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whether they will be able to pay the bill. These worries are very real and they deserve a constructive, honest response from this House. The reality that we all face is that the drivers of these oil costs are global, volatile and deeply tied to international commodity markets … petrol in the car and the journey. Taxi journeys have become very difficult and expensive for people. Meanwhile, the Government is doing the right thing in increasing public transport. It is a very tough time for those who drive a taxi or own a taxi business. The taxi

already much work going on in this area, on top of the legislation that has already been updated recently. To clarify for the House, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 protects workers from penalisation for speaking up about wrongdoing in the workplace. Persons who make protected disclosures, often referred … most appropriate prescribed person. With 100 prescribed persons, this will make it easier for workers to get their reports to the right person. It also exists to support Ministers in accessing and following up on protected disclosures they receive by referring them on to the most appropriate authority

centre of waste management processes and use this to get a better handle on pricing and illegal dumping through contracts that are right for each specific area, instead of the one-size-fits-all model we have at the moment that is not actually working anywhere. The second … inner city. This is due to several factors, including short-term tenancies, a high number of tourist lettings, flats, apartments, terraced houses and an overall lack of storage space provided for wheelie bins. Despite it being mandatory for households to be able to separate their organic waste, this

thank Deputy Mattie McGrath for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the issues regarding how Bus Éireann manages the school transport system on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. As the Deputy may be aware, the school transport … from Members. I always say that, in our own office, school bus tickets become an issue from 15 August and continue to arise right through until the first or second week of October. There are huge challenges in this regard. The school transport system is so important because

different things in both directions and how we protect children who have their own independent rights under the Constitution and how their legal rights are protected. There is no desire to exclude but a real desire to recognise some of those parameters … describe their experiences. That may be in public but I would like to give them the choice rather than define that in this House. I will reflect on how we create the opportunity, as has been said here and elsewhere, for children prior to 2019 whose experience

corridors. I do not have an exact timeline for phase 3 but it is going to happen and we will be funding that right to the end as well. It is great that through the shared island initiative, the county councils, about 25 of them, are looking … meet immediately after an election and a speaker should be elected. That is a very basic reform that should not bring the whole house down. Then there would not be a vacuum in terms of the Parliament meeting after an election

awareness that their kids are not getting special education places this year. The Government needs to redress this imbalance and properly invest in housing, health and the educational needs of our young people. When the Government fails, vulnerable young people fall between the cracks of society … need to resource the Garda and give it the powers to deal with the criminal activity in our communities. Our communities have every right to feel safe

reality. I welcome the continuation of the waiting list initiative into 2026. This is a commitment the Labour Party received in this House a number of years ago and one for which I know Cara Darmody has fought since she began her campaign. This will help those waiting … school place or a bus place. These families have to fight tooth and nail for something that is an automatic right for every other children in this State. For those with additional needs, it is always a fight. I will tell the Minister one thing. These families

Tony Maher, the very best for the future in his retirement. I thank him for his courtesy to all of us in the House and in the Labour Party down through the years. I also thank him for his constant help and guidance throughout those years. We wish … road in Clonmore was bought a number of years ago. It is beside the Garda College. That is where the expansion should happen, right beside the college. On health, we have serious issues from a capital point of view on the requirement for elective hospitals, the National Maternity

commend the Independent Technical Group on its motion before the House today. I welcome the discussion of issues that are of such fundamental importance in the pursuit of a fair and inclusive society, and in how we value or fail to value the lives of our disabled citizens … community, purpose, creativity and intimacy, in stages of life where physical and cognitive decline are also taking place. There is a real human rights issue with the current system of mostly private nursing homes, many of which provide for basic care needs at huge financial expense

yearly basis, and most of this spending is very welcome. However, significant moneys have been wasted in cases like the Leinster House bicycle shed and the delays in the construction of the national children's hospital. The delays to metro north could cost tens of millions of euro … have been talking about this for seven or eight years now. Let us bring it forward and get it delivered for people right the way from Tallaght all the way to the airport

that I have listened and I agree with the underlying aim, which is to improve the way we administer restorative justice. With the right approach, it is possible to further the use of restorative justice to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system for both … behalf of the Government and the Fianna Fáil Party, to thank the Ceann Comhairle and all of the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas for their sterling work. We look forward to coming back duly refreshed after the summer recess. I also thank the staff

very welcome. I am very happy contribute to these statements as we mark International Nurses Day, and to join with colleagues across the House in paying tribute to our nurses and midwives. Every family in this country has a story about a nurse: the nurse who sat with … around 2,000 additional registered nurses and healthcare assistants. The evidence is showing what nurses have long known: when staffing is right, patients do better, missed care reduces, retention improves, and reliance on agency staff comes down. We are also seeing real progress on advanced practice. Ireland

Uisce Éireann to support reaching our new housing targets. We must prioritise water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver the capacity to facilitate housing developments in our towns and villages. We want that development of towns and villages spread evenly across the counties. We need to ensure that Uisce … clubs, shops and pubs. It is strangling them and we need to do more to help those small rural towns and villages right across the country

disappointed with this Government and duped by this Government, to say the least. That needs to be on the record of the House. I respect the spirit behind the motion. I do not agree precisely with the measures within it but I plan to support it tonight … their vocation. They cannot afford to work in it and live and sustain a living today. We are just not getting childcare right in this country. It is not as if it is an illusion or a very difficult mathematical equation for us. We have an outdated model

thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Deputies. I welcome the opportunity to address the House this afternoon to update Members on the all-island strategic rail review. Rail represents a particularly enduring form of infrastructure. Rail lines built in the 1800s are still carrying passengers today. The decisions … area. This project serves as an example of the types of benefit that interventions proposed under the rail review can provide right across our rail network. My Department is currently working with the European Investment Bank, EIB, and rail stakeholders north and south of the Border, including

bring several issues the Government parties made commitments on in its programme for Government. It is his role to bring those before this House and to enact them. In that sense, it is democracy at work and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate on what … introduction of the Criminal Evidence Act. The intention was a good one, to strike a fair balance between an accused person's right to a fair trial and a complainant's right to privacy. The intention was that a judge, following a proper hearing, would decide whether

Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable and this Bill delivers on that commitment. I am aware that some in this House and, indeed, in the wider public have raised concerns about the LPT. Some argue that it is an unfair burden on homeowners or that … local accountability and ensuring communities see a direct return for their contribution. I urge all Deputies to support the Bill. It is the right thing to do for homeowners, local authorities and the future of public services. It is a Bill that balances the needs of today with

hope that, with this legislation, we will stave off a Rupert Murdoch-type media dominance subsuming the Irish market. His politically right wing-leaning global media empire made him a kingmaker from the US to the UK. To quote a CNN article published when he was stepping down … disbanded mere months after it was established. We can therefore see why some parties have been reticent to introduce legislation in this House to tackle the issue without EU direction. It is welcome that Coimisiún na Meán will now have responsibility in this area but, as I said

That is not a true reflection of what happened everywhere and we need to acknowledge that also. The Deputy is right that the Government won the confidence vote in the Dáil. As I said in my contribution on the confidence motion, we would be extremely foolhardy and wrong … Opposition Deputies have been suggesting could cost billions of euro. That money is being spent on essential services such as health, education and housing, all things that various members of the Opposition seek further expenditure on. For those who suggest that the Government introduce a piece a price

unaffordable, supply is too short and homelessness is at a record level and rising. County Meath is in the eye of the housing crisis storm and this crisis, most regrettably, looks set to continue. In public transport, there is no firm commitment to advance the Navan rail line … wrong track and it is a recipe for disaster. The people who will suffer most are young students. This is not right or fair and I implore the Minister to reconsider and re-engage

remains as firmly committed to support Ukraine today as we mark this terrible anniversary. Together with our European partners, and here in this House, we recognise what is at stake. Russia’s war in Ukraine represents not just an existential threat and challenge for the people of Ukraine … will lay out in clarity very soon. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reports of gross and systematic violations of human rights by Russia have been consistent, including violations of the rights to life, liberty and security of persons. Human rights abuses include the large-scale

electricity that we will import. One of the reasons for this is Government incompetence and Government lack of investment. I will give the House an example of Government incompetence. Over the last 15 years, the Government has had five international conferences on offshore wind energy. The Government … floods. I love the pearl mussel. I want to see the pearl mussel to do well. Unfortunately, the pearl mussel is located right in the middle of Enniscorthy, which stops the building of these flood defences. As a result, Enniscorthy has flooded for the last 25 years. Midleton

changing all the time. It is important that we are ahead of this, how we look at it and how we get the right solutions. I am also conscious that there is a major environmental problem with the disposal of the canisters, which are seen littering many … context to ensure a more developed legislative policy and operational infrastructure that addresses the issues. I am conscious of the concerns of this House and among parents as we see increasing use of nitrous oxide and the evidence from doctors of the serious harm that it is causing

applicants and wider communities. Sinn Féin supported the parts of the pact that are clearly in Ireland's interests. That is obviously the right thing to do. We support the asylum and migration management regulation, which determines responsibility and allows applications to be processed in the correct member … must support integration properly from the ground up through community-based supports. There must also be zero tolerance of racism. Everybody in this House should state that clearly because we have seen examples of it and it is wrong. As the health spokesperson for Sinn Féin