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research report to tell them that; they feel it every time they go to the supermarket. Under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, living costs have become unaffordable and people cannot believe their ears when they hear the Government dig in and insist it will not take action … Fáil and Fine Gael allowed this energy rip-off to happen. At no point have they stood up to the big companies, which get away with gouging customers because, frankly, the Government is a soft touch when it comes to them. Not alone has the Government

fossil fuel imports and securing long-term economic sovereignty for our partners and our people. We have in the past few months alone seen the impact that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has had. We saw the impact on fuel prices, commodities and prices more generally … innovate to allow people to prosper. That is the overall objective and there are many ways in which we intend to do that. The values that we share are the foundation of our Union. They are part of what makes Europe a good place to live and work

record. There have been more than 86,000 housing commencements over the past two years. In the first three months of this year alone, there have been 8,400 commencements; that is up 184% year on year. Planning momentum is also strong with 8,000 permissions granted … tenants not meeting their obligations. Smaller landlords - those with three tenancies or fewer - will be allowed to terminate a tenancy if the landlord or a close family member needs to live in the property or if there is financial hardship that requires the sale of the property. Larger

State. His ambition has been crushed by a broken skills and training system that is not working for apprentices. He is not alone in this regard. In a response to a parliamentary question I received in December, the Minister confirmed that over 1,7000 apprentices were waiting … communities and sort out the housing crisis but the Government is letting them fall through the cracks and asking them to put their lives on hold. The Government is simply not delivering for them. If a law degree – I have said this before in this Chamber - took

like choices. A city centre does not become vibrant by accident. Streets do not redesign themselves. Public spaces do not improve through aspiration alone. Government chooses where urgency goes. Government chooses where funding goes. Government chooses whether reports like the report of the Dublin city task force just … spaces organically, the State seems surprised about it. Outdoor dining and seating were never only about hospitality. They are about civic life, about allowing people to enjoy cities rather than merely moving through them, about creating places that feel welcoming and about recognising that a successful city

disability services and to advancing the rights and improving the lives of people with disabilities. To deliver on this, I established a stand-alone Cabinet committee on disability. This committee has met eight times to date, most recently on 27 April and it is due to meet again … framework for the whole-of-government approach to addressing disability. It represents our commitment and ambition that all disabled people in Ireland can live the life of their choosing and participate in their communities and our society to the fullest extent possible. In budget 2026, we have taken

child waiting in pain again. I am glad the State is confronting this horrendous situation fully and, in particular confronting how we allowed children to suffer under our watch. I appreciate and respect the work the Minister is doing. She is clear and unapologetic in her statements … urgent spinal surgery waiting list without his parents' knowledge or consent. Parents were begging for answers that never came. Now those same parents live with their unthinkable grief. No parent in Ireland should ever fear that their child has simply vanished off a waiting list. No parent should

referred our women to mental health services instead of gynaecological ones because it is "all in their head". It is a system that allows women to go into septic shock on the floor of a hospital waiting room, all while there are start-of-the-art facilities available … health seriously. We have a horrifying track record in this respect, stretching back to the foundation of the State. It is a living history, with the recent collective trauma of the cervical check scandal hanging over mná na hÉireann, along with a litany of other injustices, including

many years of their lives to their workplace, all while that very company held on to some of the most valuable commercial real estate in Dublin. In a time when a company seeks the aid of the courts and the State in allowing it to escape the repayment … State, are willing to take more responsibility for the protection of people’s livelihoods, it is nonsensical to shoulder that burden alone and allow companies that have already failed in their responsibility to remain solvent, to such a degree that they become bankrupt, to then also not take

judges, courts officials, and legal representatives, be very challenging for those involved; — family law proceedings concerning child custody, access, guardianship and childcare matters allow attendance and reporting from specified persons under statutory provisions, including Section 40 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, provided that the anonymity … they are so difficult and traumatic is that they are emotional, they are personal and they deal with very sensitive issues in persons' lives. I also recognise that litigation to resolve those disputes can be very challenging for the litigants involved in it. It is also very challenging

commercial rates base, which is a little over €50 million per annum, Fingal County Council takes more than €80 million from Dublin Airport alone, just one ratepayer in its area. South Dublin County Council has a large commercial hinterland around the M50 which generates massive commercial rates … allow them to do this. When I look at Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council this is exactly the problem. When I was on the council we consistently reduced it by 15% because it was the fair and reasonable thing to do. Our residents, the people who live

grid and energy infrastructure, but what good will that do if we continue having homes in entire communities, and indeed businesses, living with blackouts. If we do not do the simple things right, like cutting back trees that knock down power lines, we are missing the point entirely … imposed on communities that are completely opposed. I have also had an issue with farms in Offaly where it is affecting animals. Not alone is it affecting the residents, but it is affecting the animals in the fields. I have had reports of livestock having to be moved

Dhabi and Dubai a number of months ago to carry out a diaspora consultation. There are now over 14,000 Irish people living in Dubai alone. There are another 2,000 or so in Abu Dhabi and over 2,000 in both Qatar and Saudi Arabia … Irish Government has been equally clear Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Our view was the legitimate concerns of the international community could best be addressed through dialogue. We regret more time was not allowed for diplomacy; we now face conflict in its place

families where the recipient is in receipt of either the DA, the Blind Pension, or the Invalidity Pension; — under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, a special Heating Supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have special heating needs, for example, in the case … including the Indecon and ESRI reports. We heard directly, informally and formally, about the lived experience of disabled people, the unavoidable costs they incurred and the impact these costs had on their lives. The discussions highlighted that the costs of disability were not uniform but varied significantly depending

range of areas, convenience generally comes at a price. It is a kind of Trojan horse that we invite into our lives. The infrastructure that makes AI possible is a network of data centres. AI has significantly driven the demand for the roll-out of such centres across … search consumes between ten and 30 times the amount of energy of a normal Google search and that one data centre alone can consume an equivalent amount of electricity to the city of Kilkenny on a daily basis. Meta uses 3.1 billion litres of water for the cooling

stain on humanity and it demands our unflinching condemnation. Since the war began, over 65,000 people have lost their lives, tens of thousands more have been injured and millions are displaced and starving. Children are buried beneath rubble, hospitals and schools are destroyed and an entire people … words alone are not enough. The famine now gripping Gaza is entirely man-made. It is the direct result of a blockade that is strangling an entire people. That blockade must end immediately. Food, water and medicine must be allowed into Gaza unhindered. There is a glimmer

hope to work with the Minister on that. I want to talk about the positive contributions of migration and particularly migrants who are living in our communities and contributing day in, day out. They play a huge role in Ireland and are a huge strength to Ireland … staff our building sites, the food sector and tech firms. They start businesses, they pay taxes and contribute every single day. In Galway alone, work permits have quadrupled since 2009. Migration drives growth but growth without planning causes strain. Our housing, schools, transport and water systems have

available by the Department of children to those services. We know that €331 million is being spent by the State in this year alone in core funding across almost 4,200 early years services. There is an unprecedented €1.37 billion in total funding to the sector this year … real commitment by the Department to these children if it is prepared to allow children go without a vital ECCE service for weeks or months at what is a vital time in their lives? The implication here is that if a service closes for whatever reason, there

Dargle Wood, Knocklyon, in my constituency of Dublin South-West about our water infrastructure. They have faced over 12 water outages this year alone. The broader picture is our climate preparedness and climate action, or the lack thereof. Ever since the programme for Government was published, the Labour … climate action is frustration. People feel hamstrung by this Government’s inaction and delay in providing even the most basic measures to allow them to engage in climate action. People want to retrofit their homes, but the system of grants restricts this to well-off households with significant

decade. He believed an open, outward-looking Ireland would be a more prosperous Ireland, and he was right. Like Lemass, we live in turbulent times. Economic and social systems are being tested. The international order is shifting beneath our feet. Trade tensions, geopolitical uncertainty and the pace … carbon abatement grounds alone without having to force them through criteria designed for a different purpose. That is a sensible and overdue reform. The IDA has described the current arrangements, quite bluntly, as an onerous constraint. The Bill removes that constraint. Second, it allows the IDA, with ministerial

with these issues, it is often at the end of a conversation, when we are talking about the other pressures in their lives, that they also mention they cannot get the care they need for their father, for example, who is at home and needs support … despite this Government's stated commitment to introducing a statutory home care scheme, remains undelivered. Delivery of this key Sláintecare reform has been allowed to drift for almost a decade. In 2017, the current Tánaiste and then Minister for Health, Simon Harris, committed to a statutory right

increase at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is biting deeply and inflation is running at nearly 4% and rising. The country has never had more money, but one in five children lives in poverty. Many of their parents have what used to be known … must look to protect public servants against the cost-of-living crisis and against rising inflation. We all know how much public servants do. They go above and beyond but you cannot run a country on goodwill alone. Workers know that. Their unions represented here today know

expected. I welcome the opportunity to speak to this House on the motion concerning insurance in the context of cost of living. This is an issue of immediate and real relevance to Irish households, to our small and medium enterprises and to the long-term competitiveness … been alone on this issue. I thank him for tabling the motion today to give us an opportunity to discuss this issue and give me an opportunity to outline the work that has been done by this and previous Governments because outrage alone will not solve this issue

Statute Book. It addresses threats resulting from actively preparing for the commission of terrorist offences and can be committed by those ultimately acting alone and training through self-study. It can involve receiving training in the making of explosives, chemical or biological weapons and other relevant technical expertise … committed. In recent years, sophisticated digital messaging tools, including high-quality video, assisted by a network of social media accounts, has allowed for the rapid dissemination of terrorist messaging. This has included videos celebrating or praising horrendous terrorist acts like assassinations and terrorist bombings. This Bill re-articulates

hour obligation on SNAs, and continue to support the professionalisation of the SNA role; — introduce an initial teacher education programme for student teachers allowing them to complete at least one school placement in an additional needs setting, and introduce free upskilling in SEN for existing teachers; and — ensure … greatest thing we can do for children with additional needs is to integrate them into their communities, show them the areas they live in and provide them with support to use their amenities. However, if they are travelling long distances in the morning and afternoon, that