Catherine Connolly

I welcome the opportunity, and I will use my three minutes to the best of my ability, to focus on what is happening in the world. The speeches from the Minister, Peter Burke, and the Tánaiste were examples of how to mislead and be disingenuous. We had 3,000 words from Simon Harris. There was one mention of Israel in those 3,000 words, when he said: "The Israeli strikes on Gaza this week must be ut…

Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as ucht an rún seo a chur os comhair na Dála agus an deis againn a bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht seo. Chuir an Rialtas an scéim seo ar fionraí, agus tá bréag á hinsint ag an Rialtas maidir leis an scéal. Cuirfidh mé mar sin é. Táimid i dtír na mbréag arís ó thaobh cad atá ag tarlú anseo. Tá litir anseo agam ag cur in iúl dom go ndúirt an Roinn go raibh an scéim se…

The extended roll-out of the hot meals programme to schools has been welcomed, I think, by all schools. There might be questions about the quality on occasions but that is for another day. Baineann an cheist atá á cur os comhair na Dála agam inniu leis na costais bhreise atá i gceist chun na béilí a chur chuig na hoileáin. I understand that a school on the Aran Islands has incurred an extra cost o…

I welcome this opportunity although I share the frustration of the previous speakers that we are again having statements on this issue. We have had statements over and over and no progress has been made. On the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, I spent a short while on the justice committee and I had serious concerns about the Act. I put them aside because we were absolutely assure…

Ar ndóigh, cuireann sé gliondar ar mo chroí agus tugann sé ardú meanman dom an méid Comhaltaí, an Teachta Murphy san áireamh, atá sásta an Ghaeilge a úsáid inniu agus páirt a ghlacadh sa díospóireacht seo. Tá éacht déanta aige agus ag na Teachtaí Dála eile freisin. Ag an am céanna, tá ráitis i gceist arís agus ráitis ó thaobh na Gaeilge de. Chuile bhliain bíonn ráitis againn ó thaobh na Gaeilge d…

Go hiontach. Rud eile praiticiúil ná na ranganna a éascú do gach leibhéal den fhoireann sa Dáil, na Teachtaí Dála, na Seanadóirí ach, go háirithe, an fhoireann ar an talamh agus sa bhialann, go mbeadh na ranganna seo feiliúnach dóibh agus ansin, tar éis sé mhí, go mbeadh togra píolótach ann le go mbeadh deis ag na daoine sin freastal saor in aisce ar chúrsa Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht. Níor tharla sé si…

An féidir linn an t-am sin a thógáil? Can we take that time?

Go n-éirí leis an gCeann Comhairle ina turas ó thaobh na teanga de. Táimid go léir taobh thiar di agus táimid go léir ar an turas céanna. Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as ucht an rún seo a chur os comhair na Dála. Clúdaíonn an rún a lán réimsí. Beidh mise ag díriú ar cheann amháin: an ceart chun an oideachais lán-Ghaeilge agus an riachtanas atá ann. An bhfuil an Rialtas ag glacadh leis an rún?

An bhfuil leasú i gceist?

Ní dóigh liom gur bhog an Rialtas aon leasú, mar eolas. An bhfuil an Rialtas ag glacadh leis an rún nó nach bhfuil?

Is scéal dearfach é go bhfuil an Rialtas ag admháil go bhfuil teipthe air ó thaobh polasaí oideachais don Ghaeilge taobh amuigh de na Gaeltachtaí. B'fhéidir go mbeidh ar an Aire a sheiceáil má tá an Rialtas ag glacadh leis an rún nó nach bhfuil. Bhí de phribhléid agam - uaireanta níor cheap mé gur phribhléid é, mar bhí orainn a lán rudaí a léamh trí Ghaeilge, agus de réir a chéile bhí sé i bhfad …

101. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Transport the progress made on the roll-out of light rail for Galway, following the publication of the feasibility study on 30 October 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9456/25]

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire agus leis an Aire Stáit nua. Guím gach rath orthu ina róil nua. Baineann mo cheist go sonrach le córas iarnród éadrom do chathair na Gaillimhe. Cén dul chun cinn atá déanta? I congratulate the new Minister and Minister of State and I wish them the best of luck. My specific question is about what progress has been made relating to the roll-out of light rail in Gal…

I think the Minister of State would agree that transport could not get any worse in Galway with traffic congestion. I welcome that there is going to be a plan, but I will tell the Minister of State about my experience. The transport plan that became law in 2016 was already dated and outmoded in light of the increase in the population, the promised increase in the population and our obligations un…

The Minister of State knows my views on the N6 project. There are sustainable solutions to the traffic congestion in Galway. We are under an obligation. The Minister of State may have listened to the radio interview this morning regarding the billions we are going to pay in fines for failure to comply with our obligations. Galway is one of five cities that is destined to grow. We have no park-and-…

We are way over time.

Thank you, Minister, we are way over.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Housing Commission's report. The commission commenced its work in January 2023 and published its report in May 2024. It has taken this long for the Government, under pressure, to put it on the clár oibre agus díospóireacht a bheith againn faoin tuarascáil thábhachtach sin. The commission had 14 members, five sub-committees and six working groups. It held 2…

I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing this issue and setting it out so clearly in the motion and to the visitors in the Gallery. I wish the Minister best of luck in his new role and I welcome that he is not opposing the motion, which is often the death knell - but I will give him the benefit of the doubt that it is not the death knell and he will take this matter seriously.

He said is committed to bringing in the register and changing the law. I have only five minutes so I will not go into it. I welcome what he is saying and he will have to deliver on that.

In 1974, a groundbreaking book about a women's refuge in Chiswick, London entitled Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear was published. Fast forward 49 years to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland publishing an article entitled, "Why is sexual violence still hidden in plain sight in this era of oversharing?" about domestic violence and gender-based violence. Forgive me if I am sceptical…

44. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the status of the proposed changes to the triple lock; if it is intended to remove the neutrality protection of the triple lock; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6076/25]

The Tánaiste talks about respect and trust. That is exactly what the people of Ireland do not have for on in him. There has been a carefully choreographed campaign to get rid of our neutrality. The current Taoiseach, back in 2013, clearly spelled out what Fine Gael was up to. At that point, we were told the triple lock was an integral part of our neutrality and so on. You have turned language on i…

Micheál Martin, the current Taoiseach has repeatedly said that the triple lock is at the core of our neutrality. As a neutral independent sovereign State, we should use our voice to champion the UN structures, to reform the UN structures and to get away from the language of rule-based order and talk about international law which has been hard won following two world wars. Then we come to Putin. On…

I will pick up on that point on trust. Trust is at an all-time low in this Government in relation to neutrality.