Brian Stanley
Laois · Independent · Ireland
“We are going through an epidemic of domestic abuse and violence. In 2025, the Garda had over 67,000 calls in relation to domestic abuse. Seven women were murdered last year, and in many of those cases, it was by a family member, a partner or somebody known closely to the victim.”
“Those fundamentals cannot be ignored. Are supporters of partition really saying that we can continue on this small island with 14 different departments in each jurisdiction working back to back, often in competition with each other? Are they saying that having Twenty-six Counties in the EU and Six Counties out of it makes economic sense?”
“Those who still argue for partition ignore the fact that in a reunified 32-county state, the pension liabilities of those workers in the Six Counties who accrued pension entitlements by paying into the British national insurance system and the British exchequer or employment pensions would receive that portion of their pension liability.”
“Unfortunately, I do not get any sense of urgency from the Minister of State that we are going to have laws introduced in September or October, and that is the crucial issue. Yes, we have rules now, and she listed them out in relation to the signs. However, they are being ignored.”
“The cost is €2.6 billion for the diplomatic mission alone. There is also MI6 and the massive military machine and capacity, including the army, the navy and the Royal Air Force. I saw a figure of €60.2 billion for 2025 and 2026. That amount is due to rise sharply to meet its increased military capabilities.”
“The issue I am raising with the Minister of State is the increase in the number of injuries, including those involving young children, relating to e-scooters and e-bikes. Ten have been killed.”
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“Four drones were flown near Howth Head on the flight path to Dublin Airport as part of the conditioning process to excite people and worry people, so we would abandon neutrality. There is talk that due to the level of international conflict, we should ditch the UN and join with the militarists in Europe headed by Germany. It is nonsense. We should instead be adding to efforts to enhance the UN and work with other non-aligned states to reform it. We should work with others to re-establish the primacy of multilateralism for resolving disputes. The triple lock was central to the Defence (Amendment) Act 1960, which was brought in by a Fianna Fáil Minister. That was at the height of the Cold War, so it is important that neutrality and the triple lock are maintained.”
“The key message here is that the Government is getting ready to abandon multilateralism and resolving disputes under the UN through dialogue and diplomacy. The argument about the changed world order is another great one that is pulled out. This has been trotted out by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael as justification for getting rid of the triple lock as not being fit for purpose. What does this mean? Does it mean that the Government does not believe in the UN? Is the UN not fit for purpose and should we just get rid of it? Of course, the UN needs to be upgraded and reformed. There are also scare stories about Russian advances. The Russians have not got as far as Kharkiv yet. We have not seen any evidence of them wanting to invade Dublin just yet, and I do not foresee it any time in the near future.”
“The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael spokespersons continue to deny this but I remind them that if Irish troops were deployed on a mission as part of a regional force under the command of other countries, particularly larger countries like Germany, without UN Security Council or General Assembly approval, then they could find themselves in a combat situation possibly in eastern Ukraine against Russia and so on. Of course, if they become embroiled in military combat, they are exposed to attack. Those people who have served overseas and have been involved in some of this will always say that after the first military engagement, no one can predict what is going to happen when a battalion or regiment of troops are deployed. It is unpredictable.”
“I remember campaigning during those referendums on both treaties. Successive opinion polls have clearly demonstrated that the majority of people support neutrality. Is the Government going to turn democracy and the will of the people on its head? That is the question for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The Government will deny that a referendum is needed to abolish the triple lock. I am asking it to respect the will of the people and to put its proposal to the people if it is going to abolish the triple lock. The Government's proposal will shred the triple lock and shred neutrality. If it has any respect for the electorate, it will do that. There is also the denial of the fact that the triple lock and neutrality are linked.”
“It goes on the reiterate, as in the case of the Nice treaty, that the authorisation of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the Dáil and the Government are required in accordance with Irish law. They are two solemn national declarations. They were not just made by government but by the Irish people and on behalf of the Irish people. Are we going to uphold them? We hear the word "sovereignty" being bandied about and that we need to get rid of the triple lock because it will make us more sovereign but they were sovereign decisions of the people. Are Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael going to trample over that? The Government talks about it but these were sovereign decisions. Were Micheál Martin and his fellow Fianna Fáil Ministers just kidding us on two occasions in the noughties? Were they just codding the electorate?”
“It also states that deployment of Irish Defence Forces overseas requires the authorisation of the operation by the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United Nations, the agreement of the Government and the approval of Dáil Éireann, in accordance with Irish law. That is what the Fianna Fáil Government put into it at the time. The Treaty of Lisbon states that in line with its traditional policy of military neutrality, Ireland is not bound by any mutual defence commitment but, of course, we are abolishing the triple lock to be part of a regional military alliance. It also refers to the adoption of any such decision applicable to Ireland and states that this requirement will not be affected should Ireland ratify the Treaty of Lisbon.”
“Solemn national declarations were enshrined and attached to both treaties. On the first occasion, those two treaties failed to get past the electorate in this State because of concerns over neutrality. They were rejected on the first occasion. Neutrality, the triple lock and UN approval for peacekeeping missions were central to that. It is worthwhile quoting those declarations again. The following declaration was attached to the Nice treaty. It states that Ireland was not bound by any mutual defence commitment and that "The Government of Ireland have made a firm commitment to the people of Ireland, solemnized in this Declaration, that a referendum will be held in Ireland on the adoption of any such decision and on any future Treaty which would involve Ireland departing from its traditional policy of military neutrality.”
“Éamon Ó Cuív, former Fianna Fáil Minister, said at the weekend it is interesting we have a President, Catherine Connolly, who got elected on her positions on neutrality, the triple lock, the North and an teanga Gaeilge. He said they used to be Fianna Fáil's core policies. That is what he said. Deputy Willie O'Dea, no lesser a figure than a former Minister for Defence, has been writing about the possibility of scraping the triple lock on neutrality. He said that Fianna Fáil abandoning its support for the United Nations is a Fine Gael doctrine, not a Fianna Fáil one. That is not Brian Stanley saying it but it is Deputy Willie O'Dea. I want go back to the Lisbon and Nice treaties. Successive commitments were given by government at the time. Solemn national commitments were given.”
“Only one has been vetoed by the UN Security Council. That was proposed in 1999 for Macedonia and was vetoed by China over a dispute to do with Taiwan. Ireland has been participating since 1958 in peacekeeping missions and Irish troops and peacekeepers have been held in high regard. It is appropriate that I raise the issue of the Fianna Fáil position. It is not my primary concern. The main reason I am concerned about neutrality is that, as a left republican, I find what is happening scandalous. Grassroots people in Fianna Fáil are saying this to me. The Minister of State lives in Laois, the same as I do, and I am sure she is hearing it.”
“One of the lobbying points to convince developing countries to support us at the General Assembly was exactly the fact we were neutral. I remember being told that when going to Geneva with a Fianna Fáil TD and a Fine Gael TD. A false impression has been created by the militarists in the media and the Government parties about the Security Council deadlock. It is not permanently deadlocked. Between 2020 and 2024, 264 resolutions out of a total of 284 were passed with no veto being exercised. In relation to the restrictions on more than 12 members, they do not apply in the cases of humanitarian disaster, rescue or emergency mission, etc. There are 11 active peacekeeping missions - including one in Kosovo, which members of the committee will be visiting in a few weeks' time - where Irish peacekeepers are.”
“The policy of neutrality does not inhibit or stop the Government or State from increasing the capacity and capabilities of the Defence Forces, or from modernising them. The triple lock does not restrict the number of Defence Forces personnel that can be deployed overseas, despite propaganda to the contrary, for the purposes of rescue and humanitarian or emergency missions without a UN mandate. The Minister confirmed that publicly in the committee to me recently. I turn to the issue of the United Nations. There has been a lot of misinformation suggesting that only the Security Council can veto peacekeeping missions. Of course, the General Assembly can do it as well and there is precedent here. Ireland would not have got a rotating seat on the Security Council six or seven years ago but for the fact we are neutral.”
“Initially, they were not passed due to concerns about neutrality. To assuage those concerns, the triple lock and neutrality were enshrined in solemn national declarations that were attached to both treaties and they were only successful on the second occasion because of that. Any move by the Government to abolish or undermine those commitments is a denial of democracy and, I believe, is open to a legal challenge. On top of that, I say to Deputy Murnane O'Connor as a Fianna Fáil Minister of State that successive opinion polls have demonstrated that the vast majority of Irish people, despite all the propaganda that is being shoved down their necks, support retaining the policy of neutrality.”
“That is okay. The whole issue of Irish neutrality has been central to our sovereignty as a State. As a member of the national defence and security committee, I am more concerned about what is happening now then I was in the past. Despite being a small country, our neutrality has enabled Ireland to play a positive role in international affairs from the 1950s and 1960s to the present day. The Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1960 encompassed neutrality and the requirement known as the triple lock, which means the Defence Forces cannot be deployed overseas without the authorisation of the UN, the Government and the Dáil. The triple lock has been central to neutrality, despite denials from the Government. The failure of the first referendums on the Nice and Lisbon treaties showed how important it is to the Irish people.”
“-----but the Minister for Defence should be here. There is legislation planned to go before the Dáil to abolish the triple lock and, we contend, to abolish neutrality. The fact the Minister is not here is an absolute disgrace. It shows total disrespect for the Parliament.”
“2) Act, 1960 and the solemn national declarations attached to the Nice and Lisbon Treaties; — recognise that these commitments regarding the Triple Lock and Neutrality can only be changed or amended by a majority of the electorate in a referendum; — recognise that the triple lock and neutrality are intrinsically linked; — strengthen the States policy of Neutrality by bringing forward a referendum to enshrine neutrality in the constitution; — work with other neutral and non-aligned countries to reform and re-establish the primacy of the UN as the forum to uphold international law and for resolving international disputes and conflicts; — abide by the principal of multilateralism and not allow the State to be become part of any regional military alliance; and — halt plans to progress the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the provisions in it to abolish the Triple Lock and Neutrality.”
“2) Act, 1960 encompassed neutrality and the requirement known as the "Triple Lock" which means that deployment of Defence Force overseas requires the authorisation of the United Nations (UN), Government and the Dáil; — the Triple Lock is central to the policy of neutrality; — the failure of the first referendums to have the Nice and Lisbon Treaties passed was due to concerns by the electorate on neutrality; — to assuage those concerns, the Triple Lock and Neutrality were enshrined in solemn National Declarations that were attached to both treaties; — the two treaties were only endorsed by the electorate in second referendums due to these solemn national declarations and guarantees included in them; — any move by Government to overturn these commitments without a referendum would be a denial of democracy; — successive opinion polls have demonstrated that the majority of the electorate want our policy of neutrality retained; — being neutral does not in any way inhibit increasing the capacity and capabilities of the Defence Forces; and — currently there is no upper limit on the number of Defence Force personnel that can be deployed for the purpose of overseas humanitarian issues; calls on the Government to: — uphold the policy of Neutrality and the Triple Lock as set out in the Defence (Amendment) (No.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — Irish Neutrality has been central to the sovereignty and independence of the State, that it was first enunciated by Theobald Wolfe Tone and upheld by successive generations; — despite being a small country, our neutrality has enabled Ireland to play a positive role in international affairs; — the Defence (Amendment) (No.”
“A shortage of homes and accommodation means that in Laois, families are being sent to Tipperary and other counties away from vital services and schools. We need urgent solutions for low- and middle-income families. We need an immediate ban on evictions of tenants who are complying with their tenancy agreements. What is wrong with that? We need an emergency ban on rent increases that are already sky high, an increase in the delivery of cost-rental homes by local authorities and not for-profit approved housing bodies so that people have secure lifetime tenancies, and reform the affordable purchase housing scheme. That needs to be reformed, along with increasing the supply of social housing. Respectfully, the Government cannot continue like this. This is getting worse.”
“The rent for a four-bedroom house has gone up by 12.5% in the past 12 months to €2,500 per month. That is what they are being advertised for. A three-bed is up 10% in the past year, with tenants now being charged almost €2,000 on average, and wait for this one: rent for a two-bedroom house has gone up a whopping 34% in one year. The Government's laissez-faire policies have allowed this to happen. Low- and middle-income workers simply cannot afford that. House prices are completely out of control and have literally gone through the roof. A standard house in Portlaoise being advertised on one estate is now €530,000. That is not the centre of London, but the centre of Portlaoise. Lack of availability of affordable homes is one of the factors driving that. Homelessness continues to increase.”
“----- with hands-off rent and people charging whatever they can get. The more who are evicted, the more homelessness and the bigger the demand, the higher the rents landlords can charge. It is happening, and the situation continues to get worse. In Laois, rents are sky high. Notices to quit are up, homelessness is up, house purchase prices are up, and what the Government has done is given a charter to landlords and developers. The Government's changes in rent rules have made the situation worse, screwing workers and families. I have an increasing number of constituents coming to me, as I am sure others have had, traumatised and at their wit's end. It is worse for renters, the homeless and house buyers. On top of the sharp rent increases in the past decade in Laois, of course, we have another huge jump now.”
“In support of the motion, I have to say the laissez-faire policies the Government is pursuing has led to this. If the Minister of State has read history, which I am sure he has, in the 1840s, mass evictions and mass starvation was pioneered by Sir Charles Trevelyan, a British autocrat. This time, it is being pioneered by the Minister of State's party, Fianna Fáil----”
“We have to ensure there is active engagement between HSE management and dentists in County Laois to ascertain why private dentists are not taking them on. There are eight doing this in Offaly, which is good, but-----”
“The Taoiseach does not have the specifics for County Laois, but I have given them to him. Most of the statistics I gave him are only a week old. The three public schemes are in crisis. I did not get to raise the boy with special needs I mentioned to the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and previous Ministers. After six years of waiting in severe pain with periodontal disease, severe inflammation and bone loss, he has to be treated under anaesthetic in hospitals. I have raised this a number of times. Only now is he getting an appointment for a consultation. That gives the Taoiseach the scale of this. Three dental schemes need to be fixed; that is key. Will the Taoiseach now step up recruitment in Laois? There is a particular problem in County Laois. The number of people in training places in dentistry has to be increased.”
“All people get is an examination and polish. Low- and middle-income workers and their families are being failed. Despite paying thousands of euro in tax, PRSI and USC every year, they cannot even get an extraction or a filling. Those workers and their families deserve better. We are way behind other countries when it comes to public dental services. We have failed people. As I said, we are in the Dark Ages. There are other health problems caused by lack of dental care, such as stomach ulcers, gum disease and even a greater risk of blood poisoning. Will the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, take action now to address this?”
“It is still flat on the floor, being non-existent in almost all of the county. There still is just one dentist from Carlow providing a service in the community centre in Killeshin on the border of Laois and Carlow. No other practice in the county is taking medical card patients under the dental treatment services scheme. It is an absolute scandal that medical cardholders are without a service in Laois. Meanwhile, eight dentists are doing it in Offaly and a further eight are being recruited. I welcome that fact - if there are 16 there, that is good - having raised the situation in Offaly with the Taoiseach previously when the county was part of my constituency. What is the Government doing to address the situation in Laois? The dental treatment benefit scheme, which is PRSI-based, has little or no substance.”
“There is huge harm done in the meantime, with serious tooth decay and other problems arising. Those 818 children should be seen in fourth class. The HSE is now changing its tune and marking them for examination from sixth year, but it accepts they should be seen in third or fourth class. Those 818 pupils are seven full years overdue for examination. A total of 1,504 children are six years overdue for examination and 1,520 are five years overdue. They are adults before they are seen for their first examination, which should happen in fourth class. The Government is failing the children of Laois. It is failing those in other counties as well but Laois is a particular black spot. The dental treatment services scheme is for medical card patients. I told the Taoiseach last year that the scheme has collapsed in Laois.”
“I raise again with the Taoiseach the three public dental schemes. He will recall me raising them with him on Leaders' Questions last year. The three schemes - the dental treatment services scheme, the dental treatment benefit scheme and the school dental scheme - are in chaos and are not functioning. The situation with the school dental scheme in County Laois, for example, is worse now than it was last year when I raised it with the Taoiseach. It is like the Dark Ages. Current figures from the HSE show that there are 6,618 children on the school dental scheme waiting list for a first examination. That is an increase of 175 since I raised the issue last year. Of that number, 818 are seven years overdue an examination. Some are not getting their first examination until they are in fifth year in secondary school.”
“I know it cannot be done in a day or a week but, in the medium term, we should move fairly quickly to try to do that and scale up the grants for solar, to get panels onto houses and speed up the warmer homes scheme. The waiting list is 23 to 24 months. I ask that those practical measures be taken.”
“We urgently need a cost-of-living payment for people who are disabled because they are €1,400 worse off this year than last year as a result of the way the budget measures were done. We need to restore back-to-school funding. We need to halt the planned increase in student fees. The Government needs to adjust the tax bands. Ordinary workers, particularly workers on less than €75,000, whether self-employed or on PAYE, were left behind. We need to increase the relief on rent paid and on mortgage interest charges. I ask the Government to examine the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to see what it is about. In my time here, it has shown itself to be totally useless, and I do not say that lightly. One of the other proposals relates to solar grants. Solar energy is a quick win and easy to fit.”
“We need to get into our heads that this has happened. Mortgages are at an all-time high because house prices are at an all-time high. I am not asking the Government to throw money around the place but we should have targeted measures. I do not agree with untargeted measures. Targeted measures need to be the name of the game. We need to look at those households that have an income under €75,000 a year. The Government should bring in a windfall tax on the large energy companies. There are good examples across Europe of where that is happening. We need to reverse the VAT cuts for the big hotel chains and the big food distribution companies such as McDonalds. We need targeted energy credits for households with income under €75,000.”
“Budget 2026 did not just leave behind ordinary PAYE workers and the self-employed; it actually left them worse off because of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's failure to increase tax thresholds and move the tax bands. PAYE workers and self-employed are now paying much more tax. The number of people in arrears on electricity has reached crisis point. People in rented accommodation are really struggling because rents are out of control. We know why that is. That must be addressed. We had one of the cheapest electricity systems in western Europe when it was all in public ownership, but the cost has increased since the State started to privatise it. Other reasons have been given and I accept there are other factors, but one is that because it is privatised, profit-making actions are taken by the companies generating electricity.”
“People are in arrears with mortgages. I say all this sincerely. Rents are escalating. People just cannot pay their electricity bills. As of March, we have 320,000 people in arrears on their electricity bills. It is fair to say that that could be 400,000 now. Some 180,000 were in arrears on gas as well in March. It is safe to say that figure has escalated since. The top 10% of people in Ireland never had it so good. We must not forget that when people are paying higher prices, the money does not just disappear because the profit margins of many companies are up. The wealth of the big supermarket chains, the big hotel chains, and McDonalds continues to increase. We are looking at the transfer of wealth.”
“I welcome the proposals to reduce the cost of living for people. We have had a cost-of-living crisis since the end of Covid. That has escalated and it is now at crisis point. It is a serious situation and Government needs to understand that. Middle- and low-income households were never under so much pressure. Fuel, petrol, diesel, solid fuel, gas and costs are high and, as we learned today, electricity costs are the most expensive in the European Union. Rents, mortgages, house prices and waste charges are high. Health insurance does not just go up once a year anymore. It goes up two or three times, in double digits, and people are forced to pay it. Grocery prices, student fees and much more are all escalating. The combined total of all this is bringing huge pressure on ordinary, hard-working people, who cannot keep.”
“Huge numbers of people are applying but the Minister said that 39 have been inducted, which is a very small number. Will the Minister clarify that point regarding the ships?”
“In relation to the eight vessels, there are four at sea at any one time. I understand there is rotation and that they cannot all be at sea at any one time. Is it the case that there are one or two of those ships that are not seaworthy and that are permanently docked at any time? I ask the Minister to clarify that. That is the question I am asking. Of course, we have to protect our undersea cables. As a result of the agreement signed with France, the Celtic interconnector will now be coming on stream. The import of drugs also continues to present a challenge. The navy and other arms of the State have had some notable successes in that regard. I welcome the target of 1,094 personnel but only 39 were inducted in the first three months of the year. That is a very low number considering the huge number of applications.”
“It is important we have it to protect our cables. The fact that we are a neutral country, which the Minister admitted in answer to a previous question, does not impede us in any way from increasing the capacity of our navy and having sensible levels of co-operation with neighbouring countries and other European countries.”
“I thank the Minister for her reply. Of course, the maritime area that has to be protected and that comes within our jurisdiction is massive. From her reply, I take it that there are four vessels that are seaworthy and available, as she said, at any one time. In relation to the rotation, are there some ships within that fleet of eight that are not seaworthy at all? The Minister might clarify that when she comes back. If I heard her right, I think she said that there are 833 staff. What are the numbers that were recruited in 2025, what were the numbers that retired and what is the target? They are the three key figures: the target, the numbers that have been recruited and the numbers that have retired or that have left the Naval Service. I know there has been recruitment to improve the capacity, and I welcome that.”
“I ask for the number of naval vessels that are in service and that we can staff and safely put to sea. As the Minister knows, in recent years that has been down to one or two at times. I am just looking for the current level of ability or capacity there.”
“There was a big concentration in Kildare, and many people from County Laois served there. I would like to see that as a particular target.”
“The Minister outlined the many different locations, barracks and naval bases. I welcome that. However, the issue at the Curragh is of particular concern. This has gone on for a long time and in the past three or four decades, these houses have gradually fallen into disuse. I know some of them might be a challenge as they were built at a different time, some during the period of British rule. Whether it was 100, 120 or 130 years ago, housing standards were not what they are now. There has been a lot of talk in this House about upgrading houses and bringing old houses back into use. There is a lot more technology now. The Minister outlined a wide range of works across the State but I would like to see a particular focus on the Curragh. The Curragh was the main Army camp over the years.”
“I take it from the response that there has been some progress. The Minister referred to 63 but my information is that up to 80 properties are in a derelict state. Soldiers are travelling distances to work, and many travel from County Laois. There are also retired soldiers, some of whom, unfortunately, end up in difficult housing situations. It is important these properties are put back into use. We cannot have vacant homes of any kind lying empty, given the housing crisis. Has there been liaison with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the issue? I would make one point about the consultants and the report. The Minister and I know that things can go around the houses over a long period of time. It is important that there is action. They are empty and derelict houses.”
“I urge the Government to keep the funding going for the remaining Laois County Council houses, particularly the older ones that need further upgrading. I also urge the Government to ensure enforcement standards are improved for private rented accommodation and for council housing as well, including what we spoke about earlier. We need to put the onus on landlords to improve the energy rating of the rental stock. We cannot have tenants paying the highest rents in the worst accommodation with the most expensive electricity.”
“They are paying high rents, ever-increasing high energy costs and a high cost for everything else. On the Laois County Council part of it, a lot of the housing stock is fairly new and built in recent years. That is in fairly good condition and a lot of it has a reasonably good energy rating but there is a lot of stock that has to be improved as well. There are over 2,400 council dwellings in the county. At the moment, 250 properties from the older stock are getting a deep retrofit. Some others have had more minor energy upgrades. That work has been successful but it needs more money because the midlands just transition fund, which was mainly funding it, is running out. It has now run out so Government funding is needed to keep it going.”
“In turn, they have sky-high energy costs because they are heated by very expensive electricity meters. We know today that we have the highest electricity costs in the European Union. We must change this. On top of all of that, rents in County Laois continue to skyrocket. A two-bedroom flat now makes €1,600 plus per month. There are examples of three-bedroom houses for rent for in excess of €2,000 per month. In fact, one house was advertised for €3,000 per month. People on low and middle incomes who are living in private rented accommodation are those hardest hit because they are not on the fuel allowance, they do not have any other supports and they are paying for a whole range of other things as well, such as health costs, and are commuting - in some cases as far as Dublin city - to work every day. They are really being caught.”
“Tenants in private rented accommodation are often reluctant to complain because it is followed up by an inspection from the council which can lead to a notice to quit. I have seen examples of where a notice to quit follows the inspection. Of the 5,600 private rented homes, 227 were inspected last year by the Laois County Council inspector and of those 227 - this is a telling figure - 176 received an improvement notice. That means 80% of the landlords of those properties got a notice to improve them. That high percentage shows that some are in a very bad condition. Tenants can often get a notice to quit. After a period of time, the flat or house is re-let. Much of the private rental stock has a very poor energy rating and this well known. Every TD here knows this. There is very poor insulation and a very poor energy rating.”
“I fully support the proposals being put forward to improve accommodation for the people living in the flat complexes in Dublin city. I have been to many of them over the years and I have seen at first hand the difficult conditions that people are living in. I will turn to private rental accommodation and apartments. In County Laois, there are 5,600 households who are living in private rented accommodation. A lot of them are flats and apartments. Some of the older private rented stock is in very bad condition. Tenants complain to me about dampness, mould, poor ventilation and houses that are impossible to heat. This creates health issues. It is not just a housing issue; it creates a health issue as well.”
“I have been told the job of staff is being made impossible and managing the situation is very difficult. There is a promise in the programme for Government for 1,500 additional places. When will we see those? When will we start using restorative justice more to divert people away from prisons and when will we see progress on those two issues?”
“I raise with the Taoiseach the situation in our prisons. Our overcrowded prisons are after reaching crisis point. I have complaints from prison staff going back over the past year or two on this issue. The situation in the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise is like a pressure cooker. It is unsafe for staff and vulnerable prisoners. It is vastly overcrowded, operating at over 120% capacity. It has capacity for 890 inmates but the number stands at just over 1,100. Prisoners are sleeping on bunks and mattresses on the floor. There are two prisoners in a cell with a toilet and no privacy. This is leading to assaults on staff. There were 11 assaults on staff last year and 102 prisoner-to-prisoner assaults and 60 weapons seized. Assaults are up 23%.”
“-----and get industry onto those sites? Will the Tánaiste take this matter up with the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and his Department and ask them to urge IDA Ireland to act quickly in respect of this matter?”
“People have been raising it for three decades. The figures say that 156 jobs have been created but that 132 are going. What is being done by IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to get replacement industries for the Leprino plant?”