For the benefit of those watching, the Government is not supporting the legislation. It is merely not opposing it and has provided its own critique. We do not want to be here legislating for basic public services that should be provided as of right to persons with autism. Deputies Ó Ríordáin and Bacik said that we were here in April 2021 calling on this Oireachtas and the Government to adopt our motion, which was constructively debated and forwarded by the Labour Party, to introduce a national autism empowerment st…

So might a backbencher or two.

The Taoiseach is a commentator.

We would have to be reminded sometimes.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for measures to address market failures in the market for principal dwelling house mortgage loans, and to provide for related matters. I am pleased to move that leave be granted to introduce the Central Bank (Variable Rate Mortgages) Bill 2022. The general purpose of the Bill is to provide for measures to address failures in the market for principal private dwelling house mortgages. The Bill, as the House might be aware, is virtually ident…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I was struck by a reference in a recent report from the ESRI that essentially, and I am interpreting this to a degree, stated that for many people on low and middle incomes the Ireland of 2022 is starting to feel like 2008 again. This is a comment and a reference that will resonate with many people. The difference, however, between 2008 and 2022 is that we have the resources now, if properly targeted, to insulate those who are less well-off and to help those struggling on middle incomes to get by and to make ends m…

This has been a very interesting discussion. I thank Deputy Pringle for bringing this Bill forward. This reflects the Labour Party’s position on the question of extending the franchise. This is very important. This is about the evolution of the democratic process. It was not very long ago when women were denied the vote. We heard some of the same kinds of tropes that are used to deny younger people in western democracies the right to vote. Nobody in here is using those tropes, thankfully. I did not hear that the Mi…

I wish to share time with Deputy Sherlock.

I bow to Deputy Daly's greater wisdom as a former officer of the courts, if that is the best way to describe him, as a practising solicitor dealing with some of these cases over the years. We do not necessarily need to read court reports or even Government reports on the insurance sector, as price gouging is legendary at this stage. Deputy Daly quoted a fairy tale some moments ago, but price gouging in the insurance industry is no fairy tale. To use fairy-tale analogy, if I am not labouring the point, it could be s…

I am pleased to speak for the Labour Party on this very important motion. I am more than familiar with Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. Outside of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, it is the medical facility with which I am probably most familiar. That will be the case for any resident of the Drogheda, south Louth and east Meath areas. It is a valued and very valuable piece of health infrastructure in our region in the counties of Meath and Louth. I say counties Meath and Louth deliberately because I represent Lou…

This is not some kind of a performative routine from Opposition parties that have decided that we do not like this and we will ritually condemn it because it happens to be an amendment from a Government party and that is what we do. I am genuinely horrified that a measure such as this has been proposed at the last minute, without having been properly signalled to the Dáil, and without it having had the opportunity to properly interrogate and ventilate all of the issues that arose here over the past few weeks. I wil…

To be helpful, I was here and------

-----I understand why Deputy McAuliffe might have felt that his reputation-----

-----may potentially have been impugned.

Undeservedly so. It is probably best if those kinds of charges-----

-----were not made at all. Could I suggest that the Leas-Cheann Comhairle might be helpful to Deputy McAuliffe and reflect-----

-----on how she might advise him because the Ceann Comhairle did not address the problem? He did not address the issue raised by Deputy McAuliffe.

It is the way it was interpreted. The Deputy is entitled to an explanation.

This is nothing but a good old style Fianna Fáil political stroke. It is political reform Fianna Fáil style. It is disgraceful. We were told through the media, by a spokesperson from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, that this measure was agreed by Cabinet on 24 May. We had a Dáil select committee meeting two weeks ago. This measure could have been brought to the select committee. Before that, another stroke was attempted by nodding through an instruction to committee. We then had a 60-minut…