I raise primary care centres in my constituency. The Taoiseach is aware that Swords has waited for a primary care centre for many years. It is the third largest town in Ireland. After years of campaigning, we finally got news the HSE acquired the Hertz building, which is to be converted to a primary care centre. I ask for an update to be given on when a planning application will be going in for the change of use, and that a firm commitment be given that progress will be happening this year. Furthermore, I ask the G…

What we have here is a philosophical difference between the Minister of State's Government and the Labour Party and others in Opposition on workers' rights. For a moment, let us set aside all the climate benefits, the work-life balance benefits, the benefits for commuter towns and economies and the anti-congestion advantages. We will set them aside because philosophically, that is something we on the left would say. Let us set aside all the really good, strong evidence that has been accumulated through multiple stu…

The Minister's response sounds positive enough in its outlook. However, when this decision was made, the statement released by the Department of Defence stated: Ireland is a signatory to the European Social Charter and is committed to upholding its principles. The State respects the role of the ECSR and the Minister will examine its conclusions in conjunction with EU and national obligations, while noting that the reports of the ECSR are not binding on respondent states. Those last five or six words seem like a get…

RACO and PDFORRA were reluctant to take this case, but they felt they had no alternative. Perhaps now is the time for a reset in terms of the Department's engagement with RACO and PDFORRA and how we treat these workers, both current and potential workers. There is an awful lot of work we are going to have to do in the next months and years ahead in terms of investing in our neutrality and ensuring we have a proactive and protected neutrality. It is good to see investment in radar. It is good to see investment in a …

Last week, I wrote to the Taoiseach to seek international co-operation for an inquiry into the recent release of a witness statement as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files, in which a young girl was trafficked through Ireland for "politicians and notable men" for the purposes of sex. We heard from Garda Headquarters yesterday that no investigation or inquiry is under way regarding this claim. This witness statement is not the only concerning document released in those files relating to Ireland. Within them is an emai…

The entire world is aghast at the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, ICE, in the United States. I am asking a question about Irish citizens, not documented or undocumented. It is not to make an exceptional case because all immigrant groups are being targeted. However, given that we are in the Irish Parliament, I am asking about Irish citizens. How many are being detained by ICE? Are their locations known in all cases? Will the Minister of State make a statement on the matter?

Our figure is 65 plus one so that is 66. ICE's figures for January to September last year are 99. That means 33 people, based on those figures, have not sought consular assistance. I believe that is a low figure. We should be doing more to seek out where those Irish citizens are being held, what there status is and how they can be assisted. I do not think it is good enough in this circumstance to sit back and wait to give consular assistance. Look at the case of Donna Hughes-Brown who had been living legally in the…

Given the size of the Irish diaspora and our cultural and historic links with the United States and the very real human rights concerns we have for anyone being held by ICE in detention facilities, should we not request formally - I believe we should - from the US Secretary of Homeland Security details of all Irish citizens, documented and undocumented, in detention and where they are being held? We should request that from the United States on the grounds that we have real humanitarian concerns over how our citize…

Keep going.

Given the past week and the forecast for the next few days, we need a debate on flooding and the State's response to it as soon as possible, preferably today but no later than next week.

That is not her question.

I raise the reinstatement of the supplementary pension for our uniformed services members. As the Taoiseach is aware, the fast-accrual nature of the pensions for our Defence Forces, fire services, gardaí and prison officers was decoupled from the supplementary element during austerity. This is a financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, measure, which the Taoiseach's party made an unambiguous promise to unwind in this term. However, it did not make the programme for Government. I attended the semi…

The US boycotted the G20 in South Africa on these spurious grounds, further isolating itself from traditional allies. The Taoiseach will go to the White House in couple of months; of that there is no doubt. However, considering what is happening on the streets of Minneapolis, considering the large numbers of members of the Irish diaspora in the United States - that is not to make an exceptional case of the Irish; it is all immigrants and indeed all citizens of the United States who are under threat from ICE - will …

In this time of global uncertainty, it is important we diversify and build up relationships with other countries. The Taoiseach's attendance at the EU-African Union summit is one instance of this, as was his visit to Canada to meet Prime Minister Carney. A lot has been made of Prime Minister Carney's speech at Davos last week. While building up relationships is important, it cannot come at the expense of our values. The current CETA trade deal with Canada does so. I am specifically talking about the investor courts…

It is just the investor courts.

We are approaching the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of that aggression has been a sight to behold. They have managed to hold off the imperialist, criminal advances of the Russian forces and keep going through four long, cold winters as their towns and cities are bombarded. Their bravery and dedication in the face of such devastation has not just kept their own nation’s freedom intact but has protected others from Putin’s vicious ex…

Unfortunately, the Government does not have high ambitions. There has been an attempt by the rest of the Opposition and the Government to misrepresent or misunderstand our Bill, our motion and our campaign. We carried out a survey in which 850 workers took part. They were not from Dublin, and it was not a Dublin-based survey. In fact, 840 of those who took part in the survey were from outside Dublin. It was a nationwide campaign. Deputy Dolan made a salient point on how remote working disproportionately and positiv…

To pick up on what Deputy Crowe said, even naming these statements seemed quite difficult. Statements on international development does not quite do it justice. Statements on international conflict would probably be closer to the mark. What or who has motivated these statements today? We know the answer. It is the change in the world that has been brought predominantly and almost exclusively by Donald Trump and his administration. If it was not clear before, it is certainly clear now and will continue to be made cl…

I made a number of points in last week's debate, which I will not repeat except for one. Once again I want to raise the issue of the connection of newly built homes in Knocksedan in Swords. These are not homes that are planned, in the pipeline or which might come. These are homes that have been built. I first spoke to Irish Water about this issue on 21 March 2025. I received a full answer to that question only on 30 October 2025, six months later. However, it was not satisfactory in terms of rectifying the problem.…

The Government has not protected the most vulnerable. In the last hour, the consumer price index came out and it shows families had to pay more for basics like clothing, footwear and education costs over the past year. Inflation may be slowing but prices are still rising. The Minister knows this because under his Government's watch, the price of beef has increased by 44% in the last five years. It has gone up 24% in the last 12 months alone. Butter and milk prices have risen by 45% in the last five years. In the la…