Ivana Bacik

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

First, like others, I acknowledge the horrific attack on a synagogue in Manchester. I send me deepest sympathies to the families of the two deceased. I understand there are a number of other people injured. It is horrific. I condemn outright what appears to have been a blatantly antisemitic attack on Yom Kippur. I also acknowledge the importance of having made time for this debate today. This is …

I thank the Tánaiste.

The recent RTÉ “Prime Time" programme into the purchase of mobile phone location data was shocking. For very little money, and with very little effort, journalists were able to buy data which tracked the journeys of smartphone users across Ireland, based in different locations. They even tracked naval vessels, people in Irish prisons and they tracked phones here in Leinster House. Using this data,…

I thank the Minister for that response. It is welcome to hear that his officials are engaging with the DPC on this and that the DPC is using the statutory powers. I am also glad that the Minister confirmed to me what I had said at the start which is that the DPC does have adequate statutory powers and that the issue is about the usage and application of those powers. The Minister said that one of…

But the consent does not cover sale.

We know that workers and organisations in the community and voluntary sector provide essential supports to victims and survivors of sexual, domestic and gender-based violence. Yet organisations under sections 39, 56 and 10 are continuing to suffer from severe uncertainty in terms of their finances because of the Government's failure to clarify matters. As of last week, Cuan, which is the Minister'…

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. I ask that we step aside from the cheap political point scoring for a moment. I want to raise a very serious issue on which I think there is commonality across this House, which is children's health. Specifically, the issue of children who have been suffering with scoliosis and spina bifida who have been failed for far too long by this State. I welcome the …

We all agree that the healthcare system, in particular children's healthcare, should be managed according to patient need, and not institutional need. As the Taoiseach has acknowledged, that has been a failing in the past. We welcome his commitment to engagement between the Minister and parents on the shape of the inquiry. Transparency must be at the heart of the inquiry for parents. Coming back …

We welcome that, but how can we be confident that this change is going to deliver the transparency and the better, more effective and more patient-centred practice that we all want?

Daft.ie reports today that the asking price for a home is nearly 40% higher than pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, 5,145 children are in homelessness. Last Friday's figures again showed a new shameful record, with the creeping up of the numbers in homelessness and a new record being set every month. Every day, we all hear from people with good jobs, many of them couples with two incomes, who are giv…

4. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Health will next meet. [48431/25]

The Taoiseach outlined some of what the Government has been doing on health. In this budget forthcoming next week, will he clarify if there will be provision to increase the level of GP coverage around the country? I think all of us, in rural and urban areas alike, are hearing about the difficulty in accessing GP services, and about GPs who report being overworked and facing difficulties in establ…

19. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy will next meet. [50150/25]

The European Environment Agency's recent report is nothing short of damning. It sets out the reality for biodiversity and finds that Ireland's natural environment is in very poor condition. Some 85% of protected habitats and almost one third of protected species have an unfavourable status. It is clear that excessive car dependency, unsustainable food production and emissions that are simply not r…

It is unsatisfactory. I add my voice to that. We do need to raise this at the Business Committee. Clearly, the debate on the motion on the flotilla is hugely important. We all looked for that so on this occasion, there is no difficulty with moving straight to that debate. However, in principle, to have just two groupings of Taoiseach's Questions when we have all prepared for three is not acceptabl…

I hope he watched the debate. It was very good.

I will share time with my colleague Deputy Duncan Smith. On behalf of the Labour Party, I welcome the motion. I also express our solidarity with all those on the Global Sumud Flotilla. We think especially of the Irish activists on board the flotilla, including our colleagues in the Oireachtas, Deputy Barry Heneghan and Senator Chris Andrews from my constituency. I acknowledge the family members of…

VAT cuts.

We did.

You created the crisis.

What an extraordinary attempt at deliberate deflection that was by a Minister who has nothing of substance to say in response to our careful, thoughtful and constructive motion. The Minister asked us about figures from the Labour Party side. There is one very stark figure that should be uppermost in his mind and uppermost in the minds of all his Government colleagues, and that is the 5,000 childre…

It is an utterly shameful figure. It represents a record high in the numbers of children who are without a home under the Minister's watch. He can deflect and seek to scapegoat others all he likes, but this is under his watch. He is the Minister for housing, and it is simply not good enough to say he will be taking decisive decisions to reduce and take children out of homelessness. How is he going…