The system for allocating special education teachers is crude, it is not fit for purpose, and it is letting down our children with special needs. This fact was underlined for me this week by the principal of Rathmichael National School in my area. It has just lost a special education teacher because of the crude way in which the allocations are made. The school is appealing the decision, and I hope the Minister will consider that appeal. The principal pointed out that the figures are crudely based on the number of …

There are 2,000 medical scientists in this country. The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association, MLSA, is going on strike on Wednesday, 18 May, Tuesday, 24 May, and Tuesday, 31 May. The reason is that, way back in 2001, there was a report of the expert group on medical laboratory technician and technologist grades that recommended that medical laboratory scientists should be put on pay parity with clinical biochemists. Also, 20% of medical scientist posts in our hospitals are not filled. The MLSA has engaged with…

Obviously, the Minister is aware of the issue. I say, "Well done", to the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland, MEAI, among others, for campaigning on this. However, it is worth saying, on the task force that was looking into the basic income project, there was no representative of people with disabilities and we need to be absolutely certain that there is not a disincentive for people with disabilities to sign up for the basic income pilot. Certainly, on the calculations the MEAI has done, there is poten…

Unless it is addressed, people on disability payments or blind payments could potentially lose up to €90 of their payments. Inevitably when one is getting a higher payment as one would on the basic income, it is going to impact on other payments. However, the critical point here, as has been pointed out by the MEAI and others, including Disabled Artists and Disabled Academics, DADA, is that people with disabilities carry additional costs variously estimated, depending on levels of disability, at between €7,000 and …

Across all the area of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and in much of Dublin, the HAP limits that people have available to them if they are looking for rental property are not even at the races in terms of the levels of rent. One will not find a two-bedroom apartment for less than €2,000 per month and more often it is €2,200 per month. Something has to be done. Otherwise people looking for rental property or facing homelessness are absolutely banjaxed. What will the Minister do?

In the long run or even in the medium term, I am not in favour of pouring huge amounts of money into rent support, but I accept that for now, until we address the social housing deficit, we must do it. We have to give people options. However, this is a matter of urgency. I am not exaggerating. Everybody who is approaching me, and the number has been increasing over the last few months, are doing so often because they are being evicted from HAP tenancies. By the way, I appeal to the Minister on that ground. If peopl…

The substantial issue, of course, is that we need more social housing stock. By the way, and we will discuss this later, we should be looking for purchases in excess of 10% in private developments as well, given the situation we are now facing and to increase the options for people. Apart from that, I should also mention the income thresholds, because I probably will not get a chance to mention this anywhere else. The Minister could respond on that. Seriously, there are many people who are caught in limbo. They are…

I thank the Government for agreeing to the debate I asked for on this. I did so in response to the Minister's letter, which I responded to a number of weeks ago. I will not get into the politics or the foreign policy because I do not have time and we will debate that on another day. I want to discuss the practical issue of how we do what we have to do, namely, both accommodate Ukrainian refugees and address the housing crisis, which is very severe at present. I want to argue with the Minister that we have to make t…

We all want a state-of-the-art national maternity hospital as quickly as possible. The reason for this shambles and this delay is that this Government and successive Governments have insisted that private companies controlled by religious orders must remain in the picture, even though every cent going into building this hospital is public money and that what is wanted is a public hospital being paid for with public money. The Government insists, and successive Governments have insisted, that instead we get a privat…

Three board members are from St. Vincent's Healthcare Group.

Why is it involved?

They are fantastic staff in St. Vincent's and many of the other hospitals. I predicate everything that I say by making that point. They are fantastic people. The problem with these religious organisations is that, for example in St. Vincent's, one cannot get sterilisation or a vasectomy. Why not? This is a hospital that is publicly funded but owned by a religious organisation that has an ethos that does not believe in and does not want to give certain procedures. They continue to have an influence. In the new St. V…

Is it because they want hold of an asset? Why do we need a private company that has other private companies as subscribers? Why do we need all of that-----

-----rather than simply a publicly owned and controlled hospital on public land?

That is what I mean. That is what is causing the delays. I do not understand why the Government continues to allow them to influence the equation, to be involved in the equation, and ultimately be the cause of the delays we are now suffering.

There is no role for private companies in this.

I am aware that the issue is going to the committee. The Minister should, however, make statement in the Dáil and all groups should have an opportunity to make statements and ask the Minister questions on the critical issue of the future of the national maternity hospital before any decision is made by the Cabinet because there is dispute over the so-called guarantees and the future of this absolutely critical facility for the delivery of the state-of-the-art healthcare we want for women in this country. That uncer…

Two 80-year-old US military veterans, Mr. Ken Mayers and Mr. Tarak Kauff, were yesterday acquitted of criminal damage at Shannon Airport and acquitted of trespass, although some headlines read that they were convicted. They were convicted for interference with the workings of the airport, which was a broader and more catch-all allegation. They were acquitted by a jury on counts of criminal damage even though they admitted criminal damage because their defence was that it was justified to prevent a greater crime, na…

Is that what they are doing by backing the Saudis?

Preserving democracy by supporting the Saudis.