Carol Nolan
Offaly · Independent · Ireland
“Despite this, her mother - who is utterly heartbroken and distressed as we can all imagine - is fiercely protective of her child and determined to protect her at all costs.”
“It is a form of cruelty beyond all description to force families to endure circumstances such as these. Many of us in this House are parents. What would we not do to help our teenage children? What is happening in Offaly is not an isolated case. I know there are cases around the country as well.”
“The Tánaiste will share my profound horror at the recent brutal murder of Jamey Carney, the absconding of her so-called partner to Jordan and the wider pattern of escalating violence against women that was raised earlier.”
“The schools are out, summer is well and truly upon us, and for most families this will be an opportunity to enjoy spending time with their children or grandchildren. Others will watch the kids being able to spend more time with their friends.”
“I thank the Tánaiste for his response and assistance. I directly informed the HSE about this situation, and I received an acknowledgement, but I will reach out to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and, with the consent of the parent, will pass on all details.”
“Will he therefore commit to a review of the relevant legislative and operational frameworks to ensure that, regardless of current statutory provisions, no chilling effect is being caused or created that might discourage or inhibit the reporting or public identification of suspects who are also international protection applicants, where su…”
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“The Bill needs to be reversed immediately. Thanks to this legislation, we are going to see an increase in homelessness due to the greater absence of rental properties in the market. This legislation has to be urgently amended because it is not a solution. It is a disaster for tenants who do not qualify for social housing and it is an absolute disaster for the small-scale property owners, many of whom are disillusioned and have decided to leave the rental market and sell their properties. It is a disaster.”
“What do I tell the people who got on well with the property owner or landlord and everything went well and who lived happily in their house for many years,? Now we have this mess. We need solutions. We need affordable housing but we do not need to tackle this with the force being applied by the Minister. It is unfair. We should always ensure the rights of all are respected and upheld. This legislation will most certainly deepen the housing crisis. I am already seeing it with the volume of notice-to-quit letters, and the increase in properties for sale in many towns throughout Offaly. People have had enough. They are not going to be dictated to by the Government when they have worked hard, paid taxes all their lives and worked in jobs like teaching or nursing or as a garda. They are not going to be dictated to. It is unfair.”
“It is forcing small-scale property owners out of the market. Many small-scale property owners have also told me that the security of tenure for some cannot come at the cost of other citizens, in terms of security of ownership. There has to be a balance. No balance is struck here. From what I can see, the Minister has made rash and ill-thought out decisions. I ask him to again meet with small property owners and the organisation that represents them because the Bill is just not going to be a success. We are going to have chaos. Will the Minister of State tell me what I should tell tenants who are coming in to me very upset because they cannot qualify for social housing? There are no affordable housing schemes in County Offaly.”
“The measures we have here in this flawed legislation do not just target vulture funds, they punish private citizens or individuals who have worked hard to provide quality housing, who have obeyed the laws, worked within the parameters of the RTB, and have been fair and good to their tenants. The message being sent here is that private property rights are secondary to political expediency. It is because there is a crisis that the Minister is being too rash with decisions here. The legislation is not properly thought out. I am asking for an urgent review of the Bill before we have an absolute disaster. Property owners deserve a fair return and the fundamental right to control their own assets without undue State interference. The control is overbearing and it is pushing people out.”
“I am talking about the small-scale property owner with three or fewer properties. It is unfair and it needs to be changed. We have a situation whereby we have asset seizure by regulation. By preventing owners from reclaiming their property for sale or personal use until a six-year mark is reached, the Government is essentially freezing private capital. This legislation forces small-scale property owners to carry the social burden of housing provision at the expense of their own financial security and liquid assets to their investments and disincentivises the sector.”
“They are gone out of the market now thanks to this flawed legislation. I hope the Government will see sense. The way it is going about this is wrong. There should have been fairness and balance. I am all for having rental properties and fairness for tenants, but we have to be fair with the small-scale property owner as well. The proposed framework represents a disproportionate appropriation of rights from private citizens who have always paid their taxes and who have invested their savings, in some cases their life savings, in the rental market. The move towards rolling six-year tenancies and the virtual elimination of no-fault evictions for many providers effectively strips owners of their right to manage their own assets, which in many cases they worked hard to purchase.”
“I know for a fact that many properties are up for sale in towns like Birr, Banagher, Tullamore and Edenderry. That would not have happened were it not for this flawed legislation, which goes about unfairly punishing small-scale property owners. It is totally unfair. I have seen good people who have been in the rental market for a long time. They have been very fair with their tenants and everything has worked very well. Now we have an absolute disaster unfolding. Unless the Minister can get to grips with this, change course quickly and amend this legislation, we are going to have an absolute catastrophe in terms of a greater shortage of rental properties, which I can see first hand. I am still getting a huge volume of emails from property owners, many of whom are in the process of selling their homes.”
“There are very serious and valid concerns regarding the amendment to the residential tenancies legislation and the impact, particularly on private property rights and small-scale property owners or landlords. I have met many of these small-scale property owners in my offices in Birr and Tullamore and they are telling me quite clearly that are leaving the rental market. I have also met tenants who have received a notice-to-quit letter. I know this is as a result of the legislation coming before us, which is flawed and unfairly punishes small property owners. What are we, as TDs, to do? How are we to advise tenants who cannot get access to social housing because their income is too high? There are no affordable housing schemes and now there are fewer properties to rent.”
“We need reform urgently in terms of the people coming in, the vetting system and lack of vetting, and the lack of urgent deportations and timely deportations, but also there needs to be a vetting process of the suitability of some of these providers because there are serious question marks there.”
“We need an urgent overhaul of both our dysfunctional immigration system and the IPAS system in terms of who is providing the accommodation. Are those people checked? My sense is that none of them were checked at any stage. Some, as I say, are totally unsuitable. The people involved in the provision of IPAS accommodation, some of them gangsters and chancers, continue to profiteer from an unchecked, unregulated and broken system. This is extremely alarming. We need urgent action on this before it is too late. I, as a represenative here, want action. I want a dramatic reduction in the numbers of economic migrants and in the numbers of bogus asylum seekers entering our country. I want no more excuses and deflection.”
“I have very serious concerns which I have raised many times in this House about the vetting, or lack of vetting, of bogus asylum seekers, the delays deporting asylum seekers with criminal pasts, many of whom come from safe countries, and no vetting of the providers of IPAS accommodation. They have been described here as businesspeople but they are not all businesspeople. Some of these providers could be better described as gangsters and they have question marks over their suitability or the appropriateness of having those people involved in the provision of any type of accommodation. What vetting is being done there? I do not believe there is any vetting there either of the providers and who is involved.”
“If the Minister wants to see what talking tough and taking no meaningful action on the asylum chaos looks like and where it will lead to, then he may look no further than the UK. There the entire political establishment is being convulsed by defections from the establishment parties. The people are fed up of governments which promise much but do little but deliver tough-sounding rhetoric with no actions. The same is true here. Our people here are angry at how unwilling or how powerless governments have been in dealing with this generational crisis. This Bill promises much, but my fear is that it will be bogged down in bureaucratic nonsense and loopholes sought and found by the overpaid NGOs which are determined to oppose all necessary reform.”
“The way immigration and bogus asylum seekers have been manged to date is nothing short of a social and economic catastrophe. I am utterly convinced this issue will come to define previous governments. Warning after warning was dismissed and was reframed. Warning after warning that the State was effectively being ripped off were ignored with the excuse that we were in an emergency and therefore proper controls did not apply. Billions have been spent and very likely billions more will be spent because this State has adopted the slowest possible approach to managing a crisis that has been plain for all to see except for those who wanted to push the de facto open border policies.”
“Farmers have informed me that dogs are being deliberately set on sheep. Earlier this week, Senator Paul Daly held an audiovisual room briefing about attacks on sheep. I have heard disturbing reports that this is being done deliberately. We need to crack down on and be much tougher on this issue.”
“I thank the Tánaiste for his response and the co-operation, which we need urgently. While there is legislation in place, farmers and gardaí are telling me that it is insufficient because it is not giving them enough power. That is where we need to toughen those laws, which I know the Tánaiste is happy to do. He acknowledged that and it is certainly welcome. However, there is another issue where the current legislation puts the onus on the farmer. A farmer who is possibly being intimidated by a gang - maybe their family is being intimidated too - is expected to get up in court and give evidence. There is a big problem there. As a farmer who endured a distressing ordeal said to me, it is putting the handcuffs on the landowner when they should be on the trespasser. I want to mention a related issue that is becoming deeply disturbing.”
“I commend my PA, David Mullins, and the OPLA, which was very helpful and encouraged me to bring forward the Bill I mentioned. That Bill is available as a template if the Government wishes to use it. I will play my part and I am happy to work with every party and none.”
“I ask the Government if it will commit to reforming the law of trespass as it pertains to agricultural land and farmland in particular, and if Government will commit to doing that during this Dáil term so that farming and rural families can feel more secure from the criminal threat that has impacted them for years.”
“I believe this very short Bill could have a significant impact by introducing a greater level of legal clarity for farmers and landowners as well. This Bill would significantly expand the scope of the physical area captured within the law of trespass, capturing not just the land on which the farm buildings and curtilage of the buildings are situated but all the farm and agricultural land. The important thing I want to raise today is that the plague of farm trespassing has to be dealt with urgently and effectively because it is causing much distress to farmers. We need immediate reform of the existing law of trespass. The time for tea and sympathy being offered to traumatised farm families is over.”
“I am talking about the worrying rise in deliberate and malicious cases of trespass incidents linked to illegal hunting such as lurching, gangs with dogs, physical threats, intimidation and damage to fences and vehicles. Farmers have routinely reported fears for personal safety. Many of them have called for a dedicated Garda rural crime unit, similar to those in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, to co-ordinate patrols and intelligence. I commend the IFA, which is very vocal on this issue and has put forward that solution, which I support. In order to be constructive and to address this issue directly, after speaking with farmers and farm organisations, I brought forward the Criminal Justice (Trespass on Land) Bill 2025 last October.”
“For many years, we have seen reports of people in rural Ireland living in absolute fear due to an upsurge in trespassing on farmland by roaming gangs and those who are indifferent to private property rights. Every year, public meetings are held by farming organisations and every year, farmers and community members say the powers at the disposal of An Garda Síochána and landowners alike are deeply insufficient to address the nature of the problem. An Garda Síochána and landowners need our help, collectively as TDs, Ministers and Senators. We need to ensure there are tougher laws and legislative change. When I talk about trespassing, I am not talking about people who accidentally enter a property or come into a field, accidentally trespass and politely leave without causing any damage or intimidation. I am not talking about those cases.”
“It is important that we listen, that we acknowledge the failings in the services, that we strive to improve and that we bring forward legislation to make sure that providers are protected and that the recipients of the care are also protected.”
“This seems to be a recurring theme. It has been brought to my attention too many times and I hope it will be addressed. We need national legislation to be introduced as a matter of urgency. Reliance on guidelines and what are effectively voluntary codes is not ideal and it needs to be changed urgently. The fact remains that we need to respond far more effectively to the concerns of those families who can clearly identify the failings in the standard of care delivered to their loved ones. We need to listen to these people and take on board what they are telling us. These people are sometimes fearful of speaking out because they feel they are risking the minimal care time they have and receive. They fear it will be withdrawn.”
“The staff are often visibly under enormous pressure to get in and get out and onto the next house. This can be very upsetting for everyone, including the staff members themselves. We need to ensure we have a national home support service capable of delivering care according to the highest standards. In terms of the provision of home help, serious gaps need to be addressed. It has come to my attention many times in my constituency offices that when the staff or home helps take their annual leave, as they are entitled to do, or if they are ill, they are not replaced. This causes a lot of frustration and a lot of difficulty for families struggling to cope to try to fill the gap until the home help comes back. It is unfair on the home help who happens to be out that there is no substitute or replacement while they are gone.”
“Approved providers are merely obliged to adhere to the authorisation scheme's service specifications and associated standard operating procedures. This is not about pointing the finger at any individual home support service provider, many of which provide compassionate care every day and, along with their staff, do incredible work under very difficult conditions at times. Increasingly what I see and hear from my constituents in County Offaly is that there is a sense they are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the care delivered by staff, who appear to have very little training or who are, in some cases, literally unable to communicate with either the person receiving the care or their families because of language barriers. This is becoming a source of frustration.”
“I welcome the Bill because there is an urgent need for the Government to prioritise the enactment of legislation aimed at setting out a registration framework for providers of home support services. I want to reference in particular those sections of the Bill under which the chief inspector of social services at HIQA will have responsibility for establishing and maintaining a register for home support services operating in Ireland. The Bill will also provide for criminal liability to be assigned for unregistered home support services and the ability to cancel registration of a provider where serious non-compliance is established. As I understand it, the HSE currently operates under its non-statutory home support authorisation scheme, which was established in 2023.”
“The long waiting times being experienced by people waiting to see someone in the pain management clinic in the Mater hospital in Dublin are very concerning. I am dealing with quite a number of people currently who are waiting for an appointment. They informed me that it will be about ten or 12 months before they are seen at the Mater hospital. This is impacting on their health, well-being and quality of life. What actions will Government take to intervene and tackle the unacceptably long waiting times that people have to wait, particularly when it concerns pain management?”
“What I am concerned about, and want to raise it this morning, is that it has come to my attention that Irish Water has issued a directive to its staff telling them that they are no longer allowed to collaborate or work with local authorities. That concerns me greatly because we know how it works with different agencies when they are not all joined up or working together and there is no collaboration. Therefore, I want to call on Irish Water to have a look at that and make sure it does continue to collaborate as much as possible with local authorities when local issues arise because when local issues arise, we need local solutions and we need everyone working together, whether they are local authority or Irish Water. I want to raise ongoing sewerage issues that have gone on for years in Harbour Road, Banagher, County Offaly.”
“The motion this morning from Independent Ireland raises valid concerns about Ireland's water and wastewater infrastructure, reflecting ongoing challenges in a system that has historically suffered from underinvestment and ageing assets. Certainly, it is the case that persistent delays block housing, public health, economy and compliance, as the motion notes. I acknowledge also that the proposed measures that are put forward as solutions are quite positive and would certainly help the situation. Some of them may already be in place or under active implementation but it is vital that we do not continue with what is essentially an impractical regulatory and operational framework. The solutions are there. They just need to be acted upon. It is the action that is the problem and not the theoretical framework.”
“I spoke to many people who were not from farming backgrounds and they expressed concerns and views along the lines that if the EU could do this to France, the largest agricultural exporter, and could do it to our beef farmers after destroying our fisheries, then how could they believe it had their interests at heart on any other issue? It does not have our interests at heart and the Government needs to disapply the agricultural elements immediately. We have already sacrificed too much in Ireland. Our fisheries have been decimated. Do not let the same thing happen to agriculture. I am saying loud and clear that there are solutions. The Government needs to stand up and forget about being the good boys and girls in the class in Brussels. It needs to stand up and represent the interests of the people who elected its members to this House.”
“It really is shocking. I am asking for a simple thing to be done here. How serious is the Government's opposition? It came out in the last few days to say it was opposed but how serious is that? If the Government is serious about opposing then it should ensure it disapplies the agricultural elements of the deal. We are not agreeing. The people have spoken loud and clear in Athlone. I was there. There were thousands of people. Surely the Government is here to serve them and not to appease Germany or Ursula von der Leyen. The Government needs to serve the Irish people. They have spoken. People are so disillusioned.”
“I have continually opposed the Mercosur agreement. I should call it a deal because it should not be an agreement. I want to ask who the Government serves. Does it serve its EU masters and try to be the best boys and girls in the class out there or does it serve Irish farmers, who have worked so hard and tirelessly to contribute to our economy? Whose interests does the Government serve? I am so concerned that it is willing to sacrifice a sector that has helped us in the bleakest times and helped keep the lights on when things were bad in the country. The Government is willing to sacrifice all that and turn its back on Irish farmers. It is absolutely disgraceful. Not alone is the Government willing to sacrifice that sector but it is willing to put people's health at risk as well by allowing inferior beef to come into the country.”
“Will the Government now give serious consideration to the introduction of rent controls or caps specifically for purpose-built accommodation? Is the Minister prepared to commit to a ring-fenced, State-led programme of student bed construction? Will he bring forward, as a matter of urgency, an inflation-adjusted increase in the SUSI maintenance grant and a substantial reform and expansion of the rent a room relief scheme?”
“I acknowledge that there have been some improvements but again, it is just not enough. We need to be, as I said, far more ambitious and deliver more student accommodation. I want to point out that my concerns relate to the fact that when a young person from a rural background concludes that third level education is financially or logistically unfeasible, the loss extends far beyond the individual. Society is deprived of the nurses, engineers, teachers and researchers that we so badly need in Ireland. Therefore, I ask the Minister to address the following specific points in his response to me. What immediate supports or emergency measures is the Department implementing in this academic year for students who are currently sofa surfing or living in unaffordable private rentals?”
“As a direct consequence, thousands of students now rely on temporary and often unsuitable arrangements such as staying in family homes, commuting long distances as the Minister acknowledged, or depending on the good will of relatives and friends. We really need to tackle this issue and be more ambitious in creating more student accommodation.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. While I certainly acknowledge that there have been some incentives, supports and improvements, the SUSI grant has unfortunately not been adjusted in line with the cost of living or the costs of student accommodation. We have seen over the past five years how rents in urban centres and many regional towns have risen at rates far exceeding inflation or wage growth. In regard to the strategy, the delivery of purpose-built student accommodation has fallen substantially short of what is actually required, with only approximately 14,000 of the 21,000 beds targeted under the national student accommodation strategy having materialised by 2024.”
“My question relates to the ongoing shortage of student accommodation across the country. Every year, the problem gets worse. In my constituency, I am contacted by huge numbers of students who cannot source accommodation in Galway, Dublin or Limerick. Unfortunately, the evidence available to us each September demonstrates that the situation is deteriorating rather than improving. What measures will be taken by the Government to tackle this problem?”
“Brendan's Community School in Birr. I ask the Minister to urgently intervene with Government to sort out this matter and to allow progress to be made.”
“Page 67 in the programme for Government makes reference to the Government's commitment to investing in school buildings and certainly that is welcome. However, there are serious issues in my own constituency of County Offaly. We have a fantastic school, St. Brendan's Community School, in Birr which was approved for works back in 2018. Those works entailed an ASD classroom, an extension and other minor works to the school building. Since 2018, there has been absolutely no progress. To the school's frustration, it has received information that it will have to wait until the national development plan is published before any further progress can be made. As a former teacher, the Minister will understand that this is extremely disappointing because there is a significant demand for ASD classes. There are pupils who need to come into St.”
“We need to have a balance and protect the small property owners The guidelines that are coming in in March need to be reviewed quickly or we are going to have a mass exodus of small property owners.”
“From what I can see, the Minister is saying the national housing plan is expected to place an emphasis on ending child and family homelessness, including the allocation of €100 million in 2026 to house families who are on the list the longest. That is a derisory figure in the grand scheme of things. Some €100 million may sound like a lot, but in reality, it would only get 400 houses at an average price of €250,000. I am also extremely concerned about the new housing laws coming in in March. I have been contacted by many small property owners who tell me they are leaving the housing market. That is going to put more pressure on. I ask for those housing guidelines to be reviewed quickly, or we are going to have a mass exodus of small property owners. They are too extreme.”
“I am deeply concerned by certain proposals in the national housing plan. Although it has been described by the Government as unprecedented in terms of investment, it comes at a time when homeless figures have hit a record high of 16,350 people. Within that number is a total of 5,145 children who are estimated to be living in emergency accommodation. The fact is we have been here before on a number of occasions, with plans to finally tackle the systemic barriers to the homeless and the lack of social and affordable housing. Nothing has changed. If anything, the situation has become increasingly desperate across all metrics.”
“I ask that the energy companies be called out; for an end to their profiteering; and for a message to go out from the Government that they need to respect people and be fair with prices. Ireland has some of the highest prices in Europe.”
“For many people, the energy price crisis reflects a Government paralysed by inertia that is only now slowly turning away from the madness of the Green Party era when the tail wagged the dog and energy independence in the form of LNG or oil and gas exploration was considered almost a heresy. I acknowledge that things are turning in the right direction and the storage facility will now proceed but the problem is that it will take years. We should be self-sufficient for energy. I have always said that here. Many mistakes were made and the closure of the Shannonbridge power station was one of the huge mistakes made. On electricity prices, many people, particularly elderly people, are struggling, as are small businesses. Many small businesses have closed and I have been made aware of that happening in my constituency in Offaly.”
“That should give the Minister of State a flavour of just exactly what people are dealing with and the way it is affecting their mental health and well-being and their lives in general. This is not a policy issue that can simply be ignored. It is having real-world consequences of the most awful kind, and I am very concerned about it.”
“we didn't ask for or [something we didn't] want in our lives and [we want for nothing more other than to be respected]. This person goes on to say: It is just so unfair to expect us to continue to live through this nuisance every day and [every] night, it's depressing as depressing can get and still no help. I've to try and work another day tomorrow on empty and I am expected to provide for my family with no energy and eyes falling out of my head. It's just not good enough for ... [us to have this] forced upon us here, trapped under the control of this crap and not being in any control, it's like living with an abuser daily wondering if tonight is ... [another] night again ... [that I will] lay awake. We're being traumatised every minute every day and no one seems to care, or do you have a duty of care [to us communities] at all?”
“I have submitted parliamentary questions to that effect. I want to end to give others time, and I will do so by quoting the following email I received from a resident summing up the nightmare that they are going through with these wind turbines being close to their home. The constituent wrote: Another two nights from hell here the last 2 nights [were also hell]. Awake all night again, child here crying with frustration as am I, the embarrassment of having to put this down on another email again. The fact that the solution ye see fit is a simple reply email and no action just fills me with anxiety about another winter of this. The house is vibrating here again, I've damage all over the house from the vibrations as well as all my family being sick ... [over the period of time. This is something] ...”
“I have raised this matter repeatedly through parliamentary questions and most recently with the Minister with responsibility for the environment, Deputy O'Brien, when I asked him if he would provide information regarding the reports on wind turbine noise. I also asked him to clarify his support for increased protections for persons adversity affected by the noise. Again, I want to mention the community of Stonestown, Cloghan, in County Offaly. They informed me that 250 complaint records were submitted in regard to two Statkraft wind farms. They have been lodged with the county council. There does not seem to be anything happening. Again, their concerns are being ignored. As I said, there has to be action. I also agree with the residents who say it is high time that the Department of Health got involved.”
“Communities like Lemanaghan, which I mentioned earlier, strongly object to the wanton destruction of their bog, not just from a heritage point of view but also because of the fact that habitats, flora and fauna will also be considerably destroyed. The fact that the 2006 wind energy guidelines remain in force pending finalisation of the review, which has been ongoing since 2016, is nothing short of farcical and, indeed, borderline contemptuous of communities which have clearly expressed the gross inadequacies of the current regulatory regime. This is why I recently called again for all wind energy and wind turbine developments to be halted until the guidelines are produced. As I said, why are we just letting these companies trample over communities?”
“There is a community in Stonestown in Cloghan which is suffering terribly from the health effects of turbines that are very close to their homes. I am calling for action. There is a wind farm in north Offaly, and I have had farmers tell me that it is affecting the livestock. The livestock had to be moved from one field into another field well away with the wind turbines. It is affecting everybody. It is not just in one particular area. All of those communities cannot be wrong. They are not wrong. We need solid actions. As I said, communities are right to be disillusioned, frustrated, angered and, indeed, ignored because there are no protections and their rights are being trampled on.”
“Again, it is rural communities that are being treated so unfairly by Government, which is just not listening and taking action. How long is it going to take? How long more? We all know that the Government can bring in legislation when it so pleases. We all know that because we were locked down more than we should have been in County Offaly. We were subjected to a third lockdown during Covid-19. The Government was able to do that, so why can it not bring in legislation to protect communities? It could be done quickly if the political will was there. I certainly will continue to call for it. In communities like Lemanaghan, where there is a heritage bog with monastic links to Clonmacnoise, we have Bord na Móna coming in and trying to impose a wind farm on that community.”