What is the way forward for Irish society? Is it housing for people or housing for profit? The Government's answer is clear. It is for housing for profit. If you want to see what that has led to, all you have to do is go to Belcamp Manor in Balgriffin in Dublin, where a vulture fund has snapped up 46 of the 54 new builds in that estate. The vulture fund is the DWS Group, an €800 billion German asset manager with majority control in the hands of Deutsche Bank. What rents will it charge in those 46 properties that it…

That is very patronising.

When are my constituents going to be able to turn on their taps and not be fearful that orange water will come out? When are my constituents going to be able to turn on their taps and there not be a good chance that brown, discoloured, or dirty water will come out? When is Uisce Éireann going to stop making excuses about this situation and set out a plan for solving this problem? When is the Government going to stop standing idly by and do something to sort this mess out? I will keep going with a few more questions…

On 8 January, a motion was put to Cork City Council calling on the Government to abolish Uisce Éireann and return control of water services to the local authorities. That motion was passed by 13 votes to 9, with even some Government councillors voting for it. Privatisation of water services has proved to be a disaster in Cork city. Uisce Éireann allowed a private company to build, design and operate the new Lee Road waterworks. Some €40 million was spent on the project and the water supply is now worse than ever. T…

It is contracting out to private, for-profit, contractors.

It is contracted to private companies.

Backed up by the banks.

When will this be solved?

You are waffling.

It has been a year and a half now.

That is not what we are looking for.

This amendment seeks to widen the definition of "the Family" in the Constitution to marriage or another durable relationship. This is a step away from the rigid definition of family in the 1937 Constitution. It is clearly more in line with the reality of Ireland in 2023, a society with 150,000 cohabiting couples, half of whom have children. One child in three is born to parents who are not married to each other. One child in five is part of a one-parent household. I have to disagree, however, with points that were …

Not a bother.

Potentially, this change would allow a Government to extend rights and benefits to all family forms. Those rights are not currently extended. An unmarried couple, for example, will not have access to widow's or widower's pension entitlements. A cohabiting couple are not able to avail of various tax benefits. Many pension schemes discriminate against non-married couples, and the providers of those schemes are legally entitled to do so. I could go on with many other examples. The Government does not propose with this…

The "State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved." "The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home." It is widely believed by historians that Article 41 of the Constitution was written by the Catholic archbishop, John McQuaid. The deletion of the woman-in-the-home clause has long been a demand of progressive…

It is a Christmas bombshell. The new owners of VMware are proposing 364 redundancies. That is one job in every three at this company. It is a devastating blow to the workforce, the vast majority of which is based at Ballincollig in Cork city. How can a family enjoy their Christmas when a job is on the line like this and the new year is threatened by the spectre of unemployment? Last week, I asked the Taoiseach to ensure that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, contacted this company to…

Has the Minister been in touch with VMware?

No, thanks.

The Taoiseach described the draft text put forward by the COP presidency as disappointing. I would describe it as disgraceful. There is no clear commitment to phasing out fossil fuels, correctly described as a death cert for small island states. It is clear the Minister, Deputy Ryan, will not sign that text but the concern is there will be a splitting of the difference. I would be opposed to signing that. I would like to hear the Taoiseach's comments. The negotiating position put forward by the Minister is far from…

Will the Minister of State ensure there will be a guarantee that no claimant will receive less under the new pay-related jobseeker's benefit than he or she currently receives?