Ivana Bacik

I want to return to an issue I raised with the Taoiseach yesterday, namely, the crisis in special education. Last Friday, I joined a group of 50 parents, children and family members who had to resort to a 24-hour sleep-out in front of the Department of Education in Dublin in order to highlight the crisis they are experiencing. I heard harrowing stories of experiences from desperate parents who are…

I thank the Taoiseach for the response and saying so clearly that there is no freeze on SNAs. That is at odds with the experiences reported to us by principals. I would welcome a more detailed written response from the Taoiseach on that because we have been told there is a directive from the Department that amounts to an obstacle or blockage to the hiring by principals of the SNAs that are needed.…

-----to ensure every child who needs a special school or class will have access to that.

Yesterday, the Department of housing announced it had allocated €265 million for housing acquisitions but it is unclear how much of that will support the tenant in situ scheme. We know from announcements that there are some restrictions on who can access the scheme. It seems priority is going to families, older people and disabled people. Single renters slip into homelessness at a higher rate than…

I want to raise the climate crisis with the Taoiseach. Today, we see the devastating report from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council and the Climate Change Advisory Council. They tell us that on its current trajectory, the Government will clearly miss our legally binding 2030 climate targets. We all know the consequences of that failure will be enormous. That is set out in the report: €26 billion in…

I think we can agree on one thing: climate change is existential. The threat of climate change is clearly existential. Ach níl an Rialtas ag déanamh gach iarracht. The Government is not making every effort; clearly not. The trajectory of this Government is on course to miss climate targets, and to say otherwise flies in the face of the evidence that is being presented to the Taoiseach and all of u…

That is €26 billion.

On a point of order, we indicated that we would come back.

This is completely out of order.

The Taoiseach had rejected my original proposal.

I raised with the Taoiseach last week my concern and that of my party about Government proposals to dismantle the triple lock. I emphasise again we in the Labour Party would oppose any attempt to dismantle or undermine the triple lock. Given President Trump's appalling attempts to humiliate Ukraine's President Zelenskyy, which we saw last Friday, it is all the more important now we stand in solida…

-----that the mission must be in keeping with the spirit of the UN Charter, but if that is the case, why rule out the need for UN sanction?

What about-----

4. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach to report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [7362/25]

Work and job quality is one of the dimensions to the well-being framework. My party would have liked to see stronger commitments on workers' rights in the programme for Government. I want to raise a number of concerns around workers' rights with the Taoiseach. We introduced a Labour Party Bill to provide for reproductive healthcare leave for women experiencing early pregnancy loss in the workplac…

18. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach the way the new disability unit within his Department will function. [7612/25]

The Taoiseach has acknowledged the system is not delivering for children with additional needs who require particular provision in the school system. Indeed, I joined a group of over 50 parents, and some children and grandparents, who resorted to a 24-hour sleepout last Friday in front of the Department of Education. I heard some harrowing stories there from parents and grandparents, including som…

Yes.

27. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education and disability will next meet. [5756/25]

I wish to return to the issue of the recruitment of special needs assistants raised with the Taoiseach by my colleague, Deputy Eoghan Kenny, earlier. Budget 2024 provided for an extra 1,216 SNAs in the current school year. Are all those SNAs in place? Will the increase of 1,600 SNAs announced in the budget for this year in fact take effect? We are all still hearing of children who have a place in …

I welcome the news that the Taoiseach will be meeting Ukraine's President Zelenskyy today. It is very important that we reaffirm our solidarity with Ukraine, particularly at a time when US President Trump is intent on tearing up the international rules-based order with his appalling positions on Ukraine and Gaza. Recently, President Trump announced that he is intent on imposing a 25% tariff on goo…

Every week brings yet more news of Government failure, as the housing crisis further spirals out of the Government's control. This week, we saw daft.ie report that rents have risen by a staggering 43% since the pandemic. At the weekend, right on schedule, we were treated to the latest top-of-the-head idea from the Government. First it was tax breaks, then it was beds in sheds and, this time, the h…

I am very disappointed by the Taoiseach's response because he did not address the substantive points I raised about the need to ensure a State-led response to the crisis in apartment financing. Instead, he engaged in dismissing Labour Party proposals. At least the previous housing Minister, Deputy O'Brien, accepted that we offered constructive opposition on housing in this House.

We supported the LDA. We put forward proposals for transforming the LDA into a genuine vehicle for delivering homes at the scale that is needed.

Fianna Fáil refused to engage with us and the Taoiseach's dismissive and increasingly tetchy attitude in this House really indicates exactly why-----