I move: That Dáil Éireann: recognises that: — not enough homes are being built, too many vacant and derelict homes remain unused, and the overreliance on the private sector has worsened the housing crisis; — Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland has failed as it's targets are too low or non-existent, and the Government is not meeting it's own delivery targets on social and affordable housing; and — a generation of young people are locked out of home ownership or secure and affordable tenancies, with 92 pe…

Will we see a debate very soon on the proposed introduction of a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies, as families and households are grappling with severe hardship and poverty? A Barnardos report has disclosed really shameful levels of parental sacrifice because of poverty. It is obscene to see Shell reporting a profit of $40 billion for 2022, its highest in 115 years. BP's profits have doubled to £23 billion. We have called for a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies. The Government is commit…

I will first acknowledge the horrific death toll following the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria and express my thoughts and sympathies for all of those affected by that horrific and devastating event. Last Thursday, I raised with the Tánaiste the need to resource the international protection accommodation services, IPAS, to ensure they had capacity to meet the housing needs of those from other countries seeking refuge here. Contracts for thousands of hotel beds currently used by refugees will expire very shortly. Th…

Ar son Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre cuirim fáilte mhór roimh an Uachtaráin Metsola go dtí Tithe an Oireachtais. President Metsola is welcome. As Ireland marks 50 years of membership of the European Union, we remember the economic and social progress we have made together but we also recall the hard lessons, particularly from during the economic crash, when serious mistakes were made by the EU and the European Central Bank, ECB, which we felt here. Thankfully, more recently the positive principles of solidarity and collec…

Yes.

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Since the outset of the terrible war in Ukraine and the brutal invasion by Russia nearly a year ago, we in Labour, alongside groups like the Ukraine Civil Society Forum, have been calling consistently for a more co-ordinated approach by Government to the housing of refugees and people seeking international protection here. We have called especially for a single and clear co-ordinated point of contact and centralised systems for managing the State response to this crisis…

I am, frankly, disappointed by the Tánaiste's response. He has listed figures and mentioned the Cabinet sub-committee but as he said himself this is an unprecedented challenge, due to the scale of it, and we are not seeing from the Government the sort of scaled-up response required. We in the Opposition who are seeking to show solidarity are often finding out about plans in communities after the far right does and we want to work with communities to show support. I engaged with protesters seeking information in my …

That is how it looks.

No one is doubting that.

I express my solidarity with PayPal employees and staff at Google, all of whom are anxiously awaiting news about prospective job losses this week. It is a worrying time for those in similar positions. It is just the latest in a series of announcements of layoffs and redundancies across the tech sector worldwide. It is not just in the tech sector; I met just this week with employees of Argos in my constituency who are also facing similar news. Workers and their families will pay a high price in these cases. Will the…

Ar son Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre cuirim fáilte mhór roimh an Uachtaráin Metsola go dtí Tithe an Oireachtais. President Metsola is welcome. As Ireland marks 50 years of membership of the European Union, we remember the economic and social progress we have made together but we also recall the hard lessons, particularly from during the economic crash, when serious mistakes were made by the EU and the European Central Bank, ECB, which we felt here. Thankfully, more recently the positive principles of solidarity and collec…

On Sunday, it was illegal charges to older persons in nursing home care over the course of three decades. Last night, it was the removal of the DPMA from up to 12,000 vulnerable people in institutional care. Perhaps tomorrow we will see yet another story of a group of people being failed by the State. However, this is a much bigger story. The real story, as we see it, is the pervasiveness of what amounts to a callous legal strategy. In essence, the State approaches litigation against it in a manner indistinguishabl…

Sure.

The litigation strategy is the same.

The Taoiseach's response indicates exactly the point I am making, namely, that the Government of the day is not merely another defendant and it is not appropriate for any government to act simply as another corporate defendant. The Government must of course, as a democratically elected government, reflect and respect the rights and wishes of the people and the common good. That is precisely why the Labour Party is calling for reform of the Office of the Attorney General. This is not only in order for the Government…

That is the record.

Later today, the Dáil will debate the redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes. Like me, the Taoiseach, I know, will have received countless emails from those who are concerned that, despite public assurances, many will be excluded from the redress scheme. To quote from today's Irish Examiner article by Conall Ó Fátharta and Elaine Loughlin, the proposed scheme "heaps abuse upon abuse" because "it excludes 40% of survivors", in their words, "and denies healthcare [rights] to two-thirds". There were ear…

It is nearly three weeks since the former Minister of State, Deputy English, resigned but no statement has been made in this House about the reasons for that. On two occasions, I have raised with the Taoiseach what further action he intends to take. A fortnight ago, he responded to me that party matters are separate and that Fine Gael has a party disciplinary process. Last week, he said it was a matter for Meath County Council and not the Government. Meanwhile, thousands of people across the country who gave accura…

I wish to raise the rights of the Palestinian people, in particular their plight, given the recent formation of a new far-right government in Israel and the actions it has taken to date, many of which expressly break international law. We are seeing appalling reports about the killing of civilians, the incarceration of children, the destruction of homes, the expansion of illegal settlements and the segregation of society. All of these developments contravene the rights of the Palestinian people. I welcome the state…

I want to make a point of order. In his response to me earlier on the Order of Business, the Taoiseach suggested there were disciplinary matters under way in the Labour Party.