We did not predict troops on O'Connell Street.

We did not predict conscription. That is a lie.

That is your trope.

The Tánaiste cancelled the citizen's assembly.

That is not true.

It does not make sense.

The Tánaiste was at Rafah two weeks ago and saw with his own eyes how Israel is blocking humanitarian aid from going into Gaza. He correctly described it as criminal and as collective punishment of the people of Gaza. There are ships gathered in Türkiye, which are part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that is trying to bring more than 5,000 tonnes of aid to the people of Gaza. After pressure from the Israeli state, they have been unable to leave because the flag of Guinea-Bissau, which they were sailing under, has…

When Leo Varadkar was in Boston, he said that the US and Ireland must dedicate themselves to peace in Gaza. The US Administration has continued to dedicate itself to supporting, financing and arming genocide, but students across America have fought for peace and protested against genocide and for their universities to divest from that genocide. Students at Columbia University, for example, have occupied the administration building and renamed it in honour of Hind Rajab, a frightened six-year-old girl in Gaza who wa…

The housing crisis is just so bad. It is getting worse and worse. We can see it in the figures. There are 4,000 children and almost 14,000 people in total homeless. One illustration of how I know it is getting worse is the increasing number of people coming to see me who are in emergency homeless accommodation and whose ask is not even to get a home but to get into better homeless accommodation. I am dealing with a family - six children and two parents - who have been living in one hotel room for 11 months now, whi…

The Government has been engaged in a war on what is left of neutrality since Putin's invasion of Ukraine. It has slightly changed tack in the course of that. It started out with a full-frontal attack, saying we need to have a discussion about neutrality, that it was a policy matter and it could be changed at any time. It met the reality of public opinion, which did not shift despite a significant offensive in the media. Instead, the Government has repackaged it, with neutrality to be left without any content whatso…

I could have written the conclusions in advance.

They were pretty obvious.

As they are UN-authorised, they meet the triple lock.

They meet the triple lock. They achieve the triple lock.

There is a serious issue with accountability regarding deaths related to the Garda. A reply to a previous parliamentary question stated that between 2007 and 2021 there were 228 fatal incidents either in or shortly after Garda custody. They were referred to GSOC. In 2005 Terrence Wheelock went out to buy a paintbrush. He was arrested by the Garda. He was brought to Store Street Garda station. He died three months later as a result of injuries he got there. The Garda claims he hanged himself but there is considerabl…

The programme for Government commits to a referendum on housing. The Taoiseach's predecessor, Leo Varadkar, confirmed last August that "we should have an amendment to our Constitution to establish a right to housing". The Minister for housing promised a referendum in 2023 and yet the Taoiseach has told us now that no firm decision has been made on any referendums. I suspect this Government is planning to see out the rest of its term and not allow people to vote on the right to housing. That is happening in a contex…

A range of farmers and environmental groups have raised serious criticisms about negative environmental impacts and negative impacts for farmers from the so-called CAP simplification which the European Parliament voted for yesterday. They say that it will increase farmers' vulnerability to extreme weather events, that it guts environmental standards and that it is a race to the bottom. MEPs, including from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, rejected an amendment that sought to cap payments so that 80% of payment…

I presume the Minister knows and agrees that we are in a climate and biodiversity crisis and yet the European Commission with the support of the Irish Government and the support of the three big parties in this Dáil has just agreed to delete, weaken or make voluntary several of the GAECs. The Minister listed some of them. They include minimising tillage to prevent soil erosion, ensuring minimal soil cover, crop rotation, areas to enhance biodiversity and protection of permanent grassland Natura 2000. Bird Life Euro…

I give considerable credit to the work small farmers are doing - people who are struggling and are not supported by the Government. I do not give any credit to the Government, which simply does the bidding of the agribusiness lobby at the expense of the environment and at the expense of small farmers. The Minister likes to hide the reality of farming behind the phrase "family farms". Obviously, the vast majority of farmers in this country struggle and are genuinely small family farms. Let us consider where CAP mone…

The biggest part of it.