I wish to raise vacancy, which is probably the biggest sin of this Government in respect of the housing crisis. The Taoiseach has been asked why it takes an average of eight months for a public local authority to flip and re-let a vacant home while it takes three weeks for the private sector to do the same. That speaks to the enormous level of waste, bureaucracy and red tape that exists in the Government's approach to housing. Another such example is the vacant property refurbishment grant. In its first iteration, …

Why does it take eight months when it takes three months in the private sector?

The Tánaiste stated that allowing the Israeli ambassador to remain in Ireland allows Ireland to become an interlocutor for peace in this shocking conflict. Ireland is a small country but we are seen as an honest broker internationally. We can show leadership in terms of peace because we have massive experience in conflict resolution. What evidence is there that the Government has made any material effort at all to provide this country as an interlocutor, mediator and facilitator of peace in the Israeli-Palestinian …

My question was about effort by the Government.

I asked about the effort by the Government to act as interlocutor.

Has there been any effort?

No effort.

I want to add my voice to the condolences that have been expressed for Deputies Verona Murphy and Mitchell on the loss of their parents. It is a hard time for both families, and our thoughts and prayers are with them. The British King set out the priorities of the British Government in the House of Commons today. In that speech there was no mention at all of the mothballing of the democratic institutions of the North of Ireland. That is a disgrace. Despite months of discussions between the British Government and th…

How long?

There is never a deadline.

A recent headline in the Irish Independent quotes the Taoiseach as saying that the "Final lockdown ... may not have been needed". It states that the Taoiseach doubts that the December 2021 restrictions had any real benefit. Indeed, there are massive questions in relation to the Government's handling of Covid from the thousands of older people who were moved from the hospitals into nursing home, many not being tested, seeding Covid in the place where people were most exposed, to the closure of cancer care, mental he…

There is a trend in how this Government deals with scandals that are made known by campaigning groups. The Government usually says sorry here in the Dáil in measured, grave tones. It promises it will never happen again and that an investigation or tribunal into the scandal will be held. However, when it comes to the business end, the creation of the investigation, the Government usually waters down the terms of reference so that the tribunal or investigation becomes a whitewash. We have seen this over and over agai…

The housing crisis is hammering practically every element of Irish society. The most directly affected are obviously those people who are homeless, many of those people who are dying on the streets currently. It is also damaging the nutrition, the social skills, the education and the mental health of children who are stuck in emergency accommodation. Then we have tens of thousands of people who are forced to live with their parents, many of them postponing adult life and even having families. Indeed, young people a…

Some 650 Tara Mines workers are facing a bleak and uncertain winter. Their income has fallen off a cliff. Another 1,000 jobs in County Meath are in serious trouble. Shops have reported a collapse in their turnover in recent times. The workers have been listening for a long time to the Minister for Social Protection speaking about income supports but according to current plans that will not happen for several years. Can the Government bring in emergency legislation to help the workers in Tara Mines? The issue of ele…

At the Aontú Ard-Fheis in recent weeks, a motion was passed calling for a State apology for the Travelling community and for the systematic way in which governments discriminated against it. Basically, this country told Travelling people that they could only be accepted and included in society if they ceased being Travellers. Governments did this by way of legislation such as the Roads Acts and the Housing Acts, as well as the Commission on Itinerancy and so on. It was a blatant attempt to clamp down on an ethnic m…

I hope the Taoiseach will not mind me saying that he looks a little bit tired today. This may be because of the ferocious row that happened at Cabinet yesterday between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. It may be that cracks are appearing in the coalition as we speak. I understand it was about the issue of migration, which is a sensitive topic. I know that most people understand we have moral obligations to those who are fleeing war. We also have moral obligations to make sure we provide proper accommodat…

What is happening in Gaza is horrendous. The intentional killing of non-combatants, the collective punishment, the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure, forced displacement and the prohibition of access to food, fuel and water are illegal under international law. Any perpetrators should be stopped immediately and held accountable by all available means, but this is not what is happening. We have a situation where the EU is distorting Ireland's foreign policy at the moment. Ursula von der Leyen has disto…

Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom a rá ar dtús go bhfuil Aontú ag díriú isteach le dhá bhliain anuas ar an bhfadhb ollmhór a bhaineann leis an easpa gardaí sa tír seo agus ar na deacrachtaí agus an damáiste atá ag titim amach de bharr na heaspa gardaí. Le linn thréimhse an Aire Dlí agus Cirt, an Teachta McEntee, tá an méid gardaí ag titim bliain i ndiaidh bliana. De bharr sin, táimid ag fáil i bhfad níos mó foréigean i measc an phobail thart timpeall na tíre. Ba mhaith liom a rá fr…

Ireland has the highest electricity costs in the whole of Europe, and that is not by accident. It is a strategic objective of this Government to increase the price of electricity and reduce the level of consumption in order to fulfil its climate change objectives. That is the whole truth of the matter. We have seen this debate rumble on for about two years, while the Government pretends to focus on reducing the price of electricity but does nothing whatsoever about it. The idea that we are an outlier in terms of el…

Aontú has been raising serious concerns over excess mortality for two years. There has been a prolonged period, month after month, where mortality figures have been far in excess of the normal in this State. We have been doing so through debates here, through parliamentary questions and in the media. It is deeply frustrating that the Government has not taken this issue seriously at all over the last two years. At different points in the last two years, there has been clear evidence of excess mortality. If one talks…