Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

I am asking for flexibility.

The question was not answered.

I asked for-----

I welcome the joint motion. I asked for clarification as to whether we can respond robustly if anything happens tonight.

It is a fair question.

Can it be answered now? Can we answer that? Can the Oireachtas jointly respond flexibly if the situation deteriorates badly?

There have been eight decades of oppression, occupation and apartheid. Today there are six million Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East. There are 750,000 Israeli settlers in illegal settlements. These are war crimes under international law. Israel ignored it. Apartheid has been defined by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. It is clearly apartheid and the world ignored it. Ag…

They are not agreed. Every week when the Business Committee meets, I have raised the issue of defective concrete blocks. A year ago, the Government stated that it would extend the increase in the cap to everybody going through the scheme. How on earth has it not produced the legislation to date? It is cruel. People are struggling to find tens of thousands of euro. I met someone the other day for w…

The people in the west of Ireland have been treated with utter contempt by the Government when it comes to this scheme.

Pyrrhotite.

Not agreed.

Where did it all go wrong? We built up a publicly owned electricity service that was the pride of our people. We built up electrification when we were a poor country and we had some of the cheapest electricity in Europe. Thanks to the policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, that all now lies in ruins. Those parties embraced the privatisation agenda from Europe with glee. They sold the family jewels…

Not agreed. Energy companies are lining up to fleece customers again. There will be big increases after increases. The Government is steadfastly refusing to introduce an energy credit again in the budget. We need an urgent debate in this house about its failure to get a grip on the energy companies fleecing customers and on the wider cost-of-living crisis. We need an urgent debate on why the Gover…

My colleagues have summarised the situation well. Plans are well and good, but we need to see fundamental change on the ground. I will share a few personal stories from Donegal where, unfortunately, the failure to recruit a range of professionals has led to appalling outcomes for children with disabilities and their parents. Right now, for children who require psychiatric assistance and medication…

No. Six months on, this really is a do-nothing Government. Hundreds of families in Donegal and the west of Ireland have waited ten months for it to honour its promise to bring in a simple amendment to legislation to ensure the increase in the cap for defective block homeowners applies to people already in the scheme. That means they cannot make the final payments to builders. The Government is no…

It has everything to do with the Order of Business.

That is not correct.

It is there in black and white. The dissent was recorded in black and white.

I am asking for the Government Chief Whip to correct the record.

The dissent is in black and white.

The Chief Whip has just said there was no dissent.

Not at all. The sentence was completed.

I am very proud to join in this renewed effort along with Deputies Ward and Guirke. I welcome to the Public Gallery the McGill Lynch family, whom I worked with in the past, and also Jim and Vera Connell, who have joined them. Jim and Vera are here because the issue has not gone away. There was a missed opportunity when I introduced this legislation as a Senator. The Government said it had advice …

No. There is a story on RTÉ today about the 257 post offices that have closed in the past ten years. Of them, 56 were in towns and cities. This is not just a rural issue. We need to have statements and for the Minister to come in. We know from the Irish Postmasters' Union that the existence of 40% of the remaining post offices is threatened unless the Government provides serious support for that s…

They are not agreed.