I welcome the families, particularly the children, to the Visitors Gallery. It was great to speak to them outside, listen to the children and see them smile and laugh. However, behind the laughs and cheer there is severe pain. I know because I am the father of a daughter with scoliosis. She has a 45-degree curve in her spine. I know the pain she has to endure day in, day out. Up until 2008, we had an early diagnosis procedure in place whereby a public health nurse went into schools and carried out a very simple che…

Before I begin, I want to draw attention to the absence of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, who has the responsibility for the Government's response to the co-ordination of immigration. His absence from the debate this afternoon sums up the Government's approach and handling of this entire situation. This debate is-----

In fairness, the Minister and Minister of State are the ones who set the time for this debate, which is necessitated by a crisis brought about by the Government's complete mismanagement of the entire issue. The erosion of State services over many decades has pushed communities right to breaking point. It is a situation compounded by the failure of the Government to engage directly with communities over new arrivals; communities that are not equipped to deal with the added numbers within them. Instead, the communiti…

Of course, each IP application must be assessed individually and the applicant may be judged on their particular circumstances. There were eight safe countries and now it is proposed that there be ten. Sinn Féin supports this. Other countries have more safe countries and different countries on their safe lists. That needs to be looked at. There are also systems that have partial designation of countries as safe. That is something that also needs to be looked at. Sinn Féin proposes that we amend the legislation to a…

Thank you. That is no problem.

As we sit here this evening, more than 26,750 Palestinians have already been killed in Gaza. A further 65,636 have been wounded since 7 October. Some 2 million Palestinians are displaced, with thousands more missing, many buried under rubble. On average, Israel is killing 250 Palestinians per day in Gaza. This represents a higher daily rate than any other 21st century armed conflict. Israeli attacks have killed one out of every 100 Palestinians in Gaza and injured at least two Palestinians in every 100, often with …

Okay.

I thank the Labour Party and Deputy Bacik for bringing this important legislation. I also thank the advocacy groups for all their work on the issue. A number of them are in the Gallery this evening to listen to this very important debate and I welcome them. Sinn Féin will be supporting this critical legislation. As has already been outlined, the Bill works to address current gaps in family law. If passed, it will ensure that all children born to same-sex female couples will be treated equally under the law. All fam…

The Minister is very cranky today.

What criteria are in place to determine that the grant funding provided to assist communities with integration is meeting the needs of communities? Are the funding applications being targeted to the areas of greatest need?

I thank the Minister of State. I concede that there are many challenges facing the Minister of State and the Department, given the enormous brief they have. It is important that those who come and seek refuge in the State, in particular those who are successful in getting international protection, are properly integrated into our communities. We have seen many examples across Europe and elsewhere of failures to integrate communities and the massive pressures that creates within those communities. It is critically i…

I appreciate that there are a number of different elements when it comes to funding. We might drill down into the funding that is being allocated. The Minister of State cited the 800 different projects that were invested in since 2017 through the community infrastructure fund. In the recent round of funding, there was a 53% deficit in demand for that scheme. There was a 67% disparity in the context of the Ireland Against Racism fund. That is a major deficit in circumstances where communities are putting together ap…

Today marks the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Solidarity is needed more now than ever before in light of the unchecked slaughter being visited upon the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank by the Israel Defense Forces and illegal settlers. It also comes at a time when Israel is poised to vote on budget plans to further expand the illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. While the Irish position recognises the illegal nature of the settlement…

That was not the question.

That was not the question.

That was not the question.

Israel is carrying out war crimes in Gaza on a daily basis as it has been doing on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem for decades now. The collective punishment of the civilian population in Gaza is a war crime. It has led to the deaths of over 11,000 civilians, two thirds of whom are women and children. Some 101 UN workers have been murdered. This is the highest number in any conflict in the UN's history. Israel has instrumentalised human aid as a weapon of war and despite the fact that the situation in Palestine…

Double standards.

Double standards.

That is a cop-out.