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taking great strides in gender equality, from repealing the eighth amendment, when male allies played a role in standing up for women's rights, to the introduction of gender quotas in politics, the fight for equal pay and better representation in leadership. Just this year … absorbing these messages and their perceptions of women are being warped by them. I have no doubt that many in the House have themselves seen or heard about this disturbing shift. We cannot afford to be passive in the face of this. It is imperative that we equip

have been shared and published in the roadmap on the taxation of retail investment this summer, a number of aspects, as the Deputy rightly suggests, will be announced on budget day, including the tax-free threshold, the flat rate of tax that will apply and the maximum amount … positive economic impact. To cut a long story short, yes, we will publish it, and it will be published in advance of this House considering legislation and the detail of that legislation, so that we will then have an opportunity to tease through it together

lowest paid in the public service by 30.7%. I can go through many different areas of the public service where we rightly protected and enhanced the pay of public servants. The Government has been clear that we want to have a new pay agreement. We want to accommodate … will be an income tax package to reward work and support workers across the economy. We want to ensure budget 2027 delivers on housing and infrastructure and that we protect the capital investment we have progressed in the last number of years, but also that we make

State are being hammered month after month with rip-off electricity prices. Small businesses are under serious pressure. Workers are doing everything right, yet they are falling further behind because Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have failed to act. People are sick and tired of excuses. They … their friends and vested interests or they can stand with ordinary working people, young families and pensioners. I urge every TD in this House to support Sinn Féin's legislation and provide relief to those who are struggling the most

life savers to our clubs. Teams can train longer into the evening and the surface allows them to have training sessions and games right throughout the year. These teams want to play throughout the year. They do not want to just be playing when … backbone of our clubs. They do Trojan work that often goes unnoticed. This is really an opportunity for all of us in this House to thank them for the work they do. The grassroots are the most important part of any sport. It is not enough to praise

thank the Minister for being here and for his contribution. We are starting to see a trend across the House in the words we are using about carer's allowance. It comes down to choices. The Minister has spoken about the idea that he cannot abolish the means … cycle of structural inequality and poverty in Ireland. It is his commitment to abolish the means test for carers. Carers deserve the rightful acknowledgement of the value of their role in our society. In the Minister's words again, the media attention given to the Department of Social

their services. The challenges families face have become more complex and widespread, especially with the ongoing cost-of-living pressures and the housing crisis. As a result, the demand for family resource centre services has surged, yet funding has not increased to reflect this. Fergal Landy … appreciate if the Minister could give this issue urgent attention. I normally do not read from scripts but I wanted to get it right. I have met people in many family resource centres in my time in east Cork and each and every one of them tells

portfolio of property assets at the bottom of the market and against a backdrop of having seen complete market recovery and a deepening housing crisis, it sticks in the back of people's throats. It is difficult to understand and hard to dismiss how a cynical person might … were told last week in a committee meeting that he will return with a salary of €430,000. That does not seem right. There is no vacancy for a CEO, as far as I am concerned, in the NTMA. Perhaps the Minister of State could fill

growing concern among commentators and experts that we are in a situation where spending is out of control and frankly, they are right. There is a certain faint whiff of 2008 around the place. The budgetary oversight committee has heard warnings from the ESRI, IFAC, the Central Bank … further €1.3 billion in capital spending that must be spent before the end of the year. A Revised Estimate for the Department of Housing was tabled last night and included around €600 million in extra spending but we have absolutely no detail whatsoever on where that money

Government that the Brown family must have access to a mechanism that is compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This is something that has never been provided to them. This is not just my view. It is also the view of the courts … State in my discussions with him and to keep in close contact with the Brown family, their representatives and political representatives in this House and Northern Ireland, for whom I know this is an issue of the utmost importance

work. With a representative of the United Nations in our country, I want to join with all Members of this House and with the Secretary General of the United Nations in expressing our deep sadness and shock to learn of the death of a United Nations Office … Deputy for raising the issue and for raising the views of Denise. I am sure there are many others like Denise who rightly want to know when this is going to be resolved. My understanding is that the HSE launched a call for what is called the children

approximately 7% biodiesel. My Department intends to raise this to 20% by 2030. I am aware, as I am sure everybody in the House is, that the cost of renewable fuels is higher than the cost of diesel and that the haulage sector has called for the introduction … surveyed have sustainability policies in place. We must continue to support this transition. I will outline the concrete measures that can be implemented right now at little or no cost. Eco-driving techniques can help drivers to reduce their fuel use and emissions, while enhancing road safety

excuse for being patronising towards women. I obviously welcome that Sinn Féin has put a Bill on abortion before the House, I think for the first time. I had a Bill on this I proposed on First Stage in January but I did not have the Private Members … Bill 11 TDs voted for it. Let us have progress but let this not be a cover for backtracking on essential women's rights. We need to go forward and fight the tide that is pushing back against people's right to bodily autonomy. We have seen

wards, families, committees and wider stakeholders at which issues with the discharge process were discussed. We must ensure that the needs, wishes and rights of the individuals concerned remain at the centre of the process. I understand that the Office of Wards of Court was represented, along with … without placing individuals in legal uncertainty. For those reasons, I support the Bill and I look forward to its progression through the House

rent regime introduced recently by the Minister throws students under the bus. Students have now no rent protection whatsoever. The Minister for housing is allowing landlords to reset rents to market rates between tenancies. Of course, most students rent for only nine months of the year. The Minister … reduced portions to ensure their children would have enough to eat, and 12% are using food banks. The Minister should do the right thing – abolish fees. The money is available, this being a very rich country. He should abolish fees

some steps towards the catch-up that we need to play, but there is a huge opportunity for us here to get this right with the extension of the Luas infrastructure to Lucan. I am thinking especially of the working mother in Lucan who spends over an hour … they should also see there is an urgency and an impetus behind this, especially in light of our discussion in this House last week on the need for the additional zoning of land, in Dublin in particular. This is the sort of project that enables that additional zoning

enforced deprivation, 38.6% had failed to pay a utility bill on time because of financial difficulties. I do not think anyone in the House should underestimate the pressure families are facing. We also have to recognise the circumstances in which the increase energy prices is being driven … hardship being experienced while allowing the Government to consider the full range of measures in the forthcoming budget for families in Kerry and right across rural Ireland who depend on home heating oil. I will be looking very closely at what budget 2027 delivers. We need to make

that we are in a completely different situation from the one we were in back in July. Fuel costs are continuing to increase right across the board and there is no sign of stability in the Middle East. Over the past two months, I have met many … costs increase yet again. Why not look at solar energy and continue the roll-out of solar panels? They should be on every house, industrial premises, school and shed in Ireland. Tonight, not one bulb will be lit using energy from the Irish Sea. A planning application

paid at least the national minimum wage. That should not sound like a very big ask and it is should not require legislation. Right now, craft apprentices are being paid as little as €7.67 an hour, which is €6.48 less than the national minimum wage. We have … sickening". I could not agree more. That greed and the dismissive attitude of this Government towards young workers are directly contributing to the housing crisis because it means there are not enough skilled construction workers to build the houses that we need. There are not enough skilled mechanics

express my solidarity and thanks to Deputy Ward for bringing the motion before the House. He has done exactly what he said he would do. He is the 100% Redress Party representative, and he is using every opportunity he can to get 100% redress. It is great … different reasons - companies might have gone to the wall, for example - the Government and the taxpayer have to take responsibility. It is the right thing to do. As Deputy Ward's motion says, partial repairs are not suitable. There needs to be full redress. The Government needs

election was called and nine weeks since we had the election. It is scandalous, to be quite honest, when we have a housing crisis where 15,000 people are without homes and there is a health crisis with people on trolleys. This is happening year after year … inside and on the outside. We were very fair in the Business Committee because we said that people have a right to speak here. That technical group has a right to speak from within Government ranks but not from within the Opposition ranks. It cannot work both ways

terrorist offence, and receiving training for terrorism. The Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill and the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill are before the Houses. The Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will confirm that legal authority of An Garda Síochána to deploy radio frequency jammers … investigation or prosecution of crime or the security of the State. Deputy Paul Murphy raised issues in relation to fundamental human rights, as did Deputy Coppinger. Some argue that non-jury courts are contrary to fundamental rights of persons before the law and international principles of administration

setback. We are now getting to a point where if one of these turbines fell, it would nearly hit a house because they are so high. This is causing real problems. The reason we have to get this 80% from onshore wind, and I remember arguing this with … eggs into one basket and that is what Government has done. Communities in Wolfhill, Spink, Timahoe, Ballinakill, Durrow and Cullahill and right across north Kilkenny are now facing into these situations. Some communities had to take judicial reviews, costing €60,000 or €70,000, which they

bottle. AI is with us and it is not going anywhere. What we do with it is the most important issue. What this House does in terms of regulation and ensuring the companies driving all of this do so in the proper way and are monitored, with proper … police themselves. That is the one thing we cannot do because we know they are driven exclusively by profit. In relation to workers' rights, we are already seeing workers directly affected by AI. We need to make sure workers and young people are protected. We have talked about

rightly proud of the Irish goods and services that are traded across the world and of our indigenous companies and entrepreneurs who have taken risks and successfully navigated world markets. I recognise the immense contribution to the national economy of our export trade and the role that … these proposed tariffs on decision-making in their global businesses and it is important that we have a unity of purpose across this House in tackling the threats that are there at this time. What is clear is that the climate of uncertainty is challenging and that Government