Housing provision is so dysfunctional across every part of the sector that it is no exaggeration to say it is an emergency. Day after day, I have to inform people who are on the housing list for six, seven, eight or nine years that they have many more years left on the list. That was not the case four or five years ago. The situation has grown worse and worse and I see nothing the Government is doing that will improve it. There are families so long on the housing list that children who were toddlers when they went …

We face extreme weather and flooding has become more severe and recurring across the State. From the Shannon Basin to coastal towns and rural communities, the devastation caused by rising waters continues to impact families, livelihoods and local economies. Climate change, inadequate infrastructure and years of Government inaction have left too many communities vulnerable. Last year, 2024, was the fourth-warmest year on record, with storms affecting communities, bringing heavy rain and winds, flooding and coastal e…

It must be addressed, particularly for small businesses.

I thank Deputy Nash for bringing this Bill forward again. Sinn Féin supports the Bill going through Second Stage. The Bill seeks to amend the Competition and Consumer Protection Act. There is no requirement in Irish law that a business should charge only reasonable prices for goods and services or should achieve no more than a reasonable profit. There is an exception, however, in EU law and in the Irish consumer Act 2002 and this legislation seeks to prohibit the abuse of a dominant position by some businesses. Whi…

I appreciate the answer. What surprises me is the figure given of 17% of passports when, just in the past couple of weeks, I have had at least four or five people come to me. I have listened to a couple of other Deputies raising this issue as well, one from the Minister of State's own party during, I think, Questions on Policy or Legislation. It most definitely is an issue, but not with the Passport Office, because it does its due diligence and I understand that. Whenever people call the office about a passport, I …

On Sunday, I was with students, staff and parents of Danu Community Special School in the Millennium Park because we have an annual walk, and I got chatting to them about some of the issues that are happening. Today, I was in St. Michael's special school in Chapelizod and there was more of a grilling from the students than any journalist would be proud of. It was a really important opportunity to hear from the students and parents. I want to bring the Minister of State's attention to the anomalies and inequities fo…

The principal has 60 staff members-----

-----and yet the school is paid for only eight teachers. They do not get paid for all those other staff they are looking after.

I am going to send this email on to the Minister of State because there are really important solutions related to this as well. I really hope he considers them.

I listened to the statements from the EU leaders and what I heard is that this genocide has become so horrific for those who supported the slaughter, agreed that withholding food and water could be used as a weapon of war, supplied the weapons and bombs to target the Palestinians and provided political cover for this genocidal regime talked about trade agreements yesterday for the first time. I am sure the Israeli apartheid regime is quaking in its boots at such mealy-mouthed words. What tipped them over the edge? …

I am glad of the opportunity to speak on this issue today. The protection and restoration of biodiversity across Ireland is of critical importance. It is an all-island issue. The Border does not exist in the context of biodiversity. We are facing a biodiversity crisis. Over 60% of Ireland’s native species are in decline. Our bogs are drying and our rivers are polluted. The River Tolka runs through the middle of my constituency. It is heartbreaking to see the hard work by fisher groups and the young lads fishing all…

I listened to the Taoiseach today. I am always gobsmacked at how he can sound like he has only walked into the building and suddenly found himself in the position he is in. It is the same when I hear Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs who have actually been in power. Some Fine Gael TDs have been in power for 14 years. That is 14 years of increasing waiting lists. I heard the shocking news today that the waiting list is potentially going to go up to more than 24,000 children. Among those children is Cameron, who is four …

I thank Deputies Daly and Quinlivan for tabling this Bill. It is important legislation and something that will help many people across this State who are faced with huge bills they do not necessarily need to face. It is a lot of anecdotal evidence but we all have personal experience of when the washing machine or something else breaks in the house and the repair person says that, because of the way it is constructed, it is uneconomical to repair it and sometimes, bizarrely, cheaper to replace it. That is the advice…

We need to cast our minds back five years to Covid and look at what we were able to achieve when people came together, in a very short period. All of the norms were overturned in a weekend to do what we needed to do to keep people safe, yet we come in here on this issue year after year. I am here six years now and we have raised this issue for six years and before that. I have been with parents on the protests, sometimes week after week, and I see some of them here. We brought up the issue in Dublin 15 in 2017 and …

There is record homelessness.

As a parent, I cannot recall the number of times that my wife and I brought our children to the children's hospital for various accidents or illnesses. Never for one second did I think I would not implicitly trust the doctors and consultants. One cannot but be shocked at these cases involving children, where parents have sought second opinions. In some cases, the second opinion has suggested that not only does the child not require the surgery but the diagnosis was incorrect. As we have heard, there might be thousa…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. We must all be clear that the blame for the current trade tariff situation is laid firmly at the door of Trump and his cabinet of billionaires. While the scale of the tariffs and the response from the EU are still fully unknown, we need in the first instance to look after Ireland's interests. Any knee-jerk reaction from the EU could have the potential to cost Ireland more in the long term. As we prepare for a referendum on Irish unity, likely within a decade, we mus…

This is a topic that really interests me so I have been listening to the debate. I sometimes think I live in a parallel universe. I have listened to successive speakers on the Government side talking about things I absolutely agree with. I agree with everything people have mentioned, such as investment in youth services, prevention and making sure we do not get to the stage where we need to talk about diverting young people from criminal activity. It reminds me of when I worked in this field - for more than 20 year…

By every single metric and by every single part of the housing strategy, this Government has failed. It has failed because of its over-reliance on private developers and investments funds that undermine its ability to deliver genuinely affordable housing at scale. It is clear as can be stated that we need much more State-led investment. When will the Government admit that the private market has zero interest in solving the housing crisis and providing genuine affordable housing? It is only about profit for it. We s…

Last night in two parks of Dublin 15, namely Hartstown Park and Mick Walsh Park, local people were forced to leave the parks due to fears over safety. Scramblers have been running amok in both of those parks and throughout Dublin 15 for the past several weeks and months. I am deeply frustrated about this because I have raised it literally since I came into the Dáil and every single time it has been brought up. There is a continued lack of action. We do not need studies, plans or reviews, or all the usual mechanisms…