I’m hopeful with continued engagement the government will see sense and adopt these proposals - even some of their backbenchers have been supportive of my efforts to reform flood insurance, as they can see it’s based on models that benefit everyone.

The government has been resistant to my proposals for the introduction of state-backed reinsurance and compensation models, but this is the kind of thing done in other European countries and works well.

I’ve been liaising with the Department of Finance on this over the last year, working to ensure that vulnerable communities all along the coast in Dublin Bay South who have been struggling to get the appropriate insurance will be able to access the necessary flood coverage in their policies.

This government simply cannot get enough of selling out renters, young and old alike, to the highest bidder of greedy developers and foreign international financial investors.

The Minister claims he is solving the housing crisis. Does anyone believe him?

There is another way, and we in the Social Democrats have set it out in our alternative budget and in our evidenced based policy proposals. It’s time for the government to start listening.

And when we dare to challenge them with the data, and with the lived experience of the people they have chosen to leave behind, all they can do is sling out insults and accusations.

And yet the government’s response has been to take measures in Budget 2026 which increased poverty and cut the incomes of disabled people by €1,400.

Many countries face housing problems, but no other government so diligently refines their policies to ensure that the negative impacts on people’s lives are maximised and that the problem continues to get worse.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael seem determined to keep Ireland’s housing market as the most dysfunctional one in the developed world.

As a renter myself, I’m acutely aware of the need for strong rental protections, security of tenure, and of how these basic protections are essential for people to be able to plan their futures and build a decent life for themselves.

We’ve costed it and it’s fiscally sustainable, representing a tiny portion of our bumper corporate tax receipts. 

I’m proud to be standing with disabled people as I bring my first motion to the Dáil with the support of my party colleagues.

That is why the Social Democrats are bringing a motion to the Dáil next week to introduce an immediate Emergency Winter Payment of €400 for disabled people. It’s a modest ask, but one which will help people who are making unconscionable choices just to survive this winter.

The government promised a permanent cost of disability payment in the Programme for Government, and they have failed to deliver it.

The EU can’t engage in empty rhetoric and selective applications of international law, and needs to stand up for these fundamental principles. 

We stand with Greenlanders, now and always.

The US administration is now escalating its rhetoric and displaying a flagrant disregard for international law and the fundamental right of self-determination, guaranteed under Article 1 of the UN Charter.

He had come in to speak about Denmark’s presidency of the EU, and so I also asked him about other issues like technology laws, social media regulation, the EU Democracy Shield, and navigating the changing geopolitical landscape, but Greenlanders’ self-determination was first and foremost in my mind.

I’m hoping Dublin City Council and the Department of Housing will step up to ensure people live in safe, comfortable homes and that maintenance work is carried out in good time.

There are also serious ongoing issues with maintenance processes which need to be restructured at City Council level.