Before I begin to outline why my colleagues in Sinn Féin and I believe strongly in the serious concerns we have with this legislation, I wish to pay tribute to the courage and resilience of the women and children who suffered so horrifically in mother and baby institutions and who continue to suffer, unfortunately, at the hands of the State as they try to secure their records. I had the pleasure of meeting some people in my constituency and, recently, some people in Tuam. Their courage and resilience astounds me. A…

This question is on after-school services. What is the situation with regard to disadvantaged children who are locked out of after-school programmes that are under the national childcare scheme? Why are children who are new to after-school services ineligible for the national childcare scheme due to the employment status of their parents?

I often think there is a disconnect between what we hear in the Chamber and what people experience. The reason I have raised this point is that a number of people not only in my constituency but throughout the country have raised the difficulty they are having in accessing after-school services, particularly where parents are unemployed or stay at home. They could fall into a vulnerable category but they are not vulnerable enough to come to the attention of Tusla. This can be where the breakdown is. The Minister me…

Is the Minister open to a review or consultation or submissions, particularly in this regard? It is definitely coming up as an issue with more than one or two people. I know we have an issue with Covid, and some after-school services have closed for a variety of reasons, but there is definitely an issue with funding after-school services. I would appreciate it if he would examine it. I cannot let this opportunity pass, a week after the budget, without mentioning the disappointment of the early years sector. Those w…

My question relates to domestic violence services. Will the funding allocated to women's refuges as part of their response to Covid-19 continue?

I welcome that. Unfortunately, there has always been the issue of domestic violence but, as we will all have seen, it has been one of the very negative highlights of Covid-19. While men are affected too, it primarily affects women. Children have been sneaking out to cars to try to make phone calls, and that is in cases where people may have felt able to reach out. For so long, so many women have been in a difficult place and have been unable to reach out. The basis of my question was that the increase in funding is…

Most of the points have been covered but I will stress that some of the most important services they offer is counselling. One does not just physically need a safe place; one also emotionally and mentally needs a safe place. Many times, people will go back to a negative relationship if they do not have the support. On the play therapy services that are often offered for children, play therapy is often underrated. It is an excellent service for children for many reasons but particularly in this situation. My experie…

My question asks the Minister what supports are in place for young people who have been severely hit by Covid-19, particularly in terms of their education, career, employment and the impact on their mental health.

I welcomed the increase. I will be honest: I was critical and stand over my criticism of the lack of funding for early years but I welcome the money that was invested for youth. It is a sector that got a bit forgotten about during Covid. I know people involved and who work in the sector did their best to reach out to young people and include them. There is a huge number of young people interested and involved in sport but there is also a huge number of people who are not. I always feel that the drama and other grou…

The Minister was on the Zoom conference the National Youth Council of Ireland had a few weeks ago. That was excellent. There were two young people, in particular, who addressed it. Now that we are coming into lockdown two or phase 5, the plan is to keep schools open. The reality is that school is one important part but there are all the other social activities. Anyone who hears me speaking knows I am always talking about counselling, mental health and play therapy for kids but we also need normal, fun activities. T…

This question is to ask if the Minister's attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a gap in funding which is causing significant difficulties for providers and families and a delay between an application being made to the national childcare scheme and Pobal processing the application. As the national childcare scheme does not backdate payments this means that either the parents or services are paying the full price until the application is fully processed. It is a somewhat similar issue to that which Depu…

Maybe it is an administrative issue but when an application is received and it can be seen that a child has started with a service, it is verifiable. Providers and staff working in the sector will state there is no shortage of paperwork and forms to be filled in. In terms of accountability, they are certainly up to standard. Therefore, is there not some way of backdating? I am being told by providers, and parents in certain instances, that during the time it takes to deal with applications, parents are paying eithe…

I have a question on CHICKs but we are not going to get to it. There seems to be an issue arising regarding the registration of the numbers. There are obviously issues and everybody accepts that any new system will have teething problems. It is good that the Minister has acknowledged that there is accountability in this regard but the key point concerns the question of what providers and parents should do in the interim if parents cannot afford to pay the fees. We do not want providers leaving themselves short beca…

As the Sinn Féin spokesperson on children and youth affairs, I could not let this moment go without saying that the budget is a total missed opportunity where childcare is concerned. Absolutely nothing has been done for struggling providers, whose challenges were shown in stark relief by Covid-19. Nothing has been done for the parents paying crazy fees, an issue that mainly affects women, who are pushed out of the workforce when childcare becomes too expensive. Moreover, nothing has been done for those working in t…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Tully, on bringing the motion forward. Unfortunately, people with a disability and their carers have been relegated to second-class citizens in this State. In every sector there are delays, waiting lists and, in many cases, a complete lack of services. It has become acceptable and the norm for people with a disability to have to fight for every service that others take for granted. I refer, in particular, to schools, school places in autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classes and transpor…

We are sharing with the Social Democrats, in fairness.

I pay tribute to and thank Deputy Whitmore and her party for bringing forward this motion. It is an excellent motion, but it is a shame that we have to be discussing such a subject. However, that is the reality. As I stand here today, approximately 700,000 of our fellow citizens live on a poverty income, of which approximately 225,000, or 30%, are children. If this was not startling enough, in June this year, a Society of St. Vincent de Paul study, entitled, The Hidden Cost of Poverty, reported that poverty costs t…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, not only on this Bill but on all the work he has done on housing. I do not think anyone in this Chamber could disagree with the statement that rents need to be reduced. Between my time in the Dáil and previously on a local authority, I have been elected for 11 years and housing has consistently been the number one issue I have dealt with and it is getting worse year on year. I agree with much of what Deputy Gino Kenny said about HAP and trying to find HAP properties. It is al…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. My apologies as I thought that a cleaning session was under way and I was unsure as to whether I should come into the Chamber or not. These are the joys of Covid-19. My first question relates to the Tusla rule relating to the 20-day limit. Will the Minister consider even a temporary exemption due to the public health emergency that includes illness and-or suspected contact with a person with Covid-19, which would require a period of self-isolation?

I thank the Minister and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I welcome this answer because I have been contacted by many parents about their concerns on this issue. Everybody wants to do the right thing and this is a nervous and anxious time. It is also a good time to see the schools reopening and for parents to see children return, which I welcome as a parent. There are concerns about trying to do the right thing by keeping children at home and not to introduce even more bugs, even if it is something mild that one would no…