I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, and thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on this critical issue. Our goal must be clear: to keep as many young people as possible out of the criminal justice system by addressing the root causes of crime, which are poverty, exclusion, addiction and lack of opportunities for younger people. Prevention and rehabilitation must be the focus if we are serious about building a safer and fairer community. While cities see some level of youth investment, rura…

I express deep concern at the recent announcement that the long-awaited primary care centre in Kanturk in Cork has suffered a significant setback. The developer has withdrawn from the project, necessitating a retendering process by the HSE. This facility was envisioned to provide essential services, including GP consultations, mental health supports and ancillary healthcare services, to the community. Its delay is a profound disappointment to the Kanturk community, who have been waiting for improved healthcare infr…

I raise the increasingly urgent issue of access to youth mental health supports in rural villages, particularly in my constituency of Cork North-West. In towns across the constituency like Kanturk, Millstreet and Charleville, parents have been contacting me in despair about the lack of timely access to CAMHS. We are seeing long waiting lists - some for months, if not years - for younger people at a stage when early intervention could be the difference between a crisis and getting the support they need. In rural com…

I thank the Minister for coming in today. I wish to highlight a long-standing and unjust issue affecting Youthreach staff, specifically the ongoing failure to pay these dedicated educators for the correction and grading of locally devised assessments. This issue of these staff members not being paid to the same standard as those in other FET centres was brought to my attention by a very passionate teacher at a recent visit to Youthreach. This has been raised multiple times over multiple years. Circular 27/2011 sets…

It was a teacher in Macroom Youthreach. I thank the Minister for clarifying that. The biggest issue with Youthreach centres across Cork and maybe more generally is that there is not a clear guideline so the information is fed down clearly and they can understand what course they can be paid for. As the Minister said, some Youthreach centres are starting to put on level 5 courses and I do not think that issue is widely known across Youthreach. Some more clarification on that would be fantastic and I would be delight…

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after “6th March, 2025”: “: provided that this Order shall take effect only after the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 has been amended to provide for the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) Scheme termination date to be extended only for the following: - existing recipients with respect to the beneficiaries of temporary protection currently benefitting from the scheme where those beneficiaries of temporary protection have satisfied a means test simil…

Tá mé anseo inniu mar dhuine Éireannach agus Úcránach. I stand here today as both Irish and Ukrainian. I want to remind people why this scheme was introduced in the first place. When the war broke out in Ukraine, families were torn apart and people fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They arrived in Ireland in desperate need of safety. Thankfully, the ordinary Irish people stepped up. They opened their homes their hearts, and showed the true meaning of solidarity. That is something to be proud of. How…

I am speaking today not only as a representative but as a witness to the asylum struggle that so many parents endure across this country. These struggles are invisible to the system but are devastatingly real for the people who must live them every day. I will speak about Andrea and her daughter, Joanna, a family in my constituency whose story, sadly, is not unique but remains deeply urgent and troubling. Andrea is a midwife and nurse who served this country tirelessly, even during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was dur…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: “Maximum waiting time targets 2. (1) Subject to subsections (2) to (4) , the Minister for Health shall, in relation to the performance by the Executive of its functions under section 1 , specify— (a) priorities to which the Executive shall have regard to in relation to maximum waiting times, and (b) maximum waiting time performance targets for the Executive in respect of provision of each of the following: (i) in-patient services; …

It is great to see the Minister in the Chamber again. I welcome her back. This Bill is not just legislation, but a statement of our values as a nation. I thank Senator McDowell and the Independent Group for bringing it forward. It is a recognition that no child in Ireland should be left behind to suffer in pain while he or she waits for medical treatment, and it is an assertion that our healthcare system must be held accountable for the promises that we make to patients and families. Children with scoliosis have be…

Yes.

Is onóir mhór dom é seasamh anseo le linn Seachtain na Gaeilge. Is teanga beo bríomhar pobail í an Ghaeilge ach tá an Ghaeltacht i ngéarchéim. Tá teaghlaigh ag streachailt lena gcuid leanaí a thógáil trí Ghaeilge. Tá oibrithe á bhrú amach de bharr géarchéim tithíochta agus tá ag teip ar sheirbhísí poiblí oibriú i nGaeilge in ainneoin dualgais reachtúla. Leagann Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012 amach mar dhualgas go mbeadh seirbhísí poiblí ar fáil i gceantair Gaeltachta go hiomlán trí Ghaeilge. Tá dualgas reachtúil ar An nG…

As a woman, I have experienced at first-hand the shortcomings of our medical system, as have so many female Members. One of the glaring issues is the overreliance on the contraceptive pill as a default treatment for women's health concerns. Instead of offering proper investigation, testing and a wide range of options for women, the pill is often handed out as a quick fix. Women are told to take it and see how they get on. If a woman has bleeding, she is offered the pill. It is all about the pill, not because it is …

I welcome the Minister of State. We are here to discuss the future of healthcare for older people, an issue that affects every family, every community and ultimately every one of us as we age. We support this motion and welcome any focus on the needs of older people in our healthcare system. However, supporting a motion does not mean we ignore the reality of the crisis at hand. There is a world of work to be done, as the Minister of State will be aware, and the Government has left much of it undone for far too long…

I welcome the opportunity to raise this issue, especially during Seachtain na Gaeilge. It is not just about planning or housing, but about Gaeltacht communities and the Irish language itself. Census data shows the number of daily Irish speakers in Gaeltachtaí has fallen from 69% in 2011 to 66% in 2022. This decline is not a coincidence. It has been directly linked to young people being forced to leave because they cannot build or buy a home in their own community. Groups like BÁNÚ and Misneach have warned that the …

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am really delighted he is including the likes of Údarás na Gaeltachta in the plan. Will the language testing mentioned make it more difficult for people who want to live in or move to a Gaeltacht area or who have lived there and who may not have the best of Irish to access it? As we all know, there is a housing crisis. If people have another layer of red tape to deal with in order to be able to live in a Gaeltacht area, will that make things even harder for them?

I raise an urgent issue that highlights the serious administration failures of the local authority purchase and renovation loan, LAPR. This scheme was announced last June and was intended to help families purchase and renovate their homes, especially where housing has been scarce. Eight months on, however, applicants are still facing delays, misinformation and uncertainty with no clear solution in sight. I will outline one particular case in my constituency. This family had their original local authority loan appro…

It is lovely to have the Minister of State here. I will bring him back to the first week of January. In my constituency of Cork North-West, we were hit with snow, and we were one of the hardest areas that was hit. The roads were impassable and people were trapped in their homes. In Rockchapel, people had to melt snow for water. This continued for a week for them. Why is it that year after year Ireland, rural Ireland especially, is expected to make do with situations of adverse weather reactions? We saw it again wit…

I am sharing time with Senator Andrews.

It is lovely to have the Minister here today. Good evening to him. Since we are talking about transport and transport infrastructure, I want to address a really urgent concern for the people of north Cork and Kerry, namely, the dangerous condition of the N72. I am talking particularly about the stretch between Cullen and Clonbanin. I have been contacted by numerous locals who have had burst tyres and other serious vehicle damage on the road. While quite a bit of funding was allocated this year to road improvements …