People in their thousands are presenting to emergency departments in mental health crises because of the lack of mental health care in our communities. If they are lucky enough to be seen in emergency departments, they are then referred back into the community for treatment. An average of 4,500 people are so referred every year. There are huge vacancies in our community mental health services. I will give the example of my area of Clondalkin. I only got this response a few days ago. We have vacancies for one area d…

These are adults.

Speaking as a republican it was a very emotional day to see Michelle O'Neill become First Minister of the North. This is historic. The partitioned part of our island was designed to ensure something like this could not happen, but happen it did. We have witnessed historic change happening in the North in front of our very eyes. This change is happening right across our island. The Government needs to put this change into the context of the wider politics of Irish unity. The most recent Ipsos poll in The Irish Times…

This legislation is just another attempt by Government to paper over the cracks of years of underinvestment in road safety. Those years of underinvestment are coming home to roost. The legislation is only a small solution to a much bigger issue. We need increased investment in enforcement, education and the quality of our roads. I acknowledge the hard work done by An Garda Síochána in trying to keep our roads safe. I also acknowledge the hard work that the gardaí do when they are first responders to a scene and the…

The Ireland women's basketball team has been put in an awful position ahead of today's match against Israel. FIBA previously removed Russia and Belarus in 2022, a move Basketball Ireland supported. They even protested against its own fixture against Belarus on that occasion. FIBA and Basketball Ireland need to be consistent by removing Israel from international competitions. Israeli basketball players posing with guns and Israel Defense Forces, IDF, members was a deplorable sight. An Israeli player calling her Iris…

We have had a number of bus curtailments in my area of Clondalkin and it has had a huge impact on passengers getting to and from work, visiting family and friends and getting home at night. What measures are being taken to address antisocial behaviour on public buses or towards staff and what supports are available to staff and passengers?

I agree with the Minister that antisocial behaviour on and towards Dublin Bus is an absolute scourge to our communities and absolutely unacceptable. The people carrying out this do not represent the vast majority of people from my area. I want to talk about one bus in my area, the 13, which goes from Grange Castle to Dublin city. On its route it travels through Bawnogue and Deansrath. It is a vital service. It is a bus I myself use regularly. I use it at the weekend coming back from town. The buses have had stones …

The Minister is right again. The detour has stopped. I myself met with Dublin Bus during the week. One of the issues we have is that there is often an incident and then it is followed by another incident and then it ends in a pattern and the behaviour becomes commonplace. I wonder if a more cross-departmental approach is possible whereby we could nip this in the bud a lot earlier. I welcome that the community safety forum, through our councillor, William Carey, called in the gardaí to meet them. That was the start …

I thank my constituency colleague, Deputy Gino Kenny, for the opportunity to discuss this issue. I also want to add my disappointment to that of other speakers at the fact that the Government has kicked this Bill down the road and denied us the opportunity to discuss it further on Committee Stage. We could have heard about the consequences and positives of the Bill in a more balanced way. For too long, many young people have been convicted simply for the possession of cannabis, which can lead to a lifetime of effec…

Many mental health stakeholders were left disappointed that the reform of the Mental Health Act was not included in the spring legislative programme for publication. This means the Bill will not be published until the middle of the year, if even then. In reality, it will not pass in the lifetime of the Government. Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill finished 15 months ago and reform of the Mental Health Act was on the programme for Government four years ago. The Government has missed a generational opportunity to …

I want to follow up on what my colleague Deputy Andrews was saying about Israel deliberately targeting Palestinian athletes. Chris was right; sport has the power to change the world. I commend the Dublin women's football team for taking a stand at the weekend in support of Palestine. I was in the West Bank 14 months ago and met the head of the Palestinian Football Association. He told me no European country has ever played Palestine in an international soccer match, whether in a friendly or in a competition. I urge…

I mentioned to the Tánaiste in the past that I am the proud son of a Defence Forces veteran. My dad served in the Defence Forces for 27 years, both in this country and overseas. He is still very active with the United Nations veterans group. I spent my formative years living in Army quarters. Having grown up as the son of a member of the Defence Forces, I am well aware of the impact that poor pay and conditions have on the families and children of Defence Forces personnel. Historically, successive Governments have …

I welcome the opportunity to discuss Gaza. The Government motion is a small step in the right direction, but it does not go anywhere near far enough. There is not one mention of a ceasefire anywhere in the motion. An immediate ceasefire is the one thing that will stop the slaughter of innocent civilians now. What we are witnessing in Gaza is barbaric and inhumane. Let us be under no illusion - what we are witnessing is genocide. As good citizens, we are often asked to come forward and give testimony if we have witn…

In June 2022, I stood in solidarity with Traveller groups outside the Dáil as they called for a national action plan for Traveller mental health. Today, I stood with them again. Some 11% of all Travellers will die by suicide. This is shocking. It is over seven times more than the general population. While we can all get lost in statistics, each one of these is a man, a woman or a child with hopes, dreams and ambitions. Last week, we all watched the RTÉ documentary that showed the really upsetting and deeply persona…

Thank you.

The Government has called Sinn Féin's attempt to hold the Government to account a distraction. I put it to those opposite that Fine Gael must have been distracted in the past 12 years that it has held the justice portfolio. On Fine Gael's watch, there are almost 500 fewer gardaí in Dublin since it came into government. Was it distracted when two gardaí who were on overtime from Ronanstown in my area were brutally attacked in Ballyfermot? Was Fine Gael distracted when a rocket was fired at a garda during a protest? …

I thank People Before Profit for the opportunity to discuss this really important issue. I welcome the news that there is talk of a planned four-day truce in the bombardment of Gaza. I welcome reports that Hamas has agreed to release 50 Israeli hostages. Like everybody in this House, I really hope Emily Hand is among them. I also welcome that Israel will release 150 Palestinian hostages as part of the process. The truce must be the seed of peace talks. However, the commentary this morning indicates that Israel is i…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Mental Health Act 2001. Alongside Deputy David Cullinane, I am introducing this legislation to regulate the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, under the Mental Health Act 2001. The Bill will ensure that recommendations on governance and clinical reforms made by the Mental Health Commission can be implemented by the HSE and the State. It would also allow the Mental Health Commission to monitor the implementation of any su…

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

Neart Le Chéile is a community-based organisation that provides two services: Cumas, which supports children and other family members who experience addiction, and Cairdeas, which supports people who are directly in addiction themselves. These are two vital services for some of the most vulnerable people in Clondalkin. Seven workers were put on unofficial protective notice in July of this year. Some of them have over 20 years of service. The workers disclosed that there has been no communication with them since the…