I will withdraw that remark.

The proposal put forward by the Government to facilitate the group led by Deputy Michael Lowry does not even make grammatical sense, nor does it make legal sense. It would apply to members of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to designate a body of Members who are not in opposition in this way.

We are strongly opposed to it.

That is not the case.

The Taoiseach stated that it is unacceptable to have so many people in homelessness. There are 4,500 children in emergency accommodation. We need workable proposals from Government to address the housing crisis. We do not need things like beds in sheds; we need really workable schemes. We in the Labour Party welcomed the tenant in situ scheme. We recognise it is the only hope for many families faced with the prospect of eviction. What we are hearing from across the country is that it is simply not working. It is in…

They cannot get places from the Government.

The programme for Government refers to the establishment of the Cabinet committee on water quality in the context of the nitrates derogation and to evidence-based solutions to assist farmers to improve water quality. The Taoiseach stated the committee is due to meet shortly for the first time. I ask that the remit might extend beyond that issue and hope that it will. There are many other issues that are just as important around the need to improve water quality on our coasts and in our inland waterways. Will the co…

Last week I raised the chronic shortages of staff across the healthcare sector with the Taoiseach and clearly that is contributing hugely to delays in the system and to the numbers on trolleys. Today the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, reported 669 people on trolleys, and 9,738 so far in February alone. This is clearly not just an issue around weekend cover or workplace practices. What is the plan from Government to ensure that we have increased bed and staff capacity so that people do not have to wai…

I spoke earlier on the huge risks posed to the international rules-based order by the Trump presidency. It is a very important time for us to stand in solidarity with those campaigning for democracy. I am thinking of those in Ukraine and those of course in the democratic opposition in Belarus and in other countries around the world. Here at home, the Taoiseach said yesterday that Ireland would spend more to help Ukraine. Will he commit to retaining the accommodation recognition payment that supports more than 36,00…

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. This winter has set yet more alarming new records for people on trolleys in our emergency departments. That means more people whose care may be compromised because there is no space for them or no one to admit them. It means more risks for patients’ conditions to worsen in a place where they should expect to improve. I welcome the new efforts the Minister for Health announced to tackle overcrowding. These are long overdue. In yesterday’s press release from her Department, sh…

I have acknowledged there are issues with discharge rates at weekends. Clearly there are issues with workflow and management practices, but changes in workflow and management practices are no substitute for properly addressing the real issue underlying the crisis in healthcare, which is the issue of staff shortages. We are hearing from hospitals that know they need to recruit more staff, that have identified gaps and engaged in recruitment but are not getting the go-ahead from the HSE to be able to offer the jobs. …

I will ask the Taoiseach again-----

-----when will the Government carry out the necessary recruitment drive?

When will it end the pause on healthcare recruitment so our communities can get the healthcare we so badly need?

Monday will mark three years since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. I wish to express my solidarity, and that of the Labour Party, with the people of Ukraine who have endured such devastation over those three years and have defended their country so courageously against Russia’s imperialist aggression. I condemn last night’s remarks by US President Donald Trump implying that Ukraine had started the war. Indeed, I condemn what we are seeing now with the sidelining of the European Union and, most importantly, the…

What about the accommodation recognition payment?

We know that housing is the single most immediate challenge facing this Government - the civil rights issue of this generation. Last week, the Labour Party offered a motion that was the first opportunity for TDs to debate housing in this Dáil term. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage was a no-show and there was tumbleweed on the Government benches during the debate. No senior Minister showed up to contribute to the debate on our serious and constructive proposals which offered a credible pathway…

Is the Taoiseach saying that is ag insint bréaga?

That is being Jesuitical.

Everyone knew they were not.