I thank the Minister for bringing this Bill forward. It makes sense finally to move educational and welfare supports and the school completion programme back to the Department of Education. Due to the very nature of the school completion programme it should not have been under the auspices of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Education is an extremely valuable resource. It is a fundamentally unique and important resource that needs to be delivered based upon the requirements a…

I do not know if we are living in the same country at all. I have listened to the passionate plea of Deputy Durkan. He is rolled out at the end of debates all of the time. Fair play to him, he is a likeable rogue. Fine Gael puts him out there to defend the Government at the very end but to borrow his boxing analogy about those outside the ring, perhaps it is time for this Government to retire, move out, let us in and judge us on our record. Spending in budget 2022 is focused on making it seem like the tough issues …

That was a nice political broadcast for the Fianna Fáil Party

No autism spectrum disorder, ASD, unit or classroom is available for primary schoolchildren locally in Carrick-on-Suir. Parents in the area have been turned away from other schools farther away because of lack of spaces. We have heard of people waiting for two years or more. Some children may have to travel even farther to Waterford city, Dungarvan or Kilkenny, which, as the Taoiseach will appreciate, is unsuitable for many children. It is distressing for parents to have to put their child on a bus to go to a schoo…

He is 15 seconds over time.

The Government's Housing for All plan lacks ambition and gives little comfort to those who are in desperate need of housing right now. There are numerous reports on house prices and rental prices. Whichever of the reports one chooses, the results are damning for this Government. The most recent national survey by Real Estate Alliance found that, since June, my county of Tipperary has experienced the biggest rise in house prices of any county. Prices for a three-bedroom semi-detached house in the county have soared …

Sinn Féin will support the Bill. We thank the Labour Party and Deputy Bacik for bringing it forward. However, we believe it could go further in a number of ways given the crisis situation in which people now find themselves. We are living with the consequences of the failure of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael led Governments to put citizens' welfare above that of vested interests. Imagine finding oneself in a situation where one is told that the house in which one lives is to be sold and that one's family will then have …

I echo the words of Deputies Lowry and Cahill. The people of Templemore are angry that the HSE seems to be ignoring them for some reason. Some 700 patients are being transferred from one practice to another that is already at capacity. This will lead to trouble and is just not good enough. I know from other Deputies and the people of Templemore that the HSE has not communicated what is going on to the people of the town. We all know there are problems with getting locums or replacements but the HSE is talking about…

I also thank the Minister of State for her reply. The HSE informed me, through a parliamentary question, that it has not been successful in getting a GP for a single-handed practice in Templemore. In that same reply, the HSE all but admitted that it wants to see all GP services delivered through a single clinic. As Deputy Cahill said, a single practice, or everything in one setting, is not working. It is like the closure of St. Brigid's Hospital in Carrick-on-Suir. I have been contacted by people in Cahir about the…

The way the Government has introduced the legislation is flawed and as divisive as the legislation itself. It is unworkable and deeply unfair. The hospitality sector in particular has suffered badly during the pandemic and has borne the brunt of the restrictions like no other sector, except those involved in arts and entertainment. Thankfully, with huge public participation in the vaccination programme we are in a position where the hospitality sector can begin to reopen. Because of the importance of this moment we…

I ask the Minister for Health the status of the medicinal cannabis access programme and if he will make a statement on this matter.

The Minister will not be surprised to hear I am again highlighting the plight of Ms Vera Twomey and her daughter, Ava, who suffers from Dravet's Syndrome. This family and other families still have to fork out €9,500 every three months to get Bedrocan and they have to wait as long as five to six weeks to get reimbursed. I know the Dutch authorities will not allow the commercial export of the oil-based cannabis products to pharmacies or wholesalers. That is its decision, but being unable to apply to the Health Produc…

I appreciate the Minister has made the moneys available. It is there now. I am talking about the Twomey family because I know Ms Twomey well. I have been in her house and have seen the way Ava has responded to medicinal cannabis and Bedrocan. Families such as the Twomeys and others have a worry every three months in terms of coming up with the €9,500. All they are asking for is a level playing field and for the Minister to give them an assurance the €9,500 has stopped and there is no more of that kind of pressure. …

I call on all parties and none to take this motion seriously, as it deals with a subject of concern for many families across the country. I pay tribute to the staff of the nursing homes who worked so hard under extreme pressure and in extremely difficult circumstances to look after our loved ones. Their work is hugely appreciated. The nursing home managers who went to great lengths to ensure their facilities were full of kindness, support and security must be thanked on behalf of the many families who missed their …

I thank the Regional Group of Independents for tabling this motion as well as Deputy O'Rourke for bringing the amendment. That we are again talking about the future of the post office network is testament to the continued refusal of the Department to support our post offices and to support rural areas and their local economies. At this stage it seems as though the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is deliberately trying to put an end to the network. Through the engagements I have had with th…

The purpose of the CervicalCheck tribunal was to foster and rebuild trust between women and the health services as an alternative option to the courts dealing with claims against the State. It was supposed to be a forum where women affected by the CervicalCheck scandal and their families and survivors could give an account of their experiences and be compensated for the dreadful failings to which they were subjected. Instead, it was a process that was badly put together because it did not meet the wishes of the wom…

My question follows up on the issues raised by Deputy Cairns. Why have the recommendations in the McMahon report on direct provision not been implemented? Will the recommendations of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children report, entitled Safety and Welfare of Children in Direct Provision, be implemented before the new system of direct provision is in place? What are the Minister's views on the ombudsman's report?

I appreciate that the situation has improved since the publication of the White Paper. However, as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Petitions, I was shocked when the ombudsman came before us recently to present his report. It highlights how children in the direct provision system are not deemed to be a vulnerable group. How that ever happened puzzles me. Inspections are not frequent enough and do not take account of the mental health and emotional needs of children. In emergency response centres, they do n…

I remind the Minister that the Ombudsman stated there is a lack of operational guidance between IPAS and Tusla. I appreciate he acknowledged that already. Those agencies both have responsibilities for children in direct provision, which has resulted in a situation in which children lack visibility in their systems. Direct provision is on the agenda of the Committee on Public Petitions again this Thursday. Representatives of Doras, an NGO, will attend the meeting alongside the Irish Refugee Council and are due to te…

I also welcome our return to Leinster House. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter and also on the importance of ensuring workers’ rights are upheld and how the WRC plays a key role in this regard. It is for these reasons I am pleased to see this legislation being brought forward, following the Zalewski case and the matters it shone a light on. These are important observations for the proper functioning of the WRC in its highly important role. Sinn Féin will be supporting this Bill, although an Teachta …