On the EU response. Has the Tánaiste concerns about it?

What about the President's response?

I have been wondering who this budget is designed for. When the Ministers for Finance and for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform sat down and thought about the people they wanted to help, who did they think of? One would imagine it would be the young people who are locked out of buying their own home and who cannot even afford to rent; the more than 500,000 adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s living in their childhood bedrooms who feel a sense of panic because their lives are passing the…

When is Fine Gael going to be honest with farmers? The Taoiseach is out trying to score a few political points at the expense of the coalition partners but in the process he is misleading farmers and giving them false hope. On Friday we saw the Taoiseach contradict the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine by going over his head and suggesting that the EU's decision to reduce the nitrates derogation could be revisited. He was going to write personally to the Commissioner and invite him to Ireland for discus…

The Minister's refusal to answer a straight question with a straight answer speaks volumes. The Minister did inadvertently answer it by saying that he will continue with the same head in the sand approach. I do not particularly want to use up my time replying to it, but the Minister referred to my pointing the finger at farmers when I explicitly said in my opening that no farmer went out with this intention and that it was the direct result of the Minister's policy. This was really reminiscent of what the Minister …

The Minister is talking about pursuing the same failed approach.

What will the Minister do to support farmers in transition?

This is the final opportunity I will have to ask the Tánaiste questions before the Dáil rises for the recess. I want to ask the Tánaiste about housing. The Dáil may be going into recess for two months but there will be no break in the number of evictions, no break in the number of notices to quit that are sent, and no break in the number of men, women and children who are made homeless every day. There will be no break in the stress for those people currently wondering how they can continue to keep the roof over th…

It is not a surprise that the Tánaiste rejects my criticisms on housing. We are all used to witnessing this kind of denial from the Government now. To say that I have not given any solutions is something we hear on a regular basis. Obviously in this Leaders' Questions slot I cannot give every single solution to the housing crisis. In my contribution I mentioned three things that could be done on vacancies, on the eviction ban and on affordable homes. It is clear the Tánaiste will never listen to the Opposition on t…

The Government is not hitting its targets or spending its budget.

It has built 323 affordable homes out of a target of 4,000.

Some 323 affordable homes last years.

The Taoiseach's comments on homelessness yesterday were shameful. They were beneath him and his office. In Dublin alone, the number of homeless families increased by 33% last year. I was at a Society of St. Vincent de Paul briefing earlier and there has been a 65% increase in homelessness for children in the past year alone. For the Taoiseach to home in on what he homed in on yesterday in the broader context of the homelessness crisis does not make sense. Because he is apparently outraged about it being referenced …

Last night we were reminded of the excellent public service broadcasting work that RTÉ does. “RTÉ Investigates” spent five months researching and exposing cruel and inexcusable practices in part of our dairy sector. This is just one of the consequences of the unprecedented expansion since milk quotas were lifted in 2015 which has very predictably resulted in an explosion in the number of bull calves to 500,000 annually. It has resulted in them being treated as a waste product that is valueless and disposable. Bull …

The investigation is very welcome and everyone agrees on that, but it will do nothing to move away from live exports. The Taoiseach might call it simplistic to say these incidents have resulted from the expansion of dairy, but it is also basic maths. We have had a massive increase in the number of cattle in the dairy herd and, therefore, a massive increase in the number of bull calves. The Taoiseach can call it simplistic, but it is true. This scandal is a direct consequence of Government policy that has pushed int…

Is that the best the Taoiseach can do?

When did I make excuses for them?

What does the Taoiseach think will happen to bull calves? What is the plan?

When did I make excuses for them?

The nature restoration law is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the EU to take action on the massive loss in biodiversity over recent decades. The intention of the law to restore damaged ecosystems to a healthy state in Ireland and throughout Europe, and to attempt to prevent the collapse of our wildlife and slow the progress of the climate crisis. The measure will cover at least 20% of the EU's lands and sea areas by 2030 and, ultimately, all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. At this point, however, …