There is no funding.

Deputy Creed should say that outside the door in public.

He should say that outside.

A Cheann Comhairle, there were comments passed that should be withdrawn.

Can the Minister of State update us on the status of the implementation of a living wage? When will the Low Pay Commission report? Will he commit to implementing all of the recommendations? In its considerations, is the commission considering the rising cost of living?

While it is appreciated that the Low Pay Commission is considering this, it was asked to do so on 15 April 2021, some 357 days, or a week short of a year, ago. People working in shops, hospitals, supermarkets, the public and private sector on below the living wage are waiting on the report. We need to deliver a living wage for people. The crisis caused by the rising cost of living is affecting people. A living wage needs to be delivered on. There is a dire need for urgency on this matter. The Government keeps point…

It is a year later.

It has been a year. People have been waiting for a year.

I do not recognise it as a positive, because people are struggling right now. The Minister of State said he is taking a measured approach, but a 30 cent increase in the minimum wage was recommended by the Low Pay Commission. I am not sure if the Minister of State has any grasp on the reality of how bad the cost of living crisis is. There are increases virtually every week in the cost of electricity, fuel and food. Everything is going up in price. A month ago the Minister, Deputy McGrath, agreed to reflect on the pr…

The Minister of State should not make comments that are not true. The Minister of State just made a statement that is not true.

Inflation alone will be 8% this year.

That is a Central Bank figure.

I was honoured to be in this Chamber this morning to listen to the address of the Ukrainian President, Mr. Zelenskyy. There is a serious need for us to support the Ukrainian people and to push the UN, European Commission and other relevant bodies to investigate the war crimes that are being committed in Ukraine every day. Alongside this, we cannot forget the plight of those in Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, Yemen and other countries where parents put their children to bed every night without knowing what the follow…

We stand here today on the cusp of another increase in the carbon tax. It is a tax that is truly unfair and harsh. It penalises those who can afford it the least. The Government spends much time talking about the hard decisions on climate change but does not talk about the facts and figures that show ordinary people bear the largest burden when it comes to action on climate change. The Government does not talk about how data centres take up 10% of the country's electricity and that is expected to rise to a whopping…

I am not confused at all. The Acting Chairman is straying beyond his remit.

Like my colleagues, I welcome this Bill. Much work has been done at committee level - the Minister was present for it - because we truly believe this is a chance to create much fairer, more honest and accessible elections for the future and to have a register that is truly reflective of the electorate. One of the key issues we need to address is opening voting up to younger people. In recent years, we have seen that more and more young people are much more engaged with politics and the political system than would h…

At this moment in time in this State, we are being squeezed on all sides due to the rising cost of living, inaccessible healthcare, the mental health impact of a two-year pandemic and the stress of returning to the office. God forbid that a worker, couple or family might want to rent or buy a house of their own. I know the Government cannot solve all these issues overnight, but there are things it can do. I welcome that the Taoiseach appears to finally be listening to Sinn Féin and our proposals and is going to red…

Reduce the carbon tax.

She is telling the truth.

We have all watched the devastation and the scenes in Ukraine recently. Perhaps the most devastating of all of these images were those of families being ripped apart and of women and children and, in some cases, children on their own travelling across borders. I am very aware that thousands of these children and women will be coming to Ireland in the coming weeks. Some have already come. We have spoken about that. I am also very aware that the trauma these people have experienced, and will continue to experience, i…