Yes.

I very much welcome the legislation before us. It proposes to extend the eligibility payment to qualified cohabitants who were in an intimate and committed relationship for more than five years, or two years where there is a child or children in the relationship. Sometimes, however, I wonder where we get the timelines from - two years with a child and five years without children. Some people cannot have children, and in some ways that feels a little discriminatory against them. Just recently I got a message from a …

I thank the Social Democrats and welcome the motion calling on the Government to hold a referendum on the triple lock. Ireland has a proud tradition of neutrality and peacekeeping missions. Because of our history of occupation and colonialism, the continued partition of our country and our long-standing policy of military neutrality, Ireland has built a strong reputation for standing up for oppressed people and our passport is seen as one of the most respected across the world. We have built that respect not by eng…

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion and the carers who are doing the work, day in and day out. For nearly 20 years I worked as a family support worker. In the course of that time, I came across many young people who were carers for one or both of their parents. We tried to give them as much support as we could but it was never enough because while we could finish our day, they could never clock off. From early in the morning, to late at night and sometimes throughout the night, they were the o…

A thousand people killed in 48 hours and no sanctions.

I do not expect this Government to tell the truth about anything relating to housing in light of the Taoiseach's repeated refusal to confirm or deny that the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform deliberately misled the Irish people during the general election, but here are some truths. Since April 2023, 2,500 households have been prevented from becoming homeless because of the scheme. A total of 16,546 notices of termination were issued to private residential tenants last y…

And 40,000 houses.

Other Deputies have outlined the level of waste of public money on various projects, such as the national children's hospital, the Dáil printer that did not fit into a room, the art scanner that was bought for €125,000 without anyone thinking about where to put it, the bike shelter, the security hut and so on. The list of these projects goes on. What drives people mad is that there are local projects desperately looking for funding to stay open or enhance their services. Last week I raised the issue of the Blanchar…

I express my deep shock at the attack on a child in Finglas today. I understand the child is very ill and I wish them a speedy recovery. It is clear our communities do not feel safe. They know there is a dearth of gardaí on our streets. I acknowledge the brilliant work gardaí are doing on the ground in Dublin West under extremely difficult circumstances, especially in the last couple of weeks and the last year when there have been a significant number of gangland attacks. I have highlighted the fact other areas, su…

The Government needs to be honest about the number of housing units being built each year. It was very clear during the general election campaign that both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael clearly told untruths about the number of housing units that would be build in 2024 by many thousands. It is clear the information was at hand and directly contradicted the figure of 40,000. Section two talks about the economic and social impacts of housing and we can see the damage caused by Government’s continued failure to address th…

Hear, hear.

I also thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this motion. From 2020 to 2024, 62 women North and South on the island of Ireland were killed by their abusers. As a society and a State, we must do better in terms of tackling gender-based violence. It requires investment in services, including the provision of adequate refuge places in every county. It means ensuring our laws are fit for purpose, including dealing with the new challenges created by social media and technology. In 2024, the Sonas domestic violence…

We all remember with disbelief the morning we saw on our screens the invasion and attacks on Ukraine by Russian forces ordered by Putin and his regime in Moscow. There has been massive suffering and hardship and an enormous number of civilian and military deaths on both sides. It is heartbreaking to see the constant stream of videos. It is as if we are watching video games of drones chasing people down and killing them. It is absolutely horrific. Similar to Gaza and the occupied territories in the West Bank and Pal…

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion on the housing crisis. What does a housing crisis look like? Take my clinic in this week alone. On Monday morning, I had a single man who is working. He is living with his family and has nowhere to live. A family that is 12 years on the list has received a notice to quit and will be homeless in months. A family that is five years on the list and has absolutely no chance of getting social housing has received a notice to quit and will be homeless by the s…

There is no doubt that AI is developing at a rapid pace and the technology has the potential to change the way we live, engage with each other, work and play. AI will affect different facets of our lives and has the potential to bring a number of benefits. I have seen programmes about how AI has improved the speed of the development of new medicines saving lives and costing less in development. Other areas include life-saving technology such as vehicle and airline safety. AI is found in most of our electrical house…

I raise Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living. There are many laudable references to disability services in the programme for Government. In 2018, Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living provided a home support service for 36 people and in 2024, the number had increased to 150. A total of 33 people availed of its transport services in 2018 but that number has increased to 302. In maintenance, 21 people availed of its services in 2018 and in 2024, it was 40 people. In 2018, the HSE provided €72,208 in fu…

I send my condolences to Councillor Tania Doyle and Hazel, and also colleagues here in the Oireachtas, on the tragic death of Derek just before Christmas. He was on his way home from this House. The Minister referred in his introduction to scramblers and quad bikes on our streets, parks and open spaces. I welcome the instruction that has been given by senior gardaí to begin to challenge people driving scramblers and quad bikes in our communities. I am sure the Minister has seen the countless videos that are put up …

I will speak about the education section of the programme for Government and particularly educational buildings and facilities. I had a look at the previous programme for Government from which this one has virtually been cut and pasted. I will reference two schools in my constituency. One is Coolmine Community School. Recently I visited it when it was raining and had to dodge the buckets catching the rain. There were nine buckets in the main hall as we walked through the building. There are leaks in classrooms wher…

I would like to thank the hundreds and thousands of Irish people who have marched through the streets of the Thirty-two Counties of Ireland in support of the Palestinian people. The occupied territories legislation would ban all trade, including services, with Israeli illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and in east Jerusalem. It would send a clear message to the apartheid and genocidal regime that there are real consequences for its murderous slaughter of tens of thousands of men, women and …

Sadly, the Government could have progressed the occupied territories Bill in the last seven years. Now it suddenly decides that we now have to look at it again and we have to reword it. I call it out for what it is.