I do not know whether the Tánaiste thinks people believe him when he comes to the House and says we do not put forward any solutions. In the past number of weeks alone, my colleague Deputy O'Callaghan has put forward 255 amendments to the planning Bill but the Government has just routinely voted them down. One of them was around zoning land for affordable housing. It was rejected. On the immediate solutions we have suggested, they include a tax with teeth on vacancy to try to address the tens of thousands of vacant…

Does the Tánaiste think that his approach is working?

It is not working.

It is not working.

The Government could have introduced an eviction ban.

Will the Tánaiste answer the question?

It would be great if the Tánaiste answered my question.

That is what I have been talking about for the past four years and why we have raised 255 amendments.

I thank Solidarity-People Before Profit for tabling the motion. I welcome the decision by the Government to scrap its Green Paper on disability reform. The proposals were highly insulting to disabled people and would have been a massive step backwards for disability rights. It should not have come as a surprise to the Government that there was such a strong backlash by disabled people, DPOs and the public to this deeply offensive plan. The proposal was to replace the disability allowance, invalidity pension and bli…

We are on course to spectacularly miss our climate targets. The latest person to sound the alarm about this impending failure was Mary Robinson. She cannot understand why funding that is available now to help reduce our emissions and meet our targets is not being used, and nor can I. We have so much work to do and so little time to do it. Inaction or insufficient action is not a credible strategy. The Government is in the process of creating a climate and nature fund. Billions of euro will be poured into it, but th…

Stop the clock. I am just waiting for them to leave. The "RTÉ Investigates" programme about our abortion services that aired last night was harrowing. It was also infuriating because everybody in this Chamber is already aware of all of the problems with these services. The Government has been sitting on the expert report that pointed out these problems for 12 months. Instead of action, we have had a game of political pass-the-parcel. The expert report was kicked to the health committee before being kicked back to t…

To hear that a year after a report was given to the Government it has not been considered is extremely worrying. I heard the Minister for Health say yesterday that we have to be cognisant of what people voted for in the repeal referendum and in any plan to reform the law and the Taoiseach referenced it now too. I do not know if they are suggesting that they think the majority of people who voted to repeal the eighth amendment wanted to continue to force women who need terminations for medical reasons to travel abro…

I want to start today by again wishing Deputy Leo Varadkar the very best in the future. A record of public service in this House that extends for nearly two decades, including 13 years in Cabinet and two terms as Taoiseach, has to be commended. It requires hard work, dedication and many personal sacrifices. Those sacrifices were not just borne by the outgoing Taoiseach but by his partner and his family, and I think it is important to acknowledge that and their contribution, too. Today the Dáil will elect Deputy Sim…

I begin by congratulating Deputy Harris on becoming Taoiseach. It is a huge honour and a proud day for him and his family, friends and supporters. I also acknowledge those who have been appointed and reappointed to the Cabinet and I wish them the very best in their respective portfolios. However, I also have to ask what we are really doing here today. We are reshuffling some of the personalities, but keeping all of the same old policies. This is not change. The difference is barely discernible. The Taoiseach tells …

I thank my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, for her work on the motion and this issue. The desperate situation on Mount Street has been a growing humanitarian crisis for months, with hundreds of men and boys sleeping in the cold in completely unsanitary conditions, which has led to the spread of disease in recent weeks. Local activist groups and volunteers have been working tirelessly to help these men and to provide food, warm clothes and blankets. Where was the Department? Where was the emergency response? Where was t…

Can the Minister give us the figures?

I am saying the Minister should try to change it so we can use those beds and so people are not in tents.

I am not saying we should demand anything. I am saying we should renegotiate the contracts-----

Why have we empty beds when people are in tents?

I did not say that.