As we become increasingly dependent on technology, the way consumers interact with businesses is changing rapidly. Although there are significant benefits to that, it does come with greater risk of fraud and, unfortunately, it seems that is what we are seeing at the moment. The fact that there is possibly a large number of bogus and fake companies must be addressed as a matter of urgency. I wrote to the Minister's Department in July regarding the issue but the response from the Department was pretty woeful. It prev…

One issue that my office in Limerick is contacted about multiple times a day is housing. People are calling to look for help with their housing issues and help to get on the housing waiting lists, people are in mortgage distress and, more and more, we are seeing people who are struggling to pay their rent. Those in this category are extremely varied and include students struggling to find a house for a semester and families who have rented for years but the rent just keeps going up and up. To put it simply, hard-wo…

What contingency plans has the Minister for Health in place to deal with severe lack of capacity at University Hospital Limerick as winter season approaches? We are very concerned about that.

I thank the Minister. To clarify, I understand that only half the beds in the 96-bed unit will be new beds and the rest, 48 beds, will be taken out elsewhere. Therefore, there will not be 96 additional beds, unfortunately. I agree with the Minister that there have been a number of beds put in there. However, last week I met the CEO of the hospital and some of the clinical directors there. I also met some of the trade unions which deal with the workers. In October, there has been an average of 76 patients per day on…

It is having the worst month ever.

The two words that best describe yesterday's budget are "underwhelming" and "unsatisfactory". From a health perspective, the budget increases spending in the sector but misses the key issues of capacity and staffing. It delivers little for the more than 900,000 people, including 43,656 on waiting lists at University Hospital Limerick, and offers no solution to the trolley crisis. In housing it is unsatisfactory. There is nothing there for renters and little for those who are looking to avail of social and affordabl…

The Limerick Leader this morning quoted the family of an elderly patient in University Hospital Limerick who said she is in conditions that resemble a cattle mart. Every day in October an average of 80 people are lingering on trolleys in this hospital. I have raised this in the Dáil since I was first elected in 2016. We are facing into the winter crisis where it is going to get worse. Tomorrow, my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, and I are meeting the CEO of the hospital and the unions there. Can the Tánaiste tell me w…

I welcome this strategy, which is quite good. It is important that we recognise that many juvenile offenders suffer multiple disadvantages and that early intervention is the key to reducing the number of juvenile offenders. That is really a critical and important thing to say. When I read the strategy and its accompanying notes, I was thinking about how this will work in my constituency of Limerick. As the Minister of State is probably well aware, we have huge problems in parts of our city. Some parts suffer from m…

The Minister has finally launched his much talked about and often delayed Housing for All plan. Frankly, I find it underwhelming. One would like to think that those delays related to ensuring the plan was sturdy, deliverable and truly transformative. Unfortunately, it is not. What we have been presented with is more of the same, with lofty ten-year plans that do not solve the many immediate problems we face. Rental prices continue to rise and the plan does little to stymie that. The media suggested the delays were …

That is not true.

As the Minister well knows, my city has a number of hospitals and they have fantastic staff working in them. The waiting lists are not of their making. It is not their fault but it is the staff and patients who suffer. I believe the Minister has no plan for this. There is no direction. I have raised this issue with the Minister in the Chamber since he was appointed, especially the trolley crisis in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, which is ongoing. This month will see almost 1,000 people on trolleys in UHL. I ple…

This is an important Bill, one which my party will be supporting. Our regret is in regard to the need to rush it through. Unfortunately, this need arises because the Government has yet again failed to plan. The new divisions are to begin operations at the end of the year and this debate is occurring as we approach the end of September. This is not a good way to be doing our business. This is a technical Bill that deals with the introduction of a new operational model. There are several technical and terminology cha…

I am pleased to speak on this important Bill. We have been looking for this for many years in the previous committee and in the committee I chair at the moment. The establishment of a corporate enforcement authority as a stand-alone entity is a very positive and welcome step, and I want to put that on the record. For too long, white-collar crime has not been pursued as vigorously as it should be. These crimes are not victimless. They damage the international reputation of the State and impact on the price that cons…

I want to make some brief comments in the short time available to me. This amending legislation is necessary to remove the sweetheart deal offered to developers and investors by way of the exemption to Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. It is necessary at a time when the residential property price index figures show an annual average increase of 8.6% in property prices and when people are struggling to gain mortgage approval while paying higher rents. A June 2021 daft.ie sales report indic…

I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. I move the motion to adjourn the debate, unfortunately.

In advance of the phased return to workplaces from 20 September, many workers are wondering when they will have a legal right to request remote or blended working arrangements. Can the Tánaiste give an update on the drafting of legislation to deliver a right to request remote working?

Since the announcement by the Government of the phased return to work from 20 September, many workers have expressed concerns to us about what that will mean for remote and blended working in the future. From the Tánaiste's response, it seems we are a good bit away from having the right of workers to request remote working delivered into law. In the absence of that firm legal footing for workers, will he publicly state that the Government's preferred option is for employers and managers to agree with workers, their…

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. Many people are concerned regarding what will happen. It is good that the Government is calling on employers to do X, Y and Z but we will be coming into this very soon. I agree with the Tánaiste that one of the benefits of the pandemic is that working will change for many people. My colleagues and I have spoken to many people on this issue in the past couple of months and the message we have received is that a blended approach would suit many people, while working from home su…

I raised the issue of the introduction of a living wage with the Tánaiste a number of times prior to the recess. In previous exchanges, the Tánaiste mentioned that the improvement of workers' conditions has been a priority. As such, I would like to know how this priority is progressing. Can the Tánaiste provide us with a timeframe of when the Low Pay Commission review will be completed? It has been subcontracted and tasked with reporting back with some idea of the living wage.

As the Tánaiste is aware, I have expressed my scepticism already in respect of the Low Pay Commission and my concern that it will come back with too low a figure. It has previous on this with the national minimum wage, when it came back with figures that would have been described at the time as desultory, paltry and pathetic. It does not give me huge confidence if we are leaving the matter with the commission. For many of our low-paid workers, the introduction of a living wage could be the difference between povert…