Ivana Bacik

Last Friday, we learned 15,418 people were recorded as homeless in March, another shameful new high. Nearly 5,000 children are now growing up in Ireland without a home. Each homeless child is a tragedy. There are now 22 more children homeless than there were last month. This is a national scandal. It is the civil rights issue of our generation. As legislators, we must do all we can to see this hou…

This move looks like nothing more than an exercise in the evasion of accountability. What will this body actually do?

There is so much to challenge in what the Taoiseach just said, with respect. First, he cannot stand over his Government's figures on delivery of homes when it promised 40,000 homes last year and the actual delivery was 10,000 short, a shocking shortfall. It is utterly indefensible. No one, even in the Government or in Fianna Fáil, will stand over that figure. Second, the Taoiseach said we would n…

I hear every day from renters in my constituency-----

-----who are desperately worried because of the review of RPZs announced by the Government. The reason is there are so few homes available to rent. If they cannot afford to pay their rent any longer, they have nowhere else to go. It comes back to delivery of homes. The Government is ignoring the crucial recommendation of the Housing Commission that the Government should introduce a radical reset o…

-----of homes through the Land Development Agency, ramped up-----

-----to provide State-built homes, as was done in the seventies, which the Taoiseach keeps referring to as the golden age of house building.

He promised 40,000 homes.

You said they were not high enough.

I raise with the Taoiseach the ongoing issue of policing levels in our communities. Across the country, we all hear from communities who have immense concerns about the shortage of gardaí on the streets, a lack of community gardaí and problems of low morale within the Garda. In my constituency of Dublin Bay South, this week alone we have seen an appalling incidence of antisocial behaviour and quit…

-----to ensure we have visible and effective policing of our streets.

As we know, childhood is short, and children being failed by the State today do not have the luxury of time. There are massive negative consequences for any child who receives inappropriate schooling or, worse, no schooling at all, yet across the State we see systemic failures in provision for children with additional needs. That is why, once again, we in Labour will be using our Private Members'…

The Taoiseach gave some figures. Of course there are some good news stories throughout the country. I have visited schools that have superb facilities. I acknowledge that. There are some new builds that are really impressive. As the Taoiseach stated, however, there are still immense challenges. In the Dublin area, there are immense challenges. The Taoiseach referred to growth and expansion. There …

I was curious to read today about apparent opposition from some in the Taoiseach's party and in Fine Gael about the prospect of expanding parental choice in education. I very much welcomed the proposals from the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to create more multidenominational schools in Ireland. The Labour Party has always stood for increased choice in schooling. I have campaigned successfully in my o…

22. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach if he will provide an update on the work of the policing reform implementation programme office in his Department. [13745/25]

I join the Ceann Comhairle in welcoming our colleague from London, Mr. Liam Conlon, MP, for Beckenham and Penge, to the Distinguished Visitors’ Gallery. He is here with Donal Sheehan from his office. I commend Liam for his work on bringing forward Philomena’s law in Westminster, legislation that will secure additional justice for survivors of mother and baby homes, many thousands of whom live in B…

There were 233 children on a waiting list for spinal surgery at Children’s Health Ireland, CHI, hospitals at the end of February. Of those children, 43 who had been approved for surgery had been waiting more than six months and 15 of those had been kept waiting for more than a year. These children are in agony. It is a national shame on us all that they are kept waiting so long. This morning, "The…

I thank the Taoiseach for clarifying that there has been engagement with Daniel Collins's family. However, I understand there is still no surgery date. We all wish Daniel and his family well. However, the reality is there are far too many families and far too many children still awaiting necessary surgery dates. Quite apart from the trauma all those families and children are going through, there i…

The horrific killing is continuing in Gaza with reports of 29 more people, including several children, killed overnight in Gaza City by Israeli bombardment. The Gaza Strip lies in ruins with no sign of any renewal of the ceasefire. I support the calls for an independent international inquiry arising from the cold-blooded killing of 15 humanitarian workers at the end of March in Gaza who were burie…

All of us send our thoughts to the families of the children whose spinal surgery was investigated by HIQA in the report. The Taoiseach has just articulated how appalling the findings are in respect of those children. It is deeply concerning to see them. The chair of the board of CHI has resigned so things are moving very swiftly. I ask for a proper debate on this in the House this week because it …

Likewise.

It is clear that the big hope is that there will be a negotiation pathway open. It is interesting to see the EU already saying it had previously offered to remove all tariff barriers on industrial goods and to buy more LNG from the US, but those offers were met by what was really a non-response from the US. There is a question about the extent to which there will be a response from the US. Clearly…

The Minister, Deputy Foley, today published the report by Sheila Nunan on negotiations with the religious bodies involved in running mother and baby homes. It is disappointing to see how little the orders are prepared to do towards paying their fair share of redress. The vast majority are dragging their feet and delaying on the issue of redress. I think just one substantial offer has been made by …

What is the Government's view on this matter?

Yes.