Paul Donnelly

Operation Kenova was deliberately undermined by the British state agency, MI5. The actions of the latter were designed to block the truth of Britain’s dirty war in Ireland. It is clear that the legacy investigations and reviews published as part of final report relating to Operation Kenova provide further confirmation of collusion, criminality and cover-up by the British state. Operation Denton co…

At the outset, I would like to say I worked for the northern area health board, the HSE and Tusla. I worked in the same place but obviously changed over into different organisations over those 20 years when the responsibilities changed. I worked as a family support worker and later as a child and family support network co-ordinator. I commend so many people. I know it is really difficult work. I c…

It is really important that we sit down with the people who are directly involved and engaged in providing those supports. As I have said, I have met many guardians ad litem over the 20 years I worked with them. They are incredible people who work really hard.

I welcome the Bill from Deputy O'Gorman and the opportunity to again speak on this issue. It is a really important issue for Dublin West but it will also have an impact right across the country. It is interesting that it comes this week in light of the scrambler issue. I have raised the issue of Garda use of drones. Gardaí have been trained in the use of drones. I have been asking about this since…

I too thank the Social Democrats for this motion. Life is difficult enough for people with disabilities. They spend their life fighting for basic services – OT, speech and language, physiotherapy and mobility equipment. I know parents who have to fundraise for wheelchairs and other equipment for disabled children. Being able to get around is something we take for granted, but people with disabilit…

Less developer-led policies; that is what-----

As has been said repeatedly, mental health services are in crisis. We all know this because we deal with people. I express my solidarity with all of the people who work in mental health services, including in the community and in hospitals, because they are doing their best to cope with the situation they are in, despite the lack of staff and supports. By the time many people end up in hospital, …

That is an absolutely shocking statement.

The AI genie is definitely out of the bottle. It is a technology with huge positive potential for medicine, mental health, construction, media, education and all parts of human interaction. In the wrong hands, however, AI has the potential to do huge harm. Palantir Technologies is a significant presence in Israel, providing the Israeli military and intelligence agencies with advanced AI and data a…

It does not matter if it comes from Russia, though.

I have been in touch with many sports clubs in Dublin 15. It is an area where the population of young people is exploding. There are groups like Corduff FC, Tyrrelstown GAA club, the football club, Plunkett’s, the cricket club and the boxing clubs. I have met with the executives, coaches and mentors of all of these clubs over the last while. They spend countless hours providing facilities and trai…

It is not enough.

Homelessness, record rents and a record health crisis.

After 15 years, all those records are being set on a monthly basis.

I am speaking today on behalf of St. John Bosco's junior and senior boy's schools and Mary, Help of Christians girl's school on the Navan Road in Dublin 7. I received a letter, which states: "Our community school has been waiting years for progress and despite repeated assurances from the Department, including a clear commitment that a stage 2a review would be completed in the quarter 1 of 2025, w…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I commend the work of An Garda Síochána. In my district in Dublin West they do incredible work on a daily basis. We saw the difficulties they faced during the disgraceful riots in Dublin and sometimes during those incidents we really see how effective they can be in protecting society. While we welcome the move to introduce the use of body-worn came…

I am glad this Bill is being brought forward today and I welcome the ban on single-use vapes. Vapes are something that we really need to get a grip on. I also agree that unfortunately, the Government is playing catch-up. Selling to under-18s is still continuing. The HSE is not carrying out enough inspections, and convictions for the sale of vapes to children and young people are still extremely lo…

A substantial amount of people's money is being spent on a yearly basis, and most of this spending is very welcome. However, significant moneys have been wasted in cases like the Leinster House bicycle shed and the delays in the construction of the national children's hospital. The delays to metro north could cost tens of millions of euro. This long-delayed and vital infrastructure is costing bill…

Honestly, I cannot believe I am here in 2025 talking about this issue because 14 years ago, when I was standing for local elections, I raised this issue as one of the major issues within the Mulhuddart area. We talked on top of a hill beside Mulhuddart cemetery and that piece of land now has 800 homes on it. There are now in the region of 2,500 to 3,000 houses within the curtilage of this issue an…

It is an interesting reply. In some ways, it probably makes sense in that the pipe is now disused and has been moved eastward. I assume it has moved eastward towards Damastown because there were recently major pipe works along that road. We are probably currently dealing with the last bits of it because if it is not being used and is empty, there maybe some residue leftover. In the next couple of…

As quickly as possible.

I am sure if I were to ask everyone in here to raise their hands, including the kids in the Gallery, if they do not like dogs, those who do so would be in the minority. Sadly, we lost our Cosmo, a 12-year old husky, five weeks ago. The house feels empty without her. When I get up in the morning or I walk into the house, I do not hear the patter of feet or hear her. We are a nation of dog lovers,…

Most of us are online daily for work, social interactions, connection, booking tickets, and reading. The list of what we do online is endless. It has been an incredible tool for the world. However, like everything else, there is a downside, and we know these downsides. We cannot say that we do not. The online companies, especially social media companies, are too big and powerful for most governme…

I commend the amazing strength and determination of Cara Darmody. Her continued campaign brings her back to the Dáil for 50 hours this week in a miserable, cold December. Unfortunately, I think she will be given the same promises that other Ministers have given her previously. I genuinely hope they are not false promises. Why do I call these false promises? The fact Cara has come back to camp outs…

Dublin West is one of the fastest growing areas in Dublin. It has a population of over 130,000 people and one of the busiest garda stations in the K district. A few weeks ago, another group of gardaí were attested in Templemore training centre. Despite the expectation that a significant number of these gardaí would be sent to Dublin West, only five were assigned. To make matters worse, my understa…