I wish to raise issue of the frustrations of the many folk in County Clare who are living in rural communities, such as the beautiful area of Kilmurry McMahon. The issue is that the roads there are like dartboards. They are unsafe and they are damaging people's cars. This is greatly problematic for those living in rural Ireland who depend on their cars. The costs involved in maintaining a car are already very significant and this situation is not acceptable. The Government has allocated the same amount of funding f…

Last week I welcomed the approval in principle by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, of 22 one-, two- and three-bedroom houses for Moore Street in Kilrush. I want to raise the matter of demand for the larger four- or five-bed units which the Government is no longer building. In my constituency, there are 164 families approved for four- or five-bedroom homes, and in my town of Kilrush alone there are seven. What are we going to do with these people if we are not building homes that reflect the size of families? What am I…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Deputy Andrews and I are sharing the time evenly. At the outset, I want to say that my thoughts are with DCI John Caldwell and his family. As a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, I am acutely aware of the significant 25 years of peace on this island and the role of all of those who work to protect it. I welcome the statement from all party leaders in the North today. I want to acknowledge the programme for G…

I thank the Minister for all information he provided and for being present for the wrap-up. As I said at the outset, I welcome that he has conducted a review into the equality Acts and, importantly, invited submissions. I very much welcome that the Bill was roundly recommended in those submissions as the best way to proceed and is, at least, a starting point. I will speak to the Minister's proposed amendment. I thank him for not opposing this incredibly important legislation and for providing a timeframe in which i…

Gabhaim buíochas le Deputy Collins for sharing her time with me so that I could speak on this very important motion. While we are here today debating the motion on the establishment of a citizens' assembly, we are a year behind schedule already. There have been several delays and I hope there will no further delays. The Minister of State's predecessor, Deputy Feighan, had said that all of the relevant background work was being put in place to facilitate the establishment of this assembly as soon as possible this ye…

I am happy to speak on this issue. I wrote to the Minister three weeks ago to advise him that a number of constituents had contacted me around this proposal. I will provide some background. This ended up in The Clare Champion about three and a half or four weeks ago. It referred to Unit 153. People were not informed. There was a lack of information, as my constituency colleague said, and a vacuum was created. I will be blunt. It seems the situation has been mishandled. I recognise the changed landscape but I am spe…

The reason I have called for a public meeting is because local residents have relayed legitimate concerns regarding whether the Department has consulted local services such as the Shannon health centre and schools in the area to ensure they will be adequately equipped to deal with extra capacity. I would also like information on the financials and particulars of the unit I have mentioned. The Minister said it is being looked at and information will be with his Department shortly. He might send that information to m…

Like a broken record, I am compelled to raise the issue of healthcare in the mid-west region for the second week. Today, we have 78 people abandoned on trolleys. We heard the recent specific concerns from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, about paediatric care in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, as its members are seeing an increase in the number of children on trolleys. I have also heard that not a brass penny has been allocated to Ennis hospital since it started taking emergency patients, even t…

I thank the Taoiseach for the information that he has provided thus far on this important issue. I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, on her appointment as the new Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy. Last month, her predecessor, Deputy Feighan, reiterated the Government's commitment to holding a citizens' assembly on drugs in early 2023. Last week, the Taoiseach also confirmed that he will bring forward a proposal in the coming weeks, but we need more …

In the past year, over 16% of the population of the mid-west went to University Hospital Limerick, UHL, for unscheduled urgent care. We have all read and heard the horror stories. Unfortunately, a lot of them are true. I am sure the Taoiseach saw the thousands of angry people who took to the streets of Limerick on Saturday. We know the hospital is stretched far beyond capacity and the staff are stretched beyond breaking point. It is the only emergency department that serves more than 470,000 people. The mid-west ha…

Coast Guard volunteers selflessly give their time for others as part of Ireland's fourth blue light emergency response. In coastal communities throughout Ireland, and in Clare, their role cannot be understated. The Irish Coast Guard Volunteers Representative Association is an organisation with which this House is now very familiar. Members of its national executive appeared before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications. Its mission is very simple. It has two asks: a truly independent inquiry into the m…

I wish to highlight the issues surrounding the transfer of the four Shannon heritage sites in County Clare to Clare County Council. The council has done its due diligence, has handed over a 600-page report and has been clear with the Government that the transfer cannot happen without the proposed funding package being signed off. The Taoiseach is the middleman. Enough time has laboured on. The sites have deteriorated over the last few years and will deteriorate further. Earlier this year, the Taoiseach said that Cl…

As the Minister of State knows, the 16 days of activism on gender-based violence will end on Saturday but the work, needless to say, must continue. In view of this, will the Minister of State outline the Government's strategy on tackling DSGBV with respect to step-down accommodation in cases in which a person leaves a domestic violence refuge?

I thank the Minister. The third national strategy he referenced commits to quite a few actions. In particular, I note and welcome that he intends to form a policy on how to keep the survivor in the family home but with their abuser removed, as opposed to the current situation where, in so many unfortunate cases, survivors have no choice but to return to the arms of their abuser after their time in a refuge is up. This is because, among other reasons, our barring order system is grossly inadequate and, in many sad c…

I thank the Minister for his response. I will mention Clare Haven Services which has provided 30 years of invaluable service to women and families throughout the county, region and the country at large. Through its educational arm and in collaboration with Technological University of the Shannon, Haven Horizons has put together a level 6 accredited course in domestic abuse and coercive control. Its work and contribution are invaluable and I thank it for those. I am sorry to say that, for every family that Clare Hav…

I thank Deputy Joan Collins and my constituency colleague, Deputy McNamara, for sharing time in order that I might speak on this very important issue. I commend the Labour Party on using its Private Members' slot for this motion. I also commend an Teachta Gino Kenny on the introduction of his Bill last week. They are all positive measures on this important issue and, crucially, they create the space for discussions to take place in this House. I speak as a representative of the people of Clare but also as a mother,…

There are 43,981 adults on outpatient waiting lists in the mid-west; 11,422 have been on the list for over 18 months. That is almost 26% of the overall figure of those on the list. As a former Minister for Health, I hope the Tánaiste will appreciate that these long delays for scheduled care directly relate to overcrowding in the one emergency department in the region which is consistently the most overcrowded emergency department in Ireland. We need Ennis upgraded to model 3 to take the pressure off. What is the Go…

I thank the Independent Group for affording me time to speak on this important issue. It is the defining issue of our generation. It is the one with which we deal most, by far, in my office. The shambles of a health service is a close second. Under successive governments involving the parties now in office, housing attainability in my constituency has deteriorated and housing need has skyrocketed. In speaking about County Clare, I will provide figures for perspective. According to a landmark report by Clare Public …

Children with complex additional needs are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Children's disability network teams, CDNTs, play a vital role in the development and support of these children and their families. I am horrified that today, 99 Clare children who have been referred are still waiting to be seen by the CDNT in Clare. That does not take account of the children that still await a referral. The programme for Government commits explicitly to support the services. However, these families are bei…

Go raibh maith agat, a Ceann Comhairle; it is good to see you back.