I did not say seamlessly. Did you read our proposal?

You obviously have not read the proposal.

I move amendment No. 2 to amendment No. 1: To insert the following after "decisions in the forthcoming Budget": "; and commits to adopt the Social Democrats' five point 'Solar for All' plan, to help families cut electricity costs by an average of €450 a year, through the following measures: — double grants for solar installation to €3,600; — include solar panels in the 'Warmer Homes Scheme'; — reinstate the €1,000 battery grant scheme; — develop streamlined regulations for 'Plug-in Solar' products for renters and a…

Today workers in the ambulance service are on strike. This is a last resort which has been taken by front-line workers who have been left with no other option. We all know how hard paramedics and emergency medical technicians work and we all know the immense responsibility that comes with that role. I spoke to paramedics today who came off a 12-hour shift and are now on picket lines ready to work another shift in a few hours. These are workers who go above and beyond, who do the most important work and who even vol…

I said that neither this nor any previous Government had acknowledged in terms of pay and conditions how much workers in the National Ambulance Service had upskilled.

In the past 15 years, they have gone from essentially being a patient transfer service to providing nearly accident and emergency-style services in any given situation.

It has not been acknowledged-----

-----that their pay should be representative of that. That is the truth. They are on picket lines because of that. I say to the Taoiseach and the Minister, who is tutting over at me, that paramedics have the same responsibility and amount of training as other medical professionals but are paid significantly less. That is fundamentally unfair. The Taoiseach and Minister must at least recognise that. The paramedics are going into a pay dispute and being told that, in order to get a pay rise, they have to accept a red…

These workers have been waiting for six years.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. There is a constant dread that is now hanging over people’s lives. It is a quiet, growing panic about whether they can make it to the next payday. We have more evidence today of the huge cost-of-living pressures people are under. A new survey in the Irish Independent confirms what we already know, which is that costs have soared again. Households are now spending on average an extra €2,000 per year just to get by. People who could never afford luxuries now cannot afford the …

This is not about ignoring certain measures the Government has introduced but when I ask the Taoiseach about targeted supports for people who cannot pay their bills, in the context of an energy crisis and rising costs of 70% in a month for home heating oil, it is not that I have no regard for the free book scheme. For somebody watching, who is struggling to pay their bills, when the Taoiseach is asked about targeted energy supports for people who cannot pay their bills and he talks about the school book scheme, the…

When the Government announced plans to regulate short-term lets, nearly everyone welcomed it. The Department of tourism said the measure would lead to 12,000 homes returning to the long-term rental market. The Fáilte Ireland chief executive said the registration system was simple and user friendly. Even Airbnb and the Irish Self-Catering Federation welcomed the introduction of a register. The catch is that was back in 2022 - four years ago – when the Government first announced these plans. Four years of inaction, d…

Being from west Cork, I absolutely understand the importance of tourism in the area I grew up working in local cafés and restaurants that rely on the influx of tourists in the summer. What those businesses and local schools, post offices and everything else also rely on is locals - people living in the area and workers in the area. This is about getting the balance right. The balance at the moment is not right. In Cork South-West, there are housing estates with almost nobody living in them full-time any more. The a…

What do I tell the areas with fewer than 20,000?

At the outset, I want to acknowledge the passing of Councillor Joe Carroll on Friday. He was exceptionally helpful and supportive towards me when I first entered into politics. That is the kind of person he was, and the kind of person who will be missed, in Skibbereen and beyond. My thoughts are with Sheila, and Linda and Kieran, and Anna. Eight years ago, Ireland voted to repeal the eighth amendment, to take abortion access out of the Constitution and into the hands of the legislators in this House. It was the cul…

Eight years ago, the public voted for a compassionate approach to abortion care.

Three years ago, the report was published.

Today, I am introducing a Bill to enact the recommendations of the report on this legislation.

I appreciate the Taoiseach's engagement on the issue and that of the Minister for Health and that he has spoken to her about this. It sounds like the Government is willing to constructively engage and that is important, given the trauma that many people are still going through. I appeal to people on all sides of the House to allow the legislation to reach Second Stage, to allow it to at least be debated. An argument is often made in this House and beyond that, because the public voted on particular legislation, it …

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to enact recommendations of the Marie O’Shea report into the operation of legislation on the termination of pregnancy, providing clarity on terminations for medical reasons, removal of the 3 day waiting period, and ending the criminalisation of doctors. Next month marks eight years since we voted overwhelmingly to repeal the eighth amendment. It was an incredibly powerful moment for this country but while the eighth amendment is gone, too many of the…