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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“Ruth, a mother of four school-age children with animals to feed and shelter, had a freezer and fridge full of food that had gone to waste. Annette has a family-run business and was unable to power the machinery to keep their business going. They are obviously only a flavour of the people with whom I have been in touch. I know we all have many stories like that, and some much more heartbreaking accounts. Our community has not let us down during the aftermath of this storm, however. Hubs such as the Athboy community centre and Ballinlough, Simonstown, Kilskeer, Carnaross and Saint Brigid's in Oldcastle, which were all GAA clubs that opened their doors and hearts to the local community.”
“I pay tribute to all those involved in the work that was required in the aftermath of the storm including the local authority workers, especially those in my own Meath County Council, the ESB, the telecom workers and the very many individuals and groups, such as the Civil Defence, who worked to alleviate the worst effects of the storm. In that, I include many of my colleagues here in the House today. As a recently elected Deputy, it was an experience I will never forget. I received hundreds of calls, texts and emails from constituents all across Meath West, such as Tommy, who was released from hospital to a freezing dark house and whose neighbours had to put an extension lead in through his windows to run the medical equipment he needed so desperately.”
“Is lá bródúil é dom a bheith anseo ag tabhairt mo chéad óráid. It is a proud day to be here giving my first speech in Dáil Eireann. It is a great honour to be here on behalf of the people of Meath West who I will represent every day with integrity and passion. My first thoughts in rising to speak are for the thousands of people who have suffered the loss of power and water over the past couple of weeks, the people whose lives and businesses were badly affected for days and in some cases up to the present day, and the farmers and business owners whose livelihoods have been disrupted severely as a result of this storm.”