With the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's blessing, I welcome the boys and girls from Castlebridge National School in Wexford. It is a historic place in Wexford. In fact, the Castlebridge team was the first Wexford team to win an all-Ireland hurling championship. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle, being a Kilkenny man, will no doubt look at that fact with envy. The measures that were taken over the years in relation to road safety were working. If we look at the figures for 2018, we can see that, tragically, there were 139 road dea…

Last year, the N25 around the area of Glenmore in County Kilkenny was the recipient of a much welcome static speed camera. However, because of inadequate and poorly placed signage, this camera is penalising even the safest of drivers. Literally thousands of drivers have been caught by this static speed camera because there is no adequate signage. People driving at 100 km/h have to drop to 80 km/h when they see the sign but given that they come into the camera's zone within 50 or 60 yards, they have no chance to adj…

I wish to raise the issue of the appeals' process in the allocation of special needs assistants, SNAs, in the context of the treatment meted out to St. Aidan's primary school in Enniscorthy in Wexford. St. Aidan's is one of the largest DEIS band 1 vertical primary schools in Ireland. It is exceptional in scale for a primary school, with 861 pupils. It has seven special classes, 36 mainstream classes and 76 teachers and has been awarded 15.75 SNAs. The school currently has 54 pupils attending the seven special class…

The advice was in the letter.

I thank the Minister of State for the response. Obviously it is not her core area so I understand the difficulty she finds herself in. I am holding the letter from a principal officer which was sent to say that there would be no change. Within the letter the school is advised to seek the rationale. I appreciate that the Minister of State said herself that this issue does not apply just to St. Aidan's school in Enniscorthy. It is a huge primary school, particularly when one considers all the supports that are requir…

We in the Labour Party are pleased to support this motion. I am pleased to move the amendment in my name and those of my Labour Party colleagues. This debate goes to the heart of what kind of economy we want-----

Okay. I am still learning.

This debate goes to the heart of what kind of economy and society we want, and what value we place on the people whose work keeps this country running every single day. We are living through a cost-of-living crisis that has not eased and shows no sign of easing in any way, any time soon, for ordinary households. Inflation may fluctuate on paper but its impact is felt in every weekly shopping bill, every rent payment, and every energy bill. Workers are doing everything. They are working hard, contributing to the eco…

I will speak about the impact of the Ministers' proposals on moderate general learning disability schools. The future of children relies on schools like Our Lady of Fatima School in Wexford town. The Government's proposal to remove its MGLD designation threatens to dismantle the very support system that these children depend on. I am delighted to see Darryl, chair of the parents association, and his daughter, Grace, a student at Our Lady of Fatima School, in the Gallery this evening. People across County Wexford ha…

The Tánaiste will be aware that since Brexit, Rosslare Europort has seen an increase in freight of some 350%, which is obviously very welcome. However, Rosslare Harbour village is inundated with trucks parking right across the village. This is despite the existence of the old customs post. When I say old, it was fully refurbished, resurfaced and lined out and has capacity for approximately 50 trucks. However, it is locked and inaccessible, and in the meantime, people in the village have to endure trucks parking all…

We know that the explanatory note for this Bill says that its purpose is to allow Government to designate specific infrastructure projects or programmes that it considers to be critical. The Bill does not reference specific projects or programmes. It provides Government with the power to designate projects or programmes as critical infrastructure. Section 3 provides the Government the statutory powers to designate a project as a critical infrastructure project or programme, done in this case by Deputy Chambers as t…

Thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I want to raise with the Tánaiste the urgent and rapidly evolving situation with coastal erosion in Rosslare Strand. County Wexford is suffering more than many counties with coastal erosion as we move along. I am glad to see that the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is also in the Chamber. Perhaps he could also give a response to this. We have a crisis in Rosslare Strand at the moment, particularly in the area adjoining the famous and iconic Kelly's Hotel.

This family-run hotel has been in existence for 131 years. Mr. Bill Kelly has said that the hotel will come under serious pressure if we endure another bad winter. It has to be said that €7.5 million was made available in 2018 for coastal protection works on the strand, but that is still at the planning stage. The strand and this particular area of the strand will not sustain another winter of storms, and we will be in a situation of economic catastrophe for the area of Rosslare Strand because of the impact on Kell…

This motion addresses a crisis that has been allowed to deepen within An Garda Síochána, an institution that is fundamental to the safety and well-being of communities across this country. The facts outlined in this motion are stark. Garda numbers have fallen, morale has deteriorated, and confidence, both within the organisation and among the public, has been eroded. This motion seeks not only to diagnose the problem but to set out a credible path towards rebuilding a modern, community-centred police service worthy…

-----stated in a media interview that "a culture of fear" had been created within An Garda Síochána and that an environment had been created where "gardaí are working with one arm tied behind their back". This was from a brilliant now retired cop in his fifties. That is what the Harris era defined, with, it must be said, the acquiescence and forelock-tugging of a number of former Ministers for Justice from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Instead of leadership that inspired confidence, gardaí experienced leadership that …

The Labour Party supports this emergency legislation. We support the rebate because the haulage industry needs relief and it needs it fast. We must act with urgency and a sense of responsibility to the workers and businesses that keep this country functioning. This emergency legislation is not technical and nor is it distant from the daily lives of people. It deals with a crisis that has struck at the very heart of Ireland's supply chain. The sudden and severe spike in fuel prices following the attacks on Iran is d…

I want to talk about Simona Demyter, a young 20-year-old Wexford woman who in 2019 was diagnosed with an extremely rare illness. Since that time, she has relied on a wheelchair but has outgrown it, the current one being too small. Last October, an occupational therapist called, did all the assessments and told her she would have a new wheelchair in a few weeks, but she never received it. In January, a wheel broke and she was told by the technician who came to fix it that it was unsafe and she should not use it any …

A few days ago, the Minister, Deputy Browne, referring to the eviction of 36 families, said there had been misinformation which, he said, is insinuating that this move by the landlord is a reaction to the new rental rules. He was backed by the Taoiseach, who fobbed off Deputy Ivana Bacik on Leaders' Questions and Questions on Policy or Legislation. He said that claims by the Opposition were insinuations that this move is a reaction to the new rental rules. A couple of hours ago, presenter Alan Corcoran on his "Morn…

We warned.