Search the record

assisted human reproduction Act was passed by these Houses in 2024, but has not yet been enacted. Retrospective surrogacy legislation will provide a pathway to parental rights to the second parent of eligible families. This part of the Bill is aimed at ensuring that children born through surrogacy

wants the option of privatising water and reintroducing water charges. Water is a human right and any attempt to reintroduce water charges will be met with opposition not just here in Leinster House but with a massive show of people power in every village, town and city

most pressing challenge facing the State today and will define the Government's success. While the previous Government met its targets under the Housing for All policy, rising demand means we are now acting swiftly to further increase supply and improve affordability. The public, especially younger generations, expect … billion, especially in apartment construction. Private equity is critical. Striking the right balance between security of tenure, rent controls and supply is critical. The rent pressure zone reforms align with the Housing Commission's recommendations. The Opposition has offered no credible and coherent solutions. Opposition Deputies are excellent

others in welcoming so many students to the Gallery. It is great to see the engagement. You are more than welcome to Leinster House. As Deputies are aware, this Bill proposes to amend the Constitution in order to lower the age at which persons are entitled to vote … vote in these elections is linked, under the Constitution, to the right to vote in elections to Dáil Éireann. Any Bill such as this one which proposes to amend the Constitution must be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas, and a referendum is then held

coast, for example, we have the potential for almost limitless clean power if we can get the planning, the grid and investment prices right. Cheap, abundant renewable energy is the single best industrial policy, climate policy and cost-of-living policy we can pursue as a country. That … nothing changes. Like some other unnecessary interventions I have highlighted in this House before, this ultimately undermines public support for the transition away from fossil fuels and is deeply counterproductive. If we get this right, Ireland can move from being a price-taker

hugely important that it is brought to the fore in the House. Education is a hugely important part of everyone's life, so it is hugely important that we strive to get it right. The NCSE is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education … updated list of these classes is available on the NCSE website, and I am also happy to share this information with the House and the Deputy. Combined with the 300 new special school places, this brings to 2,700 the number of new school places for children with

years. We could be potentially sued by corporations which decide that the actions of the courts or a government here infringe on their rights and expectations to make profits. You could not make it up. We will be tied into those agreements for 20 years. As has been … this House or the legal system to ever do anything about it in the future. It is an absolute sell-out. We absolutely oppose this. None of that means we are against trade - fair trade. The idea that we have to give to corporations the right to subvert

give some practical examples because this will cause absolute chaos for councillors and TDs who are at the coalface of dealing with the housing crisis. They are the least of my worries, obviously. I am worried about the people who will be affected. I am really shocked … that the Government brought through, ignoring human rights concerns and ignoring practical concerns that TDs are making. It is really shameful stuff in order to garner a few brownie points and tell everybody that refugees are to blame for the housing crisis

sure that the Minister and the Minister of State have not heard me this annoyed before because I tend to come into this House quite balanced, but today I am afraid I am not. I am not able to listen to the constant complaints from people because … solutions but, again, if we are not able to get it right for any child in this country, this is what the difficulty is. The Government has let people down. It has let people in this House down, it has let people outside this House down

girls cannot get planning permission to build houses for themselves in order to put a roof over their heads. This is happening in areas like Killarney, Killorglin, Kenmare and Dingle. In many places, they cannot get the basic right to planning permission. Draft proposals have been … right to get planning permission, or at least to have a fair chance of getting it. As stated, they cannot get it at present. This is one of the most important things. If we do not have people in rural Ireland and do not have houses for them

national development plan will be an increased allocation that is all focused on housing. Our central and number one focus as a Government is driving the supply of thousands of new homes right across our country, but this requires reforming how systems operate. The Deputy is just asking

over the past six or seven years has been excuses. They have varied over time. We have been told it is not the right time and that we do not have enough time. When time was offered, it was not taken up. We were also told there … with debates on technical issues on Committee Stage. This Bill has been before these Houses for six or seven years and we cannot allow more excuses and prevarication. It has to be done right. Dropping the Bill and dropping the ban on services is not only morally wrong

people into an already dire housing market. Every month we are faced with spiralling homelessness figures, and instead of addressing that crisis, the solution being put forward by the Government is performative cruelty and pandering to the far right. This will not put properties back on the rental

would be openness from all sides of this House to ensure our Defence Forces had the powers necessary for the safeguarding, protection and defence of the State, particularly in respect of maritime security, if it was done in the right way, but I suspect the reason this Bill

housing for people in my city or across the country. Regarding rents, yesterday the Minister for public expenditure defended the plans to rip away protections for renters by removing rent pressure zones and pulling the rug from under many renters. The Government should be strengthening renters' rights … things we could do to enhance renters' rights. We in the Social Democrats have set them out in extensive detail in our policy documents. I encourage the Minister of State to have a look at them. On social housing, there is also a failure to deliver. In Cork

countermotion tabled by the Government, we are at a particularly fragile and critical moment for this particular conflict. Like all others in this House, I welcome the agreement reached on the ceasefire and hostage release deal that has already led to the release of hostages. The immediate focus … solution. Support for the two-state solution and for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination lay at the heart of Ireland's recognition of Palestine in May of last year. I assure this House that it will remain at the heart of this Government

doubling of the number of new housing first tenancies for those single people who are trapped long term in emergency accommodation. More generally, we need a dramatic increase in targets for and delivery of social and affordable homes, including the right kinds of homes for people … homes but, in turn, increase the dedicated allocation for those trapped in emergency accommodation. The Government never stops telling us that tackling the housing and homeless crisis is its number one priority, yet in the housing plan that was published only a few weeks ago, there

service, they will say that when they go into somebody's house and that person is unconscious, they will check the blister packs to see what medication the person is taking. They can make the right decisions on that basis. Blister packs are essential for those who want … brilliant at drawing them out forever and ever. The Taoiseach wrings his hands every now and again and he will stand in this House and say we must learn from our mistakes. The Minister is making another mistake by getting rid of this. It is an absolute disgrace

entitlements are given preferential creditor status in a liquidation. Employees also have rights to information and participation as creditors. Some Deputies spoke about the time it has taken for this Bill to come before the House. The matter was raised by Deputies Conway-Walsh and O'Flynn. This … that not only do we have a workable solution, but its implementation is practical. We believe that this will vindicate the directive-based rights of employees who have previously been unable to access them. We are determined to focus on making it easy to access the process. Employees

making it up as it goes along. It has no coherent plan and just one guiding principle, that is, to design a housing policy that extracts the maximum profit for investors. The Land Development Agency was set up in 2018. Now, seven years later, the Government is finally … kicking and screaming into doing the right thing. It is completely unclear now whether these powers will be accompanied by a new budget. Perhaps the Taoiseach could clarify that in his response. I am acutely aware that every time we discuss housing in this Chamber it feels hopeless

that is, our water infrastructure. Water is not just a utility. It is a cornerstone of public health, economic growth, environmental protection and housing development. Yet, across our capital, including in my constituency of Dún Laoghaire and in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area, the very system we rely … vulnerable to drought, contamination and population pressures. Uisce Éireann has rightly called this a lack of resilience. We simply do not have the supply capacity to meet the demands of our growing economy and housing needs. That is not a forecast; it is a fact

must end the practice of character references before sentencing for those convicted in cases of gender-based violence. We must protect the confidentiality right to privacy and therapeutic healthcare for victims. Advocacy should be provided as well as representation for complainants in the courts process. It is necessary … must prioritise accommodation for women and children who have been abused because housing, accommodation and refuges are a major issue in our country. We should introduce Valerie's law, as previously referenced, to remove guardianship rights from those who kill the other parent of children. We must provide

about righting a wrong. These people, mainly women, go through a trauma and then they go through a trial. Victims have told me how difficult that was for them, with the adversarial nature of it. The courtroom is a very adversarial place. Some Members of the House … overstated. Anything else will deter victims. The Minister of State said the Office of the Attorney General pointed out there is a constitutional right to a trial in due course of law and there is a duty on the prosecution to ensure the appropriate disclosures take place. This

calling round to people's houses in Dublin Central the other night and met a woman who said to me "Everything's going up. My rent is going up" - she is a Dublin City Council tenant - "The price of petrol is going up. Groceries are going up. Everything … wages." She is right. Statistically, that is the case. Prices are up almost a quarter over the past five years and people are really struggling out there. The Government's response suggests that it either does not get it or does not care. After housing costs

because it would have exposed the flaws, scientific inaccuracies and human consequences of this. The Government delayed sending the draft Bill to the housing committee for five months. It was finally circulated late on Friday evening. We had an online meeting on Monday with almost no notice. There … Training engineers and outsourcing science is simply wasteful. The Housing Agency's mismanagement is an increasing liability. Legal exposure is growing, which I keep on saying. There is mishandling of this whole scheme. There are breaches in human rights, such as Articles 40 and 43. There are breaches