I wish to record my support for the help-to-buy scheme and my total dismay at the idea of abolishing it. This is what is being put forward by the Opposition. The help-to-buy scheme does exactly what it says on the tin; it helps people to buy their first homes. It has been a welcome financial contribution for many families - some 32,000 people to be exact. Almost €600 million has been paid out under the scheme to help people to buy their first homes. In Dublin alone last year, the help-to-buy scheme helped 1,127 peo…

I want to begin by thanking the people who are working at our reception centres, at Dublin Airport and at other ports. I thank the many volunteers, and those who have opened their hotels, apartments and homes to people who are fleeing the war in Ukraine. I also wish to acknowledge, in particular, the Irish Red Cross, the many other NGOs and their volunteers, who are playing such an essential role in this national effort. I extend a welcome, a céad míle fáilte, to every person who has arrived here since the war bega…

The Rural Independent Group is next. There are five speakers with two minutes each.

I thank Deputy Nolan. I am well impressed by how the Rural Independent Group shares time so efficiently and effectively.

Deputies Pringle and Connolly are sharing time.

What proposals around financial assistance packages for first-time buyers or renovators are being looked at and costed by the Minister's Department? Is consideration being given to packages that may be looked at in the near future to be drawn down by first-time buyers?

Bridging the affordability gap and boosting supply for the provision of homes is ultimately our shared goal and it has to be our priority. I am pleased that it has such a high priority when it comes to the Housing for All plan. Many young couples at the moment are paying €1,500 to €2,000 to rent a two-bedroom apartment in places in my constituency like Clondalkin and Lucan when they would much prefer to be paying €1,000 in a mortgage for a place they would own some day. The problem is that they cannot afford to do …

I welcome the shared equity scheme for first-time buyers. It is going to be of crucial importance to people. We all await the launch of further details around Croí Cónaithe. With more people now working from home, something we should also consider is that there is a lot of commercial space in cities such as in Dublin city centre which large employers might not necessarily be utilising for their workers. There is an opportunity for us to amend the legislation to make it easier for those buildings to be transformed i…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this important Bill. The Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2022 incorporates some welcome policies and provisions that have been a long time coming. We are all glad this legislation is finally before us. The Child Care Act 1991 is currently the primary legislation governing the welfare of children and young people in need of care and protection. It provides for guardian or guardian ad litem appointments in care proceedings where children or young people …

Last week the Government confirmed its plans to fund IVF fertility treatment for public patients from 2023. This is welcome and fantastic news because at present Ireland is the only country in the EU not providing state funding towards IVF. Unfortunately, the statistics show that one in every six couples will struggle to conceive. IVF costs €4,000 to €6,000 per cycle. This is a huge expense that is out of reach for many young couples. Will the Taoiseach outline the Government's plans to ensure middle income earners…

This is exciting and reforming legislation that will bring about the most significant development in Irish electoral law since 1997. The Bill has the potential to transform our electoral registration process. It will modernise our register of electors and, more importantly, will empower more people to become more active participants in democracy. The Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, of which I am a member, spent a significant amount of time discussing and debating this Bill. During the com…

Almost one in five people in this country own cryptocurrency and interest in crypto assets, especially among young people, is on the rise but, unfortunately, so too is investment fraud. Almost €12.5 million was lost to investment fraud last year. Last month, the Central Bank issued a warning on the potential risks of investing in crypto assets because it is an unregulated industry. We urgently need to do more to bring awareness of the risks associated with investing in an unregulated industry such as this and to hi…

Then why bother asking it?

I thank the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, for coming to the House to take this Topical Issue matter on how we will expand our school capacity to accommodate Ukrainian students coming to Ireland. The suffering and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine is devastating. I am sure the Minister will share my condemnation of the Russian regime and the horrific war crimes that we are witnessing in the Ukraine at Russia's hands. I welcome all of the Ukrainian people who have come to Ireland and I hope they will f…

I thank the Minister for her response. I welcome her establishment of the REALT and all the work being done to, as she said, analyse the data and demand. I do not doubt that accommodating so many new students is a considerable challenge but I have no doubt it is a challenge that the Minister and her Department will work hard to overcome. The capacity issue speaks to the urgent need to push ahead with the school building programme. A number of schools in my constituency have building works at various stages of appli…

I welcome the publication of the women’s health action plan. Its publication speaks to the tide change that is happening in the area of women’s health. It is something I very much support. Women’s health goes far beyond just family planning. I am glad to see this action plan recognising the many facets and areas of women’s health that need and deserve attention. We have a very long way to go in ending the health-based discrimination women face. It can be very difficult for women to get the treatment they need. Ther…

No one who lives in Lucan, as I do, can sign up as a new patient with a GP; their books are full. However, as the census will show, it is a rapidly growing area, home to not one but two strategic development zones. Despite Sláintecare, people cannot access their medical first port of call, the GP in their community. A constituent has been waiting for four years to get on a GP's books. Because she is a private patient, there is no support or intervention for her. Fourteen GPs in Lucan take medical card patients but …

I welcome the more than 14,000 Ukrainian people who have already arrived into Ireland. A couple of weeks ago they could not possibly have imagined packing up their lives and moving to the far side of this Continent. I hope that their time here, whether long- or short-lived, brings them the safety and support they so badly need and deserve. Ukrainians arriving at Dublin Airport are being met by a welcome group - a team of Department officials who are helping them to set up PPS numbers and get access to social welfar…

As we know, people around Ireland have shown a huge amount of empathy and generosity when it comes to embracing and supporting the Ukrainians fleeing from Russia's war. More than 20,000 offers of accommodation have already been made through the Irish Red Cross. I understand that 4,000 of those are for own-door facilities. I have received many questions from people who are eager to help. They have already pledged rooms and are wondering what the next steps are. I have also had offers of employment from businesses an…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to debate this Bill today. It has been a long time coming for an awful lot of families. I will begin by acknowledging the service that Ukrainian surrogates have provided for many Irish families. An estimated 400 Ukrainian women have given birth to Irish surrogate children, with 46 Irish surrogate babies born in Ukraine in the past year alone. At least four Irish surrogate babies have been born in a hospital in Kyiv since the outbreak of the war, and we know a number of other b…