Ivana Bacik

Delivery of new apartments fell by nearly one quarter last year and completions for this year are expected to fall another 25%. It is no surprise. In the budget the Minister slashed tax for private developers but he did nothing to tackle land speculation, even as land hoarding runs rampant. In the greater Dublin area alone figures show that almost 41,000 permissions for apartments lie dormant. The…

It is not-----

That is not true.

Unfortunately, anyone listening will realise that, of course, we in opposition put forward reasonable, costed constructive proposals. Indeed, the Labour Party supported the Land Development Agency. We support the tenant in situ scheme. We support measures that are proven to assist people who wish to be able to buy or rent their own homes - the generation that has been locked out of home ownership …

The Government is choosing to spend it in the wrong way. Of course, there is space for the private market but the Government absolutely neglects the huge role the State could and should be playing to ensure people can get a home.

It is the wrong way, subsidising developers.

This manifests-----

A second round.

My Labour Party colleagues Deputies Eoghan Kenny and Alan Kelly have recently uncovered alarming details of a shocking sweetener given to the former Garda Commissioner. Last week, we learned from them that roughly €1 million in public money went towards accommodation, refurbishment and security for one of the highest paid public servants in the State. Public funds covered a rent-free home for the …

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to facilitate the bringing of child sexual abuse proceedings against unincorporated bodies of persons, to enable such a body to pay damages arising from such proceedings from the assets of an associated trust in certain circumstances, to extend the limitation period provided for by the Statute of Limitations 1957 in respect of cert…

Go raibh maith agat.

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I commend my colleague, Deputy Sherlock, for proposing this important motion. I welcome our visitors to the Gallery. I speak proudly in support of this motion as the leader of a party with a long track record of standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. The Labour Party has a proud record in this area. Indeed, it was one of the first parties to establish a stand-alone section. I want to pa…

Go raibh maith agat. I want to speak about migration and the Government’s one-eighty change in tone and policy on immigration. Since the Greens left government, Cabinet members have notably shifted rightward on this, pandering to some of the worst instincts in our otherwise welcoming society. The Government has allowed dangerous rhetoric to obscure its own failures on housing and infrastructure. I…

I thank the Taoiseach for the considered response. I agree with him on the need to promote the work permit scheme. Indeed, the Labour Party is looking for generosity on work permits and for a more expansive programme of legal pathways to Ireland for people who wish to bring their skills and expertise. That is a very important matter when we talk about inward migration. For me, this is personal, a…

In view of yesterday’s historic visit to Dáil and Seanad Éireann by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, we must continue show solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they endure the ongoing brutality from Putin’s Russian regime. In recent weeks, we have seen a drone attack on a kindergarten in Kharkiv, the deliberate murder of two unarmed Ukrainian civilians and their dog as they were holding a white f…

10. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach for a report on his recent meeting with the British Prime Minister. [67607/25]

I welcome a group of transition year students who are with me today into the Gallery. They are aspiring TDs and are very welcome. This Government is budgeting like there is no tomorrow. It seems that prudent Paschal was actually profligate Paschal. Mr. Donohoe goes to Washington and leaves behind an overspend climbing towards €4 billion in 2025. In his second week on the job, the Tánaiste has had …

I was genuinely taken by surprise yesterday when the Taoiseach was not here. However, I said it was a nice surprise to see the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, taking his place. I stand over what I say. Prudence is not being miserly. It is spending responsibly. It is about responsible spending. We are told that one of the Tánaiste's first meetings last week as the new Minister for Finance was with IFAC.…

Today marks 64 years since the international withdrawal of the drug, thalidomide, from the market, yet survivors with the Irish Thalidomide Association are forced to continue their campaign for justice. As the Taoiseach knows, I have been raising the need for justice for thalidomide survivors for years. I am always assured in replies that a resolution process is under way. However, survivors conti…

8. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland will next meet. [65262/25]

I thank the Taoiseach for the update. I welcome the developments with the shared island fund. It is now clearer than it has ever been that conversations about the constitutional future of the island are picking up steam. I would dispute the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland's recent claim that there was no appetite for constitutional change in Northern Ireland. I see that the leader of the S…

24. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the programme plan for his Department's new disability unit for 2025-2027. [65263/25]

Tá an Taoiseach as láthair, it seems. It is a nice surprise to see the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, today. Temperatures are dropping rapidly as winter approaches. Household heating bills are rising just as fast. One million households across Ireland use oil for home heating, representing 38.9% of all households. The price of their bills has rocketed up by 9% in just one month. On its own, that would…

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