Will you publish the criteria as to how these schools were selected?

They are not.

There is not a community that believes the Minister has a handle on the policing issues that they face every single day. I commend the gardaí in Dublin 15. They work hard under huge pressure. I hear from them all of the time that they are under-resourced in terms of equipment, but also in terms of back-up. Can the Minister imagine how the general population feels? Last Sunday, I was sent a picture of our local park by local residents. About a dozen people were hanging around the place. There were six to eight scram…

We welcome the intention of this Bill, which clearly aims to protect children from harm. There is no doubt we are in a different age to when most of us were growing up. Most people in this Chamber came to digital and social media whereas as for young people it has always been their experience; they know nothing else. It is our role as legislators to make it as safe we can for all users, especially young people. There is no doubt there are positive aspects to social media but we are also aware there are extreme harm…

Sometimes I feel like I am in a parallel world here. If we tabled a motion this evening to protect rural post offices, I have no doubt every Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Deputy and every Lowry Independents would vote against it. Yet every single person is coming in to talk about local post offices. I live in an urban area and post offices are under pressure in relation to access for our community and ever-increasing costs. I am really worried about the increasing rents in urban areas, which will lead to commercially u…

I appreciate the opportunity to speak. As the Minister of State knows, we are supporting this Bill, but as has been said on multiple occasions, it needs to be treated with caution. The timelines around this are really tight and an awful lot of people are going to be left in difficulties. We need to ensure that all wards of court are given the opportunity to engage with the assessment process. It is only fair to allow all wards to be assessed. By going by the Government's dates, 1,400 cases will still not have been …

There has been no mention of Israel. It has been three minutes and the Taoiseach has not mentioned Israel. For three minutes, he has avoided using the word "Israel".

It is shocking.

They would say that, though.

I listened to the Taoiseach today. It was probably the most out of touch response I have heard. I was absolutely shocked. I got an email today that really encapsulates how all of this feels. I am writing as a parent of a child attending Pelletstown Educate Together National School and as a member of the wider community. My daughter is autistic and attends a mainstream class in our school. She thrives in an inclusive environment but she requires daily access to an SNA's support for her well-being, emotional regulati…

In 2021, the acquisition of 112 homes in Hollystown, Dublin 15, by an investment fund rightly caused anger across the State. These houses - the ones the Minister talks about all the time as being essential to help young families to get a family home - were bought up in bulk by an investor. They are now rented out for at least €2,600 per month. Simon Harris has publicly stated that the bulk purchasing of homes needed for first-time buyers cannot be tolerated. That is on the record. Department of Finance figures stat…

Operation Kenova was deliberately undermined by the British state agency, MI5. The actions of the latter were designed to block the truth of Britain’s dirty war in Ireland. It is clear that the legacy investigations and reviews published as part of final report relating to Operation Kenova provide further confirmation of collusion, criminality and cover-up by the British state. Operation Denton confirms collusion between British state actors and loyalists in a campaign of systematic murder. Collusion was absolutely…

At the outset, I would like to say I worked for the northern area health board, the HSE and Tusla. I worked in the same place but obviously changed over into different organisations over those 20 years when the responsibilities changed. I worked as a family support worker and later as a child and family support network co-ordinator. I commend so many people. I know it is really difficult work. I commend the social workers, the family support workers and the care workers. The social care workers in Tusla do an absol…

It is really important that we sit down with the people who are directly involved and engaged in providing those supports. As I have said, I have met many guardians ad litem over the 20 years I worked with them. They are incredible people who work really hard.

I welcome the Bill from Deputy O'Gorman and the opportunity to again speak on this issue. It is a really important issue for Dublin West but it will also have an impact right across the country. It is interesting that it comes this week in light of the scrambler issue. I have raised the issue of Garda use of drones. Gardaí have been trained in the use of drones. I have been asking about this since 2021. An Garda Síochána has drones and gardaí have been trained in their use since 2023. However, they are not being us…

I too thank the Social Democrats for this motion. Life is difficult enough for people with disabilities. They spend their life fighting for basic services – OT, speech and language, physiotherapy and mobility equipment. I know parents who have to fundraise for wheelchairs and other equipment for disabled children. Being able to get around is something we take for granted, but people with disabilities have to plan how to get around, be it on a bus, a taxi or a train. When disabled people get older, they have to figh…

Less developer-led policies; that is what-----

As has been said repeatedly, mental health services are in crisis. We all know this because we deal with people. I express my solidarity with all of the people who work in mental health services, including in the community and in hospitals, because they are doing their best to cope with the situation they are in, despite the lack of staff and supports. By the time many people end up in hospital, they will often have tried to access community mental health supports over and over again, sometimes over years. We all k…

That is an absolutely shocking statement.

The AI genie is definitely out of the bottle. It is a technology with huge positive potential for medicine, mental health, construction, media, education and all parts of human interaction. In the wrong hands, however, AI has the potential to do huge harm. Palantir Technologies is a significant presence in Israel, providing the Israeli military and intelligence agencies with advanced AI and data analysis tools. What does that do? It creates kill lists for the Israeli military. It also enables drones and remote mach…