Cathal Byrne
Cultural and Educational Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I join other Senators in urging the Government, including the Minister for local government, to produce the action plan on local democracy and make it a key priority to work on it over the summer so that the hard-working councillors up and down Ireland can have clarity about what exactly the changes will be as they face into another round…”
“I join colleagues in thanking so many of the staff here who make it possible for us to do our day-to-day work. That includes not only Martin Hughes and the team here in the Seanad, but also the ushers and all those who make the day-to-day life of Leinster House possible, including those who work in the restaurant, the canteen and behind t…”
“The Senator also raised the situation of the artist Emily Conway from County Mayo, who received an Arts Council bursary in recognition of her important contribution as an artist but which has created a scenario whereby her application for a blind pension has run into difficulty. I encourage him to put that down as a Commencement matter.”
“I feel there is also a responsibility on Dublin City Council to allow for that and to support local residents in the area. In fairness to Senator Andrews, he has spoken about this before in the House. I am happy to take it up with the Leader.”
“However, because the consultation with the consultant took place initially in Monaghan, the HSE refused that application. I encourage Senator Tully to perhaps raise this as a Commencement matter. There is an appeal mechanism through the HSE and the ombudsman. Perhaps that is an avenue for her constituent to pursue.”
“The Order of Business is No. 1, Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026 - Committee Stage (resumed) and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 12.45 p.m., with the proceedings thereon, if not previously concluded, to be brought to a conclusion at 3.45 p.m.”
The complete record
Every one of 555 lines we hold for Cathal Byrne, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 12.
“I want to address one of the key discussion points in the commission report, which is that we have really struggled as a country to balance the objective of establishing facts and the issue of costs. In the 1990s and early 2000s, we had tribunals of investigation and inquiry which ran to hundreds of millions of euro. We now have the current model. In 2003, when the commissions of investigation legislation was introduced by the then Minister for Justice and now our Seanad colleague, Senator McDowell, in his speech introducing that legislation, he spoke about how it is essential that the issue of costs of inquiry be addressed. His hope was that the Commissions of Investigation Bill, as it then was, would achieve this without in any way diluting the effectiveness or efficiency of the inquiry and its objective of establishing facts.”
“As the Minister rightly highlighted, we need to move to a model that prioritises dignity, safety and accountability, one that puts in place safeguards, checks and balances and allows organisations like the HSE, Tusla and the various other stakeholders in this area to be monitored. There will be issues like this in the future. Some might say what has happened here will not happen again but issues will arise in the future, although nobody has knowledge of them at this point. I am a strong believer that, to prevent them, we must have sufficient checks and balances in the system so it is not up to one individual and there is scrutiny and oversight at a rigorous level. I encourage the Minister, in the work she is proposing to do in the coming year to 18 months, to ensure monitoring and oversight are a central aspect of this.”
“I recognise that the Government and the agencies involved have apologised to her and recognised the failures of the system over many decades with regard to Grace’s care. There is a serious need for us to get to grips with the key points that were highlighted, in particular the fact there was no recognition of Grace as a person and as somebody with complex needs who needed the benefit of additional care. That was not key and central in what the State was trying to do, and her care in that regard fell far short of what the Constitution would expect and what the Proclamation says about cherishing all the children of the nation equally. That is the exact opposite of what happened here.”
“A light must be shone on these things so we can highlight and illustrate the failures of the past, take lessons from them and not allow them to be repeated. One of the major points that struck me in all of this is the fact that when Grace first moved into the foster home and was placed there, she was ten years of age and, in the next six years, there were no social work visits. For anybody in their early to middle teenage years, from ten to 16, those years are a crucial part of their development. That no social worker visited that house to check in with Grace and see what was happening is unconscionable. As a father myself, I cannot believe some of the descriptions that are contained in the report. I recognise that the commission is independent and its findings are independent.”
“There has been a 2,000-page report and an investigation over eight years into her life and the circumstances of what happened to her, yet she remains unaware of that, given the extent of her disability. I recognise that, in her contribution, the Minister said she has made inquiries and found that Grace is now in quite a good place and doing well. The fact is that, as the commission report illustrates well, there were decades of systemic neglect, delays and denial in addressing what happened to Grace. It took many whistleblowers coming forward over many years and they were crucial in finally removing Grace from the environment she was in and allowing her to find a home in a better place. It is important that, as representatives and elected politicians, we discuss this matter in this House today.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House today. I begin by commending her on arranging to publish this report on what happened to Grace over a long period. I am speaking on behalf of the Fine Gael Party in the absence of Senator Bradley who cannot be here today. I will start with something that really struck me as I made my way through reading, as best I could, the almost 2,000 pages of the report. In volume 3 on page 4, it states, "Having regard to Grace’s level of intellectual disability, she was and remains entirely unaware of the work of the Commission or of any inquiry into the circumstances of her life." This was a profoundly sad reflection when all of us are here speaking about her.”
“I want to discuss the issue of childcare, specifically around the current planning rules that provide for a childcare facility to be made available, most commonly through the planning framework, for every 75 units that are constructed. In Wexford town most specifically, these units are being constructed but there is nobody to come on board, fulfil them and operate a crèche from them. It would be important to have a debate in this House on the model of childcare, whether the current situation of having a childcare facility for every 75 new residential units is the best mechanism for providing places and whether our planning rules are flexible enough to allow those units to actually be utilised for other purposes. We should get to grips with that in this Chamber.”
“I place my support behind the campaign's call for greater engagement from the Minister for Transport, TII and Kilkenny County Council, and for the individuals in decision-making roles within those organisations, including the Minister, to get together and co-operate so there can be an improvement for road safety and users along that stretch of road. I express my appreciation to the committee members for their invitation to last night's meeting. I look forward to their second meeting at the end of September when, hopefully, clear, tangible outcomes and improvements will have been progressed for them.”
“A representative from the Irish road haulage industry spoke about the enormous difficulty it is posing for trucks and lorries. Most important of all, the turnout included people who spoke on behalf of families who have suffered loss along that stretch of road. I place my support four-square behind that campaign to see an upgrade of it. The representatives last night included the CEO of Kilkenny County Council, who spoke about the difficulties it is having in engaging with TII and with a block of funding coming through to allow the upgrade works to that road progress.”
“Last night, I attended a public meeting of approximately 600 residents from Wexford, south Kilkenny and Waterford to discuss a 6 km stretch of road along the N25 where, tragically, there have been 12 fatalities over the past 12 years. There was a phenomenal turnout from the local area. This stretch of road is the main carriageway taking people from Wexford, through south Kilkenny, to Waterford. Hundreds of thousands of journeys are made every year along this stretch of road. Tragically, the people who lost their lives have endured so much trauma. That was very evident from their contributions last night. Among the speakers were representatives from the Irish Farmers Association who spoke about the difficulties that tractors and farmers are having, together with agri-contractors, on that stretch of road.”
“They do not want to have to consult a solicitor for an overly technical issue and ensure the specific wording of signs meets the requirements of the Occupiers' Liability Act. This area could be tightened up and a further rebalancing of the duty of care could be considered. Work was done on this approximately two years ago. Perhaps the Department has considered the matter and whether the rebalancing has gone far enough. I am interested in the Minister of State's thoughts and reflections on this. I commend my colleague, Senator Nelson Murray, on the great work she has done on this. I commend the motion to the House.”
“For example, if people come onto a farmer's land, the farmer must have the Occupiers' Liability Act signs up warning them they are now on private property. It should be presumed rather than needing to be warned that, once people climb over a fence, open a gate or go into somebody's yard, they are on someone else's property and, therefore, they are the people with the duty of care. It should not rest entirely on the farmer to put up the signs and have consulted a solicitor for advice on what the parameters of the Occupiers' Liability Act are. Farmers just want to be able to farm, business people just want to be able to run a business, and people in a voluntary and community organisation just want to be able to get on with the running of that.”
“Having made these proposals, it is important that we be in a position to tell people what, on the one hand, the Government is doing to drive down payouts and protect those who are in need of compensation after suffering life-changing injuries and, on the other, how it is also ensuring that we have a viable insurance market where the difference between people choosing between closing down this year and keeping their doors open next year or the year after is not the cost of insurance, which no one wants to see. I wish to highlight the idea of there being a further rebalancing of the Occupiers' Liability Act and duty of care. Good work has been done in this regard, but there could be more.”
“There is a need for insurance; it exists for a purpose. However, the reductions in payouts must be passed back on to the consumers. There are some good proposals in the motion about how best to maximise that and Senator Nelson Murray did good work in making those points in her contribution. The penalties for insurance fraud, the need for new competition in the market, the work being done on the claims database and the high penalty introduced for perjury are all commonsensical measures that are driving down payouts. However, we need to see action on a reduction in claims. I am interested to hear from the Minister of State specific measures his Department is considering and intends to take in the next five years to address this issue.”
“Trying to find this balance will be difficult and I have no doubt the Minister of State and his officials are aware of that, but it is important that some of the commonsensical proposals in motion be considered. The Cabinet subcommittee on insurance was set up under a previous Minister of State from Wexford, the former Deputy Michael D'Arcy, who did much work on the action plan for insurance reform. The work done in recent years is reflective of that. I am concerned that, while the compensation being paid out through the personal injuries resolution process and courts, as a whole, appears to be on the way down, the premiums being charged to consumers are certainly not. There must be a greater examination of the bumper profits being made by insurance companies that also reflects the need for a viable insurance market.”
“I support this motion and commend the work done by my colleague, Senator Nelson Murray, in this area. I know the Minister of State has taken a personal interest in this matter for several years. These proposals are common sense and reflect many of the issues experienced daily by small and medium businesses, private clubs and societies, and sports groups. In my own county of Wexford, many of these issues have been directly highlighted to me, particularly by sports clubs and small businesses that are concerned the rising cost of insurance will put them out of business. One of the key considerations must be the balancing of the need to protect individuals who endure, through no fault of their own, serious and life-changing injuries with the need for a viable insurance market that offers low premiums for individual consumers to purchase.”
“Be it allocated in a specific budget proposal made in 2024, 2025 or 2026, I would like him to say once again that the Government's full intention is to deliver this campus in Wexford and that the council's CPO process to acquire the land will not be in vain. I call upon the Leader to raise this matter directly with the Minister. This is the biggest project in the development of County Wexford over the next ten to 20 to 30 years and we need to see solid confirmation from the Government that it is fully behind it.”
“From my perspective, as somebody who is from County Wexford, the concerning point was that the Minister was very unclear on the specifics around the funding for the planning permission stage and construction stage. I call on the Minister to clarify his remarks and reaffirm the commitment previously given by the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, when in the role of Minister for higher education that whatever resources were needed for a state-of-the-art campus to be built in Wexford would be provided. The current Minister, James Lawless, said that, to the best of his knowledge, he was not aware of whether the money was there.”
“I raise the issue of the South East Technological University. Two weeks ago, the High Court made a determination that would allow the CPO by Wexford County Council to proceed so that the council could acquire the land that was necessary for a new state-of-the-art campus in Wexford town. I hope this will allow students who are currently in primary school education to secure third level education in the heart of County Wexford on a new state-of-the-art campus by the time they do their leaving certificate exams. Following the decision by the High Court, the Minister for higher education, James Lawless, was interviewed on South East Radio and was asked about the next steps in the process to turn this proposal into an actual reality.”
“I support its call for extra funding but only in the context of ensuring additional resources it gets leads to the direct supply of additional capacity to build houses. Third, when we look to the future, it is important that we support indigenous businesses and make it a little easier to get entrepreneurial relief at start-up stage.”
“I will make three specific points on tax policy. It is very important that in the next budget and subsequent budgets during this Dáil, we support generational renewal of farmers. Some 30% of farmers are aged over 65 years and only 5% are under 35. I come from a farming background and have two siblings, my brothers, and none of the three of us are directly farming. My father is still farming and he will turn 66 this year. We come from a generation in which, historically, it would have been anticipated that one of us would take up the farm, but that has not proven to be the case. It is crucial that our tax policy address the need for generational renewal. Second, on the critical issue of infrastructure, I spoke earlier about data centres and EirGrid. I welcome the fact that Uisce Éireann is coming before the infrastructure committee today.”
“It is so important that in the economy we are trying to build towards 2040, those factors be combined to ensure progress and sustainable growth. On tariffs, €4.5 billion of trade on average takes place every day between the US and the EU. I applaud the Minister for the work he has done as President of the Eurogroup in making sure an approach that is firm and resilient but not reckless has been adopted so far by the EU in its response. It is very important the US be aware of the significant financial resources in the EU when it comes to retaliatory tariffs but, while they are seen as a threat, they should not be put on the table as an initial reaction or response. That must be commended. The fact that the tariff list of retaliatory measures has been published shows they are serious without making it an initial response.”
“I am struck by the work he has put into the silicon island initiative, which seeks to increase the number of jobs in the sector by 2030 to 34,500. I can foresee a situation where unless we get the key infrastructure, including allowing data centres to be constructed in Ireland, those jobs and the AI-driven economy of the future will simply not be available to our country. I am struck by the need to invest in the infrastructure that can create the opportunity for that investment into the country, including the upgrading of the electricity grid and making sure the data centres that are built have a renewable option that ensures the energy taken to enable them to do their work comes from both wind and solar.”
“Turning to the future, I am thinking of the economic diversity we see, between the pharmaceutical and technological industries and the finance sector. My children are aged four and one. I think of the jobs they might have when they enter the workforce and how we plan for the economy of the future because the days of the agrarian and industrial economies, or even the financial economy we see now, will soon pass and a new economic model will be required for Ireland. The question is how we balance the need for foreign direct investment with supporting our own indigenous businesses and the local economy that supplies so many jobs in rural and regional areas. I applaud the work being done by the Minister for enterprise in seeking to attract the AI companies of the future and the chip manufacturers.”
“I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. This is our first interaction in this House. I wish him the best of luck for the term ahead. His success will be the success of the country and he very much has my support. I was struck by some of the comments on the economy made by previous speakers, particularly around the uncertainty we face. Over the years, the Irish economy has experienced the 1920s and 1930s and the Economic War, industrialisation in the 1960s and the changes that brought to the economic outlook, on to the Celtic tiger, which was fuelled by credit, and the impact of the crash that came afterwards. While I do not doubt the sincerity of Senator Clonan’s beliefs, I do not share his view that a decision was taken by the Government in that period to target the most vulnerable, and I am sure the Minister does not share it either.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I am aware that the Coeliac Society of Ireland will be making a submission to that group, looking for this. By way of follow-up, perhaps there is an opportunity here for a pilot programme to look at this in a targeted area and gather more evidence. I have seen first-hand the benefits to individual people who have coeliac disease and are then diagnosed, get treatment and go on a gluten-free diet. I ask that the Department of Health support the Coeliac Society of Ireland's call for a pilot programme when it makes that submission as part of the 2025 call for submissions. I ask that the Department of Health continue to engage with the Coeliac Society of Ireland on this issue. I know it is an important issue for the approximately 500,000 people in the country who are affected.”
“Several countries have introduced coeliac screening for children who are under the age of 18. For example, the home of pizza and pasta, Italy, introduced this screening programme in 2023. It found that approximately one in 60 people in Italy, or 1.65% of children who were tested through simple blood tests, were found to have coeliac disease. What is interesting about this is that 60% of those children were undiagnosed prior to screening. I support the calls from the Coeliac Society of Ireland to introduce this measure into Ireland. It is important, as the disease and the significant impact it has on individual people's lives gets better known, that there is an opportunity to screen people with a simple blood test so they can get the treatment and diagnosis that they require in advance.”
“We can imagine all the food that is produced with wheat flour, to which people who are coeliac disease are allergic - wheat flour is commonly used to thicken up and in ingredients in cooking - and therefore we understand that they can find themselves with symptoms which are most commonly like food poisoning. Unfortunately, over time this culminates in significant medical distress. Ultimately, some coeliacs find themselves having anaemia, osteoporosis and other complications. Ireland does not have a screening programme. If people find they are having a reaction to wheat flour, they go to their GP, who performs blood tests, and ultimately they are diagnosed as being gluten intolerant or as a coeliac. Perhaps they might need a scope and further examination thereafter.”
“The Minister of State is most welcome to the House. I rise on behalf of myself, the Coeliac Society of Ireland and Councillor Brian O'Donoghue of Carlow County Council. This matter relates to people who suffer both with coeliac disease and with gluten intolerance. The estimates in Ireland now are that approximately one in 100 people - approximately 45,000 people - suffer with coeliac disease, with an estimated 500,000 people being gluten intolerant. The significance is that people find themselves unable to consume and eat wheat, barley and rye.”
“I think that is a model that could work well, provided there is a devolution of powers from central government down through the local authorities and subsequently to town councils. We do not want town councils to be simply a talking chamber. We need them to be chambers that are empowered to make key decisions about the towns they represent. I highlight the need over this Oireachtas term for more devolution of powers, especially in the area of planning. I note the Minister of State has responsibility for that area. Given his background and expertise in it, I encourage him to devolve more powers back to the local councils, who understand the issues on the ground better than anyone.”
“I support the previous calls made for a pension system to be brought in and put in place for local authority members, particularly one that is index linked. It is important we reflect the diverse nature of society and the people who represent us at local authority level. It cannot simply be a fact of life in this country that our local authority members come from one sector of society or from one age bracket. That is simply not suitable. I support the call for town councils to be reintroduced. I am thinking that, in my own county of Wexford, if the limit was brought in that town councils were restored at 10,000 population as per the last census, that would mean town councils in our two larger towns of Wexford and Enniscorthy.”
“I also highlight the fact that, as a Senator, I am entitled to the equivalent of a full-time member of staff to assist me with secretarial work, which is welcome. There should be a greater support put in place for local authority members to support their work with the volume of queries they are receiving, especially now in an era after the Covid pandemic when most contact is made via email. Councillors are finding their inboxes are overwhelmed with the number of emails they receive daily. It is only right and proper they are supported. The current vouched scheme of secretarial support of up to approximately slightly more than €5,000 is simply not suitable for the volume of administrative work that is required to be a successful member of a local authority.”
“As this is my first interaction with the Minister of State in the Chamber, I wish him the very best of luck. He brings an enormous amount of experience to the role, having served at local authority level, in this Chamber and now in the Dáil as a Minister of State. I sincerely wish him the best of luck. I wish to make a number of points, particularly given my experience of having been elected to Wexford County Council on two occasions. The point has been made repeatedly in this Chamber that being a councillor at local authority level is a full-time job, and I wholeheartedly agree with that, having operated as a councillor for almost six years. I wholeheartedly support the remuneration increase that has been highlighted by previous speakers in this Chamber.”
“I commend the work by, I believe, 127 employees in the Office of Government Procurement. Billions of euro are delivered in contracts through that office each year. It is important to put on the record of the House my appreciation for the work in that area and to encourage them to continue the pursuit of value for money on behalf of all taxpayers.”
“I also wish to discuss the opportunities we have as a country in the EU review of the framework for public procurement taking place at the moment. There is a genuine opportunity for us during our Presidency of the EU to have a real input into the procurement processes being reviewed at EU level. It should always be the case that there is value for taxpayers' money and ensuring competitiveness. A big challenge which we all know across the EU is how competitive the EU is versus other large economies like China and America. There is an opportunity for us during the Presidency of the EU and for the Minister of State to take the lead on this. I encourage her to ensure the same thread of plain English and basic, inviting, simplified and easy to understand tender documents transfers to the European Union level.”
“Everyone will have seen the great work it has done. When you go to a Luas stop anywhere in Dublin, the passenger shelters, timetable stands, bollards and waste bins were all produced in its plant in Ardcavan in Wexford. That came from a public procurement process that gave the business the opportunity to compete with international companies for the provision of those stainless steel products. It is now a thriving business in Wexford that exports stainless steel products across the world. They will tell you a key ingredient in their success over the years was securing that contract for the works on the Luas. The joke in Wexford is that it built everything at the Luas stop apart from the Luas itself.”
“There is an opportunity in that regard for the Minister of State to lead on. I highlight the enormous number of contracts provided through local authorities. It is important, within the confines of EU procurement law, that it is possible for local authorities to create a hierarchy where local suppliers and small businesses have a genuine opportunity to compete for contracts with the local authority. I am aware there are challenges and issues with European Union legislation in this area but we should support local businesses to apply for local authority contracts. If we can get to that stage while ensuring value for taxpayers' money, it would be significant. I wish to highlight a business in Wexford called Kent Stainless. It was set up in 1982 by Pat Kent and now employs more than 200 people.”
“As part of this review, I encourage the Minister of State to make training available through local enterprise offices, ensuring businesses are able and upskilled and that it is possible for them to apply for these tenders. I know the Minister of State has experience in the Department. There a massive opportunity to support our small and medium enterprises through the local enterprise offices. In my experience in Wexford and from speaking to businesses in advance of today's debate, they are not fully aware of how to apply for a Government contract, where to start, who decides, if it is a website, etc. Through local enterprise offices, there needs to be a promotional campaign to say the review is under way and to explain how to apply for contracts available today, next week, next month and the rest of the year.”
“It is important that if they decide to take the initiative and apply for a contract that could generate more employment for them and transform their business, particularly if they won a substantial contract from the State, the process does not put them off applying because of how long, technical and complicated it is. There should never be a situation that somebody needs to outsource the tendering process application stage to a separate provider. Every small business should be able to apply for these contracts. It should not be the case that you have to stop what you are doing in your business, pause everything and spend a week or two gathering up information and then submitting your application.”
“I commend the Minister of State on the work on the national strategic dialogue workshops. It is important the Minister of State and senior officials hear directly from the businesses applying for these contracts about challenges and issues they may have. In the programme for Government, there is a commitment to review the public procurement process. As part of that, I urge the Minister of State and her officials to make sure the process by which the State tenders for these contracts is simple, accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises and done in plain English. We know how hard small business owners work and how caught they are for time.”
“I welcome the Minister of State. I thank her for facilitating us with her presence. I welcome our guests. I hope they have a wonderful and enjoyable trip to Leinster House. I am the Fine Gael spokesperson on public expenditure and infrastructure. I look forward to working with the Minister of State and the ongoing engagement we have had on some of these key issues. The whole idea of public procurement has to be based on securing value for money for the taxpayer. At the moment, 99.8% of businesses in the country are small- and medium-sized enterprises. It is important in our focus on public procurement that those businesses are in a position to apply and secure these tenders, making sure it is possible for them to compete with larger companies when it comes to securing a public contract.”
“They have highlighted to me the fact that of the 900 post offices that we currently have across the country, approximately 300 are at risk of closure. They produced the report from Grant Thornton to validate this. It highlighted the incredible value of the post office network on a social and economic basis to the economy of between €344 million and €776 million. I ask that the Minister comes to the Chamber to explain and give more detail on his plans once the current arrangement concludes at the end of this year. What is to replace it? The IPU representatives also highlighted that because of the increases in inflation and increases in costs faced by postmasters, some of the Government grants, such as the power up grant, were not available to them given the nature of the work that they do.”
“I want to highlight a meeting that I attended with the representatives of the Irish Postmasters Union, IPU. The tradition of the post office is very close to my own family. My grandfather served his entire working career as both a small farmer and the local postman where my mother is from in north-west Cork. This morning I met with Sean Martin and other representatives of the IPU who highlighted the urgent need for increased levels of Government investment. At the moment, the Government through the Minister is funding the post office network to the tune of approximately €10 million in direct intervention. The IPU representatives are seeking an increase of €5 million to €15 million a year. The contract is due to expire at the end of this year.”
“Will the Leader to ensure that the Minister for Transport comes into this Chamber to discuss the shortage of taxis? This does not just affect the night-time economy; it also has an impact on medical appointments for people who are unable to drive and who must access urgent hospital appointments. Such people rely on a functioning taxi network to be able to make such appointments. Wexford is one of 23 counties which has seen fewer taxi licences available since 2020. I want to highlight that and support the call made by the coalition to which I refer, which is made up of a number of groups including the Restaurants Association of Ireland, the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, Bolt and Uber. Will the Minister come to this House and make a statement on what work is being done in this area?”
“I want to highlight the need for more to be done to ensure we have a functioning taxi network across the country. In recent years we have seen a reduction in the number of taxis available to people. Studies by Arup have shown that the number of taxis available has shrunk by 10% since 2014. That means in my area of Wexford, people who go out in the evening to a restaurant, the cinema or a bar and who have a drink or a meal are not able to access taxis. A reduction of 22% is evident in the number of taxi licences available in Wexford since 2020. The Taxis for Ireland Coalition is calling for a task force to be set up within the Department of Transport to urgently look at the need for more to be done in this area. I support that call.”
“Unfortunately, for a county as large as Wexford and its population, it is unacceptable that people are transferred to Waterford. I am aware of the work that is under way in Waterford and the work that the Minister of State is doing in her local area to increase and improve the facilities that are available there. The people of Wexford need a small, designated ten-bed unit that is co-located with Wexford General Hospital to be provided. I am aware that the outgoing CEO of the HSE does not favour this proposal but someone new will take up his position. I urge the Minister of State to get involved in her neighbouring county. We are not looking for a large-scale unit like the one in Waterford. We are seeking a small ten-bed unit for urgent need because a mental health issue is not something that just happens between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
“I begin by wishing the Minister of State the very best of luck in her new role. Mental health is one of the biggest issues that face this country. It is an enormous challenge. As somebody who represents Waterford, the Minister of State is more than aware of the issues in my home county of Wexford. I specifically want to highlight a motion that was recently passed by the members of Wexford County Council, which called on the Minister of State to intervene and deliver in Wexford a ten-bed unit for local urgent need, integrated with Wexford General Hospital. At the moment any person suffering from a mental health issue with suicide on his or her mind is brought to the emergency department of Wexford General Hospital and, if required, transferred to Waterford.”
“Should the amendment pass, it is important that when the Minister is reviewing this legislation, the security of special advocates, should they come into being, and the need to protect them in the same way we protect similar informers, confidential people and members of the Judiciary, is taken into account.”
“I agree with the point made earlier about the consequences for a special advocate breaching the confidentiality clause, should this legislation pass. Every barrister has a client and in this situation we would have the novel environment where even the special advocate, who de facto is representing the interests of the individual serving the life sentence, is in reality prohibited from giving them the information they may be under the impression is making the difference in whether they have a successful application for parole. The juxtaposition of those two competing interests could lead to a situation such that a special advocate is placed in an impossible position where he or she has insight to that information but is prohibited from placing it before the individual.”
“It is important that in seeking to balance the rights of someone who is serving a life sentence to get access to information about them, we also respect that sensitive and confidential work could have been undertaken perhaps by members of An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces or the security forces and perhaps dealing with issues of national security or serious gang or organised criminal activity. It is about finding a balance between the rights of the individual to information about themselves while not compromising anybody who is involved in protecting other issues of the State. It is important that in six months, should this amendment pass, the Minister comes back to the House with a better and clearer understanding of the balance between those competing rights.”