I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion today. I fully support it, particularly its call for budget 2026 to commit €630 million towards measures to relieve child poverty and homelessness, as well as its call on the Government to introduce a total ban on evictions of children into homelessness, and the legislation to prioritise housing needs of homeless families. As a member of the children's committee, it has been devastating to hear about the rising levels of child poverty in this country. The Ch…

I have written to the Minister, Deputy Heydon, regarding the closure of the ISPCA's animal centre in Donegal, a devastating decision that has detrimental animal welfare effects in the north-west region. Just over a week ago in Donegal, we saw 14 dogs rescued from horrific conditions but these dogs have nowhere to go. They will travel a considerable distance to reach the nearest facility, which means longer transport times for distressed, injured and abandoned animals, raising serious questions about their welfare a…

I am not going to mince my words. The defective concrete scandal is a national emergency the Minister's Government wilfully mismanaged for over a decade. The Government has worked hard to fool the public and portray that we are being looked after, but the truth is we are now in the second failed scheme. My staff see suicidal ideation every week in our office. The uncertainty and the feeling of abandonment in this crisis has caused this. Some 40% of homeowners are living with severe depression. This is the reality a…

We have unethical engineering going on in this scheme. That cannot be denied. A number of people were downgraded. They were granted full demolition. An engineer came out, did their job, examined it and then it was passed over to the Housing Agency. Someone in the agency looked at that fellow engineer's work and then downgraded it. This is unethical. It is unethical engineering. What is going on has been going on for some time. We suspect that this is widespread and that it will continue. How can we have engineers d…

September is a very exciting and important month for many children as they return to school. For some, however, the excitement has been unfairly and cruelly stripped away as their parents struggle to find appropriate school places for them in their localities. As a parent, I cannot imagine the heartbreak facing parents who are unable to secure such places for their children. The Minister for Education has declined to provide the exact number of children with additional needs awaiting school places for the academic …

I thank my colleague, Deputy Stanley, for tabling this motion, which I fully support. Dental care is completely inaccessible, especially for people in rural areas. In Donegal, children are lucky if they have seen a dentist once by the time they are finished school. Many of them have not seen one at all. I know this from experience, as I have four children. Maybe one has seen a dentist but the rest have not, unless we go privately. The Irish Dental Association has outlined that just half of the children targeted for…

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this very important motion, which I fully support. There is no doubt skyrocketing grocery prices coupled with huge increases in other household costs, like energy and rent, are putting huge strain on families across the country. Right now families in Donegal find themselves caught in a pincer movement between the cost-of-living crisis and the defective concrete scandal. This is on top of long-standing geographic and infrastructural neglect. This is not anecdotal. Th…

I was horrified by the "Journal Investigates" report that stated just 12% of cancer patients in Letterkenny University Hospital receive treatment within the recommended 15-day timeframe. Cancer patients in Letterkenny have to wait 50% longer than those in any other hospital in the HSE West and North-West region. This is not just delay; this is life-altering. Research by the British Medical Journal has shown delays or reduced treatment options available to cancer patients cause avoidable death. Letterkenny is flound…

Since becoming a TD, I have raised the defective concrete crisis every single week in this Chamber. I have stood here 23 times outlining the many issues with the Government's scheme, and have highlighted the lived experience of the impacted homeowners. My message has been consistent. The scheme is not working for the families. They are struggling. Every week I am standing here pleading with the Government to listen. Then I go home to Donegal and see first-hand the heartache as new cases come forward, while the defe…

I want to mention Elm Park, given the fact that this is a time-sensitive issue. Houses in Elm Park in Buncrana face immediate danger as they have been built on a floodplain and are affected by defective concrete. The only safe option for these residents is relocation. The home of one family home is in such a bad structural state that the family sees no alternative but to move ahead with the defective concrete scheme and start the remediation process of demolishing the house when their planning is granted at the end…

When? Can we get a date?

I thank the Labour Party for putting forward this very important motion on nursing homes. I support it and its calls to prioritise equality and safety in the care of older people. Overhauling nursing homes is what we need to look at. As someone who has worked on the ground and worked for the company involved in the documentary, I am not surprised. To say that 80% of nursing homes are now in private hands and are profit driven is beyond a joke at this stage. I have worked in nursing homes and I can safely say that e…

I welcome the review of the EPSEN Act and many of its findings. Ensuring every child's educational needs are met is imperative. Education should be inclusive and responsive to the needs of all children, but this is not the case in many areas where children with special educational needs are unable to secure school places. I understand the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is doing what he can to address the situation and I thank him for what he did for Little Angels in Letterkenny. We really appreciate that. Done…

It will be no surprise to the Minister what I am asking her today. The decision of where to locate the surgical hub in the north west is an important one. Therefore, transparency in the decision-making process is vital. Will she outline, in detail, what factors will be considered when choosing the surgical hub for the north west?

I thank the Minister for outlining that. The location of the surgical hub has generated a lot of public interest. It has the potential to impact many people's lives across the north west. It is important we get it right. As I said to the Minister, this is not a Sligo versus Donegal issue. The north-west region alone is disadvantaged in many ways. We should not be forced to fight over squeezed resources. Ideally, to address the imbalance in healthcare and to meet the current demand, two surgical hubs should be estab…

I thank the Minister for her engagement on this matter. She has been proactive and committed to ensure that all the data and experiences are being taken into account. We appreciate this. In Donegal, we are grateful the Minister is listening to us. We are fighting our corner and are willing to listen. The Minister is taking all the situations into account. We appreciate and understand that. All the TDs in Donegal are united on this matter. We are disappointed and honestly shocked that the HSE decided no consideratio…

I support this motion that calls to declare a national housing and infrastructure emergency and introduce time-bound emergency legislation that would enable local authorities and developers to accelerate the delivery of housing on already zoned, infrastructure-ready land. As I said last week, we cannot take the necessary steps to properly address this crisis until we call it what it is: a national emergency. The failure of the Government and previous Governments to deliver on housing is a failure of public policy. …

I am sure the Taoiseach and the Minister for education are aware that Scoil Mhuire Milford in County Donegal is not fit for purpose. There are severe issues with the children's toilets in the current building. There is no green play area, denying children the opportunity for any meaningful physical activity. There is a severe lack of classroom space and, as a result, teachers are forced to teach in corridors and store rooms. There is a severe safety issue with the road, with the front gate opening out onto it. Many…

It is ready but it has been denied time and again.

It is in the system.