Aisling Dempsey
Meath West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I thank the Minister. I appreciate that answer and his commitment in this area. It is obvious it is something about which he is quite passionate. It would be really beneficial if we could get some kind of timeline on that now. We met with Dog Law Ireland and other advocates. I met a lady from my own constituency that day called Alma.”
“Our Lady's Hospital in Navan is extremely important to the people of Navan and County Meath generally. We are proud of the excellent staff who work there and the management team who run the hospital and work together every day to provide good outcomes for the patients in our county.”
“I thank the Minister for his commitment to getting this through as a priority. I am really delighted. I am sure many people will be delighted to hear that today. The caps he talks about are all very welcome. They are more or less in line with what people like Dog Law Ireland and advocates like my constituent Alma want.”
“In terms of the local authorities, I know there was €2 million in funding last year and perhaps a commitment, although I will not prejudge, in the upcoming budget for more dog wardens. Those teams will never be big enough. They have so much to police and so much to inspect. I would like to ask the Minister about that.”
“We know that recruitment and retention remain major challenges and for too long, early educators and care providers have not been recognised as the professionals they are, yet they care for, educate and nurture our children every day, often spending more waking hours with them than we do ourselves. Tonight is a case in point.”
“Throughout this debate, not one person has argued that we do not need high-quality, accessible and affordable childcare. Everyone, including the Minister of State, agrees that we need it and need it now.”
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“There are businesses, delis, butchers and cafés that have to close when they have no water. Schools, nursing homes and people's lives are disrupted and negatively impacted. There is no tankering, there is no proper communication and there is no accountability from Uisce Éireann. It has to stop.”
“People in Clonard and Enfield in my constituency of Meath West are very angry about their water supplies or lack thereof. Abbeyfields and Meadow View in Clonard are home to about 150 houses. They have not been served properly by a proper water service for over 30 and 40 years, respectively. Finally, in August, Uisce Éireann confirmed a new bore hole would be dug there and that it was imminent, along with an improvement in communications but neither has happened. Machinery is on-site but again, no one is quite sure what is happening. Improvements have happened in Enfield over the years and we have finally secured a new reservoir there but once again, residents have endured 14 nights out of a recent 16 without a drop of water. Communications from Uisce Éireann are abysmal, inaccurate and often arrive after the fact. It is not good enough.”
“To receive such a letter a few short months after being approved for carer's allowance to begin with is deeply unfair. She is lucky in that the family will survive financially without the allowance, but some others will not. Will the Government take immediate action to remove the review process for those who are approved and in receipt today of carer's allowance?”
“I recently met a lady in my constituency of Meath West who was finally approved for a carer's allowance nine years after she first started to care for her beautiful daughter who has many additional and complex needs. A short time later, this lady's husband got a modest increase in what is a good income, shall we say. That income, though, does pay for many private supports and therapies they need to get. In this instance, carer's allowance was going to someone who saved the State so much money by caring for her daughter, day in, day out. It provided her with a tiny bit of financial independence from her husband. More importantly, it was a small recognition of the work she does so diligently. To say she was devastated when the family received a review letter would be an understatement. She felt used, let down and targeted when it arrived.”
“I thank the Minister for her comments and for recognising the importance of naíonraí in our communities. As a TD for Meath, which has two of the only Gaeltacht areas in Leinster, namely Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib, the importance of the Irish language and culture is not lost on me. We have some quality settings in the Gaeltacht area, for example, in Navan. At present, thankfully, we are seeing the Irish language under the spotlight like we have not for a while. The importance of speaking the language and being proud of it is coming to the fore. Naíonraí provide the best start for children who we want to be at least bilingual. Full immersion has significant and long-lasting benefits for our children. We all understand the pressures on our early education settings, including attracting and retaining staff.”
“Childcare, yes. Affordable childcare is not only essential for parents, but also for workforce participation, equality and the well-being of children. I appreciate it is complex and I appreciate the work already undertaken by the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, to realise this commitment but could the Taoiseach outline any progress to date and when we can expect further progress?”
“The programme for Government committed to reducing childcare costs to €200 per month per child. Families across the country are under financial pressure. It is imperative that this commitment is delivered on within the lifetime of this Government. I urge the Taoiseach to ensure it remains a key focus of the Cabinet committee on children and education. Affordable childcare-----”
“Expanding the long-term illness list would ensure that those already carrying the weight of illness are not also carrying the weight of financial burden. I ask the Taoiseach and our Government to act on this and to update this outdated list and give dignity and support to every person living with a long-term illness.”
“I ask the Taoiseach to engage with the Minister for Health and ask her to review and, indeed, expand the long-term illness scheme. It rightly acknowledges a number of chronic illness and conditions, but it fails to acknowledge many others, such as those living with serious mental health conditions over the age of 16, heart conditions such as sarcoidosis, rare diseases like factor V Leiden and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's and colitis. These illnesses do not go away; they are managed for life. Our drugs payment scheme is no doubt a huge source of relief for all families, capping medical expenses at €80 per month, but €80 per month for the rest of a person's life is a lot of money. This is an issue of fairness, equality, compassion and public health.”
“Navan had the highest driving test waiting time nationwide. Navan and Tallaght were completely oversubscribed, with a record high of 43 weeks. It was four times the recommended wait time of ten to 12 weeks. Thankfully, we have reduced that to 16 weeks. That is in no small part thanks to the emergency action plan the RSA introduced in May of this year. I have no doubt we will get back to the ten to 12 weeks by mid-September, as the RSA has promised. That action plan now needs to just be the plan. We need to ensure that backlog does not happen again. We need to ensure the measures that are introduced stay in place and resources are maintained. With the needs of the population and the number of commuters who leave our county by car every morning, we need a second test centre to cater for the people of north Meath.”
“The motions will be moved separately but will be debated together and decided by separate questions. I invite the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to move the first motion and open the debate. The opening speaking slot is 35 minutes.”
“Before I call on the Minister to open the debate, I remind Members that three separate motions are being debated in this slot, namely the motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 as regards the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level, the motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 as regards the application of the "safe third country" concept, and the motion re proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a European Council recommendation on a co-ordinated approach to the transition out of temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine.”
“Again, I thank the Minister for his response. Our ambition and our goal are to get rid of the means test completely, and this is a really significant part of it. These people save us untold money every day in the care they provide in their own families. For example, in one family in my area the mother works part-time just for her own mental health, just to have a little breather from the issues she has at home with her child, and the father took on two jobs to pay for the private therapies that they need but have not been able to access publicly. When they underwent a periodic review recently, they lost their access to any payment. That was obviously devastating for them. It is a blow. They feel it is an insult. I know that is an individual case and we have to govern collectively, but I just-----”
“I asked the Children's Rights Alliance about measures like this and asked it how much of a difference it could make to people and it has said to me that to families with children with disabilities, getting rid of this periodic review would make a huge difference. It would be an important part of budget 2026, if the Department could at all progress those discussions.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire for that and the very welcome news he has given us in terms of the income disregards. That will be very beneficial to many across the country, I am sure, but specifically in my area of Meath West. Many families have been in touch with me about this matter. I was this morning in a meeting of the committee on children. I am very privileged to have been appointed Leas-Chathaoirleach of the committee this morning. We had the Children's Rights Alliance in with us and I raised with it the issue of the child poverty monitor report, which has already been referred to here today and which I think everyone would say makes for very stark reading.”
“Meath West commuters eagerly anticipated the new commuter fare zones being announced but they were disappointed in April to find out those only related to rail fares. We were disappointed again in recent weeks when the bus fares were announced. My own town of Trim only saw a minimal decrease in the fare but towns like Navan and Athboy saw an increase. The rationale given is that these fares now cover bus and rail. Unfortunately, as the Taoiseach well knows, we have no access to rail lines in towns like Navan and Athboy. I ask that an exception be made in areas that have no rail line and for these fares to be reduced. Meath has a huge amount of commuters leaving it every morning. We have the longest commutes in the country, mostly in cars, so we need that incentive for commuters.”
“No single law will solve this crisis but a co-ordinated, sustained series of actions targeting social and affordable private housing will do so. Housing is not a partisan issue but it must be met with seriousness. This Government is doing the work. The Opposition must stop playing to the Gallery and start helping us build a future our people deserve.”
“The Minister, Deputy James Browne, alongside the Department of housing, is focused on cutting red tape and moving fast but smart. He has been criticised for taking his time to amend Housing for All but now we are seeing the benefit in detailed, deliverable measures: zoning more residential land before Christmas, extensions to planning permissions delayed by costs or judicial reviews, and exemptions for modular homes on family land to provide flexible housing for older parents and younger generations. Many critics have laughed at the idea of building in back gardens but in Meath, families are embracing it. Downsizing parents are helping their children take the first step on the housing ladder and they are doing it with dignity, comfort and a sense of community. There is no silver bullet here.”
“Sinn Féin has claimed there has been aggressive lobbying by institutional investors to roll back RPZ rules but it does not acknowledge that the consequences of driving out these investors are fewer homes, longer waiting lists and higher prices. It is not ideology that builds homes; it is capital, labour and land. The Opposition's approach is full of contradictions. It opposes the current RPZs, rejects the revisions to same, attacks landlords and condemns international investment. It romanticises a world where local authorities can suddenly build housing at scale but refuses to say how or when or who will pay for it. It is politics over policy. We welcome scrutiny and debate but we need real, workable solutions, not slogans or vague wishlists.”
“The reason is a lack of international investment - investment driven away by the very rhetoric and policies championed by the Opposition. Rent pressure zones, once hailed by the Opposition as the saviour of tenants, have in practice discouraged investment and stifled supply. Now, even modest proposals to tweak the RPZ model are shouted down before being seriously examined. We believe these changes can support small landlords, many of whom are simply families trying to rent out a single property. Allowing new tenancies at market value is not about profiteering; it is about keeping these landlords in the market to provide badly needed rental homes. Yet again, the Opposition's view is reductive: landlord equals bad; investor equals worse.”
“We are expanding them to include second-hand homes and adjusting value bands to match market realities, as needed. We must reject the notion that home ownership is a stroke of luck. It should be an achievable standard, whether through owning or secure renting. While progress may not be as fast as any of us would like, we are moving in the right direction. Having worked in homebuilding for many years, I have seen first hand how the private sector is often unfairly scapegoated. Builders who contribute to communities are too easily vilified by the Opposition, which treats for-profit developers with suspicion and casts international investors as villains, but facts matter. Mitchell McDermott has reported a 24% drop in apartment completions.”
“In Germany, rent caps introduced in Berlin were struck down by courts, proving that simplistic solutions often backfire. Housing is a deeply complex global issue rooted in supply shortages, regulatory delays and demographic shifts, yet here in Ireland real progress is being made. Fianna Fáil in government is delivering practical results. I recently met a man in Kildalkey in my constituency of Meath West who restored a vacant property into a beautiful family home, which was made possible by the vacant property refurbishment grant. That is policy working. I know countless couples in Trim, Enfield and right across Meath West who could not have secured their first home without the help-to-buy scheme and the first home scheme. These programmes are working.”
“Housing is the number one priority for this Government. It is the issue I hear most about when I meet people across Meath West. This concern is not limited to one age group. Our twenty-somethings are struggling to gain independence. They are stuck in expensive rental markets with little hope of home ownership. Our thirty-somethings who are ready to settle down and start families are squeezed by high prices and limited supply. Our fifty-somethings are often parents watching their adult children remain at home far longer than they ever expected, not out of choice but by necessity. This is not a uniquely Irish challenge. Across the world, advanced economies are grappling with housing crises. In Canada, cities such as Toronto and Vancouver are facing skyrocketing prices, despite significant state intervention.”
“I recently met a mother representative of many other mothers and carers in Meath West and the nation who want their children to live as independently as possible so that when the parents are no longer around, their disabled children can fend for themselves as much as possible.”
“I thank the Taoiseach for his comments and continued focus and priority on disability matters. A cross-departmental approach is the only way we will improve disability services and the lives of those affected by disability. I am heartened to hear of progress on the work programme being worked on currently and that a new strategy document will be prepared. However, I have a question about progress in workstream 15 in the current action plan for disability services. It focuses on a strength and drive to support people with disabilities to live a life of their choosing.”
“Ten years on from marriage equality, the children of many of those marriages are not experiencing equality today. If the wider legislation is proving problematic, the retrospective surrogacy element should be progressed separately. These are living, breathing families operating in society. They should not continue to be viewed differently by the State.”
“The assisted human reproduction Act was passed by these Houses in 2024, but has not yet been enacted. Retrospective surrogacy legislation will provide a pathway to parental rights to the second parent of eligible families. This part of the Bill is aimed at ensuring that children born through surrogacy in the past have the same recognition as other families. I raise the case of my constituent in Meath West. Lorraine, who is a mother, gets her twins up and out to school every day, brings them to gymnastics and puts plasters on their cut knees, but who they call "Mammy" is actually called "Lorraine". She is not legally entitled to travel with them on her own, nor make medical decisions on their behalf. Lorraine and her husband live as unequal parents. He has full custody and grants her guardianship over her own children.”
“However, we know staffing is a major across the health service. In Trim, last week alone, a new GP opened, with hundreds of patients clamouring to join her list. We are the mothers, we are the caregivers and those who shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the children of Ireland, and we must resolve this for our families. As the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on children and a member of the Oireachtas committees on education and youth and on children and equality, I look forward to continuing to work with the Minister to solve this major issue for our families.”
“I am proud to have been part of the founding team of the Trim Autism Friendly Town committee, which is one of a number of neurodivergent committees in Meath West representing our most vulnerable people. The work of Cara, AsIAm, Trim Autism Friendly Town, Enfield Autism Friendly Town and Neurodivergent Navan has all contributed to parents, children and those with special needs and disabilities feeling embraced, feeling seen and feeling heard. We now need to catch up with those therapies. Every day is a struggle for these families, even when they have the right supports in place and it is the least we can do to provide them. I was glad to hear the Minister say two things today, namely, her absolute understanding of the stress these situations cause families and also that finance will not be a barrier.”
“The waiting lists initiative is tackling the families longest awaiting assessment of needs and additional funding is in place for therapists in our CDNTs. Over €2 billion has been added to the disability spend in that same timeframe. These are all positive moves and steps forward, but unfortunately little comfort to the families awaiting assessment today. Urgent and radical actions need to be taken. It would be remiss of me not to mention, as many Deputies will, the brave and exceptional Cara Darmody who first advocated so strongly for her brothers and now does so for children across our country. So too do organisations like AsIAm, which play vital roles in advocating for some of the most vulnerable in our society and raise awareness and promote acceptance for those with special needs and disabilities.”
“The areas of housing and disability are the two main focuses of this Government, as well they should be. I want to return to those doors having enriched the lives of families living daily with the most difficult of circumstances. The rise in population, the backlog during Covid, the lack of therapists and therapies not being completed in the school setting have no doubt contributed to our longer waiting lists and all our issues that need addressing. I implore the Minister to carry on her work in this area and progress the commitments we have made in the programme for Government, which I have no doubt will positively reform the area of assessment of needs. Since 2020, the need for assessments has increased by more than double.”
“These are children who need early intervention, therapies, educational support and timely diagnoses to ensure they get the best start in life, yet they are caught in a system that asks them and their families to wait, sometimes indefinitely. One of the reasons I got into politics is I am a caregiver and a mother and I understand the challenges families are facing to access the support, the services and the recognition our children all deserve. I believe in the purpose of committees that advocate for children and that we can turn the stories we hear every day into action and make changes effective. At almost every door I knocked on during the recent general election I was told a tale of a child – a niece, nephew, neighbour or a friend’s child – unable to access the support so badly needed. We will and must do better for these children.”
“I thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, for her words and her hard work driving reform with a sharper focus on the delivery of therapies for children. I also thank the Minister for taking the time to hear my voice as a representative of families who are facing unacceptable and heartbreaking realities. In my constituency of Meath West I have, first as a councillor and now as a TD, dealt with a number of parents in really difficult situations who are fighting daily to get the supports needed for their families. We do not agree on a lot in this Chamber but on this we certainly do. Children with special needs are waiting far too long for the supports and services they require.”
“Navan rail line is firmly on the agenda of this Government and is of great importance to the people I represent, not just in Navan but to the entire constituency of Meath West. Meath has the highest number of commuters leaving the county every morning. We are halfway through year one of two years of design, route selection and public consultation. This means we will not get the project into the planning system until 2027, with construction and delivery not planned until between 2030 and 2035, which is a decade away. Why are three years needed for planning? Is there anything that can or will be done to ensure this vital project is delivered as soon as possible?”
“I welcome the commitment to phase out the means test, but could we not freeze immediately the review of means test for carers currently in the system?”
“In light of the commitment made in the programme for Government to continue to significantly increase the income disregard for carer's allowance in each budget and, ultimately, phase out the means test, will the Government reconsider cases of people whose carer's allowance has been removed because they had to increase their income to provide private therapies for their children? I have a case of a family in Meath West, a couple who have fought for their daughter's needs every step of the way. The mother continued to work despite her daughter's complex needs and the father took on a second job, all to ensure their daughter could avail of private services as they felt they had waited too long publicly.”
“Places like Meath West, with an increased Garda presence now, will come back from the brink of high crime rates. It is a preventative measure, if you will. This means feet on the street, more community gardaí, and rural stations to be manned again. I welcome the commitment by the Government to recruit more gardaí through the recently launched recruitment campaign entitled, "It's a Job Worth Doing".”
“We need them to provide services to people, as well as to pay their rates and taxes. We are told the retail and restaurant sector is under significant pressure. Too many main streets in towns and villages have boarded-up windows. Let us not replace them with broken windows by letting crime take root. A review of Garda numbers by county shows the Meath and Westmeath region has among the lowest levels of gardaí in the country. I suggest the Minister should focus existing resources in the Meath area on preventing further burglaries and crime taking off for the sake of local businesses and the safety of citizens living in our small towns and villages. I ask the Minister that new gardaí who come on stream are not just automatically sent to the high-crime areas.”
“This is a plague on small businesses and is a worrying trend because it often precedes an increase in more serious crime. Indeed, the recent CSO statistics show a 10% increase in burglaries in 2024. In my own constituency of Meath West, we have seen a spate of recent burglaries of commercial businesses in our small rural villages. Not all the crime in Ireland is happening just in the city centre. A family-run café in Kildalkey was targeted twice in recent weeks. A local butcher and chipper in Ballivor were raided on the same night last week also. These sorts of thefts are really painful in the short term, but the resultant increase in insurance costs can be fatal in the medium term. We cannot let rural entrepreneurs be preyed upon by opportunistic criminals. We want businesses to thrive in our villages.”
“From speaking to gardaí during the past few months it is clear the amount of time spent on administration has increased exponentially over the past few years. This is affecting morale and you can be sure it impacts the numbers applying for roles within the Garda. The people need to see the force. We need to put names to the faces of our gardaí and get them out from behind their desks and onto the streets. Garda strategy needs to focus on reducing the administrative burden on gardaí so they can get out into our communities. We need them, our community gardaí, in our schools talking to our young people, meeting them and deterring them from even the pettiest of crimes. Recent CSO studies show a 7% increase in theft, with the majority of these incidents being shoplifting.”
“It makes people feel safe. It motivates gardaí. It has a significant preventative effect on crime and, if done correctly, can resolve conflicts within communities much more quickly. I know the programme for Government sets out ambitious targets for Garda recruitment and this is to be welcomed and should be coupled with a national strategy to enhance the Garda's ability and competence in respect of community policing . In towns throughout Ireland they are not just working in their communities but for them in terms of doing fundraisers, supporting local community groups and engaging with local people. Community police are the ambassadors for the Garda. Trim's community garda, Edel, is a positive, welcome and visible presence all around our town.”
“I thank the Minister for the proactive work he has done in his brief, which I have no doubt will continue as we deliver on our programme for Government commitments. There is little doubt this Government and our Fianna Fáil Party are putting law and order at the centre of our work for the next five years. The nature of the crime faced by our citizens is constantly changing. Success in reducing a type of crime in one area sees different forms of crime spring up in other areas. Making sure the right number of equipped and motivated gardaí are deployed in the right areas is very important. The public needs to see gardaí in our communities. We know once they are deployed they generally deliver so much more to their communities than just policing. The benefits of community policing go far beyond dealing with crime alone.”
“Unfortunately, at age 11 he has not even been seen by the network yet. The only alternative is CAMHS, which generally does not see autistic children. As children like this approach puberty, all these challenges are amplified and become more profound and life-altering for them and their stressed-out, frustrated parents. We need to ensure the huge increases in funding allocated to health services are directed towards resourcing of networks like the CDNTs. This is the right thing to do to ensure CDNTs, CAMHS and general psychological services for young people are adequately resourced and equipped to support families in supporting their loved ones with difficulties.”
“I know the issues of our children and young people and their education, special education and disability are of the utmost importance to the Taoiseach, as they are to me as a representative of the people of Meath West. I look forward to that committee making progress. We need to keep moving forward on our policy, our legislation and our funding of these important areas. The situation is acute and urgent for some of our children. Every month that goes by reduces the chances of a positive outcome and can affect their qualify of life. In Meath West there is a general lack of staff for the CDNTs that we have discussed today. The networks have had to turn away children and their families with challenging problems due to a lack of resources. I know of one child diagnosed with autism and ADHD at age four.”
“I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Healthcare is one of the major issues affecting the people I represent in Meath West and I would like to ensure that this Government gives an unequivocal commitment to the retention of services in Our Lady's Hospital Navan, as did the previous Government. A commitment should be given by this Government to the extension of the services and further investment in the hospital. It is the least that the people of Meath West and the hardworking staff who work in the hospital deserve.”
“I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. As a councillor and now as a TD, like many others, a good percentage of queries I receive from constituents relate to issues with passports. It can be an emotive issue in a stressful time for them. We see a lot of criticism of public services, such as the Passport Office, but it has excelled in recent years and it is a different situation from the one we found ourselves in four years ago. The issuing of 1 million passports in 2024 is a huge milestone to mark. Does the Tánaiste have the current processing times, compared with 2022, for simple online renewals, for complex or child online renewals and for first-time applications online and through the An Post passport express service?”
“I wish the Tánaiste well in his role as Minister for Foreign Affairs at this turbulent time. What was the number of passport books and cards issued to applicants from County Meath in 2024? What is the estimate for the number that is expected to be issued in 2025 and will he make a statement on the matter?”
“We must ensure the ESB, Eir and all other parties are prepared for future events like this. I welcome the statements made here by some of the Ministers that future events will be catered for more appropriately in the future.”
“The Minister, Deputy Calleary, in particular, has done fantastic work in the social protection brief as part of the humanitarian assistance scheme. I thank him for the alleviation of stress for many people. National and local government must engage with our landowners, farmers and agricultural contractors and ensure they can and will work hand in hand with our State agencies and public bodies as part of clean-up operations in the future. Landowners must take responsibility, as must the ESB, to ensure our power lines are clear of vegetation into the future. We cannot forget those who are still without power and water, and while some might dismiss the lack of broadband and phone coverage as a First World problem, sometimes this is people's only connection to the outside world.”
“These and many more voluntary and community-based groups have responded, as they always have and as they did for the Ukrainian crisis and many others, to unprecedented events with a hot cup of tea, a phone charge or a shower and a chat, reconnecting people to the outside world. Storm Éowyn, an unprecedented natural event, must teach and has taught us many lessons. First and foremost, storms of this magnitude can no longer be called unprecedented or unexpected. We must cater for them more into the future. Our TDs and Ministers and our Taoiseach were on the ground dealing with the aftereffects of the storm over the past 13 days and played vital roles in the aftermath. I commend their leadership and hard work.”