Ar dtús, táim chun labhairt faoi rud éigin seachas Baile Átha Cliath Thuaidh. Tá mé ag iarraidh labhairt faoi plug-in solar in apartment builds. During the formation of Government, private wire legislation was a huge aspect of my priorities. While I was studying engineering and renewables in Dublin City University, DCU, plug-in solar was being implemented across Germany. As part of our climate action plan, plug-in solar is an easily installed quick fix to the energy crisis, especially for those in apartment dwellin…

We are losing millions every single week due to dispatch down and curtailment. At the energy committee, we are constantly pushing to future-proof our grid, long duration energy storage, LDES, and private wire legislation as something to stop this. Recently, I visited at a solar farm, which has to turn off at 12 noon due to curtailment. This needs to be brought in and fast-tracked. Speaking of climate and energy, we have seen flooding across the country. Last week, I raised the north city arterial main, NCAM, projec…

Public representatives should know it is going in.

I have a question for the Minister of State on the engagement his Department and the Office of Public Works have had with Dublin City Council in relation to flood risk in north Dublin, coastal overtopping and storm surge impacts. We all saw the devastation that occurred last week. I thank the Minister of State for the work he did in Portrane to protect houses. Houses on the Hole in the Wall beach are at risk. I would love the same scheme to be rolled out there. How will flood defence works in north Dublin be funded…

I again thank the Minister of State. To have him in the constituency I represent three times in the first nine months of the Government's term was like Christmas coming early. I thank him for that. They call me Mr. Sandman now for getting rid of the sandbags. I want to sincerely thank the Minister of State for his engagement. The two recent flooding incidents have exposed the scale and urgency of the work that is needed. The Minister of State indicated that planning was granted for flood defences. I have clarified …

I appreciate that. The Minister of State has agreed to meet Councillor Kevin Breen and other local representatives. I have attended meetings with him and the OPW. It is amazing to see what happens. If every Minister of State was like him, we would get a lot more done. I thank the Minister of State for agreeing to meet all of the other Dublin Bay North Deputies in the coming weeks to discuss Northern Cross. That is something that needs to be progressed. The work in Clontarf needs to be done immediately. We objected …

I thank the Minister of State for all his work and his engagement with Clontarf since I was elected to this House. This is a story that needs to be put on the record. I am speaking to people from across Ireland who think that Clontarf and north Dublin residents objected to a wall. We are seeing flooding across my constituency, including in Howth on one of the beaches. I welcome what has been done in Portrane and I would love it to be implemented for the houses that are now at risk at the Hole in the Wall beach. Bac…

I do not know as much about the Mercosur deal as my colleagues in the regional group but the facts are that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the regional independents gave a commitment in the programme for Government to reject the deal in its current form and to work with like-minded governments. To get back to Dublin, I want to speak about the Clontarf area and the north city arterial main, a major semi-State project. We all saw in The Irish Times last week that there is huge confusion because the Baldoyle Road is to be…

Flood defences.

I join Deputy Ward in offering condolences following the recent incident in Dublin. I would also like to stress to the public not to be sharing incidents like this online and to allow everyone to investigate it. I thank first responders, An Garda Síochána, the ambulance service and the Order of Malta from Fairview and Marino, who I have in with me today. I thank them for all they do, for how they help the communities and how they serve the communities in these situations. Regarding road safety, every conversation h…

I thank social workers and all the people working in the industry. The amendments to the Bill build on calls from Members of this House over several years. I welcome the work put into it. Also on a positive note, the changes to improve Tusla and childcare across the system are welcome. Foster parents who take children into their home have to be commended. To show someone love and give someone support is very honourable. The parts of the Bill strengthening regulation and oversight are admirable as well. There have b…

Ó toghadh chun an Tí seo mé, bím i gcónaí ag caint faoi oideachas, go háirithe oideachas i mBaile Átha Cliath thuaidh. Mar is eol don Aire Stáit, bím i gcónaí ag labhairt faoi Stapolin Educate Together National School, ETNS, Gaelcholáiste Reachrainn agus Killester Raheny Clontarf, KRC, ETNS. Troidim ar son na scoileanna sin. I am always fighting for education and today I want to raise another school, which is St. Joseph's primary school. This is a small senior boys school which has been failed by how our DEIS and d…

I really appreciate the work and I also appreciate the work with Stapolin and everything else in the area, with the Killester, Raheny, Clontarf, KRC, secondary school campaign and Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. In the Minister of State's words, the designation of neighbouring schools as having different DEIS status does not mean that there is no educational disadvantage present in one school. It means that the concentrated levels of educational disadvantage of the two schools are different. From speaking to the Minister …

Is mian liom ceist a chur ar an Taoiseach maidir le rud faoina raibh mé ag caint le duine ó mo Dháilcheantar i Marino, Mick Finnegan. It is to do with the Geoffrey Shannon report into historical child sexual abuse in St. John Ambulance Ireland. The survivors, including Mick Finnegan, have contacted me about not only the lack of progress but the lack of basic communication from the Department of children. Many feel they have been left out completely and some say their efforts to secure a meeting have not been acknow…

I welcome the Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan. We need to act to ensure the delivery of housing and other infrastructure. I thank the Minister for his engagement on private wires, which is a huge priority for me. It is all about delivery for the people of Ireland. The cost problem at the moment, especially when it comes to the electricity grid, is really hitting families in north Dublin. We talk all the time about high electricity prices, rents and construction costs. I am fed up with words. Ther…

I want to start by clearly saying what I was elected on in the election a year ago. I was one of the only TDs to have immigration on my leaflet, which the people of north Dublin elected me on. I was elected on a belief that immigration must be handled in a dignified and proactive way based on dialogue between communities and Government. Since sitting in the Chamber and in my office, I have heard many Deputies speak about the previous Government and how the Department was not engaging with local representatives, TDs…

I really welcome Sinn Féin bringing this motion forward. I welcome the fact the Government is not opposing it. I thank Deputy Cullinane and Deputy Sorca Clarke for their calls for reform. This morning, I spoke at an event for Movember. I was not invited there just because I have a moustache. Before I got involved in politics, when I was shouting from the outside of this House during lockdown, I ran an event for Movember called Movement for Mental Health. It was when we were in those confined areas. I was trying to …

Anocht, ba mhaith liom ceist a chur ar an Aire on phase 2 of the Stardust redress scheme for survivors. This is an ongoing saga between the Department of justice and survivors who have waited more than 40 years for justice. Will the Minister please outline the current stage of the phase 2 assessment, the remaining steps, when the proposal will go to Cabinet and what form of redress the survivors can expect? When will the payments begin?

I welcome phase 1 and the work done by the previous Government. It is now on to this Government and the Minister’s Department. The core issue is that the commitment made to survivors has not been honoured, in their opinion. I know from speaking to some of the survivors in my constituency that people were told that phase 2 was progressing and that proposals were imminent. However, the engagement has not been continuing with the solicitors involved. Can the Minister explain exactly what is delaying the process? Is it…

I welcome that. I understand phase 2 is not just about redress; it is practical and financial and long overdue. I appreciate that the Minister cannot give a specific timeline but I welcome that he will bring forward proposals on this. The survivors and their families were looking for a timeframe for when the payments will commence and what will be developed. I again thank Antoinette Keegan for working with me and my office and for speaking to me in her home. I saw at first hand how it still haunts her to this day. …