I accept fully that there has been massive strides made in terms of funding for arts and I also acknowledge that basic funding for arts has gone some way, but none of that will mean anything if we do not have a culture of mentorship. It is extraordinarily difficult for artists to get a start in this country. One of the ways that can be fostered is by artists helping other artists. The Scene + Heard festival did that for six years in Dublin. It will not exist anymore which needs to be lamented in this House. Politic…

Poverty is corrosive to the human condition. At its very essence, it is about the basic provisions a person is asked to go without. Some 62,000 children in this country are living in consistent poverty. They go to bed hungry and there is no capacity to buy extra clothes, such as a warm coat for the winter, and there is absolutely no opportunity for them and their families to have a day out, go to the zoo or go to the cinema. I was struck by that fact today when the members of the National One Parent Family Alliance…

Once again we are here after a budget and those living in and on the edge of poverty have all but been forgotten. While high-income earners reap the rewards of another budget, it is the same old story we have heard throughout countless Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Governments. This budget lacks nuance. It attempts to tick boxes with one-off measures that will barely scratch the surface of the crisis facing those fighting for survival in this country. The Government continues to ignore them. Temporary supports look gre…

I welcome the Bill, which has many worthy aspects. I will touch on some parts that, though they may not necessarily be problematic, certainly require further discussion. I welcome the Minister's statements on some of the amendments she has tabled since the discussion in the Seanad, especially to do with the addition of the youth advisory committee. I hope the Government understands the particular importance of listening to young voices on online safety. No matter how much research we conduct about social media we w…

I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this important issue. It emphasises very clearly how inaccessible retrofitting is for many households around the country and certainly for those who need it most. Gas and electricity bills are already crippling and as temperatures start to drop as we get closer to winter, more and more families will be forced to choose between keeping the house warm or putting food on the table. That is a dehumanising decision nobody should have to make but is one thousands across Ireland will ha…

I am standing in for Deputy Catherine Murphy on Question No. 4.

That is okay.

Thank you.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for accommodating me. I had a meeting yesterday with a group of business owners in the city centre. They painted a very bleak picture of what trading may look like there. With the rise in energy costs and the need for efficiency that will come with it, we will see businesses turning off their lights at earlier hours. The city will become darker and, therefore, less safe, with people choosing not to come into it. Is that being factored into the Government's considerations? What can …

Without discussing the specifics of the case, this week an incident occurred in the north inner city in which a young man who lost his life was taken from a flat complex. I send my deepest condolences to his family. Please tell me the Government is aware of the increase of addiction in the city, that it has a plan to do something about it and that it understands the urgency of the need to invest in more medically supervised recovery beds. There is a need to provide medically supervised injection centres. In their a…

Some of the points I intended raising have already been made so I will stick to those that have not been raised. On the issue of accession to the EU, we welcome the decision to grant candidacy status to both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as discussed at the most recent European Council meeting. However, it would be remiss of me not to speak about Georgia in great detail, as many other Deputies have done. One point that has not been made is that Georgia has paid a massive price already for its aspiration to b…

The Dáil is about to rise for the summer and as it does, the Government leaves a trail of housing misery in its wake. The Government has earned the dubious distinction of breaking a number of housing records. A record number of people are now homeless, including an increase of nearly 50% in the number of children who have become homeless in the past year. Rents are at record high and extortionate levels. House prices are at record high levels and are unaffordable for the vast majority of workers. Homeownership rate…

I thank Deputy Cairns for bringing forward this motion and acknowledge those in the Visitors Gallery who have travelled here today to stand once again for their basic rights. In particular I acknowledge my friend, Emilie Conway, from the Disabled Artists & Disabled Academics Group and her colleague, Jackie Conboy, who for the second week have come to the Dáil to demand basic service provision and respect. One in seven people in this country has a disability. That is 13.5% of our overall population. All of us will h…

There is a myth of free education in this country. Yesterday's measures were an acknowledgement of that. They were driven by the level of fear and anxiety from parents contacting all of our offices including the Minister's talking about their dread over the cost of their children returning to school in September. It was estimated that €236 million would provide a fully free primary and secondary education in this country. It would alleviate the fear of the cost of schoolbooks and the voluntary contribution that see…

It would take €236 million.

The Government can provide €450 million for developers.

I intend to discuss Ireland's participation with the UN, but first I will address a few issues that have been raised in this debate, in particular, by the previous speaker. I acknowledge the fact warfare has changed in many ways. However, throughout the world and with the invasion of Ukraine, it is still working-class men and women who are being sent to the front lines and killed because of the vanity of tyrants. We have spoken about having a debate on the issue of Ireland's neutrality. While it may be described by…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion today. It is an unusually important motion. I also believe that the ramifications of the motion and the Opposition pressure have led to the announcement today, which I welcome. The announcement today will bring great relief to families who are struggling. I lament the fact that it took so long to get to this point but, regardless, it will be a huge relief to those families. I have one criticism. I have been asked if it goes far enough and the answer must be "No, it…

In April of this year, when the Ombudsman for Children report entitled Mind The Gap: Research on Barriers to the Realisation of Rights of Children with Disabilities in Ireland was published, the Ombudsman for Children, Dr. Niall Muldoon, talked about how children with disabilities are not seen, not heard and not counted by the State. These children and their families face so many barriers day in, day out. They must fight so many battles, whether that is looking for diagnostic assessments or delays with service prov…

Will the Minister review the eligibility criteria for the deferred leaving certificate examinations to ensure students who have an unforeseen medical emergency while sitting the examinations are eligible for deferred sittings? Will she make a statement on the matter?