I welcome the Aire Stáit. We are hearing more and more people every day talk about the cost of living. Someone said to me recently that it should be called the cost-of-everything crisis because the price of everything is going up. Workers and families who find themselves constantly struggling from week to week needed to hear that this budget would make things more affordable. They needed to hear that rent and groceries would be made more affordable. They needed to hear that electricity and gas bills, childcare, car…

As mentioned last night, our colleague and friend Senator Chris Andrews, along with a number of other Irish citizens, was detained in international waters by heavily armed Israeli forces while on a peaceful humanitarian mission to Gaza. The mission was, as Senator Rabbitte clearly pointed out, about nothing more than bringing food and medicine to starving families. It was humanitarian, it was peaceful and it was non-violent, yet boats were seized and people were taken while the world watched. I want to acknowledge …

I move amendment No. 1: After the word “notes:” to insert the following paragraph: “- the increase of incidents of Bovine TB which are at record levels;” I thank the Fine Gael Senators for bringing forward this motion on agriculture. I am a farmer's daughter so I am delighted to have a chance to speak on this debate on agriculture. As the Minister correctly said, it affects everyone in the country, not just the rural community. We all depend on farmers. I also acknowledge that the amendments tabled by Sinn Féin hav…

Hear, hear,

That is not what the IFA is saying.

I second it.

Sinn Féin supports auto-enrolment in principle and has been consistent in advocating for the right auto-enrolment system at the right time. It is important that the scheme is done right and that is why we do not support this Government's version of auto-enrolment and did not support the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Bill in 2024. There are three main issues with the Act. The first is that low-paid workers will not be allowed to opt out and claim back their money until after a six-month mandatory wai…

Yes.

Our spokesperson for foreign affairs is not here today. We have his empty chair here. I feel quite a weight here and genuine fear for his safety. The Sinn Féin group have put their names to the amended motion as we do not feel that the Fianna Fáil motion goes far enough on a few points. In particular, I want to mention the final amendment calling for a halting of transportation through Ireland and through Irish airspace of all weapons and dual-use items travelling to Israel for use by the military in Gaza and the W…

First, I would like to mention the shocking attacks on the aid flotilla to Gaza today, which is yet another disgraceful breach of international law. This is a humanitarian fleet of over 500 civilian volunteers and it was subjected to co-ordinated attacks in European waters off Crete. Aid is so desperately needed for the starving people in Gaza and everything that can be done must be done to ensure the aid safely reaches its destination. Drones, explosives and chemical dispersals targeted unarmed vessels, damaging t…

I am really glad to speak on this Bill. I commend the Minister of State on introducing a Bill on mental health. Her passion for mental health reform is really noted. My colleague Senator Nicole Ryan has already laid out why Sinn Féin has some issues with this Bill. I acknowledge the visitors in the Gallery, including my own mammy. I offer my deepest sympathy to the mammy in the Gallery who is carrying a grief that no mammy should have to carry due to a failed system. This Bill approaches mental health issues too na…

Today, the Sinn Féin team will bring the first ever motion on endometriosis care to Dáil Éireann. I am so proud of this motion. Since I first rose to speak about endometriosis and Women's Health Week on 5 March, so many women have reached out to me. We have held nine public meetings and engaged with thousands of women. We heard harrowing stories of the failures they experienced from women and girls, some nine or 14 years old, including women missing parts of their vital organs because we do not have the care in Ire…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following: “(3) Before the coming into operation of this Act, the Minister shall publish a report which outlines the following: (a) the degree of financial dependence that families with divorced or separated parents have on those parents; (b) an overview of the legal issues with not providing the same level of access to social protection payments for some children’s families based on the marital status of their separated or divorced parents.”…

I welcome the work that Senator Ryan and my party, Sinn Féin, have done on this issue. I thank Nicole for sharing her personal and powerful story. It is a story to which, sadly, the one in four women who experience a miscarriage can relate very well. There are approximately 15,000 miscarriages a year in Ireland. We know this loss can have a profound emotional impact not only on the woman but also on her partner, friends and family, yet there is little recognition of the grief and pain suffered. We know there are ma…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill on behalf of the Sinn Féin team. This legislation started from a really good place, namely, the intention to address the historic injustice whereby children of cohabiting parents were treated less favourably than those of married parents, a provision found to be unconstitutional in the O'Meara case, as we all know. While this is welcome and we support the associated part of the Bill, it is not so welcome – frankly, it is shameful – that, in fixing one wrong, the Gover…

There is a lack of GPs in Laois. We have had a large population growth but do not have services, especially GPs, to match this. The national average GP ratio is 1:1,000 but in Laois at the moment the ratio is about 1:1,600. There are large areas in Laois that have no GP. To use the town of Ballickmoyler as an example, it has a population of approximately 1,100 people and hundreds of new houses have been built there. Surrounding areas also feed into it, but there is no GP there. There is no GP in Doonane, Crettyard …

I am seeking an update on the new site for the Portlaoise courthouse building. The ongoing situation with Portlaoise courthouse is absolutely unacceptable. As a facility, it is one major incident away from closure. Judge Johnson has described the condition of the building in stark terms, citing serious concerns around health and safety and basic functionality. Yet, despite Laois County Council providing a site for the new courthouse at the Aldi in Portlaoise, we have received no update from the Government. The cour…

Where do I start with this Bill? When I got my head around it, there is more confusion than anything else. I understand the pressures the Minister is under. We know housing is an emergency. When I went through it, I felt like this was some kind of a sick joke. The Government has failed so badly on housing that we are running out of ways to explain to it how badly it is doing. Record numbers of homelessness continue to rise, as do the record house prices and record rental prices. In addition, sadly, the number of yo…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following: "Amendment of section 19 of Principal Act 2. Section 19(4)(b) of the Principal Act is amended, in the definition of "relevant percentage"— (a) in paragraph (a), by the substitution of "0 per cent" for "2 per cent", and (b) by the deletion of paragraph (b).". The amendments seek to defer any rent increase for the next three years. A total of 80% of renters are not in long-term rental so they will not benefit from the Bill. Renters n…

I cannot share the analysis now but I can get it for Senator Fitzpatrick. We do have analysis. Our housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, has the full analysis. I do not have it with me here now.