I thank the Minister of State for attending, although he does not have responsibility for justice issues. I accept that occasionally happens during the Topical Issue Debate but I would nonetheless like a comprehensive response both from the Department of Justice and from him. I wish to discuss the increase in the number of assaults in Dublin, which is multifaceted, so his Department, which has responsibility for local government, comes into play, which I will come to in a moment. The most recent assault in Dublin w…

I thank the Minister of State for his response, which from the perspective of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is quite comprehensive. I fully appreciate there are a number of different plans in place, including Operation Citizen. The Minister of State mentioned that the Garda Commissioner states the distribution of gardaí is often considered and monitored. I vehemently argue that policing in an urban environment, in particular a city centre environment, is different from policing anywhere else in the country. There a…

I want to begin with the nature restoration law, the first Continent-wide, comprehensive law of its kind. I hope it will be the most consequential legislation passed by the current European Parliament. It is in jeopardy for the very reason that Fine Gael's partner in the European Parliament, the European People's Party, EPP, has once again played its nefarious, right-wing, conservative hand to bring down a law that would benefit Europe and humanity as a whole. The law is a key element of the EU biodiversity strateg…

I thank my colleague, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, for bringing forth this timely and important motion. Fine Gael claims to be many things. It claims, for example, to be the party of law and order and yet we cannot see gardaí on the streets. I certainly do not think that people across Dublin city, including those in my constituency, would believe this claim holds any weight. Fine Gael also claims to be the party of the squeezed middle and we spent last week arguing about facile tax breaks rather than talking about the …

I wish to ask about voluntary contributions in schools. A report published by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul today found that, of the 1,500 respondents to its survey, more than 90% said that they were going without because they would have to cover the voluntary contribution, which is only rarely voluntary. Some 671,000 people are at risk of poverty and one would imagine that many of the survey's respondents were already cutting their cloth very finely, perhaps even to the bone. During austerity, the capitation …

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. I want to discuss the need for a state-of-the-art sports complex in the park beside the Alfie Byrne Road. I hope this is not seen as a politician asking for a specific request for his constituency because technically this is outside my constituency. The park serves an enormous number of people in the constituencies of Dublin Central and Dublin North West and throughout north Dublin. The pitch is in a sorry state of repair and has been for the best part of 20 yea…

I thank the Minister of State for the response, in particular in regard to Alfie Byrne Park. It is not a place that many people in the city are aware of as it is somewhat out of the way, just off the North Strand, between Clontarf and East Wall. However, it is a place of massive opportunity. What it requires, which is why I am raising it in the House today, is leadership from all arms of the State. Dublin City Council has only now started to demonstrate an enthusiasm for this plan. I think it requires Dublin City C…

I wish to raise the issue of visibility and safety for members of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, LGBTQI, community among both faculty and students in schools. BeLong To research from last year showed that more than three-quarters of LGBTQI students feel unsafe in post-primary schools. The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, INTO, LGBT+ teachers’ group, a voluntary sub-group of the INTO, advocates for LGBT+ inclusion in our primary schools. It expressed its disappointment with the cineá…

Dublin is one of the only capital cities in Europe or the world that operates without a municipal market, yet on both sides of the Liffey, north and south, there are large infrastructural buildings lying idle. For many decades, markets were where generations of working-class people throughout the city made their money. Yet, in the hands of Dublin City Council, certainly on the north side of Dublin - it is more complicated on the south side - these buildings are lying idle. It would benefit the State as a whole if w…

As we are asked to speak about the accommodation needs of new arrivals, I think it appropriate to begin by quoting from the first article of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Article 1 has ten words. It merely states: “Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected.” The Minister will be aware that in April of this year, in a case taken by a person who came to these shores in search of sanctuary and protection and through vindication of the courts it was established that he received none of it,…

What is the State's playbook? I ask this because in the absence of one, we are behind and we need to step forward. We need to meet these challenges. There is an assault on decency in this country. We need to recommit ourselves to confronting it every step of the way. That will require a coherent plan of action going forward, because this will be with us for the long term.

I ask the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the possible effects on pensioner poverty of the proposed total contributions approach, given that it deals on a pro rata basis with people who do not qualify for the maximum payment, rather than using bands which serve to uplift the benefit people receive, as under the current averaging system; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

No, not really. I realise I am stating the obvious in saying that paying a lower State pension to a larger number of pensioners would lead to higher levels of poverty among older people in this country. However, I have to say it, because we fear that is what will happen under the total contributions approach. There is a certain minimum amount of money that older people need to retire with dignity. Acknowledgement of this fact was presumably behind the design of the current pension system where the tapering off of t…

How many people start working at 55? I do not think that is a fair analysis. Older people in Ireland usually have the lowest rates in poverty and deprivation of any age group. The State pension is solely responsible for this. At any one time, 85% of older people in Ireland would live below the poverty line if it were not for the State pension. Even for better off pensioners who do not rely solely on the State pension, the State pension is usually the most important single source of income in their retirement. The c…

I add my voice and that of my party in condemning the brutal scenes in Navan when a 14-year-old child was brutally assaulted. That should never take place. BeLonG To, the youth LGBT organisation, released figures today from 2022 research which found that 76% of young LGBTQI+ students in schools found schools to be unsafe. What is the Government doing to ensure schools and public spaces are safe for young LGBTQI+ students?

The defence and security challenges facing Ireland have never been more diverse and Ireland has perhaps never been so ill-equipped to handle them. Current geopolitical tensions across the world are being fuelled and intensified in the first instance by Russia's grotesque invasion of Ukraine. Before that was the rise of populism. The threats posed by accelerated climate change, energy and food insecurity, current and likely future pandemics and bad governance have increased instability around the world. Such securit…

Nobody doubts the scale of the challenge facing the State and communities all over the country in terms of providing shelter, welcome and safety to so many people who have travelled here over the past year. What I find unacceptable is the repetition of mistakes, time and again, that started almost last October in East Wall and have continued right up to Magowna this weekend. I want to ask about the communications strategy. The Minister mentioned that a tender has been initiated in the past two weeks. I would like m…

In April this year, the High Court found the State was in violation of Article 1 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union when it comes to its treatment of migrants in this country. Article 1 has ten words. It simply states: Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected. In the month that has passed, we saw tents continue to build up outside the international protection office on Mount Street, to the point that last weekend it resulted in an attack of unimaginable magnitude that …

What steps is the Tánaiste taking to address the staffing shortages in the Defence Forces? I believe we are currently approximately 4,000 short of where we should be.

I thank the Tánaiste for his answer. This really comes down to the housing crisis. I grew up with a lot of people who went on to serve in the armed forces. McKee Barracks is right beside where I grew up. There is great pride among people who want to serve. I know several people who served, who then came out of the Defence Forces and into the private sector and who are now trying to get back in. Last week, through a parliamentary question I submitted, it was revealed that 70% of Defence Forces accommodation remains …