The recruitment process for all positions in the State should be completely transparent, none more so than that of a judge on the Supreme Court. The idea that political horse trading plays any part in this is the biggest threat to the separation of powers. There were two vacancies on the Supreme Court in July. Only one was filled. Questions are now being asked in public about why the second position was not filled, given the multiple candidates who applied for the job. Is it the case that the second position is als…

By his refusal to allow for questions to be asked in an open and transparent fashion, the Taoiseach is giving the impression to the general public that there is something to hide. That will be the impression with regard to his Government if he continues to stonewall on the opportunity for the Opposition to ask questions. The Taoiseach actually has an opportunity to change the culture of Leinster House. He has an opportunity now to create a culture of transparency and openness whereby all Ministers have a responsibi…

Ireland is the sixth most restricted country in the world and this is despite the fact that we have the second lowest level of Covid in Europe. This means that 97% of all the countries in the world have chosen strategies that are less restricted than Ireland. Ireland is a significant outlier in international terms and this has given rise to a massive human cost. The WHO has stated that lockdowns should only be used when there is so much pressure on a health service that it will be overwhelmed. We have not been in s…

People with disabilities are more than twice as likely to face discrimination relating to housing and they are 1.6 times more likely to live in poor conditions. They live in damp housing and housing that lacks central heating and they also live in areas with significant problems. A total of 25% of people forced to live homeless on our streets have a disability. This is a rate far higher than is in the general population. More than 1,000 people with disabilities under the age of 65, and this is startling, live inapp…

It is important to look at the facts. Between 2,000 and 4,000 people with disabilities are living in congregated settings with ten or more people. This is before we look at the hidden homeless, who are people with disabilities living in the homes of family or friends. Many of them have no expectation of independent living because of the fact those homes may not be suitable for them. Assessment carried out by the Department has shown there has been a significant increase between 2013 and now of those with disabiliti…

I welcome the fact there has been an increase in funding over recent years. Typically in recent years when Governments have quoted increases, they have come from a phenomenally low base. These budgets were slashed significantly after 2011 and stayed extremely low until 2013 and 2014. Independent Living Movement Ireland has assessed local authorities on a sliding scale with regard to how good they are at providing housing and services to people with disabilities. They indicate that two councils, that is, 6% of all c…

I was listening to the Fine Gael spokesperson on insurance a while ago. I was reminded of the sentence "an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea". Is the Minister with responsibility for higher education a part-time Minister? He is unable to attend the complete debate here. The Deputies left in the Chamber represent thousands of people in our constituencies and many of them are interested in this issue. For the Minister to hightail it before we have the opportunity to put our view…

It is interesting that we know more in this country about the selection process of Supreme Court justices in the United States than we do about the process here. It is interesting as well that we look down on the political manner in which it is done in the United States, and we do not see that manner in this State. My advice was not to proceed in the manner initially being put forward by the Government. For transparency, it is necessary that the Minister for Justice comes before the Dáil to give a statement on the …

There is a feeling among the public that the selection of judges can be a political quid pro quo . People are selected and given positions by the Taoiseach of the day having regard to the negotiation his party has with other political parties and not necessarily on the basis of judicial experience and so forth. As a result of this crisis, it would be very useful for Members and the public to hear the words of the Minister for Justice. It is important that the Taoiseach gives an opportunity to that Minister to put o…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to protect children from viewing pornographic material on the internet; and to provide for related matters. The proliferation of pornography in recent years has been immense with regard to children. Right now, throughout the State, children as young as eight and nine years old are consuming explicit, hardcore material that would have been illegal just a generation ago. I might get the Taoiseach's attention on the Bill if I can. Research by the school…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

This is a very important issue. Two weeks ago during a debate with the Tánaiste I asked him if he had ever leaked confidential Cabinet information. In his response he prevaricated and said "nothing of this nature". In other words, there was an acceptance that information from the Cabinet had been given out. Has the Taoiseach ever conducted a review of the security of documentation within his Department or a review of the security of Cabinet information? Has he considered carrying out a review of leaks from his Depa…

I asked about the Tánaiste breaking Covid restrictions last May. Has the Taoiseach spoken to him about that?

Will the Taoiseach speak to the Tánaiste about it?

This is a serious illness so when people raise this issue they are not saying they are looking for zero restrictions. Ireland, however, has the second lowest incidence of Covid in Europe but the sixth most severe restrictions in the world. People might say that those two issues are related but the fact is that restrictions come with a massive cost. Religious practice is one of those costs. Religious practice is a human right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is no small issue we are talking abou…

I dtosach báire, aontaím go huile is go hiomlán leis an méid atá ráite ag an Teachta Ó Cuív. Ceapann sé go bhfuil sé ina mhionlach anseo ach b'fhéidir go bhfuil níos mó daoine ann sa Dáil seo atá den tuairim chéanna. Aontú opposes Brexit. We believe it will do enormous damage to Ireland. I am amazed that at this far remove from the British referendum there has been precious little introspection or self-examination from a European Union perspective. Much of the reason people across Europe are anti-EU is that many of…

That may be the case but this has to be an Irish objective with regard to a deal. I want now to focus on the North-South element of Brexit. I have been campaigning on the objective of Irish unity for the last 30 years. Aontú was formed 20 months ago. One of its pillar objectives is the creation of a 32 county Irish republic. That objective is not a pipe dream or a romantic idea. In practical terms, the island of Ireland functions a lot better as a unit than it does as a partitioned space. It is clear to me that as …

I understand that and I have no doubt there are many good people in Fianna Fáil who share my objectives with regard to Irish unity, but there is a chasm between those people and me, on the one hand, and the current Taoiseach, on the other, because he has informed me in this Chamber that he refuses to pursue the objective of Irish unity. He has stated that he does not agree with the element of the Good Friday Agreement whereby it should be a majority decision in the North as to whether we have Irish unity. He thinks…

He has said that. We cannot go through with this Brexit crisis without coming to an understanding that partition is a threat to our national interest. We should be able to create a new Ireland forum at which we bring people from civic society and political society North and South together to talk about ways in which we can fight the worst excesses of Brexit and start to talk about planning for Irish unity.

In this Covid-centric world, much of non-Covid Ireland is being forgotten about. Many really important sectors of Irish society feel they have fallen off the world when it comes to Government priority. Some 150,000 cancer appointments have been missed this year. There are 200,000 women on cancer screening waiting lists who, despite the winter plan, will not be reached this year. Some 3,500 women have contacted domestic violence services for the first time this year. Child poverty rates are increasing at approximate…