The community neurorehabilitation team.

The hospitality sector in Clare has been speaking and highlighting its struggles for the past number of months now. I pay tribute to Maurice Walsh and Michael Vaughan for doing exactly that. They have said that they are facing an Armageddon this winter if the Government does not respond to their loud pleas. We know that Shannon Airport has been doing fantastic and its passenger numbers are up but although still in June and July we had an extra 1.3 million visitors to the region according to the Fáilte Ireland touri…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. People in County Clare are exhausted waiting for delivery. They were hopeful the Government would use the surpluses in this budget as an opportunity to make a lot of wrongs right, including reinstating the accident and emergency department in our general hospital. There is a review ongoing but, as with other issues being experienced in the county, all that Clare people are hearing is review after review. This is delaying solutions to the dangerous situations people in…

I have for weeks now been talking about the increases in the worrying and concerning culture that exists in this House. There is a notion that we can throw away the people's money, for example, as if we do not absolutely need it in important areas such as housing, health, childcare, disability and basically ensuring that people have access to the very least or the basics of essential services, at a point where they can actually reach out in the community. I have believed for a long time now that there are big notio…

As I do frequently in the House I want to use this opportunity to raise the need to abolish the means test for carers. I also acknowledge frequently that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is the first Minister in so many years to make progressive changes to the means test for carers. On the most recent occasion I raised this with the Minister there was a discussion around the massive disparity between the figures the Minister's officials and her Department had provided to her and the figures that were costed by Famil…

I ask the Minister of State to bear with me as I try to do this very fast. Out of desperation for progress, I commend the decision of acceding to the optional protocol. I commend Clare Leader Forum and the many groups and individuals in County Clare who continue to highlight the necessity of the ratification. However, I am still nervous about the timing and need clarification. I read that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs must sign an instrument to be deposited with Secretary General of the UN and the p…

The Minister of State outlined quite a bit of information there. However, I was hoping to get an expected timeline for the second phase of the town centre first programme for towns such as Kilrush in County Clare. Specifically on Kilrush, Pobal did its deprivation report there last year which pointed to Kilrush being the most severely deprived settlement in County Clare. It is the only area to be classed as extremely disadvantaged in the whole county. For example, out of a population of 306, only 6% are attending t…

I thank the Minister of State for that information. I welcome any kind of engagement on where the €30,000 is going. I know there was consultation in respect of the old Mars Cinema building in Kilrush. I was delighted to see that was open for all the community to come along and have their say. I have been contacted by a number of business owners in the Kilrush town area. They have properties above their shops, and they want to see them turned into rental accommodation, for example. Along with the review the Minister…

I raise a local GP issue that we have in County Clare. A local GP, who is a naturalised Irish citizen, applied in January for a visa for his mother to come to visit him. He was told in March that he needed more paperwork to prove his relationship and to show that she did not intend to overstay. All of that information was provided in April. The visa office recently advised that it is currently processing appeals for visas to visit families submitted in May 2023. This GP cannot apply again until his appeal is proces…

Yes. We have another name for the child that is not the actual name, if that is okay.

Lovely. Go raibh maith agat. I am incredibly grateful that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is here to take this question. It is of great local and personal importance to my constituents and to me. I had hoped the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, would take the question, but I was informed late yesterday evening that he was not in a position to do so. I will certainly not waste any time trying to figure that out. The background to this case is that I visited the Kidz Haven Crèche in Shannon. I give a big shout out…

I appreciate that information and background. With that in mind, I hope the Minister of State will be able to help me help Alex. She has outlined all the Department is doing with the redesign, but Alex does not have time for that redesign to go through its process and then deliver for Alex. I do not want to see Alex spend one more day in this kind of situation. It is quite dangerous in respect of their eating situation and what has been put in place. The parents and Siobhán have done more than they can possibly do.…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I will just touch on a few points because there is a case I would like to refer to. Regarding the language change and inclusion of "alleviation of housing need" it is important to note such changes are to ensure AHBs are solving the housing crisis. There are no plans, however, and no mention of how to build and deliver new affordable housing. In County Clare, we have got three affordable housing schemes over the line but we are struggling with the first one that was …

Many people from all walks of life have been in contact with my office about their sheer frustration and outrage at the inexcusable and colossal waste of people's money we are here to speak about. That was well before, and pre-empts, the announcement of some €9 million of the people's money on phone pouches for schools. It was in respect of a number of other embarrassing and shameful acts of throwing our money away: the bike shed, the security hut and the now infamous children's hospital. There is no doubt but ther…

Will the Minister of State consider providing funding in budget 2025 for a mental health services eating disorder team for adults and children in the mid-west under the new national model of care?

I thank the Minister of State. That is fantastic news. My response was going to outline that ours is the one region that does not have a team in place, so that is significant. I appreciate that the Minister of State has prioritised this area since she took office. I put this question to her because Mind EveryBody and Cared Ireland gave a briefing in recent weeks in the audiovisual room and the lived experiences of those with eating disorders, as well as the personal consequences and impact on them and their familie…

I seek clarification. We will have a CAMHS team but I am conscious of the need for a pathway for adults to get services. Will that remain a gap to be prioritised next year?. At least 200,000 people in Ireland suffer from an eating disorder and there is an issue with the availability of inpatient beds. While the Minister of State alluded to community care, which may be fantastic for many who need it, if they need that specialised care and treatment, inpatient beds are the only place where they can get that, as far a…

I noted the Cathaoirleach's remarks about Mary O'Rourke. I did not get to meet her but I wish to extend my sympathies to her family and friends. I finally get to respond to this year's budget announcement. I have a whole two minutes to encapsulate what my constituents in Clare have said to me, namely, that this Government has failed by its own measure of success in how it treats the Clare people. There was a lot missing from this budget. I do not have time to be more balanced. If I did have more time, I possible co…

I had hoped the Minister for Education would be in a position to take this Topical Issue, but I was contacted earlier and it was outlined that because of prior commitments, she would not be able to. I cannot overstate the frustration of my constituents in County Clare. They notified me in the very late stages of August about the pilot school transport scheme and what the consequences were for them and their children. Since then, I have made numerous representatives to Bus Éireann and the Minister for Education and …

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. I have a number of points on which to come back. There is no question that the school transport scheme has been expanded. Even the parents accept that this expansion was a hugely ambitious task to undertake for this September. The route that was chosen may be an established route but it underwent changes. There are no timetables on any of the bus stops on the route to assist anybody travelling on the buses. Fair enough, it took two or three weeks to get each bus service in plac…