Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. We have seen the empirical evidence in recent years that Ireland has among the highest childcare costs in the OECD. Full childcare fees for children under three were estimated at €771 per month in 2019. Today it is nearer €800 per month, reaching almost €1,300 in some cities. Therefore, we in Sinn Féin want to increase public investment to allow childcare providers to reduce these by two thirds, including a reduction of one third in the first year. Public investment is key to helping …

The right to self-determination is and always will be the first principle of the foundation of our Republic. Neutrality and sovereignty are equally second. The history of our own country and the blood of generations of the working class are testimony to that. Now more than ever, neutrality must be cherished and protected. It is not right that prominent Ministers are undermining neutrality and drawing our nation to the military alliances through their support of the EU defence policies, thus leading into the funding…

What is the Government's position on the €1,000 pandemic payment for healthcare workers? It is reported that some healthcare front-line workers received as little as €200. Reports also indicate that the HSE is not complying with what was announced by the Government and the Department because the reward is being paid on a pro rata basis. Will the Tánaiste specify if the condition of a pro rata payment was agreed by the Government? Will the Tánaiste confirm when the payments will be made?

I welcome the motion before this House and thank my Labour Party colleagues for bringing it forward. The impact of the pandemic on the nation’s mental health is significant. We will be dealing with the fallout from the trauma and tragedy for many years to come. We need to recognise this as we formalise our policies and in how we organise society from here on in. A good start to this is recognising the opportunity the pandemic gave us to fully explore flexible and remote work. It has revolutionised and advanced the …

Hate speech and hate crime have become more prominent and divisive in the present era than at any other time in history. For example, the American elections, the referendum on Brexit and the pandemic brought these manifestations to the fore. We witnessed misinformation, hate speech, hate crime, xenophobia, racism and conspiracy theories dangerously becoming the norm. Without doubt a need for robust legislation is required and copper-fastened definitions need to be put in place. We agree we need dissuasive criminal …

The report by Amnesty International is a scathing indictment of the policies of the state of Israel towards the Palestinian people. It is not an easy read. It sets out a catalogue of oppression, state discrimination and the widespread denial of basic human rights. It contains graphic detail on what it is like to live under apartheid, which is a series of criminal policies carefully designed to break the spirit and resolve of people in order to steal their land. Make no mistake about it. This is about land. To compl…

I have raised several times in this House the situation of the hundreds of carers and their families who are awaiting life-changing home support services in County Wexford. More than 600 families are in that situation, with 227 awaiting further services. An internal review of these highly unsatisfactory waiting lists for the home care service in Wexford was conducted in November 2021. People in Wexford are very concerned about not knowing the overall context of that report. The south east community healthcare organ…

Will the Tánaiste support the calls of the Irish Postmasters’ Union to secure the future of our post office network? More than 500 post offices are in locations where there are no banks within 5 km. Examples in my constituency include Oilgate, Taghmon, Rosslare, Clonroche and Ballycullane, to name but a few. They act as custodians of the community and provide a safe place of trust and security for rural people, many of whom are OAPs. They provide a one-to-one, face-to-face service no other SME service could compete…

I welcome the Government motion to convene these two citizens' assemblies to examine biodiversity loss and the direct election of a Dublin mayor. Citizens' assemblies enrich our democracy. They are a powerful mechanism of direct deliberation and influence by the public on matters of social and economic importance. Our party believes it is essential the issues of the day be given space to be scrutinised and democratically debated. Holding assemblies on both climate change and its impact and on measures to strengthen…

I was contacted by the staff of the Gorey Educate Together National School in County Wexford. The new school was sanctioned by the Department of Education in 2020. The school opened to first year students in September 2021, in temporary accommodation on the Fort Road, Gorey. The board of management raised the issue of a permanent site location many times with the Department. Each time, it was told that talks are ongoing to locate a site for a new school building. It asks that all negotiations on site acquisition mu…

I want to raise the urgent need for increased Government funding for Wexford County Council to deal with the critical situation of the chronic structurally distressed roads within the county, as verified in a report by the Local Government Audit Service. The report states that since the start of measurements in 2014 Wexford has ranked bottom of the list for road conditions. A study by the National Oversight and Audit Commission in 2020 found that 31% of primary roads and 44% of secondary roads in County Wexford wer…

First, I commend People Before Profit on bringing forward this motion on the national minimum wage. Currently, there are more than 380,000 workers earning below the definition of low pay. The recent increase in the cost of living, which was running at 5.5% in December, combined with the introduction of increases in carbon tax, rent increases, and increases in the cost of food, fuel, gas, coal, car insurance, house insurance, and the high cost of childcare, is pushing these 380,000 workers nearer and nearer the pove…

I wish to speak on amendment No. 4. This amendment is at the very core of the problematic flaws that exist within this Bill. The issue here is the balance of probabilities set against beyond a reasonable doubt. The thrust of any Bill should be based on a just and fair outcome. One of the problems with this Bill is on page 12, line 17 and we are proposing to delete "on the balance of probabilities" and substitute it with "beyond a reasonable doubt". The balance of probabilities does not have a precise meaning or a s…

The waiting list for home support services in County Wexford stands at 644 families, with another 227 families waiting for increased supports. Home support, as I am sure the Taoiseach will agree, is one of the most important life-changing services the HSE provides to families and their loved ones and lifts people out of a world of anxiety and worry. A report was completed for home care service for Wexford in 2021, with plans to implement the recommendations throughout 2022. Will the HSE provide copies of this repor…

The fall-out of what happened recently in our CAMHS service cannot be understated. It was the worst nightmare one could imagine. My thoughts are with the children and families directly affected. It is difficult enough to reach out for help. People now have to deal with the mistrust caused by what has happened. This will have long-term implications. The State must provide a rounded and thorough response and wraparound care packages for the young people involved and their families. We need to be mindful too of those …

I wish to start by acknowledging the campaigns and work done to date by all students throughout the State, especially in my own county of Wexford. From emails to petitions and student councils, I have been inspired by the passion and organisation displayed by Wexford pupils to ensure their voices and those of their peers are heard on this topic. I am glad to add my voice to that today. I also thank my colleague Deputy Ó Laoghaire for all his work on bringing this motion before us today. The uncertainty of the past …

What we in this House need to understand is a sense of deep loss that a person experiences when they cannot access their own records. There is a huge loss, a feeling of not being a whole person, that they constantly carry inside them. We have all been very struck by the sense of belonging that a person gets when they access their own records. The right to identity is a fundamental human right. All you need to do is talk to adopted people to understand how deeply they care about this. This right is recognised intern…

I thank the Simon communities, which provide a vital service to people experiencing homelessness throughout Ireland and, in particular, in my own area of the south-east region since 2004. Their unwavering commitment to justice and equality and to protecting some of the most vulnerable people at risk in our communities cannot be underestimated. These pillars of equality and justice are evident in the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (Extension of Notice Periods) Bill 2021, which we are discussing tonight. Homelessn…

One of the things that sticks out in this report and the Common Fisheries Policy is the phrase "level playing field". Where is this mythical level playing field when it comes to the Irish fishing fleet? No other nation had imposed upon it a 15% reduction in its fishing quotas, which will lead to the loss of up to €43 million per year. No other nation was asked to decommission a major portion of its fleet. No other nation was offered a voluntary tie-up scheme. A funding scheme is not the answer to fishers who, over …

There is a wise old saying that if it ain't broken, don't fix it. This is certainly not the case here. The new regional employment services are no match for the local employment services and job clubs. With over 25 years' experience under their belt, they are far better placed to service their communities than profit-driven private entities. I do not see how the Minister can tender out services currently provided by job clubs and local employment services based on an unpublished report and incorrect reference to EU…