Well, I hope that they deliver and see pay delivered.

I am delighted to speak on the motion, which has many wonderful and admirable asks which we have all been hearing from our constituents throughout the country, be it the western rail link to Donegal or rural transport in general. One thing I would like to focus on is the issue of security on our transport services. On social media in recent days we have seen an incident that took place on Amiens Street outside Connolly Station or at the Amiens Street bus stops at the intersection with the Luas. It is a very busy tr…

I have a very simple question about what is a complicated Bill. When will the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022 be brought back before us on Committee Stage? It has been a number of months since we had the Second Stage debate. Given the announcements that were made in the budget on IVF treatment, which were most welcome, I would appreciate some clarity on when the Bill is going to come back to us.

That is a welcome response. As I said, the announcement in the budget of the first publicly funded IVF treatment in the country is a landmark announcement. We need to see that happen. The nature of this area impacts people who very much have time on their minds. Every Dáil session that goes by is a six-month period in people's lives. The Minister knows what I am saying. We are also hearing an increasingly coherent and strong voice coming from practitioners and medics in this area. I know that they have engaged with…

That is welcome. It is great that the Minister's officials are meeting with them. Perhaps he can find some time in his schedule to meet with them as well at some point this session. It would be useful for him and it would be good for the legislation itself. It was great to hear the Minister speak to a concern I raised on Second Stage, that is, regulating parents who, in the most simple terms, are unable to give permission for a childcare provider to give Calpol to their child because they do not have that standing.…

I raise a question about our public dental system, particularly as it relates to primary school students. The system has collapsed. The waiting times, in areas where they even exist, are too long. They are longer than the time children spend in primary school. What is the Minister’s plan to address this? We have spoken about dental treatment before and the difficulties and challenges in the dental service. I would like to hear the Minister’s answer.

I am curious about this because I was lucky enough to have been a beneficiary of it as a child. I got extensive dental treatment through the Eastern Health Board in my local health centre and then in St. James's Hospital right through until I was a little bit older than 16. I have seen the benefits it can have for those who need it, of whom there are many, when it works and is functioning. We have had this issue in a number of areas in health and beyond. We have money in the country and are providing it but where a…

The public service provision is absolutely what we are talking about here and what we need to resource. Another thing being brought up by the dentists I am speaking to is the lack of oral or dental hygienists and how there may be a role for the national apprenticeship office in developing some kind of apprenticeship scheme in this area. The Irish Dental Association or dentists will probably call for that. We have a crisis and we need to work our way out of it. We have spoken previously about the dental treatment se…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: recognises: — that until 2008 people employed in the community, voluntary and care sector, such as Section 39 workers, received pay increases under national wage agreements, but have not received pay increases since, and have no formal mechanism for collective pay bargaining; — the immeasurable contribution of independent non-State agencies in the community and voluntary sector, which provide a range of vital health and personal social services that the State has historically outsourced; …

I thank Deputy Tully and Sinn Féin for bringing this motion forward this evening. I will probably jump around a bit based on the Minister of State's statement. One thing that leaped out for me, which I did not see early enough but I am glad to see now, is her ongoing negotiations with the Minister, Deputy Harris, about the training and long-term supply of staff for whatever grades are needed. For a long time I have been asking that this should be one of the primary focuses of the Minister for Further and Higher Edu…

On behalf of the Labour Party, I welcome the motion. The conversation on free and accessible transport is the only one we should be having on transport in this country. This motion is another opportunity for us to discuss the issue in some detail and, hopefully, move the conversation forward. In the most recent budget, the Labour Party proposed a €9 climate card, which would be a monthly charge for unlimited travel modelled on a pilot scheme used successfully in Germany through the summer of 2022. Unfortunately, we…

I will focus during my six and a half minute contribution on health and transport. On health, I will focus on three areas that relate to the rights of workers in the health service on which this budget has either been silent or has failed to react appropriately. The first relates to recruitment and retention across all levels of care but in particular in our acute hospitals and across the grades of nursing, midwifery, healthcare assistants and others. We have a story to tell that starts off well when it comes to nu…

At 1 p.m. today, just as the Minister for Finance rose to begin the delivery of his budget speech, an email was sent by a head manager in the Mediahuis group to all staff indicating that the Fingal Independent would cease trading from the end of October, which is a devastating blow for local media in north County Dublin. Unfortunately, the 0% VAT rate for newspapers announced in the budget has come too late for this particular publication. It made me think of the other eye-catching, well-intentioned and costed prop…

The HSE has made it clear to unions from day one that the circular that gives effect to the decision to pay non-HSE staff lies squarely with the Department of Health and the Minister. In essence, that power lies squarely with the Government and it is not delivering this payment, a bonus payment of recognition that has now become a much-needed cost-of-living payment for those workers. The longer the Government shirks its responsibilities, the longer these workers will be left high and dry during the worst cost-of-li…

When the year-on-year provision for homeless services is increased, the Government is in essence acknowledging the emergency and disaster of its own policies. We need to ensure this country is a great place to grow up, get qualifications and join the workforce. We do not want people to be forever broke, straight into debt and without the hope of owning their own homes or securing a long-term, stable and affordable rental home. What really matters for people is securing such homes, investing in quality public health…

There have been many claims about whether Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil owns this budget. I am seeing a lot of Fianna Fáil in the budget. I recognise the return of the plaster politics of Fianna Fáil. While Fianna Fáil argues internally over whether to allow Bertie Ahern back to join its ranks, it is clear that Bertie economics are not only back, they are at the front and centre of this Government's budgetary policy.

The Government is throwing money at the problem in the hope that it goes away but it will not, as we have learned from the past. The problems we have in this country are systemic and this budget lacks the ambition to drive real and meaningful change. Most of the measures are reheated, half-baked or will simply not be enough to help people. The wealth divide in this country is growing. We have a multi-track economy and it is breaking up the social contract. That is why so many people are angry and despondent. Parent…

Over the next three days, thousands of SIPTU members working in the community and disability services and section 39 organisations will be taking targeted strike action in counties Cork, Kerry, Mayo, Galway and Donegal. While many public servants are balloting over the Building Momentum agreement, section 39 and community workers remain outside any formal pay negotiation mechanism and have not seen any restoration or, indeed, increase in their pay in nearly 14 years. What will the Government do finally, if anything…

I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the unacceptable and ongoing delays in the payment of the pandemic bonus to healthcare workers. So far, only 1,867 healthcare workers have received the payment and there is now talk of the bonus's provision being outsourced in order to identify who else is entitled to it, for example, home care workers, nursing home workers, paramedics and section 38 or 39 workers. Will the Taoiseach please provide an update on when these many thousands of front-line workers will get this long-ove…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to prohibit the recording or publication without consent of certain images of persons who are dead, seriously injured or in shock as a result of an accident or other emergency, and to provide for connected matters. I welcome the opportunity to seek leave to introduce this Bill on First Stage today. In our country, we deal with anywhere between 150 and 200 road traffic deaths each year. In addition, there are upwards of 8,000 injuries related to road …