Ireland and France are neighbours, not simply through geography but also centuries of shared history. I have raised this matter in parliamentary questions previously. On 31 August, I had the honour of attending the ceremony beneath the Arc de Triomphe, attended by Deputy Ward last year. A wreath was laid to honour the Irish who fought with French armies. La France se souvient de l’Irlande et l’Irlande doit aussi se souvenir de la France. France remembers Ireland and Ireland should also remember France. During our E…

I have spoken to the Minister about this before but one person who brings much of the shared history together is General Charles de Gaulle. His ancestry comes through the McCartan family from County Down. His ancestors served in the Berwick's Regiment as part of the great Wild Geese tradition. Ireland fascinated the de Gaulle family intellectually. His grandmother, Josephine Marie Anne Maillot, wrote a biography of Daniel O'Connell, which de Gaulle read as a young man. When he came to Ireland, he met Éamon de Valer…

I welcome that. As the Minister said, we have already joined that framework. We should not allow the Presidency to pass without leaving something permanent. I welcome the Minister's commitment to chase this up with the OPW. There is much connection between Ireland and France, about which I am learning more and more. For example, after the Second World War, the Irish Red Cross established hospitals in shattered Normandy towns. The 92nd Infantry Regiment of the French Army continues to carry the heritage of Irish sol…

I will always support housing and building it, but in my constituency, the communities need to be built at the same time. Belmayne and Clongriffin have been developing for 20 years, yet residents are still waiting for basic infrastructure and services to catch up, and building is continuing at pace. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that major housing delivery is matched and funded with timely delivery of community facilities, healthcare, childcare, transport and other essential services?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Is é an fhadhb ná go mbíonn daoine ag bogadh chuig na háiteanna seo, ach níl an t-infreastruchtúr iontu. People are moving into these houses now, but those things are not there. They are told the infrastructure will come five or ten years down the road, but they are in their homes right now. In Clongriffin alone, hundreds of additional apartments are coming, which is brilliant because we need apartments, but the Land Development Agency also has 408 homes under construction in phase 1,…

We need to build healthcare centres and community facilities, but that will mean very little if we cannot adequately staff the services they provide. The Land Development Agency says Clongriffin, Belmayne and the neighbouring Stapolin lands have the potential for thousands more homes. Will the Minister work across government to ensure that the planned population growth is linked directly to funding for the workforce and planning for healthcare, gardaí, childcare, libraries and community services? My ask is very str…

Táim an-bhuíoch as go leor rudaí sa Bhille seo ach tá a fhios ag gach duine sa Teach nach bhfuil sé maith go leor. Tá go leor rudaí ag tarlú ar na traenacha agus ar na busanna faoi láthair. Táim sásta go bhfuilimid tar éis an Bille seo a dhéanamh ach tá go leor rudaí eile gur féidir linn a dhéanamh. There are definitely sensible and necessary provisions here. One of the best, particularly for north Dublin, is the putting of the railway accident investigation unit on a clear statutory footing. It is very important a…

This issue has been raised and it will continue to be raised. We have all met Susan Russell and Sinead Tucker. The Department has confirmed to us that the budget has been approved. That sounds positive but the centre has still not received any money. Speaking to the parents would break your heart. The Department told me that the funding would enable the centre to remain operational while the board, Pobal and Dublin City Childcare Committee work together. However, I have again been contacted by the service, which sa…

I welcome the Minister of State's confirmation that the funding was approved on 7 September. That was sent to us. What the service is still telling us is that it is operating with minimum staff and may have to close classrooms. The outstanding question is when the money will be paid. Will the Minister of State urgently bring Pobal, Dublin City Council and Moatview together to resolve this immediately? The staff do not need another acknowledgment email. The parents are under immense stress. I welcome the statement f…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Whitmore agus leis na Daonlathaithe Sóisialta as an rún seo a chur chun tosaigh. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go mbíonn go leor cainte faoi chúrsaí fuinnimh sa Teach seo. Tá a fhios ag an Aire Stáit go bhfuil mé an-ghnóthach sa réimse seo. I understand the intention and I thank Deputy Whitmore and the Social Democrats. Bringing this to the House is what we should be doing. We need to speak about everything to do with energy and what we can be doing. I know from listening to Deputy Whitmore …

Are changes to the tax system being considered? I understand that the Tánaiste will not be announcing anything this evening, but I ask that anything relating to people with disabilities, particularly in the context of the cost of transport, energy, medical and assistive equipment, be pushed. Are additional or enhanced tax reliefs in this area under consideration? Is the Department working on anything relating respite or overnight stays for people with disabilities?

I will always push for plug-in solar. The Tánaiste sent a lovely letter to my office regarding finance and directly helping on that. We need to make it easily available for people across Ireland and do a pilot scheme for those with disabilities or those who live in rented accommodation. I appreciate the support I got from the Tánaiste's office in that letter. I recently attended the Before We Die national assembly at the Helix, which is located in my old university. That campaign asks one fundamental question, name…

I appreciate that. I look forward to next week. In respect of the budget, what the Independents and I have been pushing for is relief for those with disabilities. They need to be protected and looked after, particularly in the context of what the Before We Die campaign has highlighted. They also need to be catered for in relation to the greater context of energy and how plug-in solar, battery storage and other smarter uses of electricity can really help them. Last week, we saw people asking for a one-off energy mea…

You have to be.

I am sure the Tánaiste is aware that a recent poll in The Irish Time s is showing that nearly 90% of people are finding it hard to manage financially. I am hearing directly from families and parents across my constituency that go leor daoine are struggling with bills at home. Many of them are also being asked for voluntary contributions or to hold fundraisers just to keep the local school that their kids are attending afloat in the context of paying for heating, electricity and cleaning. I have introduced legislati…

Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Teachta Ahern for bringing this Bill forward. I agree with him about the fair question. The LEUs across our grid need to come up with solutions as to how they power themselves, how they are benefiting communities and how they are actually contributing. That is where I agree with him in the context of the Bill I brought forward, but there some parts of this Bill I will not be able to support. It is generally just the threshold and how I think the Bill might, in its current form, not onl…

Good. I look forward to working with the Deputy on my Bill. I like what the Deputy is trying to do with the Bill. What we really agree on and always will is that section 34 needs to amended. The CRU needs to be at the centre of this. As the Deputy and I know from our work on the climate and energy committee, there is a finger-pointing act going because no one wants to be responsible. Giving more powers to the CRU is something both our Bills are trying to do. I commend the Deputy on the fact that the principle is de…

I thank the Deputies for bringing this forward. I really love talking about energy and savings. Last year, the Minister of State confirmed an underspend of €120 million. I understand that since then the SEAI has been spending it. The Minister of State will have no doubt heard me talk about plug-in solar. I want to imagine how that €120 million could be used immediately for the Irish public. Let us take a ballpark figure - back-of-the-envelope stuff - of €120 million. If we could bulk buy plug-in solar systems, whic…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration pursuant to Standing Order 187.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Toole. Bíonn sí i gcónaí ag teacht isteach sa Teach seo chun solutions a thabhairt. I commend her on her work on the disability committee. I also commend the Minister of State and her staff on the Bill and the sensible measures it contains and on the work that has been done. I will always support anything that makes the process faster, clearer and more consistent for every parent and child across Ireland. There are definitely good provisions in the Bill. I commend the standardising …