Pearse Doherty

Tá fearg mhór ann go mbeidh ar dhaoine leochaileacha íoc as pacáistí táibléad blister mar gheall ar chinneadh an Rialtais. Beidh tionchar ar leith aige seo ar dhaoine atá ag dul siar i mblianta agus ar dhaoine atá ag maireachtáil le néaltrú agus galar Alzheimer a bhraitheann ar na pacáistí seo. Tá a fhios againn nach bhfuil sé seo ceart. Caithfidh an Rialtas gníomhú chun a chinntiú go leanfaidh na…

I asked the Taoiseach the question and he did not answer it. I asked him the question, with respect, of whether he believes people with dementia and Alzheimer's who were receiving the blister packs free of charge should be charged for them from 1 January. No matter what way the Taoiseach presents it, these packs were being funded. For right or wrong, they were being funded. Of course there are iss…

It was a Government decision that restricted the way in which pharmacies were claiming, and it has resulted in this. Will the Taoiseach please answer the question? Will he reverse the decision? Should people with dementia and Alzheimer's, who were getting it free, have to pay for it in January?

You put up the cost.

The Taoiseach has just ten seconds left. What is he going to do?

The Government has just agreed a deal but it left out blister packs.

In recent weeks, the Taoiseach himself said that energy companies were gouging customers, yet despite using that word and acknowledging that people are being ripped off, the Government has still failed to do anything meaningful to stop it. We know that wholesale electricity costs have collapsed but Irish households still pay among the highest bills in Europe. The ESRI has confirmed what we already…

No, an inquiry.

A full CRU inquiry was the question. Why does the Taoiseach keep dodging questions?

The amendments we are dealing with in this legislation - the amendments tabled by the Sinn Féin Deputies - go to the very core of the issue. If accepted by the Minister, they would probably satisfy the vast majority of people in my constituency regarding the challenges they have. Of course, there are other issues, including those related to the administration of the scheme and the criteria, but a …

I move amendment No. 8: In page 5, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “Report on supportive measures for rental property activation in areas impacted by defective concrete blocks 2.The Minister shall, within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on supportive tax measures for rental property activation in areas impacted by defective con…

This is infuriating. The Finance Bill went through in the past ten days. I put this to the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, and, in fairness, he said that what I was saying had merit. The ARP scheme for Ukrainians that I mentioned was designed and is administered by the Department of justice. The latter went to the Department of Finance looking for the income that is paid for those properties to…

I can read the Minister of State what the Tánaiste said when we discussed this issue previously. He stated: I am genuinely grappling constructively with the point the Deputy made on the idea of the ARP. It is not an unfair point. That scheme is administered by the Department of justice. My Department carries out the tax treatment element of the scheme. It is open to other Departments to consider …

Before I begin, I send my support and the support of my party to young Cara Darmody, who has begun her 50-hour sit-out protest to demand timely assessments of need are delivered. It is shameful that a young woman has to do this over and over again but we are deeply inspired by her. Tá físeán a bhí curtha in airde ag an Roinn tithíochta ar na meáin shóisialta tar éis fearg millteanach a chruthú. D…

The decision by this Government to share the video has caused fierce anger. The video suggests that those forced to move back in with their parents should help around the house so they will be viewed as adults. God almighty, how patronising is that? Did anybody in the Government look at this video before it was shared on the official platforms by the Department of housing? Did anybody think about…

The Minister is not listening and he is not hearing. He does not understand what it feels like for people in their 20s, 30s or even 40s who have been forced to move back into their parents’ house and are now living in the box room when the Department of housing shares a video saying that maybe they should do the dishes when they are at home so they will be seen as an adult. Can the Minister under…

I did not say the Department made it.

As has been mentioned already, as we speak there are people with disabilities protesting outside the gates of Leinster House because they are struggling with the cost of living. The hard reality is that in the budget the Government took away the supports that these individuals were relying on. People with disabilities are up to €1,400 worse off. The Government stripped away the vital supports they…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: recalls: — that children are legally entitled to an assessment of their health and education needs under the Disability Act 2005, and that the assessment must take place within six months; and — the motion regarding Assessment of Need passed by this House in May 2025; notes: — that the law is still being broken with respect to the 18,097 children whose Assessment o…

1. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the level of inflation that was projected by his Department as it prepared budget 2026, including the decision not to provide an income tax adjustment for workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64572/25]

Will the Minister outline the level of inflation that was projected when his party decided on the budget of this year? It was a budget that made a decision to pull the cost-of-living supports, such as energy credits and others, and not give any tax break to workers other than a handful of highly paid executives. How does the inflation rate that was projected when the budget was prepared compare to…

For the budget in which the Government withdrew supports and broke promise after promise about income tax cuts that were made to workers during in election, the Department expected that inflation would be 1.9% next year and 1.8% this year. Maybe the Minister will outline that inflation is actually way above 1.8%, not far off double that figure. Would the Minister not agree? We understand the flash…

Is it not great for someone in the Minister's position to talk about getting back into the "normal rhythm" of something soon? When I go back to Donegal and talk to my constituent who simply cannot heat her home, I will tell her not to worry because the Minister says we are going to get back into the "normal rhythm" of things in a couple of years, closer to an election no doubt. It will be closer t…

They are higher than ever.

But they are higher than ever.