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The Convention Centre in Dublin Shutterstock/anyaivanova

Dáil staying in Convention Centre due to risk posed to members

Dáil sittings may return to Leinster House in autumn if 70 to 80% of the population is vaccinated.

THE DÁIL HAS decided not to return to Leinster House until the autumn because of an “unacceptable risk” to members.

Instead, the Dáil will continue to sit in the Convention Centre in Dublin up to its summer recess.

The Dáil Business Committee has decided that the Dáil could safely sit in Leinster House again when 70 to 80% of the population is vaccinated, but that that level of vaccination would not be reached until mid-August.

Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghail has said the committee agreed that returning to Leinster House now would “result in an unacceptable risk to all in our parliamentary community”.

“The key determinant of the resumption of sittings in Leinster House is the progress of the vaccination programme,” Ó Fearghail said.

“With 70% – 80% of the population protected, there will be a high degree of confidence that Dáil sittings could safely resume in Leinster House. However, this level of protection will not be achieved until mid-August.”

He expects that he will be “welcoming the full parliamentary community back to Leinster House for our Autumn session”.

The Dáil’s calendar for 2020/21 ends in July, with the last Dáil sitting scheduled for the 14th.

The Dáil usually resumes in September after a summer recess.

The decision to remain in the Convention Centre for the remainder of the current session was made this morning.

In a statement, Ó Fearghail, who also chairs the Dáil Business Committee, said the choice “has not been taken lightly”.

“Although we all wish to return to our normal workplace in Leinster House as soon as possible, the members of the Committee have agreed to accept the Health and Safety advice provided by the Houses of the Oireachtas Service and public health bodies,” Ó Fearghail said.

The Houses of the Oireachtas Service is focused both on minimising the risk of introduction of the virus into the campus and on minimising the risk of transmission of the virus within the campus. It is clear that there are risks associated with all levels of activity in indoor settings where people are congregating in numbers, even with mitigating factors such as physical distancing, face coverings and sanitisation.”

He cited the length of Dáil sittings, which can last eight to 12 hours, and the extent of parliamentary activities as other risk factors in a return to Leinster House.

At the start of the pandemic, social distancing guidelines and a cap on the number of TDs in the chamber were put in place for Dáil sittings in Leinster House.

In April, the Convention Centre was chosen as a location for all TDs to be able to sit to vote on a new Taoiseach, and has been used regularly since.

Leinster House has still been used at times during the pandemic, like on 10 November when TDs sat in Leinster House and then moved to the Convention Centre ahead of a confidence vote in Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.

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36 Comments
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    Mute Derek Poutch
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:40 AM

    If Mehole says they didn’t, they did.

    350
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    Mute jn
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:33 AM

    fffg spin doctors in formula one mode with deflection tactics uni costs child care social welfare allowance kiddies never ending hospital housing mess with nothing to rent in west or south for low income, fffg with untrustable independents ducking and diving till 3 months long holidays, Keep ringing your local TD and ask the hard questions

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    Mute John McEvoy
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:34 AM

    Why say something about something that probably got mentioned in person or print?

    195
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    Mute Louis Jacob
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:41 AM

    @John McEvoy: That doesn’t matter anymore. Short news cycle. It’s day to day shenanigans with these guys. They just keep replacing one scandal with another one. And sadly; it works.

    197
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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:30 PM

    @John McEvoy: Because they were asked the question.I always have to laugh at people who give out about politicians answering questions.If he didn’t answer the question you’d be even more annoyed.

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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:39 PM

    @John Paul: I have to laugh at gobdaws like you replying to everyone as if you are some superior being when all you are is a ‘Doe’ troll.

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    Mute John McEvoy
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:52 PM

    @Elliot Alderson: yep. He’s got a response to almost every message sent. And in response to it I’ll say because politicians have this knack for avoiding giving answers to questions. Especially Simon Harris and Martin.

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:30 PM

    @Elliot Alderson: na,you’re the gobdaw,you are following a party that will NEVER get into government and are obviously like the rest of the entitled layabouts in here that feel you are not getting enough free stuff.As I said,cry harder,I can’t hear you.

    1
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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 2:00 PM

    @John Paul: As I told you before you lying sos I’m ex FF and follow no party blindly anymore. I’m also almost 60 and have worked all my life and never have taken anything from the state title. But you continue the auld Leobot concannonbot spin and propaganda to label anyone who might dare criticise Gov failures as following parties ‘that will NEVER get into Government’ and/or ‘entitled layouts’. Your the ‘entitled’ ‘layabout’ in here every day, who hypocritically whinges about whinging, who insults people and smears people, while claiming to have some moral superiority when your don’t. You are are nothing but Gov apologist ‘Doe’ troll.

    178
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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 2:00 PM

    @Elliot Alderson: ‘anything from the state test’

    15
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    Mute Mary BINTon
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    Jul 4th 2025, 2:45 PM

    @John McEvoy: They are so far behind with their workloads, nothing is getting done, everything Gov’t related is delayed, and they’re panicking, FF & FG have failed miserably since becoming one in 2016.

    151
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:32 AM

    I wouldn’t believe the Lords word out of him. The man is a certifable liar and sleeveen.

    461
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    Mute barry williams
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:35 AM

    @David Corrigan: 100% if he told you your name was David you would have to go home and check your birth cert just to make sure

    358
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:19 PM

    @barry williams: Knowing our country is being managed by the likes of MM is gut wrenching. Completely clueless but what makes it worse is that he firmly believes he is a world leader and is doing a wonderful job.

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:25 PM

    @David Corrigan: What makes it worse is the gobdaws in here like yourself think that Mary Lou is a world leader and would do a better job.cry harder till the next election and you’ll see that they will still be rejected.

    6
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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:32 PM

    @John Paul: Your the gobdaw in here that gets triggered by any complaints of the Gov replying with your but, but SF bs. There is lots of people from all walks of life, think that this Gov conned the electorate to get votes and is an absolute joke at present, including even some that voted for FFG.

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:42 PM

    @Elliot Alderson: No,I just correct people’s naivety that the opposition would be way better.Ive never said the government are doing a good job(go to ANY country and ask are their government doing a good job and they’ll tell you no)I don’t like this government,but I cannot stand any of the opposition.

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:44 PM

    @Elliot Alderson: And the people spoke in the last election and they agree with me as well.The opposition were rejected rightfully again.This idea that the general public are thick and are sheep to keep on electing the same people is nonsense….They just don’t believe the opposition or trust them.

    6
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    Mute D C
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:03 PM

    @John Paul: what’s your ideas so or are you full of it?

    249
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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:27 PM

    @D C: I’ve explained….until a better opposition party comes along(I won’t hold my breath)this crowd(who I’m not a fan of but am happier that they are in government)will always get in.

    3
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    Mute Gerry Lamont
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:46 PM

    @David Corrigan: Unfortunately for the rest of us non FFG voters their supporters believe he walks on water.

    198
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    Mute David Corrigan
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:59 PM

    @John Paul: Where did I say that? From what I see, none of them can do the job they are handsomely paid to do. That’s both sides of the house.
    You need to cool your jets also when people call out the fact your party are not up to the job. Getting all worked like that will only make you sick.

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    Mute Mary BINTon
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    Jul 4th 2025, 3:03 PM

    @John Paul: Your a dole fraudster, you get paid 3c per post by the trolling company you work for in cash.

    139
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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 3:32 PM

    @Mary BINTon: lol,I make about 10/15 posts a day…check back on today for example.So I’m due 30c today.lol.im in my fifties and I’ve worked all my life and am doing very well for myself as an electrician.Its always the same nonsense thrown at anybody that talks about the opposition negatively….You’re a paid bot,try harder Mary.

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    Mute Mary BINTon
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    Jul 4th 2025, 3:46 PM

    @John Paul: It’s not my fault you don’t have the skills to get a real job, and I wouldn’t blame you taking the 3c in cash per post. Every little helps.

    125
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    Mute Niall Binéad
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    Jul 5th 2025, 6:11 PM

    @John Paul: give it a rest JP, you’re full of it just like your boss MM!

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    Mute BL Music
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:05 PM

    20 Jan 2025 — The State spent €1.43 billion on accommodation for asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees during the first nine months of 2024, according to the latest figures.

    180
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    Mute P. J.
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:23 PM

    @BL Music:
    Money well spent if it riles up the 0.6 percenters!

    15
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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:28 PM

    @P. J.: Exactly,it comes out in all of the whingers in here,the people who made really bad beds for themselves in a booming economy and like to blame everyone else for their mistakes and bad decisions.

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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:38 PM

    @John Paul: stop whinging about your perceived whinging you hypocrite.

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:25 PM

    @Elliot Alderson: Try again in English.

    5
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    Mute Declan Young
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:25 PM

    @John Paul: who do you blame for your bad grammar?

    159
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    Mute John Purcell
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:26 PM

    There doesn’t seem to be any talk of increasing tax bands / credits for the group of people that pay for everything so far

    171
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    Mute Paddy C
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:40 AM

    Can’t believe a word of it, they’re absolutely hopeless. It’s moreso annoying knowing there’s a shower of incompetent clowns running the country along the edge of a cliff with public finances not be handled correctly. No way the country would be able to withstand a recession with huge numbers entering the country and then all ending up on social welfare the deficit would be catastrophic.

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    Mute Paddy C
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:43 AM

    not to mention even more numbers claiming rent allowance etc we’re on thin ice with they’re management, absolutely careless and reckless.

    163
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    Mute Jb Walshe
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:51 PM

    Two habitual liars

    239
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    Mute Patrick Fitzgibbon
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:53 AM

    Sad face ……happy face

    141
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    Mute Daniel Skelton
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:28 PM

    Yes, we know they’re Gae and a Fail.

    133
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    Mute Veil
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:42 AM
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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:35 PM

    @Veil: You are not allowed to talk about social welfare fraud/disability fraud/council rent arrears/council housing wrecked.You are only allowed to whinge that not enough is handed to you for free and you’re not getting enough entitlements.

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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:41 PM

    @John Paul: oh look you nearly spammed everyone on the article, how classy of you.

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:17 PM

    @Veil: How many social welfare fraudsters are Irish you reckon? I’d say the entire rest of them apart from this lad! : ) kinda makes you wonder why it would only now be news tbh!

    33
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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:21 PM

    @Elliot Alderson: I’m sure I included you a few times in the comment,probably why you are triggered.

    1
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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Jul 4th 2025, 2:01 PM

    @John Paul: I have a disability and have no welfare payments, I bet not once in your life have you thought of how hard it is for people working with disabilities plus the fact that their financial costs are far higher than the ordinary worker,but is that attiyude of people who think only about themselves and ‘their’ money. In fact I’s imagine it sickens you that the state pays out for high-tech medication which the richest of the rich couldn’t afford throughout their life although I’d suspect you’d prefer to have them put down to save ‘your’ money.

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    Mute Veil
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    Jul 4th 2025, 2:29 PM

    @Thesaltyurchin: WRONG. An English woman was jailed recently for Illness benefit fraud. Don’t try to pull the racist card!

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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Jul 4th 2025, 4:47 PM

    @Veil: Lol!… an ‘english’ woman you say? okay, so 2 people The rest all Irish we can agree? And this media site is picking up the trail eh? : )

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    Mute Ailbhe MacThomais
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:41 AM

    Guaranteed the costs of asylum seekers and the other scamigrants won’t have any financial limits imposes as just to hurt the natives

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    Mute Veil
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:43 AM
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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:31 PM

    @Ailbhe MacThomais: Pity the natives wouldn’t work to keep themselves warm and have personal responsibility for themselves.115K unemployed in a country with full employment.

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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:39 PM

    @John Paul: Pity you don’t stop trolling

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    Mute Shimo F
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:57 PM

    @Veil: Crazy, should have been jailed or deported.

    11
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    Mute Ailbhe MacThomais
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    Jul 4th 2025, 4:30 PM

    @John Paul: I have seen friends,relatives and neighbours had to give up work due to taking care of elderly relatives as can’t afford nursing homes or employers get tax right off to employ migrants over native people.

    44
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    Mute Joe Beirne
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:33 AM

    Re the story below with respect to alleviating prisoners anxiety, should they not feel anxious going to prison, is that not the point of the deterrent?

    59
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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:45 AM

    @Joe Beirne: The loss of freedom is the punishment and the deterrent. Additional punishments are not supposed to be piled on top of that.

    51
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    Mute Joe Beirne
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:19 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: Give over, you think they think about your feelings?

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    Mute Brian D'Arcy
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:56 PM

    @Joe Beirne: He is right no matter how much you disagree with him. Instead of punsihing prisoners even further, their loss of freedom should be put to good use in helping them leave the prison and never come back by such simple things as teaching them to support themselves in the real world. What you seek is to keep them coming back to prison hence institutionalising them for life. Break the trend and you get them out the lifestyle that has brought them to that position, in fact the way things are, they are more likely to leave prison with a drug habit, even if they didn’t have one before.

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    Mute Joe Beirne
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    Jul 4th 2025, 2:33 PM

    @Brian D’Arcy: And we wonder why the country is the way it is.

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    Mute James King
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:42 AM

    Social welfare is too high anyway. Huge amount of population doesn’t work in claims disability gets free housing .

    Increased payments should be for those who actually paid into the tax system over years and for X Y or Z reason lost their job

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    Mute Jimmy Kiely
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:54 AM

    @James King: where are they getting the free houses, not a house anywhere in the country for reasonable rent. Plus we’re been told the affordable houses in Dublin are coming in around a half a million euros, what family can afford those prices and still have a life after.

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    Mute John Paul
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:33 PM

    @Jimmy Kiely: Tens of thousands of council houses in this country are free….ie,people’pay’ their rent out of their dole.

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    Mute Elliot Alderson
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    Jul 4th 2025, 12:40 PM

    @John Paul: more rubbish troll

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    Mute Fiona Wyse
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    Jul 4th 2025, 1:02 PM

    @John Paul: correction it’s not their dole money it’s their wages…. this one makes me laugh every time whenever I hear it.

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    Mute thomas molloy
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    Jul 4th 2025, 11:47 AM

    Other countries are social engendering their work shy towards Ireland by restricting welfare payments. Overloaded lifeboats sinking springs to mind.

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    Mute Hunt Ley
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    Jul 4th 2025, 3:26 PM

    If asylum seekers can find work, why can job seekers not find same? No more money for chronically unemployed.

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    Mute S banter
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    Jul 5th 2025, 4:39 PM

    @Hunt Ley: a lot of home grown people are lazy and feel entitled. Even when they have contributed absolutely nothing, they demand everything.

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