It is now over two years since George Nkencho, a young man, was shot dead by gardaí in Blanchardstown. That the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission report has still not been published two years later is incredible. The family has been driven into a situation of having to take civil action. The inquest has not been able to conclude as a result of the GSOC report not being published. I know the Minister will say it is a GSOC matter and not one for him. That is true, but there is a problem here if we cannot get a GSOC…

I understand how it works, but the Minister's answer is almost word-for-word the answer that was given to Deputy Kenny on 6 December last year, I believe. Things still have not moved. We, and the family in particular, keep asking about it. We are told the report is around the corner, but it still has not arrived. Does the Minister agree that there is clearly some sort of problem with resources and powers if a report cannot be concluded and published within two years, and all of the consequences that come with that …

George cannot be brought back. His family understand that, but they want truth and justice and they want to try to make sure this cannot happen again. A proper independent inquiry is an important part of that. I hear the Minister when he says that this is not a matter of resources. In that case, what is the issue? What is so complicated about producing a report in two years? I just do not understand how it takes that long to speak to witnesses and investigate what happened, etc. There clearly is some sort of proble…

The workers at Go-Ahead voted for strike action just before Christmas. They are now heading to the Labour Court. The reason they overwhelmingly voted for strike action is because of the low pay they face, which is entirely inadequate in the context of the cost-of-living crisis, along with the long shifts and unsociable hours. They are the victims of the project of successive governments to drive a race to the bottom in public transport in complete opposition to the interests of workers, those trying to take the bus…

Piecemeal privatisation.

I want to ask the Taoiseach something I have raised with his predecessor many times. It is on the reality of a hard border that exists for non-EU migrants on this island. For example, someone who is married to an Irish or UK national could be living in the North perfectly legally as a refugee or migrant worker but would not be able to travel to the South freely. That is something that is entirely in the gift of the Government to resolve to give these people the right to travel. Will he agree to do that and get rid …

One of the scandalous aspects of the direct provision system is how it has often left direct provision residents and asylum seekers at the mercy of management and those in management abusing their power against them. What measures are in place to stop this happening with regard to Ukrainian refugees who are staying in places that did not previously have refugees, for example, hotels? I was in touch with Ukrainian refugees who told me an extremely concerning story about what has been taking place at The Address hote…

Yesterday, I attended a powerful rally at Grangegorman organised by the students' union at TU Dublin in response to a racist attack on international students. Two hundred students came out to say that we will not stand for people being attacked because of the colour of their skin or where they come from. It is exactly what we need in response to the spate of violent racist attacks we have seen in the wake of the anti-refugee protests - no pandering to racism but standing up strong against it. It is the same spirit …

The Taoiseach says the far right and the far left will exploit the migrant crisis. I am not sure whether he has noticed, but the far right is organising protests outside the temporary, inadequate, emergency accommodation of asylum seekers. What is the far left doing? We are working with others to build a solidarity march to say that refugees are welcome and that these people are not responsible for the housing crisis. I have no idea what the Taoiseach is talking about. The Taoiseach said people should not use this …

They will be on the street in their thousands this Saturday, 1.30 p.m. at Parnell Square. Finally, I would say-----

Is the Taoiseach proud of over 100 people sleeping on the streets tonight, with a Dunne's voucher and €5 phone credit? Is that something to be proud of?

I am saying the Taoiseach is playing into anti-refugee rhetoric very cynically. It is contemptible.

The Taoiseach said earlier in reply to me that nobody should be trying to make political gain out of migration. Will he distance himself from the conclusions of the European Council meeting and from Deputy Haughey's comments just now? The meeting represented a further hardening of the fortress Europe policy. The tone was set by the hard-right government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Italy, followed by the so-called centre right. There was agreement on reinforced co-operation on search and rescue missions in t…

They are not really socialists.

Yes, they go along with it. That is correct.

And followed by the centre left.

Last week, the Taoiseach, in responding to Deputies Barry and Pringle, suggested that those who are pointing to the need to address the housing crisis were in some way giving succour to the far right. They were not; both Deputies were very clear about their position that refugees are welcome in this country. Does the Taoiseach accept that it is the case that where there is deprivation, neglected communities, a deep housing crisis with multiple generations living in one home and so on, it breeds alienation and is fu…

People need to know whether the Government's partial eviction ban will be extended after 31 March. We need to have a proper eviction ban such as the one we had during Covid. We know for a fact that the number one cause of homelessness is eviction from private rental accommodation. This is from Focus Ireland. We know that eviction bans work. They are not the full answer to the housing crisis but we saw the impact during Covid when the figures dropped from about 9,000 to about 6,000 before rising. We are heading towa…

Hear, hear.

As night follows day, racist violence follows anti-refugee protests. In recent weeks we have seen a dramatic escalation of violence against migrants in Dublin in particular. On Saturday, 28 January, homeless migrant men were attacked with dogs, sticks and a baseball bat at Ashtown. On Monday, 30 January, a building in Sheriff Street burned down seemingly because it was wrongly suspected of being planned for use by asylum seekers. On 1 February, footage emerged of someone attempting to drive over a pedestrian after …