Rory Hearne

Will the Minister answer the question?

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am delighted to move this Bill. I will start by thanking Deputy Cian O'Callaghan and his parliamentary assistant, Jack Sweeney, and my own parliamentary assistant, Ellen O'Doherty, for their work on this Bill. It is a privilege to bring this Bill before the House on Second Stage; it is my first Bill before the Dáil. It is very apt that it is th…

I am not sure if the Minister of State was baiting me in order to try to get me to go further, but I will try to remain on my best behaviour. Seriously, though, I am very disappointed with the Government's opposition to the Bill. What is particularly disappointing is the lack of serious engagement on the legislation. As my colleague outlined, we have put forward solutions. While the Government mig…

It is the responsibility of the Government to ensure the welfare and well-being of everyone in this country, especially the most vulnerable. Carers provide for those most vulnerable. They are some of the most incredible people in this country. Their tireless and important work needs to be properly recognised. Often when people in the Government talk about carers, they note how inspirational, hardw…

In many ways, our words have lost meaning. The words we speak include "genocide". Genocide is ongoing right now in Gaza. The word "genocide" has almost lost its meaning because we have all watched it live-streamed on our phones and have seen thousands and thousands of people murdered by Israel, yet what has been done? The word "genocide" has lost meaning for the people of Gaza. Our hearts are bro…

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this vital motion. It is unfortunate that the Government is opposing it. There are 5,014 children homeless in this country. When that number is thrown out, we often do not consider that each of those children is a child whose life is being damaged. It is equivalent to 220 primary school classes of children being homeless. Homelessness has doubled under…

Ballymun, in my constituency, is a strong and proud community. As the Minister knows, having visited Ballymun recently, following decades of underinvestment by successive governments it is facing huge challenges ranging from poor housing to lack of economic opportunities. The community has been promised so much but is dealing with issues such as high poverty levels and a recent increase in drug-re…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing the motion forward. It is absolutely essential that we keep the focus on the cost-of-living crisis. It is incredible, when we think about it, that we are calling it the cost-of-living crisis. It is too expensive to get the basic things that are required to live your life. It is truly shocking the extent to which profits are being made by companies, by grocery stores,…

I wish to speak broadly about the issues concerning antisocial behaviour. I represent the communities of Finglas, Ballymun, Beaumont and Dublin North-West. The problems of antisocial behaviour are caused fundamentally by deep inequalities in our society, poverty, and the neglect of communities. There is a lack of investment in communities, youth services, drug services, community employment and pu…

They are already going through the roof.

It is more than supply.

As we start a new term in the Dáil, it is utterly scandalous that there are children all over this country who do not have an appropriate school place. The Government says that it has offered places and, as my colleague said, that only a small number have not been offered places. However, the reality of the places that parents are being offered and that children are being sent to is that some of t…

Being honest with the people of Ireland?

I thank Deputy Stanley for tabling this motion on what is a very important issue. The public dental care service has declined significantly in recent decades. It is incredible how the idea of access to dental care is considered a luxury rather than a public service that should be universally available on the basis of need. It should not be about whether people can afford to pay. It is an incredibl…

Shoeboxes.

Where is the occupied territories Bill then?

It contributes to it.

I have been deeply shocked by these regulations and these new standards the Minister is introducing. As an academic, I did research for years. One of the starting points of research, of course, is gathering evidence. Policy is supposed to be evidence-based. The evidence that has been presented to justify these decisions does not stack up. The Government has claimed it will lead to savings of €50,0…

Grand. That is all right.

Mr. Lawlor continued: "We welcome meaningful, evidence-based reforms that support the accelerated, coordinated, and sustainable delivery of apartments and homes in communities across the country." The institute goes on to say: In particular, the erosion of unit mix requirements represents a market-led approach to housing that is fundamentally at odds with the significant work undertaken by the D…

I appreciate the Minster's detailed response. He did not answer my questions on the consultation with the institute of planners, the architects or the Irish Wheelchair Association. It is deeply regrettable that they clearly were not consulted and there was not proper engagement with them. If there had been there would be a different outcome to this, so it is deeply regrettable. The Minister refer…

Ah, come on.

The Government's last action before the Dáil rises for the summer is to cook the books on affordable housing delivery and ram through new legislation to reduce apartment standards that will mean generations of Irish people will be forced to pay €3,000 a month rent to investor funds to live in dark shoeboxes. Once again, the Government is sacrificing renters to investor funds and developers, who ar…

How can the Taoiseach ensure the cost savings will be passed on to homebuyers and renters and not just line the pockets of developers and investor funds?

They will.