Ruth Coppinger

It was not necessary to do that.

Will the Taoiseach go back to the actual protest he was asked about?

What about the Mother's Day protestors who were strip-searched?

There has been a halving of Taoiseach's Questions, a halving of the Order of Business and extra time for a special group, the Michael Lowry group. I remind the House that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste took the decision to ram through last week's discussion without debate. Michael Lowry, a taker of bribes and of workers' money, is welcomed back into government. Let us be clear as to what the deal …

They control the agenda-----

-----so they should give it up with the "get on with the work".

Because you did not put that on the agenda.

What about your part in it?

I am sharing time with Deputies Boyd Barrett and O'Gorman. I, too, took a huge interest in this Bill when I saw it come up because of people I know who have been in this situation. I am delighted that there will be a change whereby cohabitees will now be considered equal to people who are married because they feel the exact same impact from a bereavement. I really welcome that. We need to see ot…

I will finish by saying that there is no way in which this can go through as it currently stands.

I will just finish by saying that this cannot go through as it currently stands because it is discriminatory. I ask the Minister to look at it again. I believe it will be legally challenged. When we bring forward Bills, the Government often says that they will be legally challenged because they are unconstitutional. This Bill goes against the judgment that brought it about in the first place. It i…

Today in my Leaders’ Questions, I wanted to raise the absolutely desperate situation in Palestine, the Government’s failure to even meet the UN special rapporteur in Leinster House last week and issues such as the special needs crisis, the health workers and so many other issues but today we have to come back to this again because of what happened yesterday. Comments have been made about the unpl…

It strikes me that the Ceann Comhairle is a woman who knows her own mind and took a decision yesterday, unfortunately, to co-operate with what was a very co-ordinated move not to allow Order of Business properly, to jettison Questions on Promised Legislation and so on. However, I want to move the focus back on the Taoiseach because he knew that these proposals were opposed by the Opposition and he…

Is it the Lowry lackies, the Government, or people who actually care about the Palestine solidarity movement? That is who. Who is more likely to really interrogate the Government on a whole range of issues? This is the Government preparing itself for unpopular decisions that it will have to take on water charges, cost of living, the triple lock, militarisation but today and next Wednesday, instea…

He is saying we are making a mountain out of a molehill. This is about him cutting the Opposition’s rights and entitlements to interrogate him.

Is there any chance of answering the question about Michael Lowry?

Once again, the Taoiseach deflects completely -----

-----and does not answer the question about Michael Lowry and doing business with him. Michael Lowry who, as I said, was found by a tribunal to have received payments in the order of at least £180,000 from somebody he gave a mobile phone licence to and who is now a multi billionaire. You do not get more corrupt than that and the Taoiseach has no qualms.

Taoiseach's questions is being halved.

Hundreds of Taoiseach's questions will not be asked. For example, personally, in that slot, I have raised repeal when nobody else in this Dáil was interested. I raised trans healthcare and many other topics that there is no way any of the Taoiseach's backbenchers will ask him about. We heard a lot about the terrible plight of the lonely backbencher. My heart was bleeding until I remembered that th…

There is this idea that they are in this terrible position. They can speak at any time should they choose to.

I want to finish by saying this is in line with anti-democratic measures that parliaments are taking across Europe. They are using their majorities to cut across the right to protest and democratic rights. They are doing it in the UK today cutting welfare rights-----

You do not respect us.

Michael Lowry, the question I asked?

You put the Ceann Comhairle in position.