No, that-----

A lot of kids are impacted across the community. It is not just one.

It is just over a 100 days into the slaughter of the Palestinian people by Israel with the most sophisticated weapons in the world on an area half the size of County Louth, bombed relentlessly from the land, sea and air, and this is called a war. Some 25,000 people are confirmed dead, of whom almost 11,000 are children, 7,500 are women and almost 10,000 are missing, presumed dead under the rubble. Over 60,000 are injured. More than 1.9 million people have been forcibly displaced multiple times. Hospitals and school…

I raise with the Taoiseach the lack of gardaí in rural areas right across my constituency of Meath West. We have ten Garda stations located in Navan, Trim, Athboy, Enfield, Ballivor, Longwood, Oldcastle, Summerhill, Castlepollard and Delvin. Of those, only two are manned on a full-time basis. In 2013, the Fine Gael Government closed 95 Garda stations in rural Ireland. Those that were left are manned on a part-time basis. Antisocial behaviour, robberies and openly visible drug dealing on our streets are happening ev…

The situation at Tara Mines has reached a critical point. The mine has been suspended since July of last year and the prospects of reopening remain uncertain. The unions are not ruling out industrial action. The management released plans to the media without first consulting with the unions or the workers. SIPTU has accused the company of trying to rip up negotiated agreements under a new rescue plan. Unite, one of the unions representing the workers at Tara Mines, has detailed the challenges faced by the workers a…

I wish to support Tara Mines workers and share my disappointment at the failure of the management of Boliden Tara Mines to release the plans for the reopening of the mines. We all know the management has plans; it needs to share them with the unions and workers. The management has not yet provided a date for the resumption of operations, leaving hundreds of workers and their families in a state of uncertainty in the run-up to Christmas. It is a disgrace that workers have been temporarily laid off for 130 days and s…

Having spoken to several healthcare professionals, I know the recruitment freeze is having a hugely negative effect on them. It is cornering them into an environment where burnouts in staff have become a frequent occurrence and the thought of emigrating to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other places is not given a second thought. Organisations such as the Muiríosa Foundation, which provides care for individuals with disabilities, are also on the brink of service shutdown due to the recruitment embargo. The stru…

Distressing as it is to see, hear and read what is happening in Gaza, great credit must be given to the doctors, aid workers, photographers and camera crews who risk their lives every day to tell us these horrific stories. Without them we would not be able to call on those responsible to stop. I thank people right across the world who have come out in their millions to support the Palestinian people. I want to see the release of Emily Hand and all other hostages, including those in Israeli jails. There are also the…

Give it to someone else.

The underfunding of our healthcare services in budget 2024 will impact our front-line services, including in my county of Meath at Navan hospital. It is undeniable that the Government's decision to underfund the health service is reckless given the existing challenges faced by our healthcare system. The embargo imposed on recruitment for essential front-line posts will result in a shortage of healthcare professionals, leaving hospitals like Navan struggling to deliver the quality of care our patients need and deser…

Workers at Tara Mines on the jobseeker's allowance are at risk of losing a day's pay due to the fact they are getting a €65 retainer from the company. At the time they were laid off, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, signed a statutory instrument to allow them to receive the €65 plus the full jobseeker's allowance. That statutory instrument had a 13-week limit and those 13 weeks are up but, of course, the workers are not back to work. Will the Tánaiste ensure the statutory instrument is extended…

Recently, I received a letter from Mr. Andrew Smith from Athboy, County Meath. Andrew is a 40-year-old man who is currently facing a severe challenge in his life. He has bravely spoken about his condition and how living in a nursing home at his age is having a detrimental effect on his mental health. At 17 years old, Andrew was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia, a degenerative disease that afflicts him with physical constraints and requires consistent and specialised care. Unfortunately, after the sad passing of h…

Unfortunately, the situation at Boliden Tara Mines has not changed since the decision was made to enter into care and maintenance in June this year. Approximately 650 workers were temporarily laid off by management, and the duration of those temporary layoffs is undetermined at present. Has the Government been engaging with the management of Tara Mines to ensure it does all in its power to get the mines reopened as soon as possible and get a date for this? Healthcare premiums covered by the company until 31 October…

The heading on the Meath Chronicle again this week is that Garda numbers in Meath have dropped. I am deeply concerned about the lack of gardaí in County Meath. It is a matter of huge concern that in the year 2023, we find ourselves grappling with a situation where there is only one garda for 712 people, compared with the national average of one garda per 371. Gardaí are the backbone of our communities and the first line of defence against crime. They are the ones who keep our streets safe and our homes secure but h…

I want to raise the circumstances of people who signed contracts to purchase houses in Ring Fort housing development in Rathmolyon in County Meath, in some cases three years ago. Ring Fort is a development of 16 houses which is 99% complete. Some of these houses were purchased under the help-to-buy scheme. The development was financed by Home Building Finance Ireland, HBFI. The contractor is Meathamatic Limited, with directors Joe Elias, Mark Flynn and Peter Finn, who resigned his position 12 months ago. The constr…

I want to raise the issue of the 5,500 year-old passage tombs at the top of Sliabh na Callaigh, Loughcrew, Oldcastle, County Meath. Cairn T has been closed to the public since 2018. Immediate action should have been taken but it was not. My fears are that Cairn T will collapse before action is taken, making it harder to reopen to the public. It is currently propped up with an acro-jack. The issues with Loughcrew cairns were pointed out to the OPW over five years ago. Why has it taken so long before doing anything? …

We need to see action from this Government as soon as possible on the cost of fuel and the cost of living. Sinn Féin has constantly raised this issue here in the Dáil. All this Government is doing is driving people into poverty. Does the Government actually realise what people are going through during this cost-of-living crisis? The rising cost of fuel is not an isolated issue; it is part of a broader cost-of-living crisis that is sweeping across Ireland. The cost of rent, housing, food, utilities and other essenti…

Over 400 people a year are dying from drug addiction, and 40% of them are women. Tabor House Trust in Navan, County Meath, is involved in a proposal for a secondary addiction centre for women called Misneach, or courage, which it plans to develop on the Slane Road in Navan. The new centre, which will cater for 48 women in recovery from addiction per year, will change the lives of the clients and will lift young children from the pain, trauma, insecurity and chaos of living with addiction. It will be the first centr…

I want to raise issues with regard to the emergency or 999 call answering service, with centres in Ballyshannon in Donegal and in my own county of Meath, in Navan, employing approximately 75 people. Workers have told me that they have made numerous attempts to have issues addressed with BT Communications Ireland regarding pay and conditions, union recognition and other serious issues but they are getting nowhere and are not being listened to. I understand that workers have written to the company in the last day or …

I wish to discuss the imminent risk of job losses at Rehab Enterprises in Navan, County Meath. There is an experienced team of machinists who have been making personal protective equipment, PPE, for more than 20 years and supporting front-line workers, never more so than during the pandemic, when they all worked overtime to try to keep up with demand. Now, we hear that 11 of the 14 employees are in danger of losing their jobs. Deputy O'Rourke and I met the staff in Navan about ten days ago. These people go to work …