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that is to reflect inflationary costs on certain areas but there is always increased demand and need for the services provided. Deputy McCarthy rightly cited the economic opportunities of EU-Australia trade deal, as was laid out by Deputy McCormack as well. Just this year, the Government … ties but also the tourism and business ties. Deputy Neville and I are two of the biggest fans of American football in the House. We see the power of the college football classic every August in Dublin as it brings €130 million into the economy. Equally, with

there are people in local authority houses who are waiting for them to be insulated. The roll-out of insulation works for such housing is absolutely abysmal. Some people are benefiting more from the way the carbon tax has been rolled out. We have to have measures … have no grá for the regime in Iran, but Trump’s policies have caused mayhem everywhere and are hitting Irish people left, right and centre. It is very hard for people to get by. That is why, one way or another, I hope the Minister of State will

crumbling because we have abandoned the universal standards of international law in Palestine, America and elsewhere because it was inconvenient, essentially. We are right back where we were 12 months ago with Trump and the threat of tariffs. At the time we warned about bullies and insulating … months of humiliation of our leaders and diplomats, including on St. Patrick's Day when in the Oval Office in the White House our Taoiseach failed to call out the President of the United States when he said the European Union had been founded to attack

also asked that the huge windfarms, the new technologies and new sized blades and towers could at least be discussed in this House. That did not happen. Deputy Stanley has a Bill on this issue. I ask the Minister of State to take … need to reach out and help the individuals and communities that we represent. It is not just Carlow, Kilkenny and Laois; it is right across the country. If you drive along the road from Kilkenny to Durrow, you will find that the local communities have windmills behind them

exist and one that will make real problems worse for people. It will make the health crisis worse and potentially make the housing crisis worse. It certainly will not address the cost-of-living crisis. It is another one of these episodes of performative cruelty that will … working and living here, doing essential work, paying taxes and contributing to our society. It is a policy that the far right could have written. It is pandering to racism, the far right and fascism and Government members should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for it. Many

Minister of State to set out clearly why he is transferring ownership to the RSA and why he believes that is the right approach. At the moment, I do not quite understand the rationale. We have to join the dots between An Garda Síochána, the Courts Service … will speak to Jax's law. As the Minister of State knows, Deputy Barry Ward and I introduced that Bill to the House on First Stage yesterday. Saoirse Aylward was here, as were Jax's father, Nathan, Colleen Langan, who campaigns for her aunt Róisín, and Susan Gray

have to wait for the European legislation to come in, this House is superfluous. There is no point in being in this House. There is no point in writing Irish legislation if we are going to be waiting for that. I have to say I am very disappointed … decision, as Deputy Alan Kelly has said. There is no shame in changing your mind at the eleventh hour when the idea is right. Leave it go to Committee Stage and leave us add extras such as the head shops. If we legislate to protect our young people

resource centres. I am really appreciative of the excellent work they do in their communities, and I am pleased to confirm to the House that there is funding in budget 2026 for a further ten family resource centres to be developed, bringing the network … There will be funding available to support the important work of the Adoption Authority of Ireland and increased funding for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Budget 2026 will also fund initiatives to help children and young people have their voices heard on decisions that affect their

House carried weapons into the Dáil Chamber only for W. T. Cosgrave to intervene and ensure a peaceful passing over of power. This House has seen many crises, from the Emergency in the Second World War - it sat throughout all of those times - to the oil crisis … illegal invasion and cost-of-living crisis that came from that. Tomorrow, we face another big challenge. Thousands of workers around the country right now are driving home from work worried about whether they will still have a job in the weeks and months ahead. They are worried

which these trials are done by jury has no basis really from what the concern was. We are stripping the litigant of the right to choose the mode of trial by which the facts of the action are to be decided and also striking down the fundamental principle … justice. A Minister without conviction holding that portfolio is deeply worrying and troubling. The Minister has stated on the record of this House that he is of a completely different view. The explanation for continuing with and justifying this is even more bizarre, particularly when we consider that

storm, and I join other Members in extending my sympathies to the family of Kacper Dudek. I thank the Members of the House for their contributions today and yesterday. It is our duty to reflect on the stories we have heard, the lived experiences and the real hardship … must learn, look at the shortcomings and see how we can make things better, in a non-political way. The Taoiseach was right yesterday, on the Order of Business, when he said we need to have a fundamental rethink about storm resilience. Members in their contributions have given

modern governance system, what we have is a system where we pay our taxes and, in return, receive quality public services such as housing, healthcare, education, childcare and disability services, all of which create a floor in society below which we cannot fall. It provides confidence … Government spending that is resulting in waste, and people are frustrated at this stage that their tax money is not going in the right direction. I have a theory about this. As proponents of social democracy and as people who believe in a progressive left governance model

reassure the Minister she is describing as novel, innovative and cost-neutral the request that survivors be given additional weighting on the social housing waiting list. It is something as simple as that. The health service has been mentioned already. Let us stop calling it an enhanced medical … scheme. That is another unjust discriminatory scheme. The HAA card is the required card for all institutional abuse survivors, as it guarantees their rights to full and speedy access to health provisions and support for an ageing and marginalised group. May I say, they are marginalised by what

know as constituency TDs, families have to fight for everything. We are talking about assessments of need in the House this evening. The same debate could be had about supports and services following assessments, school places and, of course, school transport and so on. It is a broken … children to go through those assessments. Of course, there will always be a percentage that result in no diagnosis and that is right and proper but 30% is a very high figure. We need to investigate that properly to see what is behind the figure. As I said

Diarmuid Brecknell of Phoenix Law. Mr. Staines will receive all of the necessary supports to ensure that a victim-centred, trauma-informed, human rights-based approach underpins the scoping exercise and any subsequent statutory processes. The well-being of victims and survivors will remain central throughout this process … needs that have been identified. Again, that decision comes back to me, as Minister, to the Government and to this House. Our commitment is to ensure a process that recognises the suffering experienced, honours the voices of victims and survivors, and seeks a path towards truth and healing

older people. At some stage will we see bans for older people? What do we think about that in terms of the right to online participation and so on? The focus on age is wrong because it does not deal with the tools and the addictive nature … look forward to the detail coming out - algorithms are not mentioned. Yet, we are blue in the face on this side of the House telling the Government to fix the algorithms because they are the thing that will get closest to the business model. One of the main

background to this Bill is this country is grinding to a halt in so many ways. Right across the country, critical infrastructure that is necessary for all our lives is grinding to a halt and it is having disastrous effects on people's lives. It is water infrastructure … take until 2050 before the gaps in the water infrastructure that are currently blocking the building of homes will be filled. In a housing crisis, that is a startling admission. The Navan to Dublin rail line was promised in 1994. The earliest possible chance currently is 2036. People

been able to work since 2021. There are many days when she cannot even leave the house. It is important that long Covid for healthcare staff who worked in our healthcare system during Covid is recognised as a critical illness. There are currently 159 healthcare staff who received … public service sick leave scheme, this healthcare worker is experiencing a 71% drop in her net income per month. This is not right. Will something be done to correct this very unfair situation

they work there, to raise their families and have a better quality of life. It allows young working professionals to avail of lower house prices and contribute to their local economy and community. The Government's so-called work-life balance legislation is so weak and watery that … leader on this. In countries like Portugal, if you have a child up to the age of eight you have a statutory right to work from home without prior negotiation. In 2022, the Dutch Parliament, under a centre-right government, made working from home a legal right

scratch. I refer to the issue with CFRAM and the issue with the Coes Road pumping station, where everything from WuXi Biologics comes right through. It is a joint sewage and storm water facility. The fact is it is not going to upgraded completely. Works will start … plant is not due to be upgraded until 2033. There is no capacity and we are lucky we did not have hundreds of houses flooded

association of GALs to discuss these matters. In terms of foster parents, I welcome that the timeframe for the application for enhanced rights has decreased from five years to three. Children placed in care have formed very strong relationships and bonds with their foster parents so allowing … clear: we need to do a lot more work to support foster carers. I look forward to the Bill going through the House. My party will be very constructive and will work with Government Members to ensure its passage

They were, rightly, scathing about this Government's approach to budgeting. They said that the Government was budgeting like there was no tomorrow. The Tánaiste acknowledged there are no forecasts or horizons beyond next year. That is no way to budget. Our view in Labour is that … this plan is that we should be prepared to reflect on the plan. Perhaps the Tánaiste can confirm to the House this afternoon whether the plan will include the commitment to the introduction of a net spending rule, net of tax changes. That would be really important

working people. The Tánaiste's predecessor, Leo Varadkar, spoke very positively about workers' rights. The Tánaiste has spoken very positively about workers' rights. This is a difference he could make in government and that is why it is so disappointing that one of his Ministers is talking about … Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Burke, knows the issues really affecting competitiveness in this country: lack of infrastructure, chronic housing shortage, and spiralling energy bills. That is what is driving competitiveness issues for small businesses and our economy, not low paid workers. They should

woman Deputy Carthy referred to who was recommended to seek a barring order. It is really pathetic the way the justice system stands right now, whether it is before or after the often-inadequate sentencing. This Bill is complementary to the Minister’s equally welcome criminal law (sexual … those convicted of domestic violence against their partner or former partner being publicly named on this register. I suggest the Bill before the House granting a civil protection order will act as a further deterrent, so I hope the Government adopts this Bill. I note the Minister said

serious wasters of public funding. Never has so much been spent to deliver so little. Much of our infrastructure is crumbling. Our housing crisis continues with 17,000 people in emergency accommodation and we have a broken planning process. A total of 22,200 children are waiting … waiving the pre-legislative scrutiny is a mistake. Given the Government's record of failure to deliver value for money, the Opposition is right to be critical of that. Bills should face all opportunities for scrutiny in order that we strengthen them and are not correcting a mistake