I thank my colleague Deputy Ó Broin for introducing this Bill to the House back in 2020. Last November, the National Oversight and Audit Commission report for 2021 was launched. It is damning regarding private rental accommodation inspections, to say the least. The report stated that between 2016 and 2021, there was an increase of 14% in the number of dwellings found to be non-compliant and that the number of dwellings that became compliant in 2021 actually fell by comparison with the number in 2020. The report sta…

In the programme for Government, the Government commits to prioritising investment in An Garda Síochána. I had a meeting with the Garda superintendent in my area, at which we discussed Garda resources at length. There are certain areas where extra gardaí are needed due to antisocial behaviour and drug issues. Obviously, any superintendent will always be looking for more resources in Garda stations and on the beat. Will the Taoiseach commit to increasing significantly the funding and the Garda numbers in south Kilda…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. As Sinn Féin's spokesperson for older people, I welcome the opportunity to debate this Bill, which we support. It is a sad truth of life that due to age and infirmity, older people are more likely to require inpatient treatments. The cost incurred disproportionately impacts pensioners and those with fixed incomes. A figure of €80 per night is a lot of money for those only on a State pension. I am glad that the Minister has finally heeded Sinn Féin's calls to abolish inpatient charges. T…

Would the Ceann Comhairle like me to continue?

That is simply unacceptable. The Government needs to do more for older people to treat and support them in the community. I urge the Minister to act now to increase staffing levels and invest urgently in GP capacity and primary care facilities, particularly in County Kildare, where we need to ease the pressure of the acute services. I am sorry; I am afraid the Minister probably did not hear anything I said because he was talking to the Ceann Comhairle. That is very disingenuous. I have to say that; I am sorry.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I appreciate that.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion. I thank my colleagues Deputies O'Rourke and Doherty for tabling it. Energy costs remain extortionately high for households. Frankly, it is not good enough that the Government has announced no meaningful supports for ordinary people until October. It is not good enough that energy companies enjoy excess profits at the expense of households trying to get by. The latest report from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on energy poverty makes for harrowing read…

While the Bill is not perfect, we see some of the measures outlined as a step in the right direction. I will speak on these measures and outline the reality. Sinn Féin welcomes giving clear effective oversight for accountability in the upper ranks of An Garda Síochána. There cannot be said to be justice without checks, balances and, if needed, the right to appeal to a higher authority. The restructuring of the Garda ombudsman into something with teeth is long overdue. As with most things, the proof is in the puddin…

I too thank the Regional Group for tabling this motion on the future of regional pre-hospital emergency care. I welcome the opportunity to speak on it. First, I echo the thanks and commendations given by my colleagues to our healthcare workers, especially our front-line healthcare staff who work so diligently to save lives. I represent a rural part of Kildare and Laois where the quick interventions of paramedics in the ambulance service can be the difference between a good outcome and a bad outcome and getting a ti…

Last year, I asked the Tánaiste, who was then Taoiseach, to intervene personally to address Garda numbers in Kildare and Laois. Unfortunately, we are back here again. On Wednesday, 21 December, there was a serious issue where a garda was needed. Nobody answered the phone initially and then no car was available to attend from the nearest station. In January, there was an attempted child abduction in the constituency. A female garda was on her own and, again, there was no Garda car. Then, on 7 February, the Garda was…

I thank my colleagues, na Teachtaí Ward and Gould, for bringing this Bill to the House. For far too long individuals with a dual diagnosis, which means having both a mental health and a substance abuse issue, have been left without adequate support and care. The current system often means individuals are passed forward and back between different services. This leads to confusion and a lack of continuity of care. The proposed legislation aims to address this by ensuring those with a dual diagnosis have access to str…

Energy company profits have skyrocketed through the crisis. This is disaster capitalism at its best. Earlier this month, Shell announced that it made a profit of €40 billion last year while last week, BP announced that it made $28 billion in profit. Deputy Doherty already mentioned this to the Minister. It is disgusting that these companies are making massive profits while workers and families are struggling to pay energy bills. It is time to end the energy rip off that is forcing people into hardship by redirectin…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is important legislation that is being introduced to enhance our readiness in the face of potential disasters and emergencies. The original legislation dates back to 1951. Modernisation was proposed in the White Paper on Defence in 2015. As with a lot of these reports, they are left on a shelf to gather dust so I am happy to see that this proposal has made the light of day. The Bill is designed to modernise and streamline the existing Civil Defence framework in Ir…

This Bill will repeal the Animal Remedies Act 1993 to modernise the legislation that governs veterinary medicine. It will also amend the Fertilisers, Feeding Stuffs and Mineral Mixtures Act. It is long overdue and yet another example of Government failure to transpose regulations on time. Ireland has been in breach of its legal obligations for over a year, with the Government dragging its feet. The EU regulation is intended to combat antimicrobial resistance and will require a veterinary prescription for all antibi…

Genuinely, as a daughter of a mother who was born in a county home, I find Deputy Durkan's contribution incredible, but I will move on. An American writer, Pearl Buck, wrote "Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is in the way that it cares for its helpless members." It is clear from this scandal that this Government is failing that test. This scandal is very much a symptom of successive uncaring governments, under whi…

Despite what the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, think, there is a severe crisis in housing. Despite very low targets, councils are struggling to provide homes. There are almost 7,000 people on the housing waiting list in Kildare, with a wait of ten to 12 years. My office is inundated with inquiries from people who are couch surfing, travelling between friends and relatives on different nights of the week to get a few hours sleep. There are 52 properties for rent advertis…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on local government. Our councils are some of the most bureaucratic, overstretched and underfunded bodies in the country. They are a shadow of their former selves, with services being cut to the bone to the extent that a council tenant in Kildare with a smoking fuseboard was told on Monday evening that there was no emergency maintenance call-out available after 5 p.m. to assess and repair the damage. This is simply not good enough. What if a fire starts? What if something happens …

Guím beannachtaí na féile Bríde ar an Taoiseach. This is similar to the issue raised by the previous speaker. On Saturday, I attended the Care Champions event in DCU. It was clear from listening to the moving and, at times, harrowing testimonies from families, nursing home residents and staff that there is an overwhelming need for a human rights-based inquiry into what happened in nursing homes during the pandemic. Families, including those from Dealgan House, want the truth about how and why their loved ones died.…

This Bill provides a legal basis for the use of body-worn cameras by members of An Garda Síochána, and for the extension of the circumstances in which CCTV and automatic number plate recognition devices may be used by the Garda. These changes were suggested as part of the report by the Commission on the Future of Policing. We in Sinn Féin are in favour of the use of body camera technologies as long as there is sufficient training for gardaí and measures are put in place to ensure the protection of all data collecte…

Last night a constituent brought a prescription for antibiotics to an out-of-hours chemist. The family has a medical card but because the prescribed medicine was out of stock, she was charged €17. This was for the very same medicine, amoxicillin. To add insult to injury, the medicine she received was made by an Irish company, Athlone Laboratories, in Roscommon. If that was not bad enough, the lady in front of her was also charged for her prescription. She was charged €54 with a medical card. People with medical car…