The opening of the Children's Health Ireland, CHI, urgent care centre at Connolly Hospital was hailed as a major milestone in the new children's hospital project. The walk-in service providing urgent care for children with minor injuries and illnesses was a critical component of the new service, not just in providing immediate care but in taking the strain off CHI at Temple Street and CHI at Crumlin and the new children's hospital, when it finally opens. As the Taoiseach knows, CHI has inexplicably and suddenly wit…

I welcome the Taoiseach's response that the referendum on housing is coming. Will he consult the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage to seek its opinion on the proposed wording? A constitutional right to housing will not guarantee every person in the State a home but it would place an important legal obligation on current and future Governments to progressively realise that right through their policies, laws and budgets. A referendum to enshrine the right to housing in the Constitution will al…

The simple fact of the matter is that, as the Minister has acknowledged, the ambulance service is under great pressure. Nobody outside of the Chamber would ever criticise any of the workers. In fact, we have all been exceptionally supportive of them and that is why they have engaged with us on this matter. When a person fell ill recently in this building, I called the ambulance service at 11 a.m. At 4 p.m. I received a call from the ambulance service and from Dublin Fire Brigade to apologise and I was asked whether…

What steps are being taken to deal with the retention of staff in community development projects in view of the large number of staff who are leaving to take up roles with the HSE and local authorities? Is there a plan to introduce pay parity to encourage more people to join the sector and, importantly, to retain those currently working in the community?

That is part of the problem. There is no one Minister with an overarching role in respect of community development. Anywhere we go, we hear about the deep concern regarding job recruitment and retention. The simple fact, however, is that funding provided for salaries in the community development sector simply do not match what the State, through local authorities and the HSE, is offering. According to a report, a community organisation seeking funding to retain a highly skilled worker found that doing so was not wo…

The facts are there. It is clear that the funding gap is approximately 12% to 14%, depending on which project is involved. There are section 10s, sections 56s and section 39s, in addition to programmes that are directly funded by the Department. This funding is critical for community development because it is a very specific sector and role that covers a plethora of different services, projects and needs within communities. The Minister of State sits at the Cabinet table. I ask him to raise at Cabinet the crisis in…

Will the Ministers outline the Department's role in the implementation of the national drugs strategy?

As the Minister of State knows, I have been involved in the local drugs task force since the beginning, back in the late 1990s. The role of community representatives on the task force is critical. I know this has become a huge challenge for the community in recent years. There has also been something of a pushback from certain Departments against community involvement. Basic respect for the community is needed, with its experience, expertise, knowledge and commitment to driving the national drugs strategy. Since th…

This is deeply worrying in the community. Over the past couple of years, I have attended a number of meetings with Citywide and community representatives on the respect that people are not getting in the interaction with and implementation of the national drugs strategy. I commend the Citywide drugs crisis campaign. I know a call has gone out for participants in the provision of level 5 training for community representatives on local drugs task forces. That is a really good move. I encourage anybody who has an inte…

I welcome this Bill and thank the Deputies who brought it forward. Given that Sinn Féin tabled a motion on the matter to which it relates last night, it is a sign of the really deep concern that we all have about the ending of this eviction ban and the cliff edge that people will face. There is no doubt that the Government has lost control of the homelessness crisis. That is obvious as levels of homelessness continue to rise, despite the winter ban on evictions. In Dublin 15, it went from 40 in September to 90 in t…

The Bill is welcome. We need to acknowledge and streamline the difficulties at all levels of the Garda Síochána from the Commissioner down and build on what is going well. The level of confidence in GSOC presents an issue, with some investigations taking too long. With Deputy Paul Murphy, I raised this matter last week as it related to the ongoing investigation into the death of George Nkencho. It has taken two years, yet a report has still not been produced. We need to acknowledge the issues with recruitment and r…

I welcome the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use. It is something that has needed to happen for many years. I commend all of those who campaigned and worked hard to get this far. I acknowledge there is no one voice on this issue. While we are speaking about a citizens' assembly I call on the Government to stop dragging its heels and establish a citizens' assembly on Irish unity as soon as possible to give all the people a say in the future of our island. Drug misuse and abuse destroys individuals, families and communi…

This incident happened in my constituency, not too far from my home, and I have asked consistently about the GSOC investigation. To be honest, I listened to the reply and it is pretty much identical to what we heard before Christmas, the Christmas before that and in the summer. It is pretty much identical to the previous statements. If an investigation was being carried out by An Garda Síochána and it took two years for someone to complete an investigation, we would be here saying that it was completely unacceptabl…

Ireland has a history of forced emigration through the brutal occupation of our country and the failure of this State to be able to provide work to generations of young men and women. We all know some were welcomed and others were met with signs that said: "No blacks, no dogs, no Irish". The immigration, refugee and asylum seeker crisis of today is a space we should not be in. The failure to properly accommodate Ukrainian refugees and international protection asylum seekers lies firmly at the door of the Government…

There is one part of the Minister's statement I agree with. I am glad she pointed out the notorious failure of the British state to look after the citizens of the North it has ruled for 100 years. The Minister makes a powerful case for a united Ireland. Workers and families are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, despite what the Minister said over the past ten minutes. I ask every Member to support the motion. There is no doubt people are struggling to pay their bills and are at the pin of their collar. The…

Despite the claims of the Minister of State and the Government that Housing for All is working, it is clear that it is not. Every metric we have heard today shows that it is not. The social and affordable housing targets, even with them being too low, are being missed. It is now the third year in a row they have not been met. We all know that is completely unacceptable. We must increase the amount of social and affordable housing. That is clear. We must increase those targets to at least 20,000 properties. We must …

I welcome the chance to speak on this issue. I thank the Mental Health Commission and all those who work in the extremely difficult area of mental health and especially in youth mental health, including in my area, the Dublin 15 suicide awareness group Genesis Psychotherapy and Family Therapy Service CLG, Jigsaw and all the private counsellors and therapists who provide support to young people and who hold those young people at risk who should be in services such as CAMHS. To be honest, the publication of this damn…

What are the Minister's views on the payment of tolls and, in particular, the excessive penalties? What steps can be taken to prevent such excessive penalties being imposed?

That sounds lovely, but a constituent of mine and the Minister of State got into trouble financially. He pays €2,000 in rent and, despite working 50 to 60 hours a week, is struggling to pay his bills. He contacted eFlow about his toll bill, which amounted to €240, offering to pay €80 every week over a period of three weeks. The company agreed but stated that by the end of that term, the bill would have increased to more than €1,000. That does not tally with the information eFlow gave to the Minister. A toll of €3.5…

I think we all agree that the fines and penalties are excessive and disproportionate. What people do not know, as the Minister alluded to in his original answer, is that if motorists receive a penalty of, for example, €46, and they pay the toll on a given day, eFlow will take the payment for that day and use it against the €46 penalty. The company will not tell them it has done that. Then, eFlow will fine them an extra €46 for that day, on which they believe they have paid the toll. This system needs to be examined…