I attended the launch of the strategy last week. It was the most gorgeous event, surrounded by people from all sectors of society but most importantly the disabled voices in the room. While it was a beautiful event, the strategy itself felt different. We hear time and again from disabled people. They tell us there should be "nothing about us, without us". That is what makes this strategy feel different, because it is woven with the voices of disabled people who are at its foundation, with hundreds of contributions …

Ministers agus a chairde go léir, it is an honour to stand before you today as an ally and a proud supporter of the LGBTQI+ community. Over the month of June, we celebrated Pride around the country and around the world. Pride is a powerful expression of identity, resilience and love. I had the pleasure of walking in the 2025 Dublin Pride Parade alongside the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, as well as attending the Pride parade in my hometown of Westport. I really can attest to t…

Imagine you have a 12-year-old child and found out that child was watching or was exposed to pornography on a sitting room television while visiting a friend's house. The child would likely be permanently banned from visiting that friend's house and it is likely you would report the parent to Tusla. Yet, we are giving our children smartphones with open access to the Internet where they regularly encounter misogynistic and toxic content online, especially on well-known pornographic websites. Ignorance is not bliss a…

Obligations are one thing but we definitely need sanctions and need them quickly. The deadline for these obligations to be in place is 21 July. The Minister will forgive me for my scepticism, but I do not see swift action following. We need to name these companies, shame these companies and have swift sanctions. At a national level, we need to be able to discuss these challenges openly. We have to educate our young people on consent. We have to ensure we are tackling at the very least under-18s who are being expose…

Planning regulations stipulate that new housing developments of up to 75 units must provide a childcare facility with up to 20 places. We are in a childcare crisis and this is simply not working in small, medium and large towns. In my own town of Westport, we recently saw separate developments of 50, 48 and 20 units, a total of 118 units, but no new childcare facility. There is a new housing plan coming. Are there any plans to change this stipulation in respect of housing developments?

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I will address the all-Ireland strategic rail review from the perspective of its profound significance to County Mayo. I am lucky to have a door-to-door service from Westport to Dublin, but if I want to go to Galway, which is the nearest city, I would have to go to Athlone and then back to Galway and if I want to go to Sligo, I have to drive or take the bus. It would be fantastic if students in particular were able to get from Mayo to Galway by train, especially as we a…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, for all they are doing to try to move the dial for disability matters and children with additional needs. Fifty-one recommendations have come out of the review of the 2004 EPSEN Act. Two decades ago, the Act set out ambitiously to ensure equal access to an education system that would recognise the potential and rights of our children with additional needs. We must acknowledge that many improvements have been made in those two …

I join colleagues in extending sympathies to those who lost their lives in India and to Deputy Conway-Walsh on the loss of her mother. Will the Tánaiste tell me what steps the Government is taking in relation to the effects social media is having on our under-16s? What meetings have happened with social media companies? This is an issue I campaigned vigorously on during the local and general elections. I think identity verification across the board would be welcome but, as a start for our under-16s, I am happy to s…

Deputy, please.

The Deputy will have his moment.

Deputy Doherty, you will have your time.

I thank the Minister of State.

I thank the Minister of State.

Thank you, Minister of State.

Thank you, Minister of State.

We now return to Sinn Féin to close the debate.

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 28 May 2025.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Shane Moynihan - To discuss the growing demand for a secondary school in Newcastle. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss the report from Crohn's and Colitis Ireland highlighting the hidden costs of Crohn's and Colitis. Deputy Paul Donnelly - To discuss processing the witness check process for passports in a digital forum. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss sus…

When I worked for 19 years with the neurodiverse community, I was often the first point of contact after a parent acknowledged a concern for their child, or was potentially nudged by a relative, a childminder or a preschool teacher to talk to their GP or public health nurse. It takes real courage for a parent to do this when they notice that milestones are being missed or when they start to see struggles in areas like speech and language, difficulties with motor planning, behavioural struggles, social challenges or…

School transport is causing frustration and stress for many families across rural Ireland. I refer specifically to the eligibility criterion for nearest and second-nearest schools. This requirement fails to reflect family circumstances, school preferences and logistical realities on the ground. It is simply too rigid and does not reflect modern Irish society. To give an example, the Bus Éireann portal advised a mother that St. Gerald’s College in Castlebar was her son’s nearest school but failed to take into accoun…