In previous years, we have rightly lauded women whose achievements have been remarkable or the women we might personally aspire to be like. This year, as we celebrate International Women's Day I want to honour and show appreciation to all of those women we have in our lives who make it just that little bit brighter and that little bit better just by being there. They are the people we relied on most, personally and professionally, over the course of the past year. Women have been to the forefront of our medical ser…

Last April, in-person assessments for the primary medical certificate ceased because of Covid-19 restrictions. While everyone could see the need for that at the time, we now need a clear plan to address the backlog in assessments. The Tánaiste has spoken about being frank and honest with people when it comes to their local banks closing down. Will he be frank and honest with these people, who have severe and permanent disabilities, and say whether all steps in the recruitment of new staff will be taken to ensure th…

I have many concerns with this proposed Land Development Agency legislation, primarily the pushing of a misguided housing policy pursued by this and previous Governments. It is a policy based on private markets and housing developers being given the responsibility of solving the State's housing crisis. This is a continuation of a flawed assumption that the interests of private developers driven by profit will ever align with the interests of working families who want and need an affordable home to live in with secu…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, for taking the time to address this matter, which is quite prevalent in the constituency he and I represent. In a vast majority of cases people do not tend to have many interactions with different State bodies, unless there is a specific reason. What has happened, over generations in some cases, is that there has been very little expectation of the State in certain matters. However, people have one basic expectation and it is one that is shared across most of the d…

I appreciate the reply from the Minister of State. In reality, while we have these bodies and authorities that are responsible for certain areas, it has been my experience that when an issue emerges, such as an oil spill on a body of water, it is treated essentially like a hot potato. It is passed from one to the other and another until somebody finally takes responsibility, but at that point the damage has already been done. These are not isolated incidents that happen now and again. They are happening far too oft…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, on tabling this legislation and for his tireless work on this issue to date. Since this Bill was introduced last month, I have been contacted by countless people in my constituency, Longford-Westmeath, where just last week a business owner had to take a High Court case to make sure that his insurance provider paid out on a policy. What I hear from constituents is the same across the board. They feel unfairly penalised, ripped off and that the lack of transparency in in…

I wish to speak on the same matter. When I raised this as a Topical Issue matter with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in November, I was told that there should be no cause for worry regarding the service in Mullingar. That clearly was not true because what the parents and staff have feared for almost two years has come to pass. The number of children going through this service means it should have two clinical nurse managers but it has none. There is no social work or psychology element to the supports. It ha…

I ask him to please engage with Professor O'Grady and ask the Ireland East Hospital Group for as full-----

I, like the vast majority of people, welcome any approach that would limit any potentially dangerous sea and water pollutants and protect the delicate ecologies that already exist there. On the existing structures that have reached the end of their lifespan, a target of complete removal is clearly preferable, but where that is not achievable the deconstruction process must undertake a clear objective of minimal environmental damage and pollution. I am left wondering, however, why we take these stringent measures on…

In 2018, a young child presented to the Galway sexual assault unit for examination. Documents I have seen suggest that gardaí reported on this the day before the examination took place. The child was also the subject of a specialist Garda interview that does not appear to have been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The programme for Government outlines supports and therapeutic services for vulnerable children but today this child has no services or support. Tusla has closed the case, despite numerous…

As of last week over 12,000 people in my constituency of Longford-Westmeath were in receipt of the PUP. The vast majority of those 12,000 workers and families have never needed social welfare support previously and need it now solely because of this pandemic. The struggle to keep a warm roof over their heads is very real and so is their growing energy debt as they try to meet the cost of keeping their homes warm. I want to highlight the case of one family for the Minister. Dad is a tradesman and Mam works in the ho…

The Castlepollard institution was owned and run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts from 1935 to 1971. By 1937, it was already grossly overcrowded, and by 1941, women and children were sleeping in unheated lofts above stables. I have real concerns about the numbers relating to Castlepollard in this report, particularly those relating to infant mortality. The report states nine babies died between 1968 and 1970, yet this is contradicted by the midwife who worked there at the time. How can this be explained and …

This evening, there are 34 two and three-bedroom properties available to rent for less than €1,200 in Longford and Westmeath. I fully agree with my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, that 2021 must be about preventing homelessness. We are leaving behind significant and growing numbers of people who live in our communities - our friends and neighbours. What would have been unthinkable a few years ago is now an everyday occurrence. Next week, not for the first time, Santy will visit children who do not sleep in their own bed…

At the very core of this issue is choice. The Government had the choice to listen to the people in February when they made the retirement age an election issue. The Government chose to ignore them and chose to bulldoze ahead with a proposal to raise the pension age, right up to the eleventh hour. It chose to try to placate the public by kicking this issue down the road, a move that is swiftly becoming a recurring theme with this Government. The people who need and deserve choice are the workers, who have not only s…

I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to speak about this serious issue. "What's seldom is wonderful." That is how one parent described the level of services his child with Down's syndrome has received. The tone in which he said it would break a stone heart. In my constituency of Longford-Westmeath the Springfield Centre in Mullingar plays a critical role in the provision of these services. It is vital that the centre reopens for face-to-face therapy sessions. The families concerned have waited patientl…

There is no doubt that what the Minister of State said will come as welcome news to the families that use the Springfield Centre. From personal experience, I can state no parent brings his or her child to that centre for the craic. People go because of established and proven needs. The Minister of State mentioned face-to-face or online meetings. One issue which has cropped up is that of parents being fobbed off with Zoom meetings. If the Minister of State will accept it, I will send her a copy of an email I got fro…

The original aim of the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 was to make the process more transparent and accountable. It has failed to reach that threshold by a country mile. It has been said to me on countless occasions by smaller groups and activists that it could reasonably be argued that the Act was designed to ensure they are penalised disproportionately compared to professional lobbyists in an effort to keep their voices the quietest in the room – often they are not even in the room. The lobbying Act is not fit f…

I will start by putting on record my absolute delight, congratulations and best wishes to all the students of Athlone Institute of Technology who are due to graduate over the next couple of weeks. In the interests of full disclosure, my daughter is one of them. They may be graduating at a time of great uncertainty, stress and anxiety, but their cap and gown in the kitchen or sitting room means just as much as any other one who has gone beforehand. I raise the case of two young men who live in my constituency. Their…

This vacancy was first advertised in December 2019. This is not a new issue. The management of the hospital knew this retirement was coming down the line. In fairness to the nurse, she stayed on to support those families who are heavily reliant on the service and speak incredibly highly of the team in place there. I want to put this into perspective. I spoke to the parent of a child with type 1 diabetes. The family is absolutely distraught. While speaking highly of the team, she said the nurse was the glue that hel…

I welcome the commitment the Minister of State has given. Retaining the service at Mullingar makes sense not only from a moral point of view but also from a fiscal perspective. Children learn very early to manage their diabetes and it is a habit that follows them into adulthood. When they become adults, that habit reduces the cost to the HSE in terms of the number of hospitalisations and interventions needed. However, an issue that has cropped up during this period is that there has been a distinct lack of informat…