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particularly young people, of so many opportunities. I have always been very proud of, and the parties on this side of the House have been consistent in our support of, the European Union and the opportunities it has presented for this island but the greatest advocate … sharing a platform with Nigel Farage about their vision for the European Union. In terms of our economic opportunities, we have to be right at the heart of the European Union. I noticed that Deputy Bennett quoted Parnell. I was glad, as he would be a constituent

These outcomes are what our system is designed to achieve. I reject the assertion that the NCSE operates, as one Member of this House has claimed, as an "unaccountable gatekeeper". Once a SENO has finished a school review, a national panel within the NCSE reviews this decision … trade unions. This will provide a method by which SNAs can be redeployed around the school system to ensure we have the right resources in the right place. This scheme is near finalisation and was developed following significant stakeholder engagement to ensure it works for SNAs and schools

Attorney General’s office, that the legal advice provided to GALs is legally privileged. Legal advice will be available to GALs through in-house legal teams or procured legal services. Legal advice will be available to them at all times. The head of legal services unit will have … namely special care applications and applications under the Mental Health Act. GALs may also make an application to have “such rights as a party”, and legal representation will be provided in these cases. The current measure, as set out in section 26 of the Child Care

present, so much so that the inspirational 15-year-old Cara Darmody has felt forced to sleep outside the gates of this House once again on such a horrible winter's evening. In County Wicklow, which is in the CHO 6 area, we have been faced with massive … assessed outside of the legally required six-month timeframe, as outlined in the Disability Act 2005. It is the same story from Barndarrig right down to Ballindaggan, from Knockananna to Kilmuckridge, Arklow, Gorey, Carnew, Ferns and all the other villages in between where parents have contacted us from

National Transport Authority to diagnose and deliver solutions on issues in the current provision of public transport. It would also advocate for the rights of passengers. Commitment No. 3 is to pass the legislation and provide the necessary funding to ensure that the transport security force is established … card or phone, leaves Ireland way out of line with most European countries. The Minister of State and I have discussed in the House the significant contract that has been signed with a private company, but I am worried about the lack of timelines. The situation as currently

that the rules are applied and that systems are efficient. Deportation is a part of any system. If somebody does not have a right to be here, they need to be asked to leave in the first instance and they have to leave. That is an important part … unit in the Department of public expenditure and reform to drive infrastructure delivery will be really important. For similar reasons the housing activation office is also important. As I said earlier, we cannot get into "pen pals international" where State agencies just keep writing letters to each other

thank Deputy Neville for raising this matter. He is right that it is a major priority for us in government. In the programme for Government we have outlined 21 specific commitments on childcare. My constituency in Wicklow it is not too dissimilar to Deputy Neville's constituency … broadly in terms of utilising State buildings and State land, and what we can do on the guidelines to make it easier when housing estates are built. Many housing estates are built with a crèche or childcare facility but many childcare providers find the upfront costs they need

county have just come off of a boil water notice. There are significant difficulties. This is something that very many TDs in this House both Opposition and Government have raised on an ongoing basis. Irish Water is not fit for purpose and should be abolished. It should never … should be brought into being immediately with regard to large developers that are sitting on properties. We also have a problem with gardaí right across the constituency. The new Garda districts, which in our case means Clare and Tipperary, are simply not effective and we have fewer gardaí

housing crisis is going on so long that people have nearly become used to it. However, it is still shocking to think the housing crisis could be rolling on for another 25 years. Another element is the massive level of leakages that are happening. In the Dublin area … fill what is being lost. The first responsibility of a government is to keep the lights on and put water in the taps. Right now, this Government is famously failing to keep the lights on. There are many electricity outages throughout the country at the moment, which

free trade policies and economic growth; — support an ambitious EU trade agenda, promoting new Free Trade Agreements, with proper assurances regarding sustainability, human rights, and the protection of our agricultural sector; — strengthen our political, cultural, economic and trade relationship with the US at all levels, recognising the unique … international affairs and trade; — the development of a renewed trade and investment strategy to be developed in 2025; — continued development of the Ireland House model and the co-location of Irish Embassies and State enterprise agencies to support Irish business globally; and — in addition, the development

misinformation or misunderstanding of what the GAECs are. I am happy to have the opportunity again to put on the record of the House that GAEC 2 is a baseline requirement under the CAP regulations for the protection of carbon-rich soils. It is legally required … meaning it would probably not be acceptable to the Commission. While there is no consensus among stakeholders, I believe this percentage strikes the right balance. There is concern around 100,000 ha of mineral-rich soils coming in. We have to use the land parcel identification system, LPIS

served our people since. This should remind us all of the importance of our history, of parliamentary democracy and the role that this House has played over many decades, especially at moments of crisis and national and global challenge. It should remind us too of the need … adopted in 1922. They are updated and amended almost always at the start of each term of the Dáil, and it is only right and proper that we reflect on amendments that are needed to ensure all Members rights are respected in the changing shape and composition

hear from the Minister what safeguards he has put in place to deal with that. Creating an open-ended situation is not the right answer, either. I say that, however, conscious of the fact that Dublin Airport is the primary route to get people and goods … That is all very well but I just wonder about that in the context of a statutory piece of legislation going through these Houses. The reference to daa is defined in the Bill as the Dublin Airport Authority - the company, that is - but I do not think

proposals set out, but this is an important debate that needs to happen. When we look at what is going on right now across the country, we can see that people are really struggling. They are not just struggling financially; they are struggling to get around on public … also incompetent. There are record budget surpluses, yet people cannot get around our capital city. They cannot access health services or housing, the most basic of infrastructure. Why is that the case? It is because the State, rather than building up its own capacity, is outsourcing

this Bill. Not only is it timely legislation, but we have a duty in this regard, given of our positions in this House. The Bill is not a party political one. It is a Bill that tries to get a certain amount of work done … Bill would not even involve the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Government Procurement, OGP. As the Minister of State rightly mentioned yesterday, the OGP is not a regulatory body. The Bill would involve the Minister using his or her powers to have this report

recognised that the challenges of the scale and severity of Storm Éowyn were unprecedented. We had sustained hurricane force winds right across the western seaboard. This led to a major impact on many communities. The initial focus of the Government was on safety and the protection of life … that lessons do not need to be learned. They will be learned and I look forward to working with Members from across the House in doing so. The humanitarian assistance scheme is still open and I am available to engage with Deputies

others. They must have access to a range of in-home, residential and other community services, including personal assistance. In Ireland these rights are honoured more in the breach than in the observance. The true level of need for residential and respite services is unknown and, consequently, there … situation is." It further states: There is an urgent need for systemic change in disability services. It needs to focus on housing and care for adults with [intellectual disability] whose parents are aging and no longer able to provide full-time care. Over 2,000 adults with [intellectual

mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leat as ucht an deis seo a thabhairt dom. I welcome the opportunity to speak to the House on Pride. It is a time of celebration, a time of reflection and a time of renewed commitment. Pride is not merely a festival … Ireland, particularly in rural areas, and I warmly welcome their continued growth year after year. In Ireland we often speak of progress, and rightly so. We have travelled a remarkable distance in a relatively short time. The marriage equality referendum in 2015 changed Ireland in so many profound

that truth can be restored. There has to be a pathway to do that. The withdrawal of the British Government from the Stormont House Agreement and from many of the other agreements that were put in place after the Good Friday Agreement tells us there is a huge … this situation and it continues to cover up that reality. It went to the very core of the British establishment. It went right to Whitehall. It was not some loose arrangement as they tried to push people out there to consider that was the way it happened

Shared Women's Centre to the Public Gallery. I thank him for the important work he is doing also. On behalf of Deputies right across this Chamber and the people of Ireland, I send our solidarity and support to the people of Hong Kong … year. That number is up by 4.8 percentage points compared with the previous year. We have a real challenge in terms of housing - indeed it is an emergency - but we are now seeing a situation where the number of rental properties not seeing an increase has increased further

this House. The Deputies cannot pick and choose which mandates they like. We tend not to talk about the President in this House. I will not do so or talk about the President-elect other than to wish her every health, happiness and success as she prepares … about mandates, one of the figures we should talk about is the fact that 70% of the people of Ireland who had a right to vote either did not vote in the election or chose to spoil their vote. Let us talk about that as well. I would

heart. They are willing to sacrifice innocent lives, Palestinians and our own hostages. This madness has to end." President Michael D. Higgins is right. The UN Security Council has failed in carrying out its primary responsibility to maintain international peace, and at what cost of failure? More than … humanitarian aid to flow and to save lives. Our colleague Deputy Duncan Smith and I will be looking for unanimous support across this House for all our proposals. Will the Taoiseach pass the occupied territories Bill at home and, abroad, will he work to table that emergency motion

quite appropriate. Next door to this new, fantastic children’s hospital is a building that will, hopefully, host many families - Ronald McDonald House. Is that appropriate? The word “national” has its own connotation but, as people said, if someone is in distress with a child, they will simply … still waiting for that hospital to be opened. As I alluded to, members of all parties have discussed this proposal going right back to when the decade of centenaries started. The conversation then, which remains the case today, was about how few of our outstanding female pioneers

local authority is sitting on it and not doing anything with it. There are 20,000 people living in Glanmire and 1,000 houses and apartments are being built there at the moment. We have Sarsfields GAA and camogie clubs, Glanmire GAA club, the football club, soccer clubs … There is an athletics club in north Cork which got all the clubs together and they got €2 million in grants, and rightly so, because they got everyone together. The clubs in Glanmire have tried the same thing and still we are not making any progress on this

hands on them or whether it will be another month or another six or eight weeks. Some of these people are in trouble right now and need those reliefs this very minute. The Minister of State could throw back at me the fact that I did not support … have to be sidelined, such as, maybe, the greenways and double cycleways. I was with Noel Thomas in Galway recently. Everyone in every house I visited in the housing estate there was livid about these double cycleways as opposed to single cycleways. They asked where the money