Cian O'Callaghan

The handling by An Garda Síochána of a domestic violence complaint against Garda Trevor Bolger is hugely concerning. His ex-wife and victim, Margaret Loftus, had to compile her own case file and fight for the case to be taken seriously. Furthermore, it has now been revealed that a Garda investigation was launched into journalists reporting on the case. Having dragged its heels investigating Bolger…

I wish to begin by welcoming a number of representatives from different disability organisations who are in the Public Gallery with us today. I thank them for the strong and powerful contributions they just made in a briefing for all Oireachtas Members in the audiovisual room. They told us about the extreme hardship being faced by many disabled people. We heard about people who had had to stop get…

The ask is very simple; it is a modest ask. Will the Government introduce an emergency €400 winter payment to disabled people and will it introduce that now?

Does the Taoiseach recognise that disabled people are €1,400 worse off as a result of the budget and the decisions the Government made? Can he imagine what it would be like not to be able to leave your home because you cannot afford to charge your electric wheelchair or mobility aid? There are people in that situation now because the Government took away income supports and did not replace them. O…

The decision by Paschal Donohoe last April to give €10 million in additional funding over and beyond what was initially recommended by his officials to the World Bank raises a number of questions about what his intentions were at the time and whether he was aware that he would be taking up a senior role in the World Bank later in the year. The Minister for Finance, Tánaiste and leader of Fine Gael…

24. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination will next meet. [74416/25]

27. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination will next meet. [72585/25]

I would like to say fáilte to the British ambassador agus roimh na daltaí freisin. I want to begin by wishing the Tánaiste, his family, all Deputies, people watching at home and all the staff in the Oireachtas, who do very important work, a very happy and peaceful Christmas. I also want to take this opportunity to highlight the plight of Oireachtas broadcast workers who will now be laid off for th…

What do you say to the record number of children and their families who will spend Christmas in emergency homeless accommodation?

There will be more children spending Christmas in homeless emergency accommodation this year than ever before in the history of the State. When Fine Gael entered office, there were 641 children in homeless emergency accommodation. That was too high. There are now 5,247 children who will spend this Christmas without a home. This has a detrimental impact on each and every child involved. It can ofte…

Child homelessness has increased tenfold since Fine Gael entered government.

171. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the action he is taking to address the banking sector using high mortgage interest rates in order to maintain high profits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73718/25]

There is a significant problem with Irish banks charging very high interest rates to mortgage holders, especially in comparison with UK banks and the spreads in the UK, while at the same garnering record profits. What is the Tánaiste doing about this? Cad atá ar siúl?

Irish banks are making huge profits from charging high interest rates on mortgages. Research by RBC Capital Markets shows that Irish banks are making more than three times as much on mortgages as UK banks by charging higher interest rates. It is the last thing people who are struggling to buy a home need. At the same time, profit levels in Irish banks are at a record high. AIB and Bank of Ireland …

Of course interest rates have fallen in the past year. The European interest rates have fallen. Why on earth would they not? The issue is that we have record bank profits and Irish mortgage holders are being over-charged in interest rates compared with other countries. I gave the example of the UK. The spreads in Ireland are more than three times higher than those in the UK. Does the Tánaiste find…

177. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the research carried out by his Department into the potential fiscal and housing market impacts of the new tax reliefs for property developers announced as part of budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73179/25]

364. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the research carried out by his Department into the potential fiscal and housing market impacts of the new tax reliefs for property developers announced as part of budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69732/25]

I thank the Chair. I have never been grouped with myself before. Má chaitheann muid ár súil siar, we will recall that huge economic damage was done by property tax reliefs that were not well designed or indeed well researched. In relation to recently introduced property tax relief measures, what research and analysis was done in advance? Will the Minister publish that research and analysis and s…

I am aware that there have been reports on housing, viability, financing and so forth and that there has been research in the area; that was not my question. My question was on the tax measures that were introduced by Government and by the Minister's predecessor as Minister for Finance in the budget on property. What research or analysis was done before those tax measures were decided on? The Parl…

As the Tánaiste has said, a political decision was made. We know that there was intense lobbying from the sector for that decision to be made. It appears that there was not any actual research or analysis done in advance on these tax measures by the Department. The Tánaiste is not aware of any and none has been published. The SCSI report that he referenced shows only the top 20% of earners can act…

Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam; tá sé sin fíor. It is equally true to say that a city without arts and culture spaces is a city without a soul. I join others in urging the Government to intervene in regard to The Complex arts centre. It is really important that we do not continue to have arts and artists being pushed out of Dublin city. We need more, not fewer, arts and community spaces and spaces f…

18. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [65859/25]

In advance of the last election, the Tánaiste said disability was "an absolute priority issue". He said, "We've got to look after people with disabilities". He could not have been any clearer. However, those words now ring hollow. That is not me saying that; that is the assessment of disabled people who feel forgotten, abandoned and betrayed by this Government for good reason. The Disability Feder…

Does the Tánaiste not see something fundamentally wrong with producing a budget that leaves disabled people €1,400 worse off, pushing disabled people even further into poverty? It was a €9.4 billion budget package and that is what the Government produced. That is a huge problem that it needs to address now. For years, the Government has promised a cost-of-disability payment but where is it? We hav…

18. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach for an update on his Department’s plans to co-ordinate a range of actions aimed at regulatory reform. [63906/25]