I mentioned it. The Minister skipped it.

I would certainly like to hear more on that from the Minister, but on the Taoiseach's lack of presence here, of course he must represent the country abroad, but we had understood he would be here today and it is a common courtesy that we would be notified in advance of Leaders' Questions when he is not taking them. On the Minister's response, we absolutely support retrofitting. In fact, what we in the Labour Party have been critical of is the delay in the roll-out of affordable retrofitting. Around the country, peo…

Today, we mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We need to commend the bravery of all those women who have come forward and who have made changes and advocated for change, from Lavinia Kerwick to Natasha O'Brien and so many more. I acknowledge the progress that has been made on the introduction of Coco's law, the offence of coercive control and Cuan, the new agency, but I also recognise how much more there is to do in terms of lack of refuges and more legislative change. I want to sp…

The Government finally published its long overdue housing plan last week. After all the anticipation, what it delivered was nothing more than old milk in new bottles. There was nothing new on affordable homeownership, no clarity on what new powers the Land Development Agency will have and no ambition on social housing. It is just an open door for speculators and land hoarders. Worse again, the Government has abandoned annual targets for new home building. Could there be a more blatant admission of failure than that…

That is not true.

That is not what I said.

I reject the Taoiseach's misrepresentations of what I said. He is trying to construct a false narrative. Labour has always been constructive from Opposition. Indeed, we supported the Land Development Agency, just as we support the tenant in situ scheme. As the Taoiseach knows, in our manifesto we set out clear plans for housing to ramp up the Land Development Agency to deliver homes at scale and have a State-led approach, of course recognising a role for the private sector but recognising also that the State must t…

He did not acknowledge the considerable disquiet expressed by the Irish Planning Institute in July when he sought to bring them forward. He did not acknowledge that the institute said it was not convinced the announced changes would bring down development costs or accelerate housing delivery, just as Government's misjudged VAT cut is based on no evidence that there will be any closure of the viability gap or any increase in the building of apartments or the supply of homes that communities need. The Taoiseach knows…

His policies have failed.

Which we supported.

We are not.

What about the Government's climbdown on the apartment guidelines?

The Labour Party certainly welcomes the fact that the Minister for Health has brought a memo to the Cabinet to establish a statutory inquiry into care for children with scoliosis and spina bifida. Again, I express my deepest sympathies to Gillian and Stephen and the family of Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who so tragically died. All of us are concerned to ensure that the newly announced inquiry will be comprehensive and effective in getting to the root of the issues here. As my colleague, Deputy Sherlock, has said, a t…

As others have done, I wish to utter words of condemnation of Russia as we see its brutal escalation of its war on Ukraine. In last night's horrific attack there were 25 casualties, as we are hearing. This is yet another indication of Russia's brutality, following on from what is going to be four years next February since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. All of us stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Since we elected our new MEP for Labour last summer, Aodhán Ó Riordáin, the Labour Party h…

Finally, the Party of European Socialists is standing firm against the far right at EU level and, unfortunately, the EPP is not. That is a matter of grave concern.

Go raibh maith agat. I am sharing time with our finance spokesperson, Deputy Ged Nash. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the utterly tragic news from Louth at the weekend. Five young lives were lost horrifically on our roads. I express my deepest sympathies to their families and communities on behalf of the Labour Party. Today's shock announcement by the outgoing Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe - I think the Tánaiste used the word "shock" and while certainly it is a shock to us, it clearly was to him as well - …

Hat-trick. I am doing a Troy Parrott. On a serious note, insecurity and instability now lie at the heart of the financial engine of the State and at the heart of this Government in general. That matters because a government that lacks stability cannot offer hope. All of us feel the need for hope among the people and the communities we represent - people who feel the reality of the housing crisis or the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis, people with less money in their bank accounts at the end of the week or th…

Hear, hear.

I commend Deputy Marie Sherlock on proposing this important motion and pay tribute to our colleague, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP, who has led on decriminalisation for so long. I welcome campaigners and students to the Public Gallery and I thank them for their support on this. It is three years since Labour brought forward a motion on decriminalisation in November 2022. The Government’s response then was to give it time. It has had lots of time – three years. In that time, 30,000 people will have been arrested for persona…

First, I want to say fáilte ar ais and welcome back to Deputy Boyd Barrett. I never thought I would say this, but I have missed his voice in my left ear across the aisle. It is great to see him back. I acknowledge the wonderful electoral victories against Trump in the US overnight. The stunning win by Zohran Mamdani in New York, in particular, proves that voters want a message of hope. That takes me neatly on to my question. Yesterday, the Government published Future Forty, a long-term economic assessment of Irelan…