The O'Rahilly was the only leader from the 1916 battle to die in battle. His home in Herbert Park, Dublin was the location of much planning and development during that revolutionary period. Indeed, the Asgard gunrunning was organised there, as were many of the events of the 1916 Rising. Cumann na mBan was founded there. Today, the building lies in rubble in a shocking act of cultural vandalism. Today at 6.30 a.m., against the motion passed by Dublin City Council with regard to listing the building, the developer de…

There are two very important documents that frame this country. The first is the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and that document very clearly states the rights of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland. It calls for full Irish Independence. The second important document is the Good Friday Agreement. Thankfully, that document helped bring the peace that none of us then believed was possible. The truth at the very heart of that document is the idea that the will of the majority of the people of the No…

The Taoiseach opposes the majority element.

The Taoiseach is on the record as saying that a simple majority is not enough.

The Taoiseach means to say "discussion".

Mary Bartley Meehan lost her son and husband to Covid-19 in Kilbrew nursing home within six weeks of each other. She was recently shown a video of her husband before he died. The side of Ultan's face was discoloured with black, congealed blood. His nails were long and black as he had, unknown to himself, been picking his facial tumours and, as a result, his face had become infected. Shockingly, his face was infested with maggots. Months after this happened, Mary has sought an investigation by asking the Minister fo…

With two of them.

It is incredible that an Opposition group is getting to speak after 20 Government Deputies have spoken. The latter have access to their Ministers at their parliamentary party meetings, yet we are pushed so far back in these discussions. An trí rud is dainséaraí amuigh: éadan tairbh, deireadh staile, focail Shasanaigh. The three most dangerous things in life are the front of a bull, the back of a stallion and the words of an Englishman, according to the old Irish saying. I do not want to impugn the words of every En…

A significant theme is crystallising around how the Government is tackling the Covid-19 crisis. It is a tale of two countries. The Covid-19 restrictions are hitting low- and middle-income workers far more than any other sector of society. Instead of reducing that impact, the Government is rubbing the noses of people on those incomes in it. There are pay rises for Deputies at the same time as income support cuts for hundreds of thousands of workers who have just lost their jobs. The Government is spending millions o…

Yes.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach agus leis an Aire freisin mar gheall ar an am a thabhairt dom ag an bpointe seo. The Defence (Amendment) Bill before the Dáil today is uncontroversial and in a way is full of formality rather than substance. Thousands of members of the Defence Forces have served this country bravely at home and abroad in numerous conflicts and even during Covid-19, and yet the Government is more concerned with formality when it comes to the Defence Forces rather than substance. Ther…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Tá súil agam go bhfuil sé go maith. Obviously, climate change is very real and we have seen ten of the warmest years on record happen since 1998. We have seen the CO2 of hundreds of millions of years of organic growth stored in the ground literally being put into the environment in the space of approximately 100 years, radically changing the chemistry of the environment. We are also at a time of mass extinction where hundreds of thousands of acres of our oceans are floating plastic isla…

Is a Minister available to deal with my issue?

I was hoping for the senior Minister for Health. Some 18 months ago, a family was told that their unborn child had a fatal foetal abnormality by a member of staff at the National Maternity Hospital. This was not the case and it was not a mistake. The false diagnosis was given to the child's mother without fulfilling the necessary guidelines or adhering to the law. The couple claims that their child would be with them today were it not for the actions of some people within that hospital. It is alleged that medical p…

The little boy's name was Christopher and 18 months ago his life was ended in that hospital. The Minister of State said it is not appropriate for the details of that case to be mentioned here in the Dáil but it is not appropriate that, 18 months after this happened, there has been no effort to seek justice for that family. No truth has been given to them and no one at all has been held accountable. That is not appropriate. Christopher's mother and father are broken-hearted but they are not giving up. They have show…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta O'Rourke mar gheall ar an rún atá os comhair na Dála agus mar gheall ar an ábhar uafásach tábhachtach seo a chur faoi bhráid na Dála. The taxi driver sector has suffered chronic neglect and abandonment over the past number of years. It has been forgotten about, mistreated and failed by elected representatives. There is no justification or explanation for that Government failure of a sector that is important to society and the economy. It is not just the taxi sector where the Governm…

Almost one in four taxi drivers currently are over the age of 66 and they are being denied income support from the State. They are told it is because they are over the qualifying age. That is incredibly wrong. Anybody whose income has been reduced by such a level should have a situation where the State should be able to help them. There should not be discrimination between different sectors with regard to income falling. What were the thousands of taxi drivers protesting for? When I spoke to them directly, I was ab…

It is incredible. There is a door outside.

I have great respect for the Deputies who are making the noise at the moment but telephones are going off in this Chamber regularly. Conversations such as this cause difficulty when people are trying to focus on representing the taxi sector. I was surprised by how reasonable the demands of the taxi sector were. The taxi drivers know the State is in chaos at the moment. They know that massive difficulties are being experienced by society in general. Their asks are not unreasonable whatsoever. The central demand of t…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to temporarily suspend the provision of short-term lettings in certain cases, with the objective of increasing the number of dwellings available for rent; and to provide for related matters. We do not get too much speaking time here and I ask that maybe we could have the full attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. I know that people need to be in contact and I know what it is like with everyone on their phones all the time. If we could …