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 move: “That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges that: - the Seller’s Legal Pack for Property Buyers Bill 2021 was originally introduced by the then Independent TD, Marc MacSharry; - the Bill was designed to front-load the property conveyancing process and reduce transaction times for property purchases, reduce wasted costs associated with delays or sales falling through, and to allow for more certain and transparent transactions for both the consumer and the seller when a property is being bought and sold; - the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers (IPAV) Conveyancing Survey Results 2020 revealed that 81 per cent of property service providers are either frustrated or very frustrated by the delays caused by the current conveyancing process, according to the survey results, some 79 per cent of auctioneers who are experiencing conveyancing delays from the time the property has gone 'sale agreed’ to when the sale has closed; - in 2021, IPAV was campaigning to find new and cost-effective ways to speed up the conveyancing of property – the legal process in transferring property title; - an IPAV Conveyancing Survey 2023 showed 97 per cent support for the Seller’s Legal Pack (SLP) among IPAV members, with delays still prevalent despite previous voluntary reforms to the conveyancing process; Ireland Thinks Survey 2023 indicated 77 per cent consumer support for the SLP, with significant backing from young adults, and 73 per cent of respondents saying that the conveyancing process caused problems for them when purchasing a house; - an IPAV Member Survey 2024 found 32 per cent of properties on the market have issues to be resolved (i.e.”
“One was Geordan Murphy, the Irish rugby international. The second was Louise Quinn, the Irish soccer international and the third was Niamh Horan from the Sunday Independent . It was fascinating to see what the alumni from a school can do when they all bond together and they can achieve much. From setting up Tiglin over the years I know that I have not kept in touch with the Newbridge College alumni but a lot of them have supported me, got behind me, given me properties and made a huge difference. My point is that when alumni work together we can make that difference.”
“When he was in school many years ago Joe Osborne was warned that if he did not study he would end up working with horses. I can tell everyone that it has worked out very well for him. He led the Godolphin operation in Kildangan and beyond for Sheikh Maktoum. This is an industry that brings in €2.5 billion to the economy and employs over 30,000 people. Well done to everybody involved. The second event was in the Leader's constituency in Newbridge. I was asked to attend an event by my old alma mater . I know the Cathaoirleach will find it hard to believe but I was there 40 years ago in secondary school. I was asked to MC an event and the alumni from various years were there. It was fascinating to see different people from the arts, business, politics and charities and what they had achieved. My job was to interview three alumni.”
“I want to talk about two events I was at over the weekend. One of them was run by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, ITBA. I was brought up on a farm in County Kildare with point-to-point horses. Horse racing, horse breeding and the half-bred industry, all of that is a fascinating industry and it really impressed me. Last weekend I really enjoyed it because I saw ordinary people from farms all over Ireland attending this event, with some of the people who would be well known in the media and get a lot of the attention. An award went to Sandra Russell, a small-time breeder and farmer from Tipperary. She had bred a horse that made €1.6 million. She is an ordinary lady but one who is absolutely kicking the ball out of the park. Then there was Joe Osborne who was given a special award.”
“Otherwise, they are living in complete uncertainty. Will the Minister of State make sure we commit to a clear timeline regarding givinostat?”
“I thank the Minister of State for being so forthright. She stated that the HSE "has also advised that the application remains under consideration and it cannot make any comment on possible outcomes from the ongoing process", so timelines are still questionable there. I fully accept assessments exist and procedures matter but, unfortunately, Duchenne muscular dystrophy does not wait for process and these children's illness does not pause while we are dealing with the paperwork. We are 18 months on from the initial assessment of this application and there is still no final timeline. Every month and every day really matters. It is shrinking windows at this stage. Parents are not asking the Minister of State to bypass any legislation or safeguards, but they are asking her to name a timeframe indicating whether this decision is weeks away.”
“Today I am asking for three things, the first of which is an acknowledgement that the lack of any clear timeline is causing real angst among families. Second, when are the HSE and the NCPE processes expected to conclude? Families deserve to know this. Finally, will the HSE be asked to prioritise and expedite the assessment of givinostat, given its regulatory status and availability elsewhere? When a treatment has already met EU standards, it is not unreasonable to expect momentum in our own jurisdiction. These families are not looking for promises. They are just looking for clarity, straight answers and transparency because time is a serious factor here.”
“It has been worked on and been under consideration for nearly 18 months but unfortunately there is no timeline or indication of when a decision might be made and no sense of when the end will be in sight. For the Duchenne community, the delay is what matters because every regression in the child's body is a loss that cannot be regained. They are not asking for shortcuts but are asking for clarity, honesty and for a system that understands what is actually happening regarding the children. Givinostat has already received EU conditional authorisation and is available in other jurisdictions. It is seen as a treatment that slows down the disease but in Ireland children are being left in limbo which is hard to explain to parents.”
“When Jack's mum first heard about givinostat, she did not feel false hope but she did realise that the story would not only be about loss but that something in the progression of the disease might be slowed down. The Duchenne community really hopes that givinostat, if allowed, will not be just another medicine but will actually be a lifeline for them. The Minister of State will have received all of the details regarding this particular case. The HSE has provided a response regarding its assessment and reimbursement process. I understand that there are systems and safeguards in place but what the families are struggling with is the silence. They are not hearing anything back. The reimbursement application for givinostat has been in progress since August 2024.”
“As the Minister of State knows, for families living with Duchenne it becomes a countdown. They do not talk about it much but it is always there. They have to think about how long a child will be able to climb the stairs or to play football. What is awful about Duchenne is that is relentlessly progressive so whatever is lost is permanently lost and cannot be regained. That is why givinostat really matters in this situation. Families know that there is no cure and are not pretending otherwise. What is important is time for children like Jack to walk that bit longer, to be independent and to have time to hold on to the ordinary moments that childhood should bring. For his parents, progress will not be measured in clinical terms but in short-term wins and how long Jack can continue playing football and climbing the stairs in the house.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I want to mention something urgent that affects 110 children in this State and is very time-sensitive. I refer to the ongoing delay in getting access to givinostat, a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This is not about debating the policy on how medicines are given but about the children who are being affected and their families. It is also about how the time delays are affecting those children. I was contacted by a constituent who has a child whom I will call Jack. He is 11-years-old, loves superheroes and is an ordinary little kid. He should be worrying about friends and school but at the moment he is worrying about whether his body is going to keep up. Every step he takes becomes more difficult.”
“We have to ensure that when such harm is done, we understand that the sentencing framework is fair. Public confidence in the justice system depends on fairness, and many people feel that the balance necessary in this regard is not being achieved. I ask that the Minister for justice, Deputy O’Callaghan, ensure that sentencing trends in fatal assault cases are actively monitored. Is further guidance or a review of matters in this regard being considered? Will the voices of victims’ families be considered? This goes to the very heart of justice and fairness.”
“The public are concerned. I have received emails which show that public confidence in sentencing is being eroded. I fully respect the independence of the Judiciary, and I am not criticising any particular judge or highlighting any cases, but we have to ask whether the current framework is clear, consistent and strong enough to maintain public trust. There are serious questions about the lack of clear statutory guidance on sentencing ranges, how prior convictions are weighed and how guilty pleas are treated. There is also the issue of concurrent sentences in cases involving serious and fatal violence. That can significantly dilute the understanding of the public for that sentence. I am not suggesting mandatory sentencing or the removal of judicial discretion, but we need clarity and transparency.”
“I wish to raise the topic of how our justice system responds to fatal assaults, including what are often called one-punch attacks. Too often, we are confronted with the devastating reality of a single unprovoked act of violence that can cause catastrophic brain injury or even death, as we have seen recently. For the families left behind, such as children and other relatives, it changes everything that comes afterwards . These are not minor offences; they are acts of serious violence that have permanent consequences. There is public concern that the sentencing relating to fatal assault cases is difficult to understand. It appears inconsistent. The Court of Appeal recognises that these cases exist on a spectrum, namely from incidents involving lesser force to those involving extreme violence resulting in loss of life.”
“That should tell us something important, namely, that there is a gap which needs to be filled. I reiterate - and I want the Minister to hear this - that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. We need to provide supportive, trauma-informed models of housing in order to ensure that needs relating to mental health, abuse and trauma will be met. We owe it to Natasha Smith, her children, her mother and the other two people who have lost their lives since Christmas to do this. We need to do better in this area. I call on the Minister for housing to address the matter.”
“When services such as Focus, Simon and even Tiglin at the Lighthouse meet the people and build up a trust over time, services can be provided because we have built up the core friendship or trust that is required. It is essential that services in this area are funded. My experience of 20 years of helping out in respect of homelessness has shown that it is not always about a having a roof over your head. Between 150 and 200 people will sleep rough this evening. It is vital that these individuals are taken into account when we are dealing with housing policy. There cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. When the weather turns and the temperature goes down, people try to survive by living in tents. They feel that by going into hostels, they lose both control and their independence.”
“Our condolences go to Natasha's mother, who is very much alive and who is mourning her daughter. The loss of another person on the streets of Dublin should matter to this House. When we talk about homelessness, we need to make sure we do not focus on the nearly 17,000 people who are homeless as numbers. Behind every number is a face and name. In this case, it was a mother of two. Natasha's death is a clear reminder that despite the efforts that are being made - and efforts are being made - the system is failing people with complex needs. It is ten years since I spoke in these Houses and stated that we needed to make sure we had supported housing for those with complex needs such as those relating to addiction, trauma and abuse.”
“I want to mention something that has impacted the homeless community in the past week. I know it is wearing on me, and it should be wearing on us all. I refer to the reality of homelessness on the streets and the passing of Natasha Smith last Friday. Since Christmas, we have lost three clients of the Lighthouse homeless café. Those numbers are bad but what makes it worse is that too easily those involved can become statistics and then you forget to think about who is behind the numbers. On Pearse Street on Thursday night, we had a ceilí with live music. Natasha Smith was there dancing and enjoying our community atmosphere and then on Friday morning one of our managers was asked to perform CPR on her. Unfortunately, efforts to save her were not successful. She was a beautiful lady and a mother of two.”
“On behalf of the Independent Group, I thank so much the Seanad team, led by Martin, and all the team in Leinster House, for looking after us all year. A happy Christmas to all.”
“Education is also huge for children to know that when they are in their rooms on their own, this is a potential issue that could affect them. We need real penalties for the companies that are in breach of this and fail to protect young users. If this were happening outside the school gates, we would all be up in arms here. The fact it is happening in silence, and affecting children silently, does not make it any less serious. Will the Ministers for justice and communications, because this is an interagency piece, come before the House to address this as a matter of urgency? Children in Ireland need protection. Those 55 children were let down by us. At this stage, offenders know that Ireland is a potential soft target. I wanted to leave that with the Deputy Leader. We have had the warning; now we need to act on it.”
“It is dealing with thousands, but 55 Irish children were actually victims of online sexual abuse. Those are real lives and real trauma that families have to deal with. The fallout from that will be huge. The threat seems to be shifting. Offenders are now using all of the AI-generated images, fake profiles and in-game chats. They are reaching children and parents are not able to control this. They are not able to carry this burden alone. We need proper leadership in the area. We need a joined-up national child online safety plan. I saw one, It Takes A Village, in Greystones, which is an absolutely phenomenal initiative that should be rolled out nationally. We also need mandatory safety standards on gaming platforms, which have been discussed in this House previously.”
“I will take the Senator up on that advice. I certainly need the exercise. Recently, "Prime Time" featured a senior garda from the National Cyber Crime Bureau. He issued a stark warning about young people and children in Ireland who are being groomed on online gaming platforms. He went on record saying that it is happening at an alarming scale. The issue here is that parents assume the everyday games that children play in Ireland are safe, as they are in the safety of their own rooms. However, these cartoon avatars are basically predators deliberately grooming and targeting children, gaining trust and, in some cases, manipulating them into sharing images and then using those images to control or extort them. In just 15 months, the Garda has said it is dealing with 55 Irish children who were victims.”
“I launched it two years ago with fanfare and I was so excited about it, but I do not think the funding and prosecution rate are working on the ground. The potential is there but we need to resource it.”
“It is joint. It is definitely interagency. I notice the Minister of State’s statement says it usually affects drug users or their family members. The example I gave was one of people who have nothing to do with drugs. They are pulled into a world by thugs and criminals, which is totally unfair. The problem is that they feel that when they stand up to these people, their whole lives go into chaos. The test of the DRIVE initiative is when you bring together the Department of justice and the Department of Health and make this thing work. We have the framework and the possibility of making a difference here. However, families are still suffering. I am asking the Minister of State to make sure that DRIVE is matched with funding.”
“How will the community safety partnerships be resourced? How will they be required to work with the drug and alcohol task forces? How will the DRIVE framework be matched with dedicated funding, clearly defined roles and practical family supports so that this can be consistent throughout the country? Crucially, we need to ensure that when people do the right thing, such as the example that I gave, they do not become targets for these criminals. Families living in fear deserve far more than co-ordination on paper. I think DRIVE is wonderful co-ordination on paper but we absolutely need to resource it and make sure that prosecutions appear before the courts.”
“On the ground, families are experiencing intimidation and many are terrified to report this to the Garda. When the Garda does deal with it, it collects all the information but prosecutions often do not come before the courts. The families need trauma-informed support. They need to work with the task forces and so on. It all needs to be joined up. There needs to be joined-up thinking. There is a huge gap in this area. I have asked the Minister for Health to address this but there is also a part for the Department of justice to play. Those involved in intimidation, extortion and threats have to be brought before the courts. I will speak about the community safety partnerships, CSPs. These have real potential when they are funded and when they are supported by the local drug and alcohol task forces.”
“The Minister of State will recently have heard in the news about homes being burnt and so on. When violence does not materialise, people constantly fear what might happen to their children, their house or their family. It creates ongoing trauma. Children absorb the fear and parents live with guilt and shame. Many families I know from my own business and charity work have paid out tens of thousands of euro to these criminals. I acknowledge the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, project put in place by the Minister for Health. I launched that in my own area two years ago. It recognises that the problem requires co-ordinated action across the areas of justice, health and community policing. That framework is certainly a good one but I find that frameworks alone do not protect families and individuals.”
“He did not know what it was and presented it to the authorities. They said he should go to the police. He presented it to the police and it turned out to be cocaine. Unfortunately, the people who owned the drugs identified him as the man who shopped them and they came looking for the full value, which was over €100,000. This drug-related intimidation is affecting people who have never used drugs and who have never been part of that world. It arose here in its most frightening form. As can be imagined, this man was not a drug user. He is now living in fear of reprisals and his family home being damaged. It has made him a target. That is an example of the reality for many families throughout Ireland. Drug-related intimidation does not just affect drug users; it affects families. It involves psychological coercion.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here. My purpose today is to raise the issue of the very real and deeply disturbing impact of drug-related intimidation and violence on families right across Ireland. I spoke on the matter in this House recently and, since then, I have been contacted by a number of people. Many people wrongly see drug-related intimidation as something that only affects those involved in drugs or who use drugs. However, I have found that is simply not true. It is increasingly the case that intimidation reaches into other areas and families and the lives of ordinary law-abiding citizens and neighbours, people who have never had anything to do with drugs and who never chose to be dragged into this chaos. I recently heard of a maintenance groundsman for a school who had found a parcel.”
“I call on the Minister for Health and the Minister of State with responsibility for disability and the HSE to urgently review the 2025 allocation. Vulnerable families with FASD should not be abandoned. I also wish a big happy Christmas to all of the team here - Bridget, Martin, Carmel and all of the gang who have looked after us for the year. Gabhaim buíochas.”
“The organisation cannot afford to heat the offices at some stages. FASD Ireland simply cannot meet the demand. The situation for FASD Ireland is critical. The final HSE payment for 2025 will not arrive in its bank account until January. That leaves the organisation without any funding for December. Without intervention, FASD may be forced to close before the year ends. An overdraft facility has been sought from Bank of Ireland but approval has not come through yet. That depends on the confirmation of 2026 funding, confirmation which the HSE has yet to provide. It is not an isolated issue. I know many people who have FASD. They are working and, with the proper supports, they are doing well. However, they need support from the Government.”
“I welcome my good friend, Gillian McCutcheon, into the House today. Gillian has worked with people from an addiction background for many years, is a trained psychologist and has given her life to it. I salute her for that while she is in the House today. I want to draw attention to the crisis that is facing FASD Ireland, which deals with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Despite delivering all agreed KPIs over the years, and in many cases exceeding them, FASD has been chronically underfunded. In 2024, the organisation received €200,000 from the Government to build capacity. In 2025, it wanted to scale and it put in an application for €418,000 to deliver services at scale, with no provision for increased operational costs. I know first hand that staff are working 12-hour days.”
“We must send a strong message from the Oireachtas that drug debt intimidation will not be tolerated and it will be challenged.”
“I know the Garda is gathering intelligence and doing its best, but there are not enough prosecutions. Many gardaí on the front line of this issue feel they are only paying lip service to the families. That needs to stop. We need to get to those who are making threats. We need to get them before the courts. Families deserve to see justice, not just reports and meetings. Two years have passed since I launched the DRIVE initiative in my area, yet we are not seeing the prosecutions. The intimidation the families face is criminal and coercive, and it needs to be treated as such. The Government needs to commit more resourcing to DRIVE nationally. Communities and families cannot wait. We need an urgent debate with the Minister for justice on this matter.”
“Last week, I spoke about the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, initiative. In the few days since then, I have been contacted by a number of families. Even on the way in this morning, I was contacted by a family whose son has got into addiction, which has brought chaos on the family. They have already paid out €60,000 to criminals who are putting them under pressure. I spoke about the DRIVE programme, which I know it must be appropriate, cost-effective and realistic but it definitely needs better funding. Families are suffering in Ireland. DRIVE was designed to intervene early to support families and break the cycle of intimidation that we are seeing. Despite the anecdotal evidence I am seeing and the information available, a lot of lip service is being paid to this issue.”
“The community came out and supported Mary Holt and Tadhg Farrell. We need a commitment for the national roll-out. We need dedicated ring-fenced funding. We also need a clear message from this House that such drug debt intimidation will not be tolerated. No family should ever lose a family member because of drug-related intimidation. We have a model. The DRIVE model is evidence-based and it needs to be supported.”
“It is also tearing families apart. The DRIVE scheme, which I launched in the Keadeen Hotel for our area two years ago, was designed to respond positively to this crisis. We need to support it in order to reinforce it and get it off the ground. It brings together the drugs task forces, the HSE and the gardaí, with a specific garda given the charge in the area. It is meant to intervene early and support families. It is practical and evidence-based. I am asking for the Government to give it its full backing. It needs funding, resourcing and a clear mandate going forward. We cannot tolerate what is happening. Families in rural communities are living in fear of criminal gangs that believe they have the power to intimidate families. What happened in Edenderry needs to be a turning point. I saw the vigil last night.”
“Today I raise the urgent need to support the full implementation of the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, programme. It is put together by our task forces, one of which I am the chairperson of. Last weekend's horrific events in Edenderry where a grand-aunt, Mary Holt, and a four-year-old boy, Tadhg Farrell, were killed have shocked the entire country. The possibility that this is connected to drug-related intimidation is shocking and deeply disturbing. It also reflects what is going on in the country. I know in my own role as chair of the task force and with Tiglin that drug debt intimidation is real. It affects the most normal families whose son or daughter has got into trouble with drug debt and now the families are being targeted. It is targeted violence, criminal and coercive control.”
“We are also sending young people to nursing homes. The State itself has said that must end. Teach An Saol is shovel-ready. It is an evidence-based solution and the State has said it is going to back it. We need a clear and defined pathway and timeline for this to proceed. I refer not only to phase 1 but also to phase 2, which includes the residential and respite services. We need to ensure there is full support for the national roll-out of such a model, which delivers dignity, independence and rehabilitation. Teach An Saol shows this is possible. The Government must now put its money where its mouth is and honour its commitment.”
“It should be expanded. That is the Ballymun idea. An Saol assembled an international team of architects and engineers to design a comprehensive national centre. It was meant to have a day centre, a respite centre, therapies and, crucially, life and living spaces where people could live, rehabilitate and thrive. Despite all this, here we are a year and a bit later and we are only progressing phase 1, the day service, which is moving from Santry to Ballymun, rather than moving on the commitment behind phase 2, the residential and respite elements that make the whole pathway work. They are not extras. They are absolutely essential. Right now, consultants in trauma hospitals across the country are saying that expensive beds are being taken up by people who do not need them because there is nowhere else to send them.”
“I will raise something that I mentioned when I was first elected at the start of the year, the An Saol Foundation in Ballymun. It was led by Reinhard Schäler, who the Leader will remember being in the House. This cause has been championed tirelessly by Councillor Gayle Ralph, who is with us in the Gallery today. It does amazing and life-changing work. It is for people with acquired brain injuries and their families, allowing them to find dignity, hope and support through the service. The foundation has planned for quite some time to build Teach An Saol on the Ballymun site that has already been secured by Dublin City Council. It is exactly what has been missing in the sphere of acquired brain injury. According to the State's own evidence, a HSE review in 2003, this model works and we need to implement and support it properly.”
“Families with young children are facing another Christmas without a home, who believed and did everything possible and correct to own their home. I call on the Department of housing, Meath County Council and the relevant authorities to intervene to ensure the contracts are delivered and these people get the houses they bought.”
“The passage of time of 25 years does not diminish the importance of truth and his family deserves answers. His brother, Mark, was on the news two days ago appealing for closure. I ask the public to help the Garda. The other matter I wish to raise is the local housing concern at Ringfort housing development in Rathmolyon, County Meath. Five years after paying deposits, the people who thought they were going into homes, including expectant mothers and ordinary families with plans for the future, are now locked out of them. They are trapped in a legal and financial debacle. The collapse of Meathamatic has left five families facing losses of over €250,000, which is totally unacceptable, given that contracts were signed and payments made. It is not just a financial issue; it is a human one.”
“I wish to mention a former neighbour of mine, Trevor Deely, who has been missing for 25 years. He was a young man of 22 when he went missing. He was last seen in the Haddington Road area of Ballsbridge. I lived in Woodlands right opposite his house. Trevor's family includes his brother Mark, who used to play football on the green, and his father, Michael, who spent 24 years looking for his son. We must remember Trevor, not only for the mystery surrounding his disappearance but also for the guy we remember him to be and for how his family loved him. Certainly, he was very included in the community. I ask us all to join the Garda in appealing for more information, if we know anything, no matter how small or insignificant we might think it to be.”
“Their story matters because it shows that when recovery is supported, with supported housing, detoxification and sobriety support, etc., it makes a difference for everyone in the community. The team at Tiglin has put in place a continuum of care, with detoxification, homeless outreach and housing supports, as well as educational and employment supports. When all that works together, we have recovery in its truest form. I have put a proposal from the charity to the Minister for Health to ensure organisations like Tiglin, Merchant's Quay Ireland and Cuan Mhuire are supported in the full context of a continuum of care. Brendan and Emmet are living proof that recovery is possible. It shows what Ireland can achieve when the proper supports are there. I am proud to have them both as friends and well done to them for what they have achieved.”
“I thank both Houses of the Oireachtas for rising to the occasion with dignity and with céad míle fáilte from the Irish. I join the Cathaoirleach in welcoming to the Gallery two amazing guys and friends of mine, Brendan Hurson and Emmet McCarthy. I met them when they first came to Tiglin when they were in trouble through addiction. They have allowed me to share their story. Their lives were chaotic and they were disenfranchised and marginalised. Today, they have just completed the Dublin city marathon, they are engaged in education and management and they have secure housing. They are building lives when before they were on the scrap heap, as they would say themselves. Now they are kicking the ball out of the park.”
“I thank the Cathaoirleach and Ceann Comhairle for their leadership during yesterday's historic address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was an extraordinary moment for us parliamentarians and also for our country. Huge kudos goes to H.E. Larysa Gerasko, the Ukrainian ambassador, and our ambassador to Ukraine, H.E. Jonathan Conlon. An amazing job was done by all. I was absolutely honoured to be asked to chaperone the First Lady, Mrs. Olena Zelenska. Seeing at first hand President Zelenskyy's address to the joint sitting of the Houses and his request for help during war, appealing for hope and solidarity and thanking us for the protection of his people, is something I certainly will remember. I was struck by his comment that freedom must be protected every day, in every generation, or else it will disappear.”
“In many cases those developers have the expertise and the contractors can carry out this work to the required standard, but they are prevented from doing so and we are, therefore, getting unnecessary bottlenecks. With over 16,000 people now in emergency accommodation, there is an urgency for housing targets, and everybody is under pressure. As we recognised recently with Irish Water, that we can unblock this gridlock, we need to do the exact same with electricity connections. I call on the Government to engage with ESB Networks and the industry stakeholders to establish a framework that will work, as we have done with Uisce Éireann, and that can undertake private wiring for developments according to regulation and absolute oversight. This would accelerate housing delivery.”
“I am raising an urgent matter regarding ESB, Electric Ireland, connections to houses across the country. I am on the housing committee. In recent weeks the Government rightly agreed to reforms with regard to Uisce Éireann, allowing developers to carry out certain works directly, thereby reducing delays and costs. The same principle now needs to be put in place and applied to the electricity infrastructure in our country. Housing projects across the country are being stalled as developers are forced to wait, in many cases for many months, for the ESB to connect them to the grid. We all know of the recent case in Portlaoise where a housing development was delayed by many months.”
“I accept the Minister of State's assurance regarding our embassy getting involved over there. The Minister of State also mentioned in her statement about the other school in the Kebbi state. It shows a pattern that is not welcome. Certainly it should be stated to the Nigerian ambassador here. In other areas of human rights, I was attending a protest recently at the Nigerian embassy regarding students who had been arrested and imprisoned for their homosexuality. It is 2025 and it is unacceptable. I thank the Minister of State for her assurances, but I ask her to arrange this as a matter of absolute priority.”