This is not the first time we have brought forward proposals on special education during this Dáil term, nor is it the second or the third. This is Sinn Féin's fourth Private Members' business on special education. Despite our best efforts, every time we have brought forward solutions, the Minister and her Government have consistently let families and their children down. The issues are only getting worse. The recent SNA crisis, the closure of early intervention classes and having the largest class sizes in Europe …

Ireland’s upcoming fixture against Israel should not go ahead. I want to state clearly that I condemn UEFA for its handling of this issue, a handling that shows a flagrant disregard for its principles. When Russia invaded Ukraine, UEFA acted swiftly to sideline it from the competition. Yet in the face of Israel’s devastating and ongoing assault on Gaza, we see no such action. Why the double standard? Why is one state sanctioned and another afforded impunity? In November, the FAI passed a motion calling for Israel t…

Tá an mhuinín caillte agam agus ag muintir na hÉireann as an Rialtas. Tá cosmhuintir na tíre ag streachailt agus ag fulaingt le costais mhaireachtála le fada agus níl an Rialtas tar éis dóthain a dhéanamh chun an brú a laghdú. Tá an Rialtas scoite ó shaol an ghnáthdhuine agus caithfidh sé imeacht. My office has been inundated with messages from hundreds of people in Kildare to express their lack of confidence in this Government to handle the current crisis and deliver a decent quality of life for people. The bottom…

Thirty years ago my mam was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. At that time, she went to her GP with a lump on her neck. She was told it was a cyst. She went back again and was dismissed again. It was only on the third consultation that she was referred for cancer screening. Had the cancer been detected in the first instance, my mam's journey would have looked very different. I commend Professor John Crown, who kept her alive for as long as he did. Fast-forward 30 years and we still have endemic delays. In Coun…

Today we are marking International Women's Day, a day to celebrate women's achievements but also to remind ourselves how far we still have to go. In Ireland, women continue to face inequality in ways both visible and hidden. Women earn less than their male counterparts, carry out the bulk of unpaid care work and remain under-represented in politics and leadership. Violence against women is rampant. Since 1997, 277 women have died violently in this State and of those women, 90% were murdered by men known to them. Fu…

Can we restart the clock when the Minister is finished?

Tá an timpeallacht dhigiteach lena bhfuil ár gcuid páistí ag idirghníomhú deartha ar bhealach andúileach ionas go gcaitheann úsáideoirí an méid is mó ama ar an ardán. Is tríd am an úsáideora a dhéanann na comhlachtaí teicneolaíochta brabús. Mar sin, déanfaidh siad pé rud chun aird a choinneáil ar an scáileán, beag beann ar an tionchar sláinte. Is fiú a bheith an-soiléir faoi seo. Tá rath-ardáin Meta, X agus Tiktok ag brath ar an díbhinn ar féidir leo a híoc lena gcuid scairshealbhóirí, ní ar fhorbairt an duine atá …

Families in south Kildare are already feeling the effects of the illegal war of the US and Israel against Iran in their pockets. Táimid ag feiceáil cheana féin na héifeachtaí boilscithe de bharr chogadh mídhleathach na Stát Aontaithe agus Iosrael in aghaidh na hIaráine. Tá teaghlaigh i gCill Dara ag aireachtáil an bhrú seo ina bpócaí. Cuireadh ar an eolas mé aréir gur mhéadaigh comhlacht amháin atá lonnaithe i gCill Dara Theas a bpraghas ar líonadh ola faoi €200 thar oíche. Níl aon cheist faoi ach gur praghasfheann…

Is mór an onóir dom m’ainm a chur le mo chéad Bhille riamh inniu agus é ar an gcéad Bhille a chuireadh faoi bhráid an Tí trí mheán na Gaeilge. Is Bille thar a bheith tábhachtach é seo domsa ar go leor cúiseanna, ach ar leibhéal pearsanta ba mhaith liom scéal a roinnt leis an Teach a tharla 30 bliain ó shin agus mé ag obair i mo chéad phost. Bhí mé féin agus cara liom ón scoil ag obair sa ghruagaire céanna agus bhíodh an bheirt againn ag úsáid na Gaeilge go rialta agus muid lán le bród. Chuir ár mbainisteoir cosc or…

Seoladh pobalbhreith nua an tseachtain seo ina léiríodh dearcadh dearfach i leith na Gaeilge, go háirithe i measc an aosa óig. Deir 74% dóibh siúd idir 25 agus 34 gur mhaith leo feabhas a chur ar a gcuid Gaeilge. Tá dúil ann don Ghaeilge i measc an phobail. Tá gluaiseacht láidir againn ag obair chun ár gcultúr Gaelach a chur chun cinn, a bhfianaise sin i líon na ndaoine a d’fhreastail ar an agóid ar son cearta teanga an samhradh seo caite. Cinnte, níl ach fás tagtha ar an ngluaiseacht sin ó toghadh Catherine Connol…

Má tá an Ghaeilge le teacht slán, caithfear na Gaeltachtaí a chaomhnú. Níl aon Ghaeilge gan na Gaeltachtaí mar is iad tobar agus todhchaí na teanga. Tá an méid seo aitheanta ag saineolaithe le fada an lá ach tá na Gaeltachtaí leochaileach agus tá treochtaí trioblóideacha le tabhairt faoi deara. Thit líon na gcainteoirí laethúla Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht ó 21.4% in 2016 go dtí 19.7% in 2022, agus níl ach tuairim is 15% de theaghlaigh Ghaeltachta ag tógáil a gcuid páistí le Gaeilge. Ag éisteacht leis na figiúirí duairce …

Yesterday, the Taoiseach appeared incredulous, even dismissive, at the suggestion from my party leader, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, that we need a new departure in special education. He might not be so shocked if he actually listened to those on the ground, the parents fighting for their children, the SNAs working well beyond their contracts and the schools trying to hold the system together. The central issue here is not the redeployment scheme, no matter how often Ministers repeat it. The real issue is that the cri…

The Government has finally woken up and seen sense on the SNA issue after what has been a policy failure of epic proportions. However, the question remains, why did it take two weeks to realise that stripping essential supports from some of the most vulnerable children in the State virtually overnight was wrong? This should have never of happened in the first place. Make no mistake if it was not for the ferocious determination of SNAs and families who dug their heels in and refused to accept these cuts, this out of…

Apologise.

Gabhaim buíochas le mo chomrádaithe, na Teachtaí Devine agus Carthy, as ucht an Bille seo a chur os ár gcomhair. Cuirim fáilte roimh na cuairteoirí atá sa Ghailearaí. The Grok scandal has been the stuff of nightmares, showing us what a dystopian, misogynistic hellscape the Internet can be, its owners conniving villains willing to sit back and even relish the most degrading acts against women and children. Our do-nothing Government sat on its hands and watched it all unfold while continuing to pander to the tech ove…

Is é bun agus barr an scéil leis an mBille seo ná go gcuirfidh sé drochbhail ar chíosaithe trí chostas tithíochta a ardú, costas atá cheana féin i bhfad ró-ard. The bottom line with this Bill is that rents can be reset to market rate between tenancies, which means we will see already sky-high rents go up and up from March. We are already seeing the effects. Eviction notices have already gone up in anticipation of the new rules. In my constituency, I have been working with an 81-year-old man in Athy who has been ren…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an cheist seo a fhreagairt. I thank the Minister for outlining the work being carried out by himself and his officials. I will specifically turn to PATH 4 funding. I wholeheartedly support the advancements made in relation to universal design the Minister has been speaking about for learning in phase 1 and the course offerings provided for people with intellectual disabilities in 11 HEIs across the State under phase 2. I have had engagement with Trinity College, in particular, …

I believe the goal in this sector in the medium term, alongside mainstreaming courses for students with intellectual disabilities in our colleges and third level institutions, must consider a national centre to co-ordinate those courses and ensure standards across them. We should be looking at introducing a separate stream of funding to pilot a programme for neurodivergent learners, learners with complex needs and learners with rare diseases based on the same model. As all-Ireland education has come up already in t…

Last summer I attended a demonstration protesting a pilot cycle lane between Timolin and Moone in south Kildare, a project known locally as the road to nowhere. Delivered by TII and the council under the national cycle network plan, over €2 million has been spent installing concrete islands and hard kerbs. Instead of improving safety and access, locals describe the road as an obstacle course and a death trap. Crucially, members of local cycling clubs have told me that they will not use the lane. Since the summer th…

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Daonlathaithe Sóisialta as an rún ríthábhachtach seo a chur os ár gcomhair ar maidin. It is only a couple of months since Sinn Féin brought a similar motion before the Dáil and it speaks volumes that we are back again so soon. It speaks to the tireless work of disability advocates and the dire conditions and desperation people with disabilities are living with. There is no two ways about it; people with disabilities were the biggest losers in budget 2026. Our most vulnerable lost €1,400 of …