I ask the Taoiseach to withdraw that comment. I have listened back-----

-----and there are no disciplinary matters under way in the Labour Party. I can assure the Taoiseach of that and I thought I misheard him earlier. I ask the Taoiseach to correct the record.

Two months ago the Labour Party brought forward a Dáil motion calling for a firm date to be set for convening a citizens' assembly on drugs. We are looking for a date for the establishment of that assembly. In particular, its terms of reference must ensure it addresses the central issue of how we move away from a criminal justice approach to drug use and towards a health-led approach. Permission was finally granted over Christmas for a supervised injection facility at Merchants Quay in Dublin. We still see a clear …

When I chaired the special Committee on Gender Equality over the past year, the Taoiseach engaged extensively with us, as did his colleagues in government, for which I thank him. One of the committee's clear and unanimous recommendations was that referendums on constitutional changes to Articles 40 and 41 would be held to give effect to recommendations Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, of the citizens' assembly. Our committee also took the view that these votes can and should be held during 2023. The report we published in D…

I thank the Taoiseach for the update on the new child poverty unit but we still need more detail. In particular, does he have specific objectives or targets he intends to meet in addressing the critical issue of child poverty? Given the severe shortage of early years and childcare places, will he set up a public model of delivery for childcare that can guarantee children a place in early years education? Regarding socioeconomic discrimination, which is at the heart of this intended unit, does he support the additio…

I ask for the Minister's views on the slowdown in the construction of social housing and the implications of this slowdown for renters reliant on the housing assistance payment, HAP, the repeated failure to meet housing targets for social homes for the past three years in a row and the implications this has for recipients of HAP in particular.

We all await those figures for quarter 4 with great interest. I agree with the Minister and I have raised many times the need to ramp up the tenant in situ scheme, and I think there is cross-party agreement on that. However, listening to the figures that the Minister is giving and looking at the Housing Commission report today, it is hard to see the value of the targets being set by the Government at this stage, particularly when we are so unclear about whether they are being met. The Minister gave a figure of 9,00…

Listening again to the points about targets, the Minister acknowledged there has been under-delivery for years. The reality is that no matter what targets are set and what figures the Government gives, the experience of people who approach my office and the offices of other Members every day is that they simply cannot find homes, particularly people seeking help to find a social home. It is heartbreaking to tell them their position on the social housing list and to tell them about the lack of capacity in the system…

In a few minutes, the Save our Forests - Save our Land coalition, which Labour is glad to support, will gather outside Leinster House to voice our opposition to the Coillte-Gresham House deal. It is a deal which we believe is wrong on many levels. I have already voiced my grave concerns about it in this House, as have my colleagues, Deputies Kelly and Sherlock. It will fundamentally be an arrangement which will facilitate the handing over of millions of euro of public money into the wallets of private investors and…

The inadequacy of the plans is baffling. It seems that the Government cannot see the wood for the trees, if I may say. Failures in the licensing system have made the large-scale planting of trees and woodlands an impossible endeavour for many farmers and nurseries. The delays are leading to many dropping out of the system. I have been told that approximately one third of those approved for planting are dropping out before any trees can be planted. Instead of proceeding with the Gresham House deal, why is the Govern…

The Minister has accused me of misrepresenting the Government's position but the reality, as he admitted himself, is that there is a forestry strategy which is not operational. It is not having any impact.

The key problem is that it is not having an impact. We are hearing from those involved in forestry and nurseries, including farmers and environmentalists, that it is simply not operational. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, told the Seanad earlier this week that the state aid application has not yet been submitted. The Minister said it himself. He plans to go to Brussels but has not gone yet. Once again, the Government is heavy on ambition and setting targets, but light on delivery and actual outcomes. We nee…

The Coillte deal is not the answer. The Minister said that himself. His Government colleagues have been critical of it too.

When is the state aid application going in?

It is not. We are agreed on that.

We all appreciate the immense work done by the staff in the community and voluntary sector in caring for so many across society as they support people in homelessness and addiction, and in staffing refuges and rape crisis centres. Yet, such workers are paid much less than equivalent staff employed directly by the State, despite many of them propping up many State services. In October last year, we in the Labour Party brought forward a motion which would have delivered pay parity for these vulnerable workers in the …

When does the Taoiseach propose to bring in Deputy Brendan Howlin's public sector standards Bill to ensure that the necessary reforms to SIPO will be enacted? In that context, last week I raised with the Taoiseach the issue pertaining to Deputy Damien English, the Taoiseach's party colleague, who resigned from his ministerial post due to the revelations that he had submitted incorrect information on a planning application to Meath County Council in 2008. During Leaders' Questions last week I asked the Taoiseach if …

-----in respect of a Minister of State who appears to have benefitted-----

-----from a false planning application, and who has quietly resigned as the Minister of State, with no further action?

There have been a number of recent media reports about the treatment of staff at a college in south Dublin, the Spiritan-run Templeogue College. Last month, two dozen teachers raised concerns about a non-inclusive culture regarding LGBT+ issues and the taking down of a Pride flag in the student canteen. Clearly, we need to ensure staff and students from the LGBT community and minority backgrounds are protected in all schools and that employees are guaranteed equality in their workplaces. The Irish National Teachers…