The national drugs strategy is coming to an end, so one would imagine that preparation should be ongoing to review the current strategy in order to learn from it and inform the next strategy or where we go from here, but stakeholders have expressed concern that there has been a lack of consultation on the ground. There are many organisations that work in our communities. They know what is going on. They work with people with addiction problems and with those people's families, yet these organisations are not being …

I raise the issue of home care hours for older and disabled people. I am regularly contacted by families of older and disabled people regarding home care hours. Where hours are sanctioned, carers are possibly not turning up for their shifts, or when two carers are required, only one turns up. This happens regularly at weekends. Where needs have changed and a person requires more care, the HSE will say the hours are sanctioned but that it cannot identify carers to provide the slot. On the other hand, I hear from car…

Am I permitted to read a letter to Members from survivors of Ireland's industrial and reformatory school system?

Can I be permitted to speak on the Bill at a later Stage or now?

I want to explain why Sinn Féin has opposed the Bill. There are supports in this Bill that are welcome for survivors. However, in good conscience, we could not support it when it excludes some survivors from different residential institutions. We feel there should be equal access to support for all, irrespective of whether they had received a settlement from Caranua or any other type of settlement from any other scheme. The legislation is excluding people on spurious grounds and it does not take a human rights appr…

If I may, I will read this open letter to all Members of the Seanad from the survivors of Ireland's industrial and reformatory schools system, dated 30 June 2025. To whom it may concern, We, the Survivors of Ireland's Industrial and Reformatory Schools System, write to you today with heavy hearts and unwavering determination. For decades we endured cruelty, neglect, abuse and the erasure of our dignity in institutions run by the state and religious orders. Our childhoods were stolen, our innocence lost and our Stor…

I wish to raise the issue of boarding-out regulations, that is, the service for older people. Not everyone is familiar with boarding-out services. This is a service for older people who are mobile and generally in good health and who do not require nursing home care but who cannot live on their own because they might not quite manage or they do not want to because of loneliness and so forth. Instead, they can live in a house in the community, which is arranged by the HSE. A family can take up to six residents to li…

The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, told me that he was unable to be here because of questions to the Minister for rural affairs in the Dáil. What he is saying is really reassuring, but I have been hearing that for a number of years and nothing has been done. When I first raised this issue in 2021, 51 providers were involved. Now there are only eight. That tells you that people are leaving. It is not because they do not want to continue. It is because they cannot continue because of the cost pressures of infla…

Our public dental service is basically not functioning, or functioning to a very low standard. In 2006, there were 330 dentists working within the public dental service. Last year, there were 253. Considering that the population has increased by about 1 million, it tells the story that children are not getting the check-ups they should be getting throughout primary school. They should be getting three check-ups, in second, fourth and sixth class, but many are not getting any or only getting one, or it could be into…

I speak in support of this Bill. I spent many engaging hours as part of the Committee on Disability Matters during the previous Government term, along with Senators Clonan and Flynn and a number of others. I engaged with the Acting Chair, Senator Rabbitte, as the then Minister of State many times on the issue of disability as well. I learned so much from the engagement with disabled people who were advocating on behalf of themselves or with advocates, perhaps family members, engaging on their behalf. The committee …

I raise the issue of boarding-out services. These are services that support older people to live in their own community, people who do not require nursing home care but cannot live on their own or do not want to live on their own. They live in their community and are supported where they need to be they but live practically independent lives. At one time there were eight houses providing this service in County Cavan. The last one is due to close at the end of July. The reason that all the providers, including this …

I support Senator Stephenson's amendment. The Department of education should liaise with the UK's Department for Work and Pensions on this issue. My understanding is that approximately one third of the people deemed eligible for the payment live in the UK. We need clarification as to whether the payment will be disregarded for the purpose of means testing applicants for benefits given in the UK. Philomena's law will, we hope, progress through Westminster. We must make sure staff in the Department for Work and Pensi…

I move amendment No. 28: In page 15, after line 11, to insert the following: “Commensurate compensation from Religious Orders 22. Within 6 months of the passing of this Act, the Minister shall prepare a comprehensive plan to deliver commensurate compensation from Religious Orders, this to include a consideration of every avenue of recourse and a timeline of engagements and actions, in pursuit of the public good.”. The amendment calls for, within six months of the passing of the Bill, a plan to be put in place to se…

I thank the Minister for acknowledging that. Could there be a way, under a different Department or in a different scenario, to set out a plan? The amendment calls for a plan that looks for that money, so that it is not left at the discretion of the organisations. If they signed up for this, they should be made to acknowledge that and properly pay for the damage they have caused. This is not to take away from all the good work many people in religious institutions have done in this State over the years and continue …

I have been recently notified by Cavan County Council that it is pausing the private housing grant applications for the moment due to high demand. This refers to the housing adaptation grant, the mobility aids grant and the housing aid for older people grant. These grants are vital to make changes or improvements to homes to accommodate changing needs which may occur due to ageing and mobility issues as a result of ageing, accident or illness. It also makes it possible for older houses to continue to be liveable in…

I thank the Minister of State. As he noted, that tallies with what the council has been informed of and I know additional funding was provided last year. I am really asking whether there is a possibility that can happen again this year. I know the council has made an application for additional funding to the Department. The council is willing to try to come up with the matching funding of 15% within the council. It has to managed to do that even though it has put a fair burden on the council, because it realises th…

I wish to share time with Senator McCormack.

What happened to Grace is forever unforgivable. It is unconscionable to know what she went through. She was a young girl of ten or 11 years of age with an intellectual disability and non-verbal who was put into a place - I would not even call it a home - that was not properly assessed before she went into it. She was left there for a period of six years during which there was not one visit by a social worker to see whether she was okay, whether her needs were being met or whether she was being subjected to abuse or…

We are talking about balanced regional development, but it is anything but balanced. I come from Cavan, a Border county that is a part of the northern and western region of Ireland, which is ranked No. 218 out of 234 EU regions in terms of transport infrastructure. Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal have no rail service. They did 65 years ago but all was stopped by a Government that had absolutely no foresight in favour of a lobby by car manufacturers to get people into cars. Even the road infrastructure is very poor. The…

The trade union Fórsa represents over 2,300 school secretaries and approximately 500 caretakers. It recently held a ballot, which closed at 12 noon yesterday, on whether to take indefinite strike action. Some 81% of the members took part in that ballot, 98% of whom voted in favour of indefinite strike action. It was practically unanimous. That is due to start on 28 August to coincide with the start of the new school year. This matter relates to pension provision under the single public service pension scheme, which…