I believe renters should be allowed to use a proven rental payment record in lieu of a large deposit requirement, particularly for first-time buyers with stable employment and strong financial histories. Many renters consistently pay monthly rent that is equal to or higher than a mortgage repayment, often for years without missing payments. This demonstrates financial reliability and repayment ability. However, saving for a deposit while paying high rents has become extremely difficult. Myself and my boyfriend have been renting for the last three years in Bettystown, Co. Meath, paying rent of between 1,300 and 1,500, as a result of renting we have been unable to save up a deposit to buy our own home. We have been paying rent that would be equal or higher to a mortgage repayment. I work in AIB helping others with their mortgages so I know for a fact others pay less for their homes than we pay in rent.  We have a ten month old daughter and we would like to own our own property so she has a home to grow up in, rather than renting where we're not one-hundred percent sure we will be able to live for years to come. It is hard to plan for her future - schools/clubs for her to join - as we are not sure we will still be able to live in this area forever, as much as we would like to. 

In 2021, Uisce Éireann said that the water treatment plant in Ballivor, Meath, was a priority and works to increase the storage capacity would begin shortly. In 2024, they said work would be completed by 2027. We are halfway through 2026 and no work has commenced.  The water tower in Ballivor needs to be refilled too often because it does not have the storage capacity for the amount of houses it supplies. People are left without water for prolonged periods as a result. There have been parents of newborns left without water to clean bottles, elderly people who can’t even fill their kettle, and appliances damaged from the residual buildup pumped from the outdated tower.

How this affects you: Public transport and government services are public goods. But right now, vital updates—like train cancellations, road closures, and emergency alerts—are often shared on private social media platforms (X/twitter) long before they reach official websites or apps. This means: • You are forced to use private platforms and accept their tracking just to see public alerts. • Information is 'Gated' behind logins, its shown along with content influenced big tech algorithms, and there are advertisements. Even though X may allow you to open tweet links without login (for now), you cannot follow an account and see all their updates without a login. • If you don't use X (Twitter), you're left behind. I believe that if the taxpayer pays for the information, the taxpayer should be able to see it on a public, account-free, state-owned website. No 'followers' required. No logins necessary. Just the facts, when you need them. Why This Matters 1. Digital Fairness & Inclusion Public information is paid for by the taxpayer and should be accessible to everyone, not just those with a social media account. People who choose to avoid certain platforms or those who struggle with tech are being left behind. Access to state information should be a baseline right. 2. The Danger of "Gated" Information When a government agency posts an update only to a private site, they are "gating" public info. This forces you to navigate private algorithms and tracking cookies just to see a train delay or a weather warning. In an era where we are worried about data privacy and the power of Big Tech, our own government shouldn't be handing them a monopoly on our attention. 3. Safety and Sovereignty Relying on a single private company for emergency and infrastructure updates is a massive risk. If a platform goes down or changes its rules, the Irish public loses its connection to vital services. Why You Should Join This Campaign • For the Commuter: To ensure the app your taxes pay for actually tells you when the train is late. • For the Privacy-Conscious: To stop being tracked by Big Tech just to access state services. • For the Vulnerable: To ensure our parents and grandparents aren't excluded from vital updates because they don't have an X account. • For the Future: To demand that the Irish government lives up to its "Digital Inclusion" promises and keeps public info in public hands. FAQ "I use X (Twitter) and it’s convenient. Why change it?" We aren't asking them to stop posting to X: we’re asking them to stop posting exclusively to X. You can keep using your preferred feed, but vital info shouldn't be "gated." Everyone, including the elderly, the privacy-conscious, and those without accounts, deserves the same real-time updates on a public, state-owned platform. "Does this create extra work for staff to manage two feeds?" Actually, it fixes a broken workflow. Right now, staff are often "double-jobbing" or prioritising social media manually. We are advocating for a "Source First" approach: one update to the official system that automatically syncs to the website, the app, and social media simultaneously. It’s about better automation, not more manual labor. "Is this just about train delays?" Trains are the most visible example, but this is about a standard for all public bodies - from the Gardaí and local councils to the HSE. Publicly funded information is a public good; it belongs on public infrastructure first.

We are calling on the Government to make big energy companies pay their fair share and commit to a windfall tax on record profits.  Irish homes already pay the most for electricity in Europe. In the same news headlines that tell us families are cutting back on food and heating, we’re hearing about the record-breaking profits gas, oil, and energy suppliers are making since the illegal war in Iran started.  A windfall tax can be used to cap electricity prices and protect households from rising energy costs during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Government Ministers have said they're open to the idea in the media - now we need them to commit and get this solution over the line.  Families, workers, pensioners, and vulnerable people are being forced to choose between heating their homes and covering basic necessities. Energy is an essential service, not a luxury, and urgent action is needed to ensure electricity remains affordable for everyone.

Dear Deputies, We call on you to vote in favour of the Sanctions Against the State of Israel Bill 2026 when it comes before the Dáil.  The bill is being proposed by Richard Boyd Barrett (People Before Profit) but it comes from the long-held mass movement demand for sanctions on the state of Israel.  It will be debated on 14 May and the vote in the Dáil is due to take place on 20 May. For almost three years, the world has witnessed the genocidal destruction of Gaza  - the mass killing of civilians, the deliberate starvation and displacement of a population, the destruction of hospitals, schools, homes and basic infrastructure, and repeated statements of genocidal intent by Israeli political and military leaders. Since its foundation in 1948, the Israeli regime has been built on the basis of a brutal and systemic policy of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and oppression directed at the Palestinian people, including the violent and illegal occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory, a twenty year long siege of Gaza, countless violations of International law and the complete denial of the most basic human and civil rights of Palestinians. This has not been confined to Gaza. Israel has expanded its war across the region, including devastating attacks and illegal military action against Lebanon and Iran, threatening an even wider regional catastrophe. Ireland has intervened in South Africa’s case against Israel before the International Court of Justice under the Genocide Convention. The Genocide Convention is not just a statement of principle; it is part of Irish law through the Genocide Act 1973. If the Irish state recognises its obligations to prevent and punish genocide, then those obligations must be acted upon. Ireland cannot condemn genocide while continuing normal economic relations with the state carrying it out. We cannot speak about human rights or respect for international law while facilitating trade and investment with a state guilty of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and mass slaughter. The Sanctions Against the State of Israel Bill 2026 would begin to meet Ireland’s legal and moral obligations by introducing comprehensive economic sanctions on the Israeli state, including a complete prohibition on trade, investment, technical assistance and financial dealings. Ireland has a proud history of solidarity with oppressed peoples. Just as sanctions and international isolation were necessary against apartheid South Africa, they are necessary now against apartheid Israel. The people of Ireland have marched, protested and stood with Palestine in enormous numbers. We are calling on you to match that solidarity with action. Vote for the Bill. Support sanctions on Israel. Act now to stop genocide.

The Hall has been there since 1909 and up to 2023 there were no issues with parking. In 2023 Cork City Council put double yellow lines in place along with a 3 hour parking limit. In recent days the 3 hour parking limit has been removed and a traffic warden has been present placing tickets on any car parked in the area. This has a massive impact on any business using the hall, local business and all groups that use the hall for various community based activities. It would particularly affect elderly people who need to park near the hall and parents with young families. There are currently no parking facilities within a walking distance of the hall now. The purpose of this petition is to get the parking restored.

Stratford-on-Slaney is unique. It’s one of Ireland’s very few planned villages, built on a hill overlooking the River Slaney in 1774 and completed around the 1780s by Edward Stratford, the 2nd Earl of Aldborough. His vision was a Georgian industrial town, centred on a thriving cotton and calico printing industry that employed over 1,000 people at its peak. What’s happened? Recently, the Stratford Tidy Towns Committee placed clay mounds on our Greens without community consultation or showing residents any visual plans. Despite four requests for an open meeting to allow dialogue, they have declined to engage with us. When residents attended the most recent Tidy Towns meeting to raise objections, we were told they will only follow what the National Tidy Towns judges say about the mounds. Our community’s voice does not matter to them. Why we object: 1. Massive loss of heritage: The 2025 National judges said our Octagon, chestnut trees, and old buildings on High Street are what make Stratford a very beautiful village. These mounds destroy a 250-year-old heritage feature. 2. Health & safety: About 60 tons of soil now create dangerous bike ramps for children and block sightlines for drivers. 3. Security: Families that live on the Green are worried about privacy and falling house values. 4. Loss of tradition: The village Christmas tree can no longer be placed in the centre. Every use of the Green that served generations for 250 years will now be lost. This is our only open green space. It is the heart of our village. We are calling for the mounds to be removed and our historic Green restored.  If you believe that heritage and the original sites of our villages and towns should be cared for with pride, please sign our petition and share it with your friends. We need your support. So far we have been met with silence.

A local playground will: Provide a safe and welcoming space for children of all ages and abilities. Support physical and mental wellbeing through outdoor activity. Create a social hub where families can connect. Enhance the attractiveness and vibrancy of Cloughjordan village. Support local businesses by encouraging families to stay and spend locally.

Public safety must come first. We urge the Council and our local TD's to act now to prevent avoidable harm.

We are calling on Wicklow County Council to urgently provide appropriate emergency accommodation for a Bray-based mother and her two children with additional needs, who are now just days away from eviction. Recent reporting in the Bray People has highlighted the family’s situation, including the imminent loss of their home and the significant challenges they face in meeting the needs of two children requiring additional care and stability. This mother has lived and worked in Bray her entire life and is well known within the local community, making this situation all the more distressing for those who know the family and understand their circumstances. Facing homelessness is distressing for any family, but it is particularly critical in cases involving children with additional needs, where disruption can have serious impacts on wellbeing, routine, and access to essential supports. We recognise the pressures on housing services, but situations like this require immediate and compassionate intervention.

NA

The 72 hour mandatory wait for abortion in the South of Ireland is patronising and dangerous.  It does not recognise the amount of thought someone gives to this decision before picking up the phone to make an appointment. In reality, it introduces additional barriers. Requesting time off work, having to travel if there is not a provider in your area, requiring assistance if you are disabled or chronically ill, under-resourced medical facilities – all of this makes accessing an abortion harder, and the 3 day wait ultimately forces women to go much later. If you are in an abusive relationship, homeless or generally vulnerable, it is even more dangerous.  There have been cases when women discover they are pregnant and all of these factors coupled with the 3 day wait means they pass the 12 week deadline and are forced to travel to Britain for an abortion, or to go through with a pregnancy that they don’t want. The last-minute introduction of the 3-day wait was a political decision by the Irish government to assuage the anti-choice lobby. There is no medical requirement for this, as stated by the WHO, and it brings added pressure on GP services.  Today, the government is even more right-wing and voted down Bríd Smith’s bill from the previous Dáil term to remove a host of barriers to abortion care, including the 3 day wait – this was despite it being debated at second stage previously. Far-right and reactionary forces have their eyes on abortion and bodily autonomy and we believe that building a campaign to remove this clause and expand abortion rights in Ireland can push them back. Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger is bringing forward a bill (Amendment to the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Act 2026)) to remove the 3-day wait.  Please sign this petition to indicate your support for removing the 3-day wait and get involved in the campaign. Ruth Coppinger's bill will be opposed by Aontú, Independent Ireland, right wing Independents and some government TDs -- to what extent we don't yet know, but for this reason it is even more vital to show that the vast majority of Irish society does not want this sexist and harmful clause in our law.