These are the harrowing words of a victim for whom domestic violence leave would have made a real difference. I was assaulted at my place of work. He pulled me down a flight of stairs in front of a waiting room full of patients, told me he had a blade. He assaulted me in the car park but I managed to get away and call the gardaí. The following day, my boss called me into her office. She knew about the assault. She was upset that I had left the clinic unattended. She asked me if I wanted to take unpaid or annual lea…

Figures published yesterday by Banking & Payments Federation Ireland show a surge in mortgage approval rates for October, driven by first-time buyers. Behind that figure is a very worrying spike in house prices, which reflects the broken housing policies of this Government and the previous one. On average, first-time buyers are now borrowing €10,000 more than was the case last year. It is worse for other borrowers, who are borrowing €15,000, on average, more than was the case last year. This reflects a very serious…

I will try to bring the Taoiseach in touch with some glimpse of reality. The people I referred to who are locked out of the housing market do not have massive household savings. In fact, many of them are struggling just to get by. They pay rent, which has gone through the roof, and they struggle to have any savings. Many of them have lost work and income. They are relying on a proactive approach from a competent Government to deliver a housing package, including an affordable housing plan. Covid or no Covid, the Mi…

I am very concerned at the news this morning that AIB, a State-owned bank, is to proceed with 1,500 job losses and that there has been minimal consultation with the unions. Astonishingly, at the same time as AIB proposes to let 1,500 staff go at a time of very high unemployment, it is also seeking to buy back Goodbody Stockbrokers at a cost of more than €100 million. Not alone that, I understand that big bonuses will be back for the banking sector and will apply to this new entity. As we know, the Minister for Fina…

I understand and it is no problem. I have previously raised with the Taoiseach the specific challenges facing the commercial events sector. The sector accounts for approximately 90% of the five million events tickets each year pre-Covid, which in ordinary times delivers a significant stimulus for hospitality and tourism. The event production industry Covid-19 working group, known as EPIC, has worked positively to highlight these challenges and to find suitable solutions to operating within public health guidelines.…

Sunday marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Ireland's strongest and most useful expression of solidarity would be the formal recognition of the state of Palestine. This would honour the hopes and aspirations for peace and the dignity of the Palestinian people, who continue to live under the horrific oppression of the Israeli authorities as they ramp up their ongoing attempts at annexation of vast swathes of the West Bank. Israel continues to evict Palestinian families from their o…

The Taoiseach's statement of strategy must place a strong and renewed focus on the very many challenges facing Ireland's young people. Youth unemployment now stands at 45%. The release valve of emigration, which was relied upon by successive administrations, is not available to us. The ball is now firmly in the Government's court. It must deliver innovative interdepartmental solutions to the big policy issues facing young people. Market interventions such as rent caps are needed. We need rapid delivery of public ho…

I am sharing time with Deputy Brady. There is less than a month to go to the end of the Brexit transition period. We heard the news from Europe this morning that Tory intransigence, particularly with regard to its dangerous Internal Market Bill, has brought negotiations to a cliff edge. Serious difficulties remain and the window to have any agreement ratified before the end of the year is now closing fast. The key areas of divergence, namely, fisheries, a level playing field and governance, are extremely important …

Last night the British Government announced that it will not hold a public inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane. This has come as a devastating blow to the Finucane family. Pat's widow, Geraldine, and his three children, Michael, Catherine and John, have fought for three long decades for truth. They had hoped that this week the British Government would finally seize the opportunity to do the right thing and grant the necessary inquiry, but yesterday's announcement shattered that hope. The Finucane family have r…

I thank the Taoiseach. His reiteration of the position of the Irish Government, the Irish State and the Houses of the Oireachtas that there must be a public inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane is absolutely essential. I join the Taoiseach also in reiterating the fact that agreements entered into must be honoured and delivered on. As he rightly points out, at Weston Park and following on from it there was an acceptance that a number of cases required special investigation. As the Taoiseach rightly says, success…

On the same subject but from a slightly different vantage point, given that the motion in question is around the potential removal of a judge from the Supreme Court Bench, that is a very serious matter and I do not think it is desirable that a motion can be put down and that it lingers on the Order Paper indefinitely. Is it not in our interests that we deal with the matter either way, whatever is the outcome, and that the matter is then dispensed with, rather than, if I understand the interpretation of what the Cea…

We believe people should have the right to retire with the State pension at the age of 65 if they so choose. The idea of sending someone to stand in a dole queue at the age of 65 is just wrong. When people have reached that age they have worked their shifts and paid their dues. We are putting a motion before the Dáil tonight calling for the State pension age of 65 to be reinstated. I call on all Deputies to support it. I know the Taoiseach takes a different view. He plans to raise the State pension age to 67. He al…

Deputy Bruton cannot do that.

It is not generally allowed.

No, it is not.

As the Taoiseach is aware, responsibilities for domestic violence supports and services are spread across multiple Departments and State agencies. Safe Ireland has called for the urgent roll-out of a funded national service development plan as the start of a comprehensive and long-term response to the enormous everyday problem of domestic violence. Domestic and gender-based violence services are to be commended for developing a structure within which they work together to share experience and develop policy, but it…

I wish to reflect on the new operating model for An Garda Síochána, which the Taoiseach correctly said is designed to provide more visibility and a more responsive and localised policing service to communities. This is not the reality on the ground and certainly not in the constituency I represent. The reality is that there is a lack of Garda presence, especially in the evening and at night. There is no community garda available after 7 p.m. This is an operational and resource issue. There is still a lack of person…

I met this morning with Sophie Redmond. She is 11 years old. She wrote me a letter and I want to put it on the record of the Dáil. I know she has written to the Taoiseach as well. Here is what she had to say. Dear Mary Lou, Thank you for supporting me. My name is Sophie Redmond and I am 11 years old. I love watching your videos on Instagram. [So that is good.] I like how you help people and that is what I want to do when I am older. You know I need scoliosis surgery. My friend, Chris Andrews, has been helping me lo…

Yes, you can.

We are hearing very distressing news of the death of a man who lived in a tent close to Leinster House this morning. I express my condolences to his family and friends. I just wanted to acknowledge the passing of this man, as it is almost six years to the day of Jonathan Corrie's death. The scandal of street homelessness and rough sleeping must be dealt with and it needs to happen soon. Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and it marks the start of the 16-day campaign against dom…