To walk around this city or many streets throughout the State and see any person sleeping on the street is a damning indictment of the Government. To see the emergence of tents throughout the capital is appalling. For me and many other people, it speaks of the lack of a plan and a lack of urgency from the Government to address what is a crisis. This time last year there was a grand announcement on the approval of 500 modular units to be moved forward. That was quickly changed. It was increased to 700 and the delive…

I welcome the fact that the number has decreased to 189 but it is 189 too many. The Minister is the one who referenced modular units in his opening comments. That is why I am asking about the lack of a plan. The announcement was made last year that 700 units would be developed and brought onstream by November 2022. Today, we found out that only 64 of those will be handed over in the coming weeks. That is 64 out of 700 units. That is a damning indictment and a real failure of the Government to plan and put in place …

What measures are the Minister and his Department taking to address disruption caused to youth services as a consequence of high staff turnover due to funding delays and difficulties? It is having a real and severe impact on the delivery of youth services throughout the State. What measures are the Minister and his Department taking?

I am being told that intermittent and inadequate funding is a key challenge. Funding has been beset with delays and difficulties and that has had a real impact on the delivery of youth services and the ability to recruit and retain staff right across the sector. That is imposing severe challenges on youth service providers. Youth Work Ireland, YWI, has submitted a business plan to the Minister and his Department and hopefully the Minister is familiar with it. YWI is calling on the Minister and the Government to sup…

The Minister spoke about the budget and I also referenced the €73 million in funding. However, to put that in context, the Government provided €111 million to fund private schools, which is an interesting comparison in terms of prioritisation. The organisations are saying that the 2023 youth services budget was a mere 1.2% of the overall budget for the Department, which is a serious failure. That budget needs to be increased because we know the value for money that youth services provide in terms of the payback to …

In 2005, sub-officer Brian Murray led a walk out of retained firefighters from the fire station in Bray highlighting serious issues within the retained service such as recruitment and retention. He told me that day that someone would die unless action was taken to address the serious issues. Less than two years later, Brian and his colleague, Mark O'Shaughnessy, died while tackling a blaze in Bray due to the serious issues. Unfortunately, negotiations between the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and repres…

I will begin my comments with the unequivocal statement that violence and intimidation towards asylum seekers is absolutely and totally unacceptable. It cannot and should not be tolerated in any shape or form. The open intimidation we witnessed over the last while against asylum seekers is completely wrong and must be condemned. The attacks by far right ideologically driven people on vulnerable people in Sandwith Street in Dublin are shameful and completely unacceptable. Attacking and destroying the tents and perso…

No answer.

Last November, Sinn Féin brought forward a motion with proposals to help to address the recruitment and retention crisis within the retained fire service. It was voted down by the Government. At the time, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, said he was serious about addressing the issues and said he would take action. A report has been published by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management with recommendations around conditions but, critically, also arou…

What actions will Government take to address the immediate crisis in the service? That means providing money to address these major issues.

Because of constraints put on him by the Government.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The symbolism of this Bill coming before the Dáil the day after the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, is a reminder of the long and ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people and the failure of the international community to deliver justice. The Bill is designed to compel the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund to divest itself of all current assets and prohibit future investments in any companies operating in the illegal Israeli settlements that are included on the UN…

The sole motivation for bringing forward this important legislation is the full implementation of international law and holding those who breach international law to account. What I have heard tonight from the Government is a delay and when justice is delayed, justice is denied. The Palestinian people have already had 75 years of justice being denied and the Government is now saying, "What is another nine months?" When I talk about international law being universally applied, could the Minister of State imagine any…

The Government should be building houses.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to impose certain prohibitions and restrictions with respect to the investment by the National Treasury Management Agency of the assets of the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund in undertakings which appear on the UN Database of companies operating in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land; to require the Agency to ensure that such assets are not invested in such an undertaking (and, where it becomes aware that an undertaking in which such as…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time"

I raised the following issue with the previous Taoiseach, Deputy Martin, last year. I refer to Geraldine Lavelle, who, as a result of a collision when out cycling nine years ago, suffered a spinal fracture that left her paralysed from the chest down. After her rehabilitation, Geraldine moved into a congregated setting where she thought she would be for a number of months to adjust to life with her injury. Nine years later, she has finally secured adapted social housing from Mayo County Council, which is nearing com…

Earlier, the Office of the European Union Representative (West Bank and Gaza Strip) published its one-year report on demolitions and seizures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, for the period 1 January to 31 December 2022. A total of 953 Palestinian homes and structures were demolished or seized in the occupied Palestinian territories in 2022. This represents the highest number recorded since 2016. In total, 1,031 individuals were displaced and 28,446 were affected as a consequence of the demolitions. The …

What attempts or efforts are being made to deal with the major crisis that has been developing before our eyes in recent years within the Defence Forces, particularly the Naval Service in which numbers are at an all-time low? Two Naval Service ships have been mothballed because of the inaction of successive Governments.

Morale within the Defence Forces, particularly the Naval Service, is at an all-time low. The strength of the Naval Service is approximately 770, although the active and effective strength is probably less than 750. Thirteen months ago, when the commission's report was published, that number stood at 867. That it is now 100 less than it was 13 months ago shows that the haemorrhaging continues, despite the publication of the commission report. Since 2017, successive Governments have attempted to recruit their way out…