It is a different question.

Until very recently, Ukrainians lived normal lives, but that changed abruptly when Russia invaded. Ukrainians are also experiencing agonising feelings of injustice and unfairness as their hard-earned democracy and freedom have been ripped away. The people arriving on our shores have had their whole lives turned upside down. People have had to leave behind their homes, their jobs, their schools, their friends and basically everything they know. Most heartbreaking of all is the separation of families - fathers and br…

Representatives of the HSE, including Mr. Paul Reid, appeared before the children's committee last week. Under questioning from Sinn Féin, the HSE admitted that it was in breach of the law when it comes to providing children with disability an assessment of needs. This should come as no surprise to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. I first raised this issue with the Minister of State when the comprehensive assessment of needs was changed to a 90-minute desktop assessment. At the time, she assured the committe…

There are 700,000 people living in Ireland with neurological conditions. Of these, 9,000 people are living with multiple sclerosis, MS. I am one of the 9,000, having been diagnosed 15 years ago. I and our health spokesperson, Deputy Cullinane, met MS Ireland recently and it has a vision to maximise physiotherapy treatment through a national physiotherapy service across all nine community healthcare organisations, CHOs. Its research shows that delaying and reducing disability due to MS could reduce costs to the heal…

I add my thanks to Deputy Cian O'Callaghan and the Social Democrats for bringing forward this Bill. The fact we need to legislate in 2022 to introduce a specific criminal offence for the practice of seeking sex in lieu of rent is absolutely shocking. The housing crisis has left many people vulnerable to poverty, homelessness and living in substandard accommodation. However, that some landlords are demanding sex in lieu of rent is an all-time low. It is totally unacceptable. People who have a desperate housing need …

In November, Sinn Féin and other parties stood in solidarity with families and parents as they presented letters to all three Government parties outlining their concerns at the lack of progress in delivering appropriate assisted human reproduction legislation. I join my colleagues in welcoming that this legislation has progressed. Sinn Féin supports this Bill in principle. We welcome a regulatory framework for assisted human reproduction, which will standardise access to and rights around IVF, surrogacy and related…

I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak on International Women's Day. Last week I was invited by students from Lucan Community College to hear their presentation on how church and State relations continue to affect women's rights in Ireland. Taking on board what Deputy Richmond was saying, we have an obligation in this House to encourage all young people to get involved. I said that if I had an opportunity to do so, I would let their voices be heard in the Dáil. Amber and Chloe, under the supervision of th…

I thank the Minister of State for staying until 11 p.m. on a Tuesday evening. It is much appreciated. I am going to bring him on a bit of a journey. I worked in front-line addiction services for a number of years prior to becoming involved in politics. I am going to talk about the case of a young mother who sought help for chronic addiction, but it could be anybody. She entered the service I was working in and was immediately provided with key working. She was then given counselling and a care plan was developed fo…

As I stated, the continuum of care is so important. If there are gaps in services, vulnerable people will fall through those gaps. One of the best decisions the HSE made several years ago was to make Cuan Dara to Keltoi a door-to-door service. Before that, people leaving the detox centre at Cuan Dara may have had to wait six or eight weeks before getting into Keltoi. The HSE closed that gap because, in the gap, people died. People left the Cuan Dara detox centre after doing a detox and may have started using drugs …

That is not residential.

In 2019, when I was mayor of South Dublin County Council, I launched a report on Traveller mental health by the Clondalkin Travellers development group. The report found that nearly 80% of Travellers surveyed in south Dublin stated either they or someone in their family had suffered from depression. This compares with just 8% of the general population. The report identified the factors impacting negatively on Traveller mental health as loneliness, discrimination, drug addiction, family break-up, children's mental h…

As the Minister was delivering his opening statement, I was thinking of some of the interactions I have had with him on other Bills in the past when my knuckles turned white with anger - not directed at the Minister but for the sake of the women and children who suffered in these mother and baby homes. It is refreshing to see some movement on this Bill. It is welcome. The Minister and Deputy Funchion acknowledged the work that was done by the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.…

This day last week I attended a wonderful event hosted by Esker Amateur Boxing Club in Lucan. The Shamrock & Olive Tree Boxing Project is a cultural exchange aimed at the development of the sport of boxing in Ireland and Palestine. The group of boxing clubs from across Ireland, including St. Saviours Crystal Boxing Club in Waterford; St. Paul’s Amateur Boxing Club of Belfast; and Esker Amateur Boxing Club in Lucan in Dublin are co-ordinating this project. They have partnered with boxing clubs in Palestine to create…

I will send the Minister the link.

Tá mé chun iarracht a dhéanamh labhairt as Gaeilge do Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Bhí cruinniú dearfach agam inné le foireann an HSE san ionad cúraim phríomhúil i dTamhlacht. Tugadh cuireadh dom féachaint ar cad is féidir le hionad cúraim sláinte phríomhúil a chur ar fáil. I mBaile Átha Cliath Thiar Meán, fós níl aon ionad cúraim sláinte phríomhúil againn. Tá obair tosaithe i gCluain Dolcáin agus tá maoiniú ann don obair pleanála do Rualach. Tá suíomhanna féideartha ann i gcás Leamhcán agus Baile Adaim. Seo áis atá de d…

Rowlagh is in north Clondalkin and it is the parish I grew up in. The area is 40 years old and it has seen many changes. When we first moved into the area, there was nothing there. It was an area of huge disadvantage and a victim of bad planning, and this created many socioeconomic problems in the area. There was no transport, shops or schools and everything the area had we had to fight for as a community. My first experience of community activism was getting involved in the campaign for St. Kevin’s Community Colle…

While the plan to retrofit more homes is welcome, we have been in this position previously. The Government, of course, has prioritised the ability to pay over need, which means that those who need it most will get it last or not get it at all. Sinn Féin in government would have grants based on income and people's ability to pay. We would introduce a dedicated scheme for households with children living in energy poverty. Under the Government's plan, people who have a spare €25,000 lying around will be able to get up…

At the end of the Minister of State's contribution, she mentioned people with multiple sclerosis, MS, who would not be able to access the primary medical certificate because they have some form of mobility. I have MS but am lucky enough to have full mobility. I know people with disabilities facing challenges that are not physically seen. I know some of these as challenges that I have had to face over the years, and many people with MS or other neurological conditions must face them on a daily basis as well. I spoke…

If that process is imminent, it is welcome news. All the people with MS may not have mobility issues but they may have other problems and are being excluded from the scheme. Any assistance is welcome in that regard. The Minister of State mentioned the assistance scheme in CHO 7, which is a good scheme but it should be fully resourced. It goes so far but it is not far enough. It is like the old 78A around my area, which would go part of the route but not the full route. If the scheme could be fully resourced, it wou…

A response I received to a parliamentary question stated that some children who are accessing the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, in south Kerry were also getting supports through Tusla. Some parents have told me that Tusla representatives often sat in on the consultation between the psychiatrist and the child. Parents of children who were mistreated and misdiagnosed feel that not only did CAMHS fail their children but Tusla did too. It was stated in the look-back review of south Kerry CAMHS: "We…