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Assets Bureau, which has been central to the drafting of this legislation. It is also important to note that the Bill protects the rights of individuals. Judicial oversight remains central to the process and there are safeguards in place to prevent injustice. Equally, it ends a situation where … heart from the Minister's experience and legal background, which have enriched the legislation we have today. I hope all Members of the House will support

thank Deputy Whitmore again for her contribution and for bringing the matter to the House. I assure her I fully recognise that transport connectivity is hugely important for the people who live, work and study in the areas she has mentioned and across urban and rural areas … network redesign project shows an 80% level of user satisfaction. There is, however, a piece that we need to get right. I concur with Deputy Whitmore in that regard. I can reassure her that the NTA and the Department of Transport will continue to work closely with

This motion is about real people in real crisis right now and a system that is failing them in plain sight. I will begin with the case of a woman from County Mayo who has been in an adult mental health unit since June of last year … mental health crisis into chaotic accident and emergency settings that are not fit for purpose. I have already spoken at length in this House about the shortage of ambulance services in the west and overcrowded emergency departments at our hospital. This is why this Sinn Féin motion matters

being done already. The Deputy spoke about students who may take on a course and find halfway through that it is not the right course for them. In the programme for Government, we have committed to examining second-chance applications. As with all these things, there … session or if he wants to write to me on them - I will not get into individual cases on the floor of the House and I do not have the details - I would be quite happy to look into them and see if we can progress anything

many people's properties were taken because of the likes of NAMA? People wanted to enter into agreements to save their businesses and houses. How many of those people were there? What is going to be done now? NAMA is going to be dissolved and the buck … people in NAMA have to account for things they have done wrong. They may have got a couple of bits and pieces right and may have dealt with different people in different ways, but they also left behind the good, hard-working people who wanted

must relax planning requirements and introduce modular housing. I believe a marked improvement will be seen in early course in our efforts to house our people. Naturally, we need a mix of affordable, social and private, including low-cost sites. There is plenty of land and old buildings … high-rise apartment blocks where appropriate. These are the planning changes required to help our people acquire a home, which is a basic right

Irish unity and the preparations that are necessary from this particular Government. We are dealing with legislation that was agreed to by both Houses. I am deeply disappointed that the Minister and the Government did not consider the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice's recommendation that we have … should be looked after. They should not be languishing for years. Processing should happen fast, but if you do not have a right to be here, you should be gone. The Minister has put many proposals forward. We really need to see that proper and adequate procedures

tíre agus dá Dháilcheantar féin. I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I suspect there may be some people in the House who are not as aware of the private wires issue as Deputy Heneghan is. It is always good - he has spoken to me before … policy will aim to unlock private sector resources - we need private sector resources in this - to build new electricity infrastructure by expanding the rights of private undertakings to connect supply directly with demand. The intention is that by allowing private wires, accelerated investment in new electricity infrastructure

promise. For us in Sinn Féin the principles are straightforward. People should receive the right care at the right time in the right place delivered by properly resourced professionals. Mental health should be treated with the same urgency as physical health. Someone experiencing a mental health crisis should … another 285 this year. How many of last year's posts are filled and actually providing care today? Yesterday and today in this House the Minister of State spoke about clawing back the funding not spent on those 300 ring-fenced posts. How many exactly are in place

they are, are not reaching enough people. That is a problem affecting not just a small minority but it is affecting households right across the State. That is why Sinn Féin has been very clear in this. We are calling for a return of energy credits … Fáil created and that Fine Gael has presided over for years. To make matters worse, data centres are now being prioritised ahead of housing development in the middle of a housing emergency. Sinn Féin is having none of that. That is why we introduced legislation to ensure housing

problem that will not go away because of construction defects, yet the Government continues to say plenty of money is going into housing. It is not going into flat maintenance or regeneration and it must. The reality is hundreds of flat complexes are old and in need … progress. It is important to say that the corrosive impact of the broken promises is not just for the residents but is right across the communities. We are seeing that manifest with the local election results in 2024 and what may happen in our constituency over the coming

energy crisis we are facing and we need to see it in those terms. Showing solidarity to those who are victims of war right now is a good thing. While I support these measures, the challenge has been that many of those who are out on the protest … more quickly on our investment in renewables. It is absolutely essential for wind and solar energy and indeed that we see the clearing house. That is happening at Government level, but it has to be a top priority that we start to see offshore wind being developed

outset, I welcome this debate and thank colleagues across the House for their contributions. It is clear we are united by a common concern for children with additional needs and their families, who deserve timely assessments and tailored supports. Far too many people are waiting far too long … longest. That said, it is clear that it is not enough. No family should be forced to seek legal redress to access a right they are entitled to under the Disability Act 2005. It is deeply concerning that €7.9 million has been spent on litigation since 2021, money

Water is a fundamental human right. It is vital for our families, our communities and public health but also for the well-being of society, our economy and, indeed, our environment. It has been our long-held view that the best way to deliver water and wastewater services … employed by Uisce Éireann. That connection with the local authorities for the public but also between the planning authorities and our public housing authorities is vital. Having those colocated has real merit and I would ask the Minister to pursue that matter. The role of the utilities regulator

concept; Europe is present in every city, town and village across Ireland. It is present in our roads and public transport, water and housing infrastructure, community facilities, skills and training programmes and opportunities available to young people. That connection is not always visible and it cannot be taken … Presidency naturally raises awareness of Europe, increases engagement with EU institutions and creates momentum across the public service. It is precisely the right moment to ensure that local authorities have the tools, the expertise and the support to engage meaningfully, not just during the Presidency but long after

home sector for the past 20 years. In 2004, as a result of a legal challenge – I have mentioned this previously in this House – that a colleague and I took against the Department and the health boards at the time, more than €450 million had to be refunded … guide to integration of people in nursing homes, a guide to the long-term funding, a guide to the regulation and also rights-based planning. We have seen the recent reports from RTÉ that have highlighted the issues regarding where there is not sufficient support for patients

without meeting the acceptable clinical criteria, including surgeries on children with a stable hip and no prior treatment for DDH. Families are rightly being contacted on this issue because fundamental questions have been raised. The questions we all ask are: how did this happen?; why was it allowed … terms of the way that we deal with these discussions. There have been a lot of contributions. Many people and Members of this House have suggested that they know some of these families. I am no different; I know one family. That brings the whole thing closer

stations and houses. PR6, when the Deputies see it published, will identify exactly what this grid investment is underpinning. That is underpinning the houses that we need. It is underpinning the social infrastructure, the schools, the industrial infrastructure that we need and the future growth. To present … Minister. It will of course be open to ESB Networks, EirGrid and others to come in front of the Oireachtas committee, and rightly so. In addition to the oversight by my Department, the CRU, under the PR 6 guidelines, will also require a significant increase in reporting

that the PSC was "mandatory" but "not compulsory". We have been asking ourselves at the committee - the Minister might not say in this House, but he might have scratched his head and asked - what, in the name of God, does that actually mean? In her confused statement … security of the PSC. The Government has consistently dismissed the concerns in its response to the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, Digital Rights Ireland and my own contribution during pre-legislative scrutiny. National ID cards are tough and difficult to make. They should

very technical Bill but we are talking about safety and this legislation deserves careful consideration and examination by all of us in the House. The changes contained in this Bill are important. The Labour Party is broadly supportive of them. The vital work of the Commission for Regulation … scrutiny, the Department told the committee that "these provisions seek to strike a balance between the additional powers granted to GSOs and constitutional rights." The section provides that for a GSO to enter and inspect land, the GSO must be of the opinion that there

promote equality and help people. In particular, we need to step up to support disabled people who have been impacted by living houses built using defective concrete. Can the Members imagine having a disability and living in such a home? The costs to run the home are already … study on people with disabilities who are living in defective concrete homes, because they are not being treated properly. Their human rights are being violated. They have been violated for far too long. They have not been given the opportunity to be listened to. I plead with

damage has been done to people's homes and businesses. Cars have been written off. Water came up through the floorboards in houses. We are not sure about the structural damage that has been done as a result of this. There will be medium- to long-term effects … been a nightmare for them to get flood insurance ever since, even though there is a flood alleviation scheme being put in place right beside them. One in 20 buildings in Ireland has limited access to flood insurance. That is a pretty incredible statistic. I know the Minister

Many people have said that it is particularly sad that Cara Darmody has to carry out a 50-hour sit-out outside Leinster House. Many of us have met her over several years. This is not the first time she has been up here or the first time … about 24,796 children not having received an assessment of need within six months. Government is talking about removing one of the few rights that people have. They are going to exercise this right because they are failing to get the service from the State that they absolutely

Tánaiste and so many other Members in this House see its merits in the future. I would have hoped that in this House we would at least have moved past the time of framing this without casting a value judgment. Any discussion on the financial implications … inscribed on a monument at the top of O’Connell Street, less than 1 mile from here: "No man has a right to fix the boundary of the march of a nation; no man has a right to say to his country, 'Thus far shalt thou

public services. There is a constant demand from our country to see them improve and a constant demand in debates in this House to see those public services, particularly local ones, being delivered in a better way. If any future Government were to make a decision to abolish … expand our tax base, not narrow it. For those reasons, the local property tax is an important tax to keep. Deputy Doherty is right that it is a political decision to vary it every five years. It has been deferred in the past, but the further you push