I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the summer economic statement on behalf of the Labour Party. It is undeniable that the statement shows how well the economy is doing on paper right now, but this is only on paper. These abstract economic figures do not tally with the real lived experience of hard-pressed households in my own Fingal constituency and across the country. The only numbers that matter to them are the increasing price of food, energy and services. Strong GDP figures are not helping them pay the bills…

We have an absolute crisis with regard to how we are dealing with refugees in this country. We awoke this morning to news of the situations in Dublin Airport, Citywest and beyond. However, those of us who have been engaged on the ground not just since the Ukrainian war but before that in terms of the situation for refugees coming to this country through the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, system have known there has been a crisis for a long time. It has never or seldom made front-page news. W…

On the tribute to the efforts of the Irish people and the outpouring of support and response, I will tell the Minister of State what happens when a volunteer group interfaces with one of the private, for-profit companies that are being brought in by IPAS to run certain reception centres and to protect the basic human rights and dignity of refugees. We have an amazing volunteer group of people in Swords who were working with a number of different reception centres and creating great links with the community of Ukrai…

I am not going to speak for long because there are Members present who have amendments down that need to be reached and discussed. I have been in the Dáil a relatively short time but even people who have been here much longer would expect a Bill that enters on First Stage and is debated on Second Stage would bear a general similarity to the Bill that emerges at the end of the process with respect to content and intent. That cannot be said about this legislation. To paraphrase Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, one Bill went …

I am glad to be able to have an opportunity to speak on this cross-party Raise the Roof motion today. Every day in my political life, particularly as a Deputy, is a day where I am dealing with people in housing distress but today is one of those days that I think most Members have experienced where the cases I am dealing with had that extra air of complexity or sadness or a dead end to them. That is the day I have had with the people with whom I have been dealing and I am glad this motion is being debated tonight. …

I thank Deputy Cairns and the Social Democrats for tabling this timely and important motion. I also welcome our visitors in the Gallery for this debate. In the last few days, when I became aware of this motion being brought forward and after engaging with groups I have been speaking with for many months, I asked them what areas they would like me to focus on in my contribution. The response was the disability capacity review and the action plan therein, as well as the section 39 workers in the area. We fully suppor…

It is good to see this Bill coming before the House, although it is a shame it is happening on 1 July amid a bundle of other legislation that is coming through the House at breakneck speed as we rattle towards the Dáil recess. I accept what the Minister of State said about amendments. We have two amendments that will be submitted in the name of Deputy Ó Ríordáin that I might send directly to the Minister of State in an attempt to improve this much-needed and important Bill, which has the capability to bring about q…

The Labour Party welcomes the provisions in this Bill both in the area of inpatient charges for children under 16 years of age and in the measure the Minister will introduce in an amendment with regard to contraception services. That is an especially progressive measure and will make a real difference. It is an early step in what will be, should the action plan on women's health be delivered, a further, more comprehensive suite of measures in respect of contraception and women's health in general. That is to be bro…

I am very disappointed in the Minister's script. While he did not read these words out, his script states: "It is for these reasons that the Government will not oppose, but can neither support at this time, the Autism Bill 2022." We did not pitch this Bill to be two or three steps away from the Government position so that it could not support it. We spent an awful lot of time working with parents, families and adults with autism to write a Bill that is deliverable. We feel we have done that. We came to the Chamber …

I move amendment No. 3: In page 6, after line 34, to insert the following: “(2) A court shall construe this Act in a manner that gives effect to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities done at New York on 13 December 2006, and for this purpose the court shall have regard to the provisions of the Convention, including its preamble.”. Now that Ireland has ratified the UNCRPD, embedding an explicit requirement for courts to interpret the Act in a manner that gives effect to the convention strengthens…

The ESRI energy poverty report brings home to us that not only are we facing a crisis, we are in the midst of an economic and social crisis in this country and we must use every tool in our economic arsenal. We feel we should have an emergency budget or an early budget. Failing that, we think there is scope for the Government to implement targeted measures similar to those that have been implemented in our fellow EU countries, including price caps on energy. We ask the Government to consider that. The Minister for …

What is the plan regarding engagement with the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, throughout the rest of the year? The Minister of State has had intense engagement in the last few weeks as the situation in the airport reached crisis point and then disaster levels a few weekends ago. While we have seen some improvement in services, not least because of the massive redeployment of emergency staff, I would like to know what the plans are to ensure the experience at the airport improves and will be on a solid footing throu…

I thank the Minister of State for her update. There is no doubt that Herculean efforts have been made to ensure that passengers can transit through without missing their flights, but what is happening is having an impact. I would like the Minister of State to engage with Dublin Airport on a number of issues. Regarding the special assistance and reduced mobility service the DAA provides, I have heard reports of people with reduced mobility being left on planes for extended periods of time as they are unable to get s…

I am glad to hear the Minister of State met workers' representatives and I hope that continues with SIPTU and the other unions representing workers in the airport. What we have learned and experienced over the past number of months is that there is a sense among workers and those connected to the airport that the ethos of the airport is changing. The idea that it is a place where people are proud to work, earn a good living and have a future through which they can progress is being eroded. That is something for whi…

It has been clear in the past couple of weeks that the DAA's effort to rightsize its workforce — to use its word — was not about reducing the overall numbers because it has since said it is trying to hire at the pre-pandemic level. Therefore, it was about reducing the levels of pay and the terms and conditions. The question we are asking today, which is important, is whether the Minister of State, the Minister for Transport or the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform raised any flags. The long-term goal of th…

The Minister of State has said in response to parliamentary questions this evening and at other times that the responsibility and priority of the Minister and Department is to ensure passengers' efficient travel through the airport. It has to be more than that, however, because we have to look out for the workers and the facility. Air travel is being driven by the low-cost airlines, which want to drive down the cost of flights and airport charges. If that happens, there will be underinvestment in our airport's faci…

The Government has pulled an absolute stroke with these statements. It is deeply unfair that the information only went out to the parliamentary inbox at 12.20 p.m. that the discussion would focus on sustainable mobility. The Minister said he was asked to speak on that particular issue. Who asked him to do so? I am on the Business Committee and I know nobody on the Opposition side asked for statements on sustainable transport. Did the Taoiseach or the Chief Whip ask the Minister to focus on that aspect? It is incred…

Who asked?

Who gave that instruction?