I recently had the privilege of meeting representatives of SMA Ireland in the audiovisual room. Spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, is a rare condition that causes weakness throughout the body. People living with SMA can experience difficulties swallowing, breathing and performing basic day-to-day activities. In recent years, the HSE has approved three treatments that can halt the progression of this condition and significantly improve an individual's quality of life. Unfortunately, these treatments are unavailable to th…

The recent RTÉ exposé on nursing homes in Dublin and Laois was heartbreaking to watch. Vulnerable elderly people - our mothers, fathers, grandparents and neighbours - were left without dignity and proper care. Yet, the Government continues to outsource elder care to private corporations, many of which put the bottom line before people. It was shocking to watch an elderly man ask repeatedly to be taken to the toilet, only to be told to stay in bed and pee in his pad. Elderly people who paid tax and contributed to th…

On a point of clarity, it was announced on 13 May, yet all Oireachtas Members in Cavan received a letter from the housing authority in Cavan on 28 May. That was after the announcement. Applications are in and so when the application-----

At the outset, I commend the good work of many in the education system. We all want a world-class education system that allows every child to real his or her full potential. However, too many people feel that the Department of Education and Youth is ignoring the voices of those who matter most, namely students, parents and teachers, many of whom have contacted me. There are hundreds of children with special educational needs who do not have school places. There is chronic absenteeism. Teachers are warning us that l…

I thank Senator Flynn and the Civil Engagement Group for their work on this issue. I agree with all the amendments and fully support their proposals. It is beyond time that our laws be updated so that images of child abuse are referred to as what they are. We have a very serious problem of child trafficking and child sexual exploitation in this country. Aontú has exposed a number of alarming facts in recent weeks and some of these statistics are as follows: there are currently 37 children missing from Tusla's care,…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this important issue. She is aware that Wellman International, based in Mullagh, County Cavan, recently went into examinership. Serious concerns have been raised regarding the future of the company and the rights of its employees. There are more than 200 jobs at risk. The company has been an established employer in the area for more than 50 years, and many employees have worked for it for decades. The potential loss of these good-quality jobs would be a devastati…

The Minister of State did not answer any of my questions with concrete solutions. She has a lot of hope and talks a lot about hope. The Government said it was well aware of what was happening. If it was well aware, why did it continue pumping taxpayers' money into a business it knew was going into examinership? These workers are supporting families. They poured years of their lives and dedication into the Wellman company. Thoughts and prayers are a nice platitude but they mean nothing to families who are wondering …

Two weeks ago, an online survey commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on providing supports for the forgotten farmers closed. Like many others, I welcomed the allocation of €5 million in the 2025 budget to support the men and women who, due to restrictions in agricultural policy and administrative delays at the time and through no fault of their own, were denied access to crucial support and entitlements. The survey to establish the number of farmers who missed out on agriculture suppor…

I was at a very informative presentation yesterday given by EDIT in the audiovisual room. One of the women speaking spoke about her issues with the current inheritance tax system. She does not have any children, and she has a sister with a disability. She wants to make sure that her sister is set up for life if, God forbid, she should pass. She cannot leave more than €40,000 to her nieces and nephews tax-free. They are the people who will be looking after her sister and responsible for managing her finances, and ar…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. Ireland risks fines of between €8 billion and €26 billion if we fail to meet the EU climate targets. I believe we were set up for a sure fail on unreachable targets and our Government obediently and knowingly signed us up for inevitable failure. In 2008, when the economic crash came, the Government incentivised farmers to produce more so we could export more. Farmers were encouraged to invest and turn out more produce. In many ways, farmers helped to get Ireland on the …

I am happy to support this Bill today. I am disappointed it is not going any further for another 18 months. Implementing a Bill like this would be a necessary and long overdue intervention in the fight against the decay and neglect that is eating away at the heart of our towns and villages. Throughout the country more than 100,000 homes lie vacant or derelict while families queue for housing and young people are forced to emigrate. In Dublin city alone more than 14,500 properties are vacant. One fifth of these prop…

I commend the O'Farrell family on the constant and dignified efforts they have made to ensure there is justice for Shane O'Farrell as well as reform in our judicial system. To think that 14 years on the family is only now getting an apology from the Government is heartbreaking. Their son's killer had 40 previous convictions and he should have been in jail when Shane was killed. The Courts Service of Ireland stated that his prison sentences were never served because of administrative error. Shane's killer had 12 con…

Local government is the closest form of government to the people. Its finger is on the pulse of what people need. The Minister of State is aware it is under-resourced, underappreciated and overburdened. He should be aware of the previous report that stated that Ireland has one of the most centralised governments in Europe. It is time to reverse the dominance of central government over local government and the dominance of chief executives over councillors. Councillors are crying out for more powers and councils are…

May I correct the record?

I referenced ETBs, and ETBs were not included.

I thank the Minister of State for coming here today. I was not really prepared to talk about this but I felt I had to because it is a very important subject. The public procurement process excludes local shops and small businesses and indigenous local businesses. I have sat on five or six school board meetings where this has always been an issue. The school cannot go locally to purchase things that are needed. The school may wish to go locally, so it has been a huge bone of contention on many of the school boards. …

I was to speak on something else today but I would like to lend my support to Senator Patricia Stephenson's call for a proper debate in this Chamber on Gaza and the atrocities happening there. It is time the Minister, Deputy Harris, came in here to debate the issue with all those who speak with passionate voices on this issue every day. They deserve no less and the people in Gaza deserve no less. The Government is being disingenuous about Senator Frances Black's Bill. There is a lot of hand-wringing, shoulder-shrug…

I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I raised this issue in 2023 on Cavan County Council. The driving test wait times in Cavan were shocking. A huge number of young people in rural parts of the country rely on private transport to get to and from college, training, football and jobs. I myself have a big lump of a lad who is 22 years of age and his mammy is dropping him off to rugby training. They are well fit and well capable but they still have to wait a huge amount of time to get their licence. When I rai…

New figures have come to light showing that nearly 4,000 deportation orders have been overturned in the past decade. The State is now revoking more deportation orders than it is actually enforcing. The Ministers, Deputies Helen McEntee and Simon Harris, oversaw the highest number of revocations. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has already quashed 127 deportation orders this year alone. This is a complete failure of enforcement and of proper immigration control. Aontú supports a fair and compassionate asylum syste…

The Minister of State is very welcome. A recent UNICEF report paints a poor picture of youth well-being in Ireland. It found that one in three 15-year-olds report low life satisfaction. Our teenagers may be successful in school, but they are struggling in life and that is the sad reality. We pride ourselves on academic results, but we need to do more for their emotional and mental well-being, and we need to do it as early as possible. There has been much focus on mental health awareness and encouraging young people…