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commitment to their work. In talking to SNAs in the special schools and special classes I have been to right across the country, including St. Michael's House Special National School Baldoyle, which I visited yesterday, I thank them sincerely for the work they do. There is uniformity … support them. If we do that right and if we put investment into special education, when we look at our society in 20 or 25 years' time, we will see that investment having reaped a positive reward. I assure the House that we get this. We understand

maybe more of a connection on the ground. Now, there is this thing about judicial reviews. There are two facts. Lorcan Sirr, the housing analyst, has made it clear that only 0.22% of planning applications ever go to judicial review. It is double figures in one year … know many of the developments being objected to tend to be high-rise vulture fund developments that are build to rent right beside, say, two-storey housing or, in the case of Blanchardstown, a vulture fund fleecing workers and the community for greed and nothing else

children, in particular, being killed. Deputy Hearne is dead right to talk about children and about fathers carrying their dead or severely injured children. It is shocking and upsetting. It should not be the case in this House that it is us on one side and the Opposition … survived and have to live with and the images they have seen. It is frightening beyond belief. It is right for it to be debated in this House. Of course every one of us is frustrated. We all want to be sure that we are doing everything

ranks in the top ten in the world for freedom of speech, the right to protest and the right of democratic participation. Every week, the streets outside of Leinster House are filled with groups passionately advocating for their cause. People speak up looking for funding for local services … threaten the jobs and livelihoods of many thousands of families. Nobody has the right to prevent people from getting to cancer treatment, to be visited by their carer or to distribute vital supplies. The House needs to face up to the fact that these actions were very directly

that we did the right thing and enacted this Bill. Is there a timeframe to do this Bill? Will it be enacted with urgency? What is the procedure? Is there anything that we can do on this side of the House to push it and facilitate … that? It is not a pat on the back for any of us. It is just about doing the right thing. I hope the people outside of the Houses who need this Bill to be enacted will benefit from it. I thank the Minister for his patience

fairness. The strategy is a step in the right direction and we should say that clearly. People in rural parishes and urban estates will not measure this plan by the glossy brochure launched in the Mansion House. Rather, they will measure it by whether their son finally gets … marry those measures with universal design standards, we would see disabled people living independently in every parish in Ireland. Housing not a favour; it is a right to dignity and independence. Transport and mobility are the keys to inclusion. Without them, equality is a false promise. Accessibility

thousands of families. Right now, today, thousands of boarded-up homes cannot be repaired. Does the Minister know why? It is because he and his Government closed the voids return programme, meaning that local authorities do not have the money to renovate those houses. If someone hands back … house. The Government has given them €67. Will the Minister check those figures out? If I am right, will he support this Bill tomorrow? There are thousands of vacant houses across the State. What is worse is the hundreds and thousands of families who have to pass them

those at immediate risk of homelessness and not as a way out for some landlords to sell their houses expeditiously to local authorities. We have to get the balance right on new builds and acquisitions as well because other Deputies earlier in the day referenced, for example … fact that in one city in County Limerick, apparently, approved housing bodies were purchasing 60% of their stock as opposed to new builds. The balance has to be gotten right in that respect

going up with a population increase of over 500,000 in recent years. This is putting pressure on house availability. With many vacant houses, there is no real incentive available to owners to rent them out but there is an incentive there that is working for the Ukrainian … coming here to work but it should never be the case that they can come in here, get a payment right away, get on the social housing list and compete with our own people who were born and reared here. We must look after our own people first

represent our communities, to raise the issues that matter to the communities we represent, who are concerned about the housing crisis, the climate catastrophe, disability rights, Trump's threatened tariffs, yes, and of course hideous global conflict. These are the matters we should all be focusing on. That … Government and Opposition TDs. Indeed, that was in the terms of the agreement made and read out by Hildegarde Naughton in this House on 23 January. Instead of respecting the Opposition's constitutional duty to hold the Government to account, and instead of honouring that agreement to make

remember my personal story. It was not easy either. It just goes to show that we are all normal in this House and we all have feelings. This motion is about not having confidence in CHI. It is as simple as that. I suspect that the majority … that car and they are holding the steering wheel. Now you have no control. I plead with everybody in this House to work together to get this right

individuals who have worked hard to provide quality housing, who have obeyed the laws, worked within the parameters of the RTB, and have been fair and good to their tenants. The message being sent here is that private property rights are secondary to political expediency. It is because … with the force being applied by the Minister. It is unfair. We should always ensure the rights of all are respected and upheld. This legislation will most certainly deepen the housing crisis. I am already seeing it with the volume of notice-to-quit letters, and the increase

Administration moves to the authoritarian right I think all in this House agree that it is vitally important that we strengthen solidarity across Europe and that we strengthen our links with Britain and between Britain and the EU. Given our unique bilateral relationship with Britain and the fact … much has changed since then. We see the Trump Administration tearing up the international rules-based order, undermining and destroying international human rights protections and environmental accords, pulling out of the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement, sanctioning officials from the International Criminal Court, promoting ethnic cleansing

Department. That is regrettable because what we should be doing is looking for the injustices in society and righting them. We should be having success in the House rather than being dictated to. We should not drag a man and his family, or any person in this State … good Bill and I appreciate it being brought before the House, it should not have happened in this manner. We should never have had to wait for the Supreme Court to tell us what is the right thing to do. What the Government, the Minister and his Department

housing, as well as the fact that they often cannot compete with the premium that is on land that is being bought for houses and that could be used to develop additional playing pitches. Clubs and community groups have repeatedly raised the pressures with elected representatives … parks and open spaces. South Dublin County Council operates 166 pitches serving over 1,000 teams. The local authorities have rightly been told to focus on housing, but that means that they are not necessarily always able to compete with developers. Will there be an outcome from

Government continues to rely on HAP as a substitute for building real social homes. Families and individuals have been on the housing list for ten years or more in some cases and there has been zero delivery of affordable or cost-rental homes in Dungarvan. In Ardmore … while young people move away to begin their lives elsewhere. Similar stories can be told in Dunmore East, Stradbally and right along Waterford's coastline. Local housing for local families is being held back by the Government's failure to invest in basic water and wastewater infrastructure. Apartments

history and of our shared humanity. I personally understand and share the depth of feeling in this House. It is consistent with our core values - respect for human rights, dignity and international law - and it is the approach that this Government, and many Governments before us, have taken … different situations around the world where human rights and international law are not respected. I am also very conscious that behind every debate we have in this House are people whose lives are shaped by the decisions of governments and institutions. It is in this context that

looking for a few seats to make the Irish people worse off at a time of geopolitical turmoil. What we need right now is people who are going to stand up and lead. I will give the Minister solutions. I welcome that he referred today to the progression … policy we should be working for - low cost, high impact and quick. Regarding everything else, we are talking about housing, healthcare and the cost of living, and rightfully so, but the quiet thing that we have not been discussing but will be going into now is air pollution

they cannot afford or find anywhere to live. When the Minister of State sits down to devise his housing plans, who does he think about? Who does he prioritise? Right now, it does not seem to be the vulnerable families and young people struggling

destroy communities and they see the value of their investment go up. Where is the justice? Where is the law? Where is the right for ordinary people? This Government has given an amnesty to speculators not to pay the derelict sites tax. Over €20.5 million is owed … house or get on the social housing list, for different reasons, are looking at these boarded-up, derelict houses. They say to me, "Tommy, how is that right?" It is not just one place. I have met people from Dundalk, Limerick, Cork, Dublin, and all over. Last year

Party has produced volumes of legislation on housing in the last couple of years, including, but not limited to the Housing (Homeless Families) Bill 2017, the renters' rights Bill and a Bill to give effect to the recommendations of the Kenny report to cap the cost of development … situ scheme, the Government has effectively gutted the scheme. The changes being proposed regarding RPZs will not stop rents going up. Under Housing for All, the Government has never met its targets for social and affordable housing. The Government has come in here and effectively thrown renters under

listened to representative organisations, the public, TDs or Opposition parties. Several motions for a cost-of-living package have been debated in the House. My Private Members' motion in December calling for price controls on electricity, gas, fuel and food was arrogantly voted down. The recent packages … directly responsible for this fuel shock. The Government's failure and refusal to stand up to Donald Trump, that far-right unhinged madman in the White House, means that he has been emboldened and now believes he can do what he likes. He has threatened to wipe

experienced assault. An attack on a member of An Garda Síochána is an attack on our democracy and should rightly be condemned. Indeed, in this House in recent years and under the leadership of the then Minister, Deputy McEntee, we significantly increased the maximum penalties for those … also informed that, as of the end of May, 79 Garda vehicles have been assigned to Tipperary. However, the Deputy is right that we need to increase our Garda numbers significantly. He is also right that there is a direct correlation between people's sense of safety

Government seems to be blinded by them alone. It is time for us to finally view housing in this country as a public good and a human right, not as an asset to be leveraged in every which way to the detriment of real people. There

sums, if they were to start right now, which they do not even have an appetite to do, it would take five to seven years. If a 29-year-old living in Cloughjordan wanted get planning permission to build a house, that 29-year-old would probably … seeing the first home scheme take off in the way we should in Tipperary. Those who would develop houses are going to be incentivised to go to the county right next door or just cross the county bounds next door. I will also touch on the delivery