Charles Ward
Donegal · 100% RDR · Ireland
“I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing forward this motion. As a parent, I have seen the costs relating to sending children to school skyrocket over the past ten years. The situation is absolutely out of control.”
“Uniforms are supposed to represent equality, but they have become another financial burden on families who are already struggling with a cost-of-living crisis that has been going on for a very long time.”
“Those who were previously on particular school bus routes no longer have the option of using those routes. As a result, parents are forced to engage in long commutes and to cover the costs incurred in this regard. I welcome the motion.”
“She did not receive the substantial person-centred supports she desperately needed to rebuild her life. Support has to be extended beyond crisis intervention.”
“Domestic abuse is increasing and becoming more and more complex. I spoke in depth with Jessica Gallagher, who is clinical director of the Uplift Project. She works alongside women who are affected by domestic abuse, coercive control and sexual violence in Donegal. She said that demand for the service demonstrates the scale of unmet need.”
“I welcome Jennie's law. The publicly available register of judgments will be a life-saving resource, as people in relationships or considering relationships will be able to see whether people have histories of domestic violence convictions.”
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“Raphoe Community Playgroup has already committed to providing places for 56 children from September 2025 to July 2026, but without adequate support this facility will be forced to close. The loss of this vital community resource will have serious consequences for families, working parents and the wider community of Raphoe. Furthermore, its closure becomes unavoidable, which should not be the case. Funding for redundancy packages for the staff will need to be addressed. How are community playgroups such as that in Raphoe expected to navigate this situation? The current position it is in is an enormous strain on the playgroup, its staff and the families who depend on it. We are already dealing with a shortage of childcare facilities in County Donegal. This issue has not been addressed.”
“Early childhood educators and parents of these playgroups are understandably very frustrated about the decision not to consider these buildings for the defective concrete remediation funding, especially given that Donegal County Council previously advised that the criteria for funding were being rewritten to include the likes of Raphoe and Letterkenny Community Playgroups, and that the housing authority would ensure the applications would fit within the framework. Despite these assurances, funding has not been made available to either of these playgroups. I know playgroups have explored alternative funding options, including from Pobal and the Department of education, but no viable solution has been identified.”
“Multiple community playgroups in County Donegal face closure because they have been affected by defective concrete. The cracks in the walls of these buildings have been growing at a concerning rate. Like many buildings in the county, there is only one option, which is full demolition. Unfortunately, however, under the current redress scheme for buildings affected by defective concrete blocks, these childcare facilities do not qualify for any funding for demolition and rebuild because they are not a home.”
“We continue to do nothing about it. We must enact the occupied territories Bill, yet the Irish Government continues to delay it and water it down. We have never seen anything like this in our lifetime. We must do all we can to save 14,000 children within the next 48 hours, the 48 hours after that, and the 48 hours after that. Stop the genocide.”
“Some 14,000 babies in Gaza will die if aid trucks do not reach them in the next couple of days. Just think about that. We cannot help but question where the humanity is in this world today. Israel is carrying out a blatant, deliberate genocide for the world to see. What are we doing about it? How can we allow this to go on? We are seeing shocking images of dead and dying children every single day in Gaza. We are hearing reports about children who are so malnourished that the doctors cannot even tell what age they are. No child, no matter what and no matter who they are or where they are from, should be starved to death by a government. We have to intervene. If we continue to do nothing, we will continue to facilitate the atrocities. What Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Government are doing is a crime against humanity.”
“That is over 10,000 people who do not get a cent for the incredibly difficult and important work they do within their communities, caring for people. It is a disgrace and completely undermines the vital role played by carers in supporting older people and people with disabilities within their homes and communities. It is time the Government valued the essential work of our carers and front-line healthcare workers.”
“It is clear that Donegal people are at a severe disadvantage in terms of healthcare and this is outlined in black and white. The inequality between Letterkenny University Hospital and other hospitals is truly mind-blowing. The recent suggestion, for example, to locate a surgical hub in Sligo instead of Letterkenny was a slap in the face for every single person from Donegal, especially when we know that, both distance-wise and population-wise, Letterkenny makes the most sense. As I have said before, this is not a Donegal versus Sligo thing. The north west, as a region, needs far more focus and investment. There should be a surgical hub in both Donegal and Sligo. There are almost 10,700 unpaid carers in Donegal, which is 6% of the county’s population.”
“Despite this, community care is too often overlooked and underfunded. Investing in community hospitals would ensure that patients do not have to travel long journeys unnecessarily, which rural patients so often do. Community hospitals also have the potential to take significant strain off our model 3 and model 4 hospitals. If patients in Donegal could attend some routine appointments at their local community hospital, it would take considerable pressure off Letterkenny and would lead to far fewer appointment cancellations. It is shocking that over 6,000 appointments were cancelled at Letterkenny University Hospital last year due to increased emergency department attendances, staff shortages and infection outbreaks. This is a massive 44% increase compared to 2023, which is outrageous.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the motion and thank Independent Ireland for bringing it forward. I fully support the motion and its call on the Government to abolish the means test for carers to ensure equal access to financial support, and to recognise the essential social and economic value of care work in communities. I also support its call to provide increased capital and operational grants to community hospitals, residential care homes and day centres, including specific provision for dementia care and disability-friendly infrastructure. Having worked in healthcare, I understand how important it is that our community hospitals and residential care homes are properly funded and resourced, especially in Donegal. From Malin Head to Arranmore Island, access to community care is vital for people living in rural Ireland.”
“I also ask the Department to look into a specific case of a woman and her 13-year-old daughter who faces abuses and being married off by her father should she be forced to return to South Africa. This is an emergency case. I have emailed the Minister of State the details and I ask him to look into the details if he can.”
“I have been in touch with the Department about a healthcare worker whose family reunification application was refused because she took a brief drop in income last year due to her pregnancy. She should not be penalised for that or anything like that. It is a time when she should be able to access that family support. I ask the Minister of State to look into this woman’s appeal and to consider abolishing the income threshold for family reunification altogether. I would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge our migrant healthcare workers and all the amazing work they do in our country. They prop up our healthcare system and it is time they get the recognition they deserve.”
“Everyone deserves to have their family with them when it comes to living and working in Ireland. Will the Minister of State undertake this essential work and please help these families? Will he commit to publishing this review as soon as possible and changing this unfair reunification system?”
“Before I became a TD five months ago, I was a healthcare worker in a dementia unit. I had the privilege of working with healthcare workers from many different countries. Unfortunately, many of them are undergoing an horrific experience of being separated from their families, sometimes for years, because of the unfair family reunification system in this country. There are people who are doing essential jobs who have been recruited in Ireland because we cannot fill these jobs ourselves. These people are doing essential jobs and are part of our community. People are being denied their basic right to have their family with them because they do not earn a high enough salary because of the types of jobs the are in. Relationships are being torn apart.”
“When does the Minister of State plan to publish the review the Department undertook on the family reunification process? I understand the review was completed months ago but still has not been published. I would be grateful if he could give an exact timeline as there are many people waiting on its publication.”
“We all know the value of the trade unions. In many situations, the presence of a trade union representative is crucial. Unions representing healthcare workers have been instrumental in reaching agreement with the HSE and the WRC over staffing and recruitment. They demanded changes to how staffing vacancies in the HSE were reviewed and also called on the health service to accelerate the recruitment process for vacant posts. Unions representing the firefighters in Donegal have been vital in fighting for adequate resources and accountability. Workers have the right to organise and be heard. It is shocking that Ireland remains one of the few European countries where there is no right to union recognition. This needs to change. It is a change that the Government has to process. I urge the Government to progress this Bill.”
“We all know examples of big companies that refuse to recognise trade unions for collective bargaining. I will not name and shame them but it is not hard to find reports of companies with hundreds of employees who are not recognised because there is no union recognition nor is it hard to find people with negative experiences of trying to get their employers to recognise unions. I have personal experience of employers failing to recognise or engage with trade unions in the past. Trade unions offer numerous benefits to their members and are so often needed for the purposes of negotiation and representation. A union can make a significant difference when fighting for fairer and better conditions for workers and assisting them to access legal protections in workplace disputes and financial resources. Workers have a right to be represented.”
“I thank Deputies Murphy and Coppinger and their staff for bringing this very important legislation forward. I support the Bill and its intention to provide mandatory union recognition where 20% or more of the workforce are members of a union. Union representation is extremely important to ensure that union reps have access to their members' places of work. This is vital. It is also important that unions are able to negotiate with employers on pay, hours and conditions. Sadly, this is not always the case in Ireland, as employers have no obligation to even acknowledge trade unions. We have seen many examples of many employers who failed to engage with trade unions at all, which is unacceptable today. Most of the private healthcare sector does not recognise or engage with trade unions.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion on housing infrastructure, which I support. I thank the Minister for housing, Deputy James Browne, for taking the time to visit Donegal. He had positive engagement with the 100% Redress Party and the homeowners impacted by defective concrete. It is important for the Minister to see at first-hand the crumbling homes across the county, which he did. Having met homeowners, particularly the downgraded homeowners, the Elm Park homeowners who are seeking relocation, and people who were given the wrong engineering option, I hope now the Minister realises the devastation that has been caused and starts to work on a scheme. I urge the Minister to reflect on that visit and come back with a better defective concrete scheme that leaves no one behind.”
“We need a publicly funded, publicly provided, universal, affordable and accessible childcare system. This is the reason I will be supporting the motion.”
“We need to start paying and treating our early years educators far better. We also need to address the extortionate fees parents are expected to pay. It is unacceptable that parents are expected to pay the equivalent of a mortgage each month for childcare. During the election, the Government very loudly promised to reduce childcare fees to €200 per month per child. Five months later, there has not been a peep about this issue. Parents are still paying thousands a month on childcare costs. It is yet another broken election promise. We know that this is a crisis that particularly affects women. As a result, they are not able to participate fully in society and are often forced to leave the workforce due to lack of available childcare places. Inequality has to end.”
“That includes 362 children under the age of one waiting on lists, with just three places available to them; 468 children between the ages of one and two waiting on lists for just seven places available; and 515 children aged between two and three on waiting lists with just 79 places available. It should not be the case that hundreds of families are fighting for a handful of places. Recruitment and retention of staff continues to be the main issue in Donegal. It makes sense to bring early years and school-age care graduates into the public pay system. I cannot understand why this has not been properly considered and implemented. The Government needs to start taking proactive steps to address the shortage of early years educators, who have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long.”
“I support the Sinn Féin motion on childcare. There is a serious crisis of childcare in this country that has been ongoing for years, yet the Government continuously failed to address it. Parents not only struggle to afford childcare, but also to access it. Accessing childcare is an enormous challenge facing many families across the country but particularly in Donegal. A recent survey by Early Childhood Ireland has revealed shocking figures. In Donegal alone, there are 1,345 children under the age of four on childcare waiting lists for only 89 places. That leaves 1,200 children in Donegal who do not have a crèche place.”
“When visiting Letterkenny University Hospital last week, the Minister’s colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, said the location of the new surgical hub has not been decided yet. Donegal is in desperate need of a surgical hub. Patients across the county are forced to travel very long distances to access essential and life-saving care. Letterkenny University Hospital is severely underfunded and has insufficient resources to address the healthcare needs of the people of the north west. There is currently a surgical team of just five where eight to ten are required to meet the current demand. To address this imbalance in healthcare in this country and meet the current demand, two surgical hubs should be established in the north west. I asked the Minister not to leave Donegal behind once again.”
“We have asked the Minister, Deputy Browne, many times to visit Donegal so he can witness for himself the devastation caused by the defective concrete crisis. It is clear to me that the Government is far too removed from this issue. The crisis requires the experience of those who are impacted and councillors who know this crisis at first hand and who truly understand what is needed to tackle it. Decisions being made at local level regarding regional issues such as defective concrete should be made by elected representatives in the area, not by Government-appointed staff. County councillors should not have to serve as decision-makers or be forced to act as opposition in their own councils. We need to expand the remit of the local authorities and give more power to county councillors.”
“Anyone with experience of local politics knows this is just not possible, given how little power our county councils actually have. Shockingly, councillors currently have no power to identify, meet and manage housing needs. My party colleagues, the councillors of the 100% Redress party, had to walk out of a special plenary meeting on housing in Donegal County Council on Monday in protest at the lack of engagement on housing at council level. The lack of action by the council and the Minister for housing on housing issues in Donegal, particularly the defective concrete crisis, is extremely frustrating. There is a complete disconnect between the Department of housing in Dublin and Donegal.”
“The revised national planning framework includes many great suggestions, such as improving local connectivity to broadband, energy, transport and water networks, recognising Letterkenny as an important cross-border network for regional development and addressing the town and village rural population decline by encouraging new roles and functions for buildings, streets and sites. However, it is clear to me there is no intention of actually implementing many of these suggestions, including the revised planning network, given they are clearly not rooted in reality. The suggestion, for example, to implement a proper, planned local authority-led approach to identifying, meeting and managing housing needs arising in the countryside areas is laughable.”
“It should never have got to the point where parents had to start the Don't Forget Our Little Angels for September 2025 group to take a stand in respect of the education and the future of their children. It should never have got to the stage where mothers had to sleep outside the Houses, as we all have been saying, constantly campaigning and bringing it forward. As children go to their beds every night, their distraught parents are crying down the phone for help. We have done our utmost and I acknowledge the Minister's contribution to that too. No child should ever be left behind. I would encourage the Minister, during her term, to make sure that this does not happen year after year and get children their right - their place to an education.”
“We welcome this motion from Labour. There has been a complete failure on the part of the Government to adequately plan for school places for children with special and additional educational needs. This comes up every year without fail. It is across the whole country and yet the Government fails to plan for it. Every year, there is no change. Parents should not be forced to try to ensure that their children are not denied an education. Schools should not be forced to turn any child away on foot of a lack of places. This has been happening across the entire country, but especially at Little Angels in Letterkenny. I am very grateful for the Minister's intervention there. Little Angels, the children and their parents should never have been forced into this situation in the first place.”
“I was one of them and I will do it again. Almost a decade later, the Government is still trying to find ways to charge people for water during a cost-of-living crisis. People are struggling to get by with ever increasing bills for food and electricity. We must stop and scrap water charges altogether, once and for all.”
“Millions and millions of length of pipe throughout the country have burst. As well as this, there are two areas in Malin Head and on the Wild Atlantic Way where the council is not able to repair the roads because Uisce Éireann will not complete the pipe improvement works that are needed in the area. This is completely unacceptable. Shockingly, water is leaving Inishowen to service other parts of the county with Inishowen left airlocked. In a country where it rains almost every day, we should be able to store water in reservoirs built in local areas. Rural areas are very badly serviced when it comes to water. Again, the Government suggesting the introduction of a charge for an extremely poor service is outrageous. Tens of thousands of people from across the country marched in Dublin to protest against water charges.”
“Uisce Éireann is causing real problems for the development of the country, especially in Donegal. Water leakages are a huge issue in Donegal. Many of our pipes are not fit for the pressure and are bursting. Staff are often forced to do emergency repairs at the weekend, which has knock-on effects on costs. Uisce Éireann continually sends out repair reports. What is really needed is a complete infrastructural update. In Inishowen, the upgrade of the Meendoran to Clonmany trunkmain needs to be fast-tracked. It has burst on many occasions. There have been multiple significant outages affecting hundreds of homes for weeks at a time. We were recently informed that upgrades would proceed. As I said, if the Government truly cared about water conservation, it would have prioritised this and fixed this problem and many others.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this Bill to repeal Part 2 of the Water Services Act 2017 and rule out the reintroduction of water charges by this and future Governments. I fully support the Bill. I am disappointed to hear of the Government's intention to reintroduce water charges despite knowing how strongly the public feels about this. The charge may be for excessive use of water at this stage. However, I believe that once it is introduced the Government will find a way to introduce domestic water charges for every household. The Government is being completely disingenuous when it cites water conservation as the reason for the introduction of water charges. If this Government was really concerned about water conservation it would address the issues with Uisce Éireann, particularly issues with water infrastructure and leakages.”
“The NSAI has also recommended total sulfur levels of a threshold of 3%, despite the fact that anything higher than 2% means concrete aggregate would not comply with an EU standard.”
“One of the concerns is the breach of EU regulations. The recommended total levels of sulfur they are recommending in this new version of I.S. 465 breaches EU regulations for concrete aggregates, namely, EN 12620, which limits the total sulfur level for concrete aggregate to 0.1% if pyrrhotite is present. The NSAI has set a total sulfur limit of 3% for testing defective concrete in this revised document, which is higher than EN 12620's 1%, because the test is for concrete, not raw aggregate. Raw aggregate is the problem. As we take into account additional sulfur contribution, it comes from the cement paste. Page 25 of the revised document states that 5% to 10% of this mass concrete would have total sulfur content of 0.1% where iron sulfides are absent. This is leaving it very vulnerable to needing to be revisited again.”
“That concrete test would equate to 0.2%. Can the Tánaiste explain why the NSAI recommends using a total sulfur level that is in conflict with EU standards? I understand these questions are very technical but I would be grateful if the Tánaiste could come back to me with clarity. These standards could have very serious consequences for people building their homes in Ireland.”
“Does this mean that every element, that is, rising walls, inner leaf and outer leaf, is considered separately? If one element of the building does not meet the threshold for removal, does this mean the element will be retained or does it mean the entire house will be demolished? It is unclear. In short, the revised version of I.S. 465 is seeking to provide the options for partial fixes to people's homes. The peer research report supplied by Ulster University and the NSAI is very clear. Severe deterioration of all components is inevitable and it is strongly suggested that these concrete blocks be replaced as part of the remediation solution. The recent revision of I.S. 465 sets out sulfur levels in their tests of construction materials at 0.3% despite the fact that the European standard EN 12620 specifies a limit of less than 1%.”
“The table of options, particularly remediation, that featured in the previous document has been omitted in the revised draft I.S. 465. At first glance, this would appear to be a welcome development because it looks like there is only one solution, namely, full demolition. However, further scrutiny reveals a number of references to partial remediation, which is incredibly concerning. For example, on page 28, section 7.3.1.1 on sample selection, point (c) states: "where part(s) of the structure has been identified for potential retention". In page 39, section 8.2 states: "the chartered engineer shall recommend demolition and rebuild of all affected concrete block building elements to the client in the final [engineer's] report". My question is twofold.”
“I welcome the release of the draft I.S. 465 for public consultation last Monday. For a long time, homeowners affected by defective concrete have been calling for the recognition of science. The standard now recognises that pyrrhotite oxidation causes internal sulfate attack, creating deterioration in Donegal homes. It is incredible that the freeze-thaw action potential damage mechanism has been retained in the revised draft document. This despite international research, scientists, the Department of housing and the GSI-commissioned research clearly ruling the presence of mica causing freeze-thaw does not exist in Donegal homes. I have a number of concerns that need to be addressed in due course but time does not allow this today.”
“If there was an accident, would a car with a black-and-white disc legally be insured? Will the Taoiseach look into this matter and ensure that people are not being penalised for having black-and-white discs?”
“I am sure the Taoiseach is aware there are extremely long waiting lists for driving tests across the country. I have been contacted by many of my constituents who are taking tests in Letterkenny, Donegal town and Buncrana. As the Taoiseach can imagine, when people do manage to secure a test, it is important that it go ahead. Unfortunately, this was not the case for one of my constituents, whose test was immediately terminated because the insurance disc on his car was printed in black and white. This is completely unacceptable. It is unacceptable that most insurance companies, rather than post them out, now require customers to print their own discs in a bid to save costs. Most people, including myself, were unaware of the colour printing requirement. Does this requirement expand beyond driving tests?”
“It was a slap in the face to impacted homeowners in Donegal and across the country to hear the Minister say last week that if the housing crisis was solved in Dublin, it would be solved for the whole country. There is now a defective concrete crisis in 28 counties, all of which I have visited. If we do not tackle this and get proper procedures in place with 100% redress, we will not be able to solve this crisis and it will get worse, as we told the Government three years ago. We warned that this would happen. We were not listened to. Now we have the IS 465 register dropping. The Minister has met families who own defective apartments. I ask him to meet the people of Donegal who are affected and give them the answers they need.”
“Delays have consequences, and to continue to ignore the affected families will have consequences. I agree with this motion in the context of the call to Government to carry out a massive construction programme of social and affordable housing on public land. The lack of real social and affordable housing in Donegal, coupled with the crisis relating to defective concrete, means that many families in the county have nowhere to go. There is a complete lack of alternative accommodation for families who are rebuilding their homes because there is nowhere for them to go. There are no houses available to rent. Families are left to live in dangerous houses and face severe hardship while dealing with this crisis. There is no end in sight for them.”
“The houses are put back together but the foundations underneath are contaminated. It is ridiculous. The exclusion of foundations from remediation is unforgivable. Naming the scheme the defective concrete blocks scheme is purposely insulting to impacted homeowners, many of whose houses and foundations are crumbling underneath their feet. The Government has chosen to ignore this critical structural element when it comes to defective homes. This is leaving families at serious risk. Their mental health goes down the drain. Homeowners are forever trapped in uncertainty. They are not able to sell their homes because there are still defective materials inside after they have been remediated, not rebuilt. This has been going on for years. The scheme must be reviewed as soon as possible.”
“Once again, the Government does not listen. It has ignored more than 80 amendments from homeowners that would have transformed the scheme. It has rejected pre-legislative scrutiny on legislation designed to speed up the scheme and then left said legislation for nearly 18 months before implementing it. We are stuck with a scheme that does not work. We warned the Government three years ago that this would be the case. There are many examples of how the scheme is unworkable. Take the example of two semi-detached houses located adjacent to each other. One family gets to have their house remediated because it has the funds to do so. They go into debt. The other family does not have the money and are left in the house as it crumbles. The first family rebuilds their house.”
“It is time we come together to tackle this humanitarian crisis and make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. To do so, the Government must listen to those who have been impacted, namely, the people who have experienced this crisis at first hand. They truly understand and know how to tackle it. Their voices have been ignored and their solutions rejected for far too long. Impacted homeowners tell us that the existing scheme has been a complete failure. Families are being forced to rebuild on top of Weetabix blocks. Engineers with decades of expertise have warned of the failures but have been ignored. We have been told too many times that the scheme is evolving. If that were the case, there would be no need to keep going the way we are going. We have had two different versions of the scheme, both of which have failed.”
“I thank my colleague, Deputy Seamus Healy, for bringing forward this important motion on housing emergency measures in the public interest. I acknowledge the inclusion in this motion of the defective concrete crisis, which many Opposition parties have disappointingly failed to include in their previous housing motions. Support from all parties and independent TDs across every constituency is required in respect of the defective concrete block crisis. At least 16 counties have been impacted so far, but it is very likely that more will discover that defective concrete blocks were used in the construction of buildings. Families across the country have for years been living in homes that are literally falling apart. Homes built on foot of trust, hard work and sacrifice have turned into prisons of anxiety and despair.”
“I understand this but the LIS funding allocated to Donegal must increase and be prioritised because of what is going on in the west of Donegal, Gaeltacht areas and north Inishowen, in particular. Councillors out there are constantly looking for funding. There are roads that have not been touched for years. If a plan was put in place for the LIS roads in north Inishowen and west Donegal, it would effectively help rural communities. During his term, will the Minister of State consider increasing the funding for LIS in Donegal, if he can?”
“Without effective infrastructure, rural and Gaeltacht communities, particularly those in my area, are dying. Without these roads and people helping in the communities by fixing these roads, we will end up with people having to move to urban centres and leave rural Ireland.”
“If the Minister of State has been to Donegal, he will know many of our rural roads are in an awful state and in urgent need of upgrading, particularly around the Glenties and Inishowen areas. These are the most deprived areas. They are rural areas. The LIS as it currently stands is wholly inadequate for us as there is a need to address the infrastructural differences between rural and urban Donegal. There are hundreds of people in my constituency who have been waiting on the LIS list for years and it seems many of them are unlikely to see their roads addressed under the current scheme. I welcome the scheme. It was extended last year and more families can qualify for the scheme but it is pointless if they cannot access it as it is currently set up. We need to ensure people can access their homes and farms safely.”
“I would be grateful if the Minister could outline the number of applications for the local improvement scheme, LIS, in Donegal since 2020, and the number of outstanding LIS roads in Donegal. I would also like to know whether he will allocate a major increase in LIS funding to the Glenties and Inishowen municipal districts because an increase in funding for the roads in these areas is desperately needed. Will he also look at reviewing the local improvement scheme during his term?”