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places like Ballyduff and Duagh, where this system has to be upgraded in a hurry. It is also affecting the rights of people to build and construct housing and be close to their own villages. Over the past 20 or 25 years in particular, there has been

have to do something with that anger. For the year since the last general election, many of us in this House have focused on online safety, and rightly so, across all parties. We are working genuinely hard to try to make the online world a safer place. When

plane out of this country. That is a sad situation we are facing. If they do jump through the hoops right now, they will get caught on housing or something along the line to make sure the Government destroys their careers. At this present time, 48% of families

There are three Ministers in this Department and not one of them could be here in front of the House. I do not think it is right. I raise the issue of biogas plant across Ireland. We have a commitment with regard to 5.7 TWh of production

first Minister of State with responsibility for older people ever, based between the Department of Health and the Department of housing, because we must get this model right. There are also genuine, serious issues of personal accountability. There is no law, ideology or model of care that

This is not policy, but dereliction that is expensive, bureaucratic and utterly inefficient. Let us be candid in this House. This government policy is neither centre-right nor centre-left, but it is certainly the centre of chaos. It has no ideology beyond inertia, no vision beyond … does not lead. It is entangled in the process, paralysed by indecision and blind to the urgency of this generation’s housing emergency. However, let us not pretend those bringing forward this motion have all the answers. They have spent years shifting the blame from government to local

should be noted that the Government benches are empty. For months, this House had a huge issue with speaking rights. I heard Government TDs, spokespersons and senior officials say on radio and television that they did not have speaking time and were being discriminated against. It is funny

survivors, those with scoliosis, those from mother and baby homes and children with disabilities. We had a child outside Leinster House last week campaigning for the legal right to assessments of needs because our Government will not deliver what was promised. Every child, no matter what

they hear, in the past week, a wage of €430,000 talked about for a housing tsar to replace the housing Minister, it just does not sit right with people who are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. The workers here did not cause

other areas. A significant body of work needs to be done there. We are engaging with the Department of housing in that regard. The Deputy is right. Wherever there is an opportunity to use a building in an area to provide an integrated service, I can see value

much better at what is within its control by supporting domestic business, investing in infrastructure and sorting out housing and childcare provision. Getting these things right has never ever been more important. I am conscious that in the past governments have used crises as alibis not to tackle

Government is about respecting the rights of Deputies democratically elected to this Hous - all of them. We take our direction from the people, the people who voted for us last November urging us to form a Government and run the country. It is from the people that

Friday. The important point is that of course issues will arise on a site. Dublin City Council has every right to make interventions. The provider of the housing should be reaching the client's expectations and also the statutory expectations. All of that should be taken as read

housing was a matter for a Minister of State rather than having a Ministry in its own right. That was because we did not then have the homelessness and housing crisis we have now. The need for housing to come under a senior Ministry arose from the housing

that commitment. After being forced out of the country due to the high cost of living, housing, etc., many Irish citizens feel they should at least have the right to vote in elections, especially the presidential election. In 2013 the constitutional convention recommended extending votes in presidential elections

drafting. I have done what colleagues opposite are doing, namely, brought something forward to be debated, which is the purpose of this House in many ways. However, it is also its purpose to enact legislation and I must point out the difficulties in that regard. The first … having a termination. If the Social Democrats Members are on the progressive left, then I am on the progressive right. However, there are other Members of this House who take a very different view and I do not want any of them being Minister for Health and having

assistance to whistleblowers and their families; — amend the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, to prohibit the use of NDAs that restrict a whistleblower's right to describe wrongdoing or penalisation, deeming any such clause void unless expressly requested by the whistleblower with independent legal advice; — require all public bodies … protect us. Today, I am saying, "Not any more; not on our watch." Under legislation endorsed by this House, whistleblowers are being punished for doing the right thing. We are supposed to be the ones defending these people, but look what actually happens in this country. They speak

that addresses these challenges. We cannot just let them go on. People who have disabilities have every right to a decent standard of living, an independent life and supported housing and to be able to live a quality life like anybody else, but as disabled people explain over … people with disabilities, but we have to get it right now. We have to provide that republic of equality, particularly for disabled people. We need extra effort for cases like these and services like St. Michael’s House to ensure people with disabilities have that quality of life

play handball against a haystack. I ask the Minister of State and his officials - it comes under the Department of local government and housing, as far as I know - to sort this out. Someone needs to do something. There are some good things in the Bill. Of course … getting any complaints. That is how I know it is going all right. If it was not working well, people would be complaining about it. It is bringing houses, including some in rural areas and villages, back into use. I mentioned Tailte Éireann. I would

thank the Deputy for bringing up this issue. The INTO has rightly highlighted the issue with the Deputy and colleagues across the House in recent days. Many of us have had the opportunity to hear directly from the INTO. The Deputy is right that real challenges are faced

short-term lets. We are going against what the Government is aiming to do, that is, provide houses for people. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. As far as I am concerned, we have too many advisers and too many people … more than half the cost of the house. We would get houses built if we had common sense. We cannot build houses by taxing the people. There are at least 20 couples in my constituency, some of whom are farmer’s sons and some of whom

other people, who got nothing from the Government's concessions, have been crucified with the cost-of-living and housing crises and are angry about it. They are right to be angry because the fact of the matter is this Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, represent … income. Workers are subsidising the obscene profits and lifestyles of the rich and these people are profiteering off the cost-of-living and housing misery that ordinary working people are suffering. That is why workers need to take the lesson of the hauliers

responsibility to ensure that adults with intellectual disabilities have access to suitable housing and support services that meet their needs in their own community. Adults with intellectual disabilities have the same right as every other citizen to live with dignity, safety and independence and the Government … many basic things we are not getting right. The lack of data collection on the needs that exist in our community and the lack of personal transition plans, the challenges that exist with the social housing application process for adults with an intellectual disability, section 38 and section

viability gap. Contributors and colleagues are right. Deputy Collins is right. This measure in and of itself is just a measure. It needs to be seen alongside a range of measures that we are taking regarding housing. Deputy Boyd Barrett had to head off, but he made … that was just delivered and the Finance Bill that is working its way through this House. I accept that standing still and hoping that everything is going to work out all right on the night is not going to get us to where we need to get. That

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's agenda during the EU Presidency. It is right that we acknowledge the work the European Union does and the benefits of our membership but, to some in this House, it seems that any criticism of EU policy amounts to an attack … means standing apart when faced with repugnant behaviour that you simply cannot stand behind. While some in this House today will speak about the EU's contribution to human rights and the rule of law, the fact of the matter is that across great parts of the world