It is not there.

Nothing.

I find the Minister for Finance very approachable and he is a very good Minister but I want to relay the facts of this case again. This man has worked for 40 years. He is 61 years old and his wife is 60. He worked for 40 years and she stayed at home to mind their children. He contributed towards a small pension, amounting to approximately €270 per week. When he applied for jobseeker's payment because he is looking for a job, the Department offered him €97 on top of his pension, giving him a total of €366. That does…

We are all getting older. The Government is encouraging people to contribute to pension schemes and they are doing so. However, in this case, the family would have been better off not working. If the woman was getting a social welfare payment and her husband was also getting one, they would be getting nearly €500 per week. He has contributed for the past 40 years but he has lost his job. When they sat in my office last Friday, I did not believe them but when I got on to the Department of Social Protection, I found …

The Minister for Finance must acknowledge that there is something seriously wrong here.

I am talking about the present.

While this motion encapsulates the numerous issues raised by members, it would be remiss of me to ignore the elephant in the room. The roster issue is ongoing, there is an impasse in the negotiations, the Minister of Justice will not get involved and the GRA is being advised to withdraw voluntary overtime on five Tuesdays in October. These dates include Hallowe'en and budget day. This is concerning for the public. There needs to be negotiation and resolution immediately. The issue for members is that they are not b…

Last October, the Department initiated a review of the school transport scheme, which included an examination of the current scheme, how it operates and its broader effectiveness and sustainability. This was to ensure adequate support and the provision of services to students and families. The final report has not been published. It is important to acknowledge that there was a significant investment in school transport last year at a time when many families needed it. This was really appreciated by many families. T…

The Garda is in the grip of a staff retention crisis due to poor pay, poor pensions and poor working conditions. To make matters worse, the Minister for Justice and Commissioner Harris intend to impose roster changes that will result in the depletion of existing units such as the community policing units, task force units, drug units and district detective units in an attempt to fill a new unit come November and which will also force gardaí to work more days and more hours for no additional pay. The reality is that…

The bottom line is that affordable purchase and cost-rental homes are required immediately. Yes, the figures published in the Housing for All quarter 2 2023 progress report showed exceeded commencement targets but there are many people right now who do not have a home. In the most up-to-date homelessness report, there were 9,018 people accessing local emergency accommodation in Ireland. These homelessness figures underline, yet again, the need for an emergency housing budget in budget 2024. Various reasons are give…

Most forms of international co-operation in criminal matters, such as exchange of police information, the gathering of evidence, the freezing of assets and extradition, have now been regulated to some extent by European Union legislation. However, one classical form of co-operation has been largely immune from the influence of the EU legislators. This is the area of transfer of proceedings. At present, EU member states currently transfer criminal proceedings between themselves using a variety of different legal ins…

I understand the impulse that many in this House will feel to vote in favour of the Bill. Nobody, whether they are pro-life or pro-choice, wants to see anybody harassed by strangers because they have decided to terminate a pregnancy. The idea of introducing exclusion zones against pro-life advocates in the vicinity of termination facilities is copied from similar measures in countries like England and Germany to ensure that women entering abortion clinics are not subjected to unwelcome influence by pro-life activis…

Tomorrow we are due to debate the Second Stage of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023. This legislation has been rushed through pre-legislative scrutiny and will be likely to be unconstitutional. Exclusion zones around abortion clinics exist in other countries, which provide the model for this proposed legislation. The logic behind these zones is to ensure that women entering an abortion clinic are not subject to potential harassment from protestors outside. However, because…

The Taoiseach's reply has not allayed my concerns regarding the practicality of the Bill or the prohibition on expression. The Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, acknowledged in February 2022 that “We are pushing up against civil liberties when we do this.” We have already seen buyer’s remorse in the Chamber from Deputies who voted in favour of the hate speech Bill, but afterwards expressed concerns about the far-ranging consequences of some of its provisions. I am concerned that we, as a House, could sl…

Under the programme for Government, the target for decarbonising the transport sector is encouraging a modal shift away from travel by private car towards less carbon-intensive and more sustainable alternatives. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has stated that micro-mobility options like e-scooters have an important role to play in this transition to a cleaner and greener society and economy. I am seeking clarity on when the legislation for the regulation of e-scooters will come into force. Not only are these scoot…

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate in advance of the EU summit tomorrow and Friday. It is good to see the return of country reports and country-specific recommendations this year. These are key aspects of the European semester process and help to drive progress on structural reforms. Let me take this opportunity to thank the European Commission for its useful analysis in the country report for Ireland. It is undoubtedly an important input into our national dialogue. These will direct how…

As humans, access to clean water is essential for our livelihoods, our economy and our well-being. Our rivers and lakes are home to hundreds of freshwater species while our estuaries and coastal waters remain a rich source of marine biology biodiversity, so clean water is also essential for nature to thrive. The water framework directive was adopted by member states throughout Europe, including Ireland in 2000. A requirement of the directive is that all waters are protected and restored to at least good status by 2…

Nursing homes play a pivotal role in providing care in the community for those older persons whose high dependency needs are not suitable for home support services, while also facilitating the provision of short-term care services for older persons discharged from acute hospitals, freeing up bed capacity and enabling them to ultimately return to their own home. Although nursing home bed capacity has increased over the past decade, the population aged over 65 has grown at a rate three times faster. There is, therefo…

I ask the Minister if he is planning any new measures in budget 2024 to address the recruitment and retention difficulties across key areas of the public sector, specifically healthcare, home care, the Garda, the military and firefighters, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

As the Minister knows, budget 2024 is just around the corner. Last year, under budget 2023, I welcomed the recruitment of 1,000 new gardaí. Can the Minister give an update on the situation? The number of vacancies for doctors, nurses, consultants and social workers is alarming. We cannot afford to lose the professionals. What is the Minister doing to retain them and increase recruitment? Our Defence Forces are at the lowest level ever with 7,500 personnel in the Army. That is very low. What is the Minister doing to…