I welcome the publication of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025. I have listened to some of the Opposition speakers about it and wanting a longer time to discuss it but, in essence, this Bill is about extending the existing permissions and we should not want to take longer to do such a thing because if those permissions expire, it will be the same people who are objecting to the amendment Bill who will also condemn the Government. It is important for us to keep a focus on that. This is a practical a…

Like many colleagues in the House, I rise today with a heavy heart. The situation in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, is an ongoing humanitarian disaster that demands our attention, our compassion and, critically, our action. Let me begin by recalling the horrific events of 7 October, the appalling attacks and murders of innocent people. I reiterate what the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have said: all hostages must be released unconditionally and without delay. Their prolonged captivity serves onl…

I welcome the opportunity to support the motion before us to renew the provisions of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 for a further 12 months. These are exceptional measures but also necessary measures designed not to restrict freedoms but to protect lives. The core purpose of this legislation is to give An Garda Síochána and the justice system the tools necessary to deal with a persistent and evolving threat: the threat of terrorism and …

In recent weeks, distressing footage from "RTÉ Investigates" and "Prime Time" has brought into stark relief the vulnerability of many older people in residential care. What we saw was not just a breach of trust; it was a breach of decency. We must acknowledge that the vast majority of front-line staff in our nursing homes and community services do remarkable work. They care for our parents, grandparents and neighbours with compassion and dignity, often under huge pressure and without sufficient resources. However, …

I welcome the opportunity to examine the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025. I thank the Minister for bringing it before the House. This is a decisive Bill that extends rent pressure zones to every county, something that Members from all sides of the House sought. It reflects the Government's commitment to renters, to stability and fairness and to delivering real protections in an often volatile housing market. At its core, the Bill will ensure that all tenants in Ireland, whether in Donegal, Dublin, Dún L…

Housing remains one of the defining issues of our generation. If we are serious about solving it, we must deal in facts, not sound bites as some in the Opposition have done and are focused on. Let us start with where we are now. Housing supply has increased significantly since Fianna Fáil re-entered government in 2020. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, completions were 29,644, 32,525 and 30,330 units, respectively. Almost 92,500 homes have been built for people in the past three years, the highest level since 2008. Over 5,90…

I begin by welcoming the apology offered by the Minister for Justice, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, to the family of Shane O’Farrell. It is a necessary and appropriate step, an acknowledgement of the profound and preventable failures that led to Shane’s death and of the deep hurt and sense of injustice his family have carried for over a decade. I echo the apology and send my heartfelt sympathies to the O’Farrell family on the tragic and avoidable loss of their beloved son and brother, Shane. What happened to Shane should…

I join my colleague in formally congratulating the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, on his new portfolio. Deputy Crowe failed to mention the waterways to which the Minister of State takes in his spare time. Biodiversity Week gives us a moment to reflect not only on the wonder of Ireland's natural heritage but also on the scale of the challenge we face in restoring and protecting it. I acknowledge the tremendous progress made in recent years. Since 2020, we have increased National Parks and Wildlife Service fun…

At the outset, I welcome this debate and thank colleagues across the House for their contributions. It is clear we are united by a common concern for children with additional needs and their families, who deserve timely assessments and tailored supports. Far too many people are waiting far too long. No one here today can ignore the facts. There are over 15,290 overdue assessments, a figure that represents children, families and futures being left in limbo. Applications have more than doubled since 2020, rising to o…

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. I look forward to chairing the Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The committee will begin its work shortly and I look forward to working with the Taoiseach and with colleagues from across the House in advancing the spirit and the commitments of the agreement. Will the Taoiseach elaborate on how the Cabinet committee is progressing cross-Border ministerial co-operation? I am particularly interested in hearing about recent or planned work on cross-Borde…

Last October the then Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Deputy Micheál Martin, approved the berthing of the newly refurbished and purchased inshore patrol vessels, the LÉ Aoibhinn and the LÉ Gobnait, at Dún Laoghaire Harbour. Will the Tánaiste update the House on the timeline for these vessels being fully commissioned and fully operational, and the current status on discussions between his Department and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council regarding the berthing and their long-term presence in the harbour?

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. The strategic positioning of those inland patrol vessels in Dún Laoghaire would allow for increased patrol and coverage, particularly along the eastern and south-eastern coast, and would help address the ongoing pressures the Naval Service is experiencing. I raised this matter consistently in the last Dáil with the Tánaiste's predecessors. Until the former flagship, the LÉ Eithne was decommissioned it had been twinned with Dún Laoghaire throughout her long and distinguished caree…

I thank the Tánaiste for his response. Will the items we discussed today, namely, the commissioning, operational timelines, berthing arrangements and twinning with Dún Laoghaire, be actively considered? Will his officials engage directly with me on the next steps? I express my own gratitude to the men and women of our Defence Forces for their continued service and bravery, both at home and abroad. Given today is the 75th anniversary for our Civil Defence, I congratulate it on its service here in Ireland.

I welcome the opportunity to address the profoundly disturbing findings of the HIQA report published on 8 April 2025 into Children's Health Ireland, CHI. The revelation of governance and clinical failures at CHI, particularly at Temple Street hospital, is beyond comprehension and demands our urgent attention. We have learned that extremely vulnerable children were subjected to unapproved and dangerous surgical practices. It is our duty, on behalf of those children and their families, to ensure accountability for wh…

I will speak about the issue that flows through every aspect of our daily lives, that is, our water infrastructure. Water is not just a utility. It is a cornerstone of public health, economic growth, environmental protection and housing development. Yet, across our capital, including in my constituency of Dún Laoghaire and in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area, the very system we rely on is under growing strain, as the Minister has alluded to. Let us begin with the reality that 1.7 million people in the greater Dublin…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the imposition of US tariffs on Ireland and the European Union. I will echo the Taoiseach. There is no justification for the imposition of these tariffs, none whatsoever. What we are witnessing is not simply a policy misstep, it is a backwards step. These tariffs will hurt businesses, workers and families on both sides of the Atlantic. My constituency of Dún Laoghaire is home to high-value exporters from fintech to pharmaceutical innovators who ship directly to the United States…

The Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act 2024 makes it clear that grooming children into criminality is not just morally reprehensible, it is also illegal and punishable by law. This sends a strong message to gangs operating in Dublin and elsewhere that their days of hiding behind children with impunity are over. Just as we demand accountability, we are modernising how we monitor impact. Through strategic partnership with the University of Limerick and reforms to the Children Act under…

At a time Ireland faces significant challenges that demand leadership, stability and vision, it is disgraceful that the Opposition has chosen the path of political theatrics over substantive solutions. The Opposition's motion is nothing more than a political stunt aimed at undermining the Government rather than addressing the real challenges that lie ahead. Its behaviour last week was outrageous, involving bullying and intimidating the Ceann Comhairle along with the Oireachtas staff in this Chamber when they did no…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension) Bill 2025. The Bill represents an essential and long-overdue step in ensuring fairness and equality in our social welfare system. Fianna Fáil welcomes the Bill, which arises as a direct response to the Supreme Court ruling that recognised the exclusion of cohabiting partners from the widow's, widower's and surviving civil partner's contributory pension as unconstitutional. This decision was based on the fundamental principle of equ…

Retrospectively.