I thank Deputy Connolly for bringing this motion to the floor of the House. We are living in a world where it appears that the consequences of warfare can appear less important than the alliances that were formed in light of the way things have happened with unconditional support. This is a time when the sound bite overrides and deliberately obscures the real consequences of the actions that are essentially being approved through the use of language which contains no indication that limitations apply to the actions…

I wish to raise how the Government expects to entice people to use public transport as an alternative to their cars when it does not make any attempt to make it attractive to people. In particular, I raise this in light of what can only be described as Transport Infrastructure Ireland's opposition to installing bus shelters. Take my town of Cashel, which more than 400,000 people visit every year. I know they do not all use buses, but we have buses going to Cork, Dublin and Limerick and now Local Link. We expect peo…

-----and to install shelters there?

For the past two years, Sinn Féin has been warning the Government that our electricity pricing system is dysfunctional. It is not working for the people but is clearly working for the companies which, through extended Government inaction, have made eye-watering profits off the backs of ordinary families. This has been allowed to continue right through until one part of the legislation that was supposed to deal with it was reintroduced in the House only recently. It took the best part of a year for that legislation …

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on the Bill. Many measures could have been taken in budget 2024 to relieve some of the burdens currently experienced by families. Unfortunately, opportunities were wasted. While some welcome measures were included in the budget that had been highlighted as urgent by Sinn Féin, other measures could have been introduced that would have been of more benefit to those in real need. For example, the taxation measures are structured in a way that dilutes the benefits to those in r…

At a time when trolley numbers at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, regularly achieve record figures it is beyond belief that funding for the HSE is becoming what some at the health committee meeting today described as "constrained". In this scenario "constrained" suggests that the scenes of absolute chaos we have seen at UHL or any other hospital with overcrowding pressures will not improve. The improvement in services throughout the region that we were promised when reconfiguration was first mooted was never del…

I thank the Rural Independent Group for tabling the motion today. Like many other Deputies, I have been contacted by many people who say the situation facing people awaiting driving tests has gone so far that it is now holding them back from planning their lives. I will focus on the impact it is having on people in rural Ireland, who do not have the luxury of regular bus or train services to rely on while they wait as long as six months for an appointment for a driving test. One young man who contacted me recently …

The actions of Hamas on 7 October were unacceptable and must be condemned by all. The response from Israel must also be condemned because the actions we have seen against 2.5 million people in the largest open-air prison cannot be described as defensive. People are dying in their thousands, yet what we hear on the international stage appears to fall short of appearing like preparations for a ceasefire. We hear the term “unwavering support” for continued military action in Gaza used while, at the same time, more tha…

I echo what Deputy Dillon has said. I thank the Minister of State for taking this issue this morning. It is a pity that the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, himself is not present to listen to us. Section 39 workers in our healthcare service are at the coalface morning, noon and night. I spoke to some of the service users in the Irish Wheelchair Association, IWA, in Tipperary town the other day. I listened to the service users, who said that from the time they wake up in the morning to the time they go to bed …

As Deputy Dillon pointed out, the offer of a 5% increase cannot be accepted. It is as simple as that. All these workers were treated the same when the pay cuts came. All they are asking for is the same treatment when pay is being replaced. The figure of 5% is the exact reason there is a problem with recruitment and retention in the service. There is a difference of €4.20 per hour between section 39 workers and HSE workers. It is clear and simple that the longer pay restoration is avoided, the longer workers in sect…

It is vitally important that the provisions contained within a Bill such as this strengthens the laws against sexual offences. I would also suggest that of similar importance is a Bill that is structured in such a way as to give victims of these crimes the confidence to enter the legal process in the knowledge that it provides the assistance and protections that people in their situation should rightly be afforded. We are all aware of reports that people who fall foul of sexual violence do not come forward because …

I also commend Deputy Funchion on bringing the Bill before the House. I welcome the chance to talk about it because I referred to it last week as we were making the case to the Government to think again about increasing excise this month, given the pressures families and businesses are under. Despite the overwhelming challenge that faces families, the pace with which a meaningful response has issued has not reflected the urgency of the situation for many. I was contacted recently by a doctor who told me that, like …

Hear, hear.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. We cannot leave anything to chance when it comes to supporting people who are subjected to DSGBV, tackling this serious problem and reducing its prevalence. There has been a need for some time for the creation of a statutory agency dedicated to tackling and reducing these crimes and supporting victims and survivors. The pooling of resources and dedicated expertise has my full support. However, for such an agency to be effective, it cannot work in isolation and must be…

I also thank People Before Profit-Solidarity for tabling the motion. There are 17 properties to rent in County Tipperary on daft.ie . Emergency accommodation is regularly full in that county when we inquire about it. Some 68% of people in their late 20s still live at home because Ireland's housing market is in crisis. Those are just some of the figures that form the backdrop to what we are dealing with. All that is happening right now and not in the distant past. It is not something this Government can claim to hav…

As Deputy Ó Snodaigh said, Sinn Féin will not be opposing the Bill. We all have a duty to protect our heritage and history. That is why the Deputy and others in opposition have put in amendments. The disappointing thing here is the same as it was on Committee Stage. The Government does not seem to be prepared to accept any amendments to improve anything from this side of the House. It seems to have a policy that it will reject anything that comes from this side of the House. I will speak to amendment No. 24 and, in…

I raise the case of St. Cualan's bell, which was found in the late 18th century in Borrisoleigh and dates back many centuries before that. As has already been said, like so many items of its nature from this country, it is no longer found here. It was sold to the British Museum, where it forms part of its religious displays. It is not right that items such as this, which have such historical significance, no longer grace our museums here. We have a duty to ensure that we can, through legislation, commit the Governm…

In order that the Minister of State will not be too upset by what he is listening to from this side of the House, I will give the Government credit for one thing. It gave payments to families. However, what it gave with one hand, it took back twofold with the other. The three parties in this malfunctioning Government have lost touch with the pressures people are under now. Things are bad enough as inflation has increased to an extent that for many, even those who get up early as the Government says, work no longer …

Hear, hear.

Will the Minister confirm whether he sought a higher funding allocation under the Common Agricultural Policy as part of the EU multi-annual financial framework, MFF, mid-term review and make a statement on the matter?