Will the Minister confirm whether those working on the front line and administering the additional needs payment were given advance notice before a public announcement was made? Were they given training on what this would pertain to? Is it the Minister's position that no additional staffing support is required for those working on the front line as community welfare officers and is she satisfied the timeframe from application to grant payment is sufficiently short in all areas of the State to avoid undue delays at …

Tá oibrithe agus teaghlaigh ar fud an Stáit ag streachailt leis an ghéarchéim le costais maireachtála, agus tá sé dhíth ar an Rialtas tuiscint an bhrú faoina bhfuil na teaghlaigh seo agus feidhmiú ansin chun tacú leo. In áit seo agus in áit cáinaisnéis éigeandála a thabhairt chun tosaigh, beidh briseadh ag an Dáil seo fá choinne an tsamhraidh agus beidh míonna deacra amach roimh go leor teaghlach. The latest consumer price index, CPI, published this morning by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, shows that inflatio…

They are preschool costs.

The Tánaiste may think this Government is dynamic in responding to the needs of citizens out there. Let me say this, however. When the Tánaiste steps outside the bubble of Leinster House, stops the backslapping and hooraying and all the rest in terms of his own colleagues, and talks to the ordinary people out there, they will tell him that tens of thousands of them are struggling to get by. We have seen survey after survey and report after report telling us how difficult it is for people. After everything the Tánai…

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, or I should call you "a mháistir"? I wish to associate myself with your comments. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I wish to commend all of the staff in Leinster House, including the caterers, the ushers and the cleaners, who have guided us during us this term. Hopefully, we will all be back here in good health, safe and sound, for the next session in the autumn. Over the past few days we have seen effigies of my party colleagues, Deputy McDonald and Ms Michelle O'Neill MLA, along wi…

Tá bagairtí suntasacha agus dúshláin shuntasacha roimh gheilleagar na hÉireann agus roimh mhuintir na hÉireann san am atá amach romhainn, ón ghéarchéim chostas maireachtála go dtí teipeanna leanúnacha i réimsí mar thithíocht, shláinte agus chúram leanaí. Ag an am céanna, tá bagairtí fadtéarmacha ann ó Brexit agus ó Covid-19. Ní mór do bhuiséad 2023 aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin sin agus fíorathrú a dhéanamh. I welcome the opportunity to contribute on the recently published summer economic statement and the eco…

Are they going to be published?

We will be here all day.

Pupils there get free meals.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

How could it be uncosted if the Minister of State has given the figures? This is just ridiculous.

Faoin Rialtas seo, tá an ghéarchéim tithíochta tar éis éirí ina tubaiste sóisialta. Tá na liostaí feithimh ospidéil ag éirí níos faide ná mar a bhí riamh agus tá an caighdeán maireachtála ag titim. Is é ceann de na fáthanna go mbeidh mise ag vótáil mímhuiníne sa Rialtas seo ná go bhfuil ag teip iomlán air. Tá sé in am don athrú. An Taoiseach was right when he walked outside this House a number of years ago and declared to the world that the best interests of the Irish people were not served by a Government made up …

Even the Ceann Comhairle is telling the Government its time is up.

It is Government time. This is its motion.

Cuirim fáilte roimh na scoláirí ó Chonamara atá anseo. Is deas an rud é go bhfuil daoine ag tabhairt cuairte ar Thithe an Oireachtais arís. Tá an costas maireachtála ag cur brú millteanach ar oibrithe agus teaghlaigh ar fud an Stáit ar bhonn laethúil. Ní chuireann aon rud béim níos mó ar an dúshlán atá ar theaghlaigh ná an costas uafásach a bhaineann le cúram leanaí. I go leor áiteanna agus do go leor daoine, cosnaíonn sé sin níos mó ná dara morgáiste ná cíos míosa. I mBaile Átha Cliath, tagann táillí cúraim leanaí…

We have been trying to get Governments to slash childcare fees for years. Let me put some of the facts here because the Minister spoke about delivering. In the past four years, half of which time he has been in government and Deputy O'Gorman has been the Minister responsible, childcare fees in Dublin have increased by 20%. This is what the Government is delivering. It is not delivering the cuts we need to see. I will put it very clearly. Sinn Féin has a very clear policy on this. We can cut childcare costs by two t…

They have been saying it for five years but the fees keep on going up.

My apologies, but not one penny went to the parents.

The Government has abandoned them.