I thank the Members of the Labour Party for bringing forward such an important motion. I thank the Minister of State for his opening statement, which is comprehensive, but it is unfortunate to see the Government amendment and what is contained in it. We have spent a considerable amount of time speaking about this since the TV programmes aired and the experiences highlighted. Profit can never be the guiding principle for care. If we use that as a starting point when we discuss reform, we will all start to see we agr…

I will open with the words of Professor Joseph Travers, who wrote about inclusive pedagogy in Ireland in 2023. He says: Given the exponential growth in special classes and the increase in special schools since Ireland’s ratification of the UNCRPD, a contradiction ... is apparent, which calls for a more radical appraisal of the purpose and role of these classes and schools. He continues: ... we need to envisage a future where all children can attend their local mainstream schools. This may entail creative responses …

I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to be here this evening. I am really grateful for the opportunity to raise the very important issue of suicide prevention. I am raising it from a place of concern and from a place of care - care for anyone who is grieving the loss of a partner, a family member or a friend and care for everyone who has dedicated their professional life to contributing to better outcomes when it comes to suicide and mental health in Ireland. The most recent statistics available to us …

I want to reiterate my thanks to the Minister of State for taking this tonight. I really do appreciate it and I ask that she pass on my thanks to the Minister of State for such a considered reply. I do not doubt for a second the sincerity with which the Ministers of State are approaching this at all. I hope she can hear that I am not here to critique Government policy on this issue whatever but rather to take the opportunity to highlight it specifically when it comes to men and young men in Ireland. I completely ac…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Erin McGreehan - To discuss the use of Louth County Hospital in Dundalk as a surgical hub for the north east. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the long-awaited ban on pair trawling. Deputy Catherine Ardagh - To discuss the need for all special schools to accept children at different levels on the autism spectrum. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss…

We do not have written responses for the first two Topical Issues. I am sure we will have them provided as soon as possible afterwards.

Absolutely.

The Government's redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes is discriminatory and unjust. That is not my assessment; it is the view of the special advocate for survivors, who has examined the scheme. In her report, Patricia Carey says the scheme has caused anger and distress, retraumatised some survivors and created a hierarchy of suffering. This is all down to a deliberate decision of the previous Government, of which the Minister was a part, to exclude tens of thousands of survivors from redress. Among…

Does this Government intend to act on the special advocate's report?

I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing forward this motion. It is certainly a motion that my party and I are very much looking forward to supporting. One of the starkest differences between Ireland and other European countries is our poor public transport system. Under successive Governments, one abandoned or delayed public transport plan has followed another. The Minister will agree that transport policy has generationally focused on moving cars in Ireland instead of moving people. My experience as a public represen…

The Taoiseach has said that a key issue for him in the budget will be child poverty. I agree with the focus, but his words ring very hollow because we have heard all this before. The previous Government made reducing child poverty a priority. What has happened since? The number of children living in consistent poverty has nearly doubled to more than 100,000 in 2024. That is not a blip. Nearly 5,000 children are now homeless and living in emergency accommodation. That so many children are being failed and left behin…

I thank the Minister of State for his opening remarks. What has concerned me and many others since the airing of this damning and tragic show is that when I speak to those who are working in the sector, and when we speak to families, what I consistently hear is that this is the tip of the iceberg. The fear that is out there in the sector, among the staff and families, is about what we do not know. What is left to be found out about this? It is of real concern and the Minister of State knows this; he does not need m…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Joanna Byrne - To discuss the inclusion of a school (details supplied) in Drogheda in the pathfinder programme for retrofit upgrades. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss provisions for footpath and road improvement works in Cahersiveen town on the N70 Ring of Kerry route. Deputy James Geoghegan - To discuss expanding the access and inclusion model, AIM,…

I thank the Deputy.

Time is up.

As a spokesperson on children for the Social Democrats I will begin by bearing in mind the 50,000 children and young people who have been killed or injured in this genocide since 2023. To quote UNICEF, "The children of Gaza need protection. They need food, water, and medicine. They need a ceasefire. But more than anything, they need immediate, collective action to stop this once and for all." A total of 1.7 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance. Rates of malnutrition continue to rise among the chi…

What is going on in the Department of public expenditure? More aptly, should we be calling it the Department of public mis-expenditure at this stage? That is what we all want to know, because the Department is in charge of tens of billions of euro and now we learn that its own HR agency cannot do its sums right. Senior civil servants and Ministers, current and former, were overpaid huge sums of money. We are told that one retired civil servant owes €280,000 because their pension was undertaxed. How can the Departme…

So far this Government has said that housing will be its number one priority but it appears that its members are not even talking to each other and continue to think up housing policy on the fly. It cannot even get its story straight on today’s announcement about rent pressure zone reform. So far, we have seen thinking-out-loud policy briefing about sheds in gardens; a housing czar that no one wants, including prospective candidates; record homelessness; abandoning the tenant in situ scheme; and commencement and co…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Ciarán Ahern - To discuss water infrastructure in Knocklyon, south Dublin. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss plans has for surplus lands/buildings at the former St. Finan's campus, Killarney, County Kerry. Deputy John Brady - To discuss the development of the Greystones Media Campus, which is partly funded by the Strategic Investment Fund. Deputy Bria…

After the Government was formed, the new Department of Education and Youth brought youth over from what was a very busy Department. In the main, this was met with positive feedback from youth workers on the ground. As the Taoiseach knows, youth and youth affairs have transitioned between many Departments over the years. Let us hope that its new home becomes something of a permanent move. The Taoiseach will agree that youth workers are doing incredibly important work in our communities for young people, be that in t…