Excuse me. I apologise, and I thank the Acting Chair.

Before we move to the Sinn Féin slot, for the information of the Minister, Deputy McNamara has apologised because he was taken away to a call. He asked me to pass that on.

This is obviously a very sensitive area and one which, judging by the report's findings, has clearly affected the lives of a significant number of people. The survey reports that 52% of women and 28% of men reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime. It must be noted that the definition of sexual violence in this survey is quite broad, as flagged in the report. When one thinks of violence we may naturally think of physical encounters. The statistics collected in the report encompass a wider range of be…

Yesterday there were several reports in south County Wexford on the Waterford estuary, believe it or not, that there was pollution coming from the gas power station at Great Island. I ask the Minister to request the Environmental Protection Agency to look into this as a matter of urgency. It is not the first time. There is a severe die-back of the bivalve shellfish in this area and it is having a significant impact on the livelihood of some of the fishers.

The next slot is for the Labour Party. I call Deputy Ó Ríordáin.

I again ask the Taoiseach about Wexford General Hospital. He will be aware that the restoration process is ongoing. He visited the hospital when the fire occurred and assured the management and people at that time that all stops would be pulled out to ensure not only restoration but that the new 97-bed block extension would be built as soon as possible. All the politicians in County Wexford bought into what the Taoiseach said. Deputy Howlin of the Labour Party believes that he was sincere. However, when I last brou…

Last night, I attended a meeting of Reachability in Enniscorthy along with two colleagues, Senator Malcolm Byrne and Deputy James Browne. It is a section 39 facility and, as we all now know, our section 39 facilities are very vulnerable. They are not entitled to the same funding as section 38 facilities. The staff are being depleted by section 38 facilities and the HSE. They are just poaching the staff left, right and centre. We do know, however, that they are subject to the same rules under HIQA. The families, the…

I wish to ask the Minister of State what urgent actions the Department is taking to address the huge infrastructural deficits in our ports, particularly Rosslare Europort. What level of funding will the Department provide to ports to prepare for offshore renewable energy? Will he make a statement on the matter?

For the benefit of the Members the Deputy mentioned who are not here, I am sure they will all declare their interests in the interest of balance.

The Members the Deputy mentioned who are not here. That is all.

The Minister of State's time is up. I call Deputy Paul Murphy.

Overcrowding at Wexford General Hospital during the final months of 2022 and early this year meant that the hospital was completely overrun. The people of County Wexford were asked on several occasions to avoid attending the emergency department unless it was a life-or-death situation. Some patients who presented at the emergency department waited up to 30 hours if a bed was required. People's lives were put at risk. Capacity is now crucial to the hospital and the ever-growing population of County Wexford, which is…

I thank the Social Democrats for tabling another well-intentioned motion on housing. Unfortunately, the motion, as presented, while well-intentioned, simply underpins the false narrative that has been advanced by Governments for the past ten years. It is nothing more than a deluded application of centralised policies to follow the groupthink of all the parties in this House that this will solve the problem. Continuously speaking about the effects of the housing crisis, and a continuous failure to diagnose the cause…

I call Deputy O'Donoghue, please.

Deputy, I will not let-----

Resume your seat.

I am giving you one warning to resume your seat-----

Resume your seat, Deputy, out of respect for this House.

You have the cheek to come in here and your phone rings, and you then carry on like this.

Deputy Joan Collins is about to speak.