As Deputy Gannon outlined, the Social Democrats will not be supporting the motion. I will outline three clear reasons that is the case. First, it is demonstrative of virtue signalling and performative cruelty, which has not crept into our system but has been recently exposed as being in our system. Second, it is a solution without a problem. I will outline some of the problems we could be directing our energies at in the Dáil and elsewhere within the international protection system. Finally, very serious human righ…

It is the manner of communication around it.

The press release.

Fifty-four thousand people have now been killed in Palestine. Eighteen people were shot today while waiting for food and another eight were killed in a bomb explosion in central Gaza. These are bombs and bullets that are partially funded by the sale of Israeli bonds. Two weeks ago, the Government was offered the opportunity to adopt legislation which would enable the Minister for Finance to cease Ireland's approval, and that of the Central Bank, of the prospectus which permits the sale of Israeli bonds here in Euro…

Will there be a free vote?

The Government strategy through the course of the housing crisis has essentially been to increase developer investment - in a nutshell - and it has failed catastrophically. The Government now seeks to double down by creating a system that will result in the removal of the 2% rent pressure cap nationally for new builds. The whole point of building more houses is to drive rents down, not up. This proposal puts landlords and their profit margins above renters and their basic right to a roof over their heads. Housing d…

At a meeting of the Oireachtas media committee yesterday, RTÉ executives revealed yet more wasted spending at the State broadcaster. An IT project, specifically a channel management system, went over budget by nearly €1 million. This comes just weeks after we learned, for the first time, about a €3.6 million writedown for another botched IT project. That is nearly €5 million either overspent or wasted on IT projects alone. These are only the projects we know about because RTÉ did not volunteer this information. The…

We in the Social Democrats are proud to cosign this motion, and we thank the Labour Party for tabling it. It is when international law is under attack that we need to use these mechanisms most. Day after day since this genocide began, we have watched atrocity after atrocity. It is difficult not to despair seeing the international system frozen in its tracks. This motion is about using the UN General Assembly to mobilise the international community to act on Gaza. Countries around the world are waiting for each othe…

I thank the library and research service for the paper it prepared on this Bill. It was very helpful to me in preparing my contribution for today, as I am sure it was for many of us. Déanann sí scoth na hoibre chun a chinntiú go bhfuilimid mar reachtóirí in ann ár gcuid oibre a dhéanamh, agus molaim í as ucht a cuid iarrachtaí. Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom leagan amach céard ar mhaith liom díriú air inniu. Ba mhaith liom labhairt ar an easpa soiléireachta agus cosanta d’oibritheoirí i gcomhlachtaí nach bhfuil ag trádáil…

On his way to Cabinet today, the Tánaiste said that people wanted more than fine words on Gaza and that they wanted action. I could not agree more, which is why I cannot understand why it has taken until today for the Tánaiste to bring to Cabinet legislation to ban trade with the occupied territories. We are now nearly six months into this Government's term. Does that represent urgency or strong action? As if that was not bad enough, the Government has signalled that it will not include services in the Bill, which …

There is enough.

It also sets legal precedent.

I thank Sinn Féin for introducing this Bill, which aims to empower the Minister for Finance to impose restrictions on securities issued by the State of Israel. Ireland is the home country for Israeli bonds sold in the European Union. It is up to non-EU countries to decide which member state they want to sell their bonds from. The Central Bank can only object if it believes it has no legal jurisdiction for the approval. This Bill intends to change that. The sale of these bonds makes us complicit in Israel's genocide…

After nearly two years of slaughter, destruction and devastation in Gaza, the EU has finally run out of excuses for inaction. A review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement has finally been authorised. I welcome the Government's support for it. How long is this review going to last? The Israeli state is not just engaged in an openly genocidal campaign in Gaza; Israeli Government officials are now boasting about it. The Taoiseach mentioned Minister Smotrich earlier and I would like to quote him: We are disassemblin…

Caithfimid a admháil nach bhfuil Éire tar éis a dóthain a dhéanamh chun an cinedhíothú a stopadh. Sa chéad óráid a thug mé os comhair na Dála, bhíomar ag glaoch ar an Rialtas an occupied territories Bill a chur i bhfeidhm. Ceithre mhí níos déanaí, níl sé déanta aige. Tá sé soiléir le fada céard ar cóir dúinn déanamh. This Government has time and again defended inaction by stating that Ireland has done more than other nations to support the Palestinian people, but the bar is not merely on the floor, it is hidden und…

Hi, Cara. We have not had a chance to meet yet, but thank you for everything you are doing. I hope to pop out to you tomorrow morning to say hello. I have met so many people in the disability community and in my work in the rights and equality space who, like Cara, have had to become advocates and experts in rights and equality simply to realise their own rights because the State is failing them so badly and because they are not able to access the appropriate services, the seirbhísí cuí, that they should have avail…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an nGrúpa Teicniúil um Neamhspleáigh agus Páirtithe as ucht an Bille seo a thabhairt os comhair na Dála. We in the Social Democrats are happy to support this Bill. I speak first to some of the comments made by the Minister of State's colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, in his response to this legislation. I wish to push back especially on the continued narrative we hear that the Constitution essentially says "No". I wish to draw the Government's attention to something I did two we…

Billionaire Denis O'Brien, who was found by a tribunal to have given corrupt payments to Michael Lowry, has a new problem with the rights for ordinary Irish workers. Speaking at a recent event, O'Brien described working from home as a load of nonsense and part of an entitlement culture that has totally destroyed our work ethic and compromised productivity. I will park the irony of a man who was awarded a mobile phone licence after he made secret payments of €500,000 to a Minister decrying an entitlement culture, an…

Will the Taoiseach take this opportunity to criticise O'Brien's remarks? Does the Government have plans to strengthen the to work from home?

I thank the Minister of State for his statement. I can imagine how difficult it is to sit here and listen to every single Deputy talk about the challenges in his or her area, but I am going to have to add my own to the list. Being unable to get a test affects people in so many different ways. It is not just about their independence. It is about being able to reach whole swathes of the country that are only accessible by car. Many constituents have contacted me about how their inability to get a test is stopping the…