You know exactly what that means.

You know exactly what it means.

The shock of receiving a cancer diagnosis is devastating news for patients and their families. It is a time of deep worry and stress. The last thing that patients should have to worry about on top of this is struggling to afford the cost of attending their treatment. In its pre-budget submission, the Irish Cancer Society revealed yesterday that patients are still forced to fork out huge sums in hospital car parking fees. Many are being hit with charges of €3.20 an hour or more. One patient shared her story in the m…

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for bringing this legislation before the Dáil. Workers and families have seen a sharp, sudden and significant increase in their mortgage costs since 2022. Since the European Central Bank first increased its key interest rates in July of that year, average mortgage interest costs have increased by a whopping 70%. For so many, these increases have been crucifying, with many households paying thousands of euro more per year in mortgage interest compared with two years ago. My party has been…

I thank the Deputies who introduced the motion for debate. Businesses are struggling with the cost-of-doing-business crisis and workers are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Both need to be supported. Unfortunately, instead of helping both, the Government has sought to pit business against business and business against workers. It has been clear for some time that supports for business must be forthcoming. For nearly a year now, Sinn Féin has called on the Government to engage with industry to design a bes…

According to the NTA report just published, complaints of antisocial behaviour on the Luas have more than doubled in the last year and are now at their highest level in a decade. The number of complaints about antisocial behaviour made to the call centre rose from 1,001 in 2022 to 2,159 last year, which is an increase of 116%. The figures show that commuters feel unsafe around Luas stops in particular and that women are more likely to feel unsafe than men. Sinn Féin has committed to the establishment of a dedicated…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. Sinn Féin does not oppose this Bill but we do have an issue with how it is being rammed through the Dáil without any pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. We will table amendments to copper-fasten the legislation to ensure that the collection of levies does not extend beyond funding the regulatory work of Coimisiún na Meán and the CCPC. This is a short technical Bill which extends Coimisiún na Me…

I want to make a small correction. Pre-legislative scrutiny was carried out on this. That was my mistake.

It was MrBeast.

Sinn Féin believes in common sense and common decency. These are the two points that will guide my contribution. Sinn Féin wants what most Irish people want: a system that is fair, efficient and enforced. The measures in the EU pact are not in Ireland's interests and will not deliver a system that will work for Ireland. We can better create a fair, efficient and enforced immigration system by exercising our opt-out from a majority of the pact's proposals. Some decisions are better taken locally and one size does no…

I wish to outline our position briefly. Sinn Féin will oppose this Bill on the basis that it seeks to introduce seasonal work permits to the employment permit system. Since pre-legislative scrutiny took place, Sinn Féin has highlighted a number of red lines, namely the introduction of seasonal employment permits and the failure to exclude employers with convictions for abusing workers from benefiting from employment permits. Despite our efforts to amend it, the Bill is focused solely on increasing flexibility for e…

I did not expect to see the "welfare cheats cheat us all" slogan being taken out for another spin, but here we are. Sinn Féin has long advocated for a proper pay-related social insurance system. The current system carries that name but the available supports, such as jobseeker's benefit, are not pay-related. Payment is given at a flat rate. This is unfair on working people who are unfortunate enough to lose their job. There is a cliff edge for workers, which should not be the case. Sinn Féin wants a system that sup…

I welcome the establishment of the task force. If it is done right, it could represent an important marker in the development of the city. As our national capital, Dublin has a responsibility to serve as an example for the rest of the country and to be a safe, attractive, vibrant and flourishing city, one that cherishes and celebrates its past and fearlessly embraces the future and its potential. The new Dublin task force is the opportunity to foster and support appropriate and imaginative regeneration of the city …

I have listened to commentators in recent days talk about the significance of the recognition of Palestine in the Dáil. Some say this is merely symbolism and that symbolism does not matter. If people doubt the power of symbolism, I encourage them to listen to the words of the Palestinian national team player Charlotte Phillips, who lined out against the Bohemian women's team on 15 May in Dalymount. She spoke after the game with her grandparents by her side. She said, "They thought they could get rid of us and they …

My question relates to the number of Irish businesses using big data. I want to ask the Minister of State about the digital intensity of Irish businesses, specifically SMEs. While I appreciate some businesses cannot be any more digitally intensified, there is scope there. We know digitisation is one of the twin challenges facing our economy now and into the future. I ask for an update on the number of businesses using big data and engaging with the cloud and artificial intelligence, and how this compares with the t…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. In his follow-up response, he might address how we compare with the targets set in harnessing digital 2030. The four Ds of demographics, decarbonisation, digitalisation and de-globalisation are key trends likely to transform our economy over the next decade. Increasing digitisation is foundational in terms of putting the economy on the front foot for the coming decades. As the Minister of State said, this is about future-proofing. Investing in digitisation is key to b…

It is a brave Minister who would mention the portal in the current climate, so fair play to you. The Minister referenced 22.7% of business using big data, which is a small figure. I appreciate he said the figures are not where he would like them to be. Of the 75% not using big data, a substantial portion could and should be using it. I would like a bigger focus on encouraging that. We must invest to grow indigenous digital enterprises and increase the attractiveness of Ireland as a location for leading digital ente…

My question relates to the review of the ESRI research into the impact of statutory sick leave. I want to understand why the Government is taking its current approach and why it is deviating from its own initial timeline. When will the review be concluded?

Is the Minister of State saying the report will be published before the end of the year? Will we have a chance to debate it here on the floor of the Dáil? I hope we will and I can tell the Minister of State that I will definitely be looking for that debate if it is not offered by the Government because it is important. I saw the Minister of State's little video. I do not follow her party on social media but it was sent to me by several workers who are very concerned because they see what the Government is doing, wh…

What it looks like to me is that the Government is punishing workers to compensate for another one of its failed business support schemes. When the ICOB scheme first closed, less than half of qualifying businesses had applied. I appreciate that figure is slightly higher now, but as of last Wednesday, only 10.7% of applicants have had grant money paid to them. This is a shocking situation. The scheme was announced six months ago, so a little bit more should have been paid out. If the Government is serious about doin…