Louise O'Reilly

I thank my colleague, an Teachta Cullinane, for bringing forward this legislation. I look back on the speeches given on the day the post-repeal legislation was introduced here in the Dáil. The three-day wait was opposed by Sinn Féin, the Labour Party and People Before Profit, PBP. I have to say that we were right to oppose it. I am glad to say that other parties that did not take the opportunity t…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill this afternoon. An Teachta Ó Broin has outlined in detail the Sinn Féin position on this legislation. I will say one thing, and this is more of a general point than a specific one, that at this early stage in the legislative process, the tabling of pages and pages of ministerial amendments is a little bit concerning. That is no disrespect to the peop…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Topical Issue. I will talk specifically about a school but a school that illustrates a broader problem. I will refer to one school but I am referring to a broader issue with the school summer programme. There was a delay, and the Minister of State is aware of this, in releasing the programme. Only in the past few weeks have schools been abl…

That is fair enough. I thank the Minister of State.

That would be very welcome. The Minister of State said, and we agree on this, that the programme has a positive impact on the many children and young people who have taken part, and that parents, staff and the children themselves report improvements in confidence, attitude and readiness to return to school in September. There is nothing wrong with that. It is fantastic and a sign of something that…

Go raibh maith agat.

I thank the Deputy. He is taking time from his colleagues. I call Deputy Ó Muirí.

For the supplementary questions to the Minister of State, each Member has 24 seconds. I remind them that I have no latitude to give additional time. Members all know that. I remind them that if they exceed their time, they will be taking time from one of their constituency colleagues. It is 24 seconds each.

Le bhur dtoil.

I am going to stick with the same order, so I call Deputy Brabazon.

Before I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, to address us, I extend my congratulations to her on her recent appointment and to wish her all the best in her role.

Loyalists.

The Bill the Government has published is a hollowed-out version of what people want and expect. The Minister has not advanced a legal argument because there is not one. She should be honest with people and say that this is purely and simply a cowardly political decision. For eight years we and the Government have talked about and around the occupied territories Bill. The Minister knows that includ…

Hear, hear.

I heard the Minister of State's comments and I am struggling genuinely to understand. He told us that he will not go to the game. He will take himself out of it but he expects the players to go. It will not be held, mark my words. It should not go ahead but the Minister of State expects those young men to shake hands with other men from Israel who potentially served in the IDF, men with blood on t…

No conscience either. You have a moral obligation.

Is that a guarantee?

I am glad that the Minister is here for this debate. I want to bring to him a message from my constituents in north County Dublin with regard to the BusConnects north coastal project. As the Minister will know - I understand he has engaged with the local group - the 33 bus is the main bus serving the towns of Rush, Lusk, Skerries and Loughshinny. The bus is frequently overcrowded. We have all hear…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that there have been four major reviews and reports on the cost of disability, i.e., the additional costs to which disabilities give rise for individuals and their families, beginning with The Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities in 1996, the Indecon Report entitled "The Cost of Disability in Ireland" in 2021, the Government's failed Green Paper …

I have seen that. I will get to that in a moment. The Minister should withdraw his shameful amendment, if for no other reason than because it is an insult to people with disabilities. Their voices are ignored and are entirely absent from the amendment. I have said it before and will say it again, people with disabilities are not disabled by their own bodies or their intellectual capacity. Rather, …

The Minister of State said in his contribution that one payment would not resolve anything but if you have not got any money to pay for a taxi and you need to get to an appointment, a payment makes all the difference. What we have spoken about this evening is the money people with disabilities need to live. One payment makes a difference. A more permanent payment would absolutely make a difference…

The budget last October left disabled people €1,400 per annum worse off in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. For months, disabled people and their advocates have painstakingly and painfully told their stories. They tell us the choices they make daily. They are forced to choose between heating, eating and charging their vital mobility devices. Their appeals to the Government to deliver a cost-…

I asked about a permanent payment.

He misunderstood, deliberately so I suspect.

The Taoiseach has had the report for five years.