The proposed public inquiry into Children's Health Ireland is in a state of crisis. At the weekend, two of the advocacy groups representing 900 families pulled out of the scoping inquiry. They did this because they have not been provided with information they need to meaningfully engage with the terms of reference. We called on the Minister to provide this information in March; she has not done so. We need statements in the Dáil this week from the Minister on what steps she will take to get this important public in…

I have very deep concerns about the operation of the Special Criminal Court. The right to a fair trial is a fundamental human right. The lack of juries and the operating provisions of this court are undermining that right to a fair trial. The Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and her Government are undermining people's human rights here. The Special Criminal Court was set up in 1972 as an emergency provision. Over 50 years later are we still saying that we are in a state of emergency in the State? There are clear e…

I welcome this debate and thank Sinn Féin for putting forward the motion. It is a really welcome debate and it follows on from the work done by the joint Oireachtas committee and the report we published on this matter. I sometimes wonder if I live in a different country when I hear some speeches from Ministers talking about the money they have invested and that their ongoing investment shows their commitment to delivering services, progressing reforms and addressing challenges. From what we have heard tonight, none…

It is welcome that the issue of rare diseases is on the political agenda. It has been neglected for far too long. In a large part, it is thanks to the advocacy of parents and families as well as political allies within the system here. Members of the health committee, including Deputy O'Sullivan and Senator Teresa Costello, have raised this issue consistently. One of the things I find quite difficult as a health spokesperson is the fact we are constantly hearing from families and individuals who have to come to Lei…

If I picked the Minister up right, I understand the HSE leadership has signed off on that. We want to know when drugs will be in the hands of patients. For those boys, every day without treatment means further loss of muscle functions. Some boys who were able to walk a year ago have since lost that ability. It is heartbreaking for parents to watch as their children's symptoms progress, losing their independence and mobility, especially when effective medications exist. It is also crucial that the eligibility criter…

On behalf of the Social Democrats, I am delighted to welcome this Bill and say we will be supporting it. We support access to free, safe and legal abortion. We need to trust women, listen to them, provide care with compassion and remove barriers to access. There are currently too many barriers to accessing terminations in Ireland, and the three-day wait is a core part of that and needs to be removed. We are strongly in support of that. As others have said, the three-day wait is medically unnecessary and insulting t…

I will speak for two minutes. I welcome the disregard amendments. I was delighted, on behalf of the Social Democrats, to sign the cross-party Opposition Bill, with Deputy Ó Snodaigh and others, to advance this issue. It is also an issue I campaigned on before my election to the Dáil. I welcome these amendments and thank the Minister for bringing them forward. It should not have taken the State 33 years to get to this point; it should have happened much sooner. However, we welcome that it has happened. As I said pre…

At yesterday's health committee we learned something very concerning. Consultants on public-only contracts are continuing to do private work in the Rotunda Hospital. This is despite the fact that treating private patients in public hospitals is a breach of their contracts. It is worth mentioning that these consultants are very well paid for giving up private work, with salaries of up to €260,000, and that is just the basic pay. This is not just about a breach of contract. It is completely at odds with our national …

I move: “That the Bill be now read a Second Time.” I am delighted to bring this Bill to Second Stage. It is pretty straightforward legislation, which would amend the Public Health (Alcohol) Act to ensure that the restrictions on alcohol advertising were fully enforced to the letter and spirit of the law, as intended. Members will remember that, back in 2018, the Oireachtas passed the Public Health (Alcohol) Act. It was landmark legislation that began to change the relationship that we in this State had with alcohol…

Deputy Cummins in her speech said she was disappointed; I am frankly furious. No disrespect to the Minister of State with responsibility for AI, but we have a senior Minister and three junior Ministers in the Department of Health and not one of them could stay for the debate. It shows the lack of interest the Government has in this issue. It shows a complete disrespect for the House and for the issues before us that not a single Minister in the Department of Health could stay here for what has been a debate of abou…

It is three months since the Social Democrats' GP plan was unanimously passed by the Dáil, yet we are still waiting on the Government to progress any real reform of GP services. The strategic review of general practice was to conclude within nine months but it has now taken over three years. The minimal changes introduced in recent years fall far short. Take for example the social deprivation practice grant, which was reformed earlier this year. Under the new grant, none of the Dublin inner city practices in the De…

The social deprivation issue, Taoiseach.

The strategic review of GP-----

It has been happening for years.

I welcome this Bill and the debate we are having because we urgently need reform when it comes to public transport. Cork needs better public transport. We currently have no Luas, too many ghost buses, and towns that are not connected. This is having a huge impact on people's day-to-day lives and their ability to get around the city and county. It is leading to an increased car dependency and increased reliance on fossil fuels. It is constraining development and is leading to increased traffic. It urgently needs to …

I move amendment No. 2: In page 9, to delete line 21 and substitute the following: “(a) the person provides a home support service to fewer than 2 persons, (ab) the person has been granted an exemption by the chief inspector from the requirements or conditions imposed by or under this Act,”. On Committee Stage we discussed the piece in relation to the number of clients. The current Bill exempts home support providers with fewer than four clients from regulation. The Minister said on Committee Stage it was decided o…

I ask the Minister that this issue be given due consideration in the review because it is important. We need to ensure there are no loopholes, no operators are getting around the regulations and that they are enforced in full. We have a concern about that, so I ask for a commitment that it will be included in the review.

I thank my colleague Deputy Cairns for her leadership on this issue and for bringing forward the Bill. There are three things I would like to discuss which I think will come up during the course of our debate in the House this morning. The first is what the referendum was or was not about. For those of us on the progressive left who campaigned on this issue day after day, month after month and year after year, we are really clear about the what the referendum was and was not about. It was about listening to women, …

On this International Nurses Day, I want to commend our nurses and midwives and thank them for their work and service. Nurses and midwives need more than thanks on the floor of the Dáil. They need better working conditions, they need more staff and they need more resources. That is what would make their jobs easier. We know April was the worst April on record for overcrowding, with 11,000 patients treated on trolleys. It is putting huge strain on nurses, midwives and staff which means really bad outcomes for patien…

I want to ask about drugs policy. On-street drug use is a significant issue in Cork city. Local residents feel unsafe and intimidated. Needles have been found at bus stops, at playgrounds and outside schools. Problem drug users have been pushed from one part of Cork city to another. They were in the city centre and now, as the Taoiseach will know, they have been in Turner's Cross and Ballyphehane in recent weeks. We are next. The Government's drug policy has failed with devastating consequences for individuals, fam…