The increasing number of people seeking asylum places an onus on every government, including theirs, to plan and resource an immigration system that is fit for purpose and that safeguards social cohesion as well, and that has not happened. Now, by opting in to the EU pact, the Government compounds its failure and shirks its leadership and responsibility. It proposes to hand responsibility and power for Ireland's immigration policies over to Brussels lock, stock and barrel. Signing up to this pact in its entirety ti…

I am an Irish republican. I lead an Irish republican party. I believe passionately in the principles of equality and inclusion. I despise every form of bigotry, sectarianism, racism, exclusion and discrimination. For our part, our commitment to equality includes tackling wealth inequality, standing up for working-class communities, for ordinary people and families and for carers, and investing in communities that have been failed and ignored by successive Governments. This is the lens through which I, as an Irish r…

At the end of February, on Leaders' Questions, I raised the case of Maggie, a ten-year-old child in desperate need of mental health support. Maggie has endured cancer and suffers from depression, anxiety and self-injurious behaviour. She is in very serious distress and does not leave the house except to go to school. Maggie was on an urgent list for over a year before getting a CAMHS meeting. An assessment for intellectual disability followed but she was not accepted into the service because there is no specialist …

The Taoiseach is right that the Minister met the families. That happened in October. It is now June, and there has been no progress from their perspective. They are very disappointed. Every day that these children are on waiting lists or are denied services is damaging in the here and now and to their future prospects. With the greatest of respect, for the Taoiseach to tell me that a waiting list of 3,583 is an improvement on a previous scenario is no comfort at all. That is a deeply unacceptable situation. I raise…

I wish to raise the issue of the stadium at Casement Park in Belfast. As the Taoiseach will know, this is a flagship Executive project. Indeed, it is a key and a joint commitment, not just among the parties of the Executive but between Dublin and London as well. The Taoiseach will also be aware that the opportunity to be part of hosting Euro 2028 was cited as a further incentive to get this project done. I am very concerned that the current British Government, the Tory Government, is walking off the pitch with a ba…

Parents of children with special needs face a constant battle with the State to get their children the education services to which they are entitled. As we speak, many parents are once again beginning their annual fight to secure appropriate school places for their children from September. This pressure is exacerbated every year as they also struggle to secure summer provision places for their children. A survey published today by Family Carers Ireland reveals that 72% of carers have never received respite. Many of…

I described Jack's position and situation to the Taoiseach. His mother wrote to The Irish Times in May outlining the position, which has not changed since then. He cannot access summer provision. Far from making a political football of anything, this mother and family are appealing for change and for urgent action in order that Jack can access the support and service he needs in the course of the summer. The capitation grant has been cut from €45 to €30. Schools, SNAs and everybody who wishes to provide this wonder…

I invite the Taoiseach to respond directly to her and, by extension, to Jack.

I understand the Road Safety Authority, RSA, wrote to the Taoiseach last March asking for increased funding and detailing a number of projects that have stalled due to a shortfall. That has been reported in the media. It seems the authority also informed the Taoiseach that the Government would have to plug the gap or allow the authority to increase the cost of the national car test, NCT, by 10%. The burden of delivering the funding should not be placed on the backs of motorists, who have already seen hikes in fuel …

The cost of living is putting enormous pressure on households. A report by Barnardos published this morning highlights the sharp impact on families and children. Nearly half of parents say they or their children have gone without or cut back on the basics over the past six months. This includes food, clothes, medicine, electricity and heat. Some 47% of parents say they are forced to cut back on social activities for their kids. The vast majority of those surveyed say they worry about not being able to provide the d…

The report makes absolutely clear that half of households, both parents and children, struggle, go without and worry.

That is the upshot of the Barnardos report. It is an echo of Social Justice Ireland, which equally recorded those stresses and strains. Insulting me does not take from that reality. I have put to the Taoiseach that he has made and stated his intention that he wishes to tackle the cost of living. He has made quite a production around this. That is good and he should do that. I am saying that hiking diesel and petrol prices in August and then again in October will not achieve that aim. On the contrary it will make a …

So, he is not doing it.

Not true.

I can feel another fact check coming on.

I will endeavour to do so. I want to raise an important issue that affects hundreds of former Waterford Crystal workers, some of whom join us in the Gallery. It is a group that has campaigned on this matter for years. The workers said Waterford Crystal Limited failed to properly inform them of their pension options when they were taking redundancy. This left them without an occupational pension and reliant on the State pension. I met a group of workers in Waterford recently. They are very angry and they believe, wi…

At a Fine Gael press conference, the Taoiseach told reporters that as he canvasses around the country, he has heard too many examples of the bulk-buying of homes by wealthy property funds, but, of course, he already knew this was happening and that it is not happening by accident. Property funds bulk-buying family homes is a direct result of Government policy. Over a decade ago, Fine Gael rolled out the red carpet for these funds with sweetheart tax deals, and it has renewed that policy year after year, choosing re…

I am astonished therefore. If what the Taoiseach is saying is accurate why is it that out on the canvass the Taoiseach hears so much about this?

If the Government's response has been so effective, how is it that the Taoiseach hears these accounts of vulture funds snatching up family homes when out on the canvass?

Are the people on the ground wrong as well? We live in a country where we have sky-high housing prices, sky-high rents, and record homelessness. Young people and their parents are frankly in despair. The Government's housing policy is not working and the Taoiseach should do a little bit more canvassing if he doubts me-----