Give us your view.

You have not.

Just for the record,-----

-----that is a non-explanation because you cannot defend this. You cannot stand over this.

That is the truth.

One year ago, Vladimir Putin's Russia launched a brutal and criminal war on its peaceful neighbour, Ukraine. In doing so, he unleashed the largest land conflict and the greatest displacement of people in Europe for nearly 80 years. Russia's attack on and bombardment of the Ukrainian people is an attack on sovereignty, on peace and on the right of a nation to be free. It is a vicious and violent expression of the dead-end belief that might is right and that military power can dominate humanity. For 12 long and painf…

The Government has now signed off on its cost-of-living package. Sinn Féin has argued strongly for a spring bonus and we welcome these additional support payments to protect vulnerable people. High energy costs, food prices and increases to come in fuel costs will mean workers and families will remain under pressure. For the life of me, I cannot understand how the three men leading Government, after spending two months in talks, could produce a package which is silent on housing. We know that extortionate housing c…

It beggars belief that the Government would produce a package that completely ignores the fact that rents are still out of control. Rents should not be rising by even a percentage point; they need to come down. That is not going to happen automatically; it will require the Government to take action. In the context of people paying mortgages, some of whom have been thrown to the wolves - or to the vultures, I should say - and are getting rightly screwed by the relevant institutions, the Government has given no comfo…

I again ask the Taoiseach to include renters and mortgage holders in this package and to add to the measures he has announced today. I ask him to give relief to renters, mortgage holders and, in particular, those who now fear that as the eviction ban comes to an end, they may lose the roof over their heads.

No, it is not.

What are people paying in Castleknock? They are paying €4,000 in Cabra.

They are not agreed. We saw another attack last night on the Garda Síochána. One officer has been hospitalised and we wish that officer a speedy recovery. It is now very clear we do not have the Garda resource required throughout the State to keep communities and citizens safe. I would go so far as to say that, increasingly, people feel very unsafe in their homes, on their streets and in their communities. Today, Brendan O'Connor, the head of the Garda Representative Association, GRA, said that, as it is, there sim…

The cost-of-living package does not envisage any additional relief or support in terms of energy costs. I note that Pinergy has announced a 7.1% cut in its electricity prices. We know wholesale prices have dropped considerably. We also know companies are not passing on this reduction to their customers. What does the Taoiseach propose to do in this situation? Has he had contact with the other energy companies? Will he make contact with them? Will he have a conversation with them and insist they follow in the footst…

The people of Ireland have an affinity with those who need the protection and shelter of other countries. It is an affinity born of our history of colonisation, oppression and dispossession. Just over 150 years ago, so many of our people escaped the starvation of an Górta Mór by fleeing to the four corners of the world. Through our history, we understand what it means to be forced in fear and heartbreak from our beloved homeland. We know the loneliness of exile and the humiliation of discrimination - "No blacks, no…

Yesterday, I raised the matter of the patient safety Bill with the Taoiseach. I record that the 221+ group, working with the Minister for Health, alongside my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, and Deputy Kelly, have agreed an appropriate wording for an amendment to that Bill. I commend and thank all of them for that work. It has been most constructive and very much welcomed by the 221+ group. The cost-of-living crisis is impacting on households. People struggle to keep up with soaring bills across the board. Many people…

I also acknowledge Nicola Sturgeon, who has been an outstanding leader and an outstanding advocate for the independence of her country. I have absolutely no doubt but that she will continue always to advocate for the country and the people she loves. Nicola, beir bua agus beannacht. The Taoiseach gave me a very studied non-answer to my question, unless he is contesting the reality that three in five people report that they have no money left at the end of the week, or unless he is contesting the fact that those on …

As am I.

The District Court waiting times for domestic violence victims, as published by the Irish Examiner today, paint a shocking picture for victims of domestic abuse and coercive control. Of the eight courts with the longest waiting times, six have no refuge or safe accommodation provision in their counties. The Government speaks about an epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence but there is no urgency in its actions. We welcomed the third strategy but publishing a document alone will not prevent abuse or …

Rents have soared to unaffordable levels in the decade that Fine Gael has been in power. The latest daft.ie report is a nightmare read for workers and families caught in the private rental trap. The report shows that new rents across the State increased by nearly 14% in 2022. All counties bar one saw double-digit increases. Some of these increases are frightening: County Mayo, up 21%; County Roscommon, up 20%; and County Galway, up 19.4%. The average rent now stands at a staggering €1,733 a month. Here, in Dublin, …

I have just set out what is the reality for so many people. This is now beyond crisis mode. People are paying €640 per month for a bunk bed sharing with three other people in a small bedroom. That is four people in one room. Where does this end? Where does this stop? At what point does reality dawn and do we see the necessary actions? The Taoiseach has set out what the Government has done under its plan, Housing for All. It is not working; ask any renter or anyone out there who lives in the real world and they will…