I thank the Independent and Parties Technical Group for tabling this motion. Access to the DTSS has worsened every year under the Government's watch. Since 2020, I have raised this issue here, along with many other Deputies from across the country. Data in 2020 showed us the extent of the serious and erroneous condition of dental services. Thousands of people are left in pain, some for over a year. Children with special needs and disabilities who need immediate dental treatment have to wait for months for an appoin…

The original reduction of student fees was introduced in 2022. The reason the Government did that was to alleviate the cost of living, which was the right thing to do. To go on that premise and bring it to its logical conclusion, the cost of living today has now increased by at least another third since then. According to Barnardos, one third of parents have gone into arrears on energy bills alone. We see reports in the media that the Government is intent on scrapping the cost-of-living supports in the upcoming bud…

I thank the Labour Party for bringing this important motion to the floor. The statistics alone tell the true story of long-term residential care in our country. More than 80% of nursing homes are now owned by private bodies, with Emeis Ireland being by far the largest operator, owning more than 27 premises in total. When private companies are driven solely by profit, whose solidarity and loyalty only lie with their shareholders and their main goal is to increase dividends, there is a high level of risk that the res…

I am delighted the Government is not opposing this motion. I thank my party for bringing this motion to extend voting rights in presidential elections to all citizens on the island of Ireland and to progress that same right to our diaspora, often aptly referred to as the children of the far-flung, as in the book by Geraldine O'Connell. I believe citizenship should have no borders. Once a person holds an Irish passport, even if they do not reside in our country, they should be entitled to vote in a presidential elec…

As the Tánaiste will be aware, the basic necessities such as food, housing, energy, healthcare, rents and transportation have risen in price much faster than the average household income. This is placing enormous pressure on schools, teachers and parents to meet their very basic demands in our schools, particularly in my county of Wexford. The programme for Government states that the Government will increase the capitation grant to ensure schools can meet these costs, yet schools are funded to the same rates since …

The Taoiseach recently made a speech at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice. He said: [In] ... supporting sustainable fishing, we will not only protect our marine environment but also preserve and strengthen all the special communities along our shores that call the coast their home. These are fine words. However, in reality, our fishing industry is dying a slow death. Sinn Féin's recent nationwide fisheries and seafood survey found that more than 63% of fishers described the Department of the marine's engagement with…

As I mentioned previously, we have 2,749 council houses boarded up and left idle. Some 800 of these have been so for more than 12 months. Another shocking figure is the 15,580 homeless citizens in emergency accommodation - not including those on the streets - including 4,775 children. Why is the Government allowing this to continue? I spoke to a young man in Wexford town only yesterday. He is 34 years old and his wife is 30. Their rent was increased substantially and they had to leave the house they had rented for …

What is happening in Gaza and the West Bank is, by definition, genocide, which is defined as an unimaginable horror during which millions of innocent people are targeted based on their race, religion, nationality or other factors. Within the last few days, we have heard surgeons documenting their stories about the horrific attacks and bombardment of innocent children across Palestine. One such doctor, Dr. Sam Attar, on Sky News only yesterday described how a father had arrived at the hospital with a plastic bag. In…

I add my voice to the many voices in this House and the thousands of the voices around the world condemning the Israeli Government on what is legitimately described as a calculated, ethnically cleansing slaughter of the Palestinian people. Israel is demolishing their homelands and denying them their true birth rights. Before the eyes of the world, Israel is systematically demolishing Gaza zone by zone. It is flatting infrastructure, including homes, hospitals and water facilities, and using starvation as a weapon o…

I want to bring to the Taoiseach's attention the serious situation concerning Women's Collective Ireland - Wexford. Through the Reach grant, the body held 131 courses and facilitated 1,180 disadvantaged and vulnerable women in Wexford. I was also contacted by Acquired Brain Injury Ireland Wexford and Waterford branch. Both organisations have been told by senior managers that it will take weeks before final decisions on the Reach grant's 2025 budget are made to allocate the funds to the groups. This is causing great…

Please do. It is serious.

I thank the Taoiseach.

I will begin by highlighting the issue of infrastructure in my county of Wexford. One of the main vital issues our country faces at present, after the provision of affordable and social housing, is energy sustainability. Rosslare Europort is the number one port for roll on, roll off PAX services in Europe. However, the delay in developing the port into Ireland's offshore renewable energy hub is extremely worrying considering there is a supposed deadline for the project to be finalised by 2027. It is also worrying t…

I thank an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, an tAire agus an Teachta Kerrane. Childcare is the most important element of shaping the future of society. It can enable individuals and families to thrive and develop cohesive communities and help to secure vibrant, safe and sociable environments where children can foster and grow. It is not an exaggeration to say that childcare is the foundation nations are built on. Early years educators are the backbone of this key service and a stepping stone in unfolding and developing the…

I raise the matter of waiting lists and times for children who require psychology treatment, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy in primary care in County Wexford. At present, the number of children waiting for psychology treatment is 833, with a waiting time of four and a half years. A total of 631 children are waiting for speech and language therapy, with a waiting time of two and a half years. In the case of occupational therapy, 1,312 children must wait more than three and a half years for trea…

I am sure none of us would ever have envisaged or expected a motion like this being moved in the House. How do you explain to the parents, guardians and families the 147 cases of unnecessary hip surgeries carried out in the period from 2021 to 2023 in three institutions under the care of CHI? Hip operations were carried out on children as young as two and a half years old and there is a real possibility that hundreds more cases during the preceding decade may be discovered. The facts of the matter are of great conc…

I raise the issue of the flood relief scheme in my home town of Enniscorthy. The Government committed to deliver the scheme in 2014, almost 11 years ago. People and business owners living beside the Slaney are constantly apprehensive and on the alert, especially in winter time and high-tide season. We were told that funding was ring-fenced in 2014. However, to date no progress is forthcoming. I ask the Taoiseach, who is well aware in his own county of the disruption and financial hardship flooding causes in people'…

I thank Deputies McDonald and Ó Broin for tabling this important Bill. It simply comprises the repeal of Part 2 of the Water Services Act 2017. The Bill would protect citizens by prohibiting Uisce Éireann from introducing a customer charge for the use of water in excess of a specific threshold amount. Recent reports have flagged that the Government is intent on introducing water charges. Although it has denied this, it would not be beyond the bounds of truth to say water charges have been on the table for Fianna Fá…

I wish both the Minister and Minister of State well in their new roles. I thank my colleagues in Sinn Féin for bringing this relevant and important Private Members' motion on the tenant in situ scheme to the floor of the House this evening. The tenant in situ scheme is a vital tool in the prevention of homelessness and has been a saviour to many families across the country. Since April 2023, the tenant in situ scheme alone has saved more than 2,500 households from the sickening prospect of losing a roof over their …

There is a deep sense of frustration among section 39 workers, who are the backbone of many support services and help many individuals in need every single day. Despite their incredible dedication, they are often met with indifference by the Government. The Government claims to prioritise the protection of these vital services, but where is the action? Where is the fairness in pay and recognition? Workers are leaving these services in their droves because they cannot survive. With the continuing cost-of-living cris…