I know we all unequivocally condemn the abuses described in that report. It revealed a toxic environment which is unsafe for both women and men. The extreme malpractices were systematic and facilitated by senior offices, while predators acted with impunity. The report found "the Defence Forces is unable (or unwilling) to make the changes that are needed". The Tánaiste mentioned the new external oversight body to drive cultural change in the Defence Forces and the Women of Honour group were shocked at the appointmen…

I cannot speak for the Women of Honour, but I suspect it is not anything personal. I think it is just a view the group has, because it wants an independent review done of this and does not want any institutional aversion to change or to calling out what has been systematic. The systems involved include oversight of the whole Defence Forces. I do not think the group is coming from the place the Tánaiste is describing but, like I said, I cannot speak for the group.

However, the oversight body is not the only part of the Government's response about which the Women of Honour group has raised concerns, both publicly and with me directly. The group has expressed its disappointment that the Tánaiste and the Department are seeking to design draft terms of reference without any consultations with it and the group feels the Government seeks to railroad through it and others, without any courtesy or respect. The group has rightly called for a full and rigorous statutory inquiry and, c…

Ireland has one of the lowest employment rates for disabled people in the EU at 32.3%. This results in almost one quarter of people who are unable to work due to illness or disability living in consistent poverty compared to 6.7% of the rest of the population. Many disabled people want to work but they continue to face structural and physical barriers. What is being done to assist disabled people to get employment and to start their own businesses?

The Minister is right that at a time when employment rates are so high, the lack of employment for disabled people is even more stark. The absence of joined-up policies is a key issue here. For example, poor public transport means disabled people cannot get to jobs. In Cork South-West, many Local Link services run only in the mid-afternoon, which means people cannot use them to get to work. The services are just not designed for that. Many disabled people face an income cliff when they get a job as many of their so…

The hub in Skibbereen is a great example of a remote working hub but if one lives in a rural area, one needs transport, in many instances, to get to it. The hub is doing its bit to provide remote working opportunities but there is no public transport available for people to get to it. I encourage the Minister to help his colleagues in other Departments to consider how their responsibilities relate to employment prospects among disabled people. We need to develop robust policies to tackle malpractices within public …

The extortionate prices of energy and food are driving so many to the brink. For more than two years, prices have relentlessly increased. There has been no relief for people who are struggling. Prices have increased at rates that far outstrip any increase in wages. In fact, we know that real wages have gone down. The real median weekly wage has fallen by nearly €100, which is more than €5,000 per year. While incomes are decimated, families are struggling to meet energy costs, which have doubled, and food prices, wh…

The Taoiseach is just repeating the same tired mantra and it is starting really to lack credibility. We know general inflation does not explain the obscene price increases we are seeing across the economy. The ECB has said that. It is greed that is driving inflation now. We know certain companies are milking it and that the Government seems unwilling or unable to do anything about that. It has been politely asking energy companies to reduce their prices for months and they are just ignoring it. The Government canno…

I will be speaking to my amendment, amendment No. 12, which is grouped with amendment No. 7. This discussion of the Bill is incredibly timely, with soaring food costs for ordinary households while, at the same time, many primary producers and smaller retailers are scrambling to get by. Amendment No. 12 is about ensuring that the new office is empowered to examine issues and publish information around the cost of production. The current wording in the Bill is too ambiguous and does not explicitly require full and tr…

I move amendment No. 12: In page 11, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following: “(b) publish an annual analysis and reports on costs associated with the production of different foodstuffs in order to determine a cost-of-production, and”.

I am pressing the amendment.

Similar to my previous amendment, amendment No. 15 is about transparency in our food systems. The price the consumer pays in the shop is the result of a chain beginning with the primary producer. We need more structures to guarantee a fair and clear connection between what the consumer pays and what the producer receives. The shorter the supply chain, the easier it will be for the producer to benefit. Farmers' markets are the obvious example where the consumer directly engages with the producer. The more steps adde…

There are more than 670,000 people in the country living in poverty, including 190,000 children. The number of older people living in poverty has increased by 40% in the past two years alone. The poorest 10% of households spend almost half their income on food and energy. Whatever is left is spent on the extortionate housing costs. This is not sustainable. The energy companies are simply ignoring the Government's calls to lower prices. Nearly 25% of gas customers are in arrears. It is likely that supermarkets will …

Will the Minister of State ask about profits?

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle; I really appreciate it. I welcome this opportunity to discuss soaring food costs and the hardship that extortionate prices are causing for so many workers and families. The Social Democrats support this important Sinn Féin motion. We do not talk about food enough in this House. Food is one of the absolute necessities of life. Families should be guaranteed access to affordable healthy food. That should be one of the most basic indicators of a Government's success. The Go…

What started as a cost-of-living crisis has now become a cost-of-greed crisis. Entire industries are taking advantage of this crisis by inflating their prices to unsustainable levels. Corporate profits were up 30% at the end of last year while domestic companies saw profits surge by 17%. The ECB has now warned that profiteering by companies is the main driver of inflation. This is greedflation, plain and simple, and people are suffering as a result. While companies make bumper profits, ordinary consumers are unable…

I recognise the different factors that have an impact on it, but I was highlighting the fact that wholesale energy prices fell by 41%-----

-----but they have yet to fall for residential customers. We are only seeing a windfall tax in the autumn and now there are similar issues with the cost of food. The European Central Bank, ECB, is clear that corporate profits are now the main driver of that inflation and not the other factors. The pain that is being inflicted by the ECB to control inflation interest rate hikes is not being felt by corporations, it is being felt by ordinary workers and families whose mortgages are going up. We are due another intere…

-----I am asking the Tánaiste please to revisit this. Now is the chance to address the issues in relation to food prices. There can be some management of this going forward, because it is not the primary producers, such as farmers, who benefit, and it is not the consumers.

We need a food regulator with teeth, not an ombudsman.