Rory Hearne

Cara, you are an inspiration to parents and children up and down this country. You are a citizen in the true meaning of the word. You have taken selfless action to right what is wrong, you have spoken truth to power and, while you see empty Government seats, that does not diminish in the slightest what you have done, your powerful action or the massive impact you are having. We in the Social Democ…

We hear today that rents are up again 5.5% nationally. The new average rent in Dublin is €2,177 per month. A worker earning €30,000 per year would have to spend their entire take-home pay to cover that amount and that still would not be enough. Renters across this country are struggling. How can they keep paying higher rents? They are stressed and terrified about the potential removal of rent caps…

Will the report be published?

To back up my colleague, we very much support this Bill. I thank our colleagues in People Before Profit for introducing it. This is important legislation. Collective bargaining is key in terms of Ireland and our economy. When we look at it, the Irish economic model has, unfortunately, been built on an undermining of workers' rights by not ensuring collective bargaining is in place. When we look at…

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I raise the case of a five-year-old autistic boy with additional needs in my constituency who is attending junior infants. His mother Grainne contacted me recently and their story is revealing of a system that is badly failing children with additional needs. After months of school distress, hours of work with the school, mediation and facilitation, Gra…

It is SNA, and ANA as well. The school is saying it does not have-----

I thank the Minister and my colleagues for the opportunity to speak on this issue. As an educator who worked as an associate professor in the area of social science in Maynooth University, I emphasise the importance of social policy and social sciences in education. I worked at Maynooth University, but there is also a university in my constituency, namely, DCU. It provides high-quality education. …

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. We will be supporting it and opposing the Government's amendment. This is a vital discussion. Unfortunately, it feels as if every week, we are discussing a new blockage to providing housing. The incredible thing is that each week, this new barrier is responded to by the Government and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as if…

The housing crisis is a social and economic disaster. Solving it requires an emergency response that is unprecedented in scale and a radical reset in policy. Yet, what we have seen so far from this Government is disarray, half-baked ideas, kite-flying and a complete lack of a joined-up approach. The proposed appointment of Mr. Brendan McDonagh, NAMA CEO, now appears to have been another ill-though…

According to the Simon Community, the number of people aged 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness is approaching 1,800. This represents an 8% increase over the past year. Some of the most vulnerable and those most at risk of experiencing homelessness are young people leaving State care. This cohort of young people often leave care without a support network. They have also experienced trauma in their …

I am aware from consultation with the Simon Community that young people leaving the care system are often not aware of the supports the Minister has outlined which are available to them. I ask the Minister to ensure information about housing and homelessness services, and social protection supports are made available in schools, local communities and youth services. Another issue I would like to …

Those are the main issues we wanted to raise today. I thank the Minister.

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and say hello to my kids in the Public Gallery. I want to talk about Beaumont hospital. It is a core provider of healthcare for the half a million people in its catchment area across north Dublin, which includes my constituency areas of Finglas, Ballymun, Whitehall, Santry and many others. Beaumont hospital is a key public service, a key provider of healthcare …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit for the response. I appreciate the work being done in our health services across the country. We have to accept that the care being provided, even though doctors, nurses and administrative staff are doing their best, is not up to what is needed in all cases. Too many people in this country are left waiting on trolleys, including in Beaumont, and left waiting for…

This planning framework is important but, unfortunately, it is insufficient and inadequate in a number of areas, which I will talk about presently. I wish to discuss the housing emergency because it is linked to this. It is linked to what is absent from the planning objectives. I refer to the absence of an objective to deliver affordable housing and any assessment of what scale of affordable hous…

Somebody got a grant for €1.5 million home.

How is that affordable?

11. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [17124/25]

The housing crisis is an absolute disaster. The Taoiseach spoke about homelessness earlier. I want to raise this issue. It is very clear from the data that the main cause of homelessness is evictions from the private rental sector. There is no lack of clarity in the figures on that. Some 30,000 households have been evicted since the Government lifted the eviction ban in 2023. However, one of the k…

Do not tell me to get out of it.

Yes, we can. He was a CEO who oversaw the eviction of thousands of people from NAMA receiver properties. He contributed to the housing crisis. The Government will now appoint him as a housing fixer. The only doors that will be battered down, as the Minister said, will be the doors of people who are facing eviction. It is absolutely inappropriate. The Taoiseach can shake his head. He should shake h…

There were one and a half-----

I am not shouting. I am just-----

It is not-----

That is not true, actually. The Taoiseach can take that back.