I thank the Members for bringing forward this motion. We all know that there is absolutely no doubt that there is a need for reform in the carer's allowance scheme. I, like many others, have met many carers in the work that we do, in our canvassing and in chatting with people. The work they do is absolutely immeasurable. If we were to count that support and their care in just monetary terms, we would be unable to do so. The following is just one of many examples of the unfairness of the current system. This person …

I raise the issue of the single school enrolment plan and the taskforce for Dublin 15. Eleven children are currently without a school place in Dublin 15 and parent advocacy groups I met yesterday have identified that more than 30 students will require a school placement in 2025. There are huge concerns that the process will not be speedy enough to deal with the situation for 2025. Can the Minister of State give an assurance that the process will be speedy and that the 2025 cohort will not be in the same position as…

Absolutely no aspects of supports for children with additional needs are working. There is absolutely no section of it working. I have with me a letter given to me by a constituent of mine just before the summer recess which confirms there was a 72-month waiting list for services in the CDNT in Dublin 15. That is a six-year waiting list. That is absolutely and utterly shocking and shameful in this day and age. The parents stood in this building, and outside this building, just before the summer recess campaigning f…

It is a failure of everyone who has been involved in this service through the years if a simple thing like getting children who need a school place into schools cannot be done. We are paying people extremely good wages to do their job. They should be doing it. It is incredible that we have to set up a task force to do that. Let us give them the time and energy, however. They do not have much time. September 2025 is coming to us. I want to mention Danu Community Special School, which has 12 school places. It was pro…

The first instinct of this Government is to back big corporations. The first instinct was to waste taxpayers' money. Millions of euro in legal fees were paid, just like the €320,000 spent on a bike shed. This is no surprise because Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have always had the backs of big corporations. At the same time they were spending millions to defend this disgraceful tax avoidance scheme, the people of this State were being hammered by austerity. Today I met mental health reform groups, PPFS workers througho…

I welcome the Bill. There are many aspects of it we welcome. It is a step in the right direction and many mental health stakeholders are supportive and agree on many of the issues related to it, but unfortunately, due to delays, I do not believe it will be introduced within the lifetime of this Government. That is unfortunate. Mental health is a huge problem in all our communities. I doubt there is a single TD, Senator or even a person who works here who does not know somebody affected by mental health. In my commu…

Childcare should be a public service. Adequate childcare should be a help to parents, not be a financial burden. It is often said that childcare is akin to having a second mortgage, with the average cost running from €800 per month and with many parents in Dublin West paying far more than that. The current system is a deterrent for parents, in particular single parents, to take up employment or further education, it is a deterrent to having more than one child and it makes it next to impossible to pay childcare and…

A parent received a letter from the Blakestown community disability network team which stated: your child meets the criteria for supports for the interdisciplinary team. Your child is on the waitlist for services since the date of receipt of referral,1/11/2021. Currently there are extensive waiting times in excess of 72 months for the team... Does the Tánaiste believe that this is now a crisis that needs immediate emergency measures?

I thank my colleagues for working on this Bill because it is an important one. We have been talking about this issue for a long time. I had a couple of previous roles. I worked for Tusla and I was also a children's officer in a GAA club, which was a challenging role in itself as it involved making sure everybody in the club was Garda vetted and children were protected. We had all of the policies and procedures in place to ensure children and young people were protected because the Garda vetting system is important.…

I do not have much to add to what has been said by my colleagues. This important Bill needs to progress. I hope it is done in a speedy manner and that we have the opportunity to get it passed before the general election. I am not pre-empting the calling of the election. Perhaps the Minister of State will tell us today whether it will happen in September or October. I wish all my colleagues a good summer. I hope we come back refreshed in September and that the Bill is progressed as quickly as possible.

Yes. Absolutely. Hear, hear.

Over the past number of months, I raised the issue of the lack of gardaí in Dublin west, highlighting serious problems people in my constituency have in getting a response when they call 999. Last week, I had to intervene and make a direct call to senior members of the Garda after numerous calls to 999 failed to get a response. At 10.30 a.m., a call was made to 999 in relation to a vulnerable disabled person living alone. His service manager was worried because there was no response to knocks on the door or calls. …

There was no unit available.

A response is somebody going to the person's door.

Sinn Féin opposes the Bill, as my colleagues have said. I absolutely despise tobacco and vaping products. I have seen too many people die horrible deaths due to cancer and particularly due to tobacco-related illnesses. I wish we could shut down every one of those tobacco companies. I wish that were something we could do. Just like with illegal drugs it would drive it underground and into the hands of illegal gangs and create more pain and violence on our streets. It would be just as futile. The primary purpose of t…

The Minister spoke about enforcement and these are the penalties. This is with regard to people convicted of selling products to those aged under 18. The Minister has spoken about enforcement and increasing the age to 21. Something on which we should really focus is what we do to those selling the products to children and not to adults. It is merely window-dressing and being seen to do something. It is just not good enough. I read the Bill digest from the Oireachtas Library and Research Service, which was very info…

We have to differentiate between children and adults.

I commend the Labour Party on bringing forward the motion and I also commend Natasha O'Brien. I listened to Bláthnaid Raleigh on the radio this morning and nobody could help but be moved by the shock and horror of a situation thousands of women face every weekend. The level of trust they put in their own judgment is now questioned and it is questioned all the time. They think, "Will I be safe? This person seems okay." If they are going into a taxi on their own, they wonder whether they will be safe. There are the c…

Most people understand that this type of renting is not the same as renting a full housing unit. Many of those who rent out their rooms are decent, kind and honest people who look after students really well, and the rules will not apply to them. This is not always the case, however, and we do not legislate on that basis. We legislate to protect people from unscrupulous landlords and we know there are more than a few of them. I will highlight a few examples I got from students. Last year, one student, who was living…

In terms of the cost of living, Ireland is the most expensive country in the EU. Electricity costs are at the core of this huge increase. Ireland's costs are 46% above the EU average. Our gas and electricity are the most expensive in the EU at more than double the average. At the same time, energy companies are making massive profits. This affects many ordinary workers and families on a daily basis, with many struggling, or worse unable, to pay their bills. Many families and workers pay their bills. However, it lea…