It is great to have three Ministers present for this important debate. I served as the Vice Chair of the joint committee. I thank our Chair, Deputy Whitmore, all our members, witnesses, the clerks and officials and the legal experts who guided us through the process. We were given just three months to look at this issue, and that was because of the urgency of it. The question we are left with is where has that urgency gone. It was great to hear the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, talk about July, because it was last Jul…

I remind people that the time shown on the countdown clock is for everybody. We have Deputies Funchion, Martin Browne, Farrell and Costello to go.

I am delighted to be speaking today to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. For a whole generation of young people in Ireland, the Troubles is a period of Ireland's history. It is a time to be remembered, studied and to learn from but it is a time of our past. Thanks to the historic agreement, there is now a whole new generation who have only ever known peace. That is an outcome that many signatories of the Good Friday Agreement could only have dreamed of at the height of the Troubles. For all th…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. Fine Gael has put forward a proposal for the introduction of a new 30% tax rate. A 30% tax rate would benefit more that 1 million working people in Ireland and in particular the squeezed middle. Now is the time to put more money back into people's pockets to counteract inflation, to counteract the huge increases in grocery prices, to assist people with rent and to support people saving for a first home. A new 30% tax rate would mean more people get to keep more of the money they earn. C…

I raise an issue that I have raised previously, namely, the lack of public health nursing services for my constituents, especially those in Newcastle, Rathcoole and Lucan. Since I first highlighted this issue, babies and toddlers have missed developmental check-ups. Some have missed two. We talk all the time about early intervention, yet the HSE is providing no interventions whatsoever. I have been told again and again that as soon as student nurses come on stream, this matter will be resolved. However, time has mo…

I am glad to contribute to this debate. As a Dublin Deputy, staffing levels in the hospitals in our capital are a massive concern to me and my constituents. This is because they are far from safe. I know of one hospital whose accident and emergency department has almost 50 nursing vacancies and where, when there should be 18 nurses working on any given day, there is often half that number. As few as nine nurses sometimes run the accident and emergency department. On a good day, that number might increase to 11. Thi…

I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the waiting lists for children's disability services in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 7. Nationally, the Taoiseach will be aware of the huge waiting times for assessment, diagnosis and treatment for children. In my area of CHO 7, the problem is particularly acute. We have some of the longest waiting lists in the country. We have had the reconfiguration of children's disability services, but we are still not seeing an improvement on the ground. In fact, in many instances,…

Stunned, shocked, appalled, frustrated and let down; this is how parents and teachers in my constituency are feeling after projects relating to their local schools were put on pause because of a row between the Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. Building costs have increased dramatically and the Department’s budget needs to be increased as a result. I completely get that point, and I agree with the Minister on it. Prices did not increase overnight, ho…

I thank the Minister for her four-minute reply to my simple question asking when this matter will be resolved. The answer appears to be that it will be very soon. This does not provide much clarity for the schools involved. The reality is that no matter when it is resolved, this is going to continue to be disruptive. It is particularly disruptive in the context of shovel-ready projects. What do I mean by that? If one looks at Holy Family Community School, for example, the tender has been awarded, an architect has b…

I am sharing time with Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan. I wish everybody in the Chamber a very happy International Women's Day. Today is a day to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness of discrimination and drive gender parity. I pay tribute to my female colleagues in this Chamber and all the females who have gone before us. It is encouraging to see the number of women elected to the Dáil continue to grow and to see more women in ministerial positions and positions of leadership in political parties. I hope …

I congratulate the Minister of State. I know she has been engaging with the sector and I have had some positive feedback from members of my credit unions on the work she is doing on the ground. I know that will be the tempo the Minister of State has set in the Department. I wish her well in her new role. There is great opportunity and untapped potential within our credit unions. We have an opportunity to expand community banking services. The withdrawal of Ulster Bank and KBC Bank added an urgency to things. I know…

I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the issue of schools in my area that are still waiting on extensions and new buildings. Earlier this month I visited St. Ronan's National School. Its existing prefabs are absolutely shocking and need to be replaced. My own secondary school, Holy Family Community School, went to tender for a new building but is waiting for the Department to sanction the approval for a contractor to begin. A transition year student, Blathnaid, who is in the Public Gallery, is with me this week. Her …

I welcome this Bill and its four main objectives of strengthening the oversight of An Garda Síochána, enhancing its governance, improving our national security infrastructure, and making the safety of communities a whole-of-government responsibility, which is particularly important. It is timely that we are having this discussion given the context of the scenes of antisocial behaviour and deplorable attacks on gardaí we have seen and heard about recently. I commend my colleague, Senator Mary Seery Kearney, on the s…

The programme for Government contains a commitment to review our electoral laws and protect our democracy from external influences like political donations from non-citizens outside the State. At the weekend, there was another revelation regarding Sinn Féin's finances. We heard further contradictions about its electoral spending and more questions were raised about its statutory filings. Sinn Féin is the richest party in this country and yet it failed repeatedly to pay its bills to a local business in my constituen…

Citizens' assemblies play a crucial role in driving social and policy change across Ireland. Over the past few years, we have seen how effective they are at starting a national discourse on the issues impacting people and because of that, Ireland is widely regarded as a world leader when it comes to deliberative democracy. The recommendations of previous citizens' assemblies have influenced significant changes in how we in this State live our lives. They can and do lead to constitutional and legislative change and …

Migration has always been part of our national story, both inward and outward. Sometimes, that is people moving in search of adventure or employment and, at other times, it is people moving here to learn, to work and to live. Often, it is people coming to our shores in search of international protection. Whatever the reason may be, what we need is an immigration system that is fair and compassionate. Those who do not have a legal right to stay must have access to fair procedures and right of appeal but, ultimately,…

I would also like to raise the issue of changes to benefit-in-kind. In my constituency, there is a ridiculous situation whereby somebody who can work from home on a Friday is instead choosing to drive to Kilkenny simply to reduce their tax liability because they need the extra mileage. On a day when a car should be sitting in a driveway and generating no emissions, it is instead doing a 200 km round trip because the owner cannot afford to leave it in the driveway and increase the tax bill. Government policy is to r…

I welcome that we are progressing this Bill in line with the recommendations of the 2015 White Paper on Defence. It will bring legislation from the 1930s and 1940s into the modern practice. The Civil Defence provides an invaluable service in supporting front-line emergency services and also local communities. I echo the comments made by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, last year when he presented members with medals of recognition for the role they played in Covid-19 and said that Civil Defence volunteers should be hu…

The 25% reduction in childcare fees has been very much welcomed by parents. However, the increase in demand for childcare in my constituency of Dublin Mid-West has not been met by a corresponding increase in available childcare places. In fact, an early childhood care and education service in Lucan is currently facing an accommodation crisis in September. If it has to reduce its service, it would be a disaster for the community and would further exacerbate the shortage of childcare places locally. New crèches in ne…

I next move to the Government slot and call Deputy Devlin.