Members of the Government have buried their heads in the sand when it comes to the impact of data centres and left the door wide open for polluting LNG. It seems the private sector will continue to be relied on to deliver essential public services like childcare while workers' rights are only getting derisory treatment. The Government has abandoned initiatives such as drug policy reform and the citizens' assembly on the future of education. There is nothing to reassure us about how we will face the threat of Trump'…

To compound the discomfort that so many of us feel, the Lowry leg of the stool was, until today, intent upon pulling off an old-style political trick by setting up in government, having secured Ministries and commitments, and also in opposition, making a mockery of our democratic process. Bertie may not be back but grubby deals are, and this looks like such a deal. I am glad that we have now secured a commitment from the Chief Whip and the Government leaders that we will see this matter resolved with the agreement …

As we always have, we in the Labour Party will work constructively from opposition with those who share our vision to achieve the change that we believe in over the course of this Government. We will hold the Government to account, fiercely and fairly, with integrity and transparency, as we have always done. I look forward to the challenge ahead.

I offer personal congratulations to the new Ministers. We wish them well in their portfolios. We need to see positive change delivered by this new Government. There is one very negative change: we see a reduction in the number of women in Cabinet from four to three. There are as many men named James as there are women in this incoming Cabinet. That is a negative change, and we do not see any sign of positive change either from the programme for Government. There is no transformative vision, no State construction co…

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, and congratulations on your election to your new role. Like others, I wish to pay tribute to the outgoing Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Ó Fearghaíl, for his work and his commitment to the reform of procedures in the House. We look forward to working with you. It is good to be back, and I think all of us in this Chamber share that sentiment. It is particularly good for me, as leader of the Labour Party, to lead a newly enlarged party and a group of 11-strong Labour Party TDs, all o…

Congratulations to all of those newly elected and returned TDs, as we take our seats today for the first time in the Thirty-fourth Dáil. I am immensely proud of my Labour Party colleagues sitting around me in our newly enlarged parliamentary party. Deputies Alan Kelly, Ged Nash, Duncan Smith and I are delighted and thrilled to be joined by seven new Labour Party Deputies, namely, Deputies Eoghan Kenny, Conor Sheehan, Ciarán Ahern, Marie Sherlock, George Lawlor, Rob O'Donoghue and Mark Wall. We are immensely proud o…

We, too, believe we should be reconvening on 15 January. So many urgent challenges face our society. Indeed, we have just spent the bulk of this afternoon outlining what those challenges are, and I think there is actually agreement on that. Even the Government acknowledges the immense challenges, particularly on housing and healthcare, and the immense challenges that may indeed arise due to other issues and incidents. I spoke earlier about the Holyhead port closure and the enormous pressure that is putting on so ma…

I am not taking that any more from that corner of the House.

Many Members, from Government and Opposition, looked for decent bike parking.

On the last sitting day of the Dáil, I add my own words of thanks on behalf of the Labour Party to you, a Cheann Comhairle, and to all the staff here in the Oireachtas who make the complex run smoothly for all of us. I thank them for their great help and support over this term; it is deeply appreciated. As we face into our own election, we are all conscious of enormous impact internationally of the US election result just yesterday for Ukraine, for Gaza, for climate action, for women's rights, for migrant rights an…

By all accounts, this will be the last time the Taoiseach and I speak during Leaders' Questions. I want to ensure constructive engagement rather than engaging in cheap political shots. That is important. It is fitting that I ask the Taoiseach about the issue that, above all else, has defined his Government's term in office, the housing crisis. This affects every family and every community. It is being raised with us every time we knock on doors. I am sure it is being raised with the Taoiseach as well. We know that …

While I welcome the very late publication of revised targets, I regret the fact they are being published so late. It is just not good policy-making to set targets that are too low for too long and then at the eleventh hour, one month before many offices will close for Christmas, to bring in new targets, especially when they are not being funded adequately. I have serious concerns about the lateness of the setting of the new targets. I regularly speak with those in the construction industry who want to be part of a …

I have already responded on that and I am not going to take that again. I am not taking it anymore.

Similarly, I call on the Taoiseach and the Government Whip to amend the Order of Business so we can see the passage of the occupied territories Bill this week. We have agreement across the Opposition that we will facilitate it in every way we can. We have all offered Private Members' time and our co-operation to ensure it can now pass through Committee and Remaining Stages. We understand there have been Government amendments and that Senator Black has been working constructively with the Government on this. With th…

I want to raise the serious issue with the Taoiseach concerning the rights of a murder victim's family. Two young women, Elizabeth Plunkett and Mary Duffy, were murdered in 1976 by John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans acting together. Evans later died in prison. Shaw is serving a life sentence and is before the Parole Board for review. Shaw was never convicted of Elizabeth's murder. He was convicted of Mary Duffy's murder, but Elizabeth Plunkett's family are not legally regarded as victims within the Parole Board process. …

I return to the issue of housing. It is the single biggest issue we all hear about every day across every constituency and community. It is at the root of so many problems holding back our country and people. The Minister and his Government colleagues are well aware of this. There is the exodus of nurses, midwives and doctors from our shores, which was one of the issues debated in a Labour Private Members' motion yesterday; teacher shortages, with half of our schools understaffed this year, which I raised with the …

I thank the Minister, but with respect he has not answered the question about when the revised housing targets will be published. He referred to the legacy shortfall, but we acknowledge that. I think everyone recognises that. To go back to another canine analogy, we talked about the dogs on the street, but it is a bit like saying the dog ate my homework for the Government to say this is a legacy issue and it is trying to deal with it.

The Minister and his colleagues need to be dealing with it with more urgency and ambition precisely because of that shortfall and because there is a cumulative impact to inaction and falling short of targets. The longer targets are left unmet or too low, the more difficult it is to play catch-up. That is what we are hearing from the construction industry, which is trying to build but has so many different obstacles in its way. Housing targets that are revised upwards really make a difference by setting out the leve…

We will not see the targets this side of the election.

As the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon increases and worsens, our thoughts are with all those killed, wounded, bereaved or displaced in that conflict. We must do more to stop the war and to impose effective sanctions on Israel. I met yesterday with members of Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine, who are doing incredible work trying to bring wounded children out of Gaza. They impressed upon me the need for us in Ireland to do more. We can pass the occupied territories Bill. I have welcomed the positive signs from th…