This week, people around the country will be enjoying the good weather that is currently forecast. However, hot temperatures can be a real challenge for some in our communities, such as the elderly, the very young and people with underlying conditions. Once again, we are seeing record-breaking temperatures around Europe, with red alerts being issued in many countries and temperatures of over 40°C expected. Sustained heat in summer is here to stay. Over the last year, I have been seeking information from the Departm…

I acknowledge the presence in the Gallery of representatives of many of the LGBTQ+ groups around the country. I thank them for their work and I recognise that I, and queer people all over our country, enjoy rights as a result of their efforts. Pride remains an empowering expression of community, visibility and celebration. It is a chance for LGBTQ+ people to gather openly and proudly. However, as many of the speakers have noted, while it is an opportunity for us to reflect on how far Ireland has come in recent year…

In April of this year, 46% of our country's electricity came from wind and a further 7% came from solar. That 53% of our electricity or 1,300 GWh of clean renewable electricity in a single month. A key problem with the electricity system in Ireland is that we do not have the energy storage capacity to take full advantage of renewable energy when those conditions are right. At times, renewable producers are directed to create less energy than they have capacity to generate. The system uses technical language like "c…

With respect, while the Taoiseach is right that it is an issue of technology, the solution is there. The solution is there in terms of battery storage and we do not have enough of it. What representatives of the industry told all Members of the Oireachtas from the Opposition to the Government when they were in with us is that the two key barriers to them are the lack of a national target for how much the Government thinks in terms of energy support that is needed and that support system to help them to deliver it. …

Ireland is an island nation and we all recognise the necessity of airport connectivity for our people and our economy. We already have good air links and they will continue. The question before us today is whether this legislation is a proportionate and appropriate way to balance our commitment to a connected island with our obligations to meet climate targets, protect local communities and care for our environment. My concern is that the Bill does not even make an attempt at balancing those competing needs. Instea…

I want to again raise with the Minister an issue that is close to my heart and the hearts of residents across Dublin 15, namely, the provision of the N8 orbital bus service, a new BusConnects service linking Blanchardstown with Dublin Airport. I want to tie down a commitment the Minister made on a previous occasion that the route will be up and running by the end of this year.

As the Minister knows, this route is long delayed. When I contacted the NTA in 2024, I was told it would be in place in 2025. When I asked about it in 2025, I was told it would be in place in 2026. When I asked about it earlier this year, I was told it would be in place in 2027. The Minister and I have discussed this route in the Chamber a number of times. He gave a strong commitment last time in terms of having the route delivered this year. I received a written reply from the Minister's Department on the same day…

The ongoing delay in the delivery of the N8 is emblematic of wider delays in the delivery of bus services. I refer in particular to my constituency. The B spine route has been delayed. A judicial review is ongoing and I understand is that is coming to an end. Large numbers of new houses are being built. The Minister and I were at the opening of new estates over the past number of years. Additional bus service in places like Hollystown, Tyrrelstown and Kilmartin Grove are important in terms of dealing with the housi…

The transport committee has been discussing the topic of road safety for the past six months. We have heard detailed and often very upsetting evidence from a range of organisations, from cycling groups all the way through to the Road Haulage Association, and the one point that unites them all is that they all do not have confidence in the Road Safety Authority, RSA. The Tánaiste will recall that in 2024 a radical reform of the RSA was proposed. This would have split it up and allowed the authority to focus on the c…

I add to the calls for the availability of treatments for Friedreich's ataxia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy and to recognise the very brave patients and their advocates who have made this case in Leinster House. Skyclarys is the first and only approved treatment for Friedreich's ataxia which around 200 people live with in Ireland. This medication can slow the progression of their condition. The company that makes Skyclarys has put the official pricing proposal to the CPU and now the situation is fully in the hand…

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this important and timely motion. Global digital transformation and accelerated AI technology adoption are driving a rapid expansion of data centres in Ireland. While data centres are one part of the infrastructure for business operations, they pose significant social and environmental concerns. Ireland's current power grid cannot support the energy demands that data centres require. We know that they use up a tremendous amount of energy, currently at 22% of Ireland's e…

On Saturday, I had the privilege of joining members of the Bosnian community in Ireland, in the TU buildings in Blanchardstown, to mark the 31st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. We had an update from Ireland's new ambassador to Bosnia on our ongoing diplomatic relations with that country. One clear point that came out was the sense from Bosnians here and in their own country that the pathway towards EU accession is not clear. Will the Taoiseach use the EU Presidency to put a focus on Bosnian accession to the…

I am pleased to be able to support this Bill on behalf of the Green Party. We were proud to campaign in support of repeal in 2018. During that campaign we worked with activists from all parties and none to share that central argument that Ireland needed to listen to women and to empower them to make their own decisions about their own bodies. The people responded to that argument and responded with compassion, especially to the stories that were shared throughout that campaign. Collectively we worked to bring a rea…

Over 10,000 people made applications for this particular round of the successor to the basic income for the arts scheme. The Department is in a position to support only about 20% of them. This means just over 2,000 artists will be supported and the other 80% will be left disappointed. This is about a similar level of disappointed applicants as we saw in the original pilot scheme launched by the then Minister, Catherine Martin. It is disappointing to see that the scheme is not growing. We welcomed at that time that …

I appeal to the Government to listen to the sentiment of the House this evening and to accept Opposition amendments to include services in this Bill or, even better, to bring forward its own amendments in later Stages. The vote on the occupied territories Bill does not need to be divisive but the Government has chosen division by deciding to exclude services from the content of the Bill before us today. This is despite the original draft presented by Senator Francis Black. This is despite the very detailed recommen…

I thank Deputy Joanna Byrne and her colleagues in Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion this evening. The Green Party will be supporting this motion and also the motion being brought forward by the Social Democrats tomorrow. In particular, I thank the leadership of the Stop The Game campaign that has operated across Ireland in recent weeks. It is a campaign made up of grassroots supporters, passionate supporters of football in Ireland. They are people who dedicate so much of their lives to supporting our natio…

I ask for an update on the new build for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire in the city centre.

I thank the Minister for that information. The status of Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire was a very significant issue in the recent by-election. When I was out canvassing with my colleague, Councillor Janet Horner, it was coming up at many doors. As the Minister knows, the works were suspended in May 2025 by the Department, which was in dispute with the contractor. There was a conciliation process and the school moved to its current temporary site in December 2025. The Minister has made the point that we now have the re…

I thank the Minister for the detailed information but I come back to the point about communication. That information needs to be communicated to the school management team and board of management, and it needs to be clear to them that they can share that information with parents. This has been a very difficult situation. In fairness to the Department, a lot of work has been done but there are no clear lines of communication for getting that information to the parents. I ask the Minister again to ask her officials t…

Last Friday, in the very early hours of the morning, a serious fire broke out in the Auburn Park apartments in Castleknock in my constituency. The Minister of State knows Castleknock and is probably aware of this apartment block. The fire was significant. Up to four fire engines were dispatched to bring it under control. At least one person was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation. Hundreds of people, all the residents of this block of apartments, had to be evacuated in order to control the fire. Significant dam…