I too want to be associated with the comments relating to Senator Chris Andrews and our Independent colleague in the Dáil, Deputy Barry Heneghan, who is also on one of the flotillas as well. It says a lot about the character of the people who go on these missions. It shows us who they are as individuals and activists. They are willing to go to whatever lengths it takes to try to do something in this madness. Today and yesterday are very holy days in Israel, believe it or not. All of the Jewish people celebrate Yom …

Today I speak about the steady decline of our tourist sector caused by misguided Government policy. We are witnessing the over-regulation of our small and medium enterprises, particularly bed-and-breakfast accommodation which is being strangled by bureaucracy and compliance burdens. These are the backbone of rural tourism, yet they are being treated like multinational chains. It is no wonder that many are closing their doors. Accommodation costs in Ireland have spiralled out of control. Visitors are being charged e…

Poor Shane.

I wish to address the findings of the latest NOAC report. While there are many causes to be optimistic with this good report, I feel it is necessary, considering we are in the midst of a housing crisis, to highlight some of the more alarming findings. Let us look at the facts. Over 4,251 social housing units sat vacant at the end of 2024. Meanwhile, families are sleeping in cars, in emergency accommodation, or couch surfing, with no end in sight. The average re-letting time for these houses is between 35 and 56 wee…

The tragic case of young Daniel Aruebose has shaken the nation. A little boy, once in Tusla's care, vanished from sight for years without anyone raising the alarm. Only when a welfare irregularity was noticed did questions emerge, far too late. This is not simply an individual tragedy, it is a systemic failure. Tusla had Daniel on its radar and engaged with his family, and then closed the case in 2020. From then on, no one in the State noticed he was not in school, not attending health services and not visible in t…

I rise with a deep sense of frustration and disappointment at the state of our so-called democracy. The current nomination process for the Irish presidential election has become nothing short of a closed shop, a club for the political elite where the will of the people is secondary to the interests of party machines. Let us call it what it is - a partisan stitch-up. The directives from the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, instructing Fine Gael councillors to block the nomination of any independent presidential candidates is…

We keep hearing that Ireland is a small country with big ambitions but ambition without honesty is just spin. On immigration and housing, honesty means admitting a simple arithmetic truth. The volume of arrivals year after year is colliding with a housing system that is barely delivering the homes we need. Let me be absolutely clear: Ireland is in the midst of a housing crisis that is physically impossible to fix under the current immigration policy. In the year to April 2024, 149,200 people immigrated to Ireland. …

Last Friday evening, the Department of Health published its report on the number of abortion notifications received for 2024. The figure, totalling 10,852, is the highest yet on record. It represents a 63% increase in the abortion rate in 2024 by contrast with 2019, when 6,666 abortion notifications were received. To put it more starkly, newly released data means that at least one in six pregnancies were aborted, excluding miscarriages. This is a harrowing statistic and something we should all reflect on. It underl…

Many people think that we are all going on holidays tomorrow until the middle of September and that is it, but an awful lot of work goes on behind the scenes both in this House and back in our constituencies that people might not be aware of. As part of that, I acquired a young man who previously worked in Senator McDowell's office, Padraig Monaghan, to do a little bit of work with the Parliamentary Budget Office regarding some submissions I would like to make in respect of the budget the Department of Finance will…

Hear, hear.

I rise today to speak not just about sport but about truth, fairness and the rights of women and girls in Ireland. We hear a lot from the Government about promoting women in sport. We hear about funding, campaigns and slogans but when it comes to the most basic principle of fairness, ensuring that women's sport is for women, this Government is silent. What is worse is that it is complicit in the erosion of women's sports by refusing to act. Let me be clear: women's sport must be for biological females only. This is…

I rise to speak about a worrying development in our medical policymaking sector. Last week, the Professional Association for Trans Health Ireland, PATHI, welcomed the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, decision to advocate for adopting the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, WPATH, standards of care, an organisation criticised for its ideological, unscientific approach and activist-heavy leadership. The motion reportedly passed with 97% support. While I am sceptical of such conformity …

My amendment relates to the Office of the Planning Regulator.

Amendment No. 4.

It is not in this section, is it? I am sorry; I do not have the-----

It is not in this grouping; I apologise.

Is my amendment No. 3 in this section?

It relates the Office of the Planning Regulator.

I know but is says No. 3. I am sorry; it is amendment No. 3 in the list, is it not?

It is amendment No. 4. Is it amendments Nos. 3 and 4?