Curragh Community College in my constituency of Kildare South is in a state of utter disrepair. The school community was promised a new school building nearly a decade ago and they are still waiting. There are several problems with mould and leaks. The ceilings are falling in and the conditions are absolutely hazardous. A number of classrooms have already closed; therefore, students are on a rotation between attending on site and home learning. For students sitting State exams, it is completely unfair. Students can…

Tugann scannal na spuaicphacaí léargas soiléir ar mheon an Rialtais reatha. Is Rialtas é nach bhfuil clú aige céard atá ag tarlú i saol an ghnáthdhuine agus atá sásta an costas a bhaineann le seirbhísí bunúsacha sláinte a bhrú ar dhaoine nach bhfuil in acmhainn íoc astu. Nuair a fhaigheann an Rialtas an deis, déanann sé iarracht an t-ualach a chur ar an ngnáthdhuine go ciúin, i ngan fhios d’éinne, agus gan aon mheas ar an tionchar daonna. Ní ghlacfaimid leis sin. Beart daonna a bhí i gcóras na spuaicphacaí in am na…

Yet again, we hear that the Government is not opposing the motion. We have heard it before. No matter how many times Sinn Féin and the combined Opposition bring forward motions, no matter how many days of school are missed by Cara Darmody, who is literally weathering a storm outside the gates of this House tonight, the Government still does not get the message and is still breaking the law. We are in a crisis in the disability services. In my own area of Kildare South, nearly 2,000 children are waiting, a figure th…

Hear, hear.

I want to raise the crisis facing families seeking special class places in Kildare South. Cian attends St. Conleth's Infant School in Newbridge and ready to start primary school in a special class. His family applied everywhere - Newbridge, Kildare, Kilcullen and Naas - but were refused in all. Harry is 12 years old and despite his family applying to every available ASD class in the Newbridge-Kildare area, he has no suitable secondary school place. Last week, I heard the case of another young boy, 15 years of age, …

I am glad to finally, a year in, have the opportunity to speak on the unbelievable atrocities happening in Sudan. The degree, scale and intensity of the violence taking place in the territory is unfathomable. Since the civil war broke out in 2023, over 12 million people have been displaced and, it is estimated, another 150,000 killed. Last month, satellite images showed blood-stained streets and bodies piled high after the city of El Fasher finally fell to the Rapid Support Forces after an 18-month siege. The siege…

Táim sásta labhairt ar son an Bhille thábhachtaigh atá os ár gcomhair anocht. Céim chun cinn atá inti a chuirfidh le cumhachtú agus cosaint na n-íospartach foréigean gnéasach. The psychological and physical safety of victim survivors must be the first aim of our justice system. That is the fundamental principle the Bill addresses. While we have made progress in managing sex offenders, there are still clear and glaring gaps that need closing and it is our duty as legislators to fill those gaps. For every person who …

Hear, hear.

Ba mhaith liom ceist maidir le stáisiún dóiteáin i Mainistir Eimhín i gCill Dara Theas a chur ar an Taoiseach inniu. I want to raise the urgent need for a modern, fit-for-purpose fire station in Monasterevin. The current building is outdated and inadequate, and it no longer meets the needs of a growing town. The previously proposed site on the Dublin road has fallen through again, leaving the project stalled while the community waits. Other viable sites have been identified in the area, so this project is possible …

A couple of sites have been identified.

Tá liosta agam. Tiocfaidh mé ar ais chuig an Taoiseach.

Gabhaim buíochas le mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Darren O'Rourke, as an reachtaíocht thábhachtach seo a chur chun cinn. Families right across south Kildare are at the pin of their collar. Week after week, my office receives emails from people who have to choose between heating and food. Scores of working families across the county are at risk of homelessness from rising housing costs because of new Government legislation. Costs keep rising, yet the Government decided to make families even worse off in this year’s b…

Is mian liom labhairt faoi cheist na ndíolúintí Gaeilge inniu. There has been an unprecedented spike in the number of exemptions from Irish granted in recent years, with one in seven young people in the State exempted from learning our national language. What is the Minister's position on the exemptions system for the Irish language as it stands? Does she believe it is fit for purpose and what are her plans to combat the increasing number of students seeking exemptions?

It is great to hear the Minister talk of revision but currently the system for these exemptions is not working. We must not forget they are meant to be exemptions for students with severe or complex learning difficulties who simply cannot learn a language. The figures tell us Gaeilge is essentially optional. The numbers have risen sharply, with more than 73,000 exemptions, and it is hard to see any urgency from the Department to get a handle on it. When the Minister's officials were os comhair an choiste Gaeilge th…

It is nearly 60,000 in secondary school. What the Minister mentioned about primary school is great but the reality in schools does not match the picture she is painting. We need real leadership from the Minister. We need it from the top down. We cannot leave the decision up to principals on their own any more. The rate of exemptions depends entirely on where a child goes to school. In some places, they are granted almost automatically and in others hardly at all. There are simple practical fixes to this. The coiste…

They will say that, will they?

Disabled constituents of mine feel absolutely forgotten about in this budget. They are not angered any more; they are absolutely heartbroken. Arís agus arís eile, tá an Taoiseach agus an Tánaiste tar éis seasamh sa Teach seo agus an dallamullóg a chur ar dhaoine a bhfuil míchumas orthu. D'inis siad don phobal go raibh cúrsaí míchumais mar thosaíocht dóibh i mbuiséad 2026, ach ag deireadh an lae rinneadh dearmad orthu agus theip ar an Rialtas an costas a bhaineann le míchumas a aithint. The Government knows how much…

This budget does little to resolve the crisis facing education today. The measures announced will not make a dent in the cost-of-living pressures on schools, in recruitment and retention in teaching or in the problem of oversized classes. We have 600 vacant teaching posts, 51,000 pupils in oversized classes and schools struggling to keep the lights on, yet this budget fails to meaningfully address any of it. It is scandalous that the Government is still failing to meet its own commitment to reduce class sizes. No c…

Time is measured in blood in Gaza. Those are the words of Bisan, a young Palestinian journalist whose people have endured nearly two years of bombardment, siege, starvation, and displacement, and still, the world watches and still, we do nothing. Now we hear talk of so-called peace plans - plans pushed by Trump, who shows no regard for international law, and by Tony Blair, an unconvicted war criminal with blood on his hands from the war in Iraq. These men, products of settler colonial states like the US and Britain…

The Government has not passed the occupied territories Bill. It has placed no sanctions - not one. It is always words, never action. Meanwhile, the Associated Press exposed harrowing stories of Palestinian women being exploited and offered food, water, work, or shelter in exchange for being raped. The perpetrators were reportedly linked to the aid organisations operating in the chaos created by Israel's total blockade and bombardment. This is not a side effect; this is a direct result of Israel's policy of total bl…