Many of us in this Chamber are extremely concerned about the reactionary, right-wing, conspiracy and misogynistic content that has become increasingly popular in recent years on social media, and which is starting to filter in and contribute to societal issues in Ireland. Such views have unfortunately always been present in society. However, due to social media it is now possible to create and spread anti-progressive views more widely and rapidly than ever before. I bring to the Taoiseach's attention a recent study…

I thank the Taoiseach for his answer. The one thing we can do is to target the algorithms the companies use. Putting age profiles and barriers on accounts is grand but the algorithms are the problem and they are what we should be targeting. If we were serious about protecting young people, that is what we would be doing. In his response, the Taoiseach mentioned the ban against harmful content and the online safety code. How many prosecutions have taken place under those at this stage? It would be interesting to see…

I want to echo the calls of many in the Opposition benches as we try to get through to Ministers and Government-supporting Deputies the depth of hurt the current cost-of-living crisis is continuing to have on families in our communities up and down the country. Quoting macroeconomic figures for inflation growth and the like are meaningless to the working mothers and fathers across Donegal who are struggling to meet their bills and to put food on the table for their children. Fuel prices are only one aspect of the o…

Despite promises given by the Taoiseach and former Minister for Health, diabetes care in Donegal is in a critical situation and requires immediate intervention. In Letterkenny, there are no consultant endocrinologists, no advanced nurse practitioners in adult diabetes, no podiatrists, no paediatric endocrinologists and no physiologists. There is no shared centre of excellence for children between Letterkenny and Sligo University Hospital and no access to adult insulin pump therapy due to a severe shortage of endocr…

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on this motion regarding support for carers, which I fully support. The way family carers are treated in this country is disgraceful. Sadly, carers are penalised despite the fact they provide the State with a vital service. Family carers play an extremely important role in care provision but completely lack any recognition for the work they do and are given almost no support. Caring is the only job that costs money to do, with carers facing additional weekly co…

The Minister for housing and the National Standards Authority of Ireland continue to say that there is no evidence that pyrrhotite is the cause of defective blocks in Donegal, not mica as it had been attributed to. In a response to an FOI request submitted by defective blocks campaigning groups in Donegal, it turns out that the Geological Survey of Ireland has, since December last, recognised pyrrhotite and says it is clear from the independent work done by each research partner that internal sulphate attack as a r…

I support amendment No. 17, which is reasonable and makes sense. That at least one member of the authority should have lived experience of harmful gambling behaviour is important and may be a suggestion that should be taken on board. I would like to hear why that will not be the case. The gambling regulatory authority will be meant to prevent the harm that gambling can do, so there needs to be personal experience on the board to ensure that relevant information is applied at all times to the decisions that are bein…

I think it is a disgrace and an insult but it is actually the way things are going to go, and that is fair enough because the Business Committee is a joke and a waste of time because the Government does not have to pay any attention to it. I am glad the Government is actually being honourable now in not paying any attention to it and going ahead and doing what it wants because that is what it set out to do anyway. For that reason, I oppose the Order of Business because I think it is wrong here. I hope we will not c…

This proposal seeks to strengthen laws regarding migrant smuggling while, at the same time, MEPs are today voting on the EU migration pact to reform asylum policies, which multiple NGOs have said will make it much harder for refugees to seek protection in Europe and which will force more refugees to seek other methods, such as smuggling. This is nonsensical and completely inhumane. We are forcing people into these dire situations and then punishing them for it. Official statistics show that most people who seek pro…

I am sharing with Deputies Harkin, McNamara and Fitzmaurice.

I will take five minutes. I offer personal congratulations to Simon Harris. On a personal level, it is positive for him and his family that he has been made Taoiseach but, sadly, for the country and ordinary people, it is a nothing day. It is a day of lost opportunity. There is no doubt that Simon Harris will not change the focus of this Government. That is the problem with this appointment. I also take the opportunity to wish Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney well on a personal level. Unfortunately, it is not possibl…

On behalf of the Independent Group, I would like to express our condolences to Charlie Bird's family. We recognise the work he did over the years. As has been mentioned by other Members regarding the Stardust families and the ceasefires in the North, he was very important and well recognised. As Deputy Boyd Barrett said in recognition of public service broadcasting, that is vitally important and should be remembered at the current time as well. On behalf of the Independent Group, I want to express sympathy to his f…

In light of the fact that we are going to rise for two weeks tomorrow, it is vital that we debate the situation in Gaza because, unfortunately, thousands more people will be dead by the time we come back. We need to do that. We need to take an independent stance on the issue. That has to happen.

It is imperative that the issue of Palestine dominate the meetings of the European Council tomorrow and Friday. Europe has been too weak and slow in showing its solidarity with Palestine and it is disappointing to see some countries still denying the fact that this genocide is taking place at the hands of Israel. This is despite the fact that reports show Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians. Denial of food constitutes a genocide. It is a war crime. I refer to the way 2.2 million Palestinians, who are facin…

I thank the Acting Chair for the opportunity to speak on this motion regarding housing targets and regulation. I thank Labour for bringing the motion forward. I support this motion and its calls for the Government to increase its housing targets significantly. It is clear that Housing for All, the Government's strategy to address the housing crisis and end homelessness, has been an incredible failure. Since the publication of Housing for All, the number of homeless families in the north west alone has risen by 85%.…

For public health service employees, the special scheme of paid leave for employees unfit for work post-Covid 19 infection is due to end on 31 March, as has been outlined earlier. Healthcare workers suffering with long Covid are devastated by this news, as many rely on this support while recovering from an illness they say destroyed their lives. If the normal HSE sick leave scheme was adequate, this decision would not be so devastating. However, many of these long Covid sufferers would not qualify for critical illn…

May I have a copy?

I thank Deputy Collins for bringing forward such important legislation and her staff for all the work they did on this. I fully support this legislation to oblige employers to make contributions from the wages of an employee to a trade union of his or her choice if requested, just as they already do with pension payments and other voluntary contributions, as has been outlined by the Deputy in her contribution. This is a very simple Bill that would make it much easier for employees to join a trade union. I am extrem…

It has been nearly a year since the publication of the damning report into St. John Ambulance, which included findings such as the following. The organisation’s structure and culture left the organisation vulnerable to grooming and sexual abuse of children within the organisational context. The hierarchical structure facilitated predatory behaviour within the organisation in the past. There was a significant degree of organisational awareness of serious threats to children, with the organisation failing to undertak…

It is completely unacceptable that St. John Ambulance sat on these recommendations for a year, knowing it did not have the cash and, ultimately, putting more children within the organisation at risk. As well as this, the board of the organisation has largely remained the same, with the exception of someone who joined just before Christmas. It seems that St. John Ambulance is not taking the recommendations of this extremely damning report into the organisation seriously enough. It is a major slap in the face for sur…