Would the Taoiseach answer the question?

The Taoiseach is tasked with more than watching a TV programme. He is the Taoiseach.

Oh dear.

Sitting on the fence.

Oh.

The Good Friday Agreement.

You are rattling in your boots. You cannot lead.

It is an emotion we all have - falling in love. It is a promise. It is life-affirming, with a possibility of leading to a life partner. It is a wonderful human emotion. It has the promise of finding a sense of home, of trusting somebody, with finding a soul mate - an eye on building a future together where each person has the other's back. Then the insidious gradual picking can start, seemingly innocent, the undermining, leading to the odd slap, and be followed by the express remorse that makes one stay. There is a…

Well said.

Hear, hear.

I think the Minister of State should welcome this legislation. I think in some of what he said, he has, but this timed amendment of 12 months is disappointing. We live in a society in which we have seen, in the last decade and a half or two, the explosion of harm against women and often their children. It has become quite scary for women in this country and worldwide. It is to keep us in our boxes and to make sure we do not go any further. The guys want to have their say still, albeit in an aggressive and violent m…

Give us the evidence.

How boring this is.

Before I start, the Housing Agency was tasked with researching and monitoring housing-based interventions that sought to strengthen social cohesion. I am wondering if that report informed this Bill, or if there is yet to be a report. If you ask the people of Dublin South-Central, they will clearly tell you that affordable and social housing is key in addressing the fragmentation and displacement of their communities, as vulture funds, student accommodation and transient accommodation smother their area. Swathes of …

I welcome the groups in the Gallery who have come to listen to this debate. I hope it proves inspiring from all of us to you. Pride, or Bród, month began with the bravery of a demonstration in Dublin in 1974. A group of men and women protested against the archaic laws of the 1800s that criminalised homosexual relations. It was not until 1993 that it was decriminalised, marking a significant step towards LGBTQI rights in Ireland. Another significant step towards equality was taken by ICTU in 1986, which produced and…

The Guardianship of Infants and Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2026 will always be known as Valerie's law. Thanks to Valerie's brother, David French, this is a very proud moment for all of us and especially for him and his family. His tenacity is to be admired given the arduous journey over the years to get to this point, with many occasions appearing to be confusing. I would say that trying to find a way has been exhausting for him but sibling love and loyalty spurred him on. As a Sinn Féin spokesperson on gender and…

I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity. This matter is obviously about Kilmainham Gaol and the board of visitors. I am not sure if the Minister of State knows the back story to all this, but Kilmainham Gaol itself has witnessed so much of modern Irish politics and history. It has covered everything from the United Irishmen to the Fenians, the Invincibles, the Famine and the Land League. It has a place in all our hearts and in hearts abroad. A committee of trustees and voluntary workers, including my uncl…

As the Minister of State can imagine, I am gobsmacked and very disappointed. I find the response very disrespectful to me as a family member of an individual who spent over 700 hours doing the roof of Kilmainham Gaol. It is extremely disrespectful to us, the families and the volunteers who are still around. The late Garret FitzGerald at the time said that the trustees were to provide advice, and to organise events and commemorative ceremonies to honour those who suffered and died in the prison. That is what the boa…

I thank the Minister for taking this. I represent Dublin South-Central, the premier tourist route in the country. Others might disagree with that but the facts speak for themselves. You start at Trinity College and walk a straight line that brings you through Trinity College to the Iveagh Markets, St. James's Hospital - the old South Dublin Union - Roe and Co. and Guinness. Then you find yourself at the Royal Hospital, and then onto Kilmainham Gaol - where I am a member of the board - and the Phoenix Park. All of t…

Stop it.