The people in my constituency of Dublin Fingal West wait for up to 14 years in most cases on the Fingal County Council housing list. Some of them are left waiting in overcrowded accommodation, some of them in emergency accommodation, some of them paying eye-wateringly high rents. When a person has a medical condition or a disability, this is often made worse by their housing situation, as I am sure the Tánaiste can appreciate, so they can apply for assessment for medical priority. It takes an awful lot to fill out …

I thank the Tánaiste.

The people I represent in Dublin Fingal West are already paying huge rents, with an average cost of close to €2,500 per month. A person on an ordinary wage is at nothing and has no hope of being able to rent. I am genuinely struggling to understand the logic of this Bill. The Minister has said openly that it will cause the cost of renting to increase. Any reasonable person would agree that rents in this State are too high. Perhaps the Minister disagrees but I would contend they are far too high as it is. This legis…

Yet.

Okay. The Minister of State should probably stick to the subject, if he can.

You have nothing to say in your legislation, so ramble on there.

As others have, I want to express my sincere condolences to those impacted by the serious tragedy on Talbot Street. I also want to say a word to commend the emergency services. They never know what they are going to see when they come into work in the morning but they still turn up, so they deserve all of our thanks. I want to address some of the remarks made by the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, in his opening statement. Some of this stuff would be funny if it was not so serious. He referenced "sustainable" inc…

I thank the Minister of State for being here this evening. I do not mean this disrespectfully when I say it but I would have appreciated if the Minister for education could have made herself available for this because it is a very serious issue in my constituency. I do not say that in any disrespectful way to the Minister of State. I am grateful he at least is here to hear it. The Government published its priority list this day last week. That sets out who is on the list and who is not. I represent one of the young…

I will read out the names again because none of the schools I named are on the list. To be brutally frank with the Minister of State, referencing schools that were built previously is not going to help the people in schools that are falling down around them and bursting at the seams. We have a problem in Dublin Fingal West in terms of school capacity. We also have a problem because the teaching staff, pupils and parents are absolutely sick, sore and tired of make-do and mend. I am going to read out the specific nam…

Is it the Opposition's fault that the Government cannot build houses?

The Minister said in his script that he believes tonight’s motions sends a clear message to the chairs of every other State board in the country as to how Sinn Féin rolls, and it does indeed. It tells them that accountability is important to Sinn Féin. Even if it does not matter to this Government, it will always matter to us. The failure of the chair of Bord Bia to read the room and resign raises serious questions about accountability. I have said it before and I will say it here again tonight: this Government is …

I want to start by thanking the Deputies for bringing forward this motion this morning and giving us a chance to have this important discussion. I want to state, as I have done previously, that disabled people are not disabled by their own bodies, their own neurodiversity or their own intellectual capacity. They are disabled by society - a society that puts barriers in their way to access work, supports and even something simple like public transport. Disabled people face hurdles that able-bodied people could not e…

I had not intended to speak. I thought I would be speaking on Thursday. I welcome the legislation but while the Minister is here, I remind her of the commitment given to provide childcare, which is far from being delivered. It is true to say that this State lets children down. The poverty figures prove this. The number of children in enduring and consistent poverty is still rising and that is down to Government policy. It is very good to talk about child protection and about reform and enhancing the role of the Sta…

The Minister of State knows what accident and emergency departments are like. I am sure she has been in them. The nurses who spend a lot of their time training and engaging in continuous professional development are forced to nurse patients in conditions that when I describe them as being slightly less than ideal, I am being very kind to the Government. The Minister of State knows what accident and emergency is like. It is chaotic and noisy and there are bright lights and a lot of activity. It is hard for people wh…

Hear, hear.

I thank the Deputies for bringing the motion forward this morning and giving us the chance to have this debate. Nearly 25 years ago, as a shop steward, I processed my first claim for what was called at that stage, "teleworking". It then went on to become "e-working" and now we refer to it as "remote working". It is not new and certainly was not invented in the past while. It most definitely was not invented by the Minister of State's former colleague, Leo Varadkar, despite his claims to the contrary at times.

It really works for people. I have seen it in workplaces, as a representative and as a trade union official. However, at the time, when we were processing that claim, there was something of a paternalistic attitude applied to the workers. It was almost as if remote working was a treat or a favour the boss might give you if you were perhaps good enough but one that could be withdrawn at any moment and have the capacity to upend your family and work-life balance. It is shocking that the attitude displayed 25 years ag…

Very touchy.

Childcare, Taoiseach. Childcare places.

The harms from using nitrous oxide are very well known. I do not think the Minister will dispute any of the information that Deputy Ward has provided. There is not a TD in the Dáil who does not want to ensure that this drug is kept from destroying another young life. We are all in agreement on that. I am mystified as to why the Minister wants to kick this down the road given that we all agree that action is needed. The Minister and the Government say they want to take action but, for some bizarre reason, they just …