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Many of our most vulnerable children and young people have been failed not only by CHI but also by the Government. Families from right across my constituency of Dublin Fingal East have contacted me in desperation, pleading for decent healthcare services for their children. A young mother … been in care all her life. When she reached 18, she had to leave foster care. She received no supports and no housing plan. She is now homeless and has mental health difficulties. She feels totally abandoned. Another mother is totally distraught. Her 14-year-old daughter

Water is a fundamental right, which means that irrespective of income or means the water infrastructure should be funded through general taxation. In this context, I fully support and reiterate the calls of colleagues for a referendum on water infrastructure and ownership vested in the people of Ireland … issues. If you give a free allowance to people in a block of apartments, for example, but not to people in their own houses or people in group water schemes, who, as acknowledged, already pay, there will be a differential in terms of what people contribute. I want

Fourteen years ago in June 2012, the first meeting was held with the then Minister for Health, James Reilly, in Farmleigh House, when a whole lot of people involved in the area of rare diseases, including parents and different lobby groups, were brought together. That was the first … However, while these reforms are being pursued, we cannot ignore the immediate pressures facing families today. The National Rare Disease Strategy 2025-2030 rightly recognises that the costs associated with rare disease diagnosis should be considered in medical card assessments. It also highlights the need for integrated care

staff try to fight fires in every corner of the room. I have witnessed it first hand. I commend, as everyone in this House does, including the Minister of State, their Trojan commitment. I looked in people’s eyes last week – I do not try to overstate this … problems in this regard and that is a concern. It is something we will all continue to raise. We all know that, right now, negotiations are under way to try to stave off the prospect of bed closures in Naas. With a population of 250,000, we have

represent Carlow-Kilkenny and I listen to people on the ground. People talk to me about migration and about the pressure on housing, schools, GP services and other public services and those concerns should be heard. People should be able to raise reasonable questions about migration without being … acknowledge the contribution people who have come to Ireland make every day in our hospitals, nursing homes, construction, agriculture, hospitality, business and communities right across the country so this cannot be a debate of one extreme or the other. Ireland is entitled to manage migration. We should have

exactly the kind of area where we should be legislating to empower the Government to act in exigent circumstances. Members of this House who have dealt with constituents who come to their offices with issues that are appalling and frightening and that they would never want anyone they … have to come here and to the Seanad and vote to do so. I welcome that section 8 provides for the right of the Minister to make regulations about accommodation for homeless children. That is one way the State is being empowered to react with a swiftness

should have spent more. The job of the Minister for Finance, the Government and the Oireachtas is to try and get the balance right. The first of five budgets had to be about getting back to a regular pattern of budgeting and being very clear to everybody … until the end of 2030, for jobs in the hospitality sector and also for stimulating apartment building because that is key to our housing challenge. However, I want to assure Deputies, their constituents and the people of Ireland that I want to get back to a regular budgetary

wait for legislation and then to act. We have children in very difficult circumstances today. Many speakers have recognised their difficulties and the House has said clearly that we want each child to reach his or her full potential. I ask the Minister of State to look … extension. It has a fine site. It is a special school and does fantastic work. The Department is putting the building before the rights of the children who attend the school and those who are waiting to get into it. It is unforgivable that the Department would

very welcome that we will have a planning decision by 30 September. The Minister is right that the decision to bring it to the Cabinet for gate 1 was really important. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, really assisted us in doing that. He came on site and examined … focus now. We are looking beyond planning and procurement to the potential of the site. It has the potential to unlock more housing in the area, which is crucial. When we built Finglas west and Finglas south, there was a line through the middle of it. That line

This is my first time since my appointment to address the House in this form - I spoke earlier on the storm debate - so I thank Deputies for their good wishes. I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on her election and Deputy Buckley on his re-election. I thank … marriage or civil partnership. In some cases, these are important distinctions because they have a direct bearing on a person's rights and entitlements, including in the areas of taxation, social welfare, succession, immigration and others. As Deputy Buckley referenced, on 22 January 2024 the Supreme Court delivered

constituency I represent. We need affordable housing for those caught in the middle who cannot get a mortgage or get on a social housing waiting list. We need schools. School capacity is under serious pressure. We need to get Coláiste Dhún Másc built. We need the relief road … need to implement the occupied territories Bill to save the people of Palestine. We also need jobs. This promises to be a very right-wing Government. There needs to be a strong left-wing Opposition to hold it to account

crack down on serious criminality that operates on an international or cross-border basis is clearly important. However, it is important that this House is clear about the safeguards that are required when transferring personal data to Britain which now operates outside of the EU and, therefore … cannot allow these types of data-sharing arrangements to drift by degrees into the type of surveillance I think many people would be rightfully fearful of. Separately and outside of any EU framework, we have to acknowledge the policing challenges that arise in this country as a result

just an economy. Ireland believes in multilateralism and international law and we will always use our voice to stand up for what is right, be that in Ukraine, the Middle East or our work through the excellent Irish Aid in the global south. As Tánaiste, I will continue … that, as I said earlier, the public wishes us to address with renewed energy and focus. The need to make further progress on housing is intrinsic to the social contract in this country. It was a priority for all parties in the programme for Government talks and will

disabilities, where a couple of hundred people walked the streets of Bantry on Sunday, fighting for what I see as the basic human right that is respite. Protests took place in Bantry and Skibbereen in west Cork. The funding is not factored into the budget. Funding for staffing … carer's allowance. They are at home minding a loved one and they still cannot get this funding. The same is true of housing. If you have an intellectual disability, you are left behind in this country when it comes to housing. You have to fight for everything

both cases, local authorities retain responsibility for all operational and enforcement matters. Previously, that was spread across three Departments, which was not right. I did that because I want to make significant progress in this space. That is why on 19 May this year I published draft legislation … Deputy asked about specific provisions. We are to start a significant legislative process. I look forward to working with all Members of this House and the Seanad, as well as the Oireachtas committee as we progress this legislation that is very much needed. It is a key determination

thank all Deputies in the House and on the disability matters committee for their constructive and robust engagement on this important Bill, both to date and on Second Stage and Committee Stage. I know there is widespread agreement on the need for this Bill to ensure that wards … crucial that both wards and committees are supported as they move through this process of transitioning out of wardship and into the new rights-based framework of decision support arrangements. A key issue that was raised throughout discussions, and both Deputies Ó Murchú and Toole raised it again

water treatment plants. This has left developers, local authorities and approved housing bodies unable to meet housing demand. In the middle of a housing crisis, that is simply unacceptable. In other areas, the situation is even more serious. We have raw sewage coming up through manholes, destroying roads … sewage again surged up through the manholes and reached as far as people’s front doors. Residents were left distressed and angry, and rightly so. Irish Water has failed to give proper assurances to residents or councillors that the system will be actively monitored during periods of heavy

approach to service improvement and delivery. The Department and I look forward to working closely with this new unit, and with all Ministers right across Government, to deliver on commitments and priorities in a new national disability strategy which is currently in development. In terms of cross-departmental … become dieticians, psychologists, social workers and other relevant disciplines. Proactive collaboration will also take place with all other Departments, including the Department of housing, the Department of Social Protection, the Department of education, the Department of Transport and others. The singular aim here is to ensure that across

make sure that Europe responds to this and does so collectively because I believe, and I think we all believe in this House, that this is the strongest way in which we can send a very clear message. It will also impact the Israeli Government and the actions … chair of the Council, to advocate that this will happen, and I hope that member states will support this. We saw the condemnation right across the EU yesterday. There were public comments not just in the EU but also internationally, and I hope that this is a turning

logic to the argument, I view these issues as entirely separate. It boils down to two different philosophies present in this House and often in our committee in respect of AI. Ultimately, for Ireland to remain competitive we must examine how AI is being adapted and we must … thematic approach we have adopted on the committee. The general public is using AI at some of the highest levels in Europe right now and yet they have equal levels of concern and mistrust. SMEs in Ireland at OECD level apparently are doing reasonably okay

grant and do it themselves. I wanted to bring some lessons from the battle we had over pyrite, when people's houses started to crack and the doors started to jam. People know that pyrite does significant damage to homes when it is exposed … crumbling, damp, unsafe homes. It affects their mental health. People feel it is like a warzone. The motion from the Deputy quite rightly states, "the crisis extends far beyond private homes to schools, health centres, community buildings, critical infrastructure, and cemeteries". We have the same issue in Dublin

favour of partition even though there may be differences of opinion about how we achieve a united Ireland. As Deputy Lahart quite rightly said, I do not believe one-upmanship is going to achieve anything. As a member of Fianna Fáil, I am proud to stand … perceptions of life. My maternal grandfather fought in the First World War and were it not for the pension paid into that house, my mother would not have had the quality of life that she enjoyed. My mother was shaped by the experience and always had a deeply

have spoken on the record of the House about the 6.50 a.m. train. The Deputy has raised it. Deputy Albert Dolan has raised it with me as well. That service is being retained, and I will relay that information. I am not sure … what it costs to run what we have, which is a greatly expanded public transport service, including Local Link services, trains and buses, right the way through our whole network. What I am doing now with the Ministers of State, Deputies Buttimer and Canney, is entering into

they are doing in Lebanon is utterly unacceptable in any way, shape or form. Many of us were outside the gates of Leinster House with Lelia Doolan and would commend her for what she has done. I would like to think I will make it to 91 years … matter of us not falling into the issues that exist now in this age of empires and where might is right. We must do our part to stand against that, given our history of anti-colonialism

Deputy Coppinger any more than she needs to say it to me. We are entirely in agreement, as is every person in this House. I can unequivocally state that incidents of gender-based violence are unacceptable in any context and must be reported to An Garda Síochána … bear thinking about. Yesterday, we had statements in the Dáil on the establishment of an inquiry for the male victims of Michael Shine right across Louth and Meath. We know about hundreds of such men and I suspect there are many hundreds of others we do not know