Could I clarify the timing on this? How long have I got?

I apologise for being late. I was at a briefing and was caught out with the early start. I agree with points made by other speakers about the rushed nature of this. We all want to see this scheme coming in as soon as possible but we were caught unawares last week. After the briefing took place, for which I thank the Minister, I tried to table amendments and discovered that the deadline was actually the morning of the day we got the briefing. That was very unsatisfactory and the Ceann Comhairle agreed to extend that…

There is no doubt this situation has thrown up a serious anomaly. It is an indefensible situation where a 16-year-old can have a termination but is not being facilitated with free contraception. This is so last minute and rushed we are not in a position to challenge what the Minister has said. We have to take it at face value. The key thing is that this situation is not let lie. We need a very definite timescale. The Minister said he has asked his officials to work on this and that work is already under way, which …

I move amendment No. 8: In page 4, after line 6, to insert the following: “ 3. The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas setting out the implications of extending the exemption from statutory charges for in-patient and day case care in public hospitals to all cancer patients.”. I am not going to repeat the points made by Members of the Social Democrats and other Members of the House a number of months ago when we debated a Private M…

We all know that the cost of living is out of control, inflation is now almost 10% and prices right across the economy are soaring. On Friday Electric Ireland hiked its prices for the second time in just three months, adding a further €350 to the cost of gas and €164 to the cost of electricity. Other providers will undoubtedly follow suit. Families who are already struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table must also cope with the huge cost of back-to-school, which costs up to €1,500 per child. Where do…

Therefore, will the Government reconsider and to do the right thing? Will it introduce an emergency budget now before it is too late for so many families?

I do not know if the Tánaiste realises how difficult it is for low-income families. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is really concerned about the summer holidays because it does not know what is going to happen to those families that are utterly dependent on breakfast clubs and school meals. Where is the food going to come from during the summer holidays? What will happen when parents just cannot afford food, school uniforms, shoes for going back to school or books? The Tánaiste talks about looking at this again…

I welcome this Bill and it is good the Government is abolishing the inpatient charge for children under 16 and that parents will no longer have that as an additional worry when their child gets sick and has to be admitted to the hospital. The Minister made the point that it will ease the financial burden on parents and ensure that cost is not a significant consideration for families when children have to go into hospital, which is good. However, it begs the question of why anyone should have a financial burden when…

I welcome the Sinn Féin motion. It is a very important motion to so many people across the country. Like others, the Social Democrats' position on an emergency budget is very clear. We need one and we need one now. However, the Government continues to ignore our calls from this side of the House as well as the many calls from its own benches. While it is doing that, it is clear that many people in this country are suffering, people on all kinds of different income levels. Frankly, it seems as though the Government …

Yesterday, the Taoiseach spoke about the importance of honesty, but does he not need to be honest with the people about the climate action plan? Clearly, that plan is failing, and spectacularly so, it must be said. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, even if every planned measure in the plan was implemented in full, our emissions would only be reduced by 28%. The legally binding target is 51%. With just eight years to go to reach this target, our emissions are going up not down. Last year, our em…

No, we have been very clear about that.

The Taoiseach cannot argue with the figures. The emissions are going up, not down, and they have increased by 6% in the past year. The strategy is not working. The Government needs to do an awful lot more. Just today, the EPA said a step up, both in the implementation of actions already set out in plans and policies and in the identification of new measures, is needed. What are those new measures? Will the Taoiseach tell us what they are? He has been promising sectoral plans for a long time now. When exactly will w…

Will the Taoiseach put a date on it?

Where are they?

When?

When will we see them?

When will we see them?

The Taoiseach has been saying that for a long time. When will we see them?

You have.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2021 and for that purpose to amend section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in relation to ministerial guidelines and to provide for related matters. As Deputies will know, our planning laws have been significantly weakened in recent years, too often at the behest of powerful lobbyists. One of the most egregious changes was slipped in with very little fanfare in 2015 by the then Minister w…