Ruth Coppinger

Survivors of gender-based violence have just held a press event calling for Government action and for people to attend global marches taking place on Tuesday, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. I welcome Natasha O'Brien and Becca Clarke to the Gallery. They are among the survivors who just spoke. I also send solidarity to the loved ones of Stella Gallagher, who wa…

Please do not.

I was here on a Thursday for the last debate on gender-based violence. It was pretty empty and it was many months ago. I get Leaders' Questions once a month, so I would appreciate if the Tánaiste could focus on the issue of the counselling notes and the DPP. He did at the end there; fair play. On the counselling notes, the Minister has drafted a Bill under massive pressure and after campaigning b…

I want to read a quote about this Bill: If passed, Ireland and her Parliament will be sending a strong message, that it condemns the occupation of territories deemed illegal under international law. This Bill, at its most basic, is about upholding international law. It applies to illegal occupations anywhere in the world and not just to Israel and Palestine. It was a member of the Minister of St…

5. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on water quality will next meet. [57002/25]

23. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [57003/25]

I want to raise the genocide that has been happening in Sudan. It is the forgotten genocide because so much of our focus has been on Palestine. There is a large and important Sudanese community in Ireland. I had meetings with members of the community before the election. Many of them are doctors, contributing massively to our health service, engineers and so on. They are living with the reality of…

I am in a small party so I do not get as many speaking opportunities on this issue as other, bigger parties, but I have been in here many times asking for a public statutory inquiry from the word go. I have known Gillian and, particularly, Stephen for just over a year, from before the tragedy with Harvey. We have to learn lessons from this because time and again, on so many issues, parents and rel…

I was going to address Deputy Donohoe as Minister; I do not know what to call him right now. Obviously, personally I wish him and his family well but I am here to be political. He is a very ideological person so I am sure he will appreciate this.

No, and I am proud of it. I am proud to be a socialist and there are not many of us here.

The Taoiseach is eating into my time, which is very little. I want to start with where Deputy Donohoe is going with his new job. The World Bank and the IMF usually work together. Their policies drive inequality and austerity all around the globe. They decrease workers' rights, environmental considerations and life expectancy in any country they go into. We have a situation where 1% owns more than …

6. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on justice, migration and social affairs will next meet. [52039/25]

It is very concerning that a violent, extremist, far-right group has threatened to attack mosques and any place where there are migrants. Its slogan is "an eye for eye", apparently. A couple of men have been arrested and charged with possession of explosives. This is a very worrying development for families, particularly since there was an attempted murder in broad daylight in Drogheda. I put it t…

This matter was recently reported in the media, but, apparently, no journalists were interested in pursuing it any further.

Sorry, it is just a factual finding. People who were working for TDs were promoting racism, so it is obviously widespread.

It is increasing anti-immigrant racism.

Nobody is shutting it down with facts.

22. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on disability will next meet. [52040/25]

27. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on disability will next meet. [57001/25]

That is no problem. Governments have fallen over less than what has happened in relation to Harvey Morrison Sherratt. We found out over the weekend through a protected disclosure that a worker heard or became aware that Harvey had been taken off the waiting list because he was mistakenly, or for whatever reason, considered "palliative" - in itself a horrible phrase. First, his parents were not to…

He should have asked CHI directly about this particular issue, so I hope he has answers for us today.

I had a look at the Fine Gael website, which is not something I normally do. The party has an ad running with the title "Fine Gael supported carers and people with disabilities in Budget 2026". Sometimes you need to check in case it is AI or whatever, but how exactly did Fine Gael support carers and people with disabilities? Could the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, explain that? I am going to…

I too welcome my socialist colleague Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett back into action. I welcome also the election of a socialist in New York, the belly of the beast of capitalism, Zohran Mamdani. I welcome the Fastway Couriers workers to the Public Gallery today. Perhaps it will be third time lucky because two TDs have already asked the Minister about this. I ask him to look them in the eye and tell…

Will the Ministers for Social Protection and employment please meet these workers to sort this out?

I am being honest.