Aidan Farrelly
Kildare North · Social Democrats · Ireland
“I thank the Minister. If she will indulge me, it is very rare I get the opportunity to speak about my life experience prior to being in here but I have been a youth worker for about 16 years or the guts of three Dáil terms. The day before the general election I submitted my PhD thesis, which was on professional youth work.”
“In the past year, the number of children admitted to Temple Street with brain injuries from accidents on e-scooters has increased by 50%. I think we have agreement across the House that this is an ever-worsening public health crisis at this point. It is clear that the ban on under-16s using e-scooters has been a monumental failure.”
“It is acceptable that data will be shared with the task force in September but I ask that it be shared more widely once the terms of reference have been agreed. It would be really useful for the academic sector and for those who are in the market of training and professionally qualifying youth workers in the field.”
“Crucially, gardaí must be given the resources and the appropriate training to be able to pursue and enforce what is current legislation. The fourth piece, the bike-to-work scheme, has been an incredible success.”
“Actually, youth work is an occupation and profession that is one of the best jobs to have but we need to make sure the landscape is there for budding youth workers to go through appropriate professional qualification programmes and that the job will fulfil them not just from a rewarding job perspective but also from a financial perspectiv…”
“When the Minister says that advisory group is going to meet in September, who makes up the membership of that? The information the Minister's Department has collected is golden with regard to the sector. Will the Minister publish the findings of that survey? It would be really useful information.”
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“Under Standing Order 35(3), I wish to amend to Thursday's business to include statements on the failed Government election promise regarding €200 per month for childcare. We were told by Deputy Simon Harris that we would see a roadmap within 100 days. The action plan produced before Christmas was really useful in some ways but completely ignored this €200 per month plan. We have announcements with no details about State-led services and communities around this country continue to go without. I ask that there is time allocated on Thursday for this.”
“Whatever way, shape or form this looks, it must be brought forward in the next couple of days or weeks to make sure basic services for people with disabilities can be met.”
“If anything, what we are seeing is the outcomes in some of these top priority areas disimproving. Then we see the Taoiseach set up a unit within the Department as if that is going to be the silver bullet to change the lived experience of people's lives, whether it is in child poverty or for those who are experiencing disability. As a very constructive proposal this morning, what we have tried to do is present something that is workable and pragmatic but is a necessity. It is not an optional extra; it is a necessity. The Minister is choosing to amend or do away with our motion. That is fine but we sincerely implore the Minister to consider this in the short term while he and his officials work on the cost-of-disability payment for budget 2027.”
“The reason I want to share that is that when you draw specific attention to language, all we are trying to do this morning is to represent the voices of those we have heard over recent weeks, recent months and recent years who have said the system is broken. Notwithstanding some of the great work that the Minister has highlighted in his response this morning, we should start from a common place, that, right now, budget 2026 targeted people with disabilities by leaving them with considerably less than before. The Minister mentioned the idea of the cost-of-disability payment being a top priority for him. There is another trend here where disability payments are a priority. Child poverty is a priority. Housing is a priority. Health is a priority. Everything is a priority for this Government but the outcomes are not improving.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement in response to our motion this morning. I worked in disability services as a social care worker for many years. We have heard many voices, specifically of those with disabilities, come through this morning. I would like to share a common trend among family members of people with disabilities who often shared a consistent experience of having to navigate the mechanisms of the State, the outcomes of which they felt were often down to luck more than design and who, at times, had to show resilience within their family after getting refusal after refusal and having to apply through various mechanisms and fora in order to be able to avail of what essentially are basic services, basic funds and basic grants. It could be made an awful lot easier.”
“However, this is also why I remain somewhat concerned, not just about what is included but because without the required ability, competencies and resources to enact any legislation in full, such legislation is destined to fail the most vulnerable children in our society.”
“This type of contribution cannot be ignored. It is proposed to amend section 69 of the principal Act to give the Minister powers to issue guidelines to Tusla regarding its performance and functions. I look forward to all of us discussing the detail of this on Committee Stage. As the Minister can probably see by now, we all have quite an amount to say about the Bill and about child protection more generally. Every question or critique is intended as a constructive, respectful contribution with regard to a child’s right to safety and development. I again take the opportunity to congratulate the Minister and her colleagues on taking this Bill to Second Stage. I emphasise our support to the Minister and her officials in progressing legislation that will have a multigenerational impact.”
“When we think of care, special care and State-provided care, we can see that what I have outlined is not care. There is an opportunity with this Bill to regulate these settings. I implore the Minister and her colleagues to do so. Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child specifically states that all actions concerning children should have the best interests of the child as the primary consideration. Security companies providing care is never going to be in the best interests of any child. The report goes on to highlight a trend of children with additional needs entering the care system because of a lack of community support. Dr. Coulter said, "The fact that children are taken into care because their parents cannot cope underlines the need for a whole-of-government approach to dealing with disability".”
“While this move is long overdue, I commend her on her intention to act on it. The latest Child Law Project report, which was published in January, has noted the increasing concerns expressed by the Judiciary regarding failings in the care and health systems. The director of the Child Law Project, Dr. Carol Coulter, highlighted a shortage of social workers and referred to "cases where judges considered the plight of those in unsuitable placements and where placements had broken down,". We all know is there is an acute shortage of special care beds in this State. These are unregulated, non-registered settings that are at times staffed by private security or agency workers who lack social care or trauma-informed practice training, and they are relied upon by Tusla.”
“This is a complex area but I really welcome the inclusion of this provision. The section could be strengthened by providing clarity regarding the references to "where the child is capable of forming his or her own views" and that "due weight shall be given to the views of the child, having regard to the child's age and maturity and the particular circumstances of the child". As currently drafted, this provision is arguably quite vague and could leave it open to some scrutiny. It will not be easy to provide clarity in this regard but the matter deserves further consideration. We have all spoken over the past year or so about the very concerning and tragic loss of life of many children in Ireland. I welcome the Minister's intention to put forward amendments to the Bill to place the national review panel on a statutory footing.”
“I applaud the Minister for the inclusion of this very important legislative provision to ensure the rights and protections of children are considered in policy. However, it would benefit greatly from the co-establishment of regional forums to feed through their experiences locally. Is it proposed that nominating bodies will be compelled to share non-personal information? The proposed section 11D, to be inserted in the principal Act by section 11 of the Bill, contains the words "may share". We are getting into the minutiae here but the Minister can expect amendments in this regard from the Social Democrats on Committee Stage. Regarding section 11A(2), to be inserted in the principal Act, I welcome the intent to value children and young people's participation in decisions being made about and for them.”
“They want an opportunity to meet and engage with the Minister and to offer their lived experience as to what these potential changes will look like. Section 5 of the Bill makes specific reference to accommodation for homeless children. Homelessness and, specifically, growing levels of child and youth homelessness are, again, the result of the State's acceptance of child homelessness as a norm in our society. The Bill could go much further to acknowledge the real problem that the vast majority of children and young people who experience homelessness do so alongside their parents. There is limited mention of this in the Bill. Section 6 outlines the establishment of the childcare implementation and inter-agency committee.”
“We cannot speak about children and care without mentioning the role of court-appointed guardians ad litem . I highlight once again the potential ramifications of bringing them under the management and supervision of Tusla. Guardians ad litem are proud of their independence and many will point to that very principle as being a crucial tenet of their role in supporting and advocating for children and young people. The proposed change that is due to take place this year raises many questions relating to the ongoing independence of guardians ad litem if they are under the management of Tusla. Having spoken to them, I emphasise just how concerned many of them are about the change. They have not been consulted or engaged with, which is all they are asking for at this point.”
“A child's physical and emotional sense of safety should be of paramount importance at all times. The decision to remove a child from home and place him or her in care should only ever occur if and when the agencies empowered by the State have truly exhausted every alternative. The shameful irony of today's debate is that, all too often, it is social policy, as determined by Government ideology, that plunges children, young people and their families into the poverty, homelessness and the very chaos and concern that gave rise to the 100,000 referrals to Tusla last year. I support the sentiments expressed by Deputies Kerrane, Wall and Ó Murchú regarding AGALI. We have all spoken at length about this with the Minister in the short duration of the Thirty-fourth Dáil.”
“Today, we are debating something of crucial importance that strikes to the very heart of what drove many of us here to be public representatives in the first place. Without the provision of services to fully implement any law, such a law is intrinsically powerless. While I truly applaud those involved in getting the Bill to this point, acknowledging particularly the previous joint Oireachtas committee and its work during pre-legislative scrutiny, I ask us all to be cognisant of the need to make legislative provisions for children's safety, welfare and protection that can be comprehensively implemented. The Minister will agree that being a child in this country should always be a time of exploration, fun, creativity and developing a sense of one's identity. However, it is inherently a time of great vulnerability for some.”
“Before discussing the merits of the Bill, I take this opportunity, the first since her announcement last week, to applaud the Minister and her officials for embarking on what appears to be quite an exciting venture in regard to a public model of childcare. I reiterate the opportunity they have in respect of the very effective work the joint Oireachtas committee, of which I am a member, is doing. In the very short time we have had so far, we have shown we can work together constructively to offer a very informed critique. We would love to have an opportunity to delve into the details of what the scheme will look like. I understand the Minister will appear before the committee in early February. I hope it can be made a priority at that meeting to talk specifically about last week's announcement.”
“He will not have time to come back to me on it but perhaps we can discuss it again. This financial model really needs re-evaluation. I implore the Government to take this matter quite seriously.”
“The problem is that, when they fix a hole, another hole arises down the road. The overall strategic development of our utility and water infrastructure is not fit for purpose in a county that continues to grow unsustainably. During that meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts last week, I asked the Comptroller and Auditor General whether there was any comparable utility in which bonuses like this are paid. In 2024, 93.5% of the utility's staff got their full bonus. This led me to think about what targets are being set for senior management within the utility. Is there governmental oversight of those? This does not happen in the ESB, CRU, EirGrid or anywhere else. Such lucrative bonuses are not paid while consistent systemic failures continue. That is my question for the Minister of State.”
“Schools throughout the constituency are trying to get new systems set up but they cannot get the services. There are consistent outages in Leixlip. The Dunboyne Road in Maynooth has been left in ruins by Irish Water contractors. There are a catalogue of issues. In stark contrast, information Uisce Éireann provided to the Committee of Public Accounts last week shows that nearly 50 of the highest earners in that body, whose salaries are between €122,000 and €225,000, are getting an average bonus of nearly €22,000 a year. Is this Government willing to stand over that approach? We are seeing comprehensive failures from a strategic perspective. Let me be very clear about the people on the ground in this utility. God knows they have been tested in Kildare. When they are called upon, they do incredible work.”
“We have heard that, in every county, every constituency, every town, every village and every parish, there are significant problems with our water infrastructure. The Minister of State captured it quite succinctly in his opening statement. I support the investment this Government intends to make and the investment the previous Government made. It is certainly making a difference. The population of County Kildare has increased from 120,000 to over 250,000 in 30 years. It has more than doubled in a very short span. Infrastructure development has not nearly kept pace. I could list off what that means for the people of Kildare. There are tankers going into Allenwood every day to empty sewage tanks because the system simply cannot keep up with demand.”
“Fintan O'Toole wrote a piece in the Irish Times this week about why Ireland is, in his opinion, governed so badly. One of the points he raised was that elected representatives of all parties and none spend so much time making representations to various services and bodies on behalf of constituents when our priority should be policy-making and developing legislation, whether nationally, regionally or locally. Water is one of the services public representatives make the most representations and raise the most cases about throughout the country. I have listened to much of this evening's debate with great interest arising from my time as a councillor and my time here in Leinster House.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here and for giving me such a detailed reply. The only outlying piece is whether there is a timeframe for the public consultation in Kilcock.”
“I know Irish Rail has done considerable work in going back to the drawing board with regard to the depot. I want to press on the Minister of State the importance of this next matter and I cannot underplay its significance. If a depot comes to Kilcock, can we make sure that a stop in Kilcock is part of it? For years people in Kilcock have been told they will have the depot, the noise and the lights, and they will nearly be able to smell it, but they will not be able to use it. It would make absolute sense, if we are bringing the depot as far as Kilcock, which I welcome and I support the Minister of State and the Government wholeheartedly if we can deliver this, that we can include a station with the depot. It would make massive sense from a future planning perspective.”
“I was preparing myself to get back up to criticise the Minister of State for giving me a blank reply but, in fact, what he has done is given me a very detailed reply and I thank him for it. There is a lot that I can take back with me to constituents and to my colleagues, Councillors Peter Melrose and Nuala Killeen, who have been working tirelessly on this for many years. I had not seen confirmation in writing before tonight that the depot for DART+ West will be in the Maynooth-Kilcock area. When we spoke with the NTA last week it did not confirm this. I really welcome that it has been confirmed this evening. What the NTA did speak about was a public consultation that might be aligned with this. Does the Minister of State know anything specifically about this, whereby communities in the area will be asked their opinion on this?”
“Everything is in place bar the funding. Do we have a concrete timeline for when the DART+ South West project will progress? Can the Minister, the Minister of State and the Department make it clear that there will be no more changes of heart when it comes to this important project? Planning permissions have been granted on the basis that this infrastructure will be in place. As the Minister of State knows very well, the people of Kildare and Dublin need this service. This is not an optional extra. We need this service to come into place in tandem with DART+ West. I would appreciate an update from the Minister of State. We will see where we can go from there.”
“Local authorities both in Dublin and Kildare have done their bit to prepare and get this project incorporated into county development plans. A great deal of planning has gone outside of this House to prepare for this project. Yet, the Minister has essentially stated that he would like to see it happen. Representatives from the National Transport Authority, NTA, were before the public accounts committee last Thursday. I asked them about the DART+ West project and when they expect to see passengers being able to use DART+ West. They said it would probably be 2030 before that happens. If we extrapolate that timeline in respect of the DART+ South West project, it is obvious that if construction does not start until 2030, we will not see anybody availing of the service until, potentially ,2034, 2035 or beyond.”
“The latest press release from the Minister suggests that it is something that he would like to do and would like to see come to fruition and that he is not ruling out making a U-turn on his U-turn. I raised this matter in order to try to get on the record what exactly the Government's plan is with regard to DART+ South West. The aspect that frustrates a lot of people in Kildare, where we have seen such significant population growth over the years, is that many Ministers have been at pains to tell us that individuals and community groups taking judicial reviews are the reason why the provision of significant infrastructure projects in this country has been delayed. The project in question has full planning permission. It has gone through the railway order process.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here. I appreciate him and the other Ministers of State present giving of their time this evening. The Minister of State will be well aware of the outrage that met the Minister's announcement regarding the decision to defer the delivery of DART+ South West, a project costed at €1 billion that was set to increase the capacity on rail services running from Hazelhatch and Celbridge, County Kildare, to Dublin from 5,000 to 20,000 passengers at peak times. Essentially, this service was going to change people's lives and the way in which they could interact with their communities and their capital city. Before Christmas, the Minister performed a bit of a U-turn on a project that has been planned for many years. We have not had a justifiable reason as to why that was the case.”
“Can he outline to us when the Department expects to publish its plans under the NDP for capital investment and can he ensure that Kildare will get its fair share of that investment?”
“The potential for Maynooth education campus is being greatly limited by a lack of investment. On site we have three phenomenal schools, Gaelscoil Ruairí, Maynooth Community College and Maynooth Post Primary School. Maynooth is one of the very few towns in Ireland where a student could attend primary, post-primary and third level education entirely as Gaeilge. According to my friend, Councillor Peter Melrose in Maynooth, the Gaelscoil has been in temporary buildings since 2019, despite plans being ready to execute for some time. The Taoiseach has heard from other Members here that capital investment in schools in Kildare really is at desperate levels at this point.”
“To give a flavour of some of those recommendations, they state that Government should fund research on the social development of young people and the impact of AI on that development; the national AI office should have an explicit mandate to address AI in vulnerable groups; and when making a complaint in an AI-enabled app or service, users should have the option to automatically send a copy of that complaint to Coimisiún na Meán. They are some practical steps that the Minister of State might take on board and consider in his future work. Young people's voices need to be central in any debate about AI. They are predominantly using it every day. We have seen so much research. Young people too often rely on AI for friendships, relationships and support. It is about how we do that safely.”
“I have been keeping an eye on the statements. Many of the issues have been raised and I do not want to go over them, so I will give these two minutes over to young people's opinions on AI for the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond's, interest. The National Youth Council has been leading a programme where it has had youth juries on AI, specifically on themes such as education, the environment, jobs and misinformation. The last of those juries, this weekend, is on laws and regulation. So far, they have come up with very interesting recommendations. We often speak about AI and social media. The concern goes straight towards children and young people and their interaction with these apps and services, but their own voices are often misheard.”
“She could extend that visit by 20 minutes. She will be very close to St. Farnan's. If she could come by tomorrow and take a look around, she would very quickly believe this school deserves the investment we are talking about.”
“I thank the Minister for that comprehensive reply. I am trying to read between the lines as to what that will mean for St. Farnan's specifically where the implementation plan is concerned. We need this. The community needs this. I accept Deputies throughout the House will be saying the exact same thing to her about various projects in their community but we are ten years on with St. Farnan's and this project will have a monumental impact on the communities this school serves in areas of deprivation and poverty. The Minister mentioned the special education services provided but she would have to see it to believe what this school is doing with such limited resources. I appeal to her that if and when this comes to her for decision, she will ensure St. Farnan's is on the list. She will be in Kildare tomorrow visiting schools.”
“When we see housing coming without the development of services and infrastructure, issues like this will arise. I could be talking about school issues in Clane, Brannockstown, Naas, Maynooth or Celbridge. I am not just listing off towns as these are legitimate concerns schools such as Scoil Mochua and Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad have. Capital is what we need. Investment is what we need. There have been six Ministers since Jan O’Sullivan made that announcement about St. Farnan’s back in 2015. We are really hoping the Minister, Deputy Naughton, can be the one who makes the project happen. What we need are the services and the investment. I am putting it to the Minister that we are just about there now and that the last push is needed for St. Farnan’s and Prosperous. I hope this Government will be the one that gets it over the line.”
“There has been significant investment by the Department in temporary accommodation at this site and that is to be welcomed, but back in August, four classrooms were allocated and none of those have yet been handed over to the school. That is the kind of delay this school has experienced, yet it took in all the students who were enrolled on the basis it would have those four classrooms. Issues like that show the problems with the short-term fix to what is a much more long-term need for a sustainable capital project. This is, as the Minister knows, one of 290 projects on the list. Of those, 20 are in Kildare. We are having this conversation in a context where County Kildare’s population has doubled since the early 1990s to nearly 250,000 people.”
“Farnan’s was on a list for extensions. This school and this community have been promised this for an awfully long time. Nearly two generations of students have been told that by the time they finish, the new school will be here. Now the population in Prosperous and the communities this school serves, which goes far beyond into Allenwood, Coill Dubh and other places, have nearly given up hope on this. They hope that one day they will see this new school, but we are talking about the really young siblings. It is coming to the point where it will be the next generation before we will see the turning of the sod on this. I am reluctant to get too much into the details of the temporary piece.”
“I have raised many Topical Issue matters and very rarely is the line Minister here for them so I thank her for that. St. Farnan's Post Primary School in Prosperous is the only post-primary school in that community. The work undertaken at this school under the stewardship of Mr. Andrew Purcell is nothing short of exemplary but the conditions in which people have to work, learn and develop are simply substandard. The people of Prosperous and north-west Kildare have been led down the garden path about a proposed new school for over ten years. In 2025, news was released that the school had gone to tender stage. In 2023, the Department had officially approved the plans and designs for stage 2A of a 1,000-pupil school but it was as far back as 2015 when the then Minister Jan O’Sullivan made an announcement that St.”
“All I ask is that we do not wait until the youth forum is established next year. We should establish it now and bring children’s and young people’s voices into this conversation about the digital world and digital safety now. My worry is that when all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. It is not going to work. Copying Australia is not going to work.”
“In the Minister’s opening remarks, he spoke at length about what works were under way so far and how, over the next year, when Ireland takes on the Presidency of the EU, children’s safety and rights, online and digital, will be the cornerstone. That makes me quite nervous. We have seen this all before. One in ten children and young people relies on AI for friendship. This research came out many months ago and it has not been acted on. We have all the research reports we need. We do not need a big conference next year to tell us about online safety. The Minister spoke about empowering young people and listening to children, young people and their families through a youth forum. Deputy Malcolm Byrne already spoke about the many different youth advisory councils that have come out with their recommendations.”
“This is something that has developed and expanded over many years. The frustration speaking about this today is because successive Governments have chosen a hands-off, self-regulatory approach. When it comes to enforcing controls over social media and gaming platforms, Governments have been absent. Successive Governments have not only facilitated this but have also enforced children’s and young people’s reliance on online platforms as places to communicate. We have seen an absence of genuine commitment in respect of physical spaces for children and young people to be safe, to learn, to have fun, to question and to be critical consumers. We do not have sufficient investment in children and young people’s places, and that is something that I note as being an important facet of this conversation.”
“I commend my colleague, Deputy Sinéad Gibney, who has done and continues to do such extraordinary work in this area. I am speaking to the Minister of State today through the lens of children’s and young people’s rights. Here we go again. In the past year, the latest moral fear and pan-societal concern for our young people unfolded when we all watched the series “Adolescence” and learned about the risks associated with algorithms and what they are potentially doing to vulnerable children and young people. Unfortunately, for many who have worked with children and young people for many years, there were no surprises in that television show whatsoever. Just last week, a senior garda from the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau warned that children are being groomed and exploited on online gaming platforms. There is nothing newsworthy here.”
“Cancer patients in Kildare not only have to contend with a significant commute to access treatment, but they will also likely face the double cost of paying significant car parking charges. According to the Irish Cancer Society, this puts a substantial and unnecessary strain on a person receiving cancer treatment. The programme for Government committed to exploring further ways to reduce hospital car parking charges. Will the Taoiseach update the House on what this Government has done to move towards a reduction in, and ultimately the eradication of, car parking charges in our hospitals?”
“For most of us, the only way to try to stamp out puppy farms is to not give them the business they need to continue but this Government can do a whole lot more than that. I isolate the role of local authorities here. Are councils resourced to really enforce the current legislation when it comes to unauthorised developments, specifically with regard to puppy farms? Are we resourcing councils with adequate dog wardens and facilities in this regard? Ultimately, are we taking this issue seriously enough? More than that, the Government could choose to facilitate this Bill going to Committee Stage to debate its merits and talk in detail about what strengthening it would look like. This Government likes to be the best and top of the class in European comparisons. Ireland is the capital of puppy farms and puppy deportations.”
“I commend the work of Deputy Whitmore in preparing this legislation that has come before us today. "We're full and still they come" were the words of Limerick Animal Welfare in the media yesterday. It described 2025 as unprecedented, with a year-round surge in puppies and kittens being surrendered to it. This is in advance of what it and many other rescues will see in the swathe of animal surrenders, mostly dogs, in January and February of next year. Rescues are doing a remarkable job on behalf of this State but to meaningfully address this problem requires strengthening the legislation. My colleague, Deputy Whitmore, has introduced evidence-informed legislation that would go a meaningful way towards ending the cruel practices currently facilitated by a lack of regulation in Ireland.”
“I ask her to convey the importance of this to the Minister, and to consider convening a meeting of the stakeholders I mentioned to include the union representatives to make sure we hear the voices of staff, patients, ourselves and management so that we are not here this time next year talking about a predictable crisis.”
“They are using agency staff to run theatre lists and endoscopy lists are being filled without following [joint advisory group] JAG protocols. These are not my points. What matters at this point are the voices of those working on the ground. This has become an entirely predictable crisis. Irrespective of concerns over how the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF, is being used, the powerful words from someone working in the hospital are what we all need to hear. The majority of staff in Naas General Hospital will continue to work tirelessly, but they will work tirelessly in conditions that are simply unacceptable. I again thank the Minister of State for her time.”
“It is an issue that has maintained over years and will continue, notwithstanding the matters of merit in the Minister of State's response in terms of capital works and an increased budget. The budgets are increasing in tandem with the population increase. I do not think that will address this meaningfully. I spoke with someone today who works in Naas General Hospital and their words are more important than mine. I will quote that person: The nursing staff are voting today via the INMO for work-to-rule. The management is adding services to an already understaffed hospital. No one is listening to the nurses on the ground, despite union meetings. Management wants to change hours without approval of the staff. There are 30 nursing vacancies at multiple levels that are unfilled and unadvertised. There is not enough staff to cover sick leave.”
“The out-of-hours services are not there to meet the capacity constraints in our county. I call on the Minister of State to raise this issue with the Minister for Health and ask for a meeting to be convened between the HSE, management and representatives in Kildare North and Kildare South to talk about the issues of fundamental importance when it comes to reducing the number from the mid 200s as much as we can over the next number of years.”
“In truth, we have been failed by successive Governments who rightly want housing delivered, but have utterly failed in their duty to deliver the necessary social infrastructure required in tandem with housing. This week the CEO of the HSE spoke on radio about emergency departments being about life threatening situations. I understand the point he was trying to make, but he also said if he was given 220 people being cared for on trolleys every day when he started in the role he would nearly have taken that. We cannot allow that to become the norm and that is what worries me. The 250 people in November 2025 in Naas were deemed suitable for care and admission and needed the level of care that only the hospital could provide, as did the 350 people in November 2024 and the 260 in November 2023. We do not have other options in Kildare.”