Speeches: 14 July 2026

But I think it is extremely distressing for everyone to hear the condition, the conditionality on the permission that works must stop if human remains are found on the grounds. That alone should give cause for immense concern for anyone who has read anything of the history of Bessborough.

I've had a concern about the government's policy in over-relying on the AHB sector to ramp up social housing.

They are employed at a domestic grade but in reality they do jobs way beyond that.

Mark, Taoiseach, as somebody who myself was born in a mother and baby home, I really find it pretty despicable that the government hasn't stated their intention to stop a private, profit-driven developer building on a site where the Mother and Baby Home Commission said there are likely burials and where 19 mothers and 859 infants remain missing.

You are willing to allow a second class category of tenant that will not have the protections against eviction, excessive rent increases or just poor behaviour by unscrupulous landlords which we know exists.

Against that background we're seeing these billionaires who run AI looking to steal en masse all of the artistic and creative output of humanity and to profit from it.

We cannot countenance a situation where land that is in active use for agriculture, horticulture, and allied industries and services related to agriculture and sustainable food production can fall under the residential zone land tax.

So I make again another call that we would have a briefing and a direct timeline for the implementation of the local government taskforce.

I cannot support a bill that doesn't address this issue and rams this through.

we must resource and Coimisiún Pleanála with the expertise, with the experience, with the staff, and we don't want to hear anything about embargoes and they're not able to manage their affairs.

So really, in short, what I'm saying is, I'd appreciate if you would take it back, because I know I didn't indicate I was going to speak about this, and if we could prioritise, or be briefed, or the appropriate people who, once their report is considered, that they would publish.

we must resource on Coimisiún Pleanála with the expertise, with the experience, with the staff, and we don't want to hear anything about embargoes and they're not able to manage their affairs.

As a Waterford TD, as a Minister of this Government, as a mother, I am profoundly sorry for what happened to you.

The decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant planning permission for apartments at Bessborough is disgusting.

No words can return those stolen childhoods; no words can change or ease the suffering that was endured. But we can do better and we can learn.

It's absolutely outrageous that we're developing onshore wind energy with planning guidelines that are 20 years old.

The fact is Minister that Irish artists are being ripped off, they're being ripped off and the ball is in your court and you have the authority and indeed the responsibility to stop that happening, to stop them being ripped off.

Would you be able to do a short submission on what needs to be done to improve the health outcomes specifically for the young people that you're working with, but also from their families?

If you're confident in your identity, I don't think having a cup of tea or a tray baker conversation or project with somebody can change your mind about that.

If we don't provide that standard of facilities and infrastructure we won't get them back and I absolutely want to get them back.

My hope is that it would at least hopefully bring a stigma to what's called domestic violence because there hasn't really been the kind of stigma that there should have been over the years.

This day belongs to you.

To be honest with you I'm really angry, I'm really frustrated.

we need to look at the cost of not decarbonising and we know the cost of that will all end up dead.

When you needed it most, it failed you.

Allowing slop and the theft of art to go unmitigated will ultimately lead to no art being made.

People could have 13 or 14 offences before they're eventually caught up with.

For all that you suffered at the hands of your brutal abuser, and for all the years that he was not brought to justice, and for all that was done to impede and delay that justice, we are truly sorry.

People should have the chance to know if their partner has a history of serious domestic violence, so this is absolutely sensible.

If this government wants to prove its tough stance on migration in real, it must use its unique presidency powers to push these common sense governmental reforms onto the Brussels negotiation table.

The free travel scheme is a lifeline providing dignity, independence and mobility to all our older citizens, full-time carers and people with disabilities.

I don't think it should be beyond us not to ensure that respite is guaranteed and consistent rather than have a situation where service providers go from year to year to year with a list looking at people in terms of who they can give respite to and who they won't be able to or be in a position to due to funding.

As Taoiseach, I apologise unreservedly on behalf of the state to the victims of Bill Kenneally for what was a clear and serious dereliction of duty.

Consent and remuneration for works used are a basic principle of copyright law.

They say correctly that unless the law is enforced then it essentially means nothing.

No words spoken in this chamber will erase the profound hurt done to you by this man or make up for the failures of the state to protect you.

A whole community is left without connection

The days of impunity and silence and cover-up must never be allowed to return.

Conor D McGuinness raised questions about department's role in amending the draft National Planning Statement for Rural and Gaelic Housing. He set out the draft's measures - language criteria for rural dwellings, reserved allocations for Irish speakers and inter-Gaeltacht recognition - and warned the published text appeared rushed.

Conor D McGuinness questions on the recent expansion of the ClÁR programme and a secured €1 million increase for CLORA in 2026. He asks which areas gain eligibility, how funding will be used, and what to expect for mobility grants and the 2026 project announcements.

I'm going to be answering this question with a question about the future of the Irish language.

We owe it to you, and we owe it to your families, and to all others that the state has failed to continue our efforts to address the issues of the past and ensure that they do not happen again.

This is more than an apology. We are listening to you, we are learning, we are acting.

It's a tragedy that the law has come too late for Jenny, but it does have the potential to protect other women at risk from dangerous intimate partners.

Throw up the homes but don't give the facilities to allow people to integrate and to build a community, as opposed to just providing homes.

They want to hook us on generative AI like they've hooked us on social media and then start charging us through the nose for it, whether that's through user fees, advertising or selling our personal data to the highest bidder.

I hope that today marks an important milestone for you and a step on the road to a form of healing that has been denied to you all for far too long.

I apologised that day to the victims and I repeat that apology here today for the Dáil record and indeed extend it to all of those victims that chose understandably to maintain their privacy and anonymity.

Jenny's law will help to keep women safe, which is a fitting tribute to her memory.

How can the lawmakers in this house be the lawbreakers?

Women in Ireland do not feel safe.

AI offers many opportunities but creators must have confidence that their rights are respected, that their works are not used without appropriate safeguards and that the innovation does not come at the expense of creativity.

Your government is failing in this.

These services should be recognized as essential public services and should be fully funded and allowing people to continue this life-saving work.