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ignoring of these issues for far too long in the House. Particular perspectives have been taken on this. Even this morning, there were references to the United Kingdom, Europe or America as being threats. The clear threats right now in this era include a Russian threat

benefit of some of the commentary outside this House, that CETA is exactly the type of trade agreement Ireland should be championing. It expands markets for our goods and services. It respects and protects our rights to regulate. It contains practical safeguards for agriculture and recognises the sensitivities

this Act, prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining - (a) the steps taken to assist persons with lower digital literacy or connectivity issues to access their health data and exercise their right to restrict access to information, in accordance with the legislation

families and derisory measures for children in poverty, those in housing insecurity or homelessness, and disabled people. It is lots of spin, but no substance. It is safe to say that this budget contains the single most right-wing tax package in living memory. As the Irish Fiscal

forward proposals to bring extra financing into housing. His criticism is that it is going to take a couple of years but his party has had decades at this and it cannot get the situation right. If it takes a couple of years to get more financing into

sites there. There is the ambition. Affordable housing is starting to come to fruition but we need to ramp it up massively. We need to see an accelerated delivery and we need to see affordability continue throughout that system, right across east Galway. One of the leading indicators

setting and within the operating theatre. Too often within this House and across the political world, we immediately go to the political domain. There comes a time when we equally have to stand up for what is right and proper, and I know the Deputy wants

execution of the national development plan that provides housing, public transport, strong and reliable public utilities, healthcare and schools now and for the future. The ambition of this Government is to support the delivery of the right public services and infrastructure in a manner that provides value

this, how we get the legislation right and what a new mechanism to safeguard our neutrality would look like are things on which I am eager to engage constructively with Members of the House. My starting point in the debate is that the UN Security Council permanent members

Russia being the prison house of nations, as it was called in the days of the tsars, subjugating those in its sphere of influence. That is mirrored by Trump's recently declared national security strategy, under which he also asserted the right of the United States to control … commits, and has committed for the past two years, a genocide. The EU is not motivated by any concern for self-determination, human rights or anything because if it were, it would be consistent; it would oppose a genocide and it does not. Leading EU states continue

Minister knows water is a human right. While it is good that the Government is committed to support Uisce Éireann as a public utility, there are still significant issues in relation to water and wastewater across this country. There are also significant issues in Dublin where there … serious crisis, but that is also the case with its wastewater infrastructure. This connects directly to the need to develop housing, which we know is significant across Dublin city. We need to expand and increase the number of homes that are going to be built, but that

outside the gates of Leinster House. She is putting everyone in here to shame. She is calling on this Government to address the backlog of assessments of need for children with special requirements as the national emergency it truly is. Cara rightly reminds us that under the Disability … month until every child receives their legal entitlement. I highlight a stark warning from Ireland's disability coalition, which is also outside Leinster House today. Someone from my community, Sarah Attridge, travelled nearly five hours to get to the gates here today, protesting that budget 2026 has left

legislation have the safeguards that Members of this House want, how we make sure the UN Charter, which we value, is at the heart of all that we do and how we look at things such as human rights monitoring. These are all good things that we should … that Irish peacekeepers should not continue their excellent work in Lebanon? That is not my view, but is it the view of the House? I say that to be constructive. These are the real-life things we may have to tease our way through in the time ahead

rental sector. Many of the apartments delivered last year were State led, and while this secured much-needed social, cost-rental and affordable housing, it is not a sustainable long-term solution. A stable and certain policy environment will help to attract the private investment needed … critical in this regard. The Minister, Deputy Browne, will address this issue in further detail later. The approach agreed seeks to strike the right balance between protecting affordability for renters on the one hand, while encouraging new investment in the residential construction sector on the other

rent reform changes came about. The Housing Commission, the recommendations of which were supported by Sinn Féin, said that the Government needed to reform the rental market. It said that reform was needed to balance the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords through a programme of legislative … increasing supply and will ultimately lead to more available accommodation and more affordable rents. Sinn Féin turns a blind eye to the Housing Agency review of the rent control system, which said that the inability to reset rents was a particularly harsh aspect of the system

said on Second Stage of this Bill, I commend the Minister of State on bringing the Bill to these Houses. There are a few things I will mention before I get to the amendments. When the Minister of State said "recommendations contained in [the pre-legislative scrutiny report … board. Put very simply, the AI office is different from Coimisiún na Meán, the Data Protection Commission and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, which Deputy Gibney was speaking about a moment ago, in the sense that the structure of a commission and commissioners is very different

this House while somebody seems to be bemoaning so many Ministers coming to Laois. Deputy Stanley obviously has not met Deputy Willie Aird. It is easier to go to Laois and try to deliver. We intend to continue to visit. Deputy Stanley is right that there … delivering. We are delivering a lot when it comes to infrastructure. There were two announcements of projects this week for Laois through the housing activation office. Every €3 we are going to spend on capital over the next number of years is going to be spent on housing

thank Deputy Coppinger once again for raising this important issue and all Members of the House who contributed to the discussion. I assure Deputies that I have listened very carefully to their contributions and will convey their views to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. Violence against women … disclosure of counselling records entirely would mean challenges to convictions. Convictions would be overturned if the courts were to find the accused's right to a fair trial had been compromised. The Attorney General has advised that the proposal is unlikely to survive constitutional challenge. All of this

House, including Deputy Currie, have raised this issue on a number of occasions directly with me as well. In particular, it is very important that the concerns and views of local residents and communities impacted by the increase of drone usage are represented here, and it is right … amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2024 and the EPA Act 1992. To summarise, it creates new obligations on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and on planning authorities to have regard to the objective of the regulation of drones in the public interest

thank all Members in the House for what was a really interesting discussion on this really important issue. Like my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, I am pleased the Government has not opposed this motion. The Dáil’s engagement on diaspora matters is always welcome … model that others abroad now look to, and rightly so. The issue of extending the franchise for voting in presidential elections simply is not straightforward. The detailed 2017 options paper on the matter prepared by the Department of housing, planning, community and local government and the Department

very edge of the Government side right now, clinging on for a few more weeks, but I am very aware that a cold wind will soon blow, pluck me up and deposit me on the Opposition side of the House. However, I am pleased to be here … other former member of our parliamentary party regret our participation in government. Green Party Ministers advanced over 40 Bills in the House over the past four and half years and impacted positively on multiple Bills. I always ask what is the point of sitting in these seats

where nothing else has been discussed today, and rightly so. When I was campaigning in my municipal authority of Tuam in the run-up to the local elections last year there were lots of issues discussed, such as housing, homelessness, migration and childcare, and, of course, early years … that family because all of a sudden, he will be out of national school and that is a deficit that is not right for him. Any delay to a child getting an assessment is a real disadvantage. Families are then forced to take the private route but that

House, was able to replicate or synthesise my voice and provide a speech that sounded as if I was delivering it in Leinster House. It was probably far more eloquent than I am, but colleagues who were listening at the time were absolutely convinced that this … data rights but our digital identity now also needs to be protected. As we see artificial intelligence develop so rapidly, the need for legislation in this area has never been as important. We have to remember, even in terms of how we speak in this House, our voice

important factor in her statement before this House, namely, the importance of parents knowing what services are available to them, with or without an assessment of need. That does not dilute, however, the absolute need to get this right as a State to ensure every child’s pathway … State, we must support all of those parent support groups that every one of us deal with both inside and outside of this House as constituency TDs. They support children in their locality. Groups in my constituency, such as Involve Autism in Dublin 6 west, Neurodiversity Ireland

going to be a raft of amendments. As a result, we cannot scrutinise the Bill properly. The Bill leans towards the far right and racist lobby that is opposed to all migration, be it legal or illegal or whether it relates to IPAS centres, students with education visas … food; working in hospitality services; driving buses; building houses; working as nurses and doctors; and staffing our hospitals. They have been recruited to work here because we cannot fill those positions ourselves. These people are being denied their basic right to have their family with them because they