I am happy with that reply.

I completely agree with Deputy Ward as regards his frustration. The last time I raised this issue, a different Minister was present. However, I believe the Minister of State has responsibility it, which is a happy coincidence. The issue in question is section 39 workers. About 50 Northside Home Care Services workers engaged in industrial action during January. They are going to be outside Leinster House at 10 a.m. tomorrow. They have been involved in industrial action because they were reclassified as section 39 wo…

Unfortunately, I do not think the reply will give much solace to the workers who will stand outside in the cold in the morning. The reality is that because of the way the cards have fallen and the agreement before the WRC, through sleight of hand we now have a State-sponsored discrimination between one set of workers who do exactly the same work as another. Even though they are employed by somebody else or are employed in a different way, both are funded by the taxpayer. That is the bottom line. Northside Home Care…

I have been contacted by deeply concerned parents who are waiting for a letter of eligibility from the National Council on Special Education post the 1 October parent notify deadline. As a result, these children are without access to a special class. Families are living in limbo. The stress and anxiety this is causing them are immense. These children need stability and access to education in an environment that meets their needs and their parents urgently need clarity and reassurance. I understand NCSE staff are aw…

I wish to raise the issue of the Aer Lingus, Dublin Airport Authority and Shannon Airport Authority pensioners who retired before 2014. They report an erosion of between 55% and 60% in the value of their pensions since 2007 due to cost-of living freezes, the pension levy and retroactive pension cuts introduced in 2015. They were defined benefit pensions built up over as much as 45 years yet the rules were changed after a time without compensation or mitigation. Pensioners had no representation in these decisions. T…

I will use my time to discuss the scourge of scramblers on our streets and in our communities. I offer my deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of Grace Lynch in Finglas. Her death has devastated a family, shaken a community and forced a national reckoning with the criminally dangerous use of scramblers and other vehicles. Grace had her whole life ahead of her and there are no words that can lessen the pain her loved ones and the wider community are suffering. I welcome the legislation that is being br…

-----where they have been used recklessly and put lives in danger.

Does the Minister have any plans to introduce legislation to regulate nitrous oxide and other inhalants? As we know, those who use nitrous oxide and other inhalants as a drug are putting themselves at serious risk. Last week, Private Members' time was used to discuss nitrous oxide in particular, and the Department indicated it required time to assess the issues. It is important, however, that greater action is taken to regulate the sale of nitrous oxide and other readily available inhalants. The sale of nitrous oxi…

My question is probably wider than just the issue of nitrous oxide. It also concerns readily available inhalants like aerosols that we all use, including deodorants. Last week at the Oireachtas Committee on Drugs Use, we heard from a broken-hearted mother and father who had lost their teenage son as a result of him having inhaled an aerosol. It is every parent's worst nightmare to lose their child. We have to look at all of these inhalants in the round. We cannot afford to sit around. We have to look at regulating …

I appreciate that. I genuinely feel that the whole education side of it is really important, as well as regulation. It has to be a two-pronged approach.

I raise the issue of arrangements by section 39 organisations for healthcare assistants in respect of the pay increase agreed last year. I refer specifically to the healthcare assistants at Northside Home Care Services who, apparently, were somehow left out of this pay agreement and are now on strike. Northside Home Care Services provides a vital service to the most vulnerable members of society in the Dublin 5 and Dublin 17 areas of my constituency of Dublin Bay North. Approximately 50 healthcare assistants are no…

I thank the Minister of State. A response to a parliamentary question in 2024 stated that Northside Home Care Services was categorised as a section 39 organisation. The HSE has communicated to these particular workers' representative body that the issue is due to their employer tendering rather than receiving a grant. We have always had a principle in labour law in this country that there be equal pay for equal work. This group of people are being discriminated against by virtue of how their employer is being paid.…

As the Taoiseach is aware, the task force recommended ten big moves for regeneration, which focused on renewing O'Connell Street and the surrounding areas, dealing with dereliction and increasing security in the city. The increased presence of gardaí in the city is welcome and has improved matters but it has not fully solved them. The issue of dereliction in the city persists. Will the Taoiseach update the House on the actions being taken to address dereliction and vacancy in the city? In my constituency of Dublin …

I join previous speakers in thanking everybody associated with the House for their hard and diligent work throughout 2025 and I wish everyone a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. The issue I want to raise relates to An Post. Management and the trustees of the An Post pension scheme have agreed an increase for An Post pensioners and those pensioners are very anxious that the Minister and the Department would sign off on this increase. They are waiting for him do so. An Post pensioners in my own constituency …

I welcome representatives from the fishing industry who are here in the Gallery today, particularly John Lynch from Howth. The Fisheries Council meeting which took place in Brussels last week can be described as nothing short of a disaster for Ireland’s fishing industry. It is extremely important that we put into perspective how much Irish society relies on the fishing industry. More than 15,000 people are working in the seafood sector, there are 101 seafood processors, and the industry contributes €1.3 billion to …

Fáiltím roimh an deis labhartha anseo anocht ar an motion seo. Since this issue arose, I have been contacted by numerous constituents of mine, many of whom are elderly, vulnerable and on limited incomes, who fear there will be a cost of €50. I bow to Deputy Toole's superior knowledge in this particular area. They are worried about the impact such charges will have on their monthly outgoings and their ability to provide for themselves with fixed incomes, such as old-age pensions. Without access to monitored dosage s…

Reports of unauthorised drone sightings in north Dublin during the Zelenskyy visit are a matter of deep concern given the obvious security sensitivities involved. Such incidences highlight the real and present risk posed by drones during the high-profile visit. We can expect activity like this to persist when Ireland takes over the EU Presidency next year, as our counterparts in Denmark experienced during their Presidency. I raised this matter with the Taoiseach last week during Taoiseach's questions. In his respon…

I was happy with the response I received from the Minister but I agree with some of Deputy Smith's sentiments.

I am frequently contacted by constituents who are social housing tenants experiencing serious and repeated antisocial and criminal behaviour in the developments in which they live. These are fine people who contribute very strongly to their local communities but who face daily disruption because they live alongside those who engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour. While those who engage in such behaviour comprise a very small minority, the trouble they cause for their neighbours is vast and totally disproporti…

As the Taoiseach is aware, drone sightings in Dublin Bay during the recent Zelenskyy visit underline and underscore the scale of our vulnerabilities and the urgency and need for preparing a strategic national security package. There are reports that international anti-drone units were deployed to Dublin during the visit to assist the emergency response unit. While we welcome the assistance of other states, we should not have to rely on others for our own defence. We should be self-reliant in the first instance. It …