I am very pleased to have this opportunity to address the House on the challenge of addressing the impact of the unprecedented combination of conflicts and humanitarian crises worldwide, but especially in the broader Middle East and Africa. I have been proud to lead the Irish aid response over the past two years as Minister…

I thought I had seen it all but if the media reporting is accurate then we are going back to the past. If so, I believe politics is failing. The issue been a consistent blight on the political system for many years and we do have to recognise that it has recently divided society as…

Ceann Comhairle, In light of the current political situation and ongoing attempts to form a new government, this annual SPU update has been prepared on a technical, no policy change basis. Regardless, and in another very real way, the document tells a positive story of remarkable change. In April 2011, shortly after Labour entered government,…

  I made my maiden speech as a Deputy in the Thirty-first Dáil five years ago and it was on the matter of mental health. I am glad to have the opportunity to also discuss this important issue so early in the lifetime of this new Dáil. The last number of years have been years…

It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of James Downey, and my sympathies today are with his wife, Moira and his daughters Rachel and Vanessa. Jim was without doubt one of Ireland’s finest journalists and he served as a distinguished newsman at local and national level for over five decades. In…

I have followed today’s proceedings with great interest. It has been reassuring to hear the general consensus across the House on this very important strategic issue for Ireland. Although the outcome of this referendum is for the people of the United Kingdom to decide, today’s debate has shown how the decision that they make will…

Speaking in Dail Eireann On Statements On EU/UK Relations Ceann Comhairle, In recent years, with the EU institutions appearing to be led more by head than heart, many people have begun to question the wisdom of the project. The fundamental importance of union has slipped out of view. There are people in this Chamber whose…

Speaking after today’s meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party The people in the course of the recent election gave a mandate to particular parties to go ahead and form a government, and eight weeks on, it is now incumbent on those parties to do just that. It is the view of the Parliamentary Labour Party,…