I raise the important issue of the winter flu vaccine in relation to the revelations this morning concerning the distribution of the vaccine. I was contacted by a local pharmacy group that represents pharmacies in the south east, particularly in County Wexford. Their problem seems to be the method of releasing the flu vaccine is not compatible with the quantities ordered. This is leaving the school clinic initiative way short of the quantities required. There are 13 primary schools signed up to this initiative in W…

The programme for Government commits to ending the admission of children into adult psychiatric units by increasing inpatient beds, as well as examining the model used in assigning these beds. The truth of the matter is that there are no inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, beds in County Wexford. Children requiring inpatient care for their mental health must travel to the Eist Linn facility County Cork, which is a round trip of 348 km. That must be undertaken while coping with suicide idea…

Under the heading of "Public and Social Housing", page 62 of the programme for Government states "a safe home is a cornerstone of a decent quality of life". If this is the Government's belief, and I have no doubt that it is, why are councillors around the State now saying that they cannot proceed with priority 2 and priority 3 works under the housing adaptation grant for people with a disability scheme? I am sorry to say that Wexford County Council will reach this position very soon. I call on the Government not to…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his words of wisdom. Since the foundation of this State, successive Governments have maintained a code of silence regarding the abuse of children and other minors in their care and control and for whom they had a duty and responsibility. This Bill elects to copper-fasten that abusive silence for a period of 30 years, contrary to the principles of basic human rights, particularly in relation to children and other young persons. The records and deliberations of Tusla leave much to be d…

The post office is the heart of rural Ireland. This has been said many times and it rings true today as it did since 1818. Over the past six months of Covid, rural post offices have through cards, parcels and letters, and by simply having a chat with staff and neighbours, kept many otherwise isolated country people going. I commend the Deputies on bringing forward this motion and I hope that they accept our amendment, which intends to strengthen the call on how to best protect and save our post offices. Each closur…

I thank the sponsors of the Bill, Deputies Munster and Cullinane. The right to collective bargaining and the right to union representation is and should be a pillar in any civilised society. The denial of such a right is the denial of freedom of association itself. However, this right does not come about easily. It was hard fought for in many countries, sometimes with violence as was the case in the Dublin Lock-out of 1913 or sometimes by peaceful means, but it is always at a supreme cost to working men and women s…

It was reported to me that the six ICU beds in Wexford General Hospital were full as of yesterday, Tuesday, 6 October, one through Covid-19. We are aware we are facing into our first winter under Covid-19. We know the winter influenza season is coming. Why does a county hospital such as Wexford General Hospital only have six ICU beds to cover a population of more than 150,000 people? The Taoiseach said yesterday an additional 57 ICU beds have been introduced since March, which is welcome. How many of these, however…

The programme for Government promises to reduce the cost of childcare for parents. It promises to support staff retention and to develop career paths for childcare staff. Our early childcare educators are skilled and dedicated workers. However, this is not reflected in their pay scales. The majority are surviving on minimum wages. They need the extension and reinstatement of the childcare education payment to 100%. They need the continuation of the employment wage subsidy scheme at the higher rate. They need to be …

Fishermen form one of the most important sectors of our economy. They work in the most dangerous and, sometimes, the harshest of environments. The one thing they should not face is a points system that is not fit for purpose. This motion is about fair regulations, the type of regulation promised in the programme for Government, which committed to implementing a fair EU points system. Nothing about SI 318 is fair, however. In no other EU member state does a system exist like the penalty points system in use in this …

The Sláintecare implementation strategy emphasises the increased provision of care in the community. Through a parliamentary question, I was recently informed by the assistant head of primary care for south east community healthcare that there are no dedicated neuropsychology posts for children or adults in south east community healthcare's area of responsibility. This area includes Carlow, Kilkenny, south Tipperary, Wexford and Waterford and has a population of more than 400,000 people. This is unacceptable. Will …

The Internal Market Bill, which is currently before the House of Commons, has demonstrated and categorically defined the British Prime Minister's stance and his dismissive attitude towards the Good Friday Agreement, Ireland and, indeed, international law. I welcome the support from the EU 27 and the USA, particularly Nancy Pelosi, in coming out strongly in defence of the Good Friday Agreement, the people of the North and the Border counties. The catchphrase that we are all in this together could not be more aptly u…

There has been a dynamic shift in the way we use technology due to Covid-19. Recent research by Comreg found that 77% believe their home broadband is adequate to meet the needs of households. My experience on the ground with the number of people coming into my office each day suggests that in Wexford that percentage is not accurate. What will the Minister do about broadband in Wexford?

We have heard stories of the invaluable contribution taxi drivers make in big cities and towns. There is no denying the importance of this aspect of this issue. I want to focus on another aspect of how taxi drivers are an essential part of the transport infrastructure in rural constituencies such as Wexford. Rural areas do not have the luxury of relying on public transport. For many older constituents in smaller villages such as Ballindaggin, Kiltealy, Ballymurn, Clonroche, Arthurstown and Rosslare, to name but a f…

Page 40 of the programme for Government has a section on supporting our healthcare workers. The Government commits to recruiting additional front-line staff, including speech and language therapists. There are more than 1,000 people waiting for an assessment by a speech and language therapist in Wexford. Some 606 of them have not even had an assessment yet, 460 are awaiting therapy and 179 of them have been waiting for over a year for their therapy. I know that the Covid-19 emergency has slowed down services but th…

What about maternity leave?

I am happy to support the motion put before this House and I commend my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, for bringing it forward. We all agree cancer screening is the main tool we have in the diagnosis and treatment of this destructive, invasive and malignant disease. For instance, breast cancer screening is associated with a 40% reduction in cancer mortality. Colorectal cancer screening is associated with a 22% to 32% reduction in cancer mortality with a follow-up of 53% success rate. Each of us in this House has lost…

I raise the matter of children being placed in adult mental health units, which is mentioned in the programme for Government and the Sharing the Vision policy. This issue has been highlighted in Wexford over the past few years and as recently as last week. Will the Tánaiste commit to looking at the budget allocations regarding access to appropriate inpatient units and out-of-hours services? Has the Government taken into account the existing shortages in staff levels and the pending problem of retirements in the nex…

I would like to raise an issue on page 87 of the programme of Government regarding family carers. There has been no increase in family carer's allowance since 2008. There has been no review since 2005. Will the Tánaiste please consider home carers' tax credits be made available to single carers who work part-time while caring for a dependent person? At present, this is only available to married couples and jointly assessed couples, which, in my view, is discriminatory.

I wish the Minister well in his new portfolio. I thank my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for bringing forward this important motion on behalf of the many thousands of our citizens for whom owning their own home is simply a pipe dream. It is imperative that we tackle this aspect of our housing crisis head on and with immediate action. This issue is a particularly dominant one in my own constituency. House prices across County Wexford have risen consistently in the past couple of years. According to the daft.ie report fo…

As this is my maiden speech, I hope the Acting Chairman can indulge me for a few minutes. I would like to begin by offering my sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones through the coronavirus disease. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílis. I would like to give thanks to the people of Wexford for voting for me and to all those who came out and exercised their democratic franchise. I am humbled and grateful to them for placing their trust in me. I hope I will serve them with honour, dignity …