It does not matter if it comes from Russia, though.

I have been in touch with many sports clubs in Dublin 15. It is an area where the population of young people is exploding. There are groups like Corduff FC, Tyrrelstown GAA club, the football club, Plunkett’s, the cricket club and the boxing clubs. I have met with the executives, coaches and mentors of all of these clubs over the last while. They spend countless hours providing facilities and training for young people every week. They all say one thing, which is that there is a lack of facilities, particularly wint…

It is not enough.

Homelessness, record rents and a record health crisis.

After 15 years, all those records are being set on a monthly basis.

I am speaking today on behalf of St. John Bosco's junior and senior boy's schools and Mary, Help of Christians girl's school on the Navan Road in Dublin 7. I received a letter, which states: "Our community school has been waiting years for progress and despite repeated assurances from the Department, including a clear commitment that a stage 2a review would be completed in the quarter 1 of 2025, we have been informed of yet another delay." I sent that letter to the Department of Education, which responded to the ef…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I commend the work of An Garda Síochána. In my district in Dublin West they do incredible work on a daily basis. We saw the difficulties they faced during the disgraceful riots in Dublin and sometimes during those incidents we really see how effective they can be in protecting society. While we welcome the move to introduce the use of body-worn cameras, which is seen as a necessary tool to protect the Garda and the public, we do have concerns around this Bill and par…

I am glad this Bill is being brought forward today and I welcome the ban on single-use vapes. Vapes are something that we really need to get a grip on. I also agree that unfortunately, the Government is playing catch-up. Selling to under-18s is still continuing. The HSE is not carrying out enough inspections, and convictions for the sale of vapes to children and young people are still extremely low. We only need to open our eyes as we walk around our constituencies and communities to see children and young people o…

A substantial amount of people's money is being spent on a yearly basis, and most of this spending is very welcome. However, significant moneys have been wasted in cases like the Leinster House bicycle shed and the delays in the construction of the national children's hospital. The delays to metro north could cost tens of millions of euro. This long-delayed and vital infrastructure is costing billions more than when it was first proposed. This brings me to another project that has been proposed for many years in my…

Honestly, I cannot believe I am here in 2025 talking about this issue because 14 years ago, when I was standing for local elections, I raised this issue as one of the major issues within the Mulhuddart area. We talked on top of a hill beside Mulhuddart cemetery and that piece of land now has 800 homes on it. There are now in the region of 2,500 to 3,000 houses within the curtilage of this issue and stench coming from a pipe which comes from a pumping station in Kilbride and Hollystown in County Meath. It peaks at t…

It is an interesting reply. In some ways, it probably makes sense in that the pipe is now disused and has been moved eastward. I assume it has moved eastward towards Damastown because there were recently major pipe works along that road. We are probably currently dealing with the last bits of it because if it is not being used and is empty, there maybe some residue leftover. In the next couple of months, we will continue to monitor it and I look forward to it being sealed up and concreted over. That should hopefull…

As quickly as possible.

I am sure if I were to ask everyone in here to raise their hands, including the kids in the Gallery, if they do not like dogs, those who do so would be in the minority. Sadly, we lost our Cosmo, a 12-year old husky, five weeks ago. The house feels empty without her. When I get up in the morning or I walk into the house, I do not hear the patter of feet or hear her. We are a nation of dog lovers, but right under our nose we know that dogs are being mistreated, abused, used and discarded. Yesterday, we heard horrendo…

Most of us are online daily for work, social interactions, connection, booking tickets, and reading. The list of what we do online is endless. It has been an incredible tool for the world. However, like everything else, there is a downside, and we know these downsides. We cannot say that we do not. The online companies, especially social media companies, are too big and powerful for most governments. Two or three social media companies dominate the sector and that is not good for society. I have listened to Fianna …

I commend the amazing strength and determination of Cara Darmody. Her continued campaign brings her back to the Dáil for 50 hours this week in a miserable, cold December. Unfortunately, I think she will be given the same promises that other Ministers have given her previously. I genuinely hope they are not false promises. Why do I call these false promises? The fact Cara has come back to camp outside Kildare Street again is not because she enjoys sitting outside in the freezing cold, in the wind and rain, but becau…

Dublin West is one of the fastest growing areas in Dublin. It has a population of over 130,000 people and one of the busiest garda stations in the K district. A few weeks ago, another group of gardaí were attested in Templemore training centre. Despite the expectation that a significant number of these gardaí would be sent to Dublin West, only five were assigned. To make matters worse, my understanding is four experienced members were assigned or promoted, which means we have a net gain of only one garda in the ent…

Dublin West.

Energy costs are driving people into energy poverty. What does it look like? It is less for food, clothes and bills. It is the choice between eating or heating. For working families, older people and people with disabilities, it is about hesitating to turn on the heating for fear of the bills coming through. People on low incomes are the worst affected. The Minister's Department said that people would be €321 worse off, yet incredibly the Government chose to give developers €230 million in tax breaks for apartments…

I have listened to the speeches over the last little while and I find it incredible. Fine Gael has had 15 years and it is talking about another new plan on the abandoned plan on top of the other abandoned plan it had prior to that, which created nothing. It is absolutely scandalous to listen to the Government because it is not a new plan. It is reheated, repackaged and has already failed three times to deliver genuinely affordable and social homes. What is shocking is that the Government is now actually underestima…

In one single school in Dubai, there are 50 Irish teachers. I have spoken to some of them and they talk about coming home. They wonder how they are going to find somewhere to live and how they are going to survive in a cost-of-living crisis when they come home - if they come home. A teacher contacted me just today. Schools in Dublin West have had to cancel subjects, with children unable to take their favourite subjects, because there are not enough teachers and they cannot afford to live in Dublin West. I mentioned…