I raise an issue that is causing real hardship for families, namely, the filling out of the domiciliary care application forms. These forms are far too long and technical. A couple of families who contacted me in County Donegal described the process as overwhelming. One mother told me she spent weeks gathering and filling out paperwork only to have her application rejected. Nothing changed on her appeal but it was granted. This is crazy. Parents feel they are begging for an allowance to which they are rightly entit…

I, too, would like to be associated with the condolences to the families. We in Donegal have had our own tragedies down through the years. The loss of five young lives is so sad. It really is. They were going out, just in the prime of their lives. Today, I want to express my serious concern about the lack of dental services in the south-west Donegal region covering Glencolmcille, Carrick, Kilcar, Killybegs, Bruckless and Dunkineely since the retirement in May 2025. Since the departure of the dentist, there has been…

It is deeply concerning and, unfortunately, not uncommon that parents of special needs children often face unnecessary battles to secure what is a basic human right to support their children. I am deeply concerned about the increasing numbers of families reaching out for help to navigate the education system for their children with special needs. One recent case highlighted a troubling pattern. A parent of a child with complex special needs was informed by the school principal, without consultation or discussion, t…

Last week, I travelled the length and breadth of Donegal and looked at houses with defective blocks. To see the scale was overwhelming. It is enormous. I never thought it was so bad. I saw the anger and pain of people about this scheme, which is working for some but not for others. Senators can imagine how it was with my phone last night when the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, came on and announced a pyrite scheme for the people of Finglas. That is brilliant for Finglas. We have nothing against the people in Finglas. It…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. It is great to see a Minister of State come in to talk and we are lucky to have the former Minister of State, Senator Noonan, present. I have spoken on a number of occasions since I was nominated to the House about the wonderful place we have in County Donegal, Glenveagh National Park. I do not know if the Minister of State has been up there. It really is one of the jewels in the crown. I passed by it a couple of weeks ago and to see it at this time of year with the tree…

I am very sorry for and pass on my condolences to the family of Sr. Stan. I also congratulate our new President, Catherine Connolly, on her election. I wish to raise the serious issue of Garda staffing and the lack of essential resources in County Donegal. Several stations in Donegal are understaffed and under-resourced. In some cases, gardaí are forced to share patrol cars across multiple stations. Basic supplies of equipment to manage emergency scenes are not readily available, which compromises public safety. Ga…

I raise the urgent issue of a boil water notice that has been in operation since 15 September in the Glenties-Ardara area. Uisce Éireann has assured me and the public that everything has been done to get this boil water notice out. The reality is 3,500 residents, as well as businesses, have to endure daily disruption. Families have to boil water for drinking, brushing teeth and food preparation. Local businesses, cafés, shops and community centres are affected. This is an ongoing issue. It seems that every time the…

I thank the Minister of State for coming. I wish to raise an issue about Glenveagh Castle, which, as the Minister of State knows, is a major tourist attraction in County Donegal. The castle has been closed on Mondays and Fridays since last year. This has led to visitor frustration, especially at peak times. It is damaging to the reputation of Donegal tourism. The existing staff are dedicated and must be praised for what they are doing. They are doubling up on their work to try to keep the castle working. There are …

I thank the Minister of State. As he said, the information desk is open. The castle needs to be open on Mondays and Fridays. From what I hear from tour operators, the five-day opening does not work into their plans. There are problems with having enough personnel and staff. I ask the Minister of State to go back to see how many we can get. From what I was told, we appear to be short gardeners and tourism industry staff throughout the house. Perhaps we could get a report that is more tied down in the near future. I …

Today I want to raise a problem I raised on one of the first days I came into this House - coastal erosion. Donegal has 2,400 km of coastline. There is one particular place in Inver village, County Donegal, where two houses are very badly affected. With storms getting worse and worse in the last couple of years, these two houses are in serious danger. Baskets of stones were put there 40 years ago and they have done well, but this coast is 95 m long and we need to protect these two houses. I am getting no answers, s…

Today, I want to raise the issue of the N56. Over the past few weeks I have been contacted by four different families about planning issues along the N56 in west Donegal. This remains a serious challenge for rural communities in Donegal. At present, many young people living at home, and many living abroad who want to come home, want to secure planning permission to build on their family land but cannot do so along the N56. This is because they cannot get access onto the N56. The policy needs to be reviewed. It is u…

I want to raise the urgent matter of road safety outside Dunkineely National School, in my locality. There has been a lack of progress on implementing traffic calming measures which have been repeatedly called for by local representatives, parents and gardaí. The school is located on the N56, a busy national secondary road that has had multiple near misses recently. The speed in the school zone is unacceptable and children, parents and staff are at risk at drop-offs and pick-ups. I have repeatedly raised this issue…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. It is my understanding that Dunkineely National School did not apply for the safe routes to school programme because the process would simply take too long. We do not have time in this instance. We are talking about a busy road that caters for all the traffic that is going to Donegal and Killybegs. Large lorries loaded with fish heading to Dublin pass school. The Minister of State drove past it. He understands that it is situated on a hill. I showed it to him. He gets wh…

I want to raise the issue of the closure of the courthouse in Donegal town. The courthouse is located in Tirconaill Street and is a building of significant architectural and historical importance dating back to the 19th century. No warning was given about this closure. A letter was simply sent to a businessman and nobody was informed. The Donegal people are very concerned that the building could be closed permanently. I am asking for the Minister for justice to clarify a few things. Are there plans to refurbish and…

I thank the Minister of State. When he returns to the Minister, I plead with him to ensure that, no matter what happens, we have to keep the courthouse in Donegal town. It has been there a long time. It really adds to the town with barristers coming in, coffee shops, etc. Donegal town has lost so much in the past year with the DESC moving to Letterkenny. The courthouse's roof might need to be structurally redone as well as electrical and other works, but it is a matter of the utmost importance that we keep the cour…

I wish to associate myself with the condolences for Martin Mansergh and Senator Clifford-Lee's father. I also extend my sincere condolences to the McCloskey family on the loss of their son, Kevin, who tragically lost his life while out fishing in Donegal on Thursday. He will be sorely missed. He was one of the renowned fishermen in the port. I wonder if the Leader could get clarification for me for the mother of Allissa in County Donegal. Allissa has type 1 diabetes and needs an SNA at the school to monitor her con…

Last week, I met two lovely families with children with special needs in Carndonagh, County Donegal. As the Deputy Leader knows, sending a child to a certain school is a big decision. The nearest school to the children had no classrooms available. The families decided to move the children to Clonmanny National School, which they say is top-class. The children are so happy there and well looked after, and the staff are so engaging, but there is a problem with the school transport. The families were told the children…

I congratulate Martin Hughes and he is very welcome here. I thank Martin Groves and Bridget Doody for their kindness when I was elected to the House a couple of months ago. I wish to bring up the issue of Irish Water. It is a big problem. I thank the Irish Water staff on the ground in County Donegal. They have been kind and courteous all summer, when there have been numerous problems, and have been very good to me. Parts of Carndonagh, Clonmany, Culdaff, Malin and Falcarragh had no water for most of the summer betw…

Today I want to raise the issue of Glenveagh National Park. We have a wonderful tourist attraction in Glenveagh Castle, located in Glenveagh National Park. We are now at the peak of the season but, unfortunately, the castle itself cannot accommodate visitors on Fridays and Mondays due to staff shortages. Approximately 200,000 people visit the castle every year and it is a vital part of the tourism plan for the national park. The problem is a lack of staff. We need more staff and this has been going on for the last …

That was on the other side. I was not going to let that go.