The report into abuse in religious-run schools is horrific. Hundreds of predators subjected thousands of children to relentless sexual abuse. Survivors described being molested, stripped naked, raped and drugged in an atmosphere of terror and silence. The abuse happened in classrooms, offices and sports facilities. Some were sexually abused in their own homes by predators who had gained their family's trust. Nowhere and no one was safe. The scale of abuse is such that gardaí are now investigating if it was organise…

The Taoiseach said this Government takes nothing off the table and anyone who thinks they will get off the hook is wrong but for his information, this has literally just happened with regard to the redress scheme for mother and baby homes. The Minister went over cap in hand to the Church to try to get a contribution and did not get one. Is the Taoiseach aware of a legal strategy that is being used by the Christian Brothers when survivors take a case against them? They are using a technicality to force survivors who…

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. A leading pediatrician has issued a stark warning about the dire impacts of child homelessness. Dr. Aoibhinn Walsh has said that children are presenting with rickets, anaemia, faltering growth, extreme tooth decay and skin conditions like scabies. Children with autism or intellectual disabilities experience additional trauma from overcrowded noisy emergency accommodation. She told The Irish Times , "They may be nonverbal, faecal smearing in hotel rooms, bed-wetting, ref…

This week a primary school teacher told me about an incredibly upsetting incident in their classroom where they asked the children to draw out their house and mark the name of the rooms as Gaeilge and one child got very upset and whispered to their teacher that they could not do the exercise because they did not have a home. That is one of the 4,316 children who are homeless. The damage that is being caused as a result of this will be lifelong. The upset, the stress, the lack of proper nutrition, the cramped and un…

How is Ireland different to the rest of Europe?

I move: That Dáil Éireann: commends Natasha O'Brien, Bláthnaid Raleigh, the Women of Honour, women in the Football Association of Ireland, and all of the women whose bravery in speaking out about domestic, sexual and gender-based violence has shone a spotlight on this insidious crime and highlighted the need for radical reform; notes that: — domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is an epidemic in our society; — last month, Women's Aid revealed it had received more than 40,000 disclosures of abuse against women…

I thank everybody who contributed to the debate. The Minister correctly identified that changing cultures and institutions is not easy and takes time. We know that. That is why it is so frustrating that the relatively easy first steps, such as updating and introducing regulations, simply have not been done. If the Government is not willing to do the easy stuff, how on earth can we have any confidence that it will tackle the bigger issues? I am glad the Government is not opposing the motion but we know that is compl…

Yesterday at the launch of the summer economic statement the Taoiseach stated that the budget will support people with disabilities. If the Government is serious about that commitment, this budget has to deliver more than one-off measures. It has to address the structural issues around income inequality for disabled people, including a weekly cost-of-disability payment and an increase in core social welfare rates. In every meeting that I have with disability groups, they highlight the one-off cost-of-disability pay…

Section 39 organisations still do not have pay parity.

The conviction of taxi driver Raymond Shorten for the rape of two young women and one young child is shocking. This serial predator faces sentencing later this month, which is a matter for the courts. The case has caused significant public revulsion and alarm. Women get taxis at night not just to get home, but to get home safely without having to worry about being attacked. The notion that there could be any prospect of a taxi driver either having convictions for sexual violence or facing trial for such offences is…

Everyone in this House agrees that sexual and gender-based violence is an epidemic. No part of society or sector is immune. We all know that tackling it and eradicating it is not easy. Sometimes, however, it seems like the State is not even trying. Let us take, for instance, what is happening in the Defence Forces. We know that 68 members of the Defence Forces either have been convicted of crimes or are before the courts charged with criminal offences. It is bizarre that we need to appoint a senior counsel to tell …

I can only presume from his reply that the Tánaiste did not understand the question or the contribution that I made in the first instance so I will do my best to explain again. We hear more about women being told not to walk home alone at night than we hear about men being told not to assault or rape women who are walking home alone at night so many women decide to take a taxi. The thought that the person driving that taxi could be a convicted sexual offender is the stuff of nightmares for women. I am asking the Tá…

That is not true.

This is waffle.

It is not about the Tánaiste's view. This is his responsibility.

There is no regulation in the Dental Council.

In early May, I received some shocking figures that revealed that 4,785 young people were waiting to be seen by primary care psychology services. That is in counties Cork and Kerry alone. Since then, I have been trying to get to the bottom of how long these people have been waiting. In response to my follow-up parliamentary questions, the HSE informed me that, disgracefully, of those young people in Cork and Kerry, 1,045 have been waiting between two and three years, 319 have been waiting between three and four yea…

There is also a recruitment ban.

At the outset, I pay tribute to the brave women who have come forward in recent weeks to speak about the abuse they have received at the hands of violent men. We are now familiar with the story of the incredibly brave Natasha O'Brien. She is a remarkable young woman, someone who steps in when she sees something wrong. She confronted a man yelling homophobic abuse in the street and she was then brutally assaulted by a serving member of the Defence Forces, Cathal Crotty, as his friends stood by and watched. This week…

I wish to acknowledge the announcement of my friends and colleagues, Deputies Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall, that they will not be contesting the next general election. Catherine and Róisín are trailblazers in Irish politics who have accomplished an incredible amount in careers that span decades of committed political work and dedicated public service, not least of which was setting up the Social Democrats and helping to grow the party to where it is today, with six TDs and 35 councillors. They are stepping …