I could not think of a more fitting day to introduce this Bill on adult safeguarding. Today, I had the pleasure of welcoming to the Dáil people I used to support - Ciarán Wall, Ger Ryan, Liam Burke, Gerard Connolly, Peter Glendon, Vincent Anthony, Michael Fenton, Róisín Rockett and Billy Gear. They are some of the most amazing people I had the pleasure of working with as a carer for adults with disabilities. For almost two decades I worked as a carer with the Brothers of Charity, supporting adults with disabilities…

I welcome that two new areas are to be included in the scheme. It has been nearly three years since Carlow County Council first requested inclusion in the scheme for homes damaged as a result of the presence of defective concrete blocks. It is six weeks since the Minister finally received the Housing Agency's report, along with its recommendations for the Carlow area. There are only a handful of affected homes in Carlow, but the families involved have been left in limbo as they watch their homes crumble and crack. …

There is a certain irony in the Minister launching a consultation on his rural future policy just weeks after we saw widespread protests across rural Ireland and his colleagues in government flatly refused to listen to, or engage with, the very people from struggling rural communities. Communities like mine in south Kilkenny do not need more strategies or consultation processes. We need the Government to start delivering for ordinary people. Only recently, for example, we got the announcement that a vital bus route…

The number of parents forced to travel long distances to secure a school place for their child is shocking. It is deeply wrong that children are not provided for in their own community. People in rural Ireland are sick of being left behind by this Government year after year.

I can guarantee the Minister of State two things. The first is that every single TD in this Chamber has lost a friend, family member or neighbour as a direct result of smoking. The second is that every one of us also knows several people who have quit smoking with the help of vaping, friends or family members whose lives have changed. I am almost certain that almost all of them used the very flavoured vapes the Government is now proposing to ban. Banning flavoured vapes would be a complete own goal in our fight to …

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the vital work that Youth Work Ireland is carrying out in communities across the south east. This is also a time to speak on the pressing challenges facing youth workers. Youth Work Ireland represents 20 youth services across the State. They are our front-line services. They are in our communities working as mentors and positive role models in the lives of children and teenagers who are missing those crucial factors. They tackle the root cause of antisocial behaviour ra…

There is a double standard in the area of youth work that cannot be ignored. In Dublin, staff are on a far better wage agreement. Youth workers outside Dublin are being left behind despite doing the same job, often in more isolated areas and for significantly less pay. Many are trained up by the local services only to leave for other agencies because of better pay standards. How can the Minister stand over this double standard and treatment? If someone is doing the work, they should be treated and paid equally, reg…

Ministers spoke earlier about Government measures and responsibilities, and how they have the best interests of the people of Ireland in mind. Will the Minister of State tell me this? In the most recent budget, the Government gave a generous tax break to the highly profitable fast food giants like McDonald's and Burger King. How is that in the best interests of ordinary working people?

Sorry?

The question I asked was how that was good for ordinary working people, the people we were out on the protest with. The Government's tax breaks ensured that the profits of big developers pushed the average profit of an apartment from approximately €50,000 to €80,000, yet when ordinary working people try their best to get by, go to work, raise a family and find a home and ask for a break and supports, they are given crumbs like a handful of cent off the price of green diesel and home heating oil. Average prices for …

It is as clear as day to me and my constituents that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael cannot be trusted to deliver critical infrastructure across this country. I listened to the Taoiseach last week when he spoke about the protestors putting our clean water supply at risk. He said that could not be tolerated and was against the law. I have never heard the Taoiseach speak so resolutely about the thousands of people in Kilkenny and Carlow, in places such as Castlecomer, who have gone years without clean water. How many more …

On Monday, the EU told Mercosur countries that the trade deal would be provisionally applied from 1 May. What engagements has the Minister had regarding the EU-Mercosur trade agreement? Has she told the Commissioner that forcing through this trade deal is not acceptable?

There are very real concerns for consumers and farmers regarding the risk this trade deal poses. We have seen the recall of Brazilian beef over the presence of banned cancer-linked drugs. God only knows how much more drug-riddled beef has been sold in Ireland and across the EU, because the levels of laboratory testing are an utter embarrassment. Does the Minister know the percentage of laboratory checks that are carried out? Would she like to hazard a guess? It is 1.7%. Is it the Minister's position that this is an…

The Commission clearly holds the Dáil in low esteem. It has consistently failed to reply to concerns raised by me through the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food. We have written to the Commission on a number of occasions since November, which was the first time, then in January and then again as recently as yesterday. We have been seeking answers and clarity, and silence is all we have been met with. The European Parliament voted to refer this deal to the European Court of Justice because of concern…

It was trade and agriculture.

I have huge issues with the fact that it does not come back to us.

It has been nearly a month since Israel and its proxy, the United States, began their war on Iran. For the past month, people across Ireland have been hit with what can only be described as rip-off fuel prices. In some cases, Irish fuel prices have increased at eight times the rate of other EU states. It is only now, after nearly a month, that we have seen any action from the Government. To be frank, its measures are an embarrassment compared with the actions of other EU states. While the Government sat on the fenc…

Three cent off the price of green diesel is not support; it is a slap in the face to farmers and fishermen across Ireland. The Government may as well have just told them to shut up and get on with it. These are the people who go out day in, day out to produce top-quality Irish food and to ensure we have food security and our shelves do not go empty. While the reduction will be welcomed by those in haulage, do not forget who produces the food to fill those trucks. Not using farm machinery or trawlers is not an optio…

I strongly welcome this motion and commend Deputy Cullinane and his team on their latest health document, Enabling a New Cancer Strategy. It confirms what many of us have long suspected, that cancer services across Ireland have been slipping. The document sets out 42 recommendations for a new strategy, recommendations that would make a difference. We all know someone who has endured a cancer diagnosis. We have seen family and friends battle this disease. From my father to so many friends and family members, it has …

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak here today to mark International Women's Day. It is one of the greatest honours of my life to be elected as a TD, a position that was in the past, and even today remains, a male dominated one. To stand here among such brilliant republican women who represent their communities with such strength and integrity is something I am immensely proud of. However, while we celebrate the presence of these incredible women, we must be honest about the realities we still face. Despite …