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same time, we are being asked to pay 26% extra. The Government always blames everyone else. It blames the local authorities for the housing crisis. It blames Irish Water for the infrastructure. It blames the HSE for the health crisis. Now, it is blaming Bus Éireann … service. The Minister of State mentioned BusConnects. We supported BusConnects. We engaged with it, we put in submissions and we met those involved. Right now, BusConnects is dead in the water. As long as that is not up and running, we are in big trouble in Cork

meaningful engagement with the school. I had the school principal, the deputy principal and the chairperson of the board of management in Leinster House for some meetings this evening. I understand they are going to meet with the Minister tomorrow. However, that cannot just be a meeting … ability of children to get an education, of educators to do their jobs safely and of parents to vindicate their children's right to an education through the medium of Irish. No matter what way you cut it, this is an infringement of children's basic rights, such

public and affordable housing. Even now, that is what needs to happen if we are to have any hope of solving the dire housing crisis. That is all history, arithmetic and all the rest of it. However, at the end of the day what it all comes down … income on unaffordable rents, or people are mortgaged up to their necks. If anything goes wrong with the economy, we will find ourselves right back where we were after the crash in 2008 or 2009. If there is any wobble in the Irish economy and people are landed

thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this really important issue and giving me the opportunity to discuss it on the floor of the House. The specialist disability budget supports a range of services funded through the HSE and delivered by section 38 and section 39 organisations, as well … annual basis 97 provider organisations to provide day service supports in line with the new directions policy and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, to more than 21,000 people nationally. The provision of transport is not part of core services provided

along with many in the House, again offer my deepest condolences to Harvey Morrison Sherratt's family, his parents Gillian and Stephen, and to all those who have lost children in difficult and very challenging circumstances. I acknowledge and accept we need to do better in respect … access to timely healthcare. Optimally, every child should receive treatment and a surgical intervention when it is recommended by the clinicians at the right time. It concerns me that children are waiting much longer than they should be for surgery, particularly spinal surgery for scoliosis. The objective from

failed to take any action. It is a major crisis for this person. It is a health issue and a human rights issue. In my opinion, she has been blatantly ignored by Irish Water. Trying to contact these people is an unbelievable challenge. The Minister might … washing their hands and the school has no way of putting out a fire, should one occur. Many of the houses in the village are home to young families. Children are often unable to be bathed by their parents because there is no water. Cooking cannot be done

country faced a significant threat from Brexit. We managed to facilitate a government, and no one said we should not have the rights of an Opposition in terms of tabling questions, even though we had negotiating influence on the budgets and so on. That happened because I believe … take it as a serious responsibility. The only group that came forward and that wanted to facilitate a majority in this House was the Regional Independent Group. What this is all about

agriculture, the built environment, transport, the circular economy, the environment and adaptation. EPA figures confirm that greenhouse gas emissions are going in the right direction, showing overall reductions for the past three years. However, we know we have to go further, taking climate action faster and at scale … Ministers for Finance, Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the Environment, Climate and Communications and Transport, Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It will meet quarterly and its next meeting will take place on 7 April

trips than taking action to protect the Irish people. It was sustained pressure from Sinn Féin, including legislation that I brought before this House on 10 March, that dragged the Government into acting. It took three and a half weeks of mounting pressure on the Government to force … farmers, farm contractors and hauliers, but their demands were much broader than just their own sector. That is why they garnered support right across Irish society, despite the disruption that comes along with protests. They want direct cuts at the pumps that would help everyone. They called

Teachtaí Dála a labhair sa díospóireacht seo. It has been a worthwhile debate. I welcome the support for the motion from across the House. What is rare is wonderful. We do not see such agreement often but, when we do, it is something to celebrate. I thank … that. There are many opportunities, including in the trades, for Irish businesses to co-operate and contribute. I expect we will see that right across every spectrum of activity, with a huge opportunity to contribute. Several Deputies mentioned PhD students. I am working to increase the level

mark International Workers' Day. It is important we mark this day. Its purpose is more than just celebrating the progress made on workers' rights in the past 100 years because May Day is also when we shine a light on the continued exploitation, poverty and inequality experienced … This is partly why there has been such uproar about the outrageous almost half a million euro salary proposed for Fianna Fáil's housing maverick; a housing oligarch or a housing tsar with a Russian oligarch price tag. We might call it a "fixer-in-chief" or even

many years and yet this Bill was only published by the Government today. This was an insult, not just to TDs in this House but to the families who have campaigned and who have been working so hard on this. This should have been an opportunity to engage … have the Ministers of State priced building at the moment? It will not offer 100% redress for these families. It is only right and proper that the Government should go back to the drawing board, look into this and actually implement a scheme which has 100% redress

again thank the House for facilitating the motion and thank all the TDs who contributed. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, this proposal will enhance the ability of member and partner states to tackle crime more effectively in a rapidly evolving political, social and technological landscape. That … criminal matters, especially in the light of the digitalisation and evolving forms of crime. On some of the comments made about human rights by some of the contributors, the third additional protocol reaffirms commitments to human rights, rule of law and democratic safeguards. All co-operation remains subject

prompted by that war. LNG is one of the most carbon-intensive versions of gas that exist in the world right now. We are achieving this in the exact same legislation where we are disapplying the analysis of the climate Act to LNG infrastructure. Section 33, which … fuel infrastructure built in this country will not have basic climate analysis applied to it – climate analysis that almost all parties in this House agreed on only a couple of years ago – shows how far the Government has retreated on the issue of climate. A fundamental

Deputy in remembering the young girl who tragically lost her life at Burrow Beach. Any such loss is absolutely heartbreaking. Everybody in this House extends their thoughts to that family and community. There is more we can be doing in terms of amenities and the point the Deputy … healthier day but also that the local community, when so many visitors come in, feel the area can cope in terms of the right amenities being in place. A lot of the issues here involve different agencies and levels and involve a bit of joined-up thinking. This

part of the local authority regarding the sales process. I acknowledge that it identifies the parent Department as being the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which might have a role in directing the OPW in this matter. This is clearly an area in which the State … grasp the nettle. This is a live sale process. Theoretically, the tower could be acquired by any person who wishes to acquire it right now. It is for sale on the open market. I will certainly be engaging with Dublin City Council on foot of the reply that

will have will reduce and the cost of what it will have will increase, making it less affordable for people to actually build houses and infrastructure at a time when we need rates to be competitive. I ask the Minister of State to take that point on board … more so in the future, for abnormal loads in order to serve and make the contributions we need to infrastructure development sites right across the country

imperialist and capitalist world system we live in. It is a system that is ugly, bloody and brutal and in which might is right, profits matter for all and people matter for nothing. He has done away with the fig leaf of international law and exposed … Prime Minister of Belgium, Bart De Wever is reported as saying: Until now, we tried to appease the new president in the White House.... But now so many red lines are being crossed ... Being a happy vassal is one thing. Being a miserable slave is something else. There

carried out as a matter of urgency, allowing families to move in as soon as possible. This is in the middle of a housing crisis. This has caused huge hardship, stress and expense to these families. In another case, a woman living in Donabate contacted me regarding asbestos … septic tank and this requires huge clean-up which is extremely costly and a health and safety risk. The last flood came right up to her front door. Unfortunately, Uisce Éireann has no plans to replace the pipes, so this issue will be ongoing for some time until

want to overly agree with the Deputy in case I kill his street cred but his overall point about infrastructure delivery is right. Things are taking far too long. There are simple things we can do and intend to do. There will be proposals from Government on this … need to move in parallel. You can save a significant amount of time. We will also need to see emergency legislation in this House on the delivery of critical infrastructure. If the Government and the Opposition really want to get things moving, we should work together on that

concerns. The fact is that 74% of asylum applicants in the country at the moment are found, after appeal, not to have the right to remain. They are economic migrants. I have said to the Taoiseach previously that many of them are genuine, decent people who only want … There is an issue with an industrial policy that brings the likes of software localisation to Dublin, where there is huge pressure on house prices, when there are rural areas that could do with more children in local schools and where shopfronts and rooms above shops are lying

public’s money - will be invested. I know that this issue was raised previously and that as the legislation went through the Houses, colleagues proposed amendments which would have restricted the scheme from, for example, investing in fossil fuels or the arms industry, but these were not accepted … sums of capital. Where they choose to invest has real consequences. By directing money away from polluting industries or companies that ignore workers’ rights, pension funds can exert real pressure and help change corporate behaviour. For many years, there was growing recognition of this responsibility, with pension fund

education and the future of their children. It should never have got to the stage where mothers had to sleep outside the Houses, as we all have been saying, constantly campaigning and bringing it forward. As children go to their beds every night, their distraught parents are crying … would encourage the Minister, during her term, to make sure that this does not happen year after year and get children their right - their place to an education

acknowledges that: — the Government is committed to supporting the global multilateral system, to vocally defending international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and human rights; — in common with other partners in Europe, Ireland finds itself in an increasingly contested, dynamic and volatile international security environment, marked by violence … Defence Forces on peacekeeping missions. It is not enshrined in our Constitution. It is a legal mechanism that was agreed in this House. To deploy our peacekeepers, our troops, under these current arrangement, three things are required, namely, a UN Security Council mandate, Government or Cabinet approval

another insult and piecemeal measure. Families will save €43 with this move. In fact, the Tánaiste could not even get his figures right when he first talked about this proposal. Again, the Government has left those people high and dry. I remember the election campaign. Sinn Féin … refundable credit. The Government only increased it by €150. Not a single cent of additional capital funding was allocated for housing. I have spoken to young people and their parents about this. I have two young boys myself, one of whom is in college. I fear