Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are 2 million people in Aleppo without running water and 250,000 civilians trapped in the rebel held areas, which are under constant and horrific bombardment, with currently only approximately 30 doctors functioning in hospitals there. I will also be raising this matter with the Taoiseach tomorrow when we have him before us, particularly in light of the slow pace of welcome here for Syrian refugees. We had promised to welcome 4,000 but we have only welcomed a very small handful yet.

I also ask the Leader for a debate on the repeal of the eighth amendment. I was among the many thousands who marched on Saturday with the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment and other groups. We are calling for the repeal of the eighth amendment. We are conscious that the Citizens' Assembly has been convened for 15 October but I ask the Leader that we might try to establish from the Taoiseach a likely timeframe for a recommendation from the assembly on the eighth amendment, knowing that that is the first issue with which it has been tasked to consider and knowing also that the movement for repeal is really growing, as evidenced by the 25,000 or 30,000 who marched on Saturday.