Chris Andrews
Labour Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I want to move an amendment to No. 1 on the Order Paper, proposing an orderly winding down of the accommodation recognition payment scheme in a way that is fair and efficient. I note today is the last day of Dáil and Seanad sittings before the summer recess.”
“The Government can point to housing and claim that there are huge successes. There is only success for the wealthy, the well-off, the developers and the landlords. They are all delighted with Government policy.”
“Government will say, "Look at the positives", but there are a huge amount of challenges. You need not look any further than the housing crisis. Of course, the Government will point to an increased number of housing developments. However, those housing developments are for the very well-off.”
“We supported the development of housing on the Glass Bottle site. We worked hard to ensure to get more social housing. Unfortunately, the Government would not do that. Now it seems that the so-called "affordable housing" on the Glass Bottle site will be unaffordable.”
“I move amendment No. 14: In page 7, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “Annual report 11. The Minister shall, within the first six months of the year, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report outlining the application of this Act, providing an update on— (a) how many successful actions were brought under section 14…”
“I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “ “settlement service” means a service provided in whole or in part within a postal code or relevant occupied territory to which this Act applies;”.”
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“We have more than enough legislation already on our books for our courts to be empowered to mediate disputes between companies and the State in instances where a company or organisation believes that the State is unreasonably interfering with their ability to operate. This legislation will create a problem where one does not exist and would further hollow out our democracy and popular sovereignty and take crucial decisions away from the people. There is zero benefit to the public in signing up to these investor courts. All the trade elements of CETA are already in effect. Trade is already happening. This is an attempt to legislate for corporate capture of our policy process. This Bill is not necessary to ensure that trade between Ireland and Canada can continue to grow. It is growing. It is important for our future economic prospects.”
“UN-appointed experts are saying that the investor state dispute settlement mechanism is beyond reform. It is being removed from the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, and other similar trade agreements because it is recognised that it inherently puts states and national governments at a disadvantage in disputes and unfairly allows corporations to bend states to their will. This Bill will take decisions that would otherwise be undertaken under the jurisdiction of an Irish court and places them with an international investor court over which we have no oversight or control.”
“I first want to put on record how disappointing the Government's approach to this legislation has been so far. It is ramming through this legislation without any real opportunity for scrutiny. The Bill will have far-reaching implications if enacted, undermining the sovereignty of our courts, workers' rights and environmental protections. Yet, pre-legislative scrutiny was denied and the debate in the Dáil was guillotined without allowing for any discussion on many dozens of Opposition amendments. The Government is playing with fire with this legislation and it is extremely frustrating that it is unwilling to listen to any voice not sitting at the Cabinet table. Countless international authorities have highlighted that investor courts have considerable potential implications for the environment, workers' rights and fundamental sovereignty.”
“A young lad, Muhammad Khalifa, played all around Ireland in 2017. His murderers could be on that team. Will the Government let them arrive in and leave Ireland and enjoy football or will it hold the team to account? Will it security screen them? We need to know the plans the Government has or whether it is ad-libbing it and will allow the Israelis come and go as they wish, even though they blocked visas for GAA Palestine participants. I would like clarity on those direct questions.”
“Pico Lopes, who will play in the World Cup this summer, Sean Boyd, Brendan Clarke and Dean Williams have all said that Ireland playing Israel is wrong. It is, in effect, sportswashing. I have a specific question because there will be a lot of talk. Has the Government requested that the FAI play that game? Whose decision is it to play the game? Is it the decision of the Government to allow that game to be played or is it the decision of the FAI alone? If the game goes ahead on 4 October, who will security screen the participants, supporters, management team and entourage that comes with the genocidal Israeli team? It is not clear. The Government has not given any answers. It will be during the EU Presidency and there will be a lot of pressure on the Government in terms of policing resources.”
“Violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank is the worst it has ever been, with constant attacks on Palestinians by settlers and the Israeli state, not to mention the blatantly racist law passed by the Knesset which greenlights the death penalty for Palestinians. Ben-Givr, the psychopath minister for security, pushed that agenda. Israel is still illegally detaining two participants in the most recent Global Sumud Flotilla, Thiago Ávila and Saif Abu Keshek, who are decent and kind people committed to human rights, delivering aid and standing up against the destruction of international law. They are people who are committed and trying to do something and take action, which is something the Government has failed to do time and again. Irish Sport for Palestine has a number of high-profile sportspeople.”
“It is beyond understanding how the Government speaks about suspending the trade pact with Israel and says it will pass the occupied territories Bill. That appears to be posturing from the Government because it knows Europe will not suspend the EuroMed agreement. It knows it is safe to come out with words that sound good and appeal to people, but the reality is there will be no action on that. It is the same with the occupied territories Bill. The Government has kicked that can down the road many times. The Government has said how concerned it is about the actions of Israel, yet it welcomes Israel here to play football and facilitates the sportswashing of football by Israel. It is hard to understand how Ireland can be so spineless. The Government is spineless when it comes to taking action against Israel.”
“We should use our independent voice, our soft power, as Senator Kelleher mentioned, to stand up for human rights, international law and the multilateral institutions that are under attack. Despite our small size, we have a considerable international profile and wide-reaching respect. This is due to our willingness to call out human rights abuses and the work of our peacekeepers and aid workers, as well as our diplomats who do a fine job. It is also a result of our history of resistance to colonialism. We should not risk our reputation by abandoning our neutrality on a whim. We should use our voice to speak out against injustice. Nowhere is that more important today than in Palestine. The actions of Israel have been absolutely horrific and criminal, yet the EU will not take any action to hold it to account.”
“It killed thousands of people, which exposed the hypocrisy of western states that claim to believe in human rights while at the same time supporting Israel's war machine without hesitation. We do not have to look any further than Ursula von der Leyen and her strong and unwavering support for Israel. It is absolutely sickening. The polling around attitudes to Europe shows a downward direction in many areas and that is due to Ursula von der Leyen and many of her colleagues. All of this has completely undermined the legitimacy of international law and destroyed any sense of a global consensus for peace. These are very volatile times. Now more than ever, Ireland needs to stand firm on our neutrality and avoid becoming entangled in a potential large-scale war. Our place is not as part of a military alliance or military adventurism.”
“With Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Israel's genocide in Gaza and Trump's lunatic, erratic second term, this narrative has gone completely out the window and we are in a new era of geopolitics that is reminiscent of the 1930s. The threat of a third world war is possibly now closer than ever before. The regime in the United States has departed from the norms of international politics and seems happy to attack sovereign states without provocation or justification, or even a coherent war goal. There is a major war in Europe as a result of Putin's invasion and rapidly increasing militarisation in the EU as a result. There is an ongoing genocide, with Israel torturing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and continuing to do so.”
“Cork city or county. In recent years, the world has become an increasingly unstable and chaotic place with differences between states being settled by force rather than diplomacy. Since the Second World War, and particularly since the end of the Cold War, there has been a common narrative that world politics is governed by a set of rules and established values. There was a system of international institutions and laws that would mediate between states and show respect for all, regardless of power or military strength, although this was never the case for Third World countries, which continue to be subjected to sickening levels of violence and exploitation.”
“We need to ask the Minister to come in here to address concerns around the in camera rule and address the concerns that people and families like Nicola Fox have around family law, the family courts and the in camera rule.”
“The parents I met last week, along with Nicola, have also criticised the use of so-called "experts" in family courts using so-called expert reports. Family law is simply not protecting children of the State. Children like Nicola's Harry are being failed by the State. Not only are children being failed, they are being put in harm's way. There are so many horror stories coming out of the family law courts we simply cannot say, "It is complicated". We need solutions and we need to work through those solutions. Justice must be done but it must also be seen to be done. Hundreds of parents do not see it being done. The family courts are failing so many children and parents.”
“In the Dáil Chamber last week, there was a motion on reform of the in camera rule in family law. It was brought into the Dáil by Deputy Gogarty. The Free Legal Advice Centres, FLAC, have told us that family law is the single biggest area of unmet legal need in the State. Parents have articulated the problems the in camera rule presents, and the need for it to be reformed. I met with Nicola Fox, who is campaigning to change the in camera rule to bring more accountability for parents like herself. Nicola and parents like her believe the in camera rule has severely limited their ability to share their experiences and left them silent, isolated and unsupported during their family law proceedings. Nicola Fox and others argue that the in camera rule has shielded perpetrators from scrutiny and accountability.”
“I thank the Minister. I welcome Billy, Michael, Roisín and Anne Marie, who are up from the Brothers of Charity in Ferrybank in Kilkenny. They are very welcome. I hope that Natasha Newsome Drennan is looking after you well. If you have any trouble with her, just let us know. I hope you enjoy your day.”
“We see the contrast between the Government's condemnation of what is happening and the actions to ensure there are consequences for Israel, it is pretty stark. One the one hand, the Government talks about passing the occupied territories Bill and suspending trade pacts with Israel, yet it welcomes the football team of genocidal Israel here to play football. That is simply wrong and it is something we can make a stand on. We can show Israel that we will not facilitate its sportswashing. Some 565 footballers, management staff and referees have been murdered by Israel. How can we justify allowing Israel to play here? It is important that the Minister makes a statement on this and comes in here to explain what the Government will do to support the Irish citizens who have been kidnapped, again, by Israel.”
“As the House will be aware, the Global Sumud Flotilla was seized at gunpoint last night by the Israeli occupying forces. Seven Irish citizens have been arrested. This was and is a peaceful mission. The flotilla has not been fully intercepted. It is important that there is engagement by the Department and the Government to ensure the safety of the Irish citizens. This seizure took place near Greece, over 1,000 miles from Gaza. Israel has extended its borders into Gaza, Lebanon and Iran and now it is extending them into the EU. It is disappointing that nobody has stood up to Israel. As I said, this mission is off the coast of Greece. At this stage, the Israelis will be coming for us, knocking on our doors soon. The Irish Government is looking the other way.”
“At the heart of its considerations must be the integral role of social environmental and ethical considerations in procurement and the positive effects these can have on well-being and sustainability.”
“This means that in the North, Executive procurement is used to meet policy objectives, for example, reducing poverty through the creation of jobs for people living in disadvantaged areas and delivering environmental benefits by requiring contracts to employ low- or zero-carbon policies. These are all measures that should be employed in this State. In addition, 23 councils, North and South, have passed ethical procurement policies. This means that procurement in these councils is guided by the UN guiding principles on business and human rights, OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises and the global Sullivan principles. The State has many models that it can draw from in creating its own procurement strategy.”
“Similarly, Senator Alice-Mary Higgins, who is on cue behind me, has done tremendous work in this area. Her Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021 was passed by the Seanad but rejected by the Government earlier this year. While I welcome the Government's move to produce a national strategy on public procurement, I hope it has taken on board the content of both of these Bills and the debates that took place on them in these Houses. I will also mention the North's public procurement policy which was first introduced by Senator Conor Murphy when he was finance minister in the Northern Assembly in 2022. That new policy introduced for the first time mandatory scoring of social value within public procurement contracts.”
“We do not continue to give tax breaks to landlords, banks and insurance companies at the expense of the working people who are put to the pin of their collars trying to put fuel in their cars and heat in their homes. The Government itself has reported that State expenditure and public procurement stands at between 10% and 12% of GDP. This makes the Government a significant player in the economy of this State. For too long, reform of public procurement has been ignored. I acknowledge the work of others in this space. My party colleague, an Teachta Mairéad Farrell, introduced a policy report, Towards a New Strategy for Progressive Procurement, in 2021. She followed this with her Transparency and Social Value in Public Procurement Bill 2024, which the Government last year amended and delayed for two years.”
“The public are right to inquire. If the Government cannot get the small things right, what are the chances of the big projects going awry? We can of course point to the children's hospital coming in now at more than €1 billion over budget, which is just staggering and made worse by the fact that its completion has been delayed time after time. The children it was meant to serve will be well into adulthood before it opens its doors. I recently heard there are other issues with making sure all the rooms are ready and for fit for purpose. This is from a Government that has tried to paint my party, Sinn Féin, as economically challenged. There is a certain irony when we hear that accusation being thrown at us. We did not crash the economy and we are not presiding over the worst housing crisis the State has known.”
“I welcome this debate and I thank the Minister of State for being in attendance to discuss this important issue. This debate is timely given that the Department of public expenditure and reform, through its Office of Government Procurement, is in the process of developing its first national procurement strategy. Transparency, openness and a level playing field are of paramount importance when it comes to spending public money. Members of the public as taxpayers are entitled to feel that the State is utilising and investing their money in an accountable and efficient manner. Unfortunately, there are too many examples in recent memory of the State getting procurement badly wrong. Small projects like the famous bike shelter, security huts and little walls have garnered big headlines in recent years and rightly so.”
“Government and Dublin City Council are choosing to spend it on extravagance and wasteful developments and are leaving tenants and residents in public housing to struggle with shockingly poor, substandard conditions to live in. Council tenants are being squeezed dry with rent increases on the basis that this revenue, raised from those who are struggling the most, is needed to fund the basic services, yet an unprecedented level of funding is available for its Civic Offices. To me, that points to a deeper issue around the prioritisation of funding by Dublin City Council. I urge the Minister, Deputy Browne, to come before the Seanad to debate the Department's approach to funding allocations at a local authority level.”
“It is a complete insult to working people that public money is being used in this way, particularly at a time when people are at the pin of their collar with the cost-of-living crisis. People will just not be able to afford to pay the increased rent. It will have a devastating impact on individuals and families. Likewise, it has recently been announced that Dublin City Council plans to spend €10 million on renovations of its Wood Quay offices, the same offices it plans to demolish in a few years when it completes its new offices in Camden Yard at a cost of nearly €600 million. Dublin City Council seemingly has an endless supply of money for its own offices but when it comes to housing maintenance and community services, the purse seems to run out. The money is there; it is how it is spent.”
“Information released under a freedom of information request shows that Dublin City Council ran up a bill of €11,400 at a hotel on the French Riviera for its officials. On a separate trip to California, the accommodation cost was just under €11,000, with the Lord Mayor's flight costing almost €6,000 and that of Dublin City Council's chief executive costing over €4,000. That is indefensible. It is scandalous that top Dublin City Council figures are flying business class and staying in luxury hotels while at the same time Dublin City Council is imposing a rent increase on council tenants. That will have a huge impact on tenants across the city who are already struggling with the cost of living and have this massive rent increase coming down the road.”
“I thank the Minister of State. The Government is trying to defend the indefensible. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, lost the plot a few weeks ago when a few idiots threw flares onto a pitch. He threatened every organisation and he was going to ban footballers and football teams, yet he has no issue playing Israel which is committing genocide and has killed 565 Palestinian footballers. He has no issue with that, but at the same time there have been no answers. When visiting team supporters, management and players come here, what security screening will be in place to ensure that if somebody has been active in genocide they are held to account? The Government are like spineless ostriches with their heads stuck in the ground, not willing to do anything to upset the Israelis or the US. There needs to be security screening.”
“The Football Association of Ireland, FAI, president and CEO need to ensure that they do not facilitate sportswashing by genocidal apartheid Israel. Senior management in the FAI knows what is going in Gaza and that hundreds of footballers have been killed by Israeli forces, so they need to listen to their own members and stop the game. The FAI congress said no to Israel, and the CEO and president need to listen to their own members and not do the Government's bidding.”
“That is what the evidence indicates. If the match goes ahead - and I sincerely hope it does not - what plans has the Government in place for screening of Israeli players, management and supporters? What security screening does it have in place for the team, management, players and supporters of Israel? Will players, management and supporters who have participated in genocide be allowed to come and go without any consequences? Will the killers of Mr. Khalifa, if they are here, be allowed to come and go without any consequences? Will the Government just turn a blind eye to those coming here to play and support genocidal Israel? If it does come to light that one of the team or supporters were involved in genocide, what proactive steps will the Government take to ensure they are held to face the consequences?”
“With genocidal Israel using football to sportswash their apartheid and genocide, sport and politics are intertwined whether people like it or not. The Palestinian Football Association has said that 565 Palestinian footballers, coaches and referees have been killed in Gaza by Israel's genocide, one of those being Muhammad Khalifa, who came here to play teams across Ireland. He is remembered fondly by his family and also by his Irish football family. The killers of Mr. Khalifa could be here in Ireland when Ireland plays Israel. That is just not acceptable. Given this fact, how can UEFA and FIFA allow Israel to take part in world football? Poland refused to play Russia when Ukraine was invaded and there were no consequences for Poland, so why can Ireland not refuse to play Israel? The reason is that the Irish Government is spineless.”
“The game with Israel is a prime example of the Government speaking out of both sides of its mouth. On one side of its mouth, we have the Government saying it is going to pass the occupied territories Bill and suspend the trade pact with Israel but, on the other side of its mouth, it will welcome Israel to come here and play football. In what word does that make sense? Israel flouts international law every hour, day, week, month and year. The Irish Government is spineless and does nothing to hold Israel to account. In fact, it does not do nothing - it welcomes Israel here to play, which is worse than doing nothing. Israel should not even be in UEFA and FIFA. We hear people saying that politics and sport should be separate and never mixed. The reality is that sport is political and there is no changing that fact.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I suspect he is in to defend the indefensible because genocidal Israel will be coming to the Aviva Stadium to play Ireland. I find it absolutely staggering that the Government will welcome Israel here with open arms. It is beyond belief. The Government constantly expresses concern and condemnation over what apartheid Israel is doing in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran but never acts to ensure Israel faces consequences. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and has starved Palestinians to death. It is a terror state and it has dismantled international law. It has faced no consequences for all the terror it has inflicted on the world. What I cannot understand is why the Government, which regularly condemns Israel, never takes action. Words are meaningless to Israel. It needs to see action.”
“The Government needs to also look at maintaining a stock of monitoring devices that would enable mobile networks that can be deployed by the providers, following major storms to impacted customers likely to experience extended fixed line outages. There is a lot of work to do and there are concerns among rural communities.”
“It can ensure that landowners are complying with the Roads Act 1993 to remove diseased or damaged roadside trees throughout the State. The Department must engage with pendant alarm providers to identify the vulnerable service users, where they are and what type of network they are connected to. The expert advice we received is that home monitoring health alarm customers should be migrated from copper landline-dependent devices onto newer hardware devices with a mobile network backup. Home monitoring health alarm customers should also be migrated onto modern devices that work with fibre to the home, FTTH, broadband, where such networks are available to them. FTTH networks are significantly more resilient to storm damage than copper landline networks and are more easily repaired.”
“The length and breadth of this country, there are elderly people doing their best to live independently who rely on health monitoring and pendant alarms. When that damage was caused a number of elderly, vulnerable people had no monitoring in place for an extended period throughout the country. Clearly, that is not acceptable and our citizens' lives are at risk if they cannot call for help. It has been over a year since Storm Éowyn. What will the Government's proactive multi-departmental approach be? Clear proactive actions can be taken now. The Government can review the tree cutting capabilities each local authority has so they can respond adequately when we have another storm event and to tackle trees on public land.”
“Storm Éowyn was the first big test for this Government in the new Dáil term and it took almost three weeks for power and connectivity to be restored to all homes, farms, schools, businesses and clubs. The Government failed that first test but lessons have to be learned. Ministers cannot just sit in meetings or berate Internet providers. We will have other storms similar to Storm Éowyn and power and connectivity will be lost again, especially in rural Ireland. We must do everything to mitigate risks. We must make proactive steps now and into the future to remove potential threats to the network. Storm Éowyn took down over 6,000 telecoms poles that have had to be replaced, along with vast expanses of cables. The majority of this damage was caused by extreme wind hitting diseased and damaged trees.”
“In addition, the ongoing delay in the review of IS 465 means grant decisions are not being made on the basis of the most up-to-date science, and options concerning full demolition or the inclusion of foundations are not being offered, even where these options are supported by science. It is also very frustrating that there has been no progress to date on the inclusion in the scheme of social housing impacted by defective concrete products. Gallery Quay and Poolbeg Quay in Ringsend are examples of properties with serious defects that are not included. What is needed is a complete end-to-end scheme, run by the Housing Agency, as was delivered for Leinster pyrite, to ensure all homeowners and tenants impacted by defective concrete products get 100% redress in order to be able to live in safe and comfortable homes.”
“It has been said that the scheme in which the homeowners have been included is not working and, as has been alluded to, requires radical reform. It does not provide 100% redress. Many homeowners still face bills of tens of thousands of euro. Even with the grant, many are not applying because they know they cannot make up the shortfall. It is taking far too long for applications to be processed through the local authority and the Housing Agency. The failure to provide staged payments or bridging finance is also causing many people not to apply. Even with grants approved, people cannot afford the upfront costs.”
“I thank the Minister for coming in. I welcome the extension of the grant scheme to Fingal and Wexford. It is long overdue. Unfortunately, it took too long for the Minister to reach a decision on the extension of the scheme to these areas. Homeowners in terrible situations have been left waiting for far too long for a decision. They have faced years of uncertainty, with their homes falling down around them. Their inability to sell or safely live in these homes has caused immense anxiety and financial strain. It is incumbent on us now to ensure that those affected will not have to face a further unacceptable wait as the councils set up the necessary administrative arrangements to process grant applications.”
“We need the Minister for housing in here who, certainly for residents in the inner city, Pearse Street and Ringsend, the invisible Minister. We need to see him here to explain what he is going to do to support inner city communities.”
“Three and four generations of families are being forced to move out not because there is no housing in the area, but because the Government's policy on housing has meant that local inner city families cannot afford these insane eye-watering prices. What we have now are homes without people and people without homes in this city. When the Government talks about its housing plan, which is called Delivering Homes, Building Communities, I find it ironic. The homes that the Government are delivering are not being delivered to inner city communities like the families of those in Mercer House or Digges Street Upper. These communities cannot afford to pay these eye-watering prices. It is dividing communities, not building them.”
“In the docklands and elsewhere in the city, apartments and buildings are lying empty because only a miniscule proportion of the population can actually afford to live there and the developers will not lower the rents as that would reduce the speculative value of their properties. The buildings lie empty while people sleep on the streets outside. In the middle of a housing crisis, homes are being treated like commodities that are built, bought and sold solely in the interests of the wealthy. Behind all the statistics, communities are being divided, split up and forced out from where generations of their families have grown up.”
“Dublin is in the midst of what is arguably the worst housing crisis since the establishment of the State. Private rental tenants are under huge pressure to make ends meet. Absolutely no progress has been made. Rents are going up every year. Rental property is only getting more difficult to find. Properties available under HAP, which has unfortunately become the backbone of our broken social housing system, are practically non-existent. Prospective tenants need to be making six-figure salaries to come anywhere close to affording rent in any new-build apartment complex in the city.”
“I thank the Minister of State. Before Senator Cosgrove responds, I want to welcome Rehins National School from County Mayo, guests of the Minister, Deputy Calleary. He was in just a few minutes ago and he asked that the teachers would ensure that students would not have any homework for the rest of the week, so they might consider that. The Minister said he would put in a word to make sure that happened. They are very welcome and I hope they enjoy their visit.”
“I acknowledge Joseph P. McGill, who is Honorary Consul in Detroit. He is very welcome. He is a guest of Deputy John Paul O'Shea and is in good hands. I am sure Deputy O'Shea will be delivering lunch to Mr. McGill later.”
“Dublin cannot afford to let this opportunity to slip by. I ask that the Minister come here to discuss the regeneration of flat complexes in the city and support communities that have been neglected for decades.”
“There is a cruel irony in such a large salary being handed out when the actions of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have made life so unaffordable for ordinary people in the city. The Government has allowed the cost of living to balloon out of control and is failing to deliver affordable housing or childcare. It is also choosing to hike rents significantly for Dublin City Council tenants. The regeneration of Dublin city centre has moved at a snail's pace and key places in our city, like O'Connell Street and College Green, desperately need investment, ambition and delivery for the public. The south inner city has countless areas in need of regeneration, in particular Pearse Street and the flat complexes from Ringsend to Cuffe Street. These parts of the city urgently need the attention of Dublin City Council and the Government.”
“That said, the task force report was first published 18 months ago and so far nothing has come of it. There is a very real risk that these recommendations never leave the paper they are printed on. Big announcements are this Government's speciality but, unfortunately, delivery is not. One example is the refusal by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to meet the residents of Pearse House, which is undergoing deep retrofitting. Unfortunately, it is not regeneration but it should be. The Minister will also not meet residents of the Irish Glass Bottle Site Housing Action Group in Ringsend, which is disappointing. Robert Watt will be on a salary of €280,000, which is astronomical compared to the average wage in the inner city.”
“I agree with Senator Craughwell's observations. This week, former Secretary General of the Department of Health, Robert Watt, was appointed to lead the Dublin City Regeneration Authority. The authority was established as a result of the findings of the Dublin city task force, which put forward ten key steps to revive the city centre of Dublin. The report made clear the extent of the neglect of our capital city by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and made recommendations that are glaringly obvious for people living in the inner city who are confronted by dereliction and crime every single day. I hope Robert Watt's appointment is a positive move and will lead to the authority finally delivering for the people of Dublin. Results are desperately needed in the inner city, which has struggled with chronic underinvestment for decades.”
“It is unconscionable to me that our airspace would be used to transport weapons to perpetrate genocide in Palestine and in Gaza. If the Government actually cared about justice and human rights, not a single bomb or gun bound for Israel would be allowed to pass through our skies. This Bill is very clear and well thought through. It is a step towards achieving that aim and I hope that the Government changes course quickly and finally acknowledges our complicity in the criminal wars in the Middle East. The US military needs to be out of Shannon Airport and we finally need to stand up and say that Ireland will have no part in Israel’s genocide and in the war of Trump and Netanyahu.”