The annual report card by the Children's Rights Alliance was published today. The report shows how the State is continuing to fail on the delivery of children's mental health services. In Wexford, local mental health advocate and parent, Raymond Shannon, has been campaigning for improved mental health services for children in Wexford for years. The Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, stood with Raymond in protest lines in 2019 and five years on, CAMHS in Wexford remains in tatters. Referral acceptance is at an …

Not in Wexford.

That is because they do not accept the referrals.

That is why we have to-----

It is why we have this debate continuously. The Minister of State does not accept what is being told.

The civil servants who wrote that speech actually received a wage increase of 10.5% in the last few weeks. Their increase is probably more than a lot of the SMEs I am representing here today will achieve in profits - for the courage and conviction of opening up a business in small parts of rural Ireland. Small businesses employ people who can fit in a job for a few hours in their working life. It is not good enough that we do not have a senior Minister here. I am sorry the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has be…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2024. I have highlighted on a number of occasions over the years, both inside and outside the House, the challenges when it comes to the provision of services within the system. These challenges are so very often related to recruitment and the numbers of personnel available to do the various different jobs that need to be done. Under the amendment this Bill will make to the Coroners Act it is very important that we will have a say in the appropriat…

Sometimes I sit here and wonder how we can solve the climate crisis when we cannot get the Passport Office to work operatively. My office is receiving an inordinate number of passport issues. They are the same issues as I have raised previously. We have a disconnect with the Passport Office. Whether it is the Oireachtas helpline or the helpline for people who ring up, the information is different. People then go to the Garda station. The gardaí are doing their best to keep the country in law and order but some of t…

I am sorry but I have heard about eight issues in a fortnight.

Part of the problem is that the Tánaiste does not want to listen.

I drove to Cork with somebody's passport because of their issues.

Can they? They cannot get a first passport for a child.

There are eight.

I will not keep the House. I know we are over time. The people of New Ross, my local town, got some very concerning news last week that An Post is going to tender for a contractor for the post office. Their first concern is that it is in the heart of the town and there are eight people employed who have become part of the community over the years. They are very concerned if a contractor is not found to fill the tender. Will the Taoiseach and the Government ensure that the post office does not close and should not b…

I was not going to bring this up today but I will do so because we are in the year of elections. Today we have announced the wordings for the referendums to take place on 8 March. Particularly in light of the last Leaders' Questions, when someone was accused of being disingenuous, I would like to speak about falsehoods. People want to know what stance our political and party leaders are taking on the individual and community-based fake profiles on our social media platforms. The number of fake profiles now evolving…

I thank the Tánaiste. The only question that was asked was whether Fianna Fáil has a policy with regard to its own elected representatives. The Tánaiste did not tell us what that policy is. That is what people want to know. Is there a sanction for Fianna Fáil's elected representatives? The Tánaiste said he was the victim of such a profile and had to go to the courts. Would it not be best to start at home with Fianna Fáil's own elected representatives and tell people how the party sanctions them and candidates who a…

That was the question.

The specifics-----

I asked what Fianna Fáil's policy was.

I want to appeal to the Taoiseach's better nature on the means test relating to family carers, carer's allowance and half-rate carer's allowance. Statistics from Family Carers Ireland show that carers save the State €20 billion per annum. We are about to put a referendum to the people that lauds carers, and yet we are means testing 95,000 of them. We do not know what the cost of that is in man hours to the Department. However, it does, according to the Secretary General of the Department, save the country €700 mill…