The Deputy is right to highlight housing, which is the biggest domestic challenge we face. There are many young people, both here in Ireland and Irish young people abroad, who want to see and need to see more progress made on housing. I would point out some progress has been made. The Deputy quotes headline figures which are perfectly acceptable to quote. However, of course we have put in place a number of schemes like help to buy and the first home scheme that make a real meaningful difference in the amount of money that somebody actually has to come up with versus the headline price. However, let me be clear, we have to do a lot more. Between now and July we will deliver a new housing action plan. I say the word "action" because we do not need to big, long, wishy-washy document. We need clear actions outlining who will be responsible and when they will be delivered. We also have a chance, through the national development plan review, to invest a lot more in the enablers to scale up housing particularly regarding water, wastewater and energy.
Sentiment score: 0.43
I join the Deputy in absolutely condemning Hamas and Hezbollah, which offer no future positivity to the people of Palestine. That is not just my view on that; the President of the Palestinian Authority has been clear that the future of Gaza needs to be a Hamas-free future. I am also Minister for Defence. I have seen the utter destruction and death Hezbollah can bring to members of the Irish Defence Forces, and I think of Private Seán Rooney. I am conscious with regard to the British Government, recognising the separation that exists between governments and criminal justice systems and not wanting to say anything that cuts across a criminal justice system in another country, but I am very clear that the absolute focus of the entire world in the here and now needs to be on the depravation and starvation and war crimes being committed in Gaza.
Sentiment score: 0.03
I agree with the Deputy in many ways on the description she has given of the horrific situation in Gaza, but the reason that is happening is not because we have not passed the occupied territories Bill; it is because Benjamin Netanyahu's Government is engaging in war crimes, and it needs to stop. It needs to stop right now; it needs to stop today. The aid, including aid funded by Irish taxpayers, needs to get into Gaza. I am meeting Senator Black today for a follow-up meeting on the occupied territories Bill. I find her to be a very sincere person who just wants to get progress here and is not precious, for want of a better word, with regard to who brings the Bill forward. I do want a Bill that is legally robust. I do not want a Bill that makes us think we are doing something but falls at the first challenge. I do not have a policy difference, by the way, with anybody in this House who wants to include services and goods. I do have a legal difference, but I am happy to tease that out with people. I am also happy to be proven wrong on it, but I do need to tease that through as well.
Sentiment score: 0.04
I thank Deputy O'Flynn for raising this matter. I assure him that there are structures in place between our Department of Justice and the Home Office in the United Kingdom in terms of the monitoring of the integrity of the common travel area. Obviously, we do not overly discuss all of those matters publicly for obvious reasons, but I can assure the Deputy that there are very good links at official level. I would also say more broadly that the decision taken this week by the UK Government and the EU to have closer co-operation can only be a positive in terms of working together on issues that clearly are global and bigger than any country's borders. We do, therefore, work very closely in this regard. We also have an obligation in terms of our own rules, making sure there is more efficient administration so that, regardless of how people enter our country or seek to enter the country, they get a quicker "Yes" or "No" answer as to whether they have a legal right to be here. That is a very important part of the integrity of our migration system.
Sentiment score: 0.59
I thank Deputy Ó Muirí very much for raising this issue. He is right; the rationale, for better or worse, is around state aid rules. They are intended to ensure that subsidies provided by member states operate in accordance with the same basic rule book and, in the context, grants provided under the Common Agricultural Policy are intended to support farming activity. There is a view as to whether this ends up being a double investment. If we come up from the weeds, though, the broader point the Deputy is making is right. There is a climate emergency - of that there is no doubt - and we need to be coming forward with practical ways to help people, particularly farmers, who are well up for this by the way, to make a positive difference. I will certainly engage with my colleague, the Minister for agriculture, and more broadly with European colleagues on this issue.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I thank the Deputy for raising an issue that is very real and comes up quite a lot across the country. I will ask the Minister for Health to respond to her on her plans, if the Deputy wants to provide her with examples of some of the issues she referenced in her constituency. We are very committed to increasing the number of training places for GPs. We have already begun that work and the trajectory will continue and accelerate. We have engaged with GPs on a number of occasions in recent years on their contract in order to make the services they are providing more viable. We are continuing with that work. The Deputy referred to deprived or underresourced areas in terms of GPs. The HSE has the ability to hire salaried GPs in that case. There are some examples of that already in this city. We are keen to provide that more. There is often an inverse relationship between where the health need is most required and where the number of GPs are populated. I will ask the Minister for Health to come back to the Deputy with more information on that.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I thank Deputy Connolly, who makes a very compelling case. Any transport strategy will have to be multifaceted, as the Deputy correctly said. I will not cut across the decisions pending in An Bord Pleanála on the N6 and I know the importance of that in Galway. Regardless of what decision is made, there will still be a requirement to do more on the public transport network. We are very proud of the all-island rail review and we want to make progress on that, as well as other areas, over the lifetime of the Government. In light of the Deputy's representation today, I will speak to the Minister for Transport and ask that he convey his views to the NTA and come back to him directly.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I thank my colleague, Deputy Noel McCarthy, for raising this important issue. I can only imagine the degree of frustration being felt by his constituents in Ballyhooly, which he is giving voice to today. I am due to meet Uisce Éireann tomorrow and I will raise this issue with its representatives and come back to Deputy McCarthy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I thank Deputy Daly. I have known the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to be described in many ways, but "silent" is a new one on me. I will ask him to engage directly with the Deputy. I have heard about the challenge this has created, the impact it is having on the livelihoods of people and the vacuum or lack of clarity on the position. On foot of the Deputy raising this issue today, I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to contact him directly to discuss the matter.
Sentiment score: 0.26
I thank Deputy Healy for raising this matter. I know from what he said the stressful impact the situation is having on people who require eye care services in south Tipperary. I have been assured of two things. One is that the HSE is actively trying to fill the post. I take the point the Deputy made about the gap between someone who gives due notice of retirement and filling a vacancy. I understand the HSE is actively trying to fill the vacancy. I have also been informed that there are no plans to withdraw the service from the Deputy's area. I will ask the Minister for Health to come back to him directly. I am assured the HSE is eager to fill the vacancy and get the service back up and running.
Sentiment score: 0.19
We do not just provide words; we provide a significant amount of money, including through UNRWA, to the Palestinian Authority and in aid. We do not just say words. We have joined with South Africa on a case in the International Court of Justice on the genocide convention. We have worked to try to build a majority at the European Union, which now exists, in terms of the association agreement. The Deputy is correct regarding sanctions taken against Russia which have not been taken against Israel. I would point out that those sanctions have been taken at an EU level.
Sentiment score: 0.22
We are working at an EU level because that is how sanctions are introduced. I do not disagree with the Deputy's analysis of the situation, but Ireland is taking practical actions and doing everything we possibly can.
Sentiment score: 0.08
We are doing everything we can do.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank Deputy McAuliffe. He raises an interesting and fair point, and it is one that comes up quite a lot. I will certainly commit to engaging with the Minister for Justice on this. We are going through a period of reform in the passport service. Many challenges that used to exist, including delays in getting passports, are, thankfully, gone. Many people are pleasantly shocked at how quickly their passport arrives. I accept that as we move through reform this is an interesting point. Integrity and child protection are issues that Deputy McAuliffe and I value but is there a better or more efficient way to do this? Not all Garda stations are open at every time of the day. I accept there are real challenges. I will talk to the Minister for Justice and the Passport Office and I am happy to meet Deputy McAuliffe on this to see what we can do.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I thank Deputy Neville for raising this matter. He is right that it is a major priority for us in government. In the programme for Government we have outlined 21 specific commitments on childcare. My constituency in Wicklow it is not too dissimilar to Deputy Neville's constituency in Kildare in terms of a very fast-growing population of people. They are pleased to see the reduction we have made in childcare fees but they want a place. The reduction in the fees only matters if they can get a place. We do need to look at what more we can do. Each of the three areas referenced by Deputy Neville are areas to which the Minister is giving consideration. The Minister for Education and Youth and I discussed at the most recent Cabinet committee how we can use education campuses more broadly in terms of utilising State buildings and State land, and what we can do on the guidelines to make it easier when housing estates are built. Many housing estates are built with a crèche or childcare facility but many childcare providers find the upfront costs they need to pay far too high. We are very clear in the programme for Government that there are parts of the country where we need to have State-backed public provision. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is working on an action plan on childcare, which I expect to be published in the coming months.
Sentiment score: 0.16
I thank Deputy Carthy for raising this matter, and for providing me with the figures, which do seem quite extraordinary in terms of the amount of plastic being collected under the scheme that then has to be shipped out of the country. I do not profess to be an expert on the detail of this but I will ask the Minister for the environment to look at the specific issue raised by Deputy Carthy to see whether we can do more to build up capacity in this country.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I know but I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to come back to Deputy Carthy on it.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank Deputy Lawless for raising what is clearly is a very important issue. I am pleased to tell him there is a proposed public health nicotine inhaling products Bill which will contain a range of measures to reduce youth use of nicotine inhaling products such as vapes, a ban on point-of-sale displays and advertising, a ban on devices resembling toys and games, restrictions on flavours for sale, requirements for only basic flavour names to be used, and a complete ban on disposable vapes. Specifically on the HHC element raised by Deputy Lawless, I may ask in the context of the points he has made that the Minister and the Chief Medical Officer give us a view on it, and Deputy Lawless will have a chance as the legislation progresses to pursue it.
Sentiment score: 0.05
I thank Deputy McGrath. I did indeed meet Mrs. O'Dwyer and others in Clonmel and I share Deputy McGrath's view of meeting good decent people. I do not have the information available to me here but I will ask either the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, or the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to come back to Deputy McGrath directly on this issue in Dundrum.
Sentiment score: 0.33