As a chemical engineer and a former climate technologist I am gravely concerned by the problem of accelerating energy costs and energy poverty facing our people. In my constituency, the most pervasive reports of energy poverty come from disadvantaged communities in the south inner city, Ringsend and Irishtown. There is also the renter in Sandymount who correctly pointed out to me that he is powerless to improve the energy efficiency of his home, as the SEAI grants do not extend to him, and they cover less than 20% …

Last week, the Taoiseach published an op-ed in the Irish Independent declaring that the time to end child poverty is now. That sentiment is very welcome but his analysis was incomplete. Yesterday, my party leader rightly pointed out that consistent child poverty has doubled in the past two years to 8.5% when the Government's target is 3%. Earlier this month, the ESRI published a report that one in every five children - more than 225,000 - are now in poverty when housing costs are taken into account. The Taoiseach s…

I never said that.

I did not say that.

The Taoiseach should not put words in my mouth.

I did not say it.

I am quoting the ESRI.

The Government funds the ESRI.

The OECD brought us that information. The Department of Finance gives it to us.

I told the Taoiseach about the-----

The Taoiseach is not answering the question.

I will start by paying tribute to a good friend of mine who passed away suddenly this month a year ago, after I was elected a councillor. There is a memorial service for him this weekend. He was a member of the Social Democrats and we served on the national executive of the party together. He was born in Britain of Nigerian and Ghanaian descent and he was deeply committed to making this island of ours better. His name was Kodzo Selormey and he was a patriot in an era when people who lay claim to that word have no s…

His name was Kodzo Selormey.

I appreciate the Minister of State's commitment to this area and I do not doubt his sincerity but, like every single occupant of his office before him, he has been sent out with prepared remarks to defend the indefensible. He and this Government unfailingly refuse to reckon with the enormity of the problem in housing. The Government is tinkering around the edges of failed policies while the situation deteriorates even further, leaving in its wake a litany of shattered dreams for individuals and their families who w…

I will raise dementia services in my constituency. Last week, I received a report that respite beds for those with Parkinson's disease and dementia in the Royal Hospital Donnybrook would be unavailable from August as funding was withdrawn by the HSE without warning in January. This has created significant distress for the families who rely on this service. The uncertainty regarding HSE funding seems completely at odds with Government policy. I have engaged with both the hospital and the HSE but I want a commitment …

At a recent residents' association meeting in my constituency in Sandymount, it was reported to me that only one flood insurance provider is left providing coverage in the community. This week research from the University of Galway was reported in The Irish Times showing that storm surges during Storm Éowyn were the "highest ever recorded" and would have been twice as high had the storm landed a week earlier during a particularly high tide. Earlier this month the EPA's national climate change risk assessment also n…

As this is my first time speaking in the House, I want to start by thanking the Minister of State and the many Members of the House from all parties and none who have been so welcoming to me since the start of the Dáil term. While friendships may be tested through the course of political life, I hope I can earn and keep the respect of my colleagues, as I promise respect for them and for the mandate entrusted to me by the Irish people and by Bunreacht na hÉireann. It would be remiss of me not to thank also the more …

The Minister of State referenced a lot about substance and substantive positions and I am quite disappointed with that reply. I am not talking about BEPS agreements or pillar 2 or the OECD agreements. I am talking about intellectual property and the legal architecture that underpins it. As far as I can tell, on the record of this House, this is the first time this report and the risks it highlighted - a potentially catastrophic decline in the State's resources - are being discussed. There is something deeply proble…