Ken O'Flynn

I am delighted to see Deputy Paul Murphy and welcome him back from his recent trip to Egypt. I was surprised when I heard Deputy Murphy saying how disappointed he was with Egypt and its Government because he was a number one supporter of the Arab Spring in 2011. I am surprised and shocked to hear that he does not support that regime now, a regime that he took to the streets and vehemently supporte…

As the Minister may be aware, some schools throughout the country have told parents that they have to buy specific tablets up to the value of approximately €600. Some of these parents have been speaking to me. Those who have three children in secondary school have had to go to credit unions so that they can pay €1,800 for these specific tablets. The schools are sending out the information telling …

I raise a matter of grave concern regarding the practical effects of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. While the Act was conceived with noble intent in the shadow of the experience of the Maurice McCabe case and his testimony, the reality for many whistleblowers across this nation is that the promised protection remains legally at odds with the lived reality of the legislation. Recent findings …

I thank the Minister for his reply but it is a bit like previous replies in that it does not really say much. How many people will come forward as whistleblowers and sign these non-disclosure agreements, and how many problems will be hidden and put under the carpet yet again, before 2027? If we did not have the likes of Vicky Phelan, who decided not to sign a non-disclosure agreement, we may not h…

Not for the whistleblowers.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I do not doubt the sincerity of his reply, but in the amendment put forward by the Department, 28 parts are exactly the same, cut and pasted verbatim from a previous amendment to a recent Private Member's motion. Five to six are unique in relation to the application because of the structure of the motion, ten are unique to the local authority element…

Hear, hear.

I highlight a serious contradiction at the heart of the immigration and passport system, which raises serious concerns for national security, consistency and public trust. I will start with the Irish passport system. Every Irish citizen goes through a rigorous process to get a passport. Parents applying for their child's first passport must submit the long-form birth certificate, photographic iden…

Are all the machines working?

Does the Minister believe it is acceptable that Irish passports and citizenship can be granted by his Government without proper documentation? That is the question here. That is what it is really about. All the Minister has done in his answer is to confirm that people can enter this country without identification, claim asylum and sign a sworn affidavit saying who they are without proving who they…

I thank my colleagues in the Sinn Féin Party who brought this motion forward. It is almost a carbon copy of the motion that was brought forward by my colleague in Aontú, a motion co-signed by Independent Ireland. I thank Aontú for bringing that motion before the House in recent weeks. There is merit in tonight's motion. The reality is that there are a number of disenfranchised people on this islan…

I rise today with a little bit of good news relating to my constituency in Cork. It is a red-letter day because we have just had information passed on to us about the development of the delivery of Tivoli, Dunkettle, Blarney and Blackpool stations. I welcome that. That will have a huge impact on my constituency across the north side. We have missed a beat when it comes to the Luas line in Cork. I …

This month's update on the M20 Cork-Limerick project outlines plans for a new tolled motorway, with a barrier-free, distance-based tolling system, stretching from Blarney to Limerick. I want to specifically raise the concerns of the communities of north Cork, particularly those in Mallow, Blarney and surrounding areas, who fear that they may be penalised for everyday local travel. Given the lack o…

It came out yesterday.

There are times in public life when a policy, however well-intentioned, by design, strays away from its original purpose. To my mind, the local property tax is such a policy. It is not fair and not a sustainable way of supporting local services. By its very practice, it is detached from the principle of equality and economic reality of many citizens. Let us speak plainly in this House. This exists…

There is a moment in public life that demands more than ideology. It demands conscience, clarity and, above all, courage. The motion before us, brought by the Social Democrats, seeks to express opposition to Israel's war efforts by way of economic instrument, by targeting war bonds and financial ties. As a centrist, I approach this and other motions like this with deliberation of mind and a stead…

Can the Taoiseach explain to the Members of this House how members of An Garda Síochána were deployed to recruit at IPAS centres, centres housing individuals many of whom have entered the State without passports or documentation and without verification of background checks? Some of these individuals may not be the vulnerable cases as the Government often portrays, yet gardaí were sent in and invi…

I refer to a recent An Bord Pleanála decision to refuse permission for the development of 800 new homes in Cork docklands in the Taoiseach's constituency. The area has seen substantial investment, including commitments exceeding €600 million for the regeneration project. Would the Taoiseach agree that An Bord Pleanála's refusal to outline case 313142 undermines these efforts and hampers Cork's pot…

We are not simply facing a housing shortage, but confronting a failure of governments, of planning, of priority and of moral seriousness. This motion shines a light on a scandal that should never have been allowed to become routine. There are 2,656 vacant council homes across the State. Nearly 800 of them have been empty for over a year while nearly 4,000 children sleep in tents on cold streets an…

I rise today not merely to contribute to the passing of a technical amendment but also to underscore a broader truth the legislation reveals, which I am sure this Government would prefer was overlooked. At the heart of this Bill it seeks to strengthen the protection for employees where their employers become insolvent, and it finally gives fuller effect to the Directive 2008/94/EC. This directive …

To sit still while children are cut open without cause is not policy; it is barbarism masquerading as procedure. The nation watched in horror as more than 500 children, babies and toddlers were subjected to major hip surgeries without proper medical justification. This is not just clinical error; this is systemic betrayal and a violation of duty. The Department of Health and the HSE knew. They wer…

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, outlined significant changes in UK immigration policies, including tightening of visa controls, reduced post-study work rights and a longer route to citizenship, going from five years to ten years. While these are UK domestic decisions, they have a serious impact on us here in the Republic of Ireland, particularly because …

I move: That Dáil Éireann: acknowledges: — the vital role played by carers and front-line healthcare workers in supporting older people, people with disabilities, and those with high care needs within their homes and communities; — the indispensable contribution of these workers in alleviating pressure on hospitals and long-term residential care facilities through early intervention, continuit…

I take a little bit of umbrage of what the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, said. Perhaps it was just a slip of the tongue when she mentioned the number of people who have spoken on the motion. The majority of those who have spoken on it are from the Opposition benches. Only two from the Government benches turned up for this debate, with the exception of the Minister of State, Deputy Mu…

Thank you, Deputy. You are out of time.