Paul Donnelly
Dublin West · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“It is bizarre that the State does not fund digital devices. What is the point of free school books when people have to find hundreds of euro to pay for devices? In a country that is home to most of the largest IT and social media companies in the world, surely, we must be leading the way in terms of technology in our schools.”
“I welcome the motion. The matter to which it relates is something in respect of which Sinn Féin has been campaigning consistently for many years. There is no doubt that costs are rising and putting families under severe pressure over the summer months.”
“This matter needs to be addressed. A letter from the Minister, however nicely worded, has simply not worked. We are often told that Ireland is a world leader in terms of quality educational systems. What we need is fair and equitable access to the education system for all of our children and young people.”
“What this House does in terms of regulation and ensuring the companies driving all of this do so in the proper way and are monitored, with proper due diligence done on how AI impacts society, is very important. We know AI has positive impacts but it also has extremely negative impacts.”
“I met with the parents of Grace Lynch. I commend them on their advocacy on road safety and tackling scramblers and illegal e-bikes and scooters. On Monday, hundreds of residents in Hartstown marched around Hartstown Park to highlight the issue of antisocial behaviour, scramblers and illegal e-bikes in the parks.”
“I welcome the Bill and the opportunity to speak on it. It is critically important. AI is something we use every single day, whether we know it or not. Many of the applications we use have a major component of AI. In many areas it has a really useful purpose. Students and workers use it, and people in here use it on a daily basis.”
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“Israel is in a research and innovation association that involves aerospace companies which have ties to the defence sector – I would not call it the defence sector as the Israel Defense Forces are a murderous sector - in bilateral funding, education and culture. According to the European Union - the Commission - the State of Israel is responsible for an unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians, a large-scale displacement of population and the systematic destruction of hospitals and medical facilities in Gaza. Israel also implemented a blockade of humanitarian aid that could amount to starvation as a method of war. Israel is in breach of multiple rules and obligations under international law and fails to prevent the crime of genocide as ordered by the International Court of Justice.”
“The Minister of State complained and expressed outrage but the EU, of which Ireland has been a key member for decades, still gives Israel preferential economic treatment. That money supports genocide and a parliament that will execute Palestinians only and supports money being raised under this agreement to bring settlers in to steal land. The EU is Israel’s largest trading partner, with total goods traded reaching €42.6 billion in 2024, representing 32% of Israel’s total trade. Economic support includes deep integration into EU research programmes, with €1.1 billion in Horizon Europe funding earmarked for Israel. In trade relations, the EU-Israel Association Agreement enables preferential access to the EU for Israel.”
“There has been ethnic cleansing and destruction not seen since the assault on Gaza, which still continues. I do not believe there is actually a ceasefire. People are dying every day. The illegal war in Ukraine is horrific and rightly condemned by all right-thinking people. I can understand why people here and abroad see the EU as being hypocritical. A poll that was carried out and published in the last couple of days showed that 45% of people believe the EU is moving in the right direction. Less than a majority of people believe it is going in the right direction. That is a worrying statistic. Imagine the outrage and horror here if the Russian Parliament passed a law to execute Ukrainians only. Israel has passed such a law.”
“"Europe Day is a chance ... to celebrate the community of values we represent and are jointly working to protect and nourish." That is something I read today. Yesterday, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, talked about establishing an international claims committee for Ukraine, which we support. There is rightly outcry and outrage against Russia across the EU. Russia has committed atrocities and there are quite rightly demands for reparations and sanctions. However, Israel has done the same against the Palestinian people. We see apartheid and the daily theft of homes and land by illegal settlers who are paid to travel from all over the world to settle on land that is not theirs and that is stolen. We have seen entire villages obliterated over the past couple of weeks and even in the most recent days.”
“We had very strong unions and very strong negotiations with the management and it was a brilliant place to work, but that is a rare thing and is getting rarer. The Minister of State needs to provide a legal right to collective bargaining through a union and provide unions with legal access to a workplace. Imagine, we are asking for legal access to a workplace for representatives. The Government also needs to bring the minimum wage into line with the living wage and increase access to flexible and remote working arrangements for employees. It is about workers' rights. It is about giving people who are on low pay the opportunity that everybody else has - a right to collective bargaining and a right to be in employment that pays well.”
“The findings of the 2026 Ireland Thinks poll, commissioned by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, found that 52% of workers do not believe they are paid fairly for the work they do and that figure is higher for women and for people on low incomes. According to the Working in Ireland Survey, 44% of workers in Ireland not currently in a union would like to join one. Ireland, as the best little place in Europe to do business, is an outlier in the European Union in not providing workers with a statutory right to collective bargaining and lags behind other EU member states. I have worked in several places where being part of the union was required. As you went into the employment, you were told you were joining a union. It was really good.”
“The cost-of-living crisis is putting massive pressure on workers and their families. Everything they buy and use, including their rent, fuel, food and meals continues to increase leaving workers unable to make ends meet. The dream that is sold to young people, that if they stay in school, do well, go to college or get an apprenticeship, they will get a job that will meet their needs, is becoming a nightmare. A lot of our young people are voting with their feet and leaving this country. Did the Minister of State know that the overall employment figures mask that one quarter of jobs in Ireland are considered poor quality, characterised by low pay, insecurity and poor working conditions?”
“School completion programmes tackling disadvantage in the Mountview, Blakestown and Ongar areas are operating with no increased funding and have been asked to support a school population that has increased by over 1,000 children. Deaf children get supports, or not, due to a postcode lottery. There is a baby alarm and monitor scheme in Meath-----”
“I am going to give the Tánaiste some examples of how this Government is failing our most vulnerable children. Hansfield Educate Together National School is telling us it will not be able to support children with additional needs due to the lack of SNA allocation for this September, forcing it to reduce timetables for students with additional needs. One school in Dublin West has been awarded DEIS plus status but there is none in Corduff, Blakestown or Mountview. At least 19 children with additional needs have no post-primary school place for September. The Minister's task force on special education, set up in October 2024, has still not published its recommendations. Why? Children have been waiting six years for an assessment of need for children with additional needs in Blakestown CDNT.”
“I appreciate everybody who has taken part in this debate and those who have been part and parcel of bringing the Bill to where we are now. We really need to move on. Some people do not have the time to hear the words that they have been vindicated.”
“As the Minister said, the number one recommendation was "...a legislative scheme be established to enable the disregard of relevant criminal records and this Bill seeks to deliver on that recommendation". Why did it take so long for us to get something like this done? It is really important that we get it done as quickly as we can. It is the least that we can do as a Legislature. It is the least that we can do in this country to send the message out to those people who are left and to those who have passed away who did nothing wrong. It was the State that was wrong, and the State needs to apologise. I hate to use the word "convictions". They need justice. They did absolutely nothing wrong and that is why the State needs to make their voices heard.”
“Joseph's industrial school in Clonmel and Letterfrack. There were many places. We had the Magdalen laundries as well where some young girls were locked up for the rest of their lives, and for what? That is the regressive and the oppressive State. We should never forget that because the minute we try to gloss over that, that is when we start to have these regressive people coming back and we need to stand up against that. I Iistened to and read the Minister's statement. I welcome the fact that there has been movement on it, but why do these things take so long? Why did it take a parliamentary question from Deputy Ó Snodaigh for the Department and Minister to say that we need to deal with this? This should have been dealt with. I read the working group's report. It was one of the main recommendations in the working group.”
“I grew up in the north inner city as a teenager in the late 1970s and 1980s. I remember Fairview Park. I was a teenager when a man was beaten to death by people I knew and went to school with. We did not understand because we had been programmed and given information all our lives that this was a horrible thing that these men were doing. A lot of people of my generation and the generations before that believed it. It led to the situation we are in now. We lived in an extremely oppressive and regressive State for many decades from the reds under the bed with Jimmy Gralton, the only Irishman ever to be excluded from his own country because he a communist, and young working class people, boys and girls, were sent to institutions for the most minor of things. They were sent away from their families for years into the likes of St.”
“I really just wanted to be here to show my support for this Bill and to thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh and everybody who participated in this Bill, as well as the people up in the Gallery. It is incredibly important in this day and age. I am really saddened that we are in a situation that there has been a kick back against such a positive move over the past number of years towards understanding and accepting difference. That is really sad. I find it really difficult when I hear some of the horrific language being used by people on protests against immigration, the LGBTQ community and educating children. We are really going down a very dark road and it is something that everyone of us needs to stand up against. This Bill is part of that. I find it really difficult to understand.”
“On 16 July 2014 at approximately 3.30 p.m. Israeli forces fired three missiles that killed four boys while they were playing football on Gaza City's fishing beach. I will never forget that and I believe most people will never forget the scenes of those four young boys playing football. How dare the Government stand here and allow the game to go ahead?”
“Some are lucky to have them and most are not. Beyond national pride, football also delivers a significant economic and social value. Grassroots football has shown a €1.8 billion social return on investment, with €17.64 for every €1 invested in the sport. Last year the FAI presented an €80 million plan over 11 years to build infrastructure. Think about the fact that greyhounds and horses got a 2026 budget allocation of €99.1 million for one year and think of the statistics I listed at the beginning. The vast majority of the people oppose the upcoming Ireland-Israel game. It is beyond comprehension, given the team with members of the murderous Israeli army and I will not insult the victims of genocide by calling it a defence force. I will do my utmost to prevent that game from going ahead. I will leave the Minister of State with this.”
“Yes, the growth in attendance across the League of Ireland has skyrocketed but this is in no way accredited to anything the Government has done. Most grounds are in dire need of refurbishment and some need to be completely knocked down and rebuilt. Only one ground in the Twenty-six Counties can hold a European match. The credit for the massive increase in interest lies solely with the clubs. The Minister of State spoke about the massive increase in women's and girl's football, and it is fantastic, but the lack of facilities is shocking. We have girls and boys in our public parks with zero toilet facilities. We have many clubs still using steel containers as changing rooms and club facilities. This year due to the bad weather many grass pitches were closed for months on end, putting massive pressure on the all-weather facilities.”
“The Minister of State will be relieved to know I am not going to name all of the football clubs in Dublin West because there are too many. It shows the strength of football in our community. The clubs exist not because of Government funding but in spite of it. Most of the money they use in their clubs is received through fundraising. They have to go through hoops to get every cent. Some of the figures are staggering, with 245,000 registered players, 80,000 volunteers and 60 clubs, and there will be 100 clubs next year with regard to Football for All. As a lifelong Bohemians supporter I have visited most stadiums in Ireland and I hope that one day in a united Ireland we will have a united league. I am genuinely shocked that the Minister of State can talk about the growth in the League of Ireland without being deeply embarrassed.”
“Under the sweetheart deal agreed by Fine Gael, the banks paid less than 1% on over €3 billion in profits last year. Taxing them would cover it. The Government gave developers €250 million for apartments they were already building. The State had a €12.5 billion surplus last year, €2 billion over what the Government had projected. There is where the money is coming from, and this so-called magic money tree. It is there. Support the people.”
“It never does, but the Minister still goes on about how there are no solutions from those on this side of the House. We will give them - 25 cent off the price of diesel, the complete removal of excise duty, including carbon tax, on home heating oil, and a maximum cut to excise duty, including carbon tax, on green diesel. In the medium to long term, we will talk about renewable energies. The Government is going to do what it always does, namely sell it off to private industries. What will those industries do? Like the energy companies and all the developers in this country, they will profiteer. If the Minister really wants to solve the problem, he should keep renewable energy in State ownership and make sure that the people profit rather than the profiteers. The Minister talked about how we are going to pay for this.”
“If we ever needed evidence that the Government is out of touch, then the protests, supported by a huge majority of people in two polls over the weekend, are a wake-up call for this Government. Unfortunately, the vote is over. However, the fight for fairness for workers and families goes on. We know from yesterday's vote that this Government is not for the people. Here is a message for the people: the next chance they are going to get is in the upcoming by-elections. They will have a chance to give their view and use their voice. I ask everyone to turn out and show how sick and tired they are of this Government. The Minister is one of the main people talking about solutions. When motions like this are put forward, solutions are put forward time and again. Does the Government ever take them on board?”
“Rath Dara Community College is a post-primary school that is a stone's throw away from the only primary school that was selected, Ladyswell National School, but it is not on the list. Blakestown Community School and Scoil Mhuire, which are both DEIS schools, did not make it. Is this just a box-ticking exercise to claim the Government is doing something for disadvantaged students? If not, will the Minister commit to revisiting the allocation? At the end of the day, it is not just Dublin 15. There are communities all over that are absolutely baffled as to how their local schools were not selected for DEIS plus.”
“Next weekend, many of us will be at the 1916 Easter commemorations honouring those who fought and died for Irish freedom. The Proclamation references "cherishing all the children of the nation equally". Just last week, I met the local management committee for school completion at Blakestown Community School. Like all school completion committees, it works with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children in our communities. It has not had an increase in funding in years, with larger numbers of students leading to effective cuts every year. Yesterday, the Government announced the DEIS plus scheme, a new set of additional plans and funding for schools in very disadvantaged communities. The feedback I have got from schools is one of utter shock and dismay. One school has been selected for DEIS plus for the entire Dublin 15 area.”
“The Minister needs to ensure that it is resourced and that the legislation is in place to enforce what we need to see on the ground, which is people tackling this. The buck stops with the Minister. People want to see action.”
“It does not have the numbers. The Minister has failed every year to reach the target. Even today, he parrots the line about more gardaí on the streets. People just do not see them. I will give him an example. Bizarrely, recruits are coming out of their nine-month or two-year long training unable to drive cars with the blue lights on. They can march, because I have been down there and have seen it as part of the passing out of a relative. They can march. They spend hours practising how to march, yet they come out of there not being able to drive cars with the blue lights on. That is absolutely ludicrous. They are taunted on a daily basis by people on scramblers, yet they do not have the resources to be able to address them. I have raised time and again the resources in Britain are used for a dedicated anti-scrambler unit.”
“There is not a community that believes the Minister has a handle on the policing issues that they face every single day. I commend the gardaí in Dublin 15. They work hard under huge pressure. I hear from them all of the time that they are under-resourced in terms of equipment, but also in terms of back-up. Can the Minister imagine how the general population feels? Last Sunday, I was sent a picture of our local park by local residents. About a dozen people were hanging around the place. There were six to eight scramblers flying around the park. Millions of euro have been spent on that park, yet a lot of people fear that they cannot use it if this issue is not dealt with. Work has been done on scramblers, which I acknowledge. The problem is there is very little enforcement because An Garda does not have the resources.”
“Special effort should be made to ensure that a person who is made a ward or is transitioning into assisted decision-making above all is for the person's best interests and that no other person, be they family members, carers or solicitors, stand to gain financially from the assets of the person due to be made a ward. Again, the more up-to-date and progressive Bill is to be welcomed but not without certain precautions, and it should not be fast-tracked but carefully debated and scrutinised to ensure that the human rights of all persons concerned are upheld.”
“The HSE should also produce a national guideline for legal and medical practitioners to ensure the protection of the rights of a prospective ward of proceedings because, at the end of the day, while most of the time people are made wards for their own good and protection, there is a human rights issue and every person deserves their human rights to be upheld. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 remains non-compliant with the UNCRPD due to its approach to the functional assessment of capacity, which leads to a denial of legal capacity. By fast-tracking this amendment Bill through the Oireachtas, the Minister of State is missing out on an important opportunity to improve the Act's compliance with Article 12.”
“This Bill must serve to stop the confusion and lack of understanding around the entire ward of court system to ensure the wishes of an individual being made a ward are adhered to during the application for wardship. This includes issues such as whether they want to be made a ward at all, consent to medical procedures, where they wish to live or how their property is to be disposed of. The HSE should ensure that lawyers used in the ward of court proceedings have appropriate expertise in law on the decision-making capacity and human rights obligations for persons who may be vulnerable.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to speak. As the Minister of State knows, we are supporting this Bill, but as has been said on multiple occasions, it needs to be treated with caution. The timelines around this are really tight and an awful lot of people are going to be left in difficulties. We need to ensure that all wards of court are given the opportunity to engage with the assessment process. It is only fair to allow all wards to be assessed. By going by the Government's dates, 1,400 cases will still not have been heard. Also, some of the amendments provide that there must be provision for wards who reach 18 years of age after the deadline.”
“It is not. Every single person who has come in here today has talked about the vital public and social service post offices provide. I was struck by what Deputy Buckley said about those two women who wrote to themselves just so somebody would come along and visit them during the week. That shows how important our public services are. It is not just about the postal services and post offices; it is about all our public services. Sometimes it irks me that we know the value of everything. Bean counters look for the value in things. How much will it cost us? What is the profit? What is the loss? We can never measure, and we never even attempt to measure, the positive social aspects of public services we had. When a motion is tabled on the post office, I look forward to all the people who spoke today supporting it.”
“It acknowledged there is a reduction of 7% in letters overall but a 44% increase in parcels. That is absolutely huge. The collapse of a private parcel delivery firm has created a massive spike in parcels coming through our local depot in Coolmine. The volume is so large An Post has had to erect large tents in the car park. I get messages every other day about the postal service. Important letters and parcels are being delivered late. Last week, a person was worried because the decorations for a wedding they had planned were stuck in the depot and they could not get it access to them. Letters from hospitals and other important things people are waiting on are not being received until late in the day or sometimes when the date has passed. We have to talk about what the postal service is. Is it just about delivering letters and parcels?”
“Sometimes I feel like I am in a parallel world here. If we tabled a motion this evening to protect rural post offices, I have no doubt every Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Deputy and every Lowry Independents would vote against it. Yet every single person is coming in to talk about local post offices. I live in an urban area and post offices are under pressure in relation to access for our community and ever-increasing costs. I am really worried about the increasing rents in urban areas, which will lead to commercially unviable post offices. Many years ago, our post office in Corduff was lost and never returned, despite a huge campaign by the community. There is no doubt this loss is still felt. I have been engaging with the post office in recent weeks on the postal service.”
“Does the Minister really believe these companies are going to do it for themselves? They are making billions of euro in profits from these recommender algorithms and so is the Government. Maybe that is the reluctance to deal with this.”
“We all know and agree these algorithms are causing harm. We hear it time and again from both sides, yet the Government continues to kick it down the road. I wonder why. I am sorry the young people have left the Gallery. Maybe the Minister can explain to them why those harmful, toxic social media elements are being sent to them within minutes of engaging on social media. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular general comment No. 25, sets out children's rights in a digital environment. They are the rights to participate, the right to be protected from harm, the right not to be exploited for commercial gain and the right to access true and accurate information. Children have the right to be online. It is up to us, the lawmakers, to ensure they are not exploited.”
“We welcome the intention of this Bill, which clearly aims to protect children from harm. There is no doubt we are in a different age to when most of us were growing up. Most people in this Chamber came to digital and social media whereas as for young people it has always been their experience; they know nothing else. It is our role as legislators to make it as safe we can for all users, especially young people. There is no doubt there are positive aspects to social media but we are also aware there are extreme harms being done to children, young people and vulnerable older people. The core of the damage is being done with the use of recommender algorithms. These algorithms aim to keep young people endlessly scrolling. We know they amplify extreme content and promote unrealistic body images and racist and misogynistic content.”
“We are seeing attempts to limit supports to children and young people in our schools. Our school has seen increasing complexity and needs over the years. All schools have seen increasing numbers of students with increasing additional needs and you have attempted to cut and move SNAs using an extremely limited set of criteria rather than give every child the chance of attaining the highest level of education and space to enjoy their school experience. Last night we heard 1,100 students and parents and we will continue to fight with them and to fight for all children who deserve the best education that we as legislators can provide them with.”
“Without this consistent support she would struggle significantly in the classroom environment and her confidence, independence and overall well-being would be negatively affected. The presence of an SNA allows her not only to learn but to feel secure, included and valued amongst her peers. The SNA plays a vital role in enabling children with additional care needs to access their right to education on an equal basis with their classmates. They also ensure that teachers can focus on teaching while students with additional needs receive the appropriate care and support required throughout the day. For families like ours, appropriate SNA supports are the difference between a child merely attending school and a child truly flourishing within it. The next sentence is the crux of the issue.”
“I listened to the Taoiseach today. It was probably the most out of touch response I have heard. I was absolutely shocked. I got an email today that really encapsulates how all of this feels. I am writing as a parent of a child attending Pelletstown Educate Together National School and as a member of the wider community. My daughter is autistic and attends a mainstream class in our school. She thrives in an inclusive environment but she requires daily access to an SNA's support for her well-being, emotional regulation and participation in school life. This support is not a luxury. It is essential to her ability to access education safely and meaningfully. Her SNA provides crucial assistance with transitions, managing sensory overwhelm, communication support and helping her remain regulated enough to engage in learning.”
“The people want the right to buy their own home, which is a right that generations have had. That is being made more difficult by vulture funds. The motion is clear: we must end bulk buying of family homes by vulture funds. The Minister can do that in the morning if he wants to.”
“The fact is that family homes are still being bought up in bulk despite the Minister's attempts to portray that the Government is doing something to end this practice. What chance have workers and first-time buyers got to buy a house for themselves and their families? It is as clear as day that the Government's policies have failed and the repeated promises to stop investment funds bulk purchasing family homes have failed. Properties are being snatched up from under the noses of ordinary workers and families who are struggling to put a roof over their heads. This Government's inaction is allowing these vulture funds to drive up house prices and profits further by renting out these houses to the same people they outbid at extortionate rates because they cannot find anywhere to live.”
“In 2021, the acquisition of 112 homes in Hollystown, Dublin 15, by an investment fund rightly caused anger across the State. These houses - the ones the Minister talks about all the time as being essential to help young families to get a family home - were bought up in bulk by an investor. They are now rented out for at least €2,600 per month. Simon Harris has publicly stated that the bulk purchasing of homes needed for first-time buyers cannot be tolerated. That is on the record. Department of Finance figures state that by the end of 2025, over 2,000 homes have been bulk purchased since the Government first brought in measures it said would end the practice. Simon Harris is not only the Tánaiste; he is also the Minister for Finance. He can change this in the morning if he is really serious about this not being tolerated.”
“This cover-up continues, particularly as the British Government intends to use the joint legacy framework and new legislation to provide sweeping national security vetoes to shut down access to truth and justice and additional protections for state forces whose members supplied bombs and ammunition to the UVF, the UFF and others to carry out large-scale atrocities across the North and in the Twenty-six Counties. The Government cannot stand by another British-authored whitewash designed to conceal Britain's dirty war in Ireland, which claimed the lives of many hundreds of Irish citizens both sides of the Border.”
“The findings in the Kenova report shine a glaring light on the lengths to which the British establishment and its agents were prepared to go to evade their responsibilities and to establish and handle loyalist death squads and undercover armed groups such as the Military Reaction Force. The British Government, MI5 and other state actors, have broken the law to cover up their parts in collusion. They did so by giving the green light in respect of what happened and by averting their eyes while innocent people were murdered and maimed. The British establishment allowed its agents and loyalist murder gangs to act with impunity and then left grieving families without any closure or information on the deaths of their loved ones.”
“Hundreds of people escaped due to the fact a bomb failed to go off, but also as a result of the bravery of volunteer Martin Doherty that evening. Our thoughts are with the families who lost loved ones and those who campaign for truth and justice. I pay tribute to their courage in engaging with a process that often meant reliving the worst moments of their lives. I also pay tribute to groups like the Relatives for Justice that worked tirelessly for truth for the victims. I acknowledge there is no hierarchy in grief. All families are entitled to truth and justice.”
“Operation Kenova was deliberately undermined by the British state agency, MI5. The actions of the latter were designed to block the truth of Britain’s dirty war in Ireland. It is clear that the legacy investigations and reviews published as part of final report relating to Operation Kenova provide further confirmation of collusion, criminality and cover-up by the British state. Operation Denton confirms collusion between British state actors and loyalists in a campaign of systematic murder. Collusion was absolutely no illusion. Pat Finucane, the Glenanne gang, Sean Graham's betting shop, Loughinisland, Stakeknife - the list goes on. I was in the Widow Scallan's pub on the night it was attacked by loyalists.”
“We have to make sure the concerns of our communities are not undermined by the desire to ensure businesses such as these drone delivery companies take precedence over our communities. It is disappointing that the Bill is being kicked down the road. We are going to be coming back to this time and again. As time goes on, the Chamber will get fuller of people who have concerns about drone deliveries in our communities. I ask that the Government act soon.”
“Deputy O'Gorman has brought forward a solution and what has the Government done? It has kicked it down the road for another 12 months. It is really disappointing. The impact will not be in the Minister of State's constituency. It was previously but then it moved to our constituency. It will be in every constituency. We need to move fast to ensure people's right to their gardens and their privacy, their right not to have the noise these drones cause and their right not to have the nuisance they cause. I am not opposed to drone technology. It is another piece of technology that is here. It would be foolish to say we can ban this type of technology or get rid of it but we have to be able to regulate it.”
“I have read the framework and looked at the framework. Unfortunately, there are no timelines on it. We do not know. The people living with it in the here and now, the people who are experiencing this in Dublin 15, cannot wait for another year, year and a half or two years. We know the company tried to open another two zones and ran into planning issues. We know it is pressing forward. I do not think we can wait, and certainly given the advancement of the technology, we certainly cannot wait for the Government. It is really disappointing to see this happen to another Bill brought by the Opposition. The Government constantly asks us to bring forward our solutions. Every time something happens in here, we are told to bring forward our solutions and that the Government will listen to us.”
“For people who do not understand, when the drone goes over a person's property to make a delivery, a camera switches on. It looks down at where the square is and when it sees that nobody is there, it drops the package. I understand the company states this is not recorded but we know from previous history, and from our own WhatsApp groups and social media, that people take screenshots and videos from various computers. I have a real worry. People should have the right to be in their own garden and expect the privacy of their own garden. This should be expected. At the moment, I do not think people really trust that this is happening with the drone deliveries. Certainly, as it goes into the future, it will be a deep concern for people. I welcome the debate and the moves to regulate this.”