What possible motivation would we have to play politics around genocide? The Tánaiste can nod his head, but the insult of that suggestion is extraordinary.

We are not the only ones who take to our social media. Six days ago, the Tánaiste had a big post on his social media saying how he was doing everything in his power in respect of this matter. This is a Chamber where we debate ideas and discuss the most serious issues. What Deputy Carthy and I have said - the Tánaiste has backed this up - is that there are other means by which we could intervene. South Africa built its case and its 83-page submission on the rhetoric of the Israeli Government. We could come in and ba…

I am delighted to be given the chance to speak during Seachtain na Gaeilge despite my shortcomings with our native language. I was not as brave as Deputy Ward today. It is something I do regret and I hope this will be the last time there will be a Social Democrat here who will not be talking in their native tongue this week and during the Dáil term. I will put forward the views of Irish advocates, the voices close to the beating heart of language and those who live it every single day whom we contacted during the p…

When?

She lives in rural Ireland.

Advocacy groups such as AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland and Inclusion Ireland have written to the Department of Education asking for the recently revised special education teaching, SET, allocation model to be paused until those most affected are meaningfully consulted. Countless families and advocacy groups felt as though their needs were ignored when the new allocation model was announced. Despite getting in touch with the Department, AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland and Inclusion Ireland believe they have not been prov…

Once again, I ask the Minister if his Department will consider removing the eligibility criteria exclusions of the category of parents of an Irish citizen for SUSI applications in relation to persons with permission to remain under a stamp 4 visa.

I thank the Minister. The last part of the contribution was really helpful. I want to remind the Minister that this is the third time I have brought this to Priority Questions. A response to me from Minister in March 2022 stated: "I do not wish to make the Deputy uncomfortable, but I found myself agreeing with him during the previous Question Time ... I have done some work on it and I am committing now to intensify that work to try to get a positive outcome." I do not doubt for a second that the Minister appreciate…

The student support regulations will, I understand, be released in May for 2024. I ask for a commitment from the Minister that this will be factored into that. Is that what the Minister is committing to me, namely that stamp 4 visa holders will be costed in the student support regulation for 2024? That did not appear in the 2022 or 2023 papers. This is a perfect opportunity to address this issue. The figures may not be in the 2024 paper, but perhaps I and another person could have a meeting with the Minister to see…

I thank the Minister of State for taking Topical Issue Matters today. From about 8.45 onwards this morning and every weekday morning, a trickle of people start to arrive at Phibsborough post office. That trickle very quickly turns into a queue and that queue is representative of the vast array of different people who live in and make Phibsborough their home. They queue outside the post office for a variety of reasons. It is a hub of the community. Phibsborough post office provides a multitude of different services.…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I disagree with him in that I do not necessarily think a dilution of services through their transfer from An Post to a different style of service will have any benefit at all for the community. That is captured, in particular, by the staff who currently work in the An Post office at Phibsborough. There is a genuine sense of anxiety about what it will mean for their employment and the people who avail of that service. I appreciate the building has a particular signific…

That is okay, so.

Do we actually have the capacity to effectively police this State anymore? I ask because once again I was summoned to a coalition of residents' groups in a Dublin 1 area, from Buckingham Street around to Talbot Street. Their issues are ones that have been replicated over the last number of years. There is chronic law-breaking and open drug dealing and when the residents call the gardaí none arrives. The Minister will be familiar with the area. It is where the Minister for Justice took a much-lauded walk a couple of…

I welcome the Ukrainian ambassador and acknowledge the incredible work she has done over the past two years. We are here today to recognise a very sombre anniversary. It is two years since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an event which has undeniably reshaped the contours of international relations, global security and the very notion of sovereignty. As we stand with the people of Ukraine, remembering their resilience and sacrifice, we must also extend our gaze to Gaza, where another regional conflict…

I ask the Minister of State for an update on the suspension of Sport Funding to the FAI and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. He is right regarding the suspension and the rules placed upon the FAI. That was very fair and just and I commend him on doing so. When it comes to the funding of the FAI, for me, there is an infrastructural deficit within football and in Ireland that is all-incorporating. At grassroots level, I see that every single weekend and twice a week with training. The question is, where is the plan? The director's report that was released by the FAI called for a €500 million …

That is fantastic, I say to the Minister of State. On the condition of the FAI, I know that the Minister of State often hosts phone calls with different sports clubs on the application process. I encouraged the Minister of State to continue doing that. I know that for the football clubs I have seen, they have spent all their time just trying to organise pitches. There is not really the administrative capabilities among many of them because, so often, they are just trying to keep the wolf from the door. Could we hav…

I want to ask the Tánaiste about the allocation of special education teaching hours, particularly the removal of complex needs from the criteria for the provision of special education teaching hours, which has been described by Inclusion Ireland as shameful. The Minister spoke about different algorithms and matters of data collection but Inclusion Ireland has come out against it, AsIAm has highlighted serious concerns and the National Principals Forum has said the system simply will not work. My phone has been inun…

I cannot help but acknowledge that there is no representative from the Department of Justice here. This is probably the third time I have raised a Topical Issue on the issue of safety in and around Dublin city centre and neither of those-----

Absolutely but it is also important to put on record that I received a communication from the Department of Justice that did not offer a change. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, will do in terms of dealing with this issue because there is an immediacy to it. I want to discuss chronic law-breaking not just in the north inner city of Dublin because it is wider than that. I will break it down to be a bit more specific. Like most people around the Chamber, I am spending most evenings knocking on doors and talki…