I raise the commitment in the programme for Government to reduce our carbon footprint. A lorry recently crashed in Shannonbridge and I have been informed that it was later discovered that the truck in question was carrying a consignment of wood pellets that had been imported all the way from Australia. I have sat in the Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine listening to how the Government has made decisions which have resulted in the horticultural sector being in danger and peat now being imported from else…

I congratulate the Social Democrats on tabling the motion. I will begin by speaking about one survivor who gave her testimony to the commission of investigation. She is one of the survivors who did not recognise her testimony in the written report, she is also one of those whose testimony was said to have been deleted and she is among those who strongly dispute the commission's claim that she was told her testimony would be destroyed. Injustice was visited upon this woman even before she was sent to one of these in…

There are full-time paramedics with the National Ambulance Service Representative Association, NASRA, who have been demanding for nearly a decade the right to be represented by a recognised trade union of their choice, that being, the Psychiatric Nurses Association, PNA. In 2019 when there were shenanigans with confidential documents, they went on strike. They did so because they wanted to be represented by the PNA as the union of their choice but they were refused. We keep hearing that the HSE does not recognise t…

I congratulate Deputy Kerrane on this Bill. Rural Ireland is largely seen as an afterthought when it comes to investment but it is first in line when it comes to the withdrawal of services. People in my constituency are sick and tired of being left without and told it is in their own interests. The communities of Carrick-on-Suir and Roscrea in Tipperary have been told that long-stay convalescent beds are being torn away from their communities and their loved ones are to be looked after further from those localities…

I recently pointed out that when peak milk production is under way there is a possibility that a processor's ability to cope could be severely affected if workers in the sector are affected by Covid-19 to such an extent that large numbers may have to stay away from work. I have three questions for the Minister. Are there plans to vaccinate workers ahead of the spring surge? Can the Minister tell us about those plans? What engagement has the Minister had with stakeholders in that sector? Is the Minister giving consi…

One challenge we are facing right now when it comes to Covid suppression strategy is the lack of clear and determined decision-making. Kite-flying is all we seem to be getting. Like many others present, I find it frustrating to be given fake answers to questions I submit on the roll-out of the vaccine and on quarantine or to be told that urgent details are yet to be decided. When seeking clarity on the various tiers in the vaccination programme, I too often have been issued with a standard response that does not re…

There are massive waiting lists all over the country, especially in County Tipperary, for driving tests and theory tests. Officials in the Department or someone else need to get their finger out. Young people are looking for theory and driving tests to allow them to go to work but the tests are not happening. The Government needs to start making progress on that as quickly as possible.

This Government made commitments to survivors of the mother and baby homes but the audio testimonies they gave have suddenly been deleted. I can tell the Tánaiste how this has affected one of the survivors; it is only one story and every Member in the House would have heard similar stories from other survivors. When the lady in question read her so-called testimony in the written report, she realised that apart from the first two lines, the words on the paper were not those that came from her mouth. She was so appa…

They feel that if the records were not sealed-----

Throughout the course of this pandemic the Government has made a habit of prolonging uncertainty for as long as it can. Since 6 January Sinn Féin has called for the existing rates of the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, to be extended to give workers some certainty, and for the supports that have been in place to continue. The Government, in its usual way, delayed and delayed in bringing this motion to us today. While we note this delay, we welcome that the existing rates of the EWSS will be extended until 31 …

I have become aware of a situation with a constituent who, as the victim of domestic violence, had to leave her local authority home for her safety. When this person applied to Tipperary County Council for alternative accommodation she had to reapply to be included on the housing list. Given there is a total of 15 single-bedroom houses available for 690 approved applicants, this woman will be waiting for years. The council gave her a HAP package, but with the shortage of available housing there is little available …

While it is important that we take measures to protect the EU's financial interests against fraud and misappropriation, we must remember that those interests are, in fact, our own. That is why it is welcome that we are aiming for a more harmonised system to fight against crime affecting the EU budget by defining the terms "theft" and "fraud perpetrated against the EU" as addressed in the Bill. It is also good to see that the offence of misappropriation is defined as meaning "the action of a public official who comm…

Towards the end of last year I asked the Minister for Health the number of unpaid hours worked by our student nurses and midwives since the outbreak of the Covid virus here. I also requested a breakdown of the percentage of student nurses who worked in Covid-19-related care and for his views as to why so many feel so unappreciated that they opt to work abroad. The response indicated the Government's policy of downplaying the contribution these healthcare workers make towards our understaffed and under-resourced hea…

On the same issue, will the Taoiseach ask the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, if she will meet the representatives of the people of Carrick-on-Suir to discuss the closure of St. Brigid's? In a recent letter the Minister refused to meet with them and, effectively, dismissed their concerns. This is at the same time locals are seeing the facility being asset stripped and everything being moved out. They are angry and feel disrespected. Will the Taoiseach or the Minister confirm if an analysis was done of how mu…

The Taoiseach has.

That is not true.

Our response to the publication of this report must be constructive and based on the views of those who matter, namely, the survivors, those adopted through these institutions, their families and their advocates. The report goes some way to giving voice to the histories that have been hidden to date but it is by no means an exhaustive account. Survivors have described it to me as rushed, incomplete and unrepresentative. Many aspects of the investigation were either inconclusive or were not adequately followed up on…

During the recent debate on the Mental Health Parity of Esteem Bill brought forward by Deputy Ward, Sinn Féin drew the attention of the Government to how mental health services tend to be an afterthought in overall health policy and service provision. That was apparent pre Covid-19, but it has become more pronounced now that, as a society, we are facing the challenges brought on by the fear of contracting Covid-19, as well as by the measures we must take to stop its spread. One word that describes the situation tha…

I was contacted recently by a mother whose daughter, Brigid, was diagnosed with ASD in October. Brigid's psychologist said that she needed to be moved from her current school to one with a special unit that would suit her needs. Thanks to the assistance of a special needs officer, a school has been identified and applications were made for a SNA and transport for Brigid. However, neither the family nor the school has heard anything back since these applications were made. Brigid's mother has said that while they ar…

What we are speaking about is the continuation of a two-tier health system that has been allowed to develop because of underinvestment in our public health service. The situation is such that we have citizens who have become reliant on a private system that many cannot afford but cannot afford to give up either. Many people in my constituency are faced with regular increases in already huge health insurance policies and must give up something to pay for them. In one case, a parent had to postpone going to the docto…