Answer the question.

Of the many laughable statements and assertions made by Fine Gael in yesterday's budget press release, the most pathetic was from the "Beyond GDP - Quality of Life Assessment" section. According to it, "wealth inequality in Ireland has declined over time, reflecting rising assets for those in the middle of the wealth distribution and falling liabilities for those at the bottom." It also claimed that Ireland has made good progress in increasing disposable income for the working age population. Were those insulting s…

That is not the issue.

I do not doubt the Minister of State's sincerity. I believe he is sincere about trying to resolve this, but with all due respect, his response did not reflect the experience of people on the ground. Why else would these mammies and daddies be in the Gallery tonight? Céad míle fáilte to them for keeping up the good fight. It is like déja vu . I stood here in February with the Minister of State and explained how my constituents in Dublin South-Central who are parents fight every day for special places in schools, a f…

At the outset, we welcome this Bill. Ensuring the right to be forgotten is essential for people who have overcome cancer. For people who face a diagnosis of that kind, purchasing a home might not be the first thing on their mind but shelter and owning a home are so important that many will quickly realise they are facing not only a battle with cancer but, even when they are on the far side of cancer, a battle to simply be treated like everyone else by the banks and insurance companies that are the modern gatekeeper…

I grew up in a very republican household. I was taught well by my father the values of service to the community and inclusion. I see parallels with Pride and the LGBT community in our country. Our queer comrades were oppressed by means of unfair laws, church doctrine and social stigma. The first Pride march in Dublin took place in June 1983 amid a culture of violence perpetrated against vulnerable segments of Irish society and emphasised by the murders of Charles Self, John Roche and Declan Flynn in the few months …

Thirty-three children in the GAA Palestine club were due to travel. I know the Tánaiste is very aware of the issue as a lot of my colleagues have raised it. Seven days prior to travel, they were told they need to provide more information and it has been quite devastating and upsetting for the coaches, for the hosts, for both Deputy Ó Snodaigh and me and for the Good Counsel club in Drimnagh, which is hosting them. I have sent all the relevant information to the Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. There i…

I would like to greet the survivors of domestic, intimate partner, sexual and gender-based violence in the Gallery as well as those at home. Some of you may not be able to pursue justice through our legal system for myriad reasons. We see you and we stand with you always. Every one of us knows a victim of crime in this very broad category, including behaviour which might not previously have been recognised as coercive control, revenge porn and marital rape. Consider that every single person in Ireland knows a victi…

The cost of every single aspect of life in Ireland has been on a constant upward trajectory since Covid arrived in 2020. Yes, we can point to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a cause for the increase in energy costs, which in turn caused food prices to increase around the world, but when energy costs eventually decreased, our food and goods prices did not follow. Supply costs are impacted by the global climate emergency, yet Ireland is not making the efforts necessary to meet its climate goals. A family in my consti…

We heard that yesterday and the day before that.

Is it €2,000 or €3,000?

Deputy Geoghegan called this a "charade". Ouch; that really hurt. I ask for respect. For what died the sons, and probably daughters, of Róisín? Luke Kelly wrote the poem on the 50th anniversary of the Rising in 1966. It reflected on where Ireland had arrived since Easter 1916. It was a lament of the direction this nation took, opting to shift towards a dominant capitalist society, often at the expense of our cultural identity and social well-being. Sixty years hence, the shift has solidified, arriving today at the …

In my first six months as a TD, I have been asked to intervene in four emergency mental health cases for constituents in Dublin South-Central. Three were for severe eating disorders where the patient's family feared for their survival if appropriate treatment was not provided immediately. The fourth acute patient simply sought a second medical opinion but was discouraged by the HSE at every stage. In all cases, the patients and their families felt they were not being heard by treating physicians and the scenarios w…

I know of a mammy who retrained after having children and received a healthcare assistant qualification. She was delighted to get a position in Beneavin Manor. Her delight quickly turned to despair as she witnessed horrors beyond comprehension. Patients were taken to the toilet by staff and left for hours only to die there, and the times and manner of death were brushed over for families. There were many instances of vulnerable patients physically fighting among each other and staff were not trained in de-escalatio…

It always is.

Answer the question.

Answer the question.

You can talk.

Jesus.

You are doing a very poor job.