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this country, including Cork, Kerry and parts of Limerick. Some 900 people are waiting for home care support in Cork and Kerry alone. Some 4,945 people are on a waiting list, as of June of last year. That is a huge amount of unmet need. The cost … industrial dispute. It also comes down to the hours that are worked and making sure that people get proper transport and other allowances. It is also about reaching out to the many people, in particular women, who are outside of the labour force. We often talk about

bills, high fuel prices, unaffordable childcare and runaway insurance premiums, prices are out of control. Workers and families are squeezed and forced to live week to week. They ask themselves when all of this will stop because they cannot keep up. Nowhere is all of this clearer than … prices are through the roof. Let us take a look at some of the basics. According to the CSO, in the past year alone, a pound of butter has gone up €1, a kilo of Irish cheddar cheese has gone up 57 cent and 2 l of milk

then see the State fight with all its legal might against those families who are simply trying to realise their rights. That alone is something this Government must look at. I do not know that there is a litigation policy. I have been advised that there … people who have been in contact with me and my team, who tell us about how they have simply had to put their lives on hold and how they have had to reshape their whole families around the fact that their children cannot access assessments of need

scheme, RAS. She is to be evicted on 10 April. Because of the sky-high house prices in Cork, the council is not allowed to buy the house under the tenant in situ scheme. The council has said the landlord is looking for too much. This lady … family will be packing their bags. Where are they going to go on 10 April? Where will this lady and her three children live? She has no idea and no one has a solution for her. Can the House imagine the trauma that will be caused to those

were a priority. If that were true, it would be reflected in the make-up of the Cabinet. There should be a stand-alone, senior Minister for disability, someone with real political power who can focus solely on disability with the resources needed to ensure that disabled people … clean environment, cheaper energy and smaller bills. For years, the previous Government used one-off payment to address the cost-of-living crisis. It never worked because it did not address the underlying issue. The best way to bring costs down is to invest in quality public services

measures that continue to protect people from energy poverty and reduce our dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels. These revenues support the fuel allowance, fully funded home energy upgrades, the wider retrofitting scheme, investment in our electricity grid and measures to help farmers transition to lower carbon practices … billion in carbon tax revenue has been allocated to the just transition and decarbonisation measures. Demand proves these programmes matter. Last year alone, 58,000 homes were retrofitted. Since 2019, more than 287,000 home energy upgrades have been delivered, including over 39,500 fully funded upgrades

middle-income families who are been crucified. They do not get the fuel allowance. They are not entitled to it. They are left out. This is on top of a cost-of-living crisis. There are 320,000 households that are in arrears with their electricity bills … consequence? Joe and Mary Soap who are paying tax and are registered workers are paying more tax than they did last year. Not alone did they not get zero, they are in reverse. That is not good enough. What the Government did in 2024 was cynical. Last year

until February 2027, retaining a 30 cent reduction in diesel and 25 cent reduction in petrol; — Budget 2026 and 2027 have expanded fuel allowance payments to 50,000 more households, and increased the weekly payment; — the trajectory of the carbon tax has been altered to ease pressure … down with people from across communities. We listen to their concerns, the challenges they face and the issues impacting their daily lives. Like my colleagues across government, I do everything I can to help them. Any insinuation otherwise is completely false. One of my colleagues opposite gave

testimony from those contributors was put to the social media companies, they disputed that there were widespread problems. Social media companies are living in their own reality. Maybe their research and assertions are being driven by their own recommender algorithms, or maybe they have built a confirmation bias … including social misperceptions, conflict and the spread of misinformation. What we take from that is that, when assessed, the platforms are failing. They allow harmful content, suicidal ideation and harmful eating disorder content. Their algorithms, as they currently are, push this on users regardless

Spectacle Network, Give Us the Night, Disabled Artists and Disabled Academics, Youth Theatre Ireland, the Irish Theatre Institute, the Irish Comedy Guide, the Live Comedy Association, the British Comedy Guide, Gorm Media, the Irish Film Institute, Safe to Create and the Performing Arts Forum. Irish Equity, which represents … rehearse and perform. Learning and teaching are required to develop the skills involved in this art. Comedy is not a new art. Not alone did the Ancient Greeks consider drama to consist of both comedy and tragedy, but stand-up was present too in the Roman world

because without accessible childcare, financial supports alone are not enough. That is why areas experiencing rapid population growth, for example, north County Dublin, must be prioritised for additional childcare provision. Alongside this, we must continue to invest in the fundamentals that allow communities to grow. That includes … budget 2026 is very welcome but families also need certainty that overall school capacity will keep pace with demand. That is what allows communities to put down roots with confidence. We are also seeing very substantial investments at a national level in public transport, water infrastructure and strengthening

getting done. We would prioritise housing projects that have been stuck in limbo. If the declaration of a housing emergency dealt with that alone, we would start making moves to provide homes for people. Our biggest trouble in this country is that we have objectors who object … Developments have been blocked. The sewerage infrastructure that is needed in local towns and villages has been blocked because people who do not live in the area have decided to object to it. The Government has not stood up to them. That is true of one-off planning

community and they need to be respected, so I echo the calls in the motion to bring forward a scheme to allow those to be assisted in those sectors as well. Without our local radio stations, many would not have known how to be reconnected, get information … year-old who was in contact with my office. There was no family near to where this person lived and he was alone without power for ten days. This 85-year-old was in poor health, with no light, heat or warm water for ten days. That

Domestic violence continues to impact thousands of lives in our communities. The need for support services has never been greater. The Minister recently said that Ireland has a very big problem when it comes to domestic violence. Cases have risen dramatically. In my constituency of Louth, we have … predecessor, Deputy McEntee. This funding will form part of a record €67 million provided for Cuan in budget 2025. It will allow us to target access to trauma-informed care and build long-term safety and resilience for survivors. However, we also need to strengthen trust

Independent Catherine Connolly before her election as President indicates the groundswell of support and consensus across this House on this issue. Not alone was the Opposition united on the need for a disregard process, but the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, indicated at the time that … acknowledgement then or since of the lives that were utterly destroyed by the horrific penal system that existed for generations or of the lived reality of being gay in this State and the climate of fear in which gay men lived or left Ireland to escape. There

many for no reason, and without consent. The families deserve justice there. The banks are allowed to enjoy corporation tax relief while boasting a combined profit of €5 billion last year alone and despite never fully repaying the Irish people for bailing them out. This is an opportunity … think a year being clear from a doctor should be enough. People need to be able to move on with their lives, especially with lives they felt had been threatened. We have to think about why we are only talking about cancer. There are many serious medical conditions

insolvent and allows workers to access the insolvency payment scheme even if an employer has not gone through a formal court process. That is overdue and welcome. It also provides a path for historical claims, recognising that many have already lost out. However, legislation alone is not enough … they are denied collective bargaining or trade union recognition. School secretaries and caretakers are currently balloting for industrial action. Wage theft remains a live issue that is not legislated for. Union recognition is denied as a right across all sectors. That is why we need more than piecemeal

should welcome the move we have made in that regard. We have to do more, but there is a €300 million package alone for the lowest income. Look at the objective assessment. The Labour Party should acknowledge that the two lowest-income deciles will benefit the most from … disability, there are significant increases in a range of payments, particularly the disability pension, but also in terms of the domiciliary care allowance, which is going up a further €20 on top of last year's increase, and that is right and proper. There is work under

Whether named or unnamed, the extraordinary testimony of witnesses to the commission of investigation was an act of great courage. In their young lives, they were the victims of monstrous evil and their vulnerability was increased by the impunity with which Kenneally perpetrated his atrocities. Too many warning … they were children who should have been protected, not abandoned to depravity and despair. In 1985, a 14-year-old boy walked all alone into Waterford Garda station and reported he had been abused by Kenneally. The garda spoke to him at the counter and told

allowed to travel with him. When he arrived at the accident and emergency department, he was placed on a chair – it was one of the most overcrowded emergency departments – and told he would have to wait for hours to be seen. He was alone, traumatised and completely overwhelmed … feel they have no worth, and the absence of services tells them exactly that. People are dying. Dedicated mental health emergency rooms save lives. This must be sorted

called Independents feared the return of mass protests this week. It was hard to see, indeed, how the Government could have allowed the first phase of these cuts to end in the same week that schools return and commuter traffic ramps up. We understand why the decision … crisis and tackling our over-reliance on fossil fuels. People in Ireland have been living with the consequences. It is no wonder the cost of car ownership has become a political football. Not alone are energy costs high but Government decisions on the cost of groceries, housing

simple photo, and within seconds, the AI generated a stunning transformation. The ability to adjust the level of nudity was particularly impressive, allowing for a customized outcome. What an amazing review of such a deviant app. We must condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any platform that treats … enables exploitation. We must absolutely condemn the culture of "move fast and break things" when what are being broken are people's lives. We must most definitely ensure that the people responsible face the rigours of the law and face criminal conviction. We, as a Parliament, must show

evidence-based information and support. The many health, social and economic benefits of breastfeeding show that it is much more than nutrition alone. I welcome that we have seen positive progress in recent years. The latest figures show that 65.8% of babies in Ireland were breastfed at birth … advice and reassurance when challenges arise regardless of where they live or the time of day. Our focus must remain on continuing to increase awareness of available supports. Breastfeeding rates are not shaped by individual decisions alone. They are influenced by the conditions in which mothers and families

with a view to incrementally increasing this payment. As we know, addressing the cost of disability is not a question of income support alone. The delivery of and access to services is also key. We need all Departments and agencies of Government to work together to address … budgets included some specific measures to assist disabled people with the rising cost of living. As part of budget 2025, for example, a €400 disability support grant for people in receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension or blind pension was paid in November 2024 together with

opportunity for us in the Thirty-fourth Dáil to make provisions for the most significant piece of electoral reform in recent history and allow the people of Ireland to have their say as to whether 16- and 17-year-olds can vote in future elections. I believe … vote in that election. As we know, that opportunity is not afforded to their counterparts in the Republic. The UK is not alone. As the Minister will know, some 14 other countries have extended voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds, for municipal, European and-or general