Duncan Smith
Dublin Fingal East · Labour Party · Ireland
“That is three separate roads that are all in one network and are all closed or heavily restricted because of these works happening at the same time. This is impacting thousands of existing residents, and will do so for a significant period. The works are happening and the homes are being built.”
“We have a very small wastewater treatment plant that has been there for 40 or 50 years and which serviced a much smaller town. It is currently being retrofitted and upgraded, but those works are being delayed.”
“I thank Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, for taking this debate late on a Thursday evening, on the last sitting day of this term. I would like to talk about the town of Swords in north County Dublin.”
“We do not have enough schools and we have a wastewater treatment plant that is absolutely buckling under the pressure. We welcome the houses. There were no mass protests about housing development in Swords. The majority of people who live there moved there, like myself, in the past 20 years and love living there.”
“I know you cannot make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, but there is a disconnect in the planning of these projects that is causing havoc in Swords. We have a massive issue with our bus network, from bus stops to bus services, and again, we do not have a rail link yet.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her response, which speaks to the issue I am raising. Again, she will sense the tone in which I am raising it. There is an awful lot happening and being built, but it is the co-ordination of these works that is the problem.”
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“The consistent Israeli bombardment Gazans saw since the awful attacks on 7 October was massively disproportionate. The likes of it we have never seen. This was at a time when most independent eyes had been denied access to the horror on the Gaza Strip. We need to pay tribute to journalists who risked their lives to ensure the world could see the truth for what it was, to the 137 journalists and media workers who lost their lives in Gaza. Since the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPG, began to collect data, Gaza has been the deadliest spot for journalists to work. Today we have a shaky ceasefire – a ceasefire that has come with 61,800 people having died in the past 15 months.”
“What was said yesterday brings it to a whole new level of abhorrence, and this is why small Ireland needs to act, as it is done in the past. When we talk about genocide, the phrase "Never again" is often used. We know that phrase’s 20th-century origin. Instead of "Never again", we seem to have "Again and again", because the West will continually turn a blind eye to genocide and war crimes if it deems doing so to be in its economic or political interest. We cannot allow this country to follow that. We in the Labour Party, like many in this country, are unequivocal in our unwavering solidarity with the people of Palestine. Their struggle for self-determination, basic human rights and, for now, food, water, electricity, heat, safety and freedom of movement should demand the commitment of every person in the world with a shred of decency.”
“We are concerned that the first bit of pressure the current Government will bow to will be the pressure to water down the occupied territories Bill. Neither Brendan Howlin nor anybody else could have foreseen the press conference that took place yesterday with US President Donald Trump, in which he stated the US would take over Gaza, clear it of its people and buildings, and redevelop it. This was not some contribution made in some pre-election rally in some part of the United States; this was a White House briefing, a White House press conference. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Mr. Trump was the Prime Minister of Israel, who commended the American policy. It is beyond absurd that these words and policies are coming out of the Oval Office, notwithstanding the US’s support historically for the Israeli project.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for introducing this motion, which we fully support. That the last Private Members’ business of the Thirty-third Dáil, a motion by the Social Democrats, and the first Private Members’ business of the Thirty-fourth Dáil are on the issue of Palestine sends an important message out from this Parliament on how important the issue of genocide in Gaza is to the Irish people and their Parliament. In the debate on the last item of Private Members’ business of the Thirty-third Dáil, my then colleague Brendan Howlin, an outgoing TD, in commending the work of Senator Frances Black, warned about the presidency of Donald Trump, as we all did, and the moral and economic pressure that would be placed on Ireland under his presidency to bow to the Israeli demands.”
“Given the unprecedented number of junior Ministers being assigned by this Government, and also in trying to start this Dáil on somewhat of a better foot, it is a poor precedent to have pre-legislative scrutiny waived in respect of this Bill. On another note, with regard to the restoration of Bills, we received the list some 20 minutes before we sat but we really should have received it a lot earlier, notwithstanding what happened in the past couple of weeks.”
“They are really angry about it. I would like the Ceann Comhairle to commit to a deadline as to when she will make an adjudication on the joint submission from the Opposition on this matter and to make a decision that is for the good of the entire Parliament and every Member of this House. We in the Opposition believe there is only one answer to that question.”
“It needs to be said that at the Business Committee yesterday, all Opposition members registered their dissent to the arrangements and to the matter of the speaking rights for the technical groups. The proposal is for us to come back on 5 February, in two weeks. That proposal cannot proceed until we have resolved the issue of the technical groups' speaking rights. Notwithstanding what she said in her few words before we heard from the Government Chief Whip, I ask the Ceann Comhairle to state on the record of the Dáil that this is a temporary arrangement just for today - again, we dissent to it - and to acknowledge that there is deep division out there. Contrary to what the Tánaiste and incoming Taoiseach says, the public are angry about this.”