Gary Gannon

I extend the condolences of the Social Democrats on the death of disability activist, Jacqui Browne. Her loss will be greatly felt. The details in today's Women's Aid report are deeply disturbing but not surprising. We know domestic and gender-based violence is insidious. It thrives in silence, shame and in the shadows but it is everywhere, in every parish, every institution and every workplace. …

I fully concur that the responsibility lies with men to address this pervasive issue. However, that does not absolve the State of its responsibility, and the State is in neglect of its responsibilities across a variety of fields when it comes to men's violence against women, be that the provision of refuge centres, the collation of data or the regulation of social media platforms. I absolutely agr…

I intend to speak about the Offences Against the State Act, in particular the continued operation of the Special Criminal Court. This is not just a matter of law. It is a question of principle, of how we, as a republic, administer justice in the most serious cases and of what kind of country we want to be by virtue of that fact. The Special Criminal Court was never meant to be permanent. It was in…

We woke up this morning to news that, finally, a proposal was going to the Cabinet on the implementation of the recommendations of the Dublin city task force. I thought this was brilliant and that perhaps now, after four press conferences and about two years, we would get some detail. I listened but we got a rehash of the same announcements that had been made three times at this point and absolute…

What about the task force?

I thank Sinn Féin for introducing the motion. I welcome the fact that the Government is not opposing it. Extending presidential voting rights to Irish citizens living in the North should never be seen as a radical demand. It represents a necessary and overdue recognition of the promises made in the Good Friday Agreement. That agreement was not just about ending conflict; rather, it was a commitme…

I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing forward this motion. It is timely and important. While I join my colleagues in welcoming the rise in public transport use, I cannot ignore the serious and growing issue of capacity and overcrowding, particularly on the Luas red line, which serves many of my constituents in Dublin Central. It is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of safety and, a…

I turn to another gross institutional failure of the State, namely, the Irish Prison Service, which is in crisis as we speak. That is not a word that I use lightly. Right now, 5,415 people are in our prisons, with more than 400 of them sleeping on floors. Prison officers and inmates are living and working in dangerously overcrowded and volatile conditions. We have been repeatedly warned that there…

-----when it comes to this action. It is imprisoning the vulnerable to send a message, all while more serious offenders operating within the machinery of organised crime are let out the back door early. This is performative cruelty at its most blatant. Organised crime groups are thriving in communities that are already deeply neglected. Releasing those involved in these networks will send a chill…

The Government is putting people in prison for coming into the country.

It is sometimes difficult not to interrupt the Taoiseach when he is purposely distorting-----

It is sometimes difficult not to interrupt when the Taoiseach is purposely distorting what exactly it is that he is trying to say. Politics is about choices. He knows this. We have prisons that are overcrowded to the point where multiple sources, including those in the area of security and civil servants, have confirmed that a number of prisoners, including those suspected to be members of organis…

We have a situation that is detrimental to the human condition. For the purposes of the Government's performative cruelty, we are now putting people who are awaiting deportation flights into prison. They are in every prison, including Mountjoy and Dóchas. People are being taken out of IPAS centres and brought to prison. All the while, the Government is releasing drug dealers back into communities.…

Sorry?

This is ridiculous.

Hear, hear.

I second that.

Like the Taoiseach, I believe Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. Given that is the case, what are we doing allowing uninspected flights involving private jets linked to military contractors and carrying dual-use goods to transit through Shannon Airport en route to Israel? These flights are not covert. The are documented and trackable. The Taoiseach might be aware that under EU customs law,…

Yes. I would appreciate a response.

I thank those who brought forward this motion, which is incredibly timely and important. It is one that resonates across society in Ireland. It is especially timely coming on the same day as the Raise the Roof protest, which is taking place outside the building this evening. People are once again calling on the Government to finally treat the housing crisis with the urgency it demands. I had the p…

I thank Deputy Coppinger for this important Bill and acknowledge all the people in the Gallery. There is something deeply broken in how we treat survivors of sexual violence in this country. I am not just talking about the underfunded services or the months-long waiting lists, although they are a part of it. I am talking about what happens when somebody does everything we ask of them, when they su…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, for coming to respond to this matter today. We are at a tipping point in the roll-out of commercial drone delivery in Ireland, but regulation has clearly not kept pace. In areas like Drumcondra and Glasnevin in my constituency, residents are raising serious concerns about noise, planning, the environmental impact and safety. Drumcondra was recently n…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate that the regulations speak to how drones may be flown safely, but they do not in the slightest capture how drones may be experienced safely. That is particularly pronounced in a village like Drumcondra, Ireland’s first autism-friendly village. Significant sensory issues will not be captured in the regulations for how drones may be flown …

I was sitting in this chair a couple of weeks ago when the Taoiseach said the word. I had to do a double-take to see if I heard correctly. The Taoiseach said, “Let us call a spade a spade”, what is happening in Gaza is “genocide”. That was an important moment. After 19 months of evasion and legal gymnastics, the Taoiseach finally said it. He stood in the Chamber and admitted what the world has see…

That is not true.