I am pleased to be able to talk about community policing given that the safety of my constituents depends on it. I will begin by thanking all members of the Garda, including our community gardaí across Tipperary, for the incredible work they have done to bring our communities together and to alleviate some of the loneliness many have experienced during this pandemic. They have made a massive difference, especially by taking so many drugs out of our communities in Tipperary. They have played a key role in maintainin…

The programme for Government contains many commitments to funding environmental challenges posed by climate change. There is a residential road in my constituency in Tipperary. It is a cul-de-sac located at Glencush at the foot of the Galtee Mountains. Due to its location, it is exposed to a lot of run-off from the mountains which leads to regular heavy flooding in no one particular section. The situation is so bad that recently palliative care services had to stretcher out a patient and put them on a jeep because …

This is an exceptional issue and I ask that emergency funding would be made available to resolve the matter.

Before Covid-19, Brexit was seen as the most pressing concern facing this country. At the time, it was seen as a challenge that was potentially devastating for a number of sectors of the economy if an agreement was not reached. The withdrawal agreement was achieved, but with the current British Government it appears to be more of an opt-in and opt-out statement. Boris Johnson's Government freely admitted that it intended to break international law through the UK Internal Market Bill, which flies in the face of the …

I raise the issue of paramedics. Last year, paramedics went on strike and earlier this year, we all sat in the Dáil clapping them. We still refuse to let them be represented by the union of their choice, namely, the Psychiatric Nurses Association, PNA. I ask the Minister and the Government to intervene with the HSE to allow them to be represented in talks by the PNA.

I raise the issue of the Dean Maxwell nursing home in Roscrea. This facility is facing closure which will result in the loss of the long-stay beds it provides. Over the past few years, there has been much posturing from Deputies and the HSE which has led to confusion and anger in Roscrea. I am calling on the Minister to clarify the long-term plans for the staff and patients at the nursing home. This is a major issue for people and they claim that there seems to be no plan for the future of the patients of the home.…

I raise again the matter of St. Brigid's hospital in Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary, which remains closed eight months after being shut in anticipation of its use for Covid-19 patients. This hospital was being used by people in south Tipperary, south Kilkenny and north Waterford for rehabilitation, respite, convalescence and palliative care. When it closed, the people in the areas understood those reasons and accepted them, but after nine months the facility has never been used and the people have real worries about …

We have got that same answer four times.

The work carried out through the LEADER programme and the contribution it makes to rural Ireland cannot be overemphasised. My county has North Tipperary and South Tipperary Development Company. Together they provide a community-led approach that contributes to the social and economic life of our county. I do not know where we would be without either of them. Rural Ireland faces challenges all of its own. The LEADER programme aims to address these issues, and it does a brilliant job, but the recent budget let them d…

I know this is not the Minister of State's brief and that he is working off the information provided to him by the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, but I would like clarification regarding the €44 million that he indicated was allocated for projects for 2021. The Irish Local Development Network and South Tipperary Development Company contend that nearly all of that €44 million will be used up on projects before the end of this year. In other words, there will not be €44 million available for projects into 2021. Can the …

I am sharing time with Deputy Clarke. The flooding we have witnessed on lands adjacent to the River Shannon has been devastating for a large number of households, farms and businesses in my county of Tipperary. The problem has been getting worse and more frequent. We have all seen the pictures and heard the accounts of those affected and we have listened to the plans to address the problem. In Tipperary, the impact is devastating for many. Large areas of farmland are submerged every year, with both long-term impact…

Is the additional €400,000 in funding significant for organisations and groups responding to increased violence and demands from persons affected by domestic abuse during Covid-19 restrictions? Will consideration be given to tailoring the methods used to prevent or deal with incidents of domestic violence crime now that additional funding for this has been allocated to the Minister's Department?

We have broached the incredibly important subject of domestic violence previously. I raised the matter with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman, during the week. It seems to me that €400,000 is a relatively small increase in funding for the incredibly important work of various organisations to tackle domestic abuse and care for those affected. Does this figure include accommodation? The Minister told me during the week that there had been difficulties in s…

I have been contacted by Scoil Áine Naofa and others which have expressed their extreme disappointment at the Government commitments to class size reductions for Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, schools. They are rightly unhappy that the commitment to class size reductions only applies to DEIS band 1 senior schools. DEIS band 1 junior and vertical schools are not being included. Will this be addressed in light of the great importance of DEIS schemes across the country? Will additional resources,…

Today, we are deciding whether people who went through horrors we cannot imagine will be allowed to access information about how their lives were changed forever. That is not right and should never have been necessary because what happened in this country's mother and baby homes should never have happened. It did happen, however, and was allowed to under the eye of successive Governments. It is a stain on this country's conscience and can never be undone. We can never change what went on in these institutions - we …

What plans does the Minister have to improve services for victims of domestic violence? What are his views on rolling out these services in view of the increased incidence of this kind during the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown and will he make a statement on the matter?

I appreciate and welcome the increase in funding announced in the budget for child-focused supports. To put my question and the Minister's answer in context, I refer to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy McEntee, whom I contacted on the issue of domestic violence recently. She informed me that An Garda Síochána had told her of a 24% increase in the number of domestic abuse related cases so far this year. She also pointed out there had been a 10% increase in breaches of domestic violence orders and an 18%…

We are facing into a long winter and, after yesterday, another round of restrictions is on the way. Households will find them even more confining now that the evenings are getting longer. Our children are not used to what we faced in the past seven months. They often cannot tell what is abuse, even when it is happening in their homes. Will the Minister commit to bringing forward a stepped-up publicity campaign aimed at children this winter, especially in schools? It could outline the telltale signs of abuse they ma…

I raised this issue here before and asked for the report to be published. We welcome the publication of the report of the mother and baby homes commission. I have spoken to many of the survivors and their families who are hurt that there is a risk their records will be locked away for 30 years. The survivors of these homes deserve to know the full truth of what went on and deserve to have an input on how their records are dealt with. Members may remember last year dealing with the contentious Retention of Records B…

Sinn Féin will oppose the carbon charge. With today's budget the Government launched yet another attack on rural Ireland. It is only weeks since many people in many parts of Tipperary, in my constituency, such as Cashel, Cahir, Roscrea and Nenagh were told they would soon be without their Express bus service. People in my constituency are limited by this and will be more reliant on their cars which the Government is trying to get rid of. The Government has said to these people that it simply does not care and that …