My concern about the changes announced last week are that they risk deepening the chaos already prevalent in special education and that we are placing an additional administration burden on educators. In Limerick, for instance, 259 children are waiting for an assessment of need and none of them was met within the statutory timeline so the Government is failing those children with zero of 259 children having been met. The fact remains that the Government is in daily breach of the law by not honouring the requirement…

Last week's announcement was an attempt to shift responsibility to schools and mask the failure overseen by this and previous Governments. However, I do note that each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist and an administrator. Where will they come from? Is it not a better approach to have a proper recruitment campaign and try to access the resources that exist that we have not been able to harness so far? The change will not remove any rights for parents to ap…

Like my colleague, I am fully supporting this amendment to the Proceeds of Crime and Related Matters Bill. The amendment will make it more likely that the proceeds of crime are repurposed in the communities that are most impacted by crime. When I spoke on this Bill in July, I noted that any efforts that would deny criminals their gain from criminality are to be welcomed and that remains my firm position. It must be made obvious to anybody engaging in criminal activity that for those who profit, any gains will be fl…

Yesterday, campaigners from the Irish Wheelchair Association, Access for All, the Disability Federation of Ireland and others were outside Leinster House, as I am sure the Taoiseach is well aware. They were here because the recent budget has left people with disabilities up to €1,400 worse off. Many are afraid to heat their own homes, and they were very clear: people with disabilities are having to choose between heating and eating. That is what they said themselves. One of the protesters said that the budget was a…

Earlier today, I, along with others, had the pleasure of meeting with Cara Darmody. Despite her young age, Cara is an advocate and a champion of those with disabilities, not just her own family. She has one major demand and that is for the Government to comply with the legal obligation to ensure that all children receive an assessment of need within six months. She has been here before and, because of the failure, to deliver she is back again, compelled to do a second sleep-out for 50 hours outside the gates of Lei…

This week, the Irish Examiner , noted that the number of people switching energy providers is at a record high. In one month, 48,216 people switched providers. Would anyone blame them when they are being gouged, as the Taoiseach himself has said? Consumers are searching desperately for cheaper energy costs as the Government will not act, despite the State experiencing a cost-of-living crisis that continues to hit hard. In recent months, Bord Gáis Energy, Flogas, SSE Airtricity, Pinergy and Energia have all increase…

I wish to reference something the Minister of State said, which the Minister previously said, that is a bit of a red flag for me in regard to the protection orders for victims outlined in the Bill. It was that "we cannot guarantee support for the Bill on Committee Stage in the absence of clear and convincing arguments on its added value". If the Minister needs additional proof to be convinced, the people in the Gallery will convince him. They are the people we need to listen to. While I am talking about listening, …

I am just telling the Minister what the visitors told me. In fairness, I do listen to women when they contact me. I attended a conference in Limerick on Saturday on domestic and gender-based violence. The event was hosted by my colleague, Kathleen Funchion, MEP. It brought together experts - solicitors, gardaí, rape crisis representatives and, most importantly, many survivors of abuse. It was compelling to hear their stories, and to hear positive ideas and suggestions to make the system better, and on how we can ed…

Today, the Government launched its housing plan. To be honest, the failure to date and the failure to mention any additional funding in the plan for voids leaves me with huge concern. I have raised this specific issue on a number of occasions in the Dáil. My council in Limerick is probably one of the better ones in dealing with voids, but it still cannot deal with the voids if it does not have funding to do it. A total of €11,000 on average is allocated per house to do voids up. Many of the houses are over 90 years…

Wandering and malnourished horses remains an issue in urban areas across the country. I have raised this many times over a number of years in this Chamber. It is an ongoing issue for Limerick. The late former Limerick TD, Mick Lipper, raised the issue in this House as far back as December 1977. Unfortunately, it remains a challenge that many Limerick communities continue to face. There remains a prevalence of horses in green areas and others are often stabled in derelict council houses or properties. In one day in …

The reason the number of horses that were collected is down is that they are simply not being collected. The problem is just being ignored and let go. I appreciate the Minister of State's response but on the ground, the reality is this continues to be an issue, predominantly in working class estates. I have absolutely no doubt that if these horses were tied to a lamppost and destroying green areas in more affluent areas of our city, the State would, rightly, not tolerate it, intervene and do its job. It is not doin…

In the summer of 1988, having graduated from third level, like thousands of others, I boarded a plane at Shannon Airport with a tourist visa and headed to New York city. I worked there for 18 months and later returned to Ireland. Unfortunately, due to Government policies at the time, unemployment was rampant. As I was unable to access employment in Ireland, I secured a job in London, where I spent nine years. I was fortunate enough to be able to come home. I am sure there are many more Irish people across the world…

People across the State have faced successive years of profound financial hardship. In recent years, families have faced significant increases in the cost of the weekly shop, excessive increases in the costs of necessary utilities such as electricity and gas, increases in rent, and – every August – the high cost of returning children to school, with school uniforms being one of the biggest costs. The cost of a uniform is not just once off; it is yearly for most families. Children, particularly teenagers, grow out o…

The Minister for Health is present. On Monday, she opened a 96-bed unit in Limerick, which is very welcome, as it has been long awaited. Unfortunately, it will only be able to play a small part in dealing with the crisis we have in University Hospital Limerick, UHL. The ESRI estimates that we need 600 beds in the region. The UHL group itself tells me that 400 beds are required in the region just to stand still, not taking into account the demographics or any growth in population. The recently released HIQA report h…

To date, 19,248 people have waited on trolleys.

When will the Minister make the decision?

I do not have to tell the Minister that people across the State are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. The cost of the weekly shop, the cost of utilities, the cost of rent and the cost of fuel are all rising, with little to no support offered in the most recent budget to alleviate some of these pressures on people. People with a disability have these increases to contend with along with the additional financial cost of disability. The 2021 Indecon report estimated the average cost of living with a disabilit…

The Government's election promises have been shown to be empty, a mere ruse to attract votes. It was a charade that was abandoned as soon as the votes were counted. The Government acknowledged poverty in the run-up to the election but soon afterwards abandoned those facing it.

All three.

As the Minister of State knows, a 2022 report noted that 42.5% of Irish adults met the criteria for at least one mental health condition, while 19% of people have sought professional help to deal with mental health challenges. These are huge numbers and demonstrate how difficult life can be for so many people. One of the most difficult things to do is recognising that something needs to be addressed and then taking the steps to do so. I commend all of those who have taken that brave first step. World Mental Health …