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here in this House, when in 2014, 2015 and 2016 huge numbers of families were evicted from their homes because they could not afford double-digit rent increases. That was the reality. That is what drove family homelessness right across this State in those years. If the Minister

wishing everyone associated with this House and their families a very happy Christmas. I thank them for their co-operation during the year. In spite of going over time and into the red zone, we managed to keep the tone right. I thank them very much for their

These are consequences of the housing crisis and homelessness. A lot of landlords now will not take dogs. I am not sure if it can be included in this Bill or in another piece of legislation but I believe people need rights to bring their pets with them

doing is building public houses on public land. That is what he should do and with this amendment the Minister can live up to the promise he made - one of many promises he broke to the public - and do the right thing. He should do as he said

Like many Deputies across the House, I have people coming to me who are literally terrified. They have, for example, very young children and do not know whether the medical advice they are getting about the treatment their child needs is right for them. That

move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to bring this Bill before the House today. The purpose of the Bill is to give full effect in Ireland to EU Regulation 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and Council … designed to provide a high level of protection to people's health, safety and fundamental rights and to promote the adoption of human-centric, trustworthy Al. As with all EU regulations, the Al Act has direct legal effect across all member states. It aims to harmonise rules

across the world. Workers in different societies have, for many generations and over hundreds of years, had a constant fight to get their rights, whether it is in industry or otherwise. We have seen it in the United Kingdom, the US and all across the world. While that … elected representatives in this House who preceded us, things have changed and improved. Let me highlight some of the progress we have made since 2011. We have introduced the national minimum wage transitioning to a living wage model, mandatory sick pay, the right to request remote working

price inflation, the housing crisis and Trump's threatened tariffs. Since the outset of Trump's illegal war on Iran and in the Middle East, and with no end in sight to Russia's bombardment of Ukraine, things have got worse. The Taoiseach has rightly just described … bills. These are the highest levels on record. Homeless figures are the highest on record. Grocery prices are rising week on week. Insurance, housing and education costs are all up. What has the Government done? It has withdrawn energy credits without putting any cushion in place for households

people who show up to do their work to start talking about the issues that matter to them and addressing issues around housing, special needs education and disability. What they certainly do not expect is this sort of immature behaviour whereby, if a democratic vote is held … democracy is minority rule. We had a general election, and the people sitting behind me, in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, have every right to have their voices heard and to bring forward proposals. I am going to stand up for their rights on behalf of their constituents

Deputy's initial analysis is somewhat right. He has the corporate memory to be able to go back to the then Minister, Michael Noonan. This scheme has not seen a very significant level of uptake. We have been trying to examine ways in which more people could benefit … Across the political spectrum, we all share the objective of trying to use every bit of underutilised capacity we can to provide housing. The Bill provides for substantial changes to the living cities initiative. The Deputy has noted the scale of the reform and the expansion

democratic discourse in accordance with emerging European standards. These are worthy objectives, and many aspects of the Bill deserve support across this House. One of the strongest features of this legislation is its recognition that public service broadcasting must evolve into public service media. For too long, legislation … Public service media cannot simply serve the majority. It must serve the public in all its diversity. In that regard, the Government is right to place inclusion and accessibility at the centre of broadcasting policy via the Bill. I also welcome the stronger recognition of the Irish language

believe in a rules-based system, which I do although I do not know the position of every political party in this House, the rules have to be applied. As difficult at times as that may be for some people, the rules have to be applied. You cannot … fair system for those who are seeking to come to Ireland as well. Any migration system has to be underpinned by human rights, equality and all of the international obligations we have signed up to, but also has to be fair to communities. It has to be fair

introduce this Bill to the House, following its passage through Seanad Éireann. In fact, we had five days of debate in the Upper House during which the Bill was very carefully considered and debated. As a result of the debate, a number of amendments were agreed … continue our consideration of the Bill. This is important and necessary legislation. It responds directly to developments in constitutional, European and human rights law, and reflects the Government's commitment to ensuring that Garda powers are exercised within a clear, modern and legally robust statutory framework. Much

ensure it is supportive and safe for victims of sexual violence. This Bill is practical, solution focused and a step in the right direction. It provides that if someone is convicted of a crime of sexual violence, at the same time, a court could impose an order restraining … panacea for all sexual violence. One of the major issues for women fleeing violence is the need for safe, secure and accessible housing. This was brought home to me by a woman who owns her own home. She had to move out because of the terrible level

strength, courage and resilience of women - women who have shaped our communities, our families and who continue to stand up for what is right in a very unjust world. However, we must remember that International Women's Day is not only about looking back. It is about recognising … this Dáil many times the real-life institutional barriers which women face. I have primarily raised these in the context of the housing crisis. Women are uniquely impacted by the housing crisis. Unfortunately, too often I have raised the issue of how women are impacted by domestic abuse

believe and certainly hope we are all united in calling out the far right. We have all had experiences in our constituencies and communities of people trying to sow division. For the Government to effectively deal with that, it must not leave a vacuum. It must … rules-based migration system. Immigration is a good thing. All of us in government believe that. I think all of us in this House, or certainly most of us, believe that as well. Immigration is a good thing and we have benefited from people coming to our country

international stage, we need to support every local team and every local community from the small team format at under six and seven right through to senior men's and women's teams in the League of Ireland. If we want the League of Ireland to be competitive … Donovan's public denigration of the League of Ireland and its fans in recent weeks. His solo run, plague upon all their houses, collective punishment, sneering and classist approach to the League of Ireland after the Dundalk versus Drogheda match was utterly shameful. The Minister had to utilise

State appointed. This programme for Government is an ambitious document. If it is significantly implemented, it will positively transform the lives of people right across the country. The challenge for all of us is in delivery, and the message to the State agencies has to be that they … help in achieving the results we desire in terms of the ambitious targets we have set out. This programme addresses domestic issues, including housing, which is our greatest national challenge. We are also committed to addressing the climate challenge and the biodiversity crisis. I welcome in particular

such as Irish Water, need to show a greater element of transparency as to what capacity they have in every town and village right across the country and keep that updated with potential developments. The interpretation of standards around the country can vary. I have seen this … what the Minister of State and the Department are doing is to iron out those challenges and ensure we make these more seamless. Housing delivery is key and I fundamentally believe that ensuring planning permissions that are already in the system can continue without unnecessary delay will

current legislation. That gap was exposed nearly a decade ago when the regulator became aware of unlicensed LPG networks serving housing developments and apartment complexes. Subsequent inspections showed that a fair number of these sites required immediate intervention to address pretty fundamental safety concerns. This Bill responds … safety so that the general public - the punters - and, in particular, end customers - our families, friends and neighbours - are protected. As a colleague rightly pointed out in this Chamber earlier, regulation without enforcement is not regulation at all. I believe this legislation is a fundamental step in achieving

because they are not sufficient right now. There is a lot of money being made out of the breeding of dogs so severe penalties are needed to impact that. I look forward to working with the Deputy and other Members of the House on this legislation

artificial intelligence. As this House is aware, Ireland is committed to ensuring that Al technologies are developed and used in a manner that is ethical, transparent and aligned with national, EU and international law. Intellectual property is recognised as a fundamental right under the Charter of Fundamental Rights

having to come into this House and raise these issues because they cannot get those answers from a State body is not acceptable. I will personally pursue this at every opportunity. I thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising the issue. He is right; there are good, international railway

ensure the impacted tenants' rights are protected. He has also been in touch with Wexford County Council to be supportive of those tenants. I have not seen the report back from the RTB yet. I will work with the Minister for housing to get access to that report

Ireland from Donegal to Mayo right down to Limerick and Clare. People are being left behind. They have to fill huge gaps with money. I will tell the story again of the family I met on their site. They were traumatised; their house had been demolished. They downsized