When it comes to the city of Dublin, who exactly is in control? Right now, there is a sense that the city is in decline and there is nobody at the wheel. The programme for Government makes provision for a directly elected mayor but the concern is that by the time it becomes a reality, it will be too late. If we are to be effective in preserving our culture and maintaining the aesthetic and essence of the city, so that we no longer lose buildings of significance and see our city decline, is it not time for an Oireac…

In years past, there was an energy around Leinster House on budget day. It could be felt in Kildare Street and it was usually palpable, with protests, advocacy groups and the air ripe with the potential for change, new commitments and an opportunity to showcase ambition and leadership. Fundamental change and absolute ambition are qualities that, with our housing and climate crises and as we emerge from the pandemic, we now do not just want but need as a nation. Yesterday, there was no such excitement, no such ambit…

People on low incomes will be having their own blackouts this winter because they simply will not be able to afford to keep the lights on, according to a representative of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at the launch of the society's report, Warm Housing for All, this week. The price of gas and other fuel has increased by 19.6% in the past year. The moratorium on disconnections finished on 1 June 2021 and while many of us would not have noticed because of the warm weather, that is changing. People are getting c…

As I hope the Minister of State is aware, there is a dearth of quality stadiums not only in the country but in Dublin and, from my perspective, particularly on the north side of the capital. I am asking for the Minster of State's views on the retention of Tolka Park as a stadium and on its redevelopment. Can we save it from the sword of Damocles under which it stands, where it is in the position of being sold by Dublin City Council?

I fully appreciate that the owner of this stadium is Dublin City Council but I was also a member of Dublin City Council for over six years and I recognise that we stripped Dublin City Council of all local government funding to the point that all it sees in its assets is how it can sell them off in order to raise funds. In this Chamber, we talk about issues of national importance. High-quality stadiums are something that every person, whether in Dublin or elsewhere in the country, can benefit from. The game of socce…

In my last years on the council the controlling group committed to not selling off any more public land. The council management, which is unelected, does not have the same vision for the city and certainly does not have the same vision for League of Ireland football as maybe the Minister of State, myself and others in the Chamber. The Minister of State's comment that no there would be no objection to an application for the large scale sporting infrastructure fund is welcome. Maybe we can find unity between the Gove…

Similarly, I am taken with the Minister’s response. I appreciate the work she has done in this area. This would be an extraordinarily welcome development. A basic income scheme for our artists will allow them to be just that - artists. They will be able to be creative. The basic income will be an investment into the work they will produce, and all that will bring with it. The Minister mentioned early 2022. Should we assume that the date will be in January? I would be interested to know the types of figures we are t…

Again, I acknowledge the Minister’s work and commitment to this issue. In addition to being the Social Democrats' spokesperson on the arts, I am also its spokesperson on social protection. I do not necessarily share the Minister's the same level of regard for the way that Department has operated. The scheme will be innovative and new. I hope it will be operated on the basis of trust. I hope we give the payment to the artist without subjecting them to the type of scrutiny that, for example, one-parent families curre…

We do not need an independent inquiry to tell us that certain practices are abhorrent. The Minister for Defence must act immediately to amend the law so that victims of rape or sexual assault in the Defence Forces can no longer be cross-examined by their abusers. The harrowing revelations in the "Women of Honour" documentary have shone a spotlight on the toxic culture of sexual abuse and bullying that exists in the Defence Forces. The Social Democrats welcome the apology from the Minister for Defence to the female …

The Minister has not had a chance to answer my question and I invite him to do so now.

Everyone in this Chamber will agree that the practice of allowing an alleged abuser to question his or her victim is simply wrong. We do not need an independent inquiry to tell us that this is an abhorrent practice. Victims in civilian court proceedings cannot be cross-examined by their attackers following the enactment of the Criminal Justice (Sexual Offences) Act 2017. However, the Defence Act was not simultaneously amended to ensure this safeguard was extended to members of the Defence Forces. We must act immedi…

I fundamentally believe that when we see crime, we should understand the context in which it occurs and the conditions which gave rise to it. However, I also believe that when people tell me they feel unsafe, there is an onus on us to create the conditions in which they start to feel safe again. In the city of Dublin at the moment, people genuinely feel unsafe. At the very heart of that are people who do not look like me. The people who feel unsafe are migrants, women and those who are of a different sexual persuas…

There are few occasions in this Chamber when we can unify and agree on an approach, and I think this is one such occasion. In our capital city at present, there are people who do not feel safe. The UN safer cities initiative for women and young girls requires resources and involves talking to young men about men's violence against women and tackling a culture of toxic masculinity. We can start by going into schools and meeting people at the youngest age possible and speaking to them about what it means to be a youn…

I will speak on behalf of Deputy Whitmore. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Yesterday, the Social Democrats introduced a motion calling for a moratorium on data centre development until a full Government strategy was put in place and all necessary analysis was carried out. This was despite objections from the so-called Green Party. All we asked for yesterday was a moratorium until there was an analysis. The analysis does not exist yet.

It is ludicrous that a green party would oppose a moratorium when we are facing blackouts in this country. Our request was reasonable and moderate and called for a delay on development until necessary without outwardly banning the development of the sector, as was suggested in that recent contribution. The Government, particularly the Green Party, has not seen fit to support us in our call. In the absence of Government support for our proposal, we will support this well-timed Bill, which has been introduced by Peop…

I appreciate that data centres and their impact might be abstract. They are out of sight and the industry and Government might hope that keeps them out of the public mind and out of this Chamber for debate, but it is an urgent issue and one that can illuminate where this Government stands on climate action and just transition and whether it stands in opposition to vested interests. It is an urgent conversation that needs to be had, and I thank my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, for her work in bringing this Private Mem…

Remember that when the lights go out.

Tell that to your constituents when the lights go out.

Remember them.

I want to thank the wonderful staff at every level of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the strongest terms, be they in the human rights unit, the diplomatic corps or elsewhere. The staff at every level of the Department have worked tirelessly to seek safe passage and sanctuary for those Afghan-Irish citizens needing to flee, for front-line defenders to whom we are providing sanctuary, for those people who are here or who will arrive shortly to our refugee protection programme, or for those in the new special ad…