Sinn Féin is happy to support the motion. I thank our colleagues in the Labour Party for bringing it forward. I was delighted to hear the Minister of State mention the autism strategy. I had often wondered what had happened to it. People will not be shocked to hear me say that two years ago, on World Autism Day 2019, I introduced a motion on behalf of Sinn Féin on development of an autism strategy, which was unanimously passed. It is important we have that strategy. It has been missing from this country for too lon…

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State. Like my colleagues, I welcome the White Paper on ending direct provision and the steps that must be taken in that regard, especially the recommendations on taking a human rights-based approach. I will focus my comments on the perspective of children and young people in the direct provision system. It has been particularly difficult for them. They have been pretty much isolated from their communities and many have been left in limbo, in some cases for their entire chil…

I am delighted to get the chance to speak on this matter. We fully support this Bill and hope it will pass speedily. We have been discussing this issue for quite a long time. It is totally unacceptable that the families of children who were the victims of a homicide cannot name them. I expected to have the chance to speak on this issue last week and I spoke with a family I know about it. A number of families in the Carlow-Kilkenny region are affected by this. One man described it as frustrating and retraumatising. …

I am delighted to say that Sinn Féin welcomes this legislation on parental leave. Paid parental leave is absolutely key and vital. People often talk about the element of existing parental leave that is unpaid and it is unrealistic for many people to avail of it because it is unpaid. It is important that any leave given is paid leave. We welcome that. I will echo some of the points made by previous speakers, in particular my colleague, Deputy Kerrane, relating to surrogacy. That is a vital and important piece to add…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am delighted to be able to have this debate today. The mother and baby homes report has reignited a crucial conversation in this country around adoption, illegal adoptions and, in general, adoption practices that date right back to the foundation of the State. The recent “RTÉ Investigates” programme, "Who Am I?", raised serious questions around how we treat adoptees, how badly adoptees have been treated in the past and how we continue to perpetrate these injustic…

I thank everybody who has contributed to the debate for their supportive words. I was struck by the fact that everyone, with the exception of the two Ministers who spoke, really seemed to understand this is a first step. This is what we have said from the minute we launched the Bill a number of weeks ago. It will not solve all of the problems but, as my colleague, Deputy McDonald, has just said, we have to start somewhere and every process has to start somewhere. This is a really good start for people who have been…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and given that we are on the subject of women, I start by acknowledging the Leas-Cheann Comhairle herself, as our first ever female holder of that position. It is an important role, is not an easy task and is not one that I envy. I was thinking about this point as we were speaking earlier. Women, in general, play a crucial role not only in their communities but in every household and most people agree that women are the backbone of many households and communities. This has been sho…

I wish to share time with my colleagues. Sinn Féin is supporting the motion. I thank Deputy Whitmore and her colleagues in the Social Democrats for bringing this motion to the Dáil today. Deputy Whitmore is passionate about this issue and ensuring that the voices of survivors are at the heart of every decision we make and I am happy to support the motion. The mother and baby homes commission of investigation was originally due to report in February 2018 but it was not until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 12 January 2021, nearl…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to allow adopted persons the right to access their birth records. I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce the Civil Registration (Right of Adoptees to Information) (Amendment) Bill 2021. Its simple objective is to give every adoptee the right to unfettered access to their birth certificates. This crucial amendment will seek to give adoptees access to their publicly-registered birth certificates and the reality is that all births have been…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I have a short statement and about four questions. I am thankful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I will start by making a special mention of our early years and childcare professionals, who often feel forgotten and overlooked. They often feel undervalued and ignored. They have been back at work for several weeks now. They have reopened their sector for essential workers and vulnerable children as the third wave of this horrible pandemic rages through the country. Ironically, tomorrow marks the one…

I thank the Minister. I should have said I recognise that he mentioned the JLC process, with which I am familiar from previous work with SIPTU. I hope it will be beneficial but I believe the Government can actually make the intervention regarding wage scales without having a JLC process. I welcome it as a step in what is definitely the right direction, however. My second question is on emergency funding for the sector. Will it be continued? Will there be increased investment in the sector once we are out of this pa…

I have one more question, on the vaccine. There has been some confusion over whether it is category 6 or category 11. Category 6 refers to "key workers", not childcare workers or early years professionals. I wonder whether the Minister could clarify whether they are in category 6. Are they still in category 11? If the Minister does not know, he may revert to me.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for accommodating me. Since its establishment in 2004, the Office of the Ombudsman for Children has played a pivotal role in promoting and further enhancing the welfare and rights of children in Ireland. I commend the current ombudsman, Dr. Niall Muldoon, on the work he has overseen over the past six years. I often speak to people - obviously, all of us are in the same situation as part of our work - and I frequently hear complimentary and positive feedback about the office and the work …

I commend Deputy Pringle and we will be supporting this motion. Sinn Féin has a long track record in advocating for the rights of people. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has been a key treaty in progressing the rights of people around the world. In 1989, Ireland ratified the economic, social and cultural rights of its citizens and agreed to be legally bound by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This international treaty sets out the right for all p…

I urge all Deputies in the Chamber to support the motion and, for once, to put their money where their mouths are. Student nurses and midwives, along with everyone else who works in the health services, do not want us standing up in the Chamber clapping. That is actually an insult to them. It is patronising and demeaning. What they actually want is fairness and respect. The situation has not been good in our hospitals in recent years. That is due to the under-investment not only of this Government but of previous G…

When I had the opportunity to speak on this report last week, I was extremely mindful that many survivors, their families and their representative groups had not yet physically seen the report, let alone had the time to read any of it. Now, a week later, many of us have read it, many of us are still working through it and some survivors and their families are still awaiting it. Unfortunately, I have to say with absolute honesty that it is undoubtedly one of the greatest miscarriages of truth ever produced. Survivor…

Today, as we speak about the mother and baby institutions and the report that was published yesterday, I pay tribute to and commend all of the women and children, many of whom are now adults, who heroically came forward to share their stories. They fought with courage and determination and did not give up. In recent years I have had the privilege of getting to know many people who are survivors of mother and baby homes, including women who had their babies stolen from them and children born into the homes who were …

I thank my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for introducing this legislation and for all the work he does in the area of housing and homelessness. We are approaching Christmas and it is a time for family and a special time for children in particular. The Peter McVerry Trust predicts that approximately 2,642 children will experience Christmas without a home. That means there will be nowhere for them to play with toys and nowhere for the family to enjoy Christmas dinner, which is a heartbreaking situation for parents. In t…

This issue relates to adult day services in the disability sector and, in particular, transport to regions in the south-east. Cumas is a service in New Ross, Wexford, and SOS is a service in Kilkenny. A situation in SOS has come to my attention. There was transport for a particular individual prior to the arrival of Covid-19. Now that the service has reopened, the person concerned is attending two days a week but the transport is no longer accessible or does not seem to be accessible for this family. An elderly mot…