This day nine years ago, more than 88,000 people marched for the Right2Water campaign. One of its demands was to keep water permanently in public hands. Many parliamentary members of the Government parties signed the SIPTU petition - I am holding a photograph of one of them signing it - supporting this demand in 2015. On World Water Day tomorrow, I will chair a uniting the community public meeting at 7.30 p.m. at Wynn's Hotel, recognising that goal has still not been met. The meeting will outline a strategy to pres…

Will the Tánaiste confirm that the Government will hold a referendum on the public ownership, management and maintenance of our water system, and when it will hold it?

I know. You would probably win this one.

If you do not change the wording.

That is no guarantee. The Government could change that.

The key thing is it will be in the Constitution-----

-----so no future governments can change it.

How dare you.

The Deputy over there is laughing her head off to rile people up.

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing this motion to the House. It is a worthy motion and worthy of good debate. We are watching the Government stand over a rapidly worsening crisis of accommodation for international protection applicants and Irish people. Time and again, the Government has missed the targets it has set for itself. It has become a national disgrace. We are failing to meet the international commitments we have to asylum seekers or the basic moral obligation we have to care for people living in t…

At that time, there were not proper facilities in place. The camp on Mount Street existed because of the failure of the State to provide appropriate accommodation and the camp at Crooksling has quickly become another failure of the State to provide appropriate accommodation. Tents are not appropriate accommodation and the Minister knows that. I know he wants to try to resolve it but we have not resolved it up to now and we have been looking at this situation for the last two years. Now people are returning to Mount…

On a point of order, it is inappropriate for certain people to say that elected representatives here hate the Irish people. That was totally out of order and should have been slapped down immediately. I would never say that to anybody, even if I disagreed with his or her politics.

It was said that the loony left hates the Irish people. I think that sort of language should be shot down immediately. Sorry, I am not telling the Ceann Comhairle how to do his job but I just think it is-----

They are dog whistles.

First, I wish to put on the record of the House that I agree a general election should be called now. The main question I wish to put to the Taoiseach, though, is on behalf of a group of men who as children were sexually abused in day schools by Christian Brothers. All the perpetrators were subsequently convicted. Sexual abuse is all about power and control. In the Taoiseach's 2019 apology to children abused in day schools, he referred to the State having failed them at the time and failed then again when it did no…

I pose this question from the victims. In the Taoiseach's view, is the State apology and the promise he made in July 2019 now diminished?

Regarding the local authority-----

Will the Taoiseach meet with the group?

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." On behalf of the Right2Change party, I am delighted to introduce this simple but impactful Bill, which will strengthen trade unions, make it easier for workers to join a union and take a trade union-busting tactic off the table when workers are negotiating for their own pay and conditions. This Bill recognises both the importance of trade unions to the livelihoods of workers and the difficulties trade unions face when organising and representing those workers. It h…

Neither did one member of Fianna Fáil or the Green Party come along to it.