I thank the Minister of State for that reply. Remote working can really help us with our housing plans as well as it will give people the freedom to live outside of our urban town centres and big population areas. I will take this opportunity to commend the Government for the approval the Cabinet gave for the new Housing for All initiatives this week. We will have our first scheme for affordable housing on public land, our first ever cost-rental initiative, an affordable purchase shared equity scheme for people who…

I extend my congratulations to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, her husband, Paul, and their extended family on the arrival of their new baby boy. Covid-19 has had an enormous impact on the mental health of the nation. In a year filled with so much isolation, how could our mental health not be affected? In a year of restricted funerals, how could there not be a tailback of grief? The Irish Medical Journal recently reported on an Irish study that found significant increases in depression, anxiety and stress among Irish…

It is encouraging that we are preparing to ease restrictions. We are only able to do that because of the success of the vaccination roll-out plan and the sacrifices made by people up and down the country. Young people in particular have made significant sacrifices and lost out on many rites of passage. That is why it is so important that driving lessons are considered in the context of easing restrictions. Young people are among the 80,000 waiting on driver theory tests and the 50,000 waiting on driving tests. It i…

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I welcome the Bill and applaud the ambition behind it. If the past year has taught us anything, it is that governments can take extraordinary action to tackle extraordinary issues. The Bill will, I hope, be a significant step towards tackling the climate crisis. It is, without doubt, the most ambitious climate action legislation this country has produced. Its provisions are nationally significant for Ireland's climate policy but they are also internationally significant because they clearly set Ireland's intention …

Construction is starting on 1,000 new homes in Clondalkin in my constituency, of which 30% will be social homes. Yesterday, the leader of Sinn Féin came into this House and demanded more social homes. Yet, Sinn Féin voted against these 300 social homes in Clondalkin. Why was that? It was because of the funding model. I do not think the funding model matters a great deal to people on the council housing list or to young couples looking to get a foot on the property ladder. Can the Tánaiste confirm that this Governme…

I support my colleague, Deputy Burke, on vaccinations and all of those women going through pregnancy in the middle of Covid-19 having their partners with them. I am so encouraged by the progress that has been made on the vaccination roll-out. The Government promised that in April we would see the roll-out being ramped up and we have seen exactly this. We have seen a huge increase in pace. We have seen it in vaccination centres such as my local vaccination centre in Citywest. Many of my constituents in their late 60…

I thank the Tánaiste for publishing the code of practice on the right to disconnect. Working people are under more pressure than ever before. Advances in technology have robbed us all of our freedoms. Those advances mean that we are always accessible, always plugged in and always on. Many people have been working from home for a full year now - working from their kitchen tables, living rooms or bedrooms. For them, the distinction between work and home life has blurred beyond recognition. However, they have also see…

There is no doubt that flexible working-----

Yes, I have a question. How will this right to disconnect initiative be integrated with the rural plan announced earlier this week?

Renters in this country are in a precarious position. Job loss brought on by Covid-19 has meant that those who were already struggling to meet high rents before the pandemic are now barely staying above water. Sadly, many people's hopes of moving out of the rental market have been derailed by the events of the past year. Their plans of home ownership have had to be put on hold. Young families and working professionals in their late twenties and in their thirties have been hit hard in this pandemic and the uncertain…

We all want to get back to normal life once it is safe to do so. Some six out of every 50 adults in Ireland have received their first vaccine shot. It is time to give them something tangible to hope for. Will we, as Professor Luke O'Neill predicted, be back in beer gardens this summer? Our hospitality and tourism sectors need that certainty.

I am delighted that we are continuing to extend and expand the entitlements that are available to parents in this country. This Bill will entitle parents to an extra three weeks of paid parental leave and create more time for adjusting to the challenges that a new addition to the family brings. It will mean five weeks leave paid by the State for every parent to be taken before a child turns two. All children deserve the best start in life and this Bill will support 30,000 parents to spend more quality time with the…

I speak today on behalf of Andrew McGinley, one of my constituents. Last year, Andrew tragically lost his three beautiful children, Conor, Darragh and Carla. I was among the hundreds who gathered outside Rathcoole Church to pay my respects on the loss of these three young lives. The outpouring of community grief was like nothing I had seen before. The heartache was like nothing I had experienced before. The sight of three white coffins is something which will haunt all of us who were there. I do not know how Andrew…

The mood of the nation is understandably low. We have all been living under a dark cloud for a year now, we have all been bombarded with negativity everywhere we turn, and we have all had our fill of doom and gloom. What we need now is hope, and that hope comes in the form of a vaccine. The vaccine roll-out programme cannot happen quickly enough. We all feel that way. However, it is also important to acknowledge the progress that has been made. Many of us know front-line healthcare workers who are now fully vaccina…

As International Women’s Day approaches, I welcome that today we are dedicating some time to celebrating the work of women over the past year and also highlighting the struggles that women have faced during this pandemic. Covid-19 has brought to light so many of the structural, financial and societal inequalities that still exist within our country. The fact is that gender equality has suffered in the face of the pandemic. We know that many women are the primary caregivers in many homes. Women have taken on the maj…

I have two minutes. The number one issue for people my age is access to affordable housing. This Government will change that through four new initiatives: the shared equity services scheme; building local authority affordable homes; the first ever cost rental long-term leasing initiative; and the extension of the Part V clause to include 10% affordable housing. Last year, housing supply was less than 60% of what was needed. That one statistic is why so many families are going through such trauma right now. It is wh…

This week 320,000 students returned to their classrooms for the first time since before Christmas. In our current circumstances, facilitating the safe return of so many pupils and staff has been a mammoth task. Yet, now that we have got to this point, our priority needs to be fully reopening our schools. It is crucial we never return to remote schooling as we have had to do. Parents needs clarity. Parents have undertaken Trojan work and become master jugglers during the crisis that is this pandemic. They have not o…

I welcome the proposed travel restrictions. While travel-related cases have remained relatively low, it is time to introduce travel restrictions of this nature. We know from countries such as Australia that mandatory hotel quarantine, if done correctly, is hugely effective at managing travel-related cases. Our cases have reached a concerning plateau, due in part to the UK variant, which is 90% more transmissible and now accounts for 90% of our cases. It has contributed to much of the devastation and frustration fel…

I wish to take this opportunity to highlight the work of Clondalkin councillor, Kenneth Egan, who has been lobbying for the proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, to be invested back into the communities which have been so negatively impacted by drugs, the drugs trade and the anti-social behaviour and crime that comes with that. He recently discussed this with the Minister for Justice, and Deputy Richmond has been drafting legislation on this. I am glad to hear the Minister of State say that h…