease to function in any way, shape or form. We have all said it before but it is always worth repeating. However, we have massive issues in our health service, regardless of what the Minister set out in his speech. We need to move towards a system of universal healthcare because we do not have it…

We too in the Labour Party welcome this Bill. Transparency in healthcare is vital so that we as legislators know the areas that need improvement and can take action more swiftly, when needed. Amending the Health Act 2007 to give the Chief Inspector of Social Services new powers and to make amendments to existing provisions relating to enforcement, and the collection, sharing and publication of key data on nursing homes and complaint processes will provide the transparency we need to make informed decisions. It is p…

I hope the Tánaiste had the opportunity last weekend to read Erica Tierney's article in The Irish Times . Ms Tierney wrote about her experience of being pregnant while diagnosed with breast cancer. She finished her treatment on 30 April 2020, and one week later was informed by the Department of Social Protection that her maternity leave had run out. Ms Tierney is the inspiration behind the Irish Cancer Society's Leave Our Leave campaign, which has been calling for amendments to the Maternity Protection (Amendment) …

I will be sharing with my colleague Deputy Ó Ríordáin. Despite some progress in recent years, significant gaps and disparities persist in our special education system. Too many students and children are being hindered from full inclusion and participation in our schools. Too many children are being left behind and deprived of the support and resources they need to thrive both academically and socially. While the time left for this Government is growing short, this is an issue I believe this House as a whole can get…

I come to the Tánaiste with a serious request that he work with Ministers in the Department of the Environment, Local Government and Heritage and the Office of Public Works, in tandem with Fingal County Council, to provide further emergency coastal protection measures on Brook Beach in Portrane. There is a long-term solution for sea groynes to protect the houses and community there but it has not even gone to planning permission. We are at a critical stage, with houses on Healy's Lane, Beach Lane and the Burrow in …

I thank Solidarity-People Before Profit for tabling this really welcome motion. The Government's decision to scrap the Green Paper on Disability Reform last week was the right thing to do but it should never have been presented in the first place. It took much too long to scrap it. Activists in this area deserve much praise for the pressure they exerted on the Government. The truth of the matter is that the Government has failed to address the systemic issues facing the disabled community. In particular, I acknowle…

Auto-enrolment is an issue that has long been talked about. We are glad that we now have a Bill before us. We have reservations about some aspects of the more detailed elements but broadly speaking are supportive of its provisions. The impetus behind auto-enrolment is to address the pension coverage gap and to take steps towards improving the financial security of people in retirement. This aim is to be welcomed. The 2022 census data shows that about 20% of those beyond retirement age live in relative income povert…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. It is important that we are honest about the failings of this Government on cancer care. I had hoped that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, perhaps on Daffodil Day on 22 March or as part of, or instead of, a countermotion, would have announced a commitment to funding a national cancer strategy in the upcoming budget. It would not have been seen as flying a kite or a cynical act. It would have been broadly welcomed, given the debacle we had last year and in previous y…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the statements marking the 20th anniversary of the introduction of the smoking ban. It is appropriate for me as a Labour Party TD to speak about the key role the labour movement played in the introduction of smoke-free workplaces, as well as acknowledging the Tánaiste's leadership on this issue when he was Minister for Health. The trade union movement was at the heart of the campaign for smoke-free workplaces. It played a crucial role in the delivery of this important public he…

Hear, hear.

Go back to your caves

We face significant challenges throughout the country as regards access to special education. The special education teacher, SET, allocation for schools for 2024-25 needs to be revisited. One school in Swords in my constituency will face a decrease of 12.5 hours, which means it will lose a number of programmes, including one-to-one teaching, it has in place for children with additional needs. We cannot go backwards in this area. There is a hugely disjointed provision of autistic spectrum units, not only in my const…