There is currently a social media campaign entitled “Don’t stop talking about Palestine”. I fully support it. People, including the campaigners, are concerned that there is fatigue setting in among some, who are asking what exactly they can do. I urge people to keep talking about Palestine and to keep protesting about it, including on the streets and in the Houses of the Oireachtas. I express my solidarity with Sophie Ní Choimín, who is currently on hunger strike for the people of Palestine. I urge people to keep s…

I take the opportunity to wish the best to both Ministers in their roles. There is not a TD on any side of the House who does not wish them success because education is hugely important to our children. I want to raise a few local issues. Rathcoole Educate Together National School is currently in a temporary location in Citywest while it waits for a permanent building. It was told this would be a two-year temporary arrangement, but it has now been there for four years. It has now been told it will have to move to a…

We are discussing funding for carers and I want to talk about one funding source, namely, the domiciliary care allowance. The domiciliary care allowance is payable in respect of a child under the age of 16 who has severe disability requiring continual care and attention. Over the past number of years I have noticed a pattern of people contacting me and coming to my office with the same problem with the domiciliary care allowance. A very high percentage of applicants seem to be turned down on their very first applic…

It is not often the Government gets things right when it comes to housing, but in the case of the tenant in situ scheme it was working. What does the Government do when something is working in housing? It moves the goalposts. South Dublin County Council has seen a significant cut on the 2024 expenditure on the tenant in situ scheme. The Government has imposed significant new restrictions on tenant in situ applications. All non-closed 2024 acquisitions must be reassessed under the new rules. I am dealing with at lea…

Gaza needs aid. Gaza needs a ceasefire. Israel needs sanctions. That may be a very simplistic message but that is what is needed right now. Israel has displaced the people of Gaza. Israel has murdered the people of Gaza. Israel has starved the people of Gaza. The people of Gaza are being ethnically cleansed right before our very eyes. If you do not believe me, believe the words of Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. He said Israel is going to occupy the Gaza Strip. He then predicted that Gaza would be tota…

We are being denied.

At this moment, more than 15,000 children are waiting for an assessment of need. An assessment of need is an assessment carried out by the HSE of children with disabilities. The assessment identifies the child's needs and what services are needed to meet them. This sounds like a simple procedure, but Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have made a right hames of it. They have scandalously left children waiting for the treatment that will allow them to reach their developmental milestones. Only 7% of assessments were complete…

On behalf of my colleague Deputy Darren O'Rourke, I wish to ask about youth diversion programmes which offer huge benefits. They are aimed at preventing young people from becoming involved in the criminal justice system and at promoting positive development. These programmes can lead to reduced recidivism and can help young people to make a positive contribution to society. What plans does the Minister have to increase funding and expand youth diversion programmes in County Meath?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. The question related to Meath, so I wanted to focus on youth diversion in the Ashbourne area. The area has seen a significant increase in population and I welcome the recent funds that were allocated from the community safety fund for Ashbourne. This is money that was seized by CAB and put back into communities to help them build resilience to crime. This is something my party campaigned for for a long time. The service in Ashbourne is helping approximately 30 young people and i…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I want to touch on the community safety fund again. This is money from organised crime that was seized by CAB and is meant to be invested in the communities most impacted by crime. These communities are in need of resources to strengthen their resilience against criminal activity. It is no coincidence that the majority of money seized by CAB originates in areas of high disadvantage. It is crucial that these areas get the support they need. I have met several front-line services …

As the Minister said, the community safety partnerships were to be restructured to replace the JPCs. They were much promised by the Minister's predecessor, Deputy McEntee, and much lauded. It is very worrying to hear the Minister still has not signed off on these community safety partnerships. There is a vacuum. The JPC is vital in holding the Garda to account. Can the Minister enact this legislation? At the moment there are different approaches in different local authorities. Dublin City Council is continuing with…

I want to talk about the scandalous waiting times at the driving test centre in Tallaght. The latest figures I have show that over 20,000 people in Tallaght are waiting for driving tests. This is a rise of 1,500 in the past six months. The only direction waiting lists go in this country is up. The statutory minimum time to sit the test is ten weeks. The waiting time in Tallaght is now a shocking 43 weeks. Being obliged to wait 43 weeks to do a driving test is unacceptable. When I did my driving test, there was a se…

I move: That leave be granted to withdraw the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2023 and the Sale of Nitrous Oxide and Related Products Bill 2024, and, notwithstanding the Order of the Dáil of 1st May, 2025, that Deputy Joanna Byrne be designated the member in charge of the Broadcasting (Oversight of RTÉ Accounts) (Amendment) Bill 2024.

I do not normally talk about my personal life in the House but today I will. I am one of over 10,000 people in this country with multiple sclerosis, MS. I was diagnosed with MS 18 years ago. The past two years have probably been the most challenging of those 18 years but right now I am probably in the best physical and mental condition I have been in for a long time. I have been critical in the past of how to get into the system for treatment but I want to commend the neurology team in Tallaght hospital on the reco…

Yes.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to regulate and licence the sale of nitrous oxide to exempted purchasers, to prohibit the sale of nitrous oxide and nitrous oxide products to a person who has not attained the age of 18 years, and to provide for related matters. I welcome yesterday's comments by the Taoiseach that legislation was needed to tackle the misuse of nitrous oxide. Today, I introduce the Sale of Nitrous Oxide and Related Products Bill 2025 with my colleague Seán Crowe. You …

I am sharing. I am well aware of the time.

Okay. This Bill will enable members of An Garda Síochána to seize nitrous oxide products from those without the appropriate licences. I call on all Members to support this common-sense Bill.

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

There are 15,000 homeless.