This is an absolute joke.

Communication was not the problem; it was the Minister's decision.

Hear, hear.

I was first elected to Waterford City and County Council back in 2004. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself that it has been 22 years since I was first elected to the council. I learned a very harsh lesson very quickly in the first number of weeks I was elected. In the biggest working-class housing estate in the ward I represented in Waterford city, there was a plan to put in place a service in a house right in the middle of the estate by an organisation that supported people with drug and addiction problems. There wa…

Hear, hear.

It is-----

You are right about that.

The Government made a mess of this. Why does the Taoiseach not admit it?

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

If you tried to create a housing crisis, you could not do a better job than this Government is doing. It has allowed investor funds to come in and purchase family homes - ordinary homes - from under the feet of families who need them. Big corporations and big multinationals are coming in to make money while families are looking for a roof over their heads and for their own homes. The Government has created a situation where house prices have increased by 50% in the last five years. We have record homelessness. We h…

Ireland needs an international protection system that is fair, efficient and enforced. That means being fair to those coming here fleeing war and persecution. We have to respect and protect their dignity and provide clarity and timely decisions. It must always be fair to communities as well by providing resources and supports to them when additional people come. The system also has to be efficient. It has been accepted by the Government that the system has not been as efficient as it should be. We have not been man…

I thank the Minister of State for visiting Passage East on Sunday last. He met with the local authority and with residents whose homes were affected by flood damage. He would have heard at first hand that what those who were affected by the floods in Passage East want is less talk and more action. There were concerns raised - rightly so - by residents in regard to the response from Waterford City and County Council. They were not pointing the finger of blame at individual staff members. They acknowledged that the s…

I acknowledge that Irish cancer services are among the best in the world. I want to pay tribute to all the staff who work in cancer services. However, we are beginning to see slippage in some areas which is disappointing. The response to a parliamentary question from me on key targets set by the HSE for diagnostics and treatment shows that we are beginning to see serious slippage. One in seven chemotherapy appointments did not happen on time. In my constituency of Waterford, it is one in three. Only half of breast …

The Taoiseach says time and again that housing is the number one issue for this Government, and he accepts that there is a housing crisis. Notices to quit are on the increase in every county, including mine, Waterford. Last week, I met with three families, all of which have children, who received notices to quit. They are very worried and stressed about having to find alternative accommodation, which the Taoiseach knows is not easy. They have been getting on to letting agencies and asking me and others to support t…

The council is telling me that this year, it still has not received its allocation. I ask the Taoiseach to look at this issue again because this scheme is one of the few supports that is available and is actually working for those families.

The Government gutted it.

Infrastructure development is really important and is obviously important for every city, county and constituency, so I wish to raise infrastructure development for Waterford city and county and the wider south east. The North Quays development has received significant Government funding so I want to start by acknowledging that. However, I also have to say to the Minister that, per capita , the south east and Waterford are not getting their fair share and have not been getting their fair share of capital funding fo…

I second the motion because emergency mental health care services are not fit for purpose. Too many people in acute distress feel they have little choice but to present to chaotic and overcrowded emergency departments that are simply not designed to meet their needs. This motion is about fixing and reforming the system, not managing its failures. Specialist care and safe spaces, such as assessment rooms, should be available 24-7, so that no person in an acute mental health crisis is left without care or left waitin…