I ask that the information the Minister gets from the Minister, Deputy Ryan, be made public today. There is a lot of concern out there about this issue. It is five days to the budget. It is true that the Minister does not have responsibility for energy but as the Minister for Finance, I would have thought he would have known the answer to that question at this point. We had the situation during Covid with regard to gas that whereas previously an allowance was made that people could go €5 over the limit before there…

Today in Cork city and county, workers who provide key community services at the Irish Wheelchair Association, EmployAbility and St. Joseph's Foundation are striking for one day. These are section 39 workers, most of whom have not received a pay increase in 14 years. These workers are demanding a pay increase and restoration of the link with public sector pay. In so doing, they are acting to defend services which have been undermined by stagnant pay rates and which face a crisis of recruitment and retention. Tomorr…

I am opposed to the self-regulatory model for the online tech giants. Therefore, I welcome this legislation as a step forward, however small. There are important issues around finding the best balance between preventing harmful content and the protection of free speech. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has raised important issues in that regard. In this contribution, I would like to discuss the impact of social media and other online platforms on mental health. This legislation defines one type of online harm …

The Taoiseach is on record as saying he wishes to have an informed debate about military issues and this country in future. The NATO summit in Madrid committed not just to an arms race but to a nuclear arms race. The strategic compass declares full support for the "forward deployment of" US nuclear weapons on European soil. At a time when millions of ordinary Europeans face the threat of being frozen in their homes this winter or struggling to put food on the table, it is outrageous that NATO is committing to spend…

The question is about new US nuclear weapons in Europe. Will the Taoiseach please answer?

The Taoiseach is for it.

Last year, the Taoiseach said in the House: All the measures the Minister has taken in placing restrictions on evictions and so on have borne fruit. The tsunami has not happened that the Deputy said would happen a year ago. The Deputy he referred to was my good self. This morning Threshold came before an Oireachtas committee and reported that it has been notified of 462 notices to quit per month this year. This has increased from 263 in 2019. It is an increase of 76% on pre-pandemic levels. The tsunami the Taoiseac…

They are not doing it.

Six years ago, Deputy Joan Collins put forward the water in public ownership Bill, which calls for a referendum to ensure that water services remain in public ownership. Yesterday, the Taoiseach was asked when this referendum would be held and when a date for it would be announced. He replied that the Minister " is working on it" and that "We will get a timeline when we are ready for it." Water workers across the country insist that this referendum must be announced before 1 January. The reason for this is because …

The Taoiseach increased the minimum wage this year by less than 3%, which is in real terms a very serious pay cut for the country's lowest-paid workers. Now he intends to increase it for next year by less than 8%, which is another pay cut in real terms. His annual report talks of building a better society. How can he say that he is doing that when a worker in this country who is on €11.30 an hour cannot live a decent life? This increase would not feed the pigeons. I want to invite the Taoiseach to come down to the …

Last year's increase was higher than inflation?

At 2.9%?

The Grand Parade?

We are debating measures that need to be introduced to assist people with household bills. The clearest and simplest step that can be taken is to increase welfare benefits and pay to rates that match inflation. However, this would go directly against the policy of the Government. The Government effectively wants to cut workers' pay, including the pay of the lowest paid workers. The increase in the minimum wage is below 8% and the rate of inflation. The Government cut the minimum wage last year and is planning to cu…

A SLAPP is a groundless or exaggerated lawsuit or other form of legal intimidation initiated by state organs, businesses and corporations, and individuals with power and money etc. against weaker parties, including journalists, civil society organisations, human rights defenders and others that transmit messages that are uncomfortable to those with the power and money. The aim of the SLAPP is not to win the case but to use the procedure to intimidate, tire out and consume the financial and psychological resources o…

I am referring to sentencing guidelines in a general sense.

I ask that the Minister of State communicate this point to the Minister for Justice.

In that case, I will set aside my other comments and conclude by saying we need compassion and professional help in cases like this. Jail should not be the punishment for young women who give birth in secret and in shock. I call on the Minister to review sentencing guidelines and to call for this woman's release.

I will speak very briefly on this. I will talk about the rights of the people who have been hardest hit by this issue. I will also talk about the rights of the taxpayers. On the issue of the people who live in the homes affected by mica, I will put on record that I believe it is a disgrace that this is being rammed through, that there has not been adequate time for debate and that the Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage was not convened today to discuss the situation. The Bill does not extend…

“Incredibly unkind”, “unprofessional”, and “a huge lack of respect” are the words of Michaela Willis, the author of the State’s 2009 Retained Organs Audit. She is describing the endless delays around the release of a report into the export of babies' organs from Cork University Maternity Hospital, CUMH, to Belgium for incineration without parental consent. The South-South-West Hospital Group originally stated that this report would be released by November 2021. Why are these parents having insult added to injury an…