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process the EU has gone through and will arrive at a position where asylum is undermined and those with valid claims see their rights curtailed. What is more, as Ministers fall over each other to follow the lead of the UK Government with the greatest enthusiasm, they … society, it will have really negative impacts. We all know how much Ireland relies on workers from abroad to support our infrastructure and housing investment plans, our foreign direct investment and multinational corporation sectors, our hospitality sector and particularly our health and social care systems. When leaders choose

rather than going back and forth. As I outlined on different Stages of the Bill, we fully support the legislation to restrict guardianship rights in a situation where a person has murdered a child's other guardian. I again commend David French, the brother of Valerie, who this … many of them. The number of women killed in violent circumstances this year has to be a matter of huge concern for these Houses. I had hoped that the Minister would have accepted some of our amendments, particularly in respect of the application by Tusla to the court

even referenced in the document. Not a single one of its key recommendations is in it. The previous Minister for housing did not even have the courtesy to meet the commission before he disbanded it and then the Government disposed of its work. No wonder members … will not listen to us. Going through the other areas, there is nothing new or serious for renters in terms of rights or protection. The Government has completely ignored the ten key recommendations of the homeless policy group, which were sent to it only two or three weeks

water, but it is just over €1 billion in this budget. If we are trying to deal with the infrastructural issues - and housing needs water infrastructure - we should be front-loading it. Similarly, we need massive investment in redefining the electricity grid, in investing in offshore wind … road and start changing the way our Civil Service operates. We have to change the way various Departments and Government agencies operate starting right now. I did not see any of that type of vision even referenced in the budget and we need to have it. I regard

things they were told to do. They got really good jobs and paid lots of taxes. They bought a house. They pay their property tax and their TV licence. They contribute to the local society. They got involved in clubs and societies. They made friends and they learned … language. They came here with good English but they learned even more. They feel like they have done everything right. They have done everything they were told to do, but suddenly the Government is pulling the rug from under them. They came here four and a half years

Minister are all over the place on climate and not just the big level in terms of power generation and data centres, but right down to public transport. I do not accept that this Minister is new in the brief. He understands from his previous brief the importance … climate mitigation measures when it comes to transport. In the constituency we share in Donabate where there has been an awful lot of house building, we have only seen one new bus in the morning with no return bus in the evening. We have seen no movement

have spoken extensively about the process this morning. I hope people engage with it. The Deputy is right that there are additional supports available through the community welfare system. Separately, I will be hosting a briefing next Wednesday in the audio visual room with community welfare officers … outline the supports available from our section. They will also be available in the coffee dock in Leinster House 2000 to meet Deputies who cannot make it to the audiovisual room. There has been a lot of feedback from Deputies on the community welfare system, its availability

communities. Ireland needs a national target for remote work. We need to facilitate and support companies to support workers to ensure that the right and access to remote employment is available for workers across this country. We should not be reverting to them versus us, as has been … about making Ireland work for people and making it work for communities across the country. Officials from the GAA recently appeared before the housing committee and presented their report about the future of the organisation and rural depopulation. It is called No One Shouted Stop - Until

next announcement. Regarding the piers at Clare Island and Inisturk, when we arrived there the islanders spoke about the difficulty getting the ferry right up to the shore with sandbanks and different things. Even though we are progressing Roonagh, there will still be lots more work … after that, there will be even more. I was struck by my visit to Clare Island where people talked about the struggles accessing housing, the reliability on the fish farm and the lack of a hotel given that it was difficult to sustain a chef on the island

have effective democracy. To everyone in this place, regardless of political perspective, I believe that all politicians, on all sides of the House, work bloody hard in the interests of their constituents. We will be back doing this hammer and tongs again soon but, in the meantime, despite … sitting beside a Meath woman, I wish Donegal well in the final after the team's victory at the weekend. The Deputy is right to highlight the issue of prices that people are experiencing. The tourism function has been moved to the Department of enterprise. This creates real

children from this site and to 14 children in the prefab. I know, it knows and it tells me that the Volt House site is suboptimal as a permanent solution because the service has to operate as a pack-away service. I can only imagine the huge challenge … putting the equipment into storage at the end of every day and back out again the next day. The Deputy is right. In early 2025, Raphoe Community Playgroup did apply for building blocks capital funding. On 25 March, Pobal, which administers that, was included on an email from

crime while out on bail receives a consecutive sentence for that crime. This has been the subject of many debates in this House and there have obviously been attempts to bring in legislation on it. If there is ambiguity and if it cannot be achieved through the sentencing … guidelines then we should introduce primary legislation to deal that aspect of the courts and the legislation that exists. The public have the right to be safe and feel safe as they go about their business in their communities, in the city centre and on public transport. This

there are issues in terms of recruitment or proper follow-through and retention in the public health area. Deputy Coppinger raised the human right to healthcare that trans people have. Again, there are different debates but to me the national gender service … resources are probably required there. There should be no demonisation in this situation. We need to be very clear about that in the House. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan raised the section 39 issue. It is my understanding that the Minister is facilitating its referral to the Workplace Relations

committee to deal with the issue of AI. When talking about the idea of digital literacy, there would be an issue in this House in dealing with the concepts. We will be talking about something that absolutely is changing. While 2027 might not exactly be the date … Skynet becomes aware, and we have the disaster scenarios from "Terminator" that people fear, we have seen significant moves from simply neural networks right through to where quantum computing is at present, and it is probably only at an intermediate stage. The advantages are that you will have

Government. The Government believes our Dáil is ever evolving and that standing orders should evolve to reflect the membership and groupings of the House. The Government will today bring forward a motion to establish the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform, to fully engage with the committee … work to secure agreement, as soon as possible and acceptable to Government and Opposition, as regards formation of technical groups and the rights of unaligned Members. The Government is fully committed to working with all parties and none in the committee to make the required changes that

fear every time there is a red weather warning, forced to watch as cracks spread and walls shift, as their home crumbles right around them. The Ulster University study summed it up best when it described it as an earthquake in slow motion. The study laid bare … Someone was in touch with my office just last week, a family in Donegal who live in a semi-detached home. Both their house and their neighbours' home have defective blocks. One house is recommended for demolition and the other recommended for remedial work. Both were built

would bring down inflationary costs. Everything the Government has done has driven inflation. It has doubled the cost of buying and building a house. It has doubled the cost of buying a car. It has doubled the cost of running a vehicle and it has doubled … Ministers going to take responsibility and take on their own Departments and tell them they are wrong? Tell people they are not the right people for the job, to get out and to get people who can actually manage the purse and finances and get us accountability. When

will continue to run budgetary surpluses for the remainder of this Government’s term in office. Today, I am informing this House that we are reinforcing this Government’s commitment to the Future Ireland Fund by investing an extra €1 billion into the fund next year. This will … fact. In our system, those who can pay more do so and the more you earn, the more you pay. That is the right kind of system to have. It ensures people on low wages do not pay too much. We should never lose sight of the fact

capacity was the correct mechanism to use in order to limit numbers at the airport. I do not believe that was ever the right approach. The question for us now is what is the correct metric to use to assess the airport. I do not think that level … been an economic analysis? Are we looking at regional development? Are we taking account emissions, noise pollution, the impact on residents or on housing in the area? When making long-term decisions of this nature, a level of work should go on behind scenes in the context

they will be processed, the legal requirement to ensure that their applications are determined in an expedited manner, how they will have the right to appeal and the rules that will apply in that regard. Rather than saying that it would not have entered into the pact, Sinn … Ireland to apply for international protection since 2022. The Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, and I have examined family reunification. As the House knows, it was proposed that we would have a requirement for a three-year waiting period. Having listened to the opposition and to our colleagues

that has happened, and I cannot understand why politically experienced Ministers around the table cannot see that it is an outrage. It is right and correct that people would raise their voices about it and say it here. I turn now to those on social welfare … going to be paid. Yes, I will vote for it in this budget to get them the €10 but I will tell the House that they are finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet. The Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, is appointing a group to oversee the spending

join colleagues in commending this budget to the House. Together with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and my fellow Ministers of State, Deputies Grealish and Collins, we have been successful in achieving one of the largest budgets for the seafood sector, which falls under my responsibility. We have over … million this year. That includes, as the Minister has rightly identified, an additional €20 million to support the work of the seafood programme, which was established under the auspices of an independent chair, Mr. Michael Berkery, to try to address the very significant loss to the sector

Deputy knows, than the EU directives and sought derogations in some cases already. We have also got to be honest with people, who rightly want us to be able to do a whole variety of things in the budget next week, that there is a limit to what … what any government can do in relation to energy. At the moment, as profiled by the financial resolutions passed in this House, the excise cuts are due to be reversed starting in November. That will not happen. As a Government, we have agreed to provide clarity and certainty

that statement as a compliment. Sucking up to US power is the pinnacle of the political ambition of every establishment TD in the House. We saw it here with the visit of President Biden, with TDs embarrassing themselves by fawning over him despite his also being … like every US President before and since. It will be the same with the visit of President Trump if he comes in September: right-wing politicians attracted to power no matter how disgusting that power is. This Bill attempts to place some small limits on US power

excess cash nor access to cash to avail of these schemes. After Government grants, a retrofit can cost up to €43,000 per house. This is leading to a green divide, where homes in affluent areas have access to the schemes as they have moneys and funds available … upfront costs. I urge the Minister to take these issues on board and to act on them urgently as they are affecting families right across the country