Absolutely. That would be nice. Yesterday, I raised with the Taoiseach the very shocking case of Tori Towey. Tori is, as he knows, a 28-year old young woman from Roscommon. She is living and working in Dubai as an airline attendant, and she married last March. Since then, Tori has been subjected to sustained and brutal domestic violence and abuse. When she went to the authorities to seek help, instead of being protected, she was sent home with her husband. He then destroyed her passport so she could not travel and …

I thank the Taoiseach for that update. Let me just say this: Tori is not, as the Taoiseach says, a criminal. She is, in fact, a victim. Our first concern is to get Tori home safely, and that must happen immediately. These charges must be dropped and Tori and her mother Caroline must be allowed to travel home freely and unimpeded to Ireland and to Roscommon. That is the call from this Chamber today. I hope the authorities and the royalty in Dubai are listening very carefully to this message. This is not acceptable. …

Children with scoliosis and spina bifida waiting for spinal surgery have been repeatedly failed by the State. Confirmation that the majority of the €19 million allocated by the Government to tackle surgery waiting lists was not used for this purpose is just another broken promise to these children and their parents. It is scandalous that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, did not act immediately when advocacy groups raised their fears that this money was being directed into other services. It is time to end the broken …

Thanks.

Faoi cheannasaíocht Fhine Gael agus Fianna Fáil, tá deireadh tagtha le tithíocht inacmhainne. Léiríonn an phraiseach ar Bhóthar Oscair Mhic Thréinir nach bhfuil scéim tithíochta inacmhainne an Rialtais ag obair. Is í an eagla anois nach mbeidh na cíosanna san fhorbraíocht ar phraghas réasúnta do ghnáthdhaoine ach an oiread. House prices continue to spiral beyond the reach of ordinary working people. A report by Myhome.ie this week shows house prices increasing at their fastest rate for almost two years, having incr…

It does, in fact, cost the same amount to build the home, whether it is in Waterford or Dublin. The differential is the cost and the value of the land. That is the issue here, and that it is why it is all the more scandalous, particularly in the case of Dublin city, where land values and prices are so high, that the Government and the State would so thoughtlessly hand over public land into the hands of private developers. The Taoiseach has painted what he regards as a very rosy picture but he will know that people …

Does the Taoiseach know the specifics?

Absolutely.

Well said.

It is not agreed. I want to raise the emergency case of Tori Towey, a 28-year old, who is living in Dubai. She has been a victim of the most gross domestic violence. Her passport has been destroyed and a travel ban has been imposed on her. She went to the authorities seeking protection many times but to no avail. Following one particularly severe beating in which her husband repeatedly tried to slam doors on her arms and break her limbs, she escaped upstairs and she attempted to take her own life. Unfortunately, To…

I met with the new British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, in Belfast yesterday. It was a very good meeting, and I hope that the return of the party of the Good Friday Agreement to government in London will prove to be a turning point and an opportunity to rebuild relationships. One of the key issues I raised with the Prime Minister was immigration and the clear need for a bilateral agreement and arrangements between Dublin and London in respect of the safe return of asylum seekers. I know the Taoiseach will meet wit…

The matter I want to raise with the Taoiseach is the promise to extend the franchise for presidential elections. As the Taoiseach knows, we are something of an outlier in not allowing any opportunity for citizens living outside of the jurisdiction to participate in any electoral contest. There had been an agreement and wide consensus that the election of the first citizen, Uachtarán na hÉireann, would be the occasion on which we would extend the franchise, particularly to the North of Ireland. Irish citizens living…

The Taoiseach uttered a jibe earlier around the issue of housing north of the Border, which causes me to raise and remind him that the North is grossly underfunded, which is now a recognised fact. The pressures will be felt most acutely in health and education. We have been clear with people from the get-go on that. I ask that rather than taking potshots at me or Michelle O'Neill indirectly, on the issue of funding, that the Taoiseach raises that issue with Keir Starmer. The British Government claims and has jurisd…

It is for accuracy.

"Every year I say to Shane, this time next year, I'll have justice for you. Each year, I say that to him. And each year we try." Those are the words of Shane O'Farrell's mother, Lucia. For 13 long years she has fought a fight that no mother should have to fight. Alongside Shane's father, Jim, and their family, Lucia has spent more than a decade campaigning for truth and justice for her beloved son. Shane was only 23 years of age when he was killed. He had his entire life ahead of him, so much potential, so much to …

Last Saturday week on 23 June, Canadian tourist Neno Dolmajian was attacked on O'Connell Street in the early hours of the morning. He was viciously beaten, sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Mater hospital. He died there yesterday with his parents and his sister at his bedside. I want to express my deepest sympathies to Mr. Dolmajian's parents, his family and friends. Neno came to Dublin to experience all the greatness of our capital city and that he did not get to go home is heartbreaking. The vicious…

I also extend sympathy and solidarity to the families of those precious lives that were lost in counties Mayo and Westmeath. The fundamental problem we have here is that the Taoiseach is failing to face the actual reality on the ground, which is that there is not high-visibility policing in Dublin’s inner city. It is not there. The Taoiseach cited Pride and occasions where there are concerts and so on, which are well organised and I tip my hat to the Garda for that, but I am talking about the everyday reality of pe…

For the past year, the Government has assured us that the proposition on the future funding of RTÉ would be brought before the Dáil before the summer recess. We have just over a week to go. In the 20 months to April of this year, more than €500,000 has been paid in TV licence fines by ordinary people. In that same time, almost 5,000 people received a conviction for non-payment of the licence. The report of the media committee is being launched today, and I believe a majority of that committee recommends an end to t…

Here we are again, having statements in the Chamber following the news of an utterly chilling act of violence committed against a woman. We are all horrified by the brutal and barbaric assault committed on Natasha O'Brien by Cathal Crotty. The man who perpetrated this crime received a suspended sentence. The Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, has appealed the sentence and I welcome that. Meanwhile, Natasha has been left to pick up the pieces of her life, as she navigates trauma and horror. When I met Natasha las…

I heard the news that our colleagues Deputies Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy have announced they are not going forward for re-election. I acknowledge them as two mighty and formidable women in leadership. I wish them both the very best in the future. A moment of girl power, I feel, which is rare enough in these Chambers. Two thirds of people believe it is harder than ever to buy a first home. That is the stark finding from new research published today. This sentiment is felt particularly strongly among young …