Obviously, there is going to be much agreement. The complaint we have is that this an issue that should have been addressed a long time ago. In fairness, I will add my voice to what has been said about Johnny O'Meara and the huge work he did. Obviously, his Supreme Court case and action has brought us to this point. I make the argument that we need to find other ways rather than relying on citizens to go above and beyond. I, like many others, have dealt with similar cases. On some level, it is almost seeing is beli…

I want to raise the shocking case of 13-year-old Senan Maguire from my constituency, who is autistic. His case was covered by the Sunday Independent, which referenced the absolute failure of the State to provide services for Senan, his mother and father, Tina and David, and the wider family. I could talk about major issues regarding community disability network teams, CDNTs. The child is not currently in school and I am not sure whether he has a secondary school place. There is a particular issue with child and ado…

On CETA, a number of us across all parties have an issue in respect of the investment court system. We have seen in other countries that there has been a chilling effect in those sort of scenarios where a legislature can leave itself open to actions by major industries if it were to change the laws to its own benefit. There is a bit more complexity to the issue around CETA. I am not sure it is necessarily going to benefit us in that particular aspect. There has been considerable conversation around Palestine. We kn…

This is an interesting piece of legislation. We are repealing the spent and obsolete secondary instruments enacted on or after 1 January 1821 and before 1 January 1861, as well as those instruments enacted before 1821 that have not been previously repealed. I suspect that many Deputies did not anticipate they would be speaking on this issue but, in fairness, it is not only a decent piece of housekeeping that needs to be done from a legislative point of view, but also a reminder of where we came from and the particu…

The tenant in situ scheme has been one of those successes with regard to preventing homelessness. We need that circular or the criteria to issue as soon as possible and, obviously, the funding to be provided to local authorities. We have had a huge number of cases. Louth County Council made a large number of purchases that saved an awful lot of people from dreadful circumstances, but a huge number have been stalled within the last period. I accept checks and balances with regard to purchasing houses that are up to …

In the context of what I said earlier, we all get that the tenant in situ scheme absolutely worked and saved people from homelessness. We are very worried about the tighter criteria. I am specifically asking for some flexibility where local authorities have for the past while been almost only looking at brand-new purchases, or close to that, because they were afraid of getting caught, for want of a better term, on the hook from the point of view of maintenance. There is a problem with maintenance in general. We hav…

We are dealing with major infrastructural issues with regard to Uisce Éireann. There are housing developments in respect of which there are plans to put in initial water treatment schemes on the basis that there is not capacity in the rest of the system. In the part of Dundalk I live in, we have an issue in removing wastewater. We have had near flooding incidents on multiple occasions. We have had a long-term issue with brown water and manganese reacting with chlorine. Pilot schemes are in operation and seem to be …

We have to be absolutely straight in the sense that Ireland at the minute is absolutely awash with cocaine and we are dealing with addicts who would previously have had an issue with heroin. We are probably talking about crack cocaine and that obviously leads to a particular set of issues particularly as regards crime and the impact on the wider community. I agree with Deputy Smith. He is probably talking about the family addiction support network that we have both engaged with and that deals with families who are …

Unfortunately we are in a very scary world where might is right. It can seem like reading the history of imperial power plays from the 1700s. There is slaughter in Sudan and Gaza and Russian attempts to make major military inroads to deliver a one-sided peace. There has been engagement by the US Administration which can at very best be described as unhelpful, although I have many other words for it, as will others, in particular the talk of the Gaza Riviera which means nothing but genocide. Unfortunately, it gives …

Iarraim ar pháirtí an Lucht Oibre labhairt anois agus beidh 15 bomaite aige ag tosú leis an Teachta Sheehan.

Cuirfear an vótáil siar go dtí an am vótála an tseachtain seo chugainn.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Paula Butterly - To discuss the proposed 17% increase in personal injury awards. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the national roads programme for County Kerry. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss the need to reintroduce the security clearance certificate. Deputy Brian Stanley - To discuss planning for the building of a new fire station in Rathdowney, Cou…

I concur with what Deputy Duncan Smith said about all the Ministers showing up. We did not see this before and I think it is very beneficial.

Comhghairdeas leis an hAirí agus ádh mór leo. The Minister of State spoke about LSSIF funding for those preparing for 2024. Is he speaking about those applications that are already in, such as from Drogheda United and Louth GAA regarding stadium builds which are on the reserve list? When will funding open again? I think this was meant to be an ongoing process because Dundalk F.C. was in a different circumstance at that stage. We know we need huge money for Oriel Park. That is about sustainability. I spoke to the Mi…

There will be general agreement on the fact that, when we have seen a community response, as happened in my town of Dundalk, we have seen community gardaí doing absolutely brilliant work in their interactions with the communities. Sometimes they can deal with issues before they ever happen. We need a lot more of that. We need to have community safety partnerships up and running. I spoke to the Minister regarding the necessity for interventions at family and community level and youth diversion programmes, such as wh…

I am not a medic but it is frustration that brings this to the floor of the House.

Tá mé an-bhuíoch as an seans labhairt inniu, go háirithe agus ráitis Ghaeilge agus Seachtain na Gaeilge i gceist. Dearaim achan bhliain go bhfuil orm níos mó cleachtaidh a dhéanamh agus deirim achan bhliain go ndéanfaidh mé sin. Tá mé á rá anois é. Tchfídh muid cad é a tharlóidh. Tá cuid mhór ráite cheana féin maidir leis na fadhbanna atá i gceist. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil fadhb ollmhór maidir le tithíocht sa tír ar fad. Tá cuid mhór fadhbanna nuair atá muid ag caint faoi cead pleanála tuaithe, ach tá cuid mhór …

I would like to deal with mental health well-being. I spoke previously to the Minister of State, Mary Butler, about the fact that we have to look at the Mental Health Bill. We have all come across issues with getting the required supports for people in absolute distress, including those who have been arrested under the Mental Health Act. When the Garda calls a doctor, the doctor will assess the situation on the basis of how he or she finds it and how the law produces the framework, but it is not always imperfect. I…

Whatever can be done.

There are huge issues in disability. This has already been spoken about in relation to the parents having to involve themselves in that kind of outdoor protest and the section 39 workers are balloting for strike action. I want to talk about the interim October 2024 CDNT workforce report and the 529.77 whole-time equivalent positions which are unfilled. When that report is finished, obviously there will be a plan for filling that gap, but if an audit is carried out and we fill all those positions, it is likely we wi…