Paul Donnelly

The Government needs to be honest about the number of housing units being built each year. It was very clear during the general election campaign that both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael clearly told untruths about the number of housing units that would be build in 2024 by many thousands. It is clear the information was at hand and directly contradicted the figure of 40,000. Section two talks about th…

Hear, hear.

I also thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this motion. From 2020 to 2024, 62 women North and South on the island of Ireland were killed by their abusers. As a society and a State, we must do better in terms of tackling gender-based violence. It requires investment in services, including the provision of adequate refuge places in every county. It means ensuring our laws are fit for purpose…

We all remember with disbelief the morning we saw on our screens the invasion and attacks on Ukraine by Russian forces ordered by Putin and his regime in Moscow. There has been massive suffering and hardship and an enormous number of civilian and military deaths on both sides. It is heartbreaking to see the constant stream of videos. It is as if we are watching video games of drones chasing people…

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion on the housing crisis. What does a housing crisis look like? Take my clinic in this week alone. On Monday morning, I had a single man who is working. He is living with his family and has nowhere to live. A family that is 12 years on the list has received a notice to quit and will be homeless in months. A family that is five years on the…

There is no doubt that AI is developing at a rapid pace and the technology has the potential to change the way we live, engage with each other, work and play. AI will affect different facets of our lives and has the potential to bring a number of benefits. I have seen programmes about how AI has improved the speed of the development of new medicines saving lives and costing less in development. Ot…

I raise Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living. There are many laudable references to disability services in the programme for Government. In 2018, Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living provided a home support service for 36 people and in 2024, the number had increased to 150. A total of 33 people availed of its transport services in 2018 but that number has increased to 302. In maint…

I send my condolences to Councillor Tania Doyle and Hazel, and also colleagues here in the Oireachtas, on the tragic death of Derek just before Christmas. He was on his way home from this House. The Minister referred in his introduction to scramblers and quad bikes on our streets, parks and open spaces. I welcome the instruction that has been given by senior gardaí to begin to challenge people dr…

I will speak about the education section of the programme for Government and particularly educational buildings and facilities. I had a look at the previous programme for Government from which this one has virtually been cut and pasted. I will reference two schools in my constituency. One is Coolmine Community School. Recently I visited it when it was raining and had to dodge the buckets catching …

I would like to thank the hundreds and thousands of Irish people who have marched through the streets of the Thirty-two Counties of Ireland in support of the Palestinian people. The occupied territories legislation would ban all trade, including services, with Israeli illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and in east Jerusalem. It would send a clear message to the apartheid a…

Sadly, the Government could have progressed the occupied territories Bill in the last seven years. Now it suddenly decides that we now have to look at it again and we have to reword it. I call it out for what it is.

Untruth, mistruth, whatever way we want to word it. We all know exactly what we are talking about here. The comments overnight by the American President have shocked the entire world - the horror of a world leader openly talking about ethnic cleansing a whole population for his developer friends in the US and Israel should be a line in the sand for the other world leaders, including those in this …