Yes, but most of these are own-account operators and they are not eligible.

I, too, congratulate Deputy Tully on introducing the motion. She has done so because the Government cannot be trusted to live up to its responsibilities to children. It is great to hear that the Minister understands the position. These are famous words we hear over and over from the other side of the floor regarding everything that comes up but families want action, not statements that the Government understands and knows what needs to be done. Our children have been failed owing to unmet obligations on the part of…

It will come as no great surprise that I rise to discuss the assessment of needs and disability services for children with special needs. I do this on behalf of many families across County Tipperary who are at their wits’ end in trying to get timely access for their children. The seriousness of this situation is conveyed on a daily basis in Tipperary, with parents getting in touch with me, with parents going on local radio and with parents discussing the situation that their children are faced with on social media.…

There is no doubt, both in here and outside, that we have been lambasted with statements that early intervention is required. I know from parents, teachers and so on that this is not happening. I am glad to hear that the Minister of State is not happy with the SOP. What is being done about the matter? The Ombudsman had a go at the HSE and the High Court has ruled against it. Why the database was allowed to be so outdated in the first place is another thing that needs to be answered by the Minister of State or the D…

I thank Deputy Cian O'Callaghan for bringing forward this Bill. The types of acts it seeks to address are repugnant in the extreme and indicate the ease with which some people are ready to take whatever advantage they can of the desperation others experience in trying to secure a home. When I read these revelations, published in the Irish Examiner , words failed me. The fact that some people just see others as expendable, as objects to be used, is incomprehensible to me. When this story first broke, Sinn Féin's hou…

I welcome the fact this Bill has been published and that progress has now been made on setting standards around accessing rights when it comes to IVF, surrogacy and the complex matters connected to them. This is a positive development and is welcome for many families. We must ensure it is subject to careful examination as it makes its way through the Oireachtas in order that we do full justice for many families out there. An important point to note here is that while the Bill does not deal with international surrog…

I raise this issue because it concerns another example of difficult circumstances in which many people, whether they are carers or not, find themselves. It relates to the inability of people who care for a loved one to pay for the additional electricity consumption that caring for someone requires. As the Minister of State will be aware, many people find it easier to keep on top of electricity bills by using a pay-as-you-go meter. Unfortunately, they spend more this way but many people feel they must use a meter be…

As I predicted, the Minister of State rattled off figures from the budget and mentioned some of the other measures the Government has brought in, but carers have told me, and I have no doubt they have told him too, that the measures are not enough for them. I told him about the video I received. That family's electricity bill has jumped from €197 to €349 in five months, so a once-off €200 payment will make but a slight difference for them for one month. On top of the domestic demands they face, they have the travel…

Family Carers Ireland says it is not enough.

The Government needs to realise that these families save €20 billion a year. What would happen if they withdrew the service they provide tomorrow morning?

It is not enough.

According to the UN, there has been an alarming spike in online and offline hate speech in recent years. In examining the reasons for this, the UN has said that this rise can be linked to changes in the social, economic and technological environment, and to Covid-19 and Internet use. For the European Commission, only the identification of hate speech and hate crime as a new and distinct area of crime can enable an effective and comprehensive criminal law approach to these phenomena at EU level. That is because ther…

This Bill brings to light a number of points. First, it reminds us that the Covid pandemic is not over yet, and that families, households and businesses are still being affected by the threat and the effects of the virus. It also reminds us that the pandemic is never far away, and that we must maintain a state of readiness for any further complications that may lie ahead. Yet, the way certain key health workers are being excluded from the pandemic special recognition payment, which this Bill provides for, is a prof…

Judging by what the Government plans to implement today, it is obvious that it is still intent on continuing with the relaxed attitude to addressing the crisis that families and businesses are facing right now. There is one particular identifier when it comes to this Government. It will hold out until the last minute, and when an action needs to be taken, it will always stop short of doing what people really need. While people are genuinely panicking out there, the Taoiseach is saying that he is prevented from maki…

I also welcome Senator Flynn and congratulate her and her committee on the report. I assure her that she is more than welcome and entitled to be in this House. This is an incredibly important document and, as the committee Chair has said, we cannot let this become just another report. We must put an end to the policies and practice that have failed the Traveller community. That is why it is important to highlight the findings of this report and its 84 recommendations. Among the many issues the Traveller community c…

-----I urge all Oireachtas Members, and local authority members and officials to read the report and to act. I will also put my name to it. As Deputy Bríd Smith said, it is up to the 160 Members of this House, Senators and councillors throughout the country to ensure we put pressure on local authorities to implement the recommendations. I will be doing that on their behalf.

Can I have another small bit?

I recently raised the issue of the lack of an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit in Carrick-on-Suir and to be honest, the discussions I have had with the Department on the matter since have been unsatisfactory. There seems to be an attempt to overestimate the number of spaces available at neighbouring schools. I want to talk about Sacred Heart Primary School in Roscrea, which had an exceptional review of its mainstream special needs assistant, SNA, allocation in October of last year. The school made this request b…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach as an seans labhairt ar an mBille seo. Attempts to deal with the legacy of the mother and baby homes that were allowed to operate here have been fraught with attempts to go over the heads of those who should have been consulted properly, and with actions that denied the memories of those who, sadly, are no longer with us. I hope that is changing. The work of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth, chaired by Sinn Féin…

I welcome the concept of town centre first. There are too many town centres that just do not work as they could. Town centres are taken away from people because main traffic arteries run through them, like in Tipperary town. This week, the Minister for Transport again confirmed to me that a bypass of Tipperary town will be considered by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, for prioritisation in this context. In his reply to me, the Minister also noted that a consequence of the bypass would facilitate compact grow…