Aubrey McCarthy
University of Dublin · Independent · Ireland
“I briefly mention what my colleague Senator Andrews mentioned about the accommodation recognition payment, ARP, and its proposed reduction for those who are hosting Ukrainians in Ireland.”
“I have travelled to Ukraine and seen first-hand the resilience and dignity of the people. Many of the people I hosted are from Mariupol and have nothing to go back to. They are not just people receiving support but people who have become part of the community here. We should never forget why they came here in the first place.”
“Just as I was coming in this morning, standing on the lawn at the Merrion side of Leinster House it is hard to ignore the ragwort that is growing on the grass. Under the Noxious Weeds Act 1936, ragwort is a noxious weed.”
“I extend the welcome to Emma and Adam. I first met them through our homeless services at the Lighthouse Homeless Café. They came to access services. Adam is a bright lad. He is studying away. He is a fanatic when it comes to basketball and I hope that one day, he will play for Ireland, if not in the NBA in the US.”
“As someone who has spent over two decades in Tiglin, trying to get people from homelessness, addiction and domestic abuse back into employment and education, I can say that the Mr Price model works very well.”
“I hope we ensure that people such as Adam are given every chance to fulfil their dreams. I wish Emma and Adam every success. I thank Emma for volunteering at the Lighthouse with my manager, Mr. Rob Byrne. It is something special. I welcome the Belgian Ambassador to the House. He is a wonderful representative of his country.”
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“I call on the Government, the Office of Public Works, OPW, and all the relevant Departments to urgently intervene to discuss and engage directly with the business owner and provide proper supports and pathways for the staff there. If the State is spending millions of euro on the EU Presidency, surely basic fairness and decency to its own people are important. We have a meeting downstairs with the housing committee from the European Union. Many of the MEPs have put on record that they are surprised at how Ireland has the same regulations as our European counterparts yet when it comes to planning houses, the system takes forever and a day. One example was given dating from when the UK was a member of the EU. Mr. Sean Mulryan of Ballymore Group said that when he was dealing with Canary Wharf, he dealt with the Mayor of London.”
“I acknowledge there are security and logistical concerns regarding Dublin Castle. However, there must be a duty of care to the ordinary workers and small businesses caught in the middle of the decisions. What is upsetting is that there is an apparent lack of engagement or consultation with the owners of the cafe. The owners have said they were given little notice. No compensation package was discussed nor a pathway to protect the livelihoods of the people who work there, including the baristas, chefs, cleaners and managers. Those are long-serving staff who have supported this community initiative. Many have worked there for decades. We in this House cannot tell SMEs they are the backbone of Ireland when, if something important in the State comes along, disruption is caused and they are shafted.”
“It is a business venture. I raise an issue that is happening regarding the Presidency, which is the forced closure of the Silk Road Cafe in Dublin Castle. It has operated there for 25 years and has employed, over time, up to 25 loyal staff. The cafe has been told that it must shut its doors, understandably, because of the Presidency. Workers are facing layoffs and there is no certainty about what will happen after the six months have passed. As a member of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, it goes against everything we say downstairs in the committee rooms. We claim to stand for supporting local businesses, protecting employment and respecting workers. I understand the importance of the EU Presidency. It is a time for Ireland to shine.”
“The International Year of the Woman Farmer will pass, but the decisions we make can have a lasting legacy. As Senator Brady mentioned, we need more Ellie Bradys. Let us make a decision that we support women farmers.”
“He said that we must actively and encourage support for agriculture in education through schools and colleges, but I will highlight the issues surrounding the Irish National Stud's thoroughbred breeding management course, which Senator Boyhan and I recently raised with the Minister. It is an internationally respected programme with strong agricultural competencies, yet graduates are excluded from trained farmer status due to technical European credit transfer and accumulation system, ECTS, requirements. Many graduates are women from farming backgrounds. This is exactly the kind of bureaucratic barrier that discourages people. I know this motion is about more than recognition; it is about fairness, visibility and opportunity. However, that green cert is an opportunity to make a difference.”
“If we want an example, and many examples were given by my colleague, I often think of Anna May McHugh and how she transformed the National Ploughing Championships into the largest outdoor agricultural event in Europe. She became one of the most respected figures in Irish farming and also in business. She played a major role and broke the glass ceiling for women in agriculture. Her daughter Anna Marie works alongside her. Another issue that must be brought up is education. Senator Boyhan suggested an initiative as part of the leaving certificate that would bring in the green certificate as part it.”
“It is not a reflection of women's ability or ambitions, but it certainly reflects barriers around ownership, succession and opportunity which still exist today. Globally, women make up to 41% of the agrifood workforce, but they continue to face disadvantages in accessing land, funding and even education, which I will mention in a moment. It shows the scale when we look at Europe. The United Nations estimates that empowering women in agriculture could reduce food insecurity for up to 45 million people worldwide. That shows the scale of what is possible when women are properly supported and valued. Ireland is proud to co-sponsor the initiative at the United Nations and I welcome that, but support abroad must also translate to meaningful action here.”
“I thank the Minister for being here. I am proud to be a signatory to Senator Boyhan's motion. The women who farm this land deserve far better than the system has given them in the past. This year is the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer. That recognition matters because for generations women have been the backbone of rural Ireland. I was brought up on a farm and my mother was the backbone of the whole family. As Senator Daly said, often they are not on the cheque books or the cattle herd numbers and so on, but they are certainly the backbone. Often they are invisible within the agricultural system itself. Only 13% of farms in Ireland are owned by women. That statistic shows we have a long way to go.”
“I commend Rachel Harper, Alizia, Alex, Christine and the people who are here today and are championing the project. This House supports them.”
“Lori, who is the quietest but strongest one, is going to play for Ireland. She certainly has prowess when it comes to soccer. Jack shared about his swimming medals and all of that. What it showed was that we have a national school in our midst that is hitting the ball out of the park when it comes to dealing with smartphones and how they impact the younger generation. I have talked previously in this House about Tiglin and its Greystones Youth Café. It Takes a Village has partnered with the youth café. Now we have the coffee machines and pizza machines, but we also have open mic nights, different craft days and homework clubs for the children. It Takes a Village is something to watch. An Tánaiste has said it is something that can be mirrored and replicated throughout the country.”
“I thank the Cathaoirleach for welcoming my guests from St. Patrick's National School in Greystones. Today, we had a special event. The team from St. Patrick's addressed us in the audiovisual room. Many of my colleagues were there. The team is led by Ms Rachel Harper, whom I have known for many years. She brought some fantastic guests, children from the school, with her. They shared how smartphones impact the younger generation. They shared that in their school, they have all signed up to a code. The code is that they do not receive a smartphone until a certain age. Each individual then shared about their own lives and what it meant to them. We had Bodie, Jack, Rachel, Jamie and Lori. Bodie shared how he started collecting coins. He has a coin collection that is worth a lot of money. He is certainly one to watch.”
“I look forward to work to working constructively with the Minister of State and with colleagues across the House to ensure the OPW is supported, strengthened and held to the highest standards of transparency and public service.”
“The second is to commit to a full audit of OPW-managed vacant and underused properties with a view to bringing them back into productive public use. The Minister of State has a letter on his desk from me regarding the Box in the Docks, and that is one significant building that needs to be addressed. The third is to strengthen the OPW's capacity in heritage conservation to ensure the Irish national identity is protected for future generations. The OPW has a proud history and a vital role in the life of this country. With the right focus, the right resources and the right accountability, it can continue to serve the public with excellence. However, we must be honest about the challenges I have raised. I hope I am being fair. We must be ambitious in our vision for what the OPW can achieve.”
“I acknowledge the extraordinary work of the OPW conservation teams, the craftspeople and the specialists. Their skills, which are rare nowadays, are immensely important to the country. We must ensure these skills are passed on, that such training is supported and that heritage is not treated as an afterthought in national planning. As we look to the future, the OPW must be empowered to deliver on its core responsibilities. As I mentioned, that is protecting communities against flooding and preserving our heritage, but it is also managing the public buildings. It requires clarity and leadership. Today, I am asking the Minister of State to consider three key actions. The first is to accelerate the delivery of flood relief schemes and provide clear delivery timelines to affected communities.”
“They have to open it to the public, which means they have to take out public liability insurance, but the public liability insurance is now in the tens of thousands, and that cannot be supported or reimbursed in any way. What I know is that, in Ireland, our heritage is not a luxury or an optional extra. It is an expression of what Ireland is. It is a story of who we are and where we came from. It is often the cornerstone of our tourism industry, supporting jobs, local economies and regional development. I know heritage is under pressure, especially in urban areas, where development pressures and climate impacts all pose challenges. We need to ensure the OPW has the resources, the staffing and the long-term planning capacity to protect our historic buildings. Once it is lost, it is lost forever.”
“It is unacceptable that assets like this are left to decay. That is why I am calling for a full audit of all OPW-managed vacant or underused properties. We need transparency on these. We need a clear picture of what we own, what condition they are in and what potential they hold. Only then can we make informed decisions about how to use these assets for the public good. Alongside these issues of infrastructure and property management, I want to highlight the OPW's vital role in heritage conservation. I am on the housing committee. We regularly meet people with wonderful stately homes, classic architecture and so on, but they cannot afford to keep the heritage in the state it is meant to be in.”
“From what I hear, there is no clear plan for its future. I do not think that was a minor oversight. I know it was built in the 1990s at a cost of millions, it was redone in 2009 at a cost of millions and it had its own security up to 2014. It is now a symbol of a wider issue, which is the failure to properly manage, maintain and utilise public assets. I want to be firm on that but I want to be fair. I am not suggesting that every underused building is the result of mismanagement, but when a structure like this sits neglected for years in the heart of a thriving urban area, it raises serious questions about oversight and accountability. At a time when I have a homeless café where we feed 500 people literally a couple of hundred metres from its door, this building could be used for housing, community use or cultural activity.”
“In the middle of a housing crisis involving such big homeless numbers, when we have 17,517 in emergency accommodation, the State cannot afford to mismanage assets it already has and the buildings and properties under its care. That brings me to the example of the Box in the Docks. Last week, I was visiting the residents on the waterways at Grand Canal Dock. I wanted to see how they live, if their accommodation is suitable, what the new by-laws are and how the by-laws are going to impact them. While I was there, I saw the Waterways Visitor Centre at Grand Canal Dock. It cost millions. It is deeply concerning to see it as it is. I literally just came upon it. It was a publicly funded structure in one of the most visible, viable and valuable parts of Dublin, but it has been left idle and is deteriorating.”
“I fully appreciate that flood relief schemes are complex and they require engineering, environmental sensitivity and so on, but the pace is simply too slow. The impact on the families who are appearing before our committees is profound. People cannot rebuild their lives every few years. They cannot be listening to the rain outside, wondering if this is the rain that is going to devastate their house once again. We need a renewed urgency, a renewed focus and a renewed commitment to delivering these schemes on time and on budget. While we talk about protecting communities from flooding, we also have to talk about how we protect public assets, the assets we already have. I am involved in the homeless aspect of providing housing.”
“These towns and others like them have repeatedly been before us at the committees and they have been severely impacted by flooding events, which have devastated homes, livelihoods and essential infrastructure. They represent communities across Ireland that are living in constant fear of the next storm, the next high tide and the next river surge. We all know the names of the towns. I have mentioned some of them. They are communities that have been promised relief, protection and progress. Yet, year after year, many of these schemes remain stuck in planning, procurement and essential assessment. The Minister of State first came to my attention when he was out dealing with floods many years ago.”
“While acknowledging the good work of the staff, I also do not want to shy away from the challenges the Minister of State faces, such as the delays and structural issues that continue to undermine the OPW's mission. If anything, it makes it more important that we address them here today because when such systems fail it is the staff who carry the burden and it is the public who will pay the price. One of the most pressing issues facing the OPW is the ongoing delay of flood relief schemes. I am on the petitions committee and even today we are dealing with a petition from residents from Rathcormack, Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Mogeely. They are calling on the Government to initiate tranche 2 of the flood relief programme for their communities.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I am happy to contribute to the important statements on the Office of Public Works. It is an organisation whose work touches communities, heritage and public infrastructure in every corner of Ireland. I do not take that lightly. I will begin on a constructive note. It is important to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment of the OPW front-line staff, and as Senator Rabbitte mentioned, the different aspects of where they were out on the front line, helping people who were out in storms, flood-waters, heritage sites and in public buildings, and doing the work that often goes unseen but is absolutely essential. I want to put on record my own appreciation for their dedication, professionalism and public service.”
“When housing is done right, that works, but what does not work is allowing the normalisation of deprivation in communities, such as those that Mike Ryan mentioned, so that a life expectancy of 61 no longer shocks us. That should be a headline for us all. I am asking for a debate in this House on health inequality, life expectancy and the disparities there are in Ireland, particularly in inner cities, as well for an urgent cross-departmental response involving housing, health, addiction and community regeneration. We talked about Fianna Fáil being 100 years old. We have a lot to be proud of but our post codes should never determine how long we live.”
“While we speak in this House about social inclusion and community, we often talk about statistics but what he was talking about was generations of people who have been left behind in Dublin's city centre. I have worked in the inner city for over 20 years through the charity Tiglin and the Lighthouse, and I have sat with men and women who never had a real chance from childhood onwards and who experienced neglect, homelessness, violence, prison and hopelessness. I know that when intervention is allowed to happen, it works. Early intervention and recovery works. Education works and there are wonderful community initiatives that work.”
“Last weekend, I was delighted to see Irishman Dr. Michael Ryan being given an outstanding lifetime achievement award for being a director of the WHO and what he has accomplished. However, in the past week he also spoke about the life expectancy in parts of Dublin's inner city. I was blown away by what he said about the inner city and Summerhill, where he said the life expectancy is just 61 years of age compared with a national average of 83. If we think about that, just a couple of kilometres from this House, people are dying more than 20 years earlier than others in the same country. It is much more than a health issue. It is poverty, addiction, inter-generational trauma, poor housing, poor mental health supports and isolation and it is all colliding together.”
“When trauma-informed services are involved, it means that family care and family support can be provided and the women who seek help can be given all the supports necessary. No woman should ever feel that asking for help should cost her everything, including her children. We need a system that lets people with a problem come forward and be supported and does not deepen the silence. More importantly, we need more compassion in how we talk about addiction in this country. Behind all of the statistics that I have mentioned, there is a human being and a mother who is trying her best to bring up her kids and now wants to face her addiction.”
“Therefore the problem gets worse and they do not seek help. If you can imagine a woman that reaches a point where she realises she needs help, perhaps through intervention from her family or whatever, but instead of reaching out for support, she feels fear - fear of stigma, shame and being labelled a bad mother. Many of these women are already carrying burdens of trauma, domestic violence and poverty. A recent Trinity study showed that women experience addiction differently and often face deeper stigma than men in seeking treatment. That is from Trinity College Dublin. As we have found in the likes of Tiglin, Cuan Mhuire, Coolmine and the Tabor Group, when recovery happens it changes lives.”
“I welcome Daniel Malone. I raise an issue this morning that is often behind closed doors, namely, women facing addiction in our community. These are women who are trying to hold their families together. Too often, when we speak about addiction, we picture a man sleeping rough or somebody who is visibly in crisis. There are many women, many of them mothers, who are suffering quietly behind curtains, terrified to ask for help because, in doing so, they put their children at risk of being taken into care. That means they will lose their family or be judged by society. Therefore, they try not to seek help. A recent piece by the Tabor Group highlighted that one of the biggest barriers for mothers accessing addiction treatment is the fear that social services will intervene and become involved if they admit that they have a problem.”
“We used to have that for women drivers, who were offered premiums at half the cost of those for male drivers. There was a whole issue there around gender equality. We must reward safe behaviour and ensure premiums reflect actual driving records. We also need stronger regulatory oversight. The State must have the power to challenge unjustified increases, demand data and intervene when the market fails consumers. At the enterprise committee, I have often raised with the heads of the insurance industry how insurance costs are spiralling. My colleague Senator Nelson Murray has done the same. We were told there is a sub-group on insurance reform and any issues should be brought to it. We need the Government to do more on insurance reform. People deserve a system that protects them, not one that penalises certain cohorts.”
“I have also spoken to a lot of rural families who feel abandoned because, without a car, they are cut off from employment, education and often healthcare as well. For many people in rural areas, a car is not optional. Not everybody lives beside a bus route or has access to a rail link. People in rural Ireland cannot just be told to take public transport. We need mandatory transparency regarding how insurance is priced, and insurers must publish that data. It must include how premiums are set, how risk is assessed and how a reduction in claims translates into pricing. Without that transparency, we do not have accountability. We also need fair treatment, as I mentioned, for young drivers. That means ending blanket risk categorisation.”
“When we try to help them to get on the road, they find they are facing premiums of anywhere between €3,000 and €5,000 even when driving older, low-powered vehicles. This affects students, apprentices and people entering the workplace. They are people who are trying to build their future. We are telling them to get jobs and to contribute, yet before they even start, they face an insurance bill that makes up a large proportion of their annual income. I understand there is a Cabinet sub-group on insurance reform but I am not sure whether it is ticking all the boxes. This is not just an economic issue. It is costing society in a huge way. I have spoken to parents who feel ashamed that they cannot help their children to afford a car. Often, the car itself is the cheapest thing to buy; the insurance is where the problem starts.”
“One of my colleagues detailed in the House a couple of weeks ago how when she went to renew her insurance, the price given online was €400. She did not sign up for it that day and when she went back the following day, the cost given was €800. There is no transparency in how premiums are calculated. Insurers are not required to show us how it all works. That is not how a fair market should operate. What is in operation is a closed system. The public is carrying the burden while the whole rationale behind pricing remains hidden. The group most affected by this, and mostly ignored, are young drivers. We see young people coming through the services at Tiglin whom we are helping into housing and education.”
“I see this in my own business. Senator Casey pointed out that for SME owners, the temptation is often there to underwrite oneself, but then one thinks about the act of God clause whereby one could lose everything. I know people who have taken the risk of underwriting themselves and they are saving money at this moment in time. The truth about the current system - again, with particular reference to motor insurance - is that it lacks transparency on both pricing and payouts. Customers do not know how their premiums are calculated but they do know that one driver might be paying €700 while another pays €2,000. They do not know why a reduction in claims does not translate into a reduction in the cost of premiums.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here. As my colleague just noted, the issue we are addressing is very serious and very topical. Public confidence is being eroded in the essential service that is the insurance industry. This is especially so when we focus on the likes of motor insurance. It is an issue that affects all of us, including young people, essential service providers, etc. Time and again, I see motor insurance premiums increasing while claims are reducing and accident rates have fallen. Road safety has improved across the board. Vehicles are safer, technology is better and public awareness is higher than ever. Yet, despite all that progress, premiums and excesses continue to rise. That seems to be a contradiction. Many of us are asking the simple question of why we are paying more when the risk is going down.”
“We owe this to the memory of the 275 women, including Aisling Murphy, whose lives have been taken since 1996, to the 32,000 women who contacted Women's Aid last year and to every woman and girl growing up in Ireland today. By working together, we can make zero tolerance a reality.”
“It discourages many victims from seeking the help they need, and that is definitely not justice and it is not acceptable. It is essential that this issue be addressed. I also want to refer to the accessibility online of violent pornography, which presents a distorted view to younger people. That absolutely has to be confronted. That is why initiatives such as the Greystones initiative It Takes a Village, which is fantastic, need to be supported and funded. I commend my Fianna Fáil colleagues on the motion. It acknowledges that, while progress has been made, the work is far from finished. It is about ensuring the zero-tolerance strategy is fully implemented, fully funded and fully delivered. It is also about ensuring every woman and child in this country can live free from fear.”
“These refuges are not luxuries; they are lifelines. We also need to confront a deeply disturbing reality my colleague mentioned. Some accommodation providers are exploiting vulnerable people through so-called sex-for-rent arrangements. Such predatory behaviour is coercion and abuse and it absolutely has to be criminalised. I am in total in agreement with my colleague on this. I support the swift passage of the criminal law and civil law legislation to ensure this practice is criminalised with the full force of the law. Another area in which reform is urgently needed is the handling of counselling notes in sexual assault trials. This is a major issue. At present, the notes are routinely disclosed, which causes the re-traumatisation of victims.”
“I welcome the progress made under the zero-tolerance strategy, including the increased funding, the legislative reforms and the expansion of refuge places. However, there has not been enough. We need more places and victim supports. The steps forward show progress but they are just not enough at this stage. Safety is what women and children in this country deserve. We know that at least 280 refuge spaces are promised by the end of this year. That is what is needed, and I hope they are delivered. I also hope every county in Ireland will have at least two safe homes for women who need access to them. We need to accelerate the delivery of the 94 safe homes and the 193 refuge units already planned, as well as the additional 50 units under construction, and ensure they are completed without delay.”
“They are not just random numbers; they were people with lives and families. My own family could have been a statistic in this regard. An Garda Síochána has published statistics showing it dealt with 65,000 incidents of domestic abuse in 2024. That is 1,250 every single week. This shows the huge scale of domestic abuse. It seems that is what we are facing at this moment. The reason I support this motion is that it recognises that domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is an absolute scourge in our society and is still very prevalent. I witnessed it as a child but it is still very prevalent now. That just cannot be. This cannot just be seen as a men's issue. It is a cultural and political issue and it demands a whole-of-society response.”
“Three years ago, our nation was shaken to its core by the brutal murder of Ashling Murphy. That young woman, who was in college with my niece, was full of promise and was a wonderful musician. She was taken from her community and her family. Her death was a moment that stopped us all in our tracks and we all hoped it would be a turning point. I believed it was such at the time in that we seemed finally to confront male violence and condemn it for what it is. However, as Women's Aid recently noted, women in Ireland are no safer today than they were on the day Ashling died. A statement like that gives me the horrors. Since 1996, 275 women have been violently killed in the Republic. Two thirds of them were killed in their own homes and more than half were killed by a partner or former partner.”
“I thank the Minister for being here for this very important debate. As a young child growing up in County Kildare, there was domestic violence in my own house. My mother was a wonderful lady and a figurehead for us all to look up to. She had to go through the courts. There was very little protection at that time. There were no refuges and nowhere to go. My mother had to go through court proceedings, the High Court and all of that. It was a very dark time of my life. I have no doubt it impacted on me and influenced my setting up Tiglin, whereby we help women who are marginalised and have set up various safe places for women. Now, at 54 years of age, I consider, as my colleague Senator Comyn noted, that we are dealing, in 2026, with something that should no longer be happening and which should be a done deal.”
“I know the ambassador in Ireland, Larysa Gerasko, has been very thankful to the Irish Government, authorities and to the Irish nation for supporting her nation, but we must not let them down now.”
“Perhaps the accommodation is only essential for a small number but it still needs to be looked at. Could we perhaps means-test the supports rather than giving a blanket ban? Could we not distinguish between people who can afford accommodation and who can not? There is a better way of dealing with our Ukrainian neighbours, who are defending the borders of Europe, than giving a blanket notice that will push thousands of people into uncertainty, and potentially onto the streets. We have supported the Ukrainians in a wonderful way from day one and I do not want to see, hopefully near the end of the war, that we let our side down. We have always had a pride in ourselves regarding compassion and I want to make sure that pride is continued.”
“I realise that we do not have an endless purse and we cannot just keep funding indefinitely but last weekend, a Minister suggested that one or two Ukrainians might end up homeless as a result of these changes. As somebody who is involved in the homeless sector, that comment is something that deeply concerns me. That is certainly not the type of country we want to be seen as. The shots that were fired from Russia are still being fired. Putin has not stopped his war, which was started in February 2022. The families who fled here looking for help because their own homes and towns were destroyed and their lives were threatened, still, undoubtedly, have the same issues. Some people may be in a position whereby they no longer need State support and that is valid.”
“I see our distinguished guests here, the ambassador, H.E. Cleviston Haynes from Barbados, and the foreign minister, Christopher P. Sinckler. They are very welcome. Over the last number of days, we have been hearing about the ship MV Hondius. There were two Irish citizens aboard and there has been a lot of debate on the airways about how we get them off, etc. I commend the Taoiseach, the Minister for foreign affairs, the Minister for Health, and the Baldonnel team who brought in the two Irish citizens and got them safely back home. It was a fantastically successful mission and it showed that when we do things right we do them very right. I commend everyone concerned. I also raise the Government's plan to withdraw accommodation from up to 16,000 Ukrainians currently living in the State. What is the thinking behind that?”
“What Safetynet and Tiglin are doing today in Greystones is all about humanity. A nurse in a van in Greystones will do more for public health than many expensive reports still sitting on shelves. I commend Safetynet Primary Care. I commend Mr. Phil Thompson, our CEO at Tiglin. I hope that the Minister takes the likes of this role regarding primary care reaching the most vulnerable into account as the new national drug strategy is being finalised. If we are going to take a health-led approach to addiction and homelessness, we need to properly fund it.”
“Free screening and quiet conversations with no judgment or bureaucracy are provided, which makes it so simple. If we look at the statistics, we can see that more than ten homeless people in Ireland die every month. Most of those fatalities are not overdoses, which is the interesting statistic. Most of them are due to untreated illnesses like liver disease, cardiovascular disease, respiratory infections, etc., that could have been prevented if these people were reached early enough. For over 20 years, Tiglin has tried to see what happens when people are given a second chance at housing, recovery, rehabilitation and employment. We are now trying to see what would happen if healthcare were packaged differently by partnering with Safetynet Primary Care. I think we could make a difference in so many lives.”
“Many times in this House, I mentioned the concerning situation where when people battling addiction, homelessness, trauma and long-term exclusion try to access the healthcare system, it can feel miles away, appointments get missed and fear and shame get in the way. I noticed at the Lighthouse that is often the case with many of our guests each evening. Today in Greystones, we have a mobile health clinic run by Safetynet Primary Care. I have spoken about Safetynet Primary Care before. Today, it is at one of our centres in Greystones. It is a simple idea but I often think it is the simple ideas that actually save lives. Instead of expecting vulnerable people to navigate the complicated health system, Safetynet is now bringing healthcare directly to the individual.”
“Ann has said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and consulate have been excellent but we have no solution. It is a life-and-death situation. Behind Ann's humour, it is a very serious situation. Ann is well known to us at the Lighthouse. She is one of my best volunteers and she knows everybody who comes in and out. I hope passengers will be brought ashore safely soon and medical science can intervene.”
“Ms Lane informed me that the Oceanwide Expeditions ship is immaculate and that everything on board is done professionally. However, it is not being allowed to dock. This is a matter of serious concern. I asked Ms Lane how they are doing food-wise and she stated that she is really enjoying it. The only thing she is worried about is getting on the scales when she comes home. She is very positive. I heard the news before coming in to the effect that Pedro Sánchez has stated that the ship is going to sail to the Canary Islands. However, it seems now the Canary Islands will only allow Spanish citizens to dock and they will be transferred to Madrid, while the rest of the people on board have to be repatriated. I want to bring, as a matter of urgency, the situation of two of our citizens before the House, one of whom we know very well.”