I thank my staff, especially my PA, who have done a tremendous amount of work on this legislation. I also thank the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, which has assisted me in bringing in this legislation. The Minister might criticise it but it is right and has gone through the whole process. As a back bench TD, I am limited in the legislation I can bring forward. I would love to go much further. I would love to work with the Minister on it but he comes in here and criticises the proposals I have made. H…

Will the Minister give a commitment to intervene to prevent the closure in mid-January of a homeless prevention service in Cork, and to ensure the service does not cease to provide vital community support to homeless young people through social care work?

I thank the Minister for the update but the information I have is that Liberty Street House will be out of staff by mid-January and is currently not recruiting. I understand it has not replaced the staff who have left, been redeployed or have retired. I want the Minister to be right, and I hope she is right, in what she has just said here. Liberty Street House has been operating very successfully for the last two decades in providing really vital services for young people who are at risk of homelessness. It is said…

I have two worries on foot of the Minister's comments. She is saying that the services are being integrated. Is Liberty Street House being closed down? Liberty Street House provides a service to young people who are at risk of homelessness and who enter homelessness. I am looking for a commitment now that this will not be closed down. The information I have is from people who are in the know. They have told me that no additional staff have been taken on to replace those who have left through retirements and redeplo…

Go raibh maith agat.

How many Members are looking to speak? We could divide it.

I support this amendment. Deputy Ward has tabled an important amendment. I ask the Minister to take it on board. If he does not take it on board now, I ask him to incorporate it when he is looking at this legislation and other legislation. What we have now is that the money made on the back of some of the communities that are most affected by drug dealing and criminality is not going back into those communities. That is just not right. We and the Minister know from the Pobal index where these communities are, where…

As my colleague said, we are supporting both these motions. At committee, the Minister said these exempted developments have been hugely successful. While I believe commercial units being returned as homes is a good thing, it has not reached the potential it could. We look at villages and areas that I represent like Blackpool in Cork city, one of the oldest, most historic villages and parts of Cork city. Then we have Shandon with the renowned Shandon steeple, the church and the bells. We see these communities with …

The one word to describe the action that the Minister and the Government have taken is "cruel". It is cruelty towards some of the most vulnerable people in this State. It is mean. Will the Minister not make a decision? Will she not stand up to whoever behind the scenes is forcing her to make this call? She should decide not to let down pensioners, the disabled or the most vulnerable. How can she justify it? She has the power. People are watching and listening to the debate. They are looking to the Minister for hope…

That was not a shout. The Minister will hear me in a minute. I will be shouting.

A total of 93 families in Cork will spend their Christmas in homeless accommodation. Five of them will have been in homeless accommodation for over three years. This year, the Government will spend €21 million housing these families while there are hundreds of boarded-up council houses in Cork that could be turned around. These are places where children could have a proper Christmas and hang stockings on the chimney, knowing that Santa will come down it. However, the Minister's Government will not reopen the voids …

The scheme is closed.

The Government is spending €21 million on homeless accommodation.

You are the Minister. I am not talking about local authorities. You are in government.

One second, I asked a question.

I asked a question but the Minister is talking about local government. He is the Minister representing the Government here today. He is the person who should give the answer. He should not blame local government. He wants to blame local government and Irish Water.

I welcome this Bill being brought forward. It is actually quite common sense. It could have gone further but I respect that the Deputy is trying to make a really big first step, which is important. We are now being recognised as the European capital for breeding dogs and pups. There are a lot of things we want to be top of the list for in Europe but that is certainly not one we want to be seen as, especially when we are a people renowned for our history with dogs. I was listening to other people talk. The joke in o…

Once again, we have Fianna Gael and their pals Fianna Fáil pointing to problems without doing anything to actually resolve them. You would swear this happened yesterday and that it has not been around for years, but it has. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments since 2011 and beyond have failed to act. Now, there is talk about doing pilot schemes. The Tánaiste said he is considering a ban on social media for under-16s and the Minister said he is not in favour of a ban. Debating sounds good in the media while big te…

Why must families in the State fight for everything? Why can children with additional needs and special needs not get what they need? Why can they not get what they are entitled to? They are children of this State. This is a fundamental human right - a right to education, a right to healthcare, and a right to be treated with respect and dignity. I have been coming in here for the last six years, listening to the Government telling me what it is doing. Why was this plan that it announced today not announced six, nin…

Will the Tánaiste update the House on whether he has met the Revenue Commissioners to discuss the new derelict sites tax? Will he consider starting the collection of the derelict sites tax on 1 January 2026 or early 2026, and not 2027?