I commend this timely motion on this crucial issue. We are nearly four months into the genocide in Gaza - the first genocide to be livestreamed across the world. A record number of bombs have been dropped, killing over 25,000 people in Gaza in just three months, including over 10,000 children. Some 95% of the hungriest people in the world are now in Gaza, as the Israeli Government uses starvation as a weapon of war. A lack of clean water, sanitation, and the destruction of the healthcare system means diseases are s…

I commend Deputy Bacik and the Labour Party on bringing forward this fantastic legislation which seeks to close some unfortunate loopholes left by the original landmark legislation. I commend LGBT Ireland and Equality for Children on their steadfast and continued advocacy on this issue. I acknowledge their presence in the Gallery. This Bill seeks to amend the original Act in six main ways to include children conceived with a donor pre-May 2020, children conceived in non-clinical settings, children conceived outside…

I commend the Social Democrats on using their time this week to table this important motion. Once again I stand in the Chamber to plead with the Government to take decisive and meaningful action to stop the genocide happening right before our eyes. To quote Blinne ní Ghrálaigh on behalf of South Africa, this is "the first genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real time." Each day, Palestinians caught in the crossfire haunt our screens, sharing the bloodied faces of their ch…

I will start with a quote that suck out from yesterday's briefing, "It is hard to get the right people to do the right thing." This process only started due to the bravery and courage of the Women of Honour, who are here today in the Visitors Gallery. I acknowledge their presence, if they are still here. Since this process started, there have been a number of actions the Department of Defence has not got right, so we are starting off on the wrong foot. Engagement, for example, has been a major disappointment to tho…

I was referring to the final version.

The omission from the motion of the word "ceasefire" is a lesson in political semantics that shows how disingenuous the motion is. Language is absolutely important when it is all we have, and that is thanks to the enormous lack of meaningful action. That anyone in this House would be unsure as to whether Netanyahu and his government are in the process of committing genocide is absolutely ridiculous. After the slaughter of 25,000 Palestinians, 10,000 of them children, the injury of 62,000 more and the displacement o…

I welcome the motion, as I do any motion that offers solutions to end homelessness. The motion covers eight main points and I will do my best to address them in the time afforded to me. I welcome any measure to increase the supply and pipeline of affordable housing. Shannon, County Clare, has a population of more than 10,000. People from all over the mid-west are employed there. The town provides third level education and has an international airport. Unfortunately, I often hear from employers who cannot get staff …

Go raibh maith agat. As the Minister is aware, there was a briefing in the audiovisual room today and the information we heard was quite harrowing, not only from the Women of Honour but from the other groups as well. They mentioned respect, loyalty, selflessness, physical courage, moral courage and integrity. Those are the six values that the Defence Forces state are fundamental. They are the ethos of the Defence Forces. These values are the very reason many chose a career in the Defence Forces. Unfortunately, they…

Yes.

Right.

Yes, there has been a breakdown in communication because-----

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I would be very grateful if the Minister could give me his view on the availability of homebirth services across the country with specific reference to my constituency of Clare.

I thank the Minister for the information. I raise this matter with him today on behalf of my female constituents in County Clare. He may be aware of the case of one particular lady, as I have previously written to him about her. She is due her second child in July and as he may be aware there are already extremely limited options for birthing in the county. She wrote me a letter and I am going to share some of it with the House this morning: While trying to organise a homebirth it transpires that the midwives who p…

I again thank the Minister. I appreciate what he has stated. The stipulation of 30 minutes would really restrict services in County Clare because of the distance involved, which would limit the service to very small pockets of the county from which women would be able to get to UMHL within that timeframe. It is important to mention that to the Minister. There is a major concern that there would be a two-tier system within maternity healthcare. The HSE recommendation to limit homebirths to women who live 30 minutes …

I support the motion on the floor of the Chamber this evening and commend what it sets out to achieve. Investment funds trading in the Irish residential property market are perverting average house prices across the country. In my constituency of Clare, house prices rose by 4.3% on average over the past year and the average house price now stands at approximately €242,680. That is according to the most recent report to the end of last year by Ronan Lyons for Daft.ie. In this context, home buyers in my constituency …

I commend the Independent Group on bringing forward this important motion on fossil fuel divestment. It is an important part of the just transition conversation. However, in a cost-of-living crisis where approximately one third of Irish households are in energy poverty, and 59% of my Clare constituents have no renewable energy sources in their homes, just transition is a tough one to swallow with little incentive from this Government, and little mention of it for communities. There is little in terms of alternative…

In case this is the final time for me to contribute this year, I wish all colleagues in the House, the Ceann Comhairle, or the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach in his absence, and anyone watching at home a very happy and safe Christmas, and best wishes for the coming year. I welcome the establishment of Coimisiún na Meán, and I note this Bill, which proposes to designate the commission as Ireland’s digital services regulator. This House is probably suffering fatigue from talking endlessly about our national broadcaster in r…

In just six days, it will be one year since the heartbreaking death of a beautiful young girl in UHL after she lay in the accident and emergency department for 12 hours with untreated sepsis. As a parent, there is no worse nightmare than what her family went through on that day. I again express my deepest sympathies for their loss. In the days following her death and into the Christmas period, the wheels truly fell off at UHL. A major internal incident was declared. At the same time, Shannondoc became completely ov…

Like many colleagues in this House, I was also very interested in the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC, report and, in particular, its analysis in the area of health. We have heard many comments from the Government benches in recent weeks about just how surprised the members were about the inevitable underfunding or overrun in the Department of Health. I understand that commonsense can sometimes be in short supply here but the ageing population in this country is an absolute fact and has been discussed at length…