I want to explain to people watching what I mean by denying people the opportunity to vote on the motion. When a party like ours puts forward a motion and the Government puts forward a countermotion, we vote on that first and do not get to vote on the Social Democrats' motion. It is not misleading. I just wanted to explain that briefly.

When I asked the Taoiseach what the Government is doing, he said it is using its voice, which I recognise. The Irish voice has been important and an outlier in the European and western context, but that just illustrates how low the bar is. We are now asking for more than using our voice by taking actions. I recognise what the Taoiseach is saying about not being able to go out too far on a limb. What we are saying, if the Taoiseach would listen, is that some of these calls will not do that. At this point, I do not k…

The Irish Council for International Students published a report earlier that outlines the impact of the housing crisis on international students. Such students are some of the most vulnerable renters in Ireland and abusive landlords know this. Some 5% have come across sex-for-rent arrangements while trying to find accommodation. Rental advertisements constantly appear on platforms aimed at international students offering reduced rent for women, with the expectation that sex with the landlord will be required. It ha…

I am very concerned about the prevalence of strategic lawsuits against public participation or so-called SLAPPs. As the Taoiseach knows, these lawsuits involve public figures, powerful individuals or rich corporations taking vexatious cases against the media, activists or, indeed, members of the public in an effort to muzzle their critics. It is particularly concerning when journalists are personally sued in addition to the publisher as these cases can be financially ruinous. When proceedings are taken in the High …

-----has been completed and a report was published in September. When can we expect the Government to publish the revised Bill?

Today marks the one-month anniversary of the brutal Hamas attack on Israel in which 1,400 people were killed, 1,000 were injured and at least 243 people were kidnapped. We now know an Irish-Israeli girl, eight-year-old Emily Hand, is among those who were kidnapped. I know everyone in this House is hoping for Emily's safe return and the safe and swift return of all hostages. Israel has a right to defend itself from attack but what is happening in Gaza is not a defence; it is an annihilation. The entire strip is bein…

Israel is committing blatant abuses of international law every single second in Gaza. Palestinian civilians are trapped in the world's largest open-air prison, a prison that their jailer is indiscriminately dropping bombs on. More than 25,000 tonnes of explosives have been dropped on Gaza in the past month. When a missile strikes and buildings collapse, there is no fuel or machinery, or anything to dig out the men, women and children who are buried under the rubble. The people who survive the initial strikes are sl…

As I am sure the Tánaiste is aware, the Government is running an advertising campaign at the moment on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, UNCRPD. It is as if the Government suddenly wanted to make people aware that disability rights are human rights. Does the Tánaiste understand how disabled people, or parents of children with additional needs who are currently waiting years for basic, bare-minimum services, would think that that the advertising campaign is some kind of a sick …

The Tánaiste said we need to have balance with respect to the overall approach to disability services and flagged education. It is important to note that we are still in the situation whereby there is no assessment done of how many children at primary level will need a particular type of class or school when they go to second level. Then people cannot get access to education. Some people travel for two hours to get to special schools. Flagging education as an area where there has been overall improvement goes to sh…

Without pay parity, people will still leave and go to-----

Business owners in Midleton are meeting this morning to try to plan for the future. Last week one month's worth of rain fell in the town in the space of 24 hours, causing utter devastation. I welcome that the Government has moved quickly to put in place an enhanced scheme for businesses, with up to €100,000 in support now available. Work needs to be done to ensure these funds can be drawn down quickly and that red tape is eliminated. I am concerned about the relatively low level of support available for homeowners,…

Based on his reply, I think the Taoiseach understands the impact on the community in Midleton. Bearing that in mind, he can also understand how stressful- and anxiety-inducing it is to know that might happen again and again. They are waiting a decade for flood relief works and it will be another decade before they are introduced. A lot of impacts go with that. I know from my own constituency that if you cannot get insurance, there is not only the fear of not being able to afford to rebuild your home or life, but yo…

On Sunday night there were 320 separate missile strikes on Gaza and on Monday that number was 400. The bombing is relentless and the carnage is unprecedented. More than 2,000 children have been killed. There are no words to describe the tragedy. Many world leaders are providing political and military support. The EU eventually managed to agree that Israel should abide by international law, but has yet to release a statement clearly stating that Israel is in breach of international law and is committing war crimes b…

My generation is the first to be worse off than our parents. A new report from the CSO helps to explain why. It all comes down to housing. In 1973, average house prices were four and a half times the average salary. Today, they are more than seven times higher. Wages have increased too but not enough. Wages are 21 times higher than they were in 1973 but house prices are 35 times more expensive. In five decades, house prices have increased at three times the rate of inflation. The fact is that it has never been hard…

The situation in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe. Yesterday, the death toll stood at 3,000, more than one third of whom are children. A child in Gaza is now being killed every 15 minutes, so in real terms, by the time the Taoiseach finishes responding to my questions, another child will be dead. There is no water or electricity. Food has nearly run out. Even the body bags have now run out. Hospital generators are running on fumes. When the hospitals run out of fuel, some time today or tomorrow, incubators keepin…

I agree it needs to be condemned on both sides. We have been clear about that but the Taoiseach saying that her statements lack balance in itself lacks balance. It is more than lacking balance to go over and stand with the Israeli President and say that Israel has the EU's support. A genocide is occurring on our watch and the international community is standing by and letting it happen. The Taoiseach just says he hopes to build on a position at the Council meeting; that will not go far enough. I want him to please …

The more minority the voice, the more important it is to speak louder for these people.

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion and giving us an opportunity to discuss this important issue. The Social Democrats will be supporting the motion. I did not believe the figure of €64 million of additional expenditure for investment in disability services when I first read it in the budget document. It is a pitiful investment into improving services with so much unmet need. I and my team pored through the budget document to see whether we had missed anything. I listened to the Minister of State at a press co…

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I join others in this House in extending my deepest sympathies to the family of Kim Damti who was brutally killed in a savage attack by Hamas. Kim was just 22, and like so many people her age loved attending music festivals with her friends. She was doing that last weekend when Hamas opened fire. More than 260 young people were massacred at that site. Elsewhere in southern Israel, more than 1,200 people have been confirmed dead. Thousands more have been injured. The terror a…

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. He might clarify if that means he does or does not share my concern about the EU response. When Russia targeted civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, the European Commission President was unequivocal. She said, "Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure, especially electricity, are war crimes". She continued, "Cutting off men, women, children of water, electricity, and heating, with the winter coming - these are acts of pure terror. And we have to call it as such." War crimes…