There is growing concern among many parents, guardians, teachers, youth workers, gardaí and many others across society about the number of young people who are displaying challenging and disruptive behaviour. Some are even going on to commit crimes. Will the Minister make a statement on the matter, please?

Of course, we all want to see the optimal result. We do not want to see any children to be involved in antisocial and disruptive behaviour but unfortunately there are. The Minister gave a nice flowery answer there that she is responsible for the welfare of children and not if they are offending but they are both intrinsically linked. Does the Minister have concern about the increasing number of young people engaging in persistent antisocial and offending behaviour? What does she intend to do about the situation and…

I agree with the Minister about the vast majority, thankfully, but it is the minority who are involved in this behaviour. It is also a sad minority who have gone missing in State care under the watch of Tusla. A previous Minister said he did not lose a wink of sleep. Pat Rabbitte is a former chairman of the board of Tusla. I think Tusla is wholly unfit for purpose. Goodness, accountability is not there. Children can go missing. We saw from the UCD report some time ago how children were being trafficked in hotels in…

That was my question.

I would also like to send good wishes to our esteemed colleague and hard-working Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. I wish him well in St. Vincent's this evening after an episode that should not happen to any politician, male or female. It is a timely reminder to all of us. We wish him a speedy recovery and wish his wife and family well. I am delighted to be able to speak on the Bill. This legislation is badly needed, but we need to have balance between what the public needs and requires. No police force in the world can su…

Sorry, it is all relevant to this Bill, very much relevant. I thought the Ceann Comhairle was calling me on time. My remarks are very relevant because it is all in the one category. I know the Minister is doing his best. I thank him for coming to Clonmel to turn the sod and progress our new Garda station there. It is now about having people to fill it who will be able to respond to calls. Gardaí go on duty and may have 12, 15 or 20 calls to reply to. It is just so frustrating for them. It is hard on them. We have s…

My position on this has also been very clear. Our neutrality must be sacrosanct. It is sacrosanct as far as I am concerned. It is not something that should be weakened, chipped away at or in any way undermined. For a long time, the Taoiseach has held roadshows where he handpicked chairs for his own crowd of NGOs and other people on the bandwagon around the country. He got his answer. If he has to change this, he has to go to the people. As Deputy Nolan said, we had good leadership from a previous esteemed leader of…

I, too, am glad to be able to speak on this motion today. I compliment Páirtí an Lucht Oibre for introducing it. While we often the cost of education in terms of books, uniforms and transport, the reality for many families is that the financial pressures associated with rearing children have never been greater. I acknowledge that the schoolbooks scheme has been a positive development. It has delivered genuine savings and a significant burden has been removed from parents in many households. That support has made a …

Maidir le hUisce Éireann, cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan uisce? The situation in south Tipperary has reached crisis point. Since January, the Ardfinnan regional water scheme has experienced 58 water supply interruptions, affecting 11,000 customers, while almost 28,000 homes and businesses were placed on a boil water notice in a single week. The water is consistently off. Tipperary town has been under a boil water notice since last February. There is no sign of it being lifted. One constituent summed up the frustratio…

Something has to be done with Uisce Éireann because-----

What plans does the Government have to reform Uisce Éireann, which is totally out of control, given its continued failure to deliver on its core responsibility of providing a safe, secure and reliable water supply. Last week alone 28,000 homes and businesses across south Tipperary, from Carrick-on-Suir right up to Tipperary town, were affected by boil water notices. That is simply unacceptable in 2026. These notices, along with repeated unplanned outages, are not just an inconvenience, they force businesses to clos…

That is not acceptable.

I, too, compliment Deputy Ward, an Teachta Ward, for bringing forward this motion and for all the work he has done since he was elected and before he was elected. I also compliment na daoine in the Gallery, including Councillors Denis McGee and Joy Beard. Indeed, I also compliment the staff of Deputy Ward and the people and families who are affected. How many more times must they make the major journey to Dublin, Baile Átha Cliath, with their plastic bags? They come with knobs of concrete and they are like sawdust.…

I am happy to speak on the Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026 this evening. The cap must be lifted but there are fundamental questions. There are other issues besides Dublin; it cannot all be about Dublin. That is what it has been. There is huge investment in Dublin. We do not begrudge it one bit but we need a more balanced regional approach. While I support the lifting of the cap, for years policy and investment have been overwhelmingly focused on the capital while our regional airports at Cork, Shannon…

I commend Sinn Féin on bringing this motion forward. It is a shocking and alarming situation. The old saying is "Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí" - praise the young and they will come. How can they come forward? The dental service is in crisis. In my constituency of Tipperary, we now face the shocking reality that Tipperary town, one of our major county towns, no longer has a dentist providing a service to public patients. This is not acceptable. The Government has repeatedly ignored warnings and pleas for changes to…

-----and then the money was pulled again. It is a body blow. It is disgusting and someone should be held accountable.

I am glad to be able to speak on the motion today. I know the Minister is walking a tightrope and it is very difficult to get the proper balance. We have been waiting for the wind energy guidelines for 21 years. Fine Gael promised two elections ago that we would have them in 12 months. Councils are at a loss. It is the same with the solar situation. The best of land in the country is being taken over by solar. With regard to data centres, the United Nations, which I do not often pay a lot of attention to, is even i…

I wish the Minister of State well in her new role. I am concerned about these opt-ins. We are opting in very often without any proper legal scrutiny or impact analysis. None of us can say there is not a huge problem with gun crime. The availability of and activity involving guns is outrageous. We can have all the opt-ins and European agreements we like, but we do not have the Garda Síochána on the ground to deal with it. I commend the ABGN Gun Club in four parishes in my area, and also the many gun clubs around the…

I am appealing to the Taoiseach with just a couple of days to go to enact the European Union migration and asylum pact. I tried for almost two years on the Business Committee to have a debate here. Deputy Carol Nolan and I, and our rural Independent colleagues, tabled a motion on 1 May 2024, a May Day call, which the Government voted down. I appeal to the Taoiseach to have a pause and try to listen to the people. I ask the Taoiseach to please give the people a voice here and do not be patronising like he was in rep…

It was guillotined.