I was originally intending to talk today about rural communities but I now find myself compelled to respond to the comments made by An Taoiseach yesterday where he confirmed his belief that children could be transgender. His belief is one matter. I will not spend time here going into the long list of objections raised by many medical and psychological professionals to the unthinking acceptance of children self-identifying their gender and the huge potential dangers this causes when it leads to medical intervention …

Last year, in this Chamber, I asked whether we could build Ardnacrusha power station today. It was a rhetorical question meant to highlight how restrictive our planning system has become and how little will this Government often shows. Today, however, it is a serious question because large-scale energy infrastructure is no longer a thoughtful idea but an urgent necessity. The problem is that this Government has adopted an approach that is nearly punitive towards ordinary citizens. Instead of fixing infrastructure f…

A story reported this morning in the Irish Examiner relates to the announcement that the HSE has launched an investigation into the alleged transfer by the charity Autism Initiatives Ireland of over €1.5 million to the UK. The transfers are alleged to have taken place as far back as 2019. Rather than dwell on the specific details of the case, which are to be investigated, I want to address what this story reveals about the wider state of public infrastructure and support in this country, or more accurately the alar…

I thank the Acting Chair. The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. The objective of this Bill is sound and broadly shared across this House. Disposable vapes are wasteful, environmentally damaging and far too accessible to children and young people. The decision to remove them from the market is justified and overdue. However, as legislators our responsibility does not end with good intentions. It begins with asking whether the measures we put in place will deliver the outcomes we seek or whether, thro…

In January, I stood in this Chamber and called for the abolition of the universal social charge. Today, in light of the recent protests, the ongoing energy crisis and the relentless cost-of-living crisis, I find myself compelled to make that call again but I want to go further. In recent weeks, we have heard much talk from Government about increased expenditure, more subsidies and so on, justified by the ever-growing projections of a budget surplus. There is another model that deserves serious consideration; reduci…

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Much has been said already about the overcrowding in our prisons, pressure on capacity and how we are to solve it. Alternative sentencing is being put before us a potential solution. I would like to cite one programme we had that could serve as a template. This was the Mountjoy Prison work party, nicknamed the "Pope's prisoner programme". Between 1978 and its suspension in 2009, that work party contributed over 20 community projects, including the construction and renovation of some 30 scout dens and community cent…

I rise to speak on the issue that is being raised today in Stormont. I refer to the website commonly known as Escort Ireland. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 criminalises the purchase of sex in this jurisdiction. Yet, this platform exists for one clear purpose; to advertise sexual services to be bought here in direct defiance of that law. It is not a marginal operation. It is a large, highly profitable enterprise, reportedly charging weekly fees for advertisements while hosting hundreds of listings aime…

Hear, hear.

Much has been said in this House about the fuel protest, but today, I want to briefly reflect on both the protests themselves and the response to them. The deployment of our Defence Forces raises serious and worrying questions that remain unanswered. Why did the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, deploy the Defence Forces? Was the Minister for Defence, Deputy McEntee, consulted? Where was the principle of proportionality in that response? Are there no standard operating procedures to ensure that extraordinar…

I support the amendment. The Minister of State has been very proactive in this role since she took over. I listened to that RTÉ report this morning about the psychiatric nurses' conference in Cavan. I am concerned about the ten-bed closure at the CAMHS unit in St. Vincent's Hospital in Fairview. Perhaps the Minister of State could address that today. We have fewer than 50 beds currently when it comes to CAMHS residential placements in this country. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to deliver mo…

Closing beds down for children is something I ask the Minister of State to address.

I second the amendment.

Today I wish to speak about the recent comments made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, directed at Pope Leo. In an increasingly volatile global moment, words spoken by leaders matter. When those words dismiss, denigrate or threaten entire peoples, religions or institutions, they do real damage, not just diplomatically but morally. As some Members may know, it would be an understatement to say that I am no admirer of the Iranian regime. It is a criminal regime and it deserves to be challenged, opp…

The Minister is very welcome. To be quite honest, I am disappointed that this is not on full and Final Stage today. For far too long, criminals in this country, particularly the drug criminals, have been getting away with far too much. I am delighted to see that the Minister is trying to expedite the sale of properties belonging to criminals and drug barons in this country. Those properties can be left to rot for years, as the Minister knows. Let us take them off them, get them sold and put them back into good use.…

Hear, hear.

Fair play to the Senator.

I am aware there is a motion before the Dáil as we speak, so I will be very careful in what I say in order to respect our Standing Orders. However, I have to say that today's motion is an embodiment of the extreme situation our nation has come to. It is this extreme situation that I wish to speak about. A number of political commentators have said the protests were somehow unexpected and came out of nowhere, but this is totally incorrect. I have mentioned twice in recent months the threat of the collapse of the hau…

I think Sinn Féin voted in favour of many taxes over the years.