It is often said that rushed legislation, or rushed amendments to legislation, leads to bad legislation. We have seen this time and again. Regarding the amendments included here, which have not gone through the fairly rigorous process we had at the Oireachtas Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, where are we going? We spent hours, days and weeks going through this Bill. To be fair to Deputies Ó Broin and Cian O'Callaghan and others, they tried to bring forward solutions because we know this B…

They may be after the next election though.

Why are you here?

Why not?

Go raibh maith agat. When I opened the budget book yesterday, I could not believe my eyes. I checked and rechecked it, and nowhere in the budget book was the word "addiction" mentioned. In a year when the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs had recommendation after recommendation for increased funding and a priority for addiction services, this Government either forgot or could not be bothered to include any such reference in the budget book. This is the first time this has happened since I was elected, but i…

It is important that we discuss this today. It is disappointing, however, that the Taoiseach, Deputy Harris, in his time as Minister for Health did nothing to sanction or secure funding for this. To be fair, Fianna Fáil has not been much better in health but at least this Bill is now being brought forward, towards the end of this Government. Will we see it passed in the light of day before a general election? We need this step forward to move away from the pen and paper and the back of a fag box. That is not the wa…

When I leave a pub having been out socialising, my friends do not ask me to text them to let them know I got home safe. I do not worry about how I get home if I cannot book a taxi using an app or flag one down on the street. If I do not text my friends, they do not worry about me. If the sun is setting, I do not have to cancel my plans to go for a walk or run. If I am out for a walk on a dark evening, I do not have to base my trip on whether there are streetlights or I know the area will be busy. When someone walks…

There are 7,000 people and families on the housing list in Cork city. In the month of April, the most recent report I have, 35 families and individuals were housed. That means it will take 16 years to clear the waiting list in Cork. To make matters worse, in the same month, 131 families and individuals came onto the list, which means that for every social house that was allocated, four more families came onto the list. This is a catastrophe. The social housing crisis will not be solved. Every week I come in here, t…

Four families are coming onto the list for every one that is allocated a home.

What about the children?

There are 4,000 children homeless.

I acknowledge that this Bill has been brought forward quickly and in a constructive manner. We have worked with the Government to ensure that what is proposed in the Bill will happen as swiftly as possible in order to try to make sure students are not forced into these leases in September. We need to make sure that the President will be in a position to sign the Bill into law as soon as possible. I commend my colleague Deputy Mairéad Farrell on the tireless work she has done in highlighting this issue and on how in…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for facilitating me. Will the Minister provide an update on funding provided to maintain Parnell Place bus station in Cork and an update on plans to renovated it? Right now, the Parnell Place bus station is in a terrible condition. It looks absolutely horrible. When tourists come to the city, this is their first stop. When they see the condition of it, it does not promote the country, or Cork, as a tourist destination.

The Minister discussed BusConnects but that is not what I am here to talk about today. I am here to talk about the condition of the Parnell Place bus station. The Minister has outlined over €5 million for works that will be started if funding is got in 2026. The bus station is a disgrace to Bus Éireann and to the people of Cork, and it is a disgrace to this Government that it would allow people to go in there. To give the Minister an idea, a lady who contacted me uses the bus service and has to travel long distance…

I just want to make it clear: the Minister agrees with me that Parnell Place bus station is in a shocking condition at the moment and then in the same tone, he said that funding might be there in two years' time. We need funding now. We need a proper bus station now. We need proper bus, toilet and changing facilities. The Minister outlined everything that is being done but another question being asked in Cork is whether Parnell Place is the right location for the bus station. Would we be better off investing in it …

With regard to the announcement that this road could be tolled, or that tolling is being considered - according to what the Minister is outlining here - we have seen other roads that had been tolled, like the M8, and we have seen increases in those tolls even though the money invested originally by the private sector has long been paid back. Multiples of it have been paid back and still they are increasing tolls for people who are using the roads. This is what will happen here. On the N20, when you get outside of M…

We will not support the Bill because it is not the step forward in tackling smoking the State needs. Under-18s smoke and have access to cigarettes. If we are concerned with enforcement, maybe that is where we should be concentrating, instead of creating a new law that will not be enforceable and will be flouted. Eighteen-year-olds can go into a premises if they want and buy alcohol - not just beer or wine, but hard spirits like whiskey and vodka, which are damaging alcohols. People can gamble every penny they have …

I welcome the opportunity to contribute. I begin by calling out the actions of the man who assaulted Natasha O'Brien, the man who gave him a reference and the man who decided beating a woman unconscious was not worthy of a custodial sentence. The Tánaiste said yesterday we need to see a change in culture to end domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and he is right. That change of culture has to happen at every level of society. A change in culture has to mean women are not treated as second-class citizens and …

Four hundred and seventy-five thousand euro.

Is it affordable?