As the next Deputies are not here, we will proceed to Question No. 42 in the name of Deputy Tully.

I thank the Labour Party for this motion. In the short time available to me - just over two minutes for an intervention - I want to raise school accommodation in the constituency I represent. I have time to mention just two schools, but there are others and I have written to the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and to the Minister, Deputy Foley, about them. The first school is in north Leitrim. It is a small school in a place called Leckaun. The original application for additional accommodation for this school was …

I support this Bill to extend the eviction ban. However, this is anything but straightforward and, sometimes in this House, we have to vote for the lesser of two evils. Landlords should not be put in the position where they have to take at least part responsibility for dealing with the housing crisis. On the other hand, we know 4,700 evictions notices have been served and many of those tenants will struggle to find any accommodation and some will be homeless. Why can I say that? I can say that because 17 local auth…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — according to the Central Statistics Office's (CSO) Irish Health Survey 2019, one in eight people over the age of 15 provide care, and therefore there are approximately 500,000 family carers in Ireland; — the 2018 Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey, sponsored by the Department of Health, shows that 13.3 per cent of young people between the ages of 10-17 years provide regular care, and this statistic extrapolated to the national population suggests that some 67,00…

I welcome pupils and teachers from Grange Post Primary School in Sligo to the Dáil today. I think they were in the Gallery earlier. I think another school is there now. I am delighted that they got a chance to hear this important debate on carers and caring because the truth is that many of those students will, in time, have to either give care or be the recipient of care. That is the reality for all of us. If we are lucky enough to live long enough, we will either receive care or give care. That is why this debate…

I listened to the Taoiseach's presentation. This European Council will cover a wide range of topics, all of which are important. However, because of my limited speaking time I can only highlight one or two issues that I am concerned about. As far as economic issues are concerned, the EU will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Single Market. In my opinion, apart from the initial setting up of the European Coal and Steel Community, the Single Market has been one of the most important achievem…

Many of my constituents have contacted me about the situation where the Revenue office in Sligo is not open to members of the public who wish to discuss their tax affairs. Revenue offices are open in Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Galway but not in Sligo. I know this is not the Taoiseach's direct responsibility but surely the Government should be able to ensure there is some public access to Revenue offices throughout the country. When we contacted the Revenue appointments helpline, we were told that an appointment cou…

Sinn Féin has 20 minutes. Deputies Doherty and Mairéad Farrell will have ten minutes each.

This Bill, I presume, is seen as a further response to the continuing cost-of-living crisis. In 2022, inflation stood at over 8% and it is expected to be well over 7% this year. It may increase further, an issue I will come back to later. That amounts to 15% in total, which makes a significant difference to families, individuals and businesses. Food inflation is even higher, at 16.3% year-on-year, and is now at a 15-year high. That means that a couple of baskets of groceries costing €78 this day last year would cos…

We are running seriously over time and I ask Members to please keep to time. I am a novice here. Take pity on me.

I thank Deputy Brady.

I thank the Deputy.

One voice at a time.

Please, one voice.

I call Deputy Mattie McGrath on behalf of the Rural Independent Group.

Order, please. Members should speak through the Chair.

I may have the time, Deputy, but not the expertise.

I ask the Taoiseach, on International Women's Day, as it happens, for a commitment from this Government to bring forward legislation, and it needs to be emergency legislation, to ensure records and all relevant documents relating to Magdalen laundries and residents of those institutions are preserved and protected and that it would be a criminal offence to alter, destroy or dispose of any of these documents. There is an ongoing context to this, but the reason I raise the issue this morning specifically is related t…

The Taoiseach did not really answer my question. I asked him about the legislation, which I certainly categorise as emergency legislation, while the Taoiseach may not, but he told me about the national centre for research and remembrance. What will be on the shelves? What about all these gaps in information? The Taoiseach talked about the fact it is a site of conscience. It is time we examined our conscience and made some reparation for the sins that were committed in our name for this State. The commission of inve…

Today, International Women’s Day, gives us a chance to reflect on women and their lives, on the contribution women make to our society and on the challenges many women face in trying to live independent and fulfilling lives. It gives us a chance to think of some of the inspirational women in our own lives and at national and global level who have inspired us and who have been change-makers, often at great cost to themselves. It gives us a chance to reflect on the women whose names we will never hear but who led qui…