Ireland has an ageing population. Life expectancy in this country has risen by two years for women and 2.5 years for men since 2008. With an average life expectancy of 84.1 for women and 80.5 for men, Ireland is now above the European average. Central Statistics Office, CSO, projections indicate that by 2030, there will be more than 1 million people aged 65 and over in Ireland. It requires planning and allocation of resources to meet the increased demand for both home-based and nursing home care. At present, 80% of…

On behalf of the Regional Group, I give my condolences to the family and friends of Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh. I have known Mícheál a long, long time. I spoke to him many a time. His son, Eamonn, lives in Dundalk. I also welcome Natasha O'Brien. We are all behind her. It is a pity she is here in these circumstances. I will ask the Ceann Comhairle one simple question. Every Tuesday, the Chamber turns into a Punch and Judy show. Why do we have Business Committee meetings on Thursdays, when we talk about the details fo…

Over recent years, I have lost count of the number of times I have heard of people going to Newry in the North or even abroad for dental treatment due to the cost and lack of availability of dental services in my constituency of Louth and east Meath. The lack of dental services is having a detrimental effect on children. For example, I spoke to a constituent last week about the orthodontic situation in Dundalk. Her daughter got braces two years ago. It was done publicly through the HSE. However, the orthodontist in…

It is not working. The cost and availability of dental services need to be tackled, as does the orthodontic situation in Dundalk. Going private is not an option, as orthodontists are too busy or not taking referrals. Medical cards are being refused by regular practices. People are waiting extraordinary amounts of time for essential medical treatment. Children are 15 or 16 years of age before they receive the first of their three dental checks. I could go on. These stories highlight the urgent need to reform the cur…

I do not like starting a debate by being negative but it was announced that there will be 85 redundancies in PayPal between Dundalk and Dublin, which is very bad news. I am a sitting TD in Dundalk. PayPal is a top company and good employer that still employs a lot of people. I do not know how many times over the past number of years we have had phone calls to tell us this is the last time this will happen. People who work in PayPal in Dundalk and Dublin had opportunities over the past number of years to switch jobs…

What steps are being taken by the Minister's Department to increase the tourism potential of County Louth and east Meath? It has become evident that the tourism market is not only resilient but also evolving to meet the demands of a dynamic world. Could the Minister make a statement, please?

This year will be remembered as one in which businesses struggled with rising costs, labour challenges and increased VAT. While many businesses may be enjoying a good trading year, the performance of tourism has not been even across the country, which shifts in volumes, values and the profiles of businesses across the market. In February, I was delighted to see the Battle of the Boyne visitor site at Oldbridge benefit from an investment of €10 million to reflect its unique historic significance to communities both …

I welcome the announcement made by the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, that €250 million will be available for sports capital and that every valid application will receive an allocation. I welcome that. I wish to ask about the large infrastructure sports grant, funding from which has not been released since 2018. I welcome that the Government has given €50 million towards a new stadium at Casement Park. A new stadium is being built in Louth at the moment. Would the Minister and the Minister of State conside…

Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime that has evolved significantly over the past years. One in five children suffers from some form of sexual violence, offline and online. Both increased online presence of children and technological developments create new possibilities for abuse and raises challenges for law enforcement to investigate this extremely serious and widespread crime. The Internet, for example, has greatly worsened the spread of child sexual abuse, allowing predators to meet online and instantaneously…

The Regional Group and I have remained steadfast in our commitment to advocating for the prosperity and growth of SMEs within our towns and villages to ensure that the voices and needs of small business owners are not only heard, but also acted upon. Microenterprises and SMEs are not merely a segment of our economy, they are its very pulse. SMEs constitute 95% to 98% of all businesses, produce 50% of GDP and generate 1.2 million jobs in Ireland, representing 99.8% of active enterprises. Their ability to innovate, g…

Special needs assistants are being denied equal health and safety leave provision while pregnant. They are given just 21 days' leave if deemed at risk in the work environment. This means they have to use other leave to compensate for long-term absence if they encounter risk in the early stages of pregnancy. Contagious diseases are more common in younger children and these diseases are considered a threat to babies' health. Considering the potential risk posed to SNAs – there is a greater risk of injury given the ph…

SNAs are given 21 days' leave if deemed to be at risk in the work environment. Teachers and SNAs should be treated the same and I do not want to see any disparity. Providing special needs assistance is a vocation, as far as I am concerned. Tomorrow at my constituency office, there will be queues of people looking for facilities for their children. When a child goes to school and is looked after on a full-time basis by an SNA, that SNA should be looked after. Am I to tell the young mother I spoke to that I spoke to …

Based on a recommendation in the report of the child maintenance review group, child maintenance payments were due to be disregarded from the means test for social welfare payments from 1 May under the Social Welfare (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023. This means that many lone parents on reduced rates of payment will see their payments increase and others will qualify for a payment. However, one of my constituents recently contacted me regarding this and she is still being means tested. On querying…

Ireland remains an anomaly in Europe in not providing universal healthcare. While there has been some progress in implementing the proposals set out in the Sláintecare report, much more is required to move towards universal healthcare in Ireland. We need to get to a point where we truly have healthcare delivered free at the point of delivery. Three principles should underpin all of our approaches to healthcare, namely affordability, accessibility and accountability. With regard to affordability, all of us have rece…

As a former member of the Defence Forces, I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill. On the back of key recommendations of the Independent Review Group on Dignity and Equality Issues in the Defence Forces and the statutory inquiry into systemic failures in dealing with individual complaints, including sexual misconduct, the creation of an external oversight body was recommended, on a non-statutory basis initially, to increase transparency and accountability and drive necessary culture changes throug…

I spoke to the Tánaiste about the criteria in respect of the fuel allowance yesterday. We spoke about people being on pensions, including private pensions. I know of a family where a husband is 66 years of age and the wife has a private pension. They are below the level to qualify for the fuel allowance, but still cannot get it. What will the Minister do about this? Will she update the criteria? What will happen? Older people receive money from social welfare payments. What is the situation regarding the fuel allow…

Does the Minister intend to reinstate the fodder scheme to help compensate farmers for the financial losses they are facing due to the particularly wet conditions this spring? Will there be flexibility and will consideration be given to farmers who are struggling to meet the stipulated three-crop rule due to very difficult weather and ground conditions? Will he make a statement on the matter?

I am extremely concerned and I am sure the Minister is too. The adverse conditions have been really bad. There have been serious concerns around livestock and tillage. The Minister knows the spring crops such as barley have not been sown yet, even in County Louth, which is normally a very dry county. I ask the Minister again if he intends to reinstate the fodder schemes. There has been adverse weather which has affected livestock. People are struggling. There is extreme hardship. I do not come from a farming backgr…

Is it true that Ireland received €1.6 billion in pillar 1 funding from the EU? That figure is effectively the same as it was ten years ago, despite significant inflation. The Minister mentioned that fertiliser, diesel and so on have gone up in price. Farmers are really struggling. I am a spokesperson for them. Everything has been put on hold for the past number of months. Farmers are being asked to do so much with so little money. They have often told me there is no additional support for farmers with CAP payments …

The recent referendum has once again shone a light on the critical role carers play in our communities. In every corner of Ireland, there are family carers tirelessly devoting themselves to the well-being of their loved ones. In fact, family carers represent one in eight of the Irish population and have long been the cornerstone of care provision in this country. Whether it is caring for an ageing parent, a spouse with a chronic illness or a child with special needs, these remarkable individuals demonstrate unwaver…