I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. I find it quite ironic, however, given the role of the Labour Party and its austerity agenda, which caused so much hardship for the people of south Kildare and the Portarlington area of County Laois. While it was in government, the Labour Party presided over a range of savage cuts such as the removal of the bereavement grant, the increase in the pension age, a doubling of the student contribution fee, the cutting of rent allowance and child benefit and the introduc…

This is a welcome and long overdue Bill. It was first proposed in 1977 by the Law Reform Commission and it is timely that we are discussing it today. While the Construction Industry Register Ireland has existed in a voluntary capacity since 2014, it has done so under the auspices of the Construction Industry Federation, CIF. As we have seen in many facets of Irish society, self-regulation often amounts to no regulation. It is essential that any such register is fully independent in nature. We in Sinn Féin do not th…

The Government's announcement last Friday had a notable absence that caused considerable worry among a significant portion of the population. There was no mention of nursing homes. Residents in nursing homes have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. Will the Government issue specific instructions to nursing homes ensuring that our older people have appropriate access to family visits, as some nursing homes are still denying these? We need clear guidelines to ensure that a balance between physical and me…

It is difficult to follow Deputy O'Reilly talking about somebody who died in that way. However, I thank Deputies Joan Collins and Pringle for bringing this motion forward. It is not the first time we have debated this topic but I hope it will be the last. I am aware that the Minister of State is taking this debate instead of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The new national maternity hospital is yet another hospital building project on which there is gross overspending. The construction costs are currently es…

I appreciate the efforts of the Government in trying to deal with this issue but, unfortunately, there are, yet again, many weaknesses in the legislation in its current form. The biggest criticism I have is that it does not take on board any of the recommendations contained in the report of the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. There were 83 recommendations and not one is taken on board, which, frankly, is a disgrace. Alternative proposals to legislate in this area must not l…

This evening, my thoughts are, in the first instance, with Ashling Murphy's family, friends, pupils and colleagues at the school, and the whole community in Tullamore who have been through an unimaginable heartbreak. The outpouring of grief for Ashling and the tens of thousands of women and girls who have shared their experience of everyday harassment and violence, and the fear of violence, have sent a clear message to us all - enough is enough. We can all see that this is a watershed moment. The causes are deep-ro…

Cuirim fáilte roimh na hAirí ar deis leo thabhairt ar an ábhar seo. I would like to raise the plight of community groups and the difficulties they are facing during the pandemic. They have kept operating, in most cases, in very difficult circumstances. The Government needs to do more to help them. They are saving the State a fortune and, in some cases, are saving lives. For instance, our first responders are ordinary men and women giving up their time to help communities to cope with the gaps in the ambulance servi…

On page 51 of the programme for Government, it acknowledges that the impact of Covid-19 has been especially difficult for older people. It rightly states: "Learning from COVID-19, we will assess how we care for older people and examine alternatives to meet the diverse needs of our older citizens." When will the promised commission to examine care and supports for older people be established? Will the views of groups such as Sage Advocacy, ALONE and many other groups that provide support for our older people be cons…

This is a very important Bill. It allows for the four-fifths rule, thereby allowing Departments to spend money next year. This rule means that Departments can spend up to four fifths of the previous year's voted expenditure before a vote must take place on the spending of extra money. If this Bill was not passed, there would have to be votes in January to allow Departments to spend. Since the Finance Act 2004, these Bills have also allowed for the capital carryover. Departments can carry 10% of their allocations ov…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to co-sponsor this Bill along with my colleague, An Teachta Mairéad Farrell. It is a short and relatively simple Bill which will have far-reaching effects and will result in large savings for the public purse. Judging by reports in this weekend's Mail on Sunday , it is a very timely Bill. Apparently, a number of unforeseen delays have contributed to an increase of almost 40% in the cost of providing motorway infrastructure and the bypass of Sallins, County Kildare. The M7 wide…

I am at a loss. That is all I can say at this point. I cannot understand why members of the Government come in here and oppose Bill after Bill after Bill. In my opening speech, I referred to successive governments being careless with public money. This one is no better. I thought it might change some legislation but all it does is constantly oppose Bills we introduce. We are parliamentarians for a reason. We are elected by the people to do a job for them. We are here to do what they want. The money is not our money…

On page 79 of the programme for Government there is a promise to fast-track "the return to Disability or Invalidity Pension for people where employment opportunities do not succeed." I have spoken to many people over the past two years who are on long-term sickness payments. They would love to give work a try but the risk of putting themselves in severe financial difficulty is too great. There are some who live with illnesses and who experience flare-ups. What progress is being made on this promise and can those wh…

I welcome the opportunity to speak about this Bill. It is an issue that is dealt with every year around this time, in a similar Bill to provide for risk equalisation. Risk equalisation is a mechanism designed to give effect to the objective of a community-rated health insurance market, where customers pay the same premium for the same health insurance plan, regardless of age, gender or health status. The Health Insurance Act has provided for a risk equalisation scheme for the market since January 2013. Under the sc…

I also thank Deputy Paul Donnelly for bringing forward this motion. Dublin Fire Brigade provides an invaluable full-time fire rescue and ambulance service for the greater Dublin area. It is a model that should be replicated throughout the country. It is clear that while the retained model that is prevalent in rural Ireland is doing its best thanks to part-time retained firefighters, the system is not suitable for the 21st century. We need an all-Ireland national fire service that is free from the budget constraints…

I thank Deputy Kerrane for bringing this motion forward. It is fantastic work. The Government thinks it has a Midas touch where it can turn everything into a money-making opportunity for its friends and squeeze a profit out of issues such as homelessness, the health crisis and asylum seekers. Society is not supposed to turn monetary profit. It is supposed to support social goals like low crime rates, support the vulnerable, especially our older people although that is for another day's work, and the provision of vi…

The Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021 replaces the strategic housing development process with the introduction of a new planning process for large-scale residential developments. There has been widespread criticism of strategic housing developments not least from the Minister's party councillors who have brought forward or supported motions at council meetings all over the country to criticise the policy and call for its abolition. The death of strategic housing de…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt ar an ábhar seo. Is ábhar an-tábhachtach é. I have had a number of engagements with the Minister on this issue and I believe he wants to do right by survivors, the victims of the terrible regime that was the mother and baby home system. I urge him to resist the conservative forces of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. It is not too late to do the right thing. It grates on me to refer to those institutions as "homes", given the terrible things that happened in them. The State abdicated i…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an deis labhairt ar an ábhar seo. The Government is failing the Irish people in its response to Covid. While we in Sinn Féin agree with the approach of following the available medical advice, the Government is slow to share this advice. Yesterday's briefing to the Opposition by the Chief Medical Officer was a welcome development but communication must improve. There is a lack of planning and leadership by this Government. There is no strategy that I can see except for the kite-flying that we hav…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the climate action plan. The devil is in the detail and I do not believe this Government has any intention of addressing the climate crisis we face, nor the energy, cost-of-living, housing and health crises. I could go on, but I only have a short time. We have a Government of crisis currently in crisis. It strikes me as a Government living on borrowed time, going through the motions and waiting for the end. The year 2030 is eight years away and yet there is no sense of urgency.…

The Land and Conveyancing Reform Law Reform Act 2009 was a significant modernising law, which brought our land law into the 21st century. It repealed 150 pre-1922 Acts, including one from 1285. However, there was a serious flaw in the 2009 Act relating to transitional arrangements on easements. It was amended by the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011. The 2011 Act extended the period within which prescriptive easements required under the old law could be registered for a further nine years. I hope the ne…