Over the summer, new grim records were broken in July's homelessness figures. We see now 4,401 children left without a home, a really shameful figure, and we have learned that rents have increased by nearly 27% over the three years since the Government's Housing for All policy was launched. The Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, tells us that more than 4,000 eviction notices were served between April and June, and all of us are hearing all the time from families and individuals who are left without a home or who are…

First, I welcome the update on Ms Tori Towey. I very much welcome the news that the travel ban has been lifted. It was appalling to see any woman, any Irish citizen, treated in this way. We all wish Tori and her mother well on their return home. I want to raise the appalling situation facing so many vulnerable children in Ireland, namely, those who are in the care of the State. On Monday the Child Law Project published its latest volume, comprising 70 reports on court proceedings related to children in care, detail…

I want to start by expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the wake of Russia's horrific attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv yesterday. I welcome the Taoiseach's calling out of that attack as a war crime because it was a war crime. It is another in a series of war crimes committed by Russia in its brutal invasion of Ukraine. It must be condemned by all of us and all of those across Europe. I want to pay tribute again to the courageous advocacy of Natasha O'Brien and Bláthnaid Raleigh. In their power…

I thank the Taoiseach and agree that cultural change is needed to stamp out and make what we have called everyday sexism, harassment and gender-based violence a thing of the past in different institutions. I welcome that the Taoiseach said that, where appropriate, criminal investigations by the Garda are under way. The question is what the Government will do now about this. What practical steps can Government and all of us as legislators take to achieve real zero tolerance? What is concerning about the FAI programm…

We have a concern with the Order of Business in regard to the timing and scheduling tomorrow evening of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024. Committee and Remaining Stages are scheduled for 7.57 p.m. Amendments have been tabled by a number of my Labour Party colleagues. We are concerned that there will not be adequate time to debate a number of important provisions in the Bill. We ask that Committee Stage be adjourned rather than taking Committee and Report St…

The problem is Committee and Report Stages being taken together.

That is the problem.

Earlier today, I stood with Labour colleagues outside Leinster House in solidarity with staff from the national advocacy service and SIPTU members who have been left with no option but to resume strike action because of the failure by management to respect Labour Court recommendations. I heard the Taoiseach's earlier response and I listened to it very carefully. He mentioned benchmarking. I would like a little clarity on that. It boils down to a simple question. The people I spoke to, people who provide a vital ser…

I welcome the opportunity to speak to this Bill. It is appropriate to see these changes made to the Residential Tenancies Act in order to align student-specific accommodation leases to the academic year. I commend the Union of Students in Ireland and student unions generally across the country. They have been campaigning and looking for this change for some time. I think we all agree it is nothing more than gouging for student accommodation providers to insist on offering 51-week leases, thus increasing cost barrie…

The Tánaiste will know that the young campaigner for autism services, Cara Darmody, is continuing her protest this week outside Leinster House. I pay tribute to Cara's tenacity in organising her campaign. She is calling for access to assessments of need and services for all children, and an end to the scandalous waiting lists that far too many are facing. Some time ago, the HSE stated in response to a parliamentary question I tabled that it does not reimburse families for private assessments where the State has fai…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: commends the courage of Natasha O'Brien and the powerful advocacy that she has provided on behalf of victims and survivors of violent crime since Thursday, 20th June, 2024; resolves to address the epidemic of gender-based violence, and the re-victimisation that is experienced by so many survivors as a result of criminal justice processes in some cases that go through the courts; notes that: — recent sentencing decisions have caused significant public disquiet, with serious questions about…

I express my sympathy to the family of Neno Dolmajian and the families and communities of those who died so tragically on our roads. It is appalling to hear of four deaths in such a short time, bringing the total to such a horrific figure at a time we should be seeing reductions in the number of road fatalities. I join others in that. I raise again the Government’s failure on migration policy and in particular its failure to provide adequate accommodation to those who come here seeking shelter. The most visible evi…

I thank the Taoiseach for the response. I certainly agree with him on the need to move away from an emergency response and from a reliance on the private sector to provide accommodation for those seeking refuge, but we have seen no sign of urgency from Government on those two issues on which we agree. For far too long, we in Labour have been pressing the Taoiseach and the Government, and, indeed, his predecessor as Taoiseach, to ensure that there will be a move from an emergency response, that there will be a cross…

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak again for the Labour Party on the topic of gender-based violence. I am glad we have this opportunity to have statements. I thank all those who engaged earlier on the Labour motion we brought forward on the same topic and on the broader topic of support for victims of violent crime more generally. There was some really substantial engagement. I thank the Minister for engaging in particular on each of the eight asks in our motion. We put forward a series of eight constructiv…

I acknowledge, as others have done, the announcement today by Deputies Shortall and Catherine Murphy and I add my voice to those wishing them well. As Deputy McDonald has said, it is rare to see an outbreak of girl power in this House, or women power as I prefer to say. There are far too few women here and it makes their extensive careers in public service all the more noteworthy. I commend them on that and wish them well. I ask the Taoiseach for a debate on local government and local democracy. In my view, we have…

I welcome Finola Cassidy to the Public Gallery. She is here on behalf of the Irish Thalidomide Association. Once again, I ask the Taoiseach what he proposes to do to ensure thalidomide survivors in Ireland will have justice. It is now more than 63 years since the drug thalidomide was removed from the market. Also, it is more than 63 days – in fact, it is 70 – since the Taoiseach told Finola Cassidy he had a file on his desk on finally bringing this saga to an end for campaigners and that he would engage with them, …

Average house prices are now a whopping 35% higher nationally than they were at the start of the pandemic. Daft.ie tells us that in the past three months house prices have risen again. Coupled with a spiralling cost of living and slow wage growth, owning a home is getting further and further out of reach for far too many people. That fact is borne out by Threshold’s annual tenant sentiment survey, which it published today. It shows a staggering 94% of renters are not renting by choice. They are renting because they…

I am troubled by the Minister's reply. Of course we all agree that the key issue here is achieving increased supply and delivery of homes. I could not agree more with the Minister but the problem is her Government has not done enough to address this. Even the Government's own targets in Housing for All are clearly and patently too low. We have been promised the publication of increased targets by Government for many months now. The Taoiseach said again just yesterday that the revised upwards target would eventually…

The Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland, PNAI, has given the HSE three weeks’ notice of industrial action over the scandalous recruitment embargo that was introduced last November. The PNAI has a membership of between 6,500 and 7,000 people, 95% of whom voted for this. At the time the embargo was imposed, there were approximately 300 vacancies for psychiatric nurses in this country and there are now a shocking 725 vacancies. Mental healthcare in Ireland is in a terrible state, with spending on mental health b…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: ": — resolves that sections 2 to 4, 6 to 12 and 17 of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 (No. 39 of 1998) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on 30th June, 2024 and ending on 29th June, 2025, and — accepting the recommendation of the Independent Review Group on the Offences against the State Acts that 'the current system of "scheduled offences", under which certain offences are automatica…