Pearse Doherty

How did he break all these promises? He should answer the question. He made pledges to people over and over again. He is Tánaiste and he wants to be Taoiseach in a couple of years. He promises tax cuts every year to workers. There are no tax cuts in this budget, as he pointed out. He said energy would be cheaper under Fine Gael. People have never paid more. The Government knew that and withdrew t…

Confidence in the Government's stated opposition to the EU Mercosur agreement has been further undermined in recent days by the withdrawal of Brazilian beef from sale across Europe and the fact an Irish MEP, Regina Doherty, from the Tánaiste's party, gave a full throated support for the deal on RTÉ radio - I am not sure if he heard her - contradicting the Government's stated position. I would appr…

Will the Tánaiste not answer the question?

Will it vote against it and will you call on others to do so? Please answer the question.

I asked simple questions.

Is Ireland going to vote against the deal?

Will the Government vote against the deal?

Just answer the question.

The IFA called on the Tánaiste to clarify the position.

Tá sé scannalach go bhfuair an Rialtas anailís óna chuid oifigigh féin a léirigh go raibh sochair fuinnimh ag teastáil go géar ach mar sin féin chuir sé deireadh leis sa bhuiséad. Bhí an chomhairle seo ina lámha. Bhí a fhios ag an Rialtas go raibh billí leictreachais ag dul suas agus suas, ach chuir sé deireadh go fóill leis an t-aon phíosa chuidithe a bhí daoine ag brath air. We said the Governme…

The Taoiseach's own officials warned him. They said that without Government support, customers will pay more this winter for electricity than at any time during the energy crisis. They said that before price increases, arrears had increased to record levels. We know this and the Taoiseach knew this. It is in black and white in what his officials told him. They make clear and lay out in graphs that…

Miriam Moriarty Owens, Mary Donovan, Mary Dunleavy Greene and Maurice Patton O'Connell endured 50 days on hunger strike to demand action from the Government for the survivors of industrial and reformatory schools. They ended their protest after securing from the Taoiseach specific commitments, including a Government apology and a number of measures to improve the lives and well-being of survivors.…

This latest housing plan is not worth the paper it is written on. Like all other failed plans from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, this will only make the housing crisis worse. It will only make people's lives harder. It will lead to more misery for anyone trying to put a roof over their head so that a small few can make bigger profits. Smaller, darker, more expensive homes; that is this Government's p…

As my colleague, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, said, this amendment is long overdue. It is symptomatic of the Government. It has been two years since it was asked to look at the costs and it is a year on from the general election when it said it was going to bring it in. We are taking this legislation now, legislation that was published at 10 o'clock this morning. This shows how much the Government cares …

We need a scheme that deals with the childcare centres our children are in that are falling down. We need a scheme for our community buildings that are falling down in Donegal and elsewhere. The Government needs to get with it because what it is doing is cruel, vindictive, callous, cold-hearted and indifferent. The people have demanded what they have got so far from the Government. They have wrenc…

Hear, hear.

County Donegal is home to one of the busiest yet remote coastlines in the island of Ireland. We have a fishing industry, offshore workers, island communities and thousands of people who rely on Coast Guard SAR crews every year. When a boat gets into trouble off the 1,134 km of our coastline, or when a medical emergency occurs on Tory Island or Árainn Mhór, these crews are the ones that respond. Th…

14. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she has further plans to engage with the British Government over the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 and the request for a fresh inquest into the 1973 killing of a person (details supplied), given that a fresh inquest was approved, only for the Act becoming law a few hours later; the suppor…

The family of Michael Leonard have now waited more than 50 years for the truth about how Michael was killed by the RUC on the Donegal-Fermanagh border in 1973. New evidence contradicts the original account and raises serious questions. We now have a change of landscape in Britain. The old legacy Act is being dismantled and new legacy structures are being put in place. In light of these development…

I thank the Minister. She may be aware that I have raised this issue countless times with the Government and her predecessor. I am sure she is aware of the circumstances of the case. She says she has raised this with Mr. Hilary Benn MP. I think she will agree that it is worth raising again. Michael was a 24-year-old Donegal man. He was shot in the back and killed by the RUC on the Border at Brookh…

As the Minister is aware, the legacy Act that came into existence in Britain on 1 May 2023 shut down an inquest into Michael's killing, incredibly, just hours after it was granted by the Attorney General. The case was an example of the cruelty of Britain's legacy Act writ large. As well the new evidence, the Attorney General granted the inquiry on the basis that the original inquest did not receiv…

What is the purpose of that?

On a point of order-----

-----there is a motion before us, so can I just address it? The Government Chief Whip cannot say the normal sitting of the Dáil will not happen on Tuesday without any explanation as to why this will happen. Does this mean Leaders' Questions will not happen on Tuesday again? The Taoiseach was not here this Tuesday. He seems to be evading accountability all the time. What is the rationale behind it?

I welcome Commissioner McGrath back to the House. I also welcome the women's Shankill group who are here with us in Leinster House. They are very welcome here today. Dearbhaíonn figiúirí ón mBord um Thionóntachtaí Cónaithe inniu an rud atá ar eolas ag tionóntaí cheana féin. Is é sin go bhfuil cíosanna as smacht agus iad ar siúl suas 5% arís le bliain anuas. Is polasaithe an Rialtais atá freagrach…