AI has the ability to be useful and harmful. In the last couple of weeks, we have not been able to open newspapers without seeing the negative impacts of AI. As a result of the disgrace of Grok on the X platform, I will no longer be using it. I was a Twitter user for about ten years. I have to say that since its current owner took over, I will not be using it because of the misogyny, the meanness and the racism. I have to say the step too far for me is the generation of child sexual abuse material. It is a step too…

I see that the Minister for education is not here. I believe she has an engagement this morning. It is very rare for me to get the opportunity to raise a Topical Issue so it is very difficult to not have the Minister here. I am not questioning the Minister of State's ability to answer the question. I am sure he is very well prepared. However, it is very difficult when you go to the bother and do a lot of research into an area only for the Minister not to be here. I find that a little bit frustrating. Now that I hav…

I am glad to see that we are on the same page with regard to following the child. To clarify, I do think DEIS has been extremely positive. However, it is not as positive as people thought it was going to be. When DEIS was brought in, people thought that schools would automatically become able to answer all the questions over time. They cannot because, as the Minister of State has rightly said, his Department is also responsible for intergenerational disadvantage. We cannot just pigeonhole this in the Department of …

I welcome the opportunity to speak on vapes again. I spoke about it in September and said vapes are the bane of many parents and their children. I have been contacted since then, and was contacted prior to that, about how vapes cause so many arguments in families. As parents, we thought children do not smoke anymore and young people do not smoke but now we have vapes. When I was sitting here I wondered how much a vape costs. A vape is about €10 but a packet of cigarettes is about €23, so it is significantly cheaper…

I should have kept talking.

Is mian liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le Sinn Féin as an rún a chur os comhair an Tí. I also voice my dismay at the delay by the Government in reaching this decision. This is not the first time this coalition has struggled to make decisions in a timely manner. Unfortunately, there are many issues facing this country that need to be sorted out and this is one example. I am a TD for Dublin South-Central, which I know is not the farming centre of this country. However, I too want to use my voice because many of my cons…

I wish everybody here and throughout the House a very happy Christmas and thank them for what has been my first year and how welcoming they have been. I have been very delighted to see the Taoiseach has given clearance for Santa Claus to come. I wish to raise an issue on the South Circular Road in my constituency, where a number of people are housed in a homeless hostel. Unfortunately, there seems to be an issue with overcrowding there which is spilling out onto the streets and causing antisocial behaviour. That is…

There will be a supplementary question from Deputy Neville.

Thank you, Tánaiste.

Deputy, your time is up.

We are not. Please forgive me. It is my first time doing this.

Apologies for that.

The spirit of Christmas and forgiveness.

Deputy Boland's supplementary question will be allowed. Not Deputy Neville's, that is enough. He has gotten me into trouble once already. We will move to Question No. 174 which will be grouped with Question No. 184.

I welcome the women from Graiguenamanagh Women's Shed to the Visitors Gallery. I hope they have a lovely visit. I had better crack on now before I get cancelled.

No.

I will never be asked to chair again.

Now we have two grouped questions again – my favourite. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan has two different questions.

I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this Bill to ban fox hunting. It might seem unlikely that a city TD such as me from Dublin South-Central would have any interest in what is constantly being said affects rural areas and communities. If you bear with me for a minute, I will explain my position. When I was a child, I split my time between suburban Dublin, in Deputy Coppinger's constituency, and rural Cavan, where my granny and her people are from. My mother lived there for the last part of her life. I spe…

I also support the motion. I have received a number of emails from constituents in Dublin South-Central who are absolutely flabbergasted by this mean-spirted decision to charge vulnerable and elderly people for a pack that is life-saving to them. This is the antithesis of how this country should be supporting vulnerable people. The story of Scrooge will never be dead as long as things like this are decided, and so close to Christmas. The worry that elderly and vulnerable people and their families have now is how th…