Christopher O'Sullivan

I move: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Dáil Éireann resolves that the Social Housing Passport Bill 2026 be deemed to be read a second time this day twelve months, to allow for further consideration of the proposals in the Bill.". Before I go into the detail of the amendment and the rationale of the crafted speech, explaining why we are moving the amendment, spea…

I thank all the Members who contributed. I reiterate - and it is not disingenuous to say - that I genuinely hear what they are saying. The proposal makes sense. I hope as well, however, that they will understand that, yes, we were able to do a focused protocol on people fleeing gender-based violence and domestic abuse. I might come back to some of the issues Deputy O'Reilly raised specifically. Th…

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I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. I congratulate Deputy Ennis on his recent election. What a day for his family, friends and supporters. It is an incredible achievement. It is great to see the two constituency TDs from the same party working so closely together. It is not that common, by the way. I am grateful that they have raised this issue. I appreciate that there is a sense of vibr…

Just to respond in general without commenting on specifics, we have to take a balanced view of this. There may be a business within an area, whether it is a cafe, a commercial enterprise or shop of some sort, that will have gone through the step-by-step planning process and been successful in getting its planning application approved. There may be a sense of unfairness if others do not go through …

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that the Government: — remains deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and Gulf region; — is acutely aware of the impact on households and businesses of the recent increases in the cost of living, and is actively monitoring the current geopolitical situation and its impact on co…

The Opposition would prefer to lead us down a path that we cannot come back from and tie us into fossil fuels forever which is only going to continue to lead to increased energy prices.

Says yer man with the laptop.

I thank the Deputy for the question. It is good to see some focus on housing delivery in the rebel county. Increasing the supply of new homes is critical to alleviating pressures in the housing market, helping to moderate price growth and ease affordability challenges, ensuring everyone has a range of housing options available to them, whether they want to buy a house, rent one or are in need of s…

I thank the Deputy. He makes a valid point on employment in the county, and it is a key challenge. If you take not just the tech and pharmaceutical sectors but also CUH, which is such a big employer, many of the incredible team of nurses, doctors and other staff need access to housing. That is a challenge we have to address but we are doing so. There are key ways that the Minister in particular ha…

I thank the Deputy again. He raises a very important and relevant point, especially for our smaller towns and villages. This is where, as I was saying at the end of my last contribution, the significant investment announced by the Minister of almost €12 billion under the national planning framework and national development plan will allow Uisce Éireann to build capacity with respect to personnel a…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme (DCB Scheme), which provides grants to help those affected by defective concrete blocks to remediate their homes, is underpinned by the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022 (2022 Act); — over 3,500 …

I thank all the Members for their contributions during the Second Stage debate. Some concerns were raised and there was some support for the provisions within the Bill. I hope some of that can be addressed on Committee Stage. I was here when Deputy O’Reilly raised the issue of the terrible situation her constituent finds himself in. As she knows, the Minister cannot get involved in individual cas…

-----Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 to the House.

I look forward to progressing through the remaining Stages of the Bill over the coming weeks.

I appreciate time being allocated to statements on National Biodiversity Week. I sincerely thank its organisers, the Irish Environmental Network, for putting on so many incredible events the length and breadth of the country. It really puts biodiversity at the forefront and gives it a platform, which is something we do not do often enough. Considering the crisis we are in, we need to do more of it…

The Deputy is comparing today to the Famine.

Unbelievable.

Mass starvation is being pioneered by who?. What is the Deputy saying?

I thank Deputy O'Hara and am aware of the representations that have been made by him and other Oireachtas Members from that area about these three particular bogs. The EU directive on the conservation of habitats, flora and fauna, commonly known as the habitats directive, requires all member states to select sites for the protection of habitats and species considered threatened in EU territory. An…

I reiterate that, as Minister of State, I am legally prohibited from granting consent for these activities for the reasons I outlined. These are special areas of conservation. They were designated so for a reason. Any cutting and removal of turf or any drainage or removal of top soil from this site would completely compromise its integrity and affect the species there and the habitat. I cannot com…

By law, I am not permitted to allow cutting on the bog in question. It has been designated. A process was undergone. The Deputy can question how that process was conducted, but this is now a designated SAC, By law, I have to make sure that the integrity of the site and the habitat remains intact. As a result, I am not allowed to permit cutting there. A total of €8.9 million was paid out in respect…

I am taking all four.

I thank the Deputy. The letter from the constituent clearly describes a man who is absolutely dedicated to his profession, well respected in his community and has for decades provided healthcare for the people of that community. The Deputy has explained well how restrictions, especially in terms of indemnity being provided from private insurers but also the HSE policy he referenced, can impact his…

I picked out the same sentence the Deputy highlighted there, that the HSE can grant an extension on a case-by-case basis where considered necessary and appropriate. I guess the first part is where it is considered necessary. Does that come back to demand and vacancy in an area or lack of or challenges with GP cover? Certainly if it comes down to cognitive ability, of course surely that can be done…