The Minister did not once address my point about the unfairness of what is involved.

In two weeks' time, we will mark the two-year anniversary of the Creeslough tragedy. It was a day when time stopped for the people of that community. The explosion took the lives of ten innocent people. Families were left torn apart and desperate for answers. Two years on, the families still do not have those answers and feel forgotten about. We have a Garda investigation still ongoing, which will determine whether criminal negligence was involved. That, however, will answer only one question. Some of the families …

Inné, d’fhógair an Rialtas go raibh sé ag dul a thabhairt faoiseamh cánach do na daoine is saibhre sa tír seo. Ní hé seo na mílte daoine ach cúpla duine a bhfuil ciste pinsin de €2 milliún acu cheana féin. Tá sé ag dul a thabhairt faoiseamh cánach de €320,000 do na daoine seo. Tá an Stát ag iarraidh ar ghnáth-cháiníocóirí na tíre seo cuidiú leis na daoine seo ciste pinsin a bheith acu suas go €2.8 milliún. Yesterday, the Minister for Finance, Jack Chambers, announced that he was going to give a massive tax break th…

We have not.

We have not.

The last time Fianna Fáil was in government.

The Minister is talking rubbish. I challenge him to produce an alternative budget to back up what he said about standardisation. It was a complete mistruth, and he knows it. He cannot defend this decision. I asked him a simple question about why we should ask Tesco workers, hairdressers and shop floor workers to help contribute to pension pots of €2.8 million for the wealthiest in Irish society. This measure will entitle the wealthiest to State-supported pensions of €100,000 and a tax cut of €320,000. That is what …

Crumbs. The tax break is €320,000.

Nonsense.

The Minister cannot defend the policy; the indefensible.

It is reported today that the Government will finally consider asking asylum seekers who are working to make a contribution towards the costs of their accommodation, food, energy and Wi-Fi bills. These are things that every other worker has to pay for out of their wages, and the fact that the Government has not introduced charges for these things for those working asylum seekers who can afford to pay is a classic example of the unfairness the Government has created and presided over. Another example of unfairness i…

Which is happening, and the Government parties refused to deal with this when we told them.

I welcome young Reese Ward, a primary school pupil from Letterkenny who is here interested in this debate because this is about all of our futures. I am sure that if Reese was looking at a parliament anywhere else in the world, he would be waiting a long time for a finance minister to get to his feet and tell the parliament that he is disappointed that the state is to receive €14.1 billion and that he is disappointed that the state is to get what it is legally entitled to. The Minister says he is disappointed about…

I commend Deputy Kerrane not only on bringing the motion to the Dáil tonight and allowing us to debate this important issue but also on bringing this policy forward in the short time that she has been spokesperson on childcare for our party. The Deputy mentioned that this is a game-changer and that is exactly what it is. Talking to parents in my constituency over the weekend, that is the language they used because, as the Minister will be aware, the cost of childcare in my county ranges from €600 to €1,200. The ide…

I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, for staying for this Topical Issue matter. The next facet of the defective blocks crisis emerging in County Donegal is that within community childcare facilities. Raphoe Community Playgroup has already been forced out of the building it owns due to the fact that it was condemned, and it now has to fundraise to find a permanent home. This is despite me standing in this very spot back in May and raising this issue with the junior Minister at that time through another Topical Iss…

We have not seen the Minister's capital funding or its criteria, but he described it as critical fire safety works and other emergency capital projects, both internal and external. Does the Minister understand what is happening with these buildings? These buildings are going to be demolished. Big JCBs are going to come in and tear them to the ground. They have to; the blocks are rotten and they are crumbling. This is not a matter of fire doors or issues in terms of fire escapes, or the type of scheme the Minister h…

It is a very clear question. This has gone on for ages. People from Letterkenny said five years ago that their building was falling down. People from Raphoe are already out of theirs and people in Ardara have a clock of about six months. There are many others.

I will finish now. Will there be a funding scheme that will provide 100% funding to rebuild the entire premises when they are condemned and have to be knocked to the ground?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Is mian liom fosta fáilte a chur roimh an Dáil to the First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, and our MPs from the North who were elected to represent to represent their constituencies. I look forward to the day when they can rightfully take their seats in this House in a new and united Ireland. In between, I encourage the Government to revisit the commitment given by former Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, in terms of providing speaking rights to those elected from the North. …

Homeowners are telling the Tánaiste that the scheme is not working. That is the nuts and bolts of this. Everybody can tell you this. Some 1,300 people turned up in Inishowen and 500 turned up in Mayo to tell us the scheme is not working. The scheme is not working. It locks people out. I have the Attorney General's advice with me. His advice was very clearly aimed at keeping people out of the scheme and trying to limit the exposure. How is it legal advice for the Attorney General to call into question the competence…