Bringing home the turf in rural Ireland has long been considered a necessary and noble task. Ending the cutting of turf is ending a tradition. Irish people hold traditions very dear. I am opposed to an immediate ban on turf cutting. I voted against the Government's position on this issue last week. Most of us in this House know the dangers of global warming. The threat posed by fossil fuels must be addressed. However, in doing so, we are obliged to take stock of the overall picture. This cannot happen overnight. We…

University Hospital Limerick, UHL, has been in crisis for some time. There is great concern about the accessibility to the hospital, the level and quality of care and the threat to patient safety. The Department of Health has appointed an expert team to investigate the chronic overcrowding and the apparent breakdown in the delivery of services. Despite the fact that UHL gained an additional 100 beds in the past 18 months, last Thursday it recorded 126 people on trolleys. That is the highest figure recorded since re…

This is organ donation awareness week and the life-saving need for organ donation cannot be stressed strongly enough. Organ donation and transplants were significantly reduced worldwide due to the pandemic and Ireland recorded one the most significant fall-offs in donors. Part of the reason is that the clinical staff were redeployed to help with the influx of Covid patients. Lung transplantation was the worst impacted, followed by heart and liver transplants. Kidney transplants from both living and deceased donors …

It has been more than 30 years since homeownership peaked in Ireland. In 1991, 80% of Irish people were homeowners, while private rental accounted for 8% and social rental stood at 10%. At that time, there were 2,700 people registered as homeless. The Ireland of today is vastly different to the Ireland of 1991. There are more than 9,000 people classified as homeless and 67% of Irish people are homeowners. While across Europe homeownership rates are increasing, in Ireland they are falling. The age at which people ap…

The issue surrounding work permits is reaching a crisis level for many employers. A growing number of employers in the healthcare, food processing, hospitality, agriculture and transport sectors are battling through a system that is fraught with long delays and refusals based on minor human errors on their applications. This triggers an appeals process that is taking up to 18 weeks to complete. The vast majority of these errors could be rectified by simply communicating directly with the applicant. I have been inun…

Ireland prides itself on the caring and helpful nature of its people. As a people, we embrace those in need and open our hearts and arms to those who require assistance. Unfortunately, more than 50% of the families of children with disabilities surveyed by Inclusion Ireland reported they were not receiving any medical therapies. A separate survey undertaken by Down Syndrome Ireland, DSI, confirms this finding, with almost half of its respondents reporting they have received no therapy of any kind in the past year. …

Friday is Daffodil Day, which is perhaps the most iconic and recognised annual fundraising campaign in the world. Cancer does not distinguish between location, age, status or circumstances. Cancer makes its own rules. Sadly, this year, almost 45,000 people will hear the news that they have cancer and their journey will begin. Sadly, that journey will take them down the road of endless hospital and medical appointments. It will also take them down roads with obstacles that only reveal themselves as their journey pro…

I welcome the fact that the Government is taking the matter seriously. The Tánaiste, who is a qualified doctor, will be aware that it takes enormous strength, courage and willpower to overcome and to conquer cancer. The journey is long and arduous. It is an endurance test that stretches both the mind and the body. A medical all-clear is greeted with an overwhelming sense of relief and joy. It is a happy release from the burden of a debilitating, prolonged illness. As a survivor, to be told years later that you do n…

The Government's policy of excluding commercial bus operators from the 20% reduction in public transport fares and from the youth travel card scheme is having a detrimental impact on the sector. If you live in an urban area you will get a 20% discount on your bus fares and use your youth travel card. If you do not live on a Bus Éireann route you will pay full fares. Rural passengers are being penalised in their pocket which is adding to their cost-of-living crisis. It is wrong, unreasonable, inequitable and unfair.…

The marking of International Women's Day becomes more important and gains more attention with each passing year. That is a positive, yet it is also a concern. What should be a day of celebration across the globe to mark the achievements of women is instead an opportunity to highlight the ongoing obstacles they face in their everyday lives. These are obstacles that governments and society in general should have taken greater steps to address. International Women’s Day became official in 1975 when the United Nations …

A number of recent economic reports into the Irish horse sector have shown that the vast majority of people involved in this industry, especially in horse breeding, have small holdings with five breeding mares or less. The equine sector comes under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, but has not benefited from any capital investment grants or direct support from CAP. There are currently 27,000 farmers registered on the Department's database with equine premises. These farmers in Tippera…

The establishment of the Tipperary town task force came about at my request following significant protests in Tipperary town. March4Tipp highlighted issues such as long-term unemployment, a lack of industry and employment opportunities, high social deprivation, high levels of vacancy and dereliction in the town centre, a lack of confidence in the Government's commitment to the town and a lack of consensus on what is required to solve issues locally. Carmel Fox was appointed in 2019 by the Minister of State, Deputy …

The real issue here is the funding of the task force to allow it to fund its objectives. Is it possible for each agency and the Department to contribute to a central fund, which would be guaranteed in advance and would be available to the task force? This is the key issue. The most pressing issue in the town at the moment is non-participation and exclusion. Whole communities in the town are living without any sense of hope or opportunity. The Tipperary town social inclusion plan is designed to offer these people a …

The Covid-19 pandemic blindsided the world and created unforeseen problems for governments all over the globe. Now that we have reached this point in the pandemic, it is time for a full review of Ireland's response to it and to examine closely what we clearly got right and what we undoubtedly got wrong. The Government today announced the unwinding of the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET. Will there be a review of the decisions taken? NPHET made numerous decisions that had far-reaching consequences for m…

The vast majority of people do not underestimate the urgency and the necessity to address climate change. Protecting the earth for future generations is not just something we choose to do; it is something we are obligated to do as responsible citizens. The concept of the national retrofitting scheme is smart and ambitious. The positive impact of a reduction in emissions if up to 70,000 households were to avail of the retrofitting scheme between now and 2030 would be something Ireland could be justifiably proud of o…

According to the last census, there are 650,000 people in Ireland with some form of disability. In Ireland, under the Disability Act the term disability is defined as "a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession, business or occupation in the State or to participate in social or cultural life in the State by reason of ... impairment". Denying or making it difficult for a person with a disability to access transport with ease, whether personal or public transport, increases the r…

The Taoiseach is aware the HSE has a plan in place to dramatically alter the distribution of elderly care long-stay beds in north Tipperary. The existing 25 beds in the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit will be transferred to Nenagh in order to justify a bigger unit. The HSE has consistently ignored all representations to correct this absurd and unacceptable situation. It is obviously running the show and is dictating policy. The Ministers with responsibility appear to have no say or zero influence with the HSE. …

The stories of growing up in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s sound like fables to the young people of today. Life in those times revolved around the home and school, which were not always safe places. It was the era of children being seen but not heard. Poverty and hardship were rife and young people bore a significant brunt of the suffering. It was uncommon for young people to receive any form of help for mental health problems during their formative years. In reality, the form of help available was not something a…

I am saddened to hear at first-hand details of the reality of life as a woman, as articulated with sincerity and passion by our female colleagues in this Chamber. The events of last week plunged the entire country into sadness and despair. People across Ireland and beyond were shocked, repulsed and, understandably, panicked by the senseless killing of a young, vibrant and talented woman. Within hours, the shock turned to anger and the panic turned to fury. The horror of what took place has led to demands that what …

I am going to continue in the same vein, on the issue of the Dean Maxwell home. I am not satisfied with the answer. I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Butler, for telling me last week that a 12-month extension will be granted. I have communicated this to the residents and management of the home. Therefore, there is no new news in that regard. The time for sweet talk on the future of this treasured facility is over. It is time that we put our cards on the table and gave people the fact…