Public transport is essential public infrastructure. It connects people to work, education, healthcare, family and community. This debate is not simply about what a bus or train ticket costs but what kind of transport system we want to build for the decades ahead. The Government should reject further increases in public transport fares and instead begin a serious transition towards a universal, free public transport system as a public good. That would require investment and sustainable public funding. We should als…

I welcome the Bill. It is mainly technical, but I want to draw attention to the fact that many Irish roads are becoming increasingly dangerous. You just have to go outside the door here to see people breaking lights on a regular basis. When you are driving on the M50, there is scary stuff happening out there. As others have said, there are rising road deaths and serious collisions caused by dangerous driving. Inadequate Garda enforcement and years of Government inaction have created a safety crisis that is costing …

What is the purpose of Irish foreign policy if not to serve the interests of Irish people and stand up independently in the world? For generations, this State has maintained a policy of military neutrality. That policy has not weakened our voice internationally; it has strengthened it. Neutrality has given Ireland the space to speak for peace, for disarmament, for humanitarian action and for the importance of respect for international law. Ireland’s Defence Forces have served with distinction under the United Natio…

Tallaght and the wider south-west Dublin region have been among the fastest growing parts of the State for decades, yet transport investment has consistently failed to keep pace with the growth. Thousands of new homes planned and a rising population place even greater pressure on our roads and public transport networks. MetroLink south west cannot be treated as a project for the 2040s or beyond. We need a feasibility study as a matter of urgency in order that real consideration and planning can begin. It must be pl…

There is a commitment in the programme for Government to enhance driver training but this has not been of much comfort to learner drivers who cannot get an appointment for a test. Numbers on the waiting lists for driving tests continue to climb and waiting times grow longer. Several weeks ago, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, pulled the plug on a proposed new driving centre in Sandyford, despite the Minister saying it was mere weeks away from opening. This would have relieved the enormous backlog affecting in Tallag…

Mar a dúirt an tAire, Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union comes at a defining moment for Ireland and Europe. Communities across the Continent are facing soaring living costs, deepening inequality, housing crises, climate change and growing international instability. The Presidency presents Ireland with an opportunity not just to just chair meetings or hold photo opportunities but also to provide leadership rooted in equality, solidarity and justice. Our Presidency must place ordinary workers, …

Childcare is no longer simply a family issue. It is one of the biggest social and economic challenges facing this State. We heard earlier that parents are paying more than €800 a month in many parts of the country but in Dublin they would be lucky to get change from €1,000 a month. Even then, there are thousands who still cannot secure a childcare place. That is the impossible situation for many families who are trying to work, study and provide the best start in life for their children. I constantly hear from peop…

I raise the commitment in the programme for Government to reach a 19:1 student-teacher ratio in our primary schools. In my area, Scoil Maelruain national school was stripped of a teacher because the school was one student short for the coming year. This resulted in four classes being turned into three, with numbers of 29 and 30 students. This flies in the face of the commitment and pushes the class size to the limit. The Tánaiste knows that society and schools have changed. Children and pupils are more transient an…

I am joined by my constituency colleagues, from the Opposition and the Government, in relation to this issue. Sancta Maria College got approval for a new school gym and drama room back in 2001. That is 25 years, a quarter of a century, ago. Right now, the school has two half-built structures after the construction company went into liquidation eight years ago. Generations of students have come and gone without the facilities that were promised. Worse still, there are leaks in the roof and difficulties with the sewe…

The big question we ask is why the school has not been prioritised. It is a half-finished school. The Minister of State has outlined the number of projects that are planned and the funding that is being allocated, but the question the parents, teachers and pupils are asking is, "Why not our school?" It is a fair question. Children deserve the best and most modern facilities. We cannot live with a process that can last over 25 years. I again ask the Minister of State to go back to his ministerial colleagues and rais…

So much for legislation.

Access to timely, effective and affordable dental care is one of the most important guarantees of a good quality of life. Persistent pain from an abscess or tooth decay is one of the most unpleasant and debilitating things a child or adult can go through. A modern healthcare system should make it a top priority. Instead, the Government parties have long abandoned affordable dental services. It is almost entirely privatised now, as my colleague has said, with the number of dentists directly employed by the HSE dwind…

When the Irish people made their desire for an occupied territories Bill plain during the last election, the then Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, said it would be passed within the first year of any government he was part of. It was clear then and it is clear now that Irish citizens want to see the Government take up a more robust and active policy in support of Palestinians, who are treated as second-class citizens in their own land. Since that election, we have waited 18 months and this Bill is all the Government…

Let us water it down.

We know that An Post has a plan to relocate these sorting offices. It is not only Edmondstown. It is also talking about closing one in Tallaght and relocating the one in Churchtown, which is in Dublin 14, to Edmondstown. There is a demand in relation to the levels of parcels. It is at Christmas levels at the moment, and it is growing all the time. We accept that there needs to be efficiencies in relation to that but the distance involved is considerable. Travelling from Rathfarnham to Lucan is not straightforward, …

My only experience is going into the Tallaght sorting office, and I have never gone in without other people being there. There are always queues there, which highlights the fact that it is being used. We are told that there is a plan in place. We do not know what the plan is so we are looking for information about that plan. At the end of the day, we need to know where the parcels will go, if they are not delivered to households. A lot of people living in apartments cannot get access to their parcels and so on. Whe…

Clearly, we are living through a dangerous moment in Irish politics. Piece by piece, step by step, there is a growing effort by the Government parties to weaken Irish neutrality and dismantle the triple lock. Neutrality is not weakness; it is a positive expression of Irish independence. It is the belief that Ireland should decide its own path in the world, free from the influence of military blocs, imperial powers or the interests of bigger states. For decades, neutrality has allowed Ireland to speak with some mora…

I am probably repeating it but surely it is long past the time that Government takes action to protect workers and families from spiralling energy costs. People tell me they are sick and tired of hearing that wholesale electricity costs are going down while their household bills are still eye-wateringly high. One of the main aims of this Sinn Féin legislation is to empower the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, to monitor wholesale and retail prices in the energy market and strengthen its powers to monito…

Europe Day is meant to be a celebration of peace and unity, when we mark how a continent that emerged from war resolved to work together to ensure future harmony and prosperity. My party, Sinn Féin, is often accused of being sceptical of the EU. That accusation is often thrown around in this House. It may happen in this debate. However, it is simply not the case. Sinn Féin's policies towards the European Union have always been focused on critical engagement. Where measures are in the interests of the Irish people a…

Tacaím leis an mBille seo. Tá sé ag dul sa treo ceart. This Bill is going in the right direction and we will support it. Sinn Féin firmly believes in the core republican principle of equal citizenship and supports the right of all citizens of voting age to vote for the Irish President, regardless of their place of residence. The Good Friday Agreement states the Government recognises the right of all people born in the North to identify as Irish citizens if they wish. We should not treat them as second-class Irish c…