Can the Taoiseach please tell me when people on average incomes will be able to afford to buy or rent a home? How much longer do we have to wait for the Government's plan to work?

I thank the Taoiseach for his warm wishes; I appreciate that. He reeled off a number of statistics and issues with regard to employment and education, which are key. Without somewhere to live, however, it is difficult to get through any kind of employment or education. The most important statistics for people out there are that rents and house prices have never been higher and homelessness has never been higher. The Taoiseach said he is doing everything to try to turn that around. In a recent report, however, the N…

At 0.3%.

These amendments are about ensuring applications are processed in a timely manner. The current wording states that a deciding officer will assess an application "as soon as practicable". That is completely unacceptable. The amendment in my name and that of other Deputies insists that this be replaced with "within 28 days". These amendments are necessary because survivors and campaigners do not trust the process the Minister is proposing. Why should they? Why for one second should they trust anything that comes from…

Yes.

I warmly welcome everybody in the Gallery this evening. I extend the same warm welcome to anybody who is watching at home. If I were watching on and not a Member of this House, I would find what is happening confusing. I just want to explain to people the reason we are talking about very technical amendments at this stage of the progress of the Bill. Perhaps those watching did not hear the previous debates. It is important to explain that we are permitted to make only minor changes to the legislation at this late s…

May I come in on that? This is the first time we are speaking on these amendments.

I just want to come in on amendments Nos. 34 to 38, inclusive. Amendment No. 56 is in this grouping. Is that not correct?

I am sorry, amendment No. 56 is the one I want to come in on. I thought that amendment No. 34 was grouped with amendment No. 56.

The grouping list reads: 34 to 38, inclusive; and 39, 43, 44, 48, 49 and 56.

That is fine.

Is this amendment No. 56? I am sorry; I cannot hear the Chair.

I find the Minister's amendment No. 56 particularly rich. I think it is distasteful and representative of this entire situation. It can be directly contrasted to amendments by me and others which sought to ensure that applications are processed in a timely manner. The Minister has insisted the deciding officer and staff administering the scheme are permitted to be given an open-ended timeframe to process applications. However, survivors making applications are requested to provide clarifications or evidence and the…

I am sure I am not the only person feeling the absence of Deputy Connolly tonight. I am glad Deputy Pringle read something out on her behalf. I wish to acknowledge the amazing work she has done on this. The people watching at home will be wondering where she is this evening, but as Deputy Pringle said, she could not be here because she is unwell. I pay tribute to all of her work.

I move amendment No. 50: In page 25, line 23, to delete "as soon as is practicable" and substitute "within 28 days".

The announcement of yesterday's cost-of-living package was an admission that the budget was not enough. Let us not forget that this budget was billed as a giveaway budget and yet it still failed to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Last September, the Social Democrats warned that the budget was not enough. It was not enough to provide sustainable relief to struggling households, to address the long-running crisis in health and housing or to lift people out of poverty. Yesterday, Deputy Shortall made it cl…

I move amendment No. 2: To delete all words from "policy and operational changes the State could make to significantly" down to and including “increasing resilience, health and well-being; and;” and substitute the following: "improve its response to drugs use and abuse, and the outcomes in relation to drugs use and abuse, to reduce the harmful impacts of drugs and the criminalisation of drugs on individuals, families, communities and wider society, and to bring forward recommendations in this regard; the Assembly s…

While I greatly welcome this motion establishing the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use, it is truly shocking that it has taken this long. There are almost two drug-related deaths in Ireland every day, and this rate is almost five times the figure for those who die in road traffic accidents and twice the European average. Now that we have the assembly, it is essential that it is empowered to discuss and examine fully the complex issues involved while learning from the experiences of those affected and effective polici…

Today, my Social Democrats colleague, Deputy Whitmore, held a briefing on the continuing barrier people who are pregnant are facing in accessing medication for hyperemesis. As the Tánaiste will be aware, this is a condition involving vomiting and nausea and it is very debilitating. Many end up in hospital as a result of dehydration or weight loss. Hyperemesis Ireland has campaigned tirelessly for free access to Cariban, an incredibly expensive medication that can cost up to €3,000 over the course of a pregnancy. Un…

The price of energy has more than doubled in the past year. More than 40% of households are now estimated to be living in fuel poverty, according to the ESRI. The unprecedented energy crisis is threatening the future of many viable businesses. We are in the middle of an energy crisis. Like the housing crisis, though, the Government's response has been slow, wholly inadequate and, frankly, divorced from reality. Today, the Social Democrats are repeating our call for pragmatic and effective measures that will actuall…