We were against narrowing the tax base.

We supported it.

I do not appreciate taking lectures on the budget from the party that brought in the tax break for the burger barons and big builders. The Labour Party stood against the narrowing of the tax base. I do agree with the Taoiseach on European solidarity, absolutely. Between them, Putin and Trump have made the unthinkable normal now. They are normalising this hideous threat of annexation and the hideous threat of trade wars that are going damage us all. As my colleague Deputy Lawlor pointed out, there are huge implicati…

I ask the Taoiseach to do the same now.

Tomorrow morning, Labour will bring forward a motion in the Dáil on flexible and remote work: a practical response to the daily pressures working people face. We are asking the Government to support this motion and enable it to be passed tomorrow. We need to see practical steps taken to support workers' rights. Unfortunately, what we have seen from the Government has been a general approach of words not deeds. We have seen sympathy but no delivery. We have heard sympathetic words in response to our Bill on leave fo…

We have a motion tomorrow and I ask the Government not to oppose it and to enable it to be passed. It seeks a real right to flexible and remote work for workers. It looks for the public sector to lead by example and to ensure that people are not forced back unnecessarily into the office where they can work productively from home.

There are huge public benefits on climate and so much more.

Unfortunately, long waits for basic healthcare are now the norm. That should trouble the Taoiseach, especially as a former Minister for health. Waiting lists are no longer a backlog - they are the system. Ireland has become a country of waiting lists, a nation where a health challenge is all too often met with a letter and not with the necessary care. The new figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, are stark. We know from these that 900,000 people are waiting for outpatient care or an operation. Th…

Try as the Taoiseach may to dissemble them, the figures do not lie. They point to failure and are indefensible, and I stand over the comment of "shambolic". Anyone watching the news last night will have seen shambolic overcrowding and anyone watching or hearing of the experiences of the patient I referenced, or other patients whom we all know, will know that, while there is of course progress being made in some areas and that is great to see, it is still shambolic for all too many patients and they are still waitin…

Can we expect an improvement this year for those who are facing these long waiting lists?

I was deeply dismayed by the negative remarks about cyclists made by Judge James O'Donohoe. My colleague Deputy Ciarán Ahern has submitted a formal complaint to the Judicial Council and I note that many judges have expressed criticism. Some judges even cycle, as many of us in the Oireachtas do. Unfortunately, the comments generated a great deal of negativity. We have seen some scapegoating of cyclists in public discourse. It was appalling to see the Irish Road Haulage Association use the opportunity to punch down o…

I thank the Taoiseach.

Hear, hear.

I wish the Taoiseach and everyone a happy new year. As we begin this new Dáil term, we are at a moment of genuine international crisis. The world is in turmoil. Violent authoritarian regimes are increasingly threatening peaceful democracy worldwide. Russia continues to rain terror upon the people of Ukraine, while we see courageous pro-democracy protestors being massacred by the highly repressive regime in Iran. At this time, it is sad to see this trend towards authoritarianism and warmongering also happening in a …

It is not easy; we know that. How will it navigate the growing pressure between the EU and the increasingly despotic US?

In the spirit of new year’s goodwill, I will start by agreeing with the Taoiseach. Of course, Russia represents the biggest threat to Europe and to democracy. That is why I prefaced my remarks by saying that. Of course, Iran is a brutally repressive regime. The Taoiseach does not need to tell us that. I am the only Opposition leader on Putin's blacklist. We have stood very clearly and firmly in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and, indeed, the pro-democracy protesters in Iran, but it is at this time, when we a…

Today, the Cabinet met regarding the Government's latest performance of deterrence theatre, the new proposals designed to look tough while making life harder for international protection applicants and refugees. The Tánaiste has doubled down, framing these changes as prudent but, in reality, it is posturing. The Labour Party is concerned about this. It is very regrettable because members of the Government have chosen to publicly link vulnerable people to homelessness, which is plainly not supported by evidence and …

As we close out the year, I thank those who keep the Houses running every day, including the ushers, administrative, catering and maintenance staff, and I express solidarity with the Oireachtas broadcast staff in particular. We appreciate all of their great professionalism and patience. I want to end the year by raising an issue I have raised throughout 2025, which is housing – the civil rights issue of this generation. I want to raise it at an EU level. This week the first EU housing plan was published, which I we…

Delivery of new apartments fell by nearly one quarter last year and completions for this year are expected to fall another 25%. It is no surprise. In the budget the Minister slashed tax for private developers but he did nothing to tackle land speculation, even as land hoarding runs rampant. In the greater Dublin area alone figures show that almost 41,000 permissions for apartments lie dormant. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, yet the Mi…

It is not-----