Mark Ward

Hear, hear.

I want to start by saying that everybody who was involved in that tragic incident on North Earl Street this lunchtime is in my thoughts and prayers. I thank the first responders. They do not get enough thanks from us in this House for being there and assisting people at this tragic time. I also want to ask people to refrain from sharing images and videos on social media. I know somebody it happene…

7. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach for an update on the programme for Government. [3646/26]

I listened to the Taoiseach's response on Leaders' Questions to my party leader, Deputy McDonald. He said the Government will introduce regulations for e-scooters. That is also in the programme for Government. Since 2024, e-scooters have been legal on Irish roads, but people do not need a licence to drive one. They do not have to be registered, taxed or insured. As we speak, e-scooters are being d…

94. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to reduce university fees; if the Government is committed to fully abolishing university fees; when this will be realised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6908/26]

What are the Government's plans to reduce university fees? Is the Government committed to fully abolishing university fees? When will this happen? In the context of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, these fees are putting undue pressure on families and students.

As the Minister mentioned, 108,000 students and their parents will get a second bill for student fees through the door. I know because I am one of those parents who got a bill this week. I am in the privileged position of being able to afford to support my daughter but many parents are not in that position. I was interested in the Minister's response to Deputy Ó Cearúil earlier with regard to pare…

I do not want to talk about my own stuff but if there is more than one income coming into a house, it is taken out of the threshold. Talking to students and parents, all they see is that the Government broke its promise. They thought they would get a reduction of €500. The simple maths is that last year I paid €2,000 for my child's education in university and this year the cost is €2,500. You do n…

The money comes from Westminster. If the Minister is that interested in the North he should run in an election up in the North.

The purse strings are held by Westminster and the Minister knows this. He is being disingenuous.

Any legislation that provides greater supports for children who need them is to be welcomed. However, we also have to make sure that children have, for example, appropriate school settings. There is a report out this week that shows a decrease in the number of young children attending school. If they are not attending school, they come to the attention of Tusla. This week I visited a school in th…

Ireland is an independent, sovereign state and should not be beholden to Europe on matters we can resolve ourselves. It has been the attitude of successive governments that we want to be the best person in the class when it comes to the EU. Ireland’s position is unique and has its own very particular challenges. We are in the EU but we are not in the Schengen area and we are part of a common trave…

I want to ask about the pension auto-enrolment scheme, particularly for community organisations. Clondalkin Drug and Alcohol Task Force estimates auto-enrolment will cost its organisation about €6,000 in 2026. If things stay as they are, that will rise to €12,000 after three years, €18,000 after six and €24,000 after nine. It is not sustainable if the funding remains the same. Other projects are i…

I am not in favour of the use of miscellaneous Bills for complex issues such as those we are discussing today. The issues in this Bill are diverse and have little or no connection to each other. The Minister went through the list of what the Bill covers, from the use of counselling notes in sexual violence crimes to obligating courts to consider a community service order in lieu of prison sentence…

12. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Taoiseach the position regarding the implementation of the Dublin city task force report. [3645/26]

I want to bring up again the privatisation of waste management in Dublin. The Dublin city task force and Dublin City Council recommend that a single waste management company should provide bin collection services, with a further recommendation that, in the long term, it should be taken under the control of Dublin City Council. The privatisation of the bins has failed. The environmental impact of m…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Before I get on to the Bill, I want to say I am disappointed but not surprised that the Government is going to delay this Bill by nine months. Nitrous oxide is an epidemic and will only get worse in the next nine months. The Minister's amendment tonight is symptomatic of this do-nothing Government. There is no urgency and no action. It is delayin…

I just want to thank everyone who spoke in support of this Bill. I thank Deputy Crowe in particular because, in fairness to him, he did a hell of a lot of work on this Bill to make sure we protect the children and the end-user was not criminalised. I thank the other Opposition parties whose members spoke in support of the legislation, including the Labour Party, the Social Democrats, Independent I…

There is huge demand for proper and reliable public transport. Homes are being built in my area without adequate parking. The idea is for the residents to use public transport but it is simply not there or it is not reliable. I am one of the commuters in my area who would love to get the bus and public transport in here every day but I cannot rely on it. Will the Minister give me the reasons for t…

There are another couple of issues that I would like to raise. Major transport projects are at risk of being delayed due to the huge demand already placed on the energy grid, and we have seen reports this week in the newspapers. The Government's support for building more data centres will put more pressure on the energy grid. As we stand, 25% of all electricity in Ireland is consumed by data centr…

Speaking of things we want in Dublin Mid-West, I would like to touch on DART+ South West. There was some commentary on that this week. That DART service will bring passengers through Clondalkin, Adamstown and Lucan. It was first granted permission in 2024. Construction was expected to take place this year but has been pushed out to 2030 at the earliest. This project would enable 20,000 passengers …

I agree with the Minister that last year was an absolutely terrible year for road deaths in our country. The number of road deaths has been steadily increasing. What steps is the Minister of State taking to reduce road deaths and improve road safety?

I join the Minister of State in extending thoughts and deepest sympathies to the 190 families whose loved ones lost their lives on Irish roads last year and the three people who have died so far this year. These are not just statistics and numbers; they are real families who had real lives and it has a big impact on entire communities. There is a crisis level of fatalities and collisions at the mo…

I will return to drug driving. A number of people have contacted me about people driving cars while inhaling nitrous oxide through balloons. This behaviour is idiotic and dangerous. The people doing that need to cop on. Nitrous oxide is commonly known as laughing gas. It cuts oxygen to the brain and is an extremely dangerous substance generally; behind the wheel, it is absolutely lethal. I was on …

Artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role in society today. While it has some benefits, I do not always see artificial intelligence as a force for good and I will give an example. South Dublin County Council has a system in place, and I know Deputies Shane Moynihan and Gogarty are well used to using it, whereby elected representatives can contact South Dublin County Council on behalf of con…