The Deputy has made it very clear from the outset and set the precedent on day one of this Dáil. Total disruption, total opposition. She said before the Dáil even convened that there would be total opposition. In the Sinn Féin tradition, I know what that means.
Sentiment score: 0.02
I know what that means. You have form in this. I say to the Deputy that she showed a complete lack of respect yesterday for the Ceann Comhairle, her party did and she did, in terms of the behaviour in the House. It is going to be very difficult for any Ceann Comhairle in future Dáileanna. The next Dáil will have the same problem because you have now created a new precedent. I regret that.
Sentiment score: -0.08
We are now in a new position where, if you successfully barrack down and intimidate people enough, you will try to get your way.
Sentiment score: 0.34
We cannot allow that to happen. The Government side is not going to allow that to happen.
Sentiment score: -0.17
I genuinely believe that what you have done yesterday and since day one of this Dáil when you did not want the constitutional obligation of the Dáil fulfilled-----
Sentiment score: -0.06
---you have set the tone for how this Dáil is going to go.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Yes, it is a very serious issue. It will be profound if it is not satisfactorily resolved by dialogue. A trade war would have a very serious impact on GDP and GNI, in other words, the income of the nation. It could potentially have a serious impact on employment. It is the most serious challenge facing this Government. We had a number of meetings on Monday in respect of it, the Tánaiste and I with the Minister for Finance and the Minister for public expenditure, in terms of the various scenarios that could unfold. I have engaged with a number of companies, as have the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance, and with our State agencies. We are working through this. It is very serious and will dwarf anything we have been discussing here in the past 48 hours. Given the profound nature of what could happen, it really is a huge reflection on the Dáil that we are having major rows about eight minutes and so on.
Sentiment score: 0.03
Deputy Bacik got the briefing yesterday. It is ongoing. The contacts with Commissioner Šefčovič, the President of the Commission and the US Administration are ongoing.
Sentiment score: 0.00
First I would ask that there would not be industrial action. We have 28,500 more staff working in the health system now than there were at the beginning of 2020. That is an increase of about 24% in staffing levels within the health service. I acknowledge that population growth has been significant but by any yardstick there has been consistent, huge and increased investment in our health service across the board. That is manifested in thousands more nurses and midwives, more health and social care professionals, more doctors and dentists. There will be a further increase in staff in 2025, in the thousands, in our health service. However, we also have to look and reflect to make sure we are getting value and that we are deploying and utilising all resources to the optimal degree. In the context of exponential growth in expenditure on health, the industrial action cannot be sustained, in my view.
Sentiment score: 0.38
I remember when former Deputy Mick Barry, Deputy Murphy's colleague, was first elected to the House he said on his first day that there is a saying in France to the effect that you must bring the politics of the street into the Parliament. That has always been Deputy Murphy's view.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Exactly. He does not agree with parliamentary institutions.
Sentiment score: -0.14
It is no surprise to me that he would threaten more mayhem and chaos next week because that is what he does. In terms of the Order of Business, we have had a charade for quite a long time whereby the Business Committee meets for a lengthy period-----
Sentiment score: -0.38
-----and an Order of Business is allegedly agreed. We then come in here, and people stand up and sit down and say they do not agree the Order of Business. Sometimes we lose ten or 15 minutes when other Deputies could have the opportunity to raise issues specific to their constituencies or that they are concerned about.
Sentiment score: 0.01
No. We are allowing Deputies to have a greater say and not to be dominated by yourself and others, who tend to dominate and take ten minutes of other people's time every time they oppose, sometimes for superficial reasons-----
Sentiment score: -0.02
In respect of Leaders' Questions, no party here is in any way losing anything.
Sentiment score: 0.25
Some parties have gained more and will have more time on Leaders' Questions. I would favour Friday sittings for legislation because I do not think Government time is enough in terms of-----
Sentiment score: 0.54
-----getting legislation through. We are a legislative Chamber; not just a debating Chamber. If the Dáil wants to sit longer, I have no issue with that at all.
Sentiment score: -0.10
I agree with the Deputy. This needs to be urgently reviewed. I will ask the Minister involved to do that. Chronological age does not determine a person's health and fitness, in particular in a modern era where, thankfully, the population is living longer and lifespan is increasing. There are huge issues around having enough drivers for school transport. Our systems need to be far more agile and nimble in facilitating the recruitment of drivers, in particular for the school run which is not overly taxing. The Deputy has laid out the position very well. I will speak to the Minister to see if he can engage with the relevant agencies. I believe the Road Safety Authority, RSA, has an issue with this. There may be insurance issues and so on. I will certainly pursue the matter on behalf of the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.25
The Government is very supportive of the motorway. I understand it has gone through the various planning stages. There will be a further review of the national development plan and I expect the project will be included in that. As the Deputy knows, the project has gone through route selection and so forth. It is something that people eagerly await. We have seen the transformative impact that bypasses have had on towns like Ballyvourney and Macroom. Bypasses can free towns from pollution and congestion and also bring strong economic connections between areas. The M20 will have a transformative impact in terms of the Limerick-Cork nexus and economic development that could arise from greater and faster connectivity.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I know he perhaps did not want to identify the plight of a young boy. I will certainly speak to the Minister for Health to see what we can do. I understand there should be a CAMHS-ID team available. I will follow up on the matter and see what we can do to help.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I agree with what the Deputy said regarding how the Ceann Comhairle was treated yesterday. We have invested significantly in national roads funding. I take on board what the Deputy said. As I say, the national development plan gives us an opportunity to review and refresh these proposals. We have invested heavily in the national road network but, obviously, we need to do more. The Department of Transport has allocated approximately €2.7 billion since 2020. Many projects are at different stages of progress. We will certainly do everything we can to respond to the issue the Deputy has raised.
Sentiment score: 0.19
As I said earlier, the Government will update the national development plan. We hope to have that ready by July and roads will be a part of it. We are conscious of the serious congestion issues and delays for people on the N11. We will also be investing in public transport, which is very important for the future sustainability of transport. There will be a parallel approach comprising roads, public transport and active travel.
Sentiment score: 0.25
There are established and well-tried industrial relations procedures to deal with any disputes that arise, particularly in our health service. As I said, there has been a significant increase in healthcare staff in recent years, higher than any comparable period before 2020. For any new health facility, there will be engagement on the staffing arrangements for the new facility. That is not new in the context of other facilities that have been opened in the past. There will have to be a correct deployment in terms of numbers and so on to ensure not only the standard of the physical attributes, if you like, of the new hospital, which will be state of the art when completed, but also to ensure a sufficiency of human capital, the people working there, the doctors, nurses, social and healthcare professionals, and all the other staff who work in the hospital. I am sure that will be worked out between the different bodies and agencies.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I absolutely reject the Deputy's assertions. What has happened with the Order of Business is to keep 30 minutes for Deputies, and to not have it for Questions on Policy or Legislation or to not have it as a second round of Leaders' Questions, which had become the practice for certain Deputies in the House. Questions on Policy or Legislation is much better now, in particular for backbenchers from all sides of the House, as per the new Standing Order. I ask the Deputy not to misrepresent the situation. Just because others in her milieu keep on saying something does not make it true. On the commitment of the former Government Chief Whip, there were 20 hours of discussions. Nothing was rammed through.
Sentiment score: 0.04
There was a lot of discussion at the Dáil reform committee on the issue. I believe that certain elements of the Opposition did not want this situation to be resolved because it did not suit the agenda, which is to take a wrecking ball to the procedures of Leinster House and Dáil Éireann.
Sentiment score: 0.19
In the two months of this Government, we have allocated close to an additional €800 million in public funding, much of it to the approved housing bodies. That is what we have done. We will continue to look at ways to provide more housing.
Sentiment score: 0.14
We came forward with the help to buy scheme and the first home scheme, now called the bridge the gap scheme, which the Deputy opposed. That is helping a lot of first-time buyers. I accept that prices are too high and I accept that until we get more supply, we will not get into a position where we can moderate house prices. We need more supply. That is the key but the supply will have to be provided through State intervention but also through private sector investment. It is not either-or. I think the Deputy's position is that it is either public or nothing.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I think it has to be both.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I accept what the Deputy is saying. There is a fundamental issue with the urban landscape, and with high streets in particular. The world has changed and that needs to be taken on board in the modern planning of towns and cities. We need more residential in our towns and cities. I believe there is a future for retail but it will be a different kind of retail than the multi-stores we had in city and town centres in the past. Town and city planners perhaps need to engage more proactively on this. From a Government perspective we want to develop initiatives that would incentivise more residential and public realm investments, which some towns have been doing through rural development funds or the URDF. That is where we have to go.
Sentiment score: 0.10
What has happened in the past is there was a modification for those terminally ill. I know that is not a great message either in terms of allocation of medical cards. I think Government is sympathetic but then it would have to apply to all. There are different forms of illness, like motor neurone, dementia, chronic cardiovascular disease and others. The principle advanced so far on the ground is that every case should be assessed, and that flexibility and adaptability should be there. It should not just be through the income threshold prism but also through medical information and so on, in order that people can get access to the medical card. I fully accept what the Deputy is saying about additional costs. We are investing heavily in cancer centres across the country. For the first time ever, Cancer Connect is getting funding. That all helps patients, irrespective of income. That is the first time that has happened, and I insisted in the last Government with the then Minister, Stephen Donnelly, that we would for the first time create permanent funding for a lot of cancer centres. I praise the Irish Cancer Society for the work it does in advocacy and service provision.
Sentiment score: -0.12
I thank the Deputy for raising the case. It has been a traumatic experience for the family and that continues to the present day. Will the Deputy send me the details? Generally speaking, in terms of maternal and infant mortality there are issues we need to be constantly vigilant about. There have been a number of cases. I will not say they are ongoing but there is no question but that issues have arisen from time to time. We need to be open and transparent about that to make sure we can ensure better care into the future.
Sentiment score: 0.07
The official record is the official record.
Sentiment score: 0.00
It has not been voted on.
Sentiment score: 0.00