I thank the Minister of State for being here this morning to address what I believe is a very important issue that was raised recently by the journalist Maria Delaney, a reporter with The Journal . Her report showed that the number of pupils on reduced timetables has increased to 1,275. This is something that is very close to my heart as someone from the Traveller community who came through the education system, was put down at the back of the class for Irish and was taken out when there was a Traveller teacher, wh…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Yesterday, I had a group of young Travellers with a youth service in here. It honestly broke my heart when a young man asked what Leinster House was. I tried to explain to him. He looked at the portrait of Michael D. Higgins on the wall and asked whether he was the Taoiseach. I told him no, that Micheál Martin is the Taoiseach - trying to educate young children within the Traveller community. I see these young children constantly being failed by the education system and …

I welcome the students from St. Cronan's Senior National School. Their visit will be the first time I can tell a group of students they do not have any homework today. It is absolutely brilliant to give them a day off from it. We hope that the students make the most of their visit. I hope that at least one of them will end up in here in the future as a politician, and maybe not in the Seanad but in the Dáil. I wish them every success. They will have no homework this evening. Enjoy the rest of your visit to Leinster…

I will come at this issue from the angle of poverty and ethnic minorities, and people on the margin of Irish society. I would not be where I am today if it was not for my local youth service in Ballyfermot and its youth workers, Gerry McCarthy and Janice McGarry. For years I was member of a youth forum and I was politicised through the work done by the youth forum. Even back then, youth organisations struggled. In 2011 or 2012, there was a dramatic cut in funding for youth organisations. That funding was not re-ins…

When I was appointed by the Taoiseach nearly five years ago, I spoke a lot about not wanting to be pigeonholed and not always wanting to just be the Traveller Senator. That is something that I am grateful for, especially in the past few months. I have proven my worth by getting elected on my own merit. I thank all of the people who voted for me. It is absolutely amazing. What I am going to say next will be like me wanting my bread buttered on both sides but this is not the case. I emailed the Labour Party three wee…

I second the amendment.

Many Senators may not be aware that more than 1,275 students are not required to go to school in Ireland in 2025. Maria Delaney. a journalist working with The Journal Investigates, has published a concerning report about how 1,275 students are on a reduced timetable. These children are not expected to go to school. It is unfortunate that these are children who have autism, children from the Traveller community and Roma children. I urge Senators to read the report by Maria Delaney. It is very concerning. One young p…

I welcome the extension of the ARP scheme. As an activist, I think it is unjust how we treat one set of refugees, who are white and European, compared with how we treat people from the Middle East. It is a bit like years ago and even today with the gap between the rights of settled people and those of Travellers. More than anyone else here, I know exactly what it is like to be treated as somehow less than someone else. One set of refugees are treated with dignity, respect and love and all this jazz that we are talk…

I second the amendment.

While I welcome this important Bill, it ignores the most vulnerable people within our society. Nowhere does it refer to domestic violence or older people or people with disabilities being controlled. I might wait until I have the Minister of State's attention.

With the leave of the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and my apologies, I will restart my contribution for the benefit of the Minister of State because this is very important. While I welcome this financial Bill, it is very important that we amend it. From my reading of how it stands, it leaves out many people in society, such as older people and victims of domestic violence who are financially controlled. Our group will table some amendments to make this a more just Bill that is fit for purpose for everybody. Some of thos…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach.

I am sorry.

For the record, Garron Noone came off social media himself for his own mental health. I, for one, am delighted to see him back on social media. He is absolutely great craic. I am a very big fan of his. Last night, when he came back, he was thanking the migrants in this country for reaching out to him and supporting him. I want to put that on the record, instead of giving the misinformation that he was forced off. He decided to come off social media himself. He was not forced off. He decided it was the best thing fo…

I speak in support of the Health (Scoliosis Treatment Services) Bill 2024, which aims to create a proper national service for scoliosis treatment. It will make the HSE legally responsible for finding and treating people with scoliosis quickly. I do not want to repeat what others have said. I welcome the Bill and thank Senator McDowell and his team for bringing this important Bill forward. Last September, there were 249 patients on the waiting list, with 11 waiting between 18 and 24 months and seven waiting between …

I call for a debate on special places in education. There are still hundreds of children who have no access to special education. Every child should have a right to education but what we are seeing is that, if a child has special needs or severe autism, that right is no longer accessible to that child or the child's family. I am working with a family from rural Donegal who cannot get their child a space in the school for September. It is a serious discussion we need to have in this House. I would welcome a debate o…

Yes.

The Minister is very welcome to the House to discuss women’s health. I have heard many Senators speak about period products being available in toilets it, and it really annoys me. I have never in my whole life heard a poor woman give out about not having period products. It does not fix the health inequalities within Irish society. I welcome it of course, as do poor women, but this is not my first time to say in the House that we should stop being the do-gooders and saints of poor women within Irish society. Give u…

This morning as I was coming in, I thought about next week and International Women’s Day. For the last four years in this House, and this year will be the fifth, it will be a day off for the boys and us women will be up talking about equality for women, including many women who do not have a clue about some of the inequalities that women on the margins of society go through - women who are homeless, who are escaping domestic violence and who struggle every day to feed their children as they live in the depths of po…

On 1 March 2017, Enda Kenny recognised the Traveller community as an ethnic minority group. Since then, we have seen pure tokenism for our community. We are not truly recognised in Ireland as an ethnic minority group. This brings me to the issue of the joint committee which focused on matters that impact the Traveller community, such as health, mental health, education, employment and accommodation. During the last term, the committee also focused on Travellers in the justice system. That committee, of which I was …