I welcome the opportunity to speak on this amendment Bill. It is clear that State protection of children is in serious need of change. There have been too many cases recently that have highlighted Ireland's lack of regard for the rights of children. The HIQA report published in November, in particular, laid bare the alarming failures of basic child protection. There are, of course, so many social workers and social care workers who are overstretched and under huge pressure in so many parts of the State. Clearly, th…

I heard the Minister of State’s speech and appreciate its tone but she has to admit that our mental health services are at crisis point. More than 50,000 people with a mental health crisis present annually at emergency departments, yet many hospital emergency departments are simply not equipped to deal with such incidents. That speaks volumes about how the State treats those who are experiencing bouts of chronic depression, schizophrenia or anxiety, to name just a few conditions. In Naas General Hospital, in north …

I really welcome the opportunity to speak about Uisce Éireann because we are at a serious crisis point in terms of infrastructure in this country. For years, underinvestment by successive Fianna Fáil- and Fine Gael-led Governments has put us in the situation in which we now find ourselves. In my constituency of Kildare North, water supply and infrastructure are under severe pressure. I have heard from constituents about the low water pressure in parts of Hazelhatch and Celbridge without any warning. Those in the up…

I acknowledge and very much welcome the Minister's comments on deregulation. The stories we have heard over the past few weeks in relation to the Grok feature on X have shocked many people here and across the world. The AI element within social media has been encouraged by tech tycoons such as Elon Musk, owner of X. The Grok website features a claim that, as part of X, Grok offers real-time search image generation, trend analysis and more. Musk also claims Grok is now a source of objective information that users us…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this technical Bill. While my party and I recognise the importance of this Bill, there are still outstanding issues that Sinn Féin and others see with the legislation as it currently stands. It should be said that any Bill that intends to strengthen safety regulation for natural and liquified petroleum gas should be welcomed. It is imperative that we keep with international best practice in relation to safety processes and procedures when it comes to natural and liquified petro…

That is not what happened.

No, it is not.

I am taking Question No. 108 on behalf of Deputy Louise O'Reilly.

We wish to ask the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he intends to implement a socially just phase-out action plan for the replacement of fossil fuels by sustainable energy sources, and if he would make a statement on the matter please.

It is really important we get a just transition. The Minister of State will recall how Sinn Féin tried to get a proper definition of that when we were working on the 2021 climate Act and he and I were on the climate committee. As we move away from fossil fuels and transition to a greener economy, we have to ensure we do not leave anybody behind. The SEAI grants have been made available to people for them to retrofit their homes but it has been shown that tenants and the Travelling community cannot do so. It is not …

The European Commission's 2025 country specific report stated that energy poverty has increased in Ireland and we now have the third highest household or consumer electricity prices in the EU when the add-ons are included. Much of that is down to our reliance on fossil fuels, which makes us susceptible to global price shocks beyond our control. Some 300,000 people are in energy arrears at the moment, with price hikes coming down the road with the PR6. The Minister of State mentioned carbon taxes. It was shown at th…

There he goes again.

Has the Minister of State conducted an analysis of the impact of the introduction of the carbon border adjustment mechanism, CBAM, on the price of energy?

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. It is really important that this analysis is conducted. We import 70% of our energy. The EU average is 58%, so we are importing a lot more than normal countries. We are also importing more energy from Britain. The introduction of the CBAM will affect the prices that households, consumers and families are paying. The Government said that energy emissions will fall by up to 68% between 2026 and 2030 when compared with 2018, but that figure is misleading because we are rely…

He has chanced his arm.

I want to talk about price review 6. Households in Ireland are paying much higher prices - some of the highest prices in Europe - and more and more families are falling into energy poverty and falling behind on their bills. Under price review 6, households and small businesses will be asked to pay even more while the large data centres will be paying less. Household charges could rise by 28% while data centres, which use the most energy, will see their energy prices reduced by 20%. It is just not fair. It is actual…

Every politician has days when their personal beliefs collide with their obligations as a party member and today is one of those days for me. It is no secret that I want to change my party policy on fox hunting; that is on the record. However, as a member of a political movement, I am not a solo act. Grandstanding over an issue I feel very strongly about might feel righteous for a day, but it weakens us in the struggles that change and improve the lives of our constituents. Let us be clear: fox hunting is abhorrent…

It strengthens the status quo and existing power structures. Sinn Féin will continue to confront the system itself while acting collectively as a credible alternative government, but not by attacking other parties of the left. My duty as a Sinn Féin TD is to our local communities, who need us to act as a team to provide an alternative government to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Yes, I disagree with my party policy on this issue. I have said it loud and clear. My party does not expect me to pretend otherwise. I did not…

We have seen some very bad policy decisions made time and time again by this Government but this latest stunt is the most thoughtless. Over the weekend, amid the confusion and chaos, many people got in touch with me to tell me how this was going to affect them or their loved one. Vulnerable users of the blister packs such as older people managing multiple medications, people living with early-stage dementia or Alzheimer’s disease or people with arthritis find blister packs really handy. This will directly affect th…

Is the Second Reading of the Bill being delayed or is it being ruled out?