I want the Minister of State to come to Longford-Westmeath and meet the families who have been looking at empty oil tanks for months, hoping against hope the Government would move as prices got higher and higher. The Minister of State has the gall to ask them to hope a little more and to hold on a little longer so that the Government might just get a notion of doing something in the budget. That is not good enough. For seven months, the price of home heating oil has been in crisis. I remember banging on doors in th…

That concludes Question Time. Before I move on, I just want to say a special welcome to Deputy Butterly's guests, the Louth women's and ladies GAA team, staff and management. I congratulate them on the semi-final. Have I got that right?

Well done to them on getting there.

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 John Connolly - To discuss the proposed expansion of the TFI bike rental scheme in Galway city. Deputy Conor Sheehan - To discuss the funding of CCTV schemes for Limerick city. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss lack of resources and staffing issues at Cork University Hospital. Deputy Tom Brabazon - To discuss the new school building at Gaelcholáis…

Recent ESRI research shows that child poverty has risen sharply. After housing costs, some 260,000 children are living below the poverty line. I want the Taoiseach to picture a classroom with 30 children and I want him to imagine seven of those kids. That is the equivalent proportion of children who are now living below the poverty line in this State. It would take 5,000 52-seater buses to fit all of those kids. That would stretch from Leinster House to Glendalough. I know that the Taoiseach is going to come back t…

I did not mention DEIS.

No, I was not.

There are many aspects to this debate that I find deeply concerning but there is one that really irks me. Neutrality does not mean being defenceless, a fact that this and previous Governments have deliberately blurred. The triple block is about circumstances where Defence Forces personnel can be deployed overseas: UN mandate, Government decision and Dáil approval for significant deployments. It does not stop Ireland defending our airspace. It does not stop us from protecting our territorial waters or our critical i…

When DEIS plus schools were announced in May, St. Joseph's and St. Michael's in Longford town were rightly included. However, Sacred Heart school in Granard, despite sharing the same DEIS history and facing significant educational disadvantage, was excluded and is now awaiting the outcome of an appeal. Could the Minister please outline how the appeal is being considered and when Sacred Heart school, Granard can expect a decision?

This is about fairness and equity. The Minister mentioned the HP deprivation index. In the HP index, Granard scores higher than seven out of the ten areas that have been chosen in Longford. This does not make sense. Sacred Heart has been a DEIS band 1 school for 20 years. Since then, the demand on the school has increased dramatically. There are now 255 pupils, three autism classes, an early intervention class, a large number of pupils learning English as an additional language and many families experiencing signif…

I agree with the Minister on the issue of consistency. I do not believe anybody in this House would argue against schools with the greatest need having the greatest level of support. However, the issue in Granard is that this school has faced the same challenges as every other school in Longford that has been chosen as a DEIS school for the past 20 years, yet it is not being considered as part of the scheme. There is a lack of consistency and fairness. This school has been left waiting while the other schools have …

Online platforms that promote and facilitate suicide need to be stopped. I commend the team of The Journal Investigates for its work in exposing these sinister forums, which are banned in other jurisdictions but accessible here. They prey on vulnerable people and they encourage them into irreversible decisions. The problem is not a lack of legal or regulatory powers. We have the Digital Services Act, the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, and the Criminal Law (Suicide) Act. What is missing here is co-ordinated…

And the Departments of justice and health.

This Bill, which is overdue, is a small step in the expansion of community pharmacy and women's healthcare services. Sinn Féin will support the Bill. It is a sensible measure that recognises the expertise of community pharmacists and reduces unnecessary barriers for women who need repeat prescriptions for contraception. Community pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare professionals in the country. They are embedded in each of our communities. They are trusted and are often more accessible than a GP. A…

Every time my constituents speak to me about what matters most to them, they talk about their children. They ask whether they will be able to buy a house with the pressures they are facing as a family. Essentially, what they are asking is whether tomorrow can be better than today. Every one of those conversations leaves me with the same thought. People are looking for hope. They are looking for leadership. Politics asks us to solve today's problems but leadership asks us to prepare for tomorrow. Constitutional chan…

The Tánaiste knows only too well the saga of Children’s Health Ireland, CHI. Children with scoliosis and spina bifida were left waiting years for care. In many cases, they never received it. There were unapproved, non-medical springs implanted in children’s backs, hundreds of unnecessary hip operations and mismanaged waiting lists. These are the so-called Crumlin orphans, children with complex needs who were ignored by the system and left with poor care. Promises were broken time and time again. There has been repo…

What I find striking is the letter from the spina bifida and hydrocephalus paediatric advocacy group that states clearly, "We feel we have no other option but to withdraw from this scoping exercise". I find that deeply concerning. Trust is not built on promises; it is built on keeping them. These families were promised a child-centred, codesigned inquiry. Today, they say very clearly that promise has been broken. If the Government has nothing to hide, then let it hide nothing, honour the commitments that were made …

Today, the ESRI warned that food prices will go up again this autumn. Ordinary families are under real pressure. They are working hard but are still struggling to pay their bills. They are getting crucified by rent, childcare and insurance. Now they read that the basics in their presses are going to go up. It will not just be them. The ESRI also said that those on fixed incomes, such as pensioners, those on disability payments and low-paid workers will be hit the hardest. It is chipping away at people's quality of …

Is the Tánaiste following all the female TDs around or is it just Mary Lou?

Is the Tánaiste tracking the movements of all the female TDs or just Mary Lou?