I want to join with others in commending the incredible bravery shown by the members of the joint task force in the interception of the ship at sea yesterday. It shows incredible co-ordination and heroism. I want to raise a different policing matter with the Taoiseach today. The matter was raised this morning with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, by Deputies Bríd Smith and Carthy. I refer to the need for a public inquiry into the tragic death of Shane O'Farrell. On behalf of the Labour Party, Deputy Ó Ríordáin and I w…

As others said, this Bill is largely technical, and its provisions to integrate Ervia into Gas Networks Ireland make sense. Since Irish Water was separated from Ervia and Uisce Éireann was created at the beginning of this year, Ervia and Gas Networks Ireland have effectively been functioning as one company anyway. This legislation could therefore be described as cleaning things up, to use that expression, or at least cleaning up the corporate structure. It is a measure that can be seen as largely technical. Despite…

I will come in on this group of amendments. As Deputy Ó Snodaigh has said, these relate, for the most part, to definitional issues in the Bill. It is important in such an important overhaul of the National Monuments Acts that we would see clarity of definitions. Government amendment No. 6 in this group provides a more contextual definition of "amenity". I welcome that. It is similar, in many ways, to our amendment No. 28 in the next group, which would include reference to "landscape". We need that broader understan…

I am conscious that we are speaking to the grouping of amendments. Amendment No. 38, tabled by the Labour Party, is in keeping with the spirit of the other amendments, which seek to ensure maximum protection for heritage. The general object of the Bill is to update the National Monuments Acts and ensure strong protections for historic and archaeological heritage. Amendment No. 38, in particular, seeks to ensure there is public access to national monuments and other historic heritage sites. Whatever protections are …

I move amendment No. 38: In page 32, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “(e) that reasonable public access, subject to appropriate controls and conditions, to national monuments and other historic heritage sites is a public good the promotion of which is the responsibility of the Minister, the Board, the Council and each local authority;”.

I support this important amendment. It expresses the crucial principle of repatriation of heritage, which works both ways in respect of both heritage works from Ireland and those from other countries too. It is such a huge issue now and there is a growing awareness of it. We see so-called august institutions in Britain, the US and elsewhere whose collections rely so heavily on what was, in fact, looting and plunder many years ago. We are beginning to realise that. It is good to see it enshrined in this Bill as a pr…

I welcome the Taoiseach back. My question to him today is who cares for the carers. We in the Labour Party are not sure that his Government appreciates the crisis in care. A protest is currently taking place outside the Dáil by childcare and early years education providers. We all hear all the time from parents, staff and workers in the childcare sector who are being failed. Parents cannot access affordable childcare for their children, staff cannot afford to live on the wages in the sector and children are being f…

I am glad the Taoiseach acknowledged the severe impact this action would have on those who are so utterly reliant on the services provided by workers in these organisations, because we are all very conscious of the great impact this proposed strike would have on those who are most reliant on services. Frankly, it is a cop-out for the Taoiseach to say the Government is not the employer here.

What the organisations are seeking is a restoration of the link that existed and a clear recognition that these are services provided on behalf of the State. The State is the funder, as the Taoiseach himself has acknowledged. We are simply asking for that recognition and acknowledgment to translate, in a practical sense, to a decent offer of pay and conditions for the workers who are impacted and for the service users who will be impacted. As I have said, we in the Labour Party have consistently raised this issue o…

It is a different sector.

I return to the issue I raised earlier on the proposed action in the community and voluntary care sector. The Taoiseach's response to me will give little reassurance to those parents who are relying on services provided by Enable Ireland and to those relying on services provided by organisations that provide such vital services to so many across the country. All he said in response to me was that Tusla and the HSE are preparing to make contingencies. That has the sound of a let-them-eat-cake approach to a collapsin…

I want to return to the issue of childcare and early years education as currently early years educators, parents and providers are up in arms because childcare is not working for them. We hear from many parents about the shortage of places nationwide, expensive fees and providers closing their doors. I have a constituent who is still waiting to hear from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth about whether a mechanism even exists to deal with her complaint of a failure to freeze fee…

The Minister wants to deal with facts. This month marks two years since the launch of his Housing for All programme. In all the facts and on all the objective metrics, Housing for All is failing. It is failing in ambition and delivery. The Minister has said himself that the Government needs to catch up on housing delivery. That is evident but it also needs to upgrade its targets. As our housing disaster deepens, it is becoming clear that Housing for All or "Housing for Some", as it might more appropriately be calle…

No.

I must contest that.

That was after the Minister's party destroyed the economy.

It is utterly farcical and the Minister's response is utterly farcical. It is very hard for anyone in this House to take lectures on the economy from Fianna Fáil. The Minister's party wrecked the economy and drove-----

It wrecked the construction industry. As the Minister knows well, when Fianna Fáil left office in 2011 the country was broken. It was in bankruptcy and in a troika programme. Nearly 20% of people were in unemployment and we had a construction industry in shambles. The economy has been rebuilt. We have seen seven wasted years of prosperity since 2016 and we have seen a failure by successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil governments to deliver the homes people need. That is what is driving the current crisis. It is why w…

It is the first week back in the Dáil.

Not enough.