That is the reality here. The facts, as reported and acknowledged by everyone bar the Taoiseach, are that people fleeing from Ukraine arrived and there was nowhere for them to go. They slept in the airport. There was talk of some perhaps being left homeless and having to sleep on the streets. We can all agree that is not an acceptable situation. I have asked the Taoiseach to set out for us what the Government response will be to that. People are well used to the Government and the housing crisis that people have li…

Why is he only cobbling together a plan now?

It is not agreed. For the last number of weeks, we have sought answers from the Government, including the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, in respect of households that rely on prepaid meters. We have asked about a moratorium or ban on disconnection. We have offered a solution to Government which amounts to simply extending across the board a current ban that many companies operate in respect of weekends and some public holidays. We have asked, advised and insisted that happens immediately and…

Many people want to retrofit their homes but the reality is that they cannot under the terms of the current scheme. Not many have €25,000 to hand. The whole system as it is currently operating is a disaster. It is a time-consuming financial headache. It is therefore little surprise that only 89 homes have been retrofitted out of a Government target of 500,000. We were supposed to see 62,500 homes retrofitted this year but only a fraction of a fraction have been completed. It is now very clear that the whole scheme …

Last night, Sinn Féin brought a motion before the Dáil calling on the Government to ensure that households are protected from electricity and gas disconnection this winter. Our motion proposes a ban on disconnections now instead of waiting until December as the Government's plan suggests. It would provide desperately needed protection and certainty for the hundreds of thousands of households using prepaid meters. The Government has stated it will not oppose the motion and this is to be welcomed. Those struggling to…

The difficulty lies in the Taoiseach's statement that the Minister "will continue to engage". I am very concerned that there is not a sense of pace in the Taoiseach's response to this situation, which is one of incredible stress and worry for hundreds of thousands of families throughout the land. The Taoiseach's concern about people falling into debt is understandable but I need to say that a far greater concern for those using prepaid meters is that they will not have supply to their homes. We need to deal with th…

Unbelievable.

I do not know if the Taoiseach heard the voices of the thousands of students who last Thursday took part in a walk-out protest against the Government's failure to tackle the student accommodation crisis. I do not know if he heard their experiences of the impossibility of finding any accommodation, the real pressure of this cost-of-living crisis, impossible and crazy commutes for so many students and a feeling they are not getting the full educational experience they are entitled to. Last Thursday, students stood up…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. First, I endorse that call for immediate action on the citizens' assembly on the issue of drugs. The matter is outstanding and is urgent. As Deputy Gannon said, we know from our own constituency and the communities we represent just how critical this is. I also want to ask the Taoiseach about a citizens' assembly on the issue of Irish reunification. We had the People's Assembly in Belfast, where people were gathered from across society in that city. The support for its citizens' a…

NESC has just published the findings of focus group work undertaken in the north-west on the experiences of people in the Border areas under the themes of sustainability and connectivity. Indeed, connectivity concerns are at the heart of this work. The Taoiseach met with a cross-party delegation of councillors from Donegal, Derry and Strabane earlier this year. During that meeting, the issue of the funding for City of Derry Airport was put to him. Some 40% of passengers who use Derry Airport are from County Donegal…

He certainly would not, leak or no leak.

In July, Shane O'Farrell's patients, Lucia and Jim, received a copy of the final scoping exercise report into Shane's death. The process took over three years. It is important to acknowledge that every State-sponsored mechanism by which the family have sought to secure the truth of the events leading to Shane's death has taken an inexcusable time to be completed, with the strategy being delay, delay, delay at every turn. Along with every party in the House, the Taoiseach shares the view that a full inquiry is neede…

The European Council will meet at a time of ongoing discussion on the Irish protocol. We are facing the 28 October deadline for agreement between the European Union and the British Government. I am therefore surprised the Taoiseach did not have in his remarks any reference to the protocol and the politics playing out around all of this.

It is critical that these talks deliver a positive outcome, the chaos in London and the dysfunction of the Tory Truss Government notwithstanding. It is important that we have good faith negotiations and the needs of ordinary people in the North and across Ireland are put front and centre. The European Union is essential in ensuring all of this happens. To repeat the point, I am surprised therefore that the Taoiseach has not made reference to this fact in his commentary.

It is very much on the agenda for the people living on this island.

We are now into the end game.

It is the Taoiseach's job to ensure it intrudes on the agenda of the European Council. He will find very willing ears on it.

If I could continue without the endless heckling from the Taoiseach and his colleague.

I thank the Acting Chair for the clarification. To clarify further, I was being barracked and not vice versa . The Taoiseach is aware that since Michelle O'Neill was elected First Minister designate in May, the DUP has refused to re-enter the Executive and appoint a deputy First Minister. The DUP cites concerns around the protocol but the reality is it is holding democracy to ransom. There is no justification for keeping Stormont on ice while these talks continue. The DUP should be at the Executive table working to…

The raw and human impact of the housing crisis was laid bare in heartbreaking fashion on RTÉ last night. With great courage and dignity, Graham King told how he and his family live in a tent. They have nowhere else to go. His wife, Patricia, and his two children, Grayson and Priya, stay in the tent. He stays in the car. They live day to day. Graham said: I’m on disability and half carer's. My wife works. We have to run a car and feed kids. The expenses add up. Speaking about the conditions in the tent and how his c…