Dhá bhomaite.

First and foremost, I commend the professionalism and dedication of our consular staff. Many of us have engaged with those working out of our embassies across the Middle East at this time and those working in Dublin. I have no doubt nearly everybody in here has been contacted by those who have found themselves stranded, in some cases in relatively precarious scenarios where they may have medical conditions and other circumstances. I have no doubt there will be a need for further charter flights and that far greater…

Dignity4Patients represents 400 abuse survivors - that is 398 men and two women. I have an abject fear that that does not represent all the people abused by Michael Shine, a consultant who was able to operate like God. There were failures by Our Lady of Lourdes, the Medical Missionaries of Mary, the Garda and successive Departments of Health, and there was failure by this State and its governments over many years. I welcome that Lorcan Staines is in position and we have a timeline for a scoping exercise, but it nee…

Deputy Sorca Clarke brought up the issue James Reardon and Ruth McSkane had with costs of almost €10,000 for audiology supports and hearing aids. I brought that issue up previously with the Taoiseach and sent it to his office. It needs to be addressed. I will briefly deal with the issue of the National Ambulance Service. Debbie McCole and many other members were outside Leinster House protesting today. I have been contacted by fathers, by uncles and by those themselves who had been qualified. One such email said: -…

Deputies Quinlivan and Quaide and I visited the Side-By-Side clubhouse in Dún Laoghaire run by Acquired Brain Injury Ireland. Deputy John Brady and I met the group previously. It has two specific asks. Some 450 children in the State suffer moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Unfortunately, outside of a small number of specialist rehabilitation centres there are no dedicated rehabilitation services for children with an acquired brain injury. Its proposal is for two community-based specialist interdisciplinary…

Yes.

The Taoiseach has already mentioned the fact that those with a disability are unfortunately in a different set of circumstances. Many of us were at the Affordable Ireland campaign march at the weekend and we heard directly from those with disability about the severe pressure they are under. Unfortunately, as I said earlier, it comes down to heat or eat. These are decisions that have to be made that fortunately nobody in this room has to make. We need to look at the cost of disability in the round and I welcome the …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. We did agree with waiving pre-legislative scrutiny on the basis that the capacity is not within the system at this point in time to ensure that all those wards of court are exited. We had some unease in relation to doing this. In fairness, the Department and those representing the courts were able to give us a briefing. I will very quickly go through, let us say, some of my worries in relation to this. As I stated, we did not want to create a set of circumstances where people fo…

Tá cuid mhór fadhbanna ann ag an am seo. Tá cuid mhór fadhbanna ann maidir le tithíocht go ginearálta. Tá a fhios againn nach bhfuil go leor tithe inacmhainne agus níl go leor tithe sóisialta á thógáil ag an Rialtas faoin am seo. Tá fadhb ag na Gaeltachtaí. Níl mo Ghaeilge chomh maith is a ba chóir di a bheith. Am amháin, bhí sí réasúnta, nuair a bhí mé thart air 18 mbliana d’aois agus ag freastal ar Choláiste Bhríde i Rann na Feirste. Thosaigh Coláiste Bhríde in 1912 in Ó Méith i gContae Lú. Tar éis sin, nuair a b…

I believe that Joanna Byrne recently met representatives of Athletics Ireland. There is a route map, and possibly a motion to go to the World Athletics Congress in China. There is a necessity for governmental support in relation to ensuring this happens.

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State is in support of a derogation in relation to this. It is only right and I commend the work of the Friends of Irish Athletics who have supported this over many years. I have no doubt the Minister of State has had a significant amount of correspondence from the group in relation to the matter. On behalf of Deputies O'Rourke, Joanna Byrne, a number of others and myself, I ask if the Minister of State would be open to a meeting with a cross-party group within the next, let …

It is hard to know what to say at this stage because it will not be anything new from me or anyone else. I used to joke about single, transferable speeches but, unfortunately, there is an element here of, "Where are we going?" As Deputy Ellis said, that 16,734 is the officially accepted or classified number for homelessness. Obviously, this does not deal with rough sleepers, children in domestic violence refuge and a huge number of things. It does not deal with those people who are getting by on the basis that they…

It has been said multiple times before, but I must refer to the anger out there about those who have coined it in the IPAS disaster that this State has stood over. I agree with Deputy Carthy. We would all have preferred to see what would have been a lot cheaper from the point of view of the State’s coffers, that is, the public provision of necessary accommodation. I accept there were issues of State failure with regard to processing times, which we have constantly brought up in the House. However, the fact is that …

I will be very quick in relation to this. We have had Tusla in front of the children's committee numerous times. It will talk about its new operating model. I do not take away from the complex cases but we are talking about putting a greater onus on the organisation. It has stated quite explicitly – I have brought this up with the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Norma Foley, in particular – that on the basis of its figures, it is 300 social workers short. It is at least 100 social care worker…

I have received the following communication: I am writing as a parent of deaf adults. I … am interested in your views. My daughter and her partner were both born profoundly deaf and rely heavily on their hearing aid to be able to work and communicate their needs. At present a pair of hearing aids cost 5,800 euro per person and must be replaced every 5-7 years. While the treatment benefit scheme provides a 1,000 refund per pair, this leaves families like theirs a cost of 4,800 per pair. Simply to access sound. They …

Even with the €1,000 back it is €4,800 per person.

It will not come as any shock to the Taoiseach that I believe we need to have a proper engagement with the British Government from a point of view of a Border poll. The Government needs to get real about the possibility of constitutional change and has to prepare for this. That is an absolute necessity. There is a huge level of cross-Border issues that we could deal with now, irrespective of those issues that there are failings on - for example, issues in relation to taxation, in that remote working cannot be done …

The Taoiseach has to deal with the constitutional issue.

This is not the first time we have dealt with this issue. It is fair to say the fishing industry is - I would like to say apoplectic but I believe it is actually beaten down by the situation and circumstances in which it finds itself. It sees the deal a number of months ago rightfully as a betrayal of the fishing industry. It puts 2,300 coastal community jobs in immediate danger. We are talking about 57 tonnes less quota to fish each year, a loss of €94 million to the industry. Wider economic impacts are up on €200…

I welcome the SNAs. I welcome the pressure that was brought by SNAs and others on the Government that has led to this pause and reprieve, but it is not a solution. We need to see the ins and outs of the workforce development plan. We need to see a proper, workable redeployment scheme. We have to deal with the failures of the 2014 circular. This is clear to anyone who has heard the testimonies from schools where children were to lose SNA support if they did not fit into primary care. That is the reality. That is wha…