There has been a great deal of talk in this Chamber about women in sport and equality. Next Saturday, the Cork senior ladies football team and the Cork senior camogie team will play in Cork at 2 p.m. and in Clare at 3 p.m., respectively. Both are must-win games, but there are four dual players who will have to make the terrible decision of which team to line out with. These ladies have trained all year long and they and their team mates have made sacrifices, yet they are being forced to make this decision. I have w…

I thank the Taoiseach.

One of the most obvious areas in need of public service modernisation and reform is the addiction sector. We have seen significant recent shifts in addiction treatment presentations and in deaths. Alongside this, we have seen staff in section 29 services fighting for fair pay and conditions. The reality is that many of these staff raised concerns about the changing drug trends two years ago but, rather than being taken on board, their concerns were mostly ignored. Without modernisation and reform, the addiction sec…

Women's Aid released devastating figures last week showing nearly 32,000 contacts to its regional or national services last year. Behind each contact is a woman, who often has children, living in unimaginable conditions. State investment in new safe accommodation and refuges is too low, as is the funding of services. Implementation of the third national strategy is also too low and too slow. A whole-of-government approach is needed and that should be led by the Taoiseach. Services in my constituency are at breaking…

Last week the Tánaiste issued a public statement calling on the British Government to pause the legacy Bill and instead commit itself to a victim-centred justice mechanism set out in the Stormont House Agreement. The next day a Cabinet Minister told the House of Commons categorically that the legacy Bill would become law by the end of July. Political parties throughout the island are united in their opposition to the Bill which if passed will shut down the fundamental rights of families to seek justice through the …

I ask for some latitude at the start. I am taking a brief moment to send best wishes to Denise O'Sullivan and the Irish women's soccer team, who are heading off to Australia. Denise is from Knocknaheeny, County Cork, where I am from. She is a great ambassador for her community and her family. I want to send her and all of the ladies and everyone involved the very best wishes. I know we are all proud of them, and this is my only opportunity to let Denise, the girls and everyone know, that we stand behind them and wi…

I have met with families from Beaumont nursing home in Cork city. I have heard their heartbreaking stories. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has promised alternative beds. Residents I have heard from do not want other beds; they want to remain in Beaumont. That is where they themselves chose to be. Beaumont is their home. It is not just a bed; it is where they have established daily routines and made friends and where they have their favourite table and chair to sit down and to chat at. That is the live…

I will raise the case of Michael Barry with the Minister of State. Michael, who is ten years old, has been prescribed a new wheelchair by the HSE. He desperately needs it, particularly coming into the summer months when he should be able to get out and about with his family and friends and enjoy the good weather. I have seen a letter that was sent to Michael's mother. Michael was given a prescription on 5 May. The HSE advised that the resource allocation group only funds a certain number of prescriptions every time…

I received a similar response from the HSE to the one Michael's mother received. It acknowledges that while a wheelchair might be considered essential by families, the resource allocation group has to make priority-based decisions. Wheelchairs are not just essential for families; they are essential for the lives and well-being of children. It is shocking that an appropriately sized wheelchair cannot be sourced for a child and no timeframe has been given for when it will be available. I listened to the response from…

I will forward the details to both Ministers of State.

From 31 January 2021 to 11 February 2021, there were 22 deaths at the nursing home in Ballynoe in Cork. In total, 24 of the 46 residents died. I have met with a number of families whose members died in other nursing homes and hospitals. I have heard their heartbreaking stories. Some of them were on "Prime Time" recently. These are families who were bereaved and left without answers. I recognise the work done by Care Champions, particularly in Cork, and Pat Doyle. They are looking to meet with the Taoiseach and Tána…

We saw a report from the Health Research Board, HRB, this week on presentations to addiction treatment centres that shows, for the first time in the history of the State, that cocaine addiction has overtaken opioids as the drug for which treatment is most frequently sought. We know that, unlike opioids, there is no medical substitute for cocaine. This makes treatment more complex. The results of this research are worrying. The Government must take them as a wake-up call to begin to fund addiction services properly …

Will the Minister update the House on the number of apprentices enrolled in Cork and the target for 2023-4?

I know the ETB in Cork does great work but there are serious constraints with the MTU campus, which is a great campus. Deputy Ó Laoghaire and I met the university's representatives last year. Capacity is an issue. We need additional capacity in order that we can deliver the apprenticeships that are needed. There is an opportunity. We have derelict and vacant buildings around Cork city, particularly on the north side. I have advocated for an apprentice hub or campus from MTU to be located on the north side to specif…

Mayfield Community School, Cork, has teamed up with John Sisk & Son to offer apprenticeships to young people who are leaving school, which is a great initiative. The Minister should perhaps consider engaging with secondary schools and other builders to deliver more types of these apprenticeships. The Minister has a targeted figure of 10,000 apprenticeships per year. Is there a breakdown of how many of them will be in the building trades? I talk to builders and people in the construction industry. I just came from a…

I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for allowing me to come in before him. It is much appreciated.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate and to see this legislation progress to protect children from the harms of criminality. It is no secret that young people are engaging in crime and being groomed into this lifestyle. I would like the Minister of State to address the lack of resources for children who engage in criminality and antisocial behaviour who are under the age of 12. Gardaí can do nothing because these children are below the age of criminal responsibility and Tusla does not appear to reg…

I thank the Social Democrats and Deputy O'Callaghan for bringing forward the motion. Will the Government ever take ownership, and put its hands up and admit that it is wrong? We all make mistakes. It takes a bigger person to say that they have made a mistake and their housing policy is wrong, and that we should get together, take on the Opposition's constructive support and ideas and work together. This is an emergency. We saw what happened during the Covid-19 crisis when everyone had to pull together for the overa…

We have been talking about it for years. Simon and Threshold came before the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage yesterday. The homelessness figures are only the tip of the iceberg considering how many people are affected. Families are staying in their parents' and grandparents' houses because they have nowhere to go. They cannot get money for a mortgage. I wish to discuss the lived reality for people. I know of a lady who has a life-limiting blood disorder. She is facing eviction on Friday. S…

Will the Minister provide an update on the horse project in Cork and the funding provided for the control of horses in Cork in 2022?