Will the Minister of State conduct a socio-economic and environmental impact assessment of the proposed EU-New Zealand trade agreement, in particular the impact it will have on the domestic red meat and dairy products sectors? What are his proposals to support those impacted sectors?

There is a question right now about who benefits most from the proposed trade deal between the EU and New Zealand. This is a valid question to ask because while the EU Commission can talk of both trading partners being winners from reduced tariffs that open up the opportunities for exporters, when New Zealand's top exports are red meat, sheep meat and its imports comprise industrial goods generally, the export benefits for Ireland's agricultural industry seem very limited indeed. Our family farmers are facing incre…

Lessons are there to be learned from the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, for example. The Government's own economic and sustainability impact assessment on it has resulted in its opposition to that deal. It found it would cost Irish beef farmers €55 million annually as the market would be diluted by another 53,000 tonnes of an increase. Furthermore, the European Ombudsman accused the EU of maladministration precisely because it did not base the trade negotiations on an assessment of the socioeconomic and environmental…

It is if you are not sleeping in a car.

I agree with Deputy O'Connor on one thing. The Government did not get things right. With its record on housing, health and childcare, it has got them completely wrong. Another Deputy a few minutes ago talked about uncertainty. I will tell both Deputies about uncertainty. Sinn Féin Deputies know low and middle-income families as well. The Government does not have a monopoly on these kinds of people. We know them. They come to our offices as well. They cannot afford to put food on the table. They are sleeping in cars…

I appreciate the opportunity to say a few words on the latest European Council meeting. It is welcome to see the continuation of support for Ukraine in light of the despicable war brought about by the aggression of Russia. We have done much in this country to play our part in offering safety to the many Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their country. As a neutral country, nothing less could be countenanced. We must remember that given the influence the Russian war of aggression is having in the discussion at…

Well done Taoiseach. You avoided it again.

You do not care.

Through the years, Fianna Fáil has clocked up a shambolic track record when it comes to housing. Generations will bear the brunt of the crisis it got this country into, but it has learned nothing. Fine Gael subsequently facilitated the selling out of families and invited in cuckoo and vulture funds. Those traditions continue today, no matter what spin the Minister and others tried to put on this situation earlier. The fact that since the Government came to power, the number of homeless adults in County Tipperary mo…

The Government is forcing people to sleep in cars.

The Minister should not make accusations.

The truth hurts.

In light of the Government's haphazard approach to addressing back-to-school costs for families, like Deputy Niamh Smyth, I wish to raise the issue of school buses. I have been contacted by a family whose youngest daughter has been deemed ineligible for school transport under the medical card. She, like her siblings before her, is due to go to school in Thurles. Her house is located 1 km further away from Thurles than it is from Cashel. In the past, the family applied to the section of the Department that deals wit…

I will.

This is an important Bill for workers in the hospitality industry, one third of whom, Sinn Féin found in a 2016 survey, were not being paid their tips. More recent research has suggested that the figure nowadays could be as high as 50%. In 2017 we in Sinn Féin introduced a Bill to address this. Despite Fine Gael's opposition, the Bill passed all Stages of the Seanad. It also prompted a national debate on the way in which a proportion of workers were being let down by their employers. Of course, it has to be noted t…

This Bill is the direct consequence of poor preparation and a lack of forecasting with respect to the schooling needs of children with special needs. The Ombudsman for Children’s latest report into the matter pointed out: "This situation is a clear failure on the part of the State, which has an obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the right to education of every child." It also noted that there are real issues with forward planning. We are here today, while the Government struggles to deal with the consequence…

This Bill is welcome insofar as it abolishes hospital inpatient charges for all patients under 16 years old, but it is emblematic of the snail's pace of the Government's progression to universal healthcare. It appears the provisions of the Bill are less about achieving universal healthcare than about keeping up the appearance of trying to achieve it. While it is an important step for the families who may regularly require hospital services, and there are many of them, much more could be done to help them. That is e…

Homeowners in counties Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Sligo, Limerick, Tipperary and up to seven other counties are living in buildings that were built with defective blocks, foundations and other damaging materials like mica and pyrite. They are feeling the impact of light-touch regulation of building product surveillance that was introduced by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the 1990s. This has left many, like the families in the Gallery, to live in crumbling homes for more than a decade. For those in County Tipperary, there…

Respect the Chair, Deputy Griffin.

While Sinn Féin supports the Bill, it is a direct consequence of the failure of the Government and the ones that came before it to prepare for increased demand with changing demographics and, of course, the prevalence of energy-hungry data centres. This Bill will allow EirGrid to acquire new emergency electricity generation capacity. This will be done by increasing EirGrid's borrowing limit and that of Bord na Móna. It is being done because policies of this Government have taken on additional demand for electricity…