Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputies Eamon Ryan and Seamus Healy. On Monday, 6 February 2017, we saw a "Prime Time" report on children with scoliosis who were on waiting lists and adults threatening suicide to escape pain. The programme gave us a bird's eye view into what it is like for people living on a waiting list. By Thursday, the suffering of those children and adults was off the agenda. It was replaced by the appalling revelations about the scurrilous and vile smear campaign surrounding Sergeant Maurice McCabe, a man who was acting in the public interest. It is rare that people feel threatened by the State. I believe people feel threatened by this State. They wonder why nothing happens and why things do not change. That situation was so badly handled it shone a light into a dysfunctional Cabinet.

Yesterday, Daft.iepublished a report which showed the highest ever level of rent increase. The Taoiseach said that the rental sector has been stabilised. Just because one says something does not mean it is true. This morning we learned of the 52% increase in the profits of the real estate investment trusts, REITs. There is so much dysfunction across a range of sectors that it is impossible to comprehend how the Taoiseach could come in here and ask us to vote confidence in this Government. The issues I highlighted earlier are but a snapshot of what has happened in the last week. How can the Taoiseach ask us to vote confidence in this Government?

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