Thomas Gould

In the last Dáil, I was very honoured to be the party spokesperson on addiction, recovery and well-being. It was a privilege for me to meet all the different groups and organisations who were working at the front line, supporting people in recovery and those in the throws of addiction and supporting their families. I commend my colleague, Deputy Graves, who has taken over this role now. She has hi…

This Bill has been fast-tracked as an attempt to cover up decades of underinvestment in our energy grid. I absolutely agree that we need a modern, fit-for-purpose grid but it must be done with the required Government accountability. Sinn Féin has four constructive amendments we are asking the Minister to consider. They include proposals for greater transparency, fairness in pricing and the priorit…

We believe that price legislation should work for the ordinary person and our amendments look to deliver on that. This is about people's quality of life. This is about people not being afraid. Can the Minister of State imagine being afraid to turn on the electricity or the heating?

The report of the Barnardos 2025 back to school survey indicated that the average price of uniforms was €126 for a primary school uniform and €119 for a secondary school uniform. Many parents have just paid out for these uniforms, but they are facing additional costs as well in January. Children grow and play and a lot of the time, these uniforms have to be replaced. That is an additional cost. …

The question here is whether the Minister of State, the principal, the board of management and the parents are satisfied that the concerns about a reduction in teaching hours for pupils have been addressed and that there is 100% certainty that there will be no such reduction. As the Minister of State knows, St. Gabriel’s is a specialist school that deals with children with some of the most complex…

Democracy is at its best when it is robust and transparent. I understand that there in awful lot of anger at the process certain parties took during the nomination process for presidential candidates. This has to be looked at. Looking back, the majority of people agree on that. I sat on the housing committee during the establishment of the Electoral Commission. Now is the time to commence the rev…

If we ever wanted more proof that the Government has its priorities all wrong, this Bill is it. On a day when the Minister for housing announced a war on dereliction and vacancy, it is a joke. It would be funny if it were not so serious. We have a Finance Bill that does absolutely nothing to tackle either. The housing Minister's war on dereliction will start in two years' time, but for the next tw…

We have a unique opportunity to work together to accomplish something many people thought could never happen. We have brought forward a motion on planning for a united Ireland. Going back to Wolfe Tone, the Fenians and all the people down through the generations, many tried to unite this country as a free 32-county Irish republic. We have the opportunity to take a step closer on that road and we a…

Answer the question.

You gave it to the vulture funds.

It is like the student fees-----

Their profits are off the charts and the prices-----

The Government is doing nothing about it.

Unfortunately, we told the truth in the last election. That was our mistake.

Answer the question.

The prices are through the roof.

We need to see a major influx of funding and investment in housing and particularly in affordable, cost-rental and social housing. Right now, thousands of people are without secure, affordable housing and they are crying out for solutions. They are looking for the Minister and this Government to bring forward solutions. Cost rental is a good idea - it is one of the things we can all agree on - but…

I am delighted the Minister said that. This is the pass-the-buck Government, blaming local authorities, which are not being funded. Deputy Browne is the Minister for housing, not the local authority.

Deputy Browne is the Minister in charge and the man with the purse strings, but he is blaming everyone else. He is like Pontius Pilate; he is washing his hands. If Deputy Eoin Ó Broin or I was the Minister for housing, we would stand up and be counted. We would accept our responsibility and we would deliver the housing. It would cost €13 million to fix every boarded-up house in the State and the M…

The Minister is shaking his head. I do not know if anyone is watching, but the Minister is shaking his head saying no, that he will not give money to repair boarded-up houses, to get families out of emergency accommodation and get families out of-----

The Minister shook his head and said no.

Ah, Minister.

I will give the Minister another figure if he wants to burn money instead of building houses. It costs on average €87,500 to keep a family in a hotel in emergency accommodation. That is what we are spending, and it is only €31,000 to repair a boarded-up house. For years I thought the Government was over-smart, saying the market would solve the problem. I am now fully convinced that Fianna Fáil and…

They do not qualify for cost-rental. What is the Minister going to do for them? What is he going to do for families who have nowhere to go and cannot find anywhere to rent or to buy? They are trapped in the middle and the Government let them down in the budget.

Once again, the Government is leaving out ordinary people.