Cathy Bennett
Cavan-Monaghan · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“It is important that we are having this discussion but that we will have many more discussions that must be had if we want to achieve a united Ireland in a planned and structured way.”
“I welcome this debate on the financial implications of a united Ireland. I acknowledge that the Tánaiste and so many other Members in this House see its merits in the future. I would have hoped that in this House we would at least have moved past the time of framing this without casting a value judgment.”
“As a person from a Border county, the North should never have been treated any differently from Cork, Kerry or Dublin. Irish unity is an opportunity to move beyond very real consequences that were inflicted upon the North, by a dysfunctional British State, and one that is totally disinterested in the needs of our people.”
“Most recently, we had a situation whereby the Government's refusal to adequately fund our schools led to cuts being imposed on every Government Department. If the Government wishes to work towards truly free education and to avoid being the cause of stress and financial hardship in the year ahead, there are a few things it should do.”
“The idea that education in Ireland is free at any level is a myth, whether it is the so-called voluntary contributions or a student contribution fee that costs more even though the Government claims it is reduced. It is utterly galling for hard-pressed families who shell out hundreds or even thousands of euro a year.”
“I welcome that we have recently seen progress on a number of important measures relating to domestic abuse, but what is of crucial importance is that we get the legislation and policy right.”
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“People appreciate that there is much that is outside of the Government's control but they do hold it responsible for how it responds to events and manages what is within its control. The most substantive action the Government plans to take is to increase the cost of petrol and diesel through carbon tax while hiking tolls. The best case scenario for the course of action the Government intends to take is that increased costs will be passed on to consumers. We have also seen hauliers, particularly those in the Border region, facing challenges relating to dual regimes with regard to the tachygraphs that monitor their compliance with operating regulations.”
“Just to let the last speaker know, Sinn Féin is very aware of what is happening with the haulage industry. Last week, Sinn Féin brought forward a motion in the Dáil mandating the Government to tackle the cost of driving. The measures outlined, particularly those relating to tolls, insurance and carbon tax, would have provided relief to our haulage sector as well as to the ordinary motorist yet last night TDs from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and their backers in the Lowry Independents shamefully voted down that motion. According to the Irish Road Haulage Association, the recent collapse of the courier company Fastway is just the tip of the iceberg and skyrocketing costs could result in more of the same. Many simply cannot absorb continuously increasing costs within their own margins.”
“It is disappointing to hear that artists who have already been on it will not be considered. These artists deserve an ability to plan for their future. Some have been tied into mortgages, etc., and they are going to be at a loss with this. I also mentioned that people with disabilities were stripped of basic allowances and even medical cards through means tests if they participated. I ask the Minister to look at that again. I also ask him to look at comedians being considered under this tranche. It is disappointing, in the context of the Bill proposed by Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh that we debated last week, that artists and comedians are not allowed to apply for this funding.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. While Sinn Féin welcomes the six-month extension to the basic income scheme for artists, they are at a loss to know what is going to happen now. The date when the Minister intends to roll out this scheme would be very helpful. He said quarter 4 but what is the actual date? What are artists supposed to do if this extension only goes to February and the scheme is not reopening until quarter 4? I ask the Minister to look at that again. There was actually a €2 million cut in the budget to the scheme. This is going to have an effect on all the artists getting paid from this scheme. I also that people with disabilities be included in the scheme. They are being left behind again, stripped of their basic allowance and not allowed to apply for a medical card through the means test they are subject to.”
“When will the Minister reopen the basic income for artists scheme? We need to encourage the arts in Ireland. As a country that rates culture and the arts so highly, we must encourage new and emerging artists to thrive through every art form.”
“I put it to the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, that in the aftermath of the crime of our generation, namely, the mass murder of Palestinian civilians, if not now, when?”
“Following the ruling of the ICJ on the legal consequences of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, Ireland cosponsored the State of Palestine's first resolution before the United Nations General Assembly on its practical implications. That resolution did not distinguish between goods and services because the world court and international law do not, but that did become the brief time when Fine Gael's then Taoiseach, now the Tánaiste, in advance of the general election, pledged to support the Bill. However, very quickly after the election the commitments became less tangible again. I welcome that the Government has chosen not to oppose this motion but it must implement legislation in full with services included.”
“Introducing the occupied territories Bill to the Dáil in January 2019, Deputy Niall Collins, who is now Minister of State with special responsibility for International Law, challenged those who would seek to dissuade the Dáil from passing the Bill and asked "If this is not the time to act, when will that time come?". According to the Government he became part of a little over a year later, it was not the time in 2022, which marked the deadliest year yet for children in the West Bank, with 34 Palestinian children dying, nor was it the time in 2023, when well in advance of 7 October, the toll had already surpassed that of 2022, with 38 Palestinian children being murdered by Israelis by late September.”
“It would be very helpful if the Minister of State could do that. I suggest he use the shared island fund as it takes in the North and South. There is a big pot of money there that he could tap into. We in Monaghan and Cavan would like to have a rail network running through Portadown and right up to Donegal. It would be very much appreciated.”
“My question relates to the timeline in the strategic rail review for the return of rail transport to County Monaghan. The Minister of State may or may not know that in counties Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal we have no railway network at all. The strategic rail review provides for this and I ask the Minister of State to consider it.”
“Assurances offered by successive Ministers were not worth the paper they were written on. The so-called safeguard that emerged has been welcomed or endorsed by virtually no one. This deal will see upwards of 100,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry flood the European market. That produce will not be produced to Irish standards in the context of the use of pesticides, hormones or antibiotics. It is grossly unfair to lecture Irish producers on the environment and animal health, on the one hand, while, on the other, allowing them to be undercut by those not held to the same standards. This is a bad deal for Ireland and it must be rejected. I say to the Government of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Independents, that they need to stand up against Europe and not let the Mercosur deal happen.”
“I welcome all the farming organisations here tonight. As a TD from rural Monaghan, I very much support them. Time and again, Irish farming families have been tasked to rise to challenges, whether it is absorbing inflationary shocks within their already too meagre margins or meeting ever-increasing environmental challenges. They do exactly what is often asked of them. What they expect in return is a Government that puts in place a framework that they can work within. Successive Governments have failed to live up to their part of that agreement. It sometimes seems that farming families in Ireland are bearing witness to a national conversation as to whether their livelihood should be culled. This Government was party to trade negotiations which would see their produce replaced with a lower-quality South American alternative.”
“However, I ask the Government to recognise the situation is farcical and take control of this board and the findings and recommendations from the Comptroller and Auditor General and ensure that in the future its officials are not left to defend what may seem an absolutely scandalous waste of money.”
“My appeal to the Government is that the goal will be a tomorrow that allows for ambitious planning for the future, beyond simply responding to the excessive amount of issues that plague our society today. In regard to the national children's science museum, the concept of which I fully support, the approach from the Government seems foolish. More than 20 years ago it was envisaged that it would cost the taxpayer €14.3 million to build a national children's science museum. The estimated cost 12 years ago was €36.4 million but today that estimate has gone up to €70 million. The Government seems powerless and held to ransom by a charity. I will not prescribe the exact solution to what I appreciate has competing views from different stakeholders.”
“When I think of the science-led improvements to healthcare and the talent and commitment of our healthcare professionals today, I regret that people cannot access their care. I think of more than 800 children in my own county of Monaghan, none of whom were able to access their dental checkups this year. While welcoming the pending expansion of veterinary medical places, I think of the hundreds upon hundreds of students in recent years who have been forced to study abroad due to the lack of capacity while a crisis, particularly in rural areas, festered at home. While acknowledging progress, I bear in mind that only one third of STEM students today are women, with only 25% in ICT. We have made progress but not enough. It is definitely not working. We have a backslide in some areas. We look to tomorrow.”
“I commend Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, on the 30th anniversary of Science Week, along with parents, industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers and researchers but mostly the students. It is time to reflect on our own role as legislators on the theme of this year which is: "Then. Today. Tomorrow." We have produced world leaders and are home to domestic and multinational companies at the forefront in their fields of science. Our healthcare workers provide among the highest standards of care and we have more women in STEM fields than ever before. In some contexts, thinking from then to today, progress has been made. However, thinking of then, think also of when third level fees were abolished. Then they were reinstated and then increased this year. This is not very encouraging for our future scientists.”
“It shows that 43% of all tourism businesses reported a fall in income this summer. The situation seems to be worst outside the coastal tourism trails. Will the Minister outline his response to this and his efforts to support the industry and promote jobs in the sector? Will he also speak on the rail network and whether he has discussed it with the Minister for Transport?”
“I look forward to seeing that tourism policy. I hope the Minister incorporates a rail network that runs through Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal. If you look at the top of Ireland on the map, we have no rail network up there. I know it is not the Minister's Department but I hope he is working with the Department of Transport to ensure that happens. It is not on at this stage. The maximum potential across the avenue of tourism will require an accurate understanding of how the tourism sector is performing. For some time now there seems to be some confusion on that point. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, has been recording a decline in visitors this year, which some stakeholders have refuted. Any confusion should now be put to rest given the latest tourism barometer from Fáilte Ireland.”
“I thank the Minister and welcome his response. As Ireland's largest indigenous industry, tourism is a crucial sector and our largest regional employer. It is right that Ireland is marketed by Tourism Ireland on an all-Ireland basis and I welcome efforts to link the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route. In effect, this is nearly a circuit of the island of Ireland for tourism trails. Will the Minister speak to any plans to complete the circuit and to link and extend Ireland's Ancient East into the North but also in terms of Ulster being a destination? Will he also speak to his work to encourage cross-Border tourism in terms of Donegal, Derry, Monaghan, Tyrone, Armagh and Cavan?”
“Instead of a bonanza tax break for developers on apartments that have already been built, I am asking the Government to consider people with disabilities and carers first. Things could be different. The energy credits could have been retained at a time when price hikes are set to break families' backs. The Government could have meaningfully increased social welfare payments, tackled child poverty and sought to protect the most vulnerable but it did not do so. Instead, priority was given to a developer tax bonanza. This, the Minister for Social Protection's first budget, is very disappointing.”
“The Government does not seem to care. The €10 increase will be immediately lost to food price increases and energy inflation. This is to say nothing of the significant increase in the day-to-day costs people with disabilities have no choice but to pay. Despite pre-budget analysis showing that one in five children lives in families below the poverty line and despite child poverty having doubled last year to levels last seen during the financial crash, this budget and Bill will do little to alleviate the circumstances of families who will once again be forced to choose between eating and heating this winter. Once again, carers have been left in the dark as to whether the Government ever intends to deliver on the promise to abolish the means test.”
“Budget 2026 left many people disappointed, upset and angry. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, which is continuing unabated, the Government has chosen to utterly abandon the most vulnerable in society. The meagre increase of €10 to the disability payment will see people with only that payment struggle, and that is the best the Government has done since 2020. Analysis from the Irish Wheelchair Association shows that people with disabilities are €1,400 worse off after the budget and the Bill. Did the Government not consider that the withdrawal of energy credits would have an impact on everybody, but especially on people with disabilities? We know that households with a disabled person need 50% to 60% extra disposable income to achieve the same standard of living as similar households with no disabled member.”
“Will the Government implement the necessary measures that I have outlined? Will the Minister of State give a guarantee that the schools programme will be reinstated in County Monaghan this year?”
“In the long term, it will cost households and the State more. The Government has not heeded the warnings from the Dental Council of Ireland, the Irish Dental Association or Sinn Féin and we are dealing with the consequences. We can now pay heed to Sinn Féin's plan. The Minister of State needs to do this. We need to hire more dentists and dental care teams to target school screening for children and medical card holders. Sinn Féin would expand dental training places by 32% from 185 to 245, develop a modern general dental services contract, crucially including a public-only contract, and make necessary reforms to the Dentists Act. A year ago, Sinn Féin said we needed to get dental screening programmes in schools back on track. In my county of Monaghan, the programme has come off the tracks entirely.”
“I want to reiterate that although 900 people were assessed in Cavan, in County Monaghan zero children were assessed. That needs to change and something needs to happen immediately. Sinn Féin outlined our proposals to address the crisis fostered by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in our dental services. A year ago, my party colleague and Sinn Féin spokesperson, Deputy Cullinane, published our health plan. It highlighted that between 2019 and 2024, nearly half of dentists providing publicly funded care to medical card holders had withdrawn from the dental treatment services scheme. Nearly 80% of those who remained were not taking on new patients. The Government's oversight of the denial of services has been seen in low-income households that have been denied the opportunity to save teeth and prevent oral disease.”
“What has brought us to this point is a broader mismanagement and, given the latest revelation, I would say maladministration of our dental services. At the heart of the issue is Government's failure to train enough dentists and overreliance on private dentists who are under no obligation to deliver this critical public service. To go from 770 children in 2021 who did receive routine check-ups to zero children last year in County Monaghan who received a dental check-up, leaving 832 children on a waiting list, is undeniably a collapse of the service. Does the Minister of State accept that there has been another collapse in the HSE school-linked dental programme in County Monaghan? What is she going to do about it and when is she going to do it? How many children in Monaghan will receive a check-up in this academic year?”
“The HSE informed me that the reason for this was staff retirements, maternity leaves and the paucity of dentists available nationally. It is not too much for the people of Monaghan to ask the Minister that this service would be put in place immediately. Retirements are generally foreseeable and should not lead to collapse in the services. Maternity leave is a fairly common life experience which should not leave to a collapse in the service. Will the Minister of State ensure that the people of County Monaghan get their routine dentistry requirements and check-ups in national school? It is also a question of accountability for the HSE and the Government on this matter. This scandal that no children in County Monaghan are receiving dental check-ups has brought both me and the Minister of State into the House this morning.”
“My question relates to the lack of a school dental programme in County Monaghan. I submitted a parliamentary question on this and the response I got was very disturbing, to be honest. We all know that in all areas of health care, early intervention is crucial. Prevention is preferable to treatment. Issues identified early allow for less intensive or invasive treatment. It is positive to introduce and reinforce positive dental hygiene and care from an early age. Dental is among the most basic of health services, so the Minister of State will appreciate my shock to receive a response from the HSE to a parliamentary question which outlined that no children in County Monaghan received a dental check-up in the last academic year. Actually, shocked does not go far enough; I was disgusted, to be honest.”
“At a time when the Government is advertising and calling on our young people to return home, it is a sad indictment of how we value those abroad. When we are on the final leg of the journey to reunification, the Minister of State can prepare, plan and make the change.”
“My appeal to my colleagues across Government and Opposition benches is this: let us establish a citizens' assembly to facilitate the conversations that need to happen, let us have a joint Oireachtas committee to enable careful planning, and let us engage with civic societies, with school children as the Minister of State, and with Catholic and unionist communities about the future of our island. We need to start to plan. It is deeply regrettable that this week, yet another presidential election will come to pass that excludes Irish citizens in the North. It is a retrograde step that this Government chose to abandon the commitment to hold a referendum on the extension of voting rights to the North and outside of the State.”
“Irish unity stands as the greatest aspiration and opportunity for the future of Ireland. It is incumbent on each of us to play a constructive role. Right across the island and beyond, people are doing that and having conversations at dinner tables and social gatherings as to when it will happen and what it might look like. Across communities and traditions and among the diaspora, they are eager and willing to play their part. Civic society groups are organising exciting and engaging events of a scale, and it is gathering pace. Undeniably, momentum is building. What is needed now is for the Irish Government to play its part in full.”
“Sinn Féin would have invested €127.2 million in current expenditure and €20 million in capital expenditure in order to deliver childcare capped at €10 a day, meaningful expansion, affordable, high-quality childcare and early years education for every child possible. Sinn Féin's spokesperson on children Claire Kerrane, has shown the Government how this could be done. Somehow, I had hoped that the Minister would have learned from his own education that it is not enough to cog answers and hope the details take care of themselves. The Government needs to take the workings too if it wants to see results. Families and children deserve better. The Government is continuing to fail them. It needs to do more and it needs to do better.”
“At the pace at which the Government is delivering reforms, it will take it more than two decades to address the backlog alone and, in fact, it will not even deliver that, because its plan to tackle these 2,300 places and schools and community centres is utter madness. We have schools waiting for decades for new builds. How long will it take? Leaving those children on waiting lists is careless and irresponsible. Their minds are developing now. It is the Government's responsibility to provide them with the best conditions possible and it is failing to do so. Childcare does not have to be in a state of seemingly perpetual crisis. That is simply the environment the Government has fostered through slow reform and inadequate investment.”
“It is just disappointing that they were not willing to take our plan and implement it too, because while Fine Gael said it needed 100 days to come up with a plan, nearly a year on, we have seen nothing of the sort. I have not seen the structural reforms or level of investment needed from a Fianna Fáil Minister. The first five years of children's lives are imperative to their physical, mental and emotional development. The benefits of early education last well into adulthood. Not only is it important that we make formative care affordable but also of high quality. We need to provide it universally to every child across the country. This year's budget opens just 2,300 spaces in childcare. There are 50,000 children on waiting lists.”
“People are profoundly disappointed with the choices made by the Government in the budget. They are disappointed because the Minister chose to fail in his responsibility to assist them in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis that persists unabated. This is starkly true in the case of childcare, in which what he has brought forward is entirely inadequate. Families have been let down. So too have their children, whose futures lie in our hands. Last September, Sinn Féin published a comprehensive and fully costed plan to introduce childcare capped at €10 a day for all starting in September 2025. I welcome that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael lifted this policy from Sinn Féin in advance of the general election.”
“Home improvement grants are essential to facilitate disabled and older people to live at home with independence, dignity and safety, but a backlog exists to accessing this crucial support across the State, including in County Monaghan. The Minister for housing has said that this funding will be reviewed in future years as part of the annual budgetary process, but for those who need these supports this year and will not receive them, a promise to review the situation in the years ahead is of little relief, especially if their independence is compromised in the interim. Will the Tánaiste undertake to review this immediately and to ensure that local authorities are properly funded to deliver the supports, so those who most need them get them?”
“The Minister said that the actions in the previous strategy did come good, but how come students cannot get accommodation this year? With the new strategy, will purpose-built student complexes charge additional affordable service and utility charges? Will the Minister ensure that additional charges and rent hikes will not happen again in rent pressure zones, and that the purpose-built accommodation will be retained for this purpose specifically? Can the Minister promise that?”
“I very much welcome all the ideas the Minister has put forward. However, I appreciate that the previous strategy is coming to an end. Were all the ideas the previous Minister came up with in that strategy acted on and did they all fall into place? The previous strategy was to cover 2017 to 2021. I understand that it has come to an end, but I would like to see whether the actions in that strategy actually happened. Actions are great, but I like to see work done and things happen. I welcome the Minister's intention to increase the number of apartments for students, but I want to see action on the ground. Will this be delivered over a five-year basis, and will there be a certain amount done in each year?”
“My question to the Minister is in relation to the provision of accommodation for students. When students got their CAO results and started college this year, there was huge excitement about being sent off to college and everything. However, stress was induced a few days later with the experience of trying to acquire accommodation, which was impossible because of the increased cost of third level, in particular, and the cost of accommodation at campuses, which is not always available. Worryingly, we now see that students signed leases before the CAO offers were made just to ensure they had accommodation. What are the Minister's proposals in relation to accommodation?”
“Sinn Féin advocated for a €500 decrease this year, but instead of that the Minister has increased it. I want him to recognise that fact and let people know that fees have increased by €500 this year. He should not fool people. They are not silly and recognise what is happening. I am a parent and I realise, like everybody else, that fees have gone up. The Minister can provide big figures like €628 million, but people are paying their taxes towards that. The Government has to recognise that. People are paying their taxes towards this, but have to pay additional costs every year for education. Education in this country is not free.”
“The Government advertised a policy of free fees and said it is doing a lot for the people, but the reality is that college fees and school contributions are coming out of people's pockets. Everything is on families.”
“I will go back to what this is costing hard-working families. People are very smart and they know they have been charged an additional €500 this year compared to the fees they paid last year. The Minister said the Government reduced the fees last year. It contested the election on reducing them further, but then increased them. That is what happened. There is a myth in Ireland that, as the Minister said, we have free fees and education, but that is not the lived reality or what people feel on the ground. They do not feel that is the case in early years education or in our schools. There are voluntary contributions in schools which parents have to pay because schools are unable to subsidise themselves.”
“My question refers to the difference between third level fees in 2024 and in 2025. It is a very straightforward question, but it does not seem to be so for members of the Government. It is very frustrating for Members of the House and students and their families. People's backs are broken trying to make ends meet in respect of day-to-day costs. To top it off, they have to deal with the massive expense of putting themselves or their children through college. Essentially, student fees have increased. Why is the Government trying to sell this as a reduction? Fees are up this year.”
“Unfortunately, we do know what has not happened for mental health in this State. The Government did not even invest the time to meaningfully update the budget document. A copy-and-paste job was done for mental health. Just seven words were changed from last year's document. It is absolutely pathetic. Sinn Féin proposed an additional €52 million a year for a revolutionary mental health action plan that would have overhauled child and youth mental health care, provided for free counselling for everybody on referral and made critical investments in vital programmes for eating disorders, dual-diagnosis, ADHD, crisis resolution, suicide prevention and urgent and emergency care. This is the type of investment and policy that could have made a real difference for those struggling with mental health. It is what the people deserve.”
“Perhaps we could get clarity on why there has been a reduction in CAMHS beds. Is this part of the legacy of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael? Is this what they want to be remembered for? Of those children waiting over a year to access services, 216 are in the HSE area that includes my own constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. A staggering 88 of those children have been waiting for more than 18 months. They continue to be utterly failed by this Government. Families are crying out for help from the Minister of State's Government and, in many cases, it is simply not arriving. There is no help and no support. I only wish I was standing before this House today to welcome new investment announced as part of this week's budget but the truth is that we do not even know what the Government has done on mental health.”
“Access to mental health services should be based on need, not on where you live and most certainly not on your ability to pay. Unfortunately, for many people across this State, that is not the case. I have no doubt that the Minister of State's office and that of the Ceann Comhairle are, like my own, inundated with people who are desperate to access mental health services, especially child and adolescent mental health services. In July 2020, there were 2,112 children waiting for first-time appointments with CAMHS. As of June 2025, there were 4,554 children waiting. The figure has more than doubled over the course of five years. This is why I was so surprised to read that there are only going to be ten CAMHS beds provided under the new budget when there were 20 last time. I do not understand.”
“On housing, we begin to see who the winners are in all of this. Sinn Féin demanded a ban on rent increases and proposed putting a full month of rent increases back in people's pockets. That is still not happening but the big winners here are the developers.”
“It does not recognise the work carers do and the money they save the State. To top all this off, the Government has promised a measly €10 to people with disabilities and old age pensioners, which is outrageous in light of the cuts that have already happened in electricity credits, and given the cost-of living crisis we are experiencing. Believe it or not, it only gets worse. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has finally admitted what women have been screaming about, which is that there is insufficient endometriosis care. I had thought that the Government would actually do something about this in the budget, but it contains nothing for women suffering from endometriosis. The budget also says nothing about additional domestic violence refuges around the country. In Cavan and Monaghan we have none. It still has not happened.”
“The increases to school capitation funding are not sufficient and are a lot less than Sinn Féin had advocated for. Worse yet, the Government has deferred its insufficient assistance until next year, leaving school principals and teachers with so-called "voluntary" contributions already taken from hard-pressed parents. The arrogance with which the Government has tried to sell a €500 increase in college fees as a reduction is galling. To be clear, Sinn Féin's proposals announced an actual €500 reduction, which is €1,000 in the difference. I welcome the Government's lifting of Sinn Féin's policy on abolishing the carer's means test, but the slow pace at which the Government has begun to implement this will see it take a decade to achieve. It is callous and utterly heartless.”
“I congratulate all the junior certificate children who got their results today. I wonder if they will remember the Fine Gael budget that happened today, which was championed by Fianna Fáil. I hope they will. Will they remember in years to come the cruel disappointment that struggling families, workers and many others experienced today? General election promises have been forgotten very suddenly. The Government made promises in November, which is not that long ago, but they are already forgotten. Having promised a plan to deliver €10 childcare in the first 100 days of its term, the Government has delivered nothing. By pulling the rug on energy credits, the Government has exposed that what it provided for last year was just a cynical political ploy in advance of the general election.”