I, too, want to raise the current and serious problem of the non-availability of PCR testing in my county of Wexford. Yesterday, there were no Covid-19 PCR tests available for 23 counties according to the Health Services Executive portal. We respect the scale of the problem, but surely one would have to deduce that the opening-up of society would logically correlate to an increase in Covid-19 cases in the population and, therefore, more PCR tests would be needed. What is being done about the lack of PCR walk-in or …

The facts have been laid bare of the scandal of the mother and baby homes. The survivors had to fight every inch to even be heard, let alone be recognised. Now they face another botched scheme. No disrespect is intended. It was designed, no doubt, by people who never had anyone belonging to them in these institutions or who knew anyone who endured the hardships they suffered. It is in this context that the people of Ireland are outraged at the latest attempt to bring forward a very flawed and diluted mother and bab…

It beggars belief that in 2021 we, as a society, are failing to fully protect citizens from fuel poverty and hypothermia. That should be the first duty of any republic. There are thousands of older people who survive solely on State pensions. There are thousands of families living on the minimum wage. There are thousands of small businesses that are all facing a bleak winter as a result of the significant rise in energy costs. The Government must act now. Practical measures are required, such as extending the fuel …

I raise the lack of day care services for people with dementia in County Wexford. It is my understanding the county has never had such a service, even though the frightening statistics say there are 11,000 new cases of dementia per year throughout this State. That is almost 30 citizens per day. The Alzheimer's Society of Ireland recently conducted research into caring and coping with dementia during Covid-19 and found family carers to be at breaking point, with their own mental and physical well-being seriously aff…

The housing crisis is having a colossal effect on hard-working families and individuals. What is in this plan for the 137,000 workers on the national minimum wage or for workers on the average industrial wage who cannot get a mortgage from a bank but who do not qualify for social housing? Meanwhile, they face skyrocketing rents and increases in the cost of living. Have we learned nothing from the property crash? The Government is out of touch with the gravity of the situation and the reality of the housing crisis o…

I understand a serious investigation into this incident is under way. I ask the Minister of State to ensure the findings of the investigation are published as soon as possible and made available to the public. I ask him to ensure time is given for engagement with public representatives on the findings. The Minister of State needs to give a clear outline of what will happen from now on and what actions he is preparing to take to guarantee this will not happen again in any of our water treatment plants. Serious quest…

It is important that the Department ensures that public trust is restored, that safeguards be copper-fastened into the water treatment system, that compulsory communication systems are automatically built in to inform the EPA and HSE of problems and that the public is immediately informed of any danger. This is an important issue. Some 52 people are extremely ill and that should be taken very seriously.

I thank Deputy Bacik and her colleagues for bringing forward this Bill and for the opportunity to discuss its provisions and the scandal of the rental crisis in our country. With the Covid-19 restrictions on evictions lifted and protection measures gone, we are seeing major fallout. People come to my constituency office in County Wexford every week who are facing desolation and homelessness because of higher rents and the complete lack of social and affordable housing. Young, hard-working families are paying throug…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. County Wexford has a strong maritime tradition, a strong fishing community and a strong sense of justice, stemming from our proud history of resistance to colonialism and oppressive laws. It is no surprise that this Bill is not welcome in County Wexford or throughout all coastal communities on this island and despite the Government being informed by all major stakeholders in the fishing industry that this law is bad. The fishing industry now faces major issues from B…

Sinn Féin is broadly in favour of this Bill. It includes major changes in the structures of An Garda Síochána and it is complex, to say the least. Moving from districts to divisions is a significant step which will see changes among the rank and file and in respect of some duties, functions and supports in each division. However, I am from County Wexford, as is the Minister of State. It is a county that has a large rural hinterland. I feel there is a shift in the model of community policing, which at present has on…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill today, which is highly technical and complex and which will have major implications for future generations. This Bill will be important to get right. We must ensure that the competing demands for use of our seas are addressed in a way that preserves and protects marine biodiversity, protects the interests of coastal communities and inshore fishermen and women, and provides a meaningful level of public participation on all aspects of marine planning. The importance of …

I commend an Teachta Connolly and an Teachta Pringle for introducing the Adoption (Information) Bill 2021. This is a very powerful piece of legislation and I thank them for their work on it. This Bill has a short Title but it would be a gigantic sea change for adoptees. The main aim of this Bill is to provide unconditional and improved access for adopted persons to their birth information. It also allows for an adopted person to trace connections between information retained on the index administered by the Adopted…

I submitted this question originally following a reply to a parliamentary question I received in April which showed that 503 children in County Wexford were waiting for autism spectrum disorder, ASD, assessment. The incredible number of 436 children have been waiting for more than 12 months. This is an increase of 142 children who have been waiting for more than a year since September 2020. These families are desperate for help but it appears the situation is getting worse. I ask the Minister of State to outline wh…

I thank the Minister of State. As she is aware, when a family receives a diagnosis of autism for a child, there are changes that may need to be made in terms of education, healthcare and other supports to ensure the continued heath, well-being and happiness of the child. These appropriate supports cannot be put in place if a family is left waiting for an assessment. This is highly stressful for the children, parents and siblings involved. It also affects school allocations of special needs assistants, SNAs. Some of…

Between parents coming into my office worried sick about the time it is taking to get an ASD assessment and school principals contacting me in desperation about their SNA allocations for the coming year, it is clear that the issue of supports for children is growing more urgent by the week. The response to a parliamentary question I put down last September showed that 294 children had been waiting more than 12 months for an assessment at that time. When I submitted the same question at the end of April, that figure…

I thank my party, Sinn Féin, for bringing forward this motion. Its main aim is to have a public inquiry set up into the deaths of over 2,000 of our elderly citizens who died in nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. It would also protect and strengthen the rights, safety and dignity of residents in nursing homes, now and well into the future. The purpose of this motion is to put into legislation better mechanisms, better procedures and, most of all, better governance to make sure the mistakes and failures of t…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle.

It feels like it sometimes. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I thank my colleagues Deputies Ward and Ó Murchú and commend them for bringing forward this important proposed change in the legislation. If passed, this Bill would ensure that the proceeds of crime would be invested in social capital, primarily in disadvantaged communities, to help them improve services on the ground, and would be invested in much needed rehabilitation programmes. This is really about rewarding the invaluable dedication of community …

I commend once again my colleague, an Teachta Eoin Ó Broin, on bringing forward this Bill. Should this Bill be passed, it will ban rent increases for all existing renters and new renters for up to three years, with a rent review to be considered by the Minister on an annual basis. This concept is not new and has operated in many countries around the world. The cost of renting has spiralled in every county, with average rent now standing at €1,256. My county of Wexford, according to daft.ie , has seen a year-on-year…

The aim of good government should be to formulate policies and legislation that are socially inclusive and based on the founding principle of social protection for every citizen on the island, while the basis of any pension system must be the same, that is, to sustain living standards and protect against poverty. It must be based on equality in closing the gender gap as part of any pension reforms. The Bill follows a simple universal rule, namely, that we should treat others as we would wish to be treated ourselves…