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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“I have an issue regarding the Minister for children not answering a question. The Ceann Comhairle ruled that the question was okay. It feels like we are being silenced here. I need the Taoiseach to ensure that the Government will take a whole approach to addressing children in support hubs with defective concrete.”
“We have had to switch the turbines off at time which is absolutely crazy when they could be generating power. The figure is significantly higher in the northwest where the electricity grid is at its weakest. It is a disgraceful waste when the potential is there, but we have to have the courage and to invest. We have to invest in the future, now. In Donegal, if we had a more advanced, up to date grid, that could handle this we could be in a prime location to harvest the power and take it ashore. The wind breaking technology is there. Wave breakers are all over the north of Scotland and they are generating power. We have to have the courage, we have to have the belief and deliver.”
“In a session of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, I was told by Wind Energy Ireland that Donegal has the wind and good water depths, particularly inshore towards Donegal Bay. At present, it is challenging for us to generate offshore energy in Donegal because of the electricity grid; it needs to be updated. The lack of grid is probably one of the biggest challenges facing us. To get electricity out of Donegal, we will need a stronger grid so investment is essential. We can harvest it but we cannot take it ashore. In 2025, 13% of the cheapest electricity was wasted because of the grid. It is simply not strong enough to carry the power that comes from the wind farms and most of the wind farms are left dormant; they are not moving.”
“Given the nature of the work and their area of expertise, naturally many of them look for offshore work, but instead of availing of work in Ireland, they are forced to go away to England, Scotland and Germany. The Minister of State would be shocked to know how many constituents in Donegal have to go abroad to find maritime work. Given that we are an island nation with huge volumes of wind and marine resources, surely we should be able to provide plenty of work here. Surely fishing towns in Donegal such as Killybegs and Greencastle would be prime spots in which to develop offshore wind energy, but once again, we have been held back by a lack of infrastructure.”
“I thank Deputy O'Gorman and his staff for bringing forward this important motion. I particularly want to share my concern that despite a target of 5 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, no offshore wind projects have been delivered. Ireland has huge potential to become a global leader in wind energy, particularly through offshore developments. County Donegal has immense potential given where it is situated and the amount of wind we gather off the Atlantic Ocean and it would benefit hugely from developing offshore wind. I have spoken previously about the severe deterioration of the fishing industry and what we have seen in recent years. Due to the decline, many fishers are forced to find work abroad.”
“We need to reform the domiciliary care allowance so the lived experience is properly weighed, decisions reflect the real care burden and families are not forced into costly legal battles they cannot afford.”
“Instead, a decision is made at a desk, and the conclusion is reached that the child does not have the needs substantial and in excess of what is expected. In that moment, families are left with their reality and their reality is denied. Families are experiencing the lack of need and a system that does not translate into what they need - recognition. They feel rejection. They feel abandonment. In Donegal and across the north west, families are carrying even more due to the CDNT network's delayed services, yet this is not reflected in the decisions. Families are carrying everything, and they are being told it is not enough. This is injustice.”
“Every Member of this House knows that families are at breaking point, struggling to access supports for children with additional needs. Behind every policy discussion are parents trying to hold things together in a system that is not holding them. This motion is right: the State is failing children with additional educational needs and their families. An upsetting example is how families are treated when they apply for the domiciliary care allowance. Picture a mother at the kitchen table late at night filling in the application. She describes her real life: constant supervision, safety concerns, emotional regulation and the exhaustion of caring every hour day in, day out. She sets this out hoping it will be recognised.”
“The continued delay in I.S. 465 means families are still being exposed to defective materials with devastating financial consequences through no fault of their own. Following an EU complaint by Donegal homeowners, quarry audits were carried out and the Government is confident there have been no market surveillance failures since 2021. That claim is deeply questionable. FOI material released to me raises serious concerns about these audits, including the reliance on incomplete sulphur testing and clear compliance gaps. This points to failure in oversight and enforcement. Will the Tánaiste act to ensure accountability and strengthen legal protections, including legislative change? Have these issues been raised with the European Commission? When will I.S. 465 be delivered?”
“Every week it is getting harder and harder. Neither of us smoke or drink. We do not go out socialising. We had to give up our pastime hobbies and we are constantly having to dip into our savings. There is no help. There is no future for us in Ireland. This is what they are saying. This is what is going on. People have given up hope. In Donegal, heating oil is used to heat 85% of homes. Over the past month, people have had to find an extra €700 which they simply cannot get. The oil has run out. They are sitting in damp homes. They are letting their kids go to bed holding hot water bottles and wearing extra layers. They are doing so in this day and age. Shame on the Government.”
“We are dealing with a real issue and it is not getting any better. I will read out some of them. The first states: The prospect of owning our own home feels completely alien to use. It feels out of touch and out of reach. We are struggling. The both of us are working. I am a healthcare worker and my husband is in construction. We cannot afford to keep heating oil in our tank. We have two kids. What can we do? This is just the start. A third-year nurse also contacted me. She said, "I feel like I made the wrong decision to go back to nursing. I wish I went to Australia two years ago." Another one said: I got married last year. I have been working in a family-run business in the agricultural sector for the past 20 years. Myself and my wife both work full time to provide for our family - our two kids.”
“People are at breaking point. They are struggling every day just to get by. Many of these people took to the streets last week to voice their concerns and engage in their democratic right to protest. What did the Government do? It vilified and threatened them. What kind of democratic republic are we living in when, instead of listening and engaging, our Government vilifies and threatens its citizens and treats them with contempt? It is simply despicable. The people of this country deserve better. They deserve a Government that listens to them, truly values them and works for the people and not against them. The citizens are crying out for help and to act instantly, not delay. I am getting hundreds of emails from my constituents. They are a cry for help. It is desperate and it is getting worse.”
“People are fed up. They do not have the money to heat their houses. We in Donegal have been left abandoned for years. The Government is absolutely at the end. In Donegal, we have had it. The people of Donegal voted for me. Today, I will vote no confidence in this Government. I urge the Independents - Lowry's group - to do the same and to do the right thing.”
“It is an absolute disgrace. It sums up their arrogance and ignorance, particularly regarding the many issues we have in Donegal. I was elected to the Dáil 17 months ago on a mandate of trying to deliver 100% redress for the people of Donegal. I have tried to engage with those in government, but it is like talking to a brick wall - pardon the pun. They do not want to listen. They do not care about the people of Donegal. They never have. We have seen people in Donegal die as a result of suicide because of defective concrete. Those in government do not give a damn about us. They have left us abandoned for many years. Fourteen years we have waited. We have had two schemes that failed, and now we have this. Last week was the final straw when the Government turned on its citizens on the streets and put out propaganda about certain elements.”
“A defining feature of the defective concrete crisis has been the delay process. It is delay, delay, delay. We are currently waiting on the revision of IS 465 due this quarter, which is up on either Friday or Tuesday. This is the biggest scheme in the State so one would think the NSAI would make the Tánaiste aware if it is going to be published this quarter. Will it be published this quarter?”
“At what point does this move from failure to act to failure in the State's duty of care to these children? Will the Government act to put in place a dedicated scheme for public buildings affected by defective concrete and address the gaps that continue to exist for social housing in the affected communities?”
“Where their schools were once safe, steady buildings, they are crumbling down around them. There is no scheme in place and no clarity on when there will be a timeline for a scheme for public buildings, schools and crèches. This has created a two-tier response to the crisis relating to defective concrete blocks. Where it is unacceptable in a home, it should certainly be unacceptable in a building where children go to learn. That is the reality they face. The State has a duty of care. It cannot stop at the front door. I have raised this countless times and I raise it again because the situation is getting worse, not better. The reality for children in Donegal is they are being asked to learn in buildings that are not fit for purpose. Eventually, they will be dangerous.”
“This issue I raise remains unresolved and it is distressing people across Donegal. We have acknowledged the defective concrete crisis is in private homes but even that scheme is deeply flawed and continues to leave many families struggling to get onto it. At the same time there is still no dedicated scheme for social housing, which we are waiting on. Critically, there is no scheme at all for public buildings such as schools and crèches affected. In Donegal alone, we know of 25 crèches and a number of schools impacted. In communities like Raphoe, Ardara, Letterkenny and across Inishowen, this is the daily lived reality for these families. They are living in houses with cracks and damp and mould. Their children are going into creches and classrooms facing the very same structural issues. It is an unsafe teaching environment.”
“The families are working hard to provide a good life for their kids but it is now a question of eat or heat. That is what it has come down to. They feel abandoned. I ask the Minister of State to please consider this because we are going to be back here in a month. There will be mass protests about this. There is no doubt about it. This 2 cent on a litre of fuel shows the Government does not feel what is going on on the ground and does not understand it. Hundreds of thousands of people rely on heating oil. They need help, not 2 cent.”
“That will allow her to do so today, tomorrow and the day after and that is it, until she gets paid next Wednesday. That is what we are down to. People with disabilities cannot afford to travel. They are stuck and isolated because there is no proper public transport to serve them. They are suffering because they still have to heat their houses, as do people who are living alone. The heat goes straight out the door for the owners of homes affected by defective concrete. They have to have the heating on all the time to keep the house warm. As everyone knows, with what is going on up in Donegal, the houses are riddled with damp. This is just putting more of a burden on them. Homeowners face impossible decisions every day. It is not getting any better.”
“The €20 difference is a drop in the ocean that families cannot survive on, and the Government pretends that this is completely out of its control. Everybody says to the Government, "Look at what is happening in the North." In the North, 500 litres of home heating oil is €633 whereas it is €800 in Donegal. The truth is the Government can do more but it has chosen not to and the people are being abandoned. Households have seen their bills spiralling out of control. We have the highest electricity costs in Europe and now the highest heating costs as well. It is unfortunate and devastating for my constituents to be left in these situations. A mother phoned me today saying that she put €5 worth of fuel in her car to allow her to do three journeys to take her children to school six miles away.”
“The Government is giving with one hand and when the carbon tax comes in the next month, that will be taken away and we will be faced with the same crisis again, and the Government has offered them no solution. That to them equals no hope and people are in despair and overwhelmed by their circumstances. They cannot control their circumstances because they are trying to meet the basic needs of a human being. Last month in Donegal, 1,000 litres of home heating oil cost €940 while today it costs €1,650, which is a difference of over €700 in 20 days. The Government solution is to take 2 cent off a litre and give them €20 back from the €1,000 fill. It is crazy stuff. With that, it still costs €1,630 to fill a tank, which is still a €690 difference in 20 days.”
“I know the Minister of State is receiving the same kind of calls and emails that I am receiving. People are absolutely desperate and in complete disillusion. They are wondering how they are going to make ends meet, pay their bills, feed their families and heat their homes, which are the basic needs of a human being. People are riddled with anxiety every time a letter comes through the door or the notification goes off in their banking app to tell them that there is less than €1 left in their account. I have had multiples of calls like this from people. My constituents are living basically down to their final pennies because they trying to feed their families and heat their homes. What am I meant to say to them? The Government is taking 2 cent per litre of home heating oil. At the end of the day, it is frustrating.”
“People across the country are waking up to the fact that in moments of real need, the Government again has failed to show up. It is completely unwilling to provide meaningful support where it matters the most. People have been abandoned and left to face the spiralling costs alone. What should have been a moment of leadership, compassion and decisive action instead has been a bluster of hesitation, and the people have suffered. They are met with a Bill that has very little to offer people in their real time of need. The Bill will do nothing for the people struggling in County Donegal. It could have given more but the Government has chosen not to. It has chosen not to help the people and they are already on the brink. They are facing a sudden, unexpected surge in costs that they could never have seen happen.”
“I have spoken with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, about this. I said that we need to make sure this flight is restored to Donegal. Otherwise, these patients are going to be suffering unnecessarily.”
“Many of them would have to stay in Dublin overnight at financial costs for themselves while severely ill, not able to afford hotel rooms and trying to travel on a bus. A bus up to Donegal from Dublin takes five hours. Coming out of chemotherapy and travelling up on a bus is not a desirable thing for anybody to do. When they come in, they are looking for equality. The flight would give them that. The flight allows them to go, get their treatment, go back up in the evening and be home instead of coming to Dublin, trying to get a hotel room for €200, €300 or €400 that they do not have, then suffering and getting the flight first thing in the morning back up to Donegal. I ask the Minister of State to do whatever she can to make sure that this is highlighted and that we can make sure this flight is restored.”
“The failure to invest and fairly distribute healthcare resources has left rural Ireland at a real severe disadvantage. The geographical isolation undermines the principle of access, the most recent example being the planned changes to the cancer flights from Donegal to Dublin and the removal of the midday flight, which has caused severe anxiety among the people and the cancer patients who are fighting for their lives. The passengers rely on this route to get necessary life-changing treatment. They are having to fight for this midday flight. It is the difference between getting treatment and not getting it, getting a hospital bed and not getting one and a getting a favourable outcome and not getting one. The proposed changes would cause people to miss critical treatment times.”
“It is shown by the report in The Journal investigates article last year that just 12% of cancer patients in Letterkenny University Hospital received treatment within the recommended 15 working day timeframe. Cancer patients in Letterkenny have to wait 50% longer than patients in any other hospital in the HSE West and North West region. This impact is life-threatening. The research has shown that the delays reduced the treatment options that are available for cancer patients. In some cases, it has caused avoidable death. Distribution of resources and services has clearly led to inequalities in healthcare outcomes. We have to address this. Where a person lives should not determine how they get their treatment. The people of Donegal deserve the same healthcare outcomes as everybody else.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. I fully support it. I call on the Government to commit to a new cancer strategy. The postcode lottery in healthcare access across the country is unacceptable and deeply unfair. People in rural communities, such as Donegal, are at a severe disadvantage when they fall ill and require emergency treatment or treatment of any type. My constituents are facing chronic shortages of GPs and very limited services in rural areas. Many of them are forced to travel long distances for basic treatments, often delaying care and worsening health outcomes. The longer waiting times and the reduced local services have contributed to increased stress, financial strain and in some cases, preventable illness and deterioration. A particular highlight comes from cancer care access in Donegal.”
“The houses do not hold the heat. I am asking the Government to intervene, end the rip-off and help the families being squeezed.”
“Today, at lunchtime, the cost of 1,000 litres of home heating oil is €1,650, more than €700 of a difference in just 18 days. It is scandalous and no family can afford it. The average family in County Donegal is out the guts of €1,000 a month. How can families be expected to sustain this? Families in Donegal do not have the option of using public transport. It is basically non-existent. Every price hike is like an attack on them because of where they live. Most houses in the county are older and rely on oil-fired central heating, the price of which is out of control. This means people are choosing between heating and eating. My constituents are bearing the brunt of this situation. It has added an unbearable cost onto the defective concrete families. They keep the heating on every day of the year just to keep the damp down.”
“I welcome this motion from Sinn Féin and Deputy Doherty. Families across County Donegal have watched in despair as the price of fuel at the pumps has continued to creep up. The cost of home heating oil has completely spiralled out of control. The price of fuel at the pumps has gone up so much that families are paying, at least, between €30 and €50 a week extra just to fill up their cars. For example, it now costs an extra €32 to fill up a 1.6 litre family car compared to last month. It is costing an extra €50 to fill up a 2 litre car compared to last month. Families are now down between €150 and €200 a month on the cost of transport alone. Since last month, however, the price of home heating oil has nearly doubled. On 28 February, 1,000 litres of heating oil in Donegal cost €940. Two days later, that price had risen to €1,015.”
“Will the Government prioritise vulnerable people, provide dedicated supports for older people to allow them to navigate this scheme and put in place a system to establish an end-to-end pathway for this cohort?”
“I rise to represent two constituents in Donegal who literally cannot speak for themselves. They are at the end of their lives and are living with advanced Alzheimer's disease. They live in cold, mould-infested, unsafe homes. They are confused and frightened, and deteriorating in a place that is stripping them of all dignity. If dignity in life means anything, dignity in death must mean more. Right now, they have neither. The Minister will point to a multibillion euro scheme and say that they can rent elsewhere. The truth is that they cannot. They have neither the time nor the capacity to do so. This is the reality coming down the road for us all.”
“Whatever has to be done, get it done. It is not just her and her husband; there are also four young children. As their representative, I take it seriously. We need to make sure there is urgency.”
“I have a constituent with a severe reduction in her lung capacity. Her daughters are deeply concerned about the effects of prolonged exposure to damp and mould in a defective home. There is no doubt it has shortened her life. Each day this constituent remains in her home, her health deteriorates. She also suffers from dementia and has a heart condition. I am also aware of a terminally ill mother who is a nurse. She has stage 4 cancer. She wants her house rebuilt for her four kids before she dies. That is serious. I would like the Minister for Health to put something in place for these people to make sure there is priority. We need to make sure we is done for them. The mother who came to me will not be here next Christmas and she has four kids. It is important this is looked at in a humane way and try to get it done.”
“I want to highlight some urgent cases in Donegal involving individuals with serious conditions living in unsafe, defective homes. I have written to the Minister of State previously regarding these. Their health, dignity and daily lives are at constant risk. These are real families, not statistics. Unfortunately the only response from the housing Department was a generic letter offering practically no support. I commend the Minister's leadership particularly with regard to the Letterkenny hub. These cases are an opportunity for the Government and the Department of Health to lead again. We need help. Urgent cases needs to be fast-tracked. People are stuck in homes, their health is failing and they are ageing. They need to be prioritised. At the moment there are no steps to do that. Will the Department take anything from this and help them?”
“I would be grateful if the Minister of State would let me know whether she will commission a study on the health impacts of prolonged exposure to damp and mould in homes impacted by defective concrete.”
“TikTok opened its European data centre in Dublin just over two years ago and the Dublin transparency and accountability centre, which was opened by TikTok ironically in 2024, appears to be nothing more than a PR stunt. There is a lack of algorithm transparency. Social media companies are making millions of euro off the misery of children in Ireland. That is a fact. In school, there are SPHE classes once a week. How is that going to fix anything? It is completely the wrong approach. It is not fair of us to expect them to consume so much negativity and not be affected by it. They are affected by it, and we are responsible. As a parent, I am responsible, and I take my responsibility, just like everybody else up and down the country. Right now, these companies are not helping us. They are failing us.”
“More worrying is researchers for a DCU study found that every male social media account that was studied found that within 23 minutes there was anti-fascist content and other extreme content on the phone. Whether they sort this out, this content is fed through their algorithms. It comes onto their phones and has a direct effect on males, especially those at third level college. They have been dealing with this for years. It is affecting the way they are growing up and the lack of maturity among certain cohorts who are influenced by these algorithms. I want to make this clear. We need to make social media companies accountable. If we do not, we are failing society.”
“We are raising children online in this world where everything is constantly evolving at a pace that they cannot handle. Everything becomes normalised. Children dying in Gaza and pictures of murders on the streets can come up under algorithms all the time. We are stuck in this, constantly trying to battle it if our child is upset. We ask them what happened and they tell us this. Some of them are 15 or 16 years of age now and they have been dealing with this for years. This plays out in multiple houses throughout this country. There is going to be an epidemic of mental health issues regarding algorithms moving forward. We have a responsibility to try to debate this. I understand where we are all coming from. We are meant to be on the same page but if we are, we need to move on this.”
“I thank People Before Profit for bringing forward this Bill, which is both timely and essential and which I completely support. As a father of four children, social media is the biggest issue in the day-to-day running of most houses. The influence it has on homes is ridiculous. Children growing up in this time and age are suffering from mental health issues and eating disorders like we have never seen before and it is connected. If we go to a wedding or to any event, we will see children taking out their phones. They are addicted to them. They are on Snapchat snapping away every aspect of their lives. They are not living life anymore. We are living in a rapidly evolving digital landscape that could become complex and deeply unsettling.”
“Where viability gaps exist, the State should step in with targeted supports in Gaeltacht areas to address the difference between the build cost and market value. Families cannot be expected to absorb these costs if we want them to stay and raise their children in these areas. Housing policy in the Gaeltacht is also language and community policy. In Gaeltacht areas, this is not a theory but a way of life. Viable enrolment numbers and housing numbers have been going down because people simply cannot afford to stay. If we are serious about sustaining these communities, housing policy must reflect the reality and we need practical State-supported housing rooted in local life.”
“A State-led approach would also allow investment to be targeted locally. Local builders and apprentices can be employed, supporting skills on islands like Arranmore and Tory and villages like Loch an Iúir, Falcarragh and Magheroarty. Such housing support structures strengthen the community, economy and language rather than simply funding a house in isolation. Serviced sites would be a way forward. There are buyers for houses on islands and in Gaeltacht communities and it is not often that there is a willingness to build. If there is land that is serviced and ready to go, that would change things. Local authorities should be supported in acquiring and fully servicing small clustered sites delivered at cost specifically for local need. It would be like the old 1990s SI model we used to have.”
“Homes in rural and Gaeltacht areas are empty and we cannot help people to remain in their communities due to cost. There is a paradox in terms of vacancies and dereliction. Many homes lie empty and are unsafe, including defective concrete homes that have been lost to the local housing stock, which families cannot avail of. It is not a lifestyle choice; rather, it is a structural failure. When homes are lost in this way, families leave, schools decline and the social fabric weakens. There is a solution, namely a State-led approach whereby it buys back vacant or derelict homes and manage their renovation rather than expecting families to find tens of thousands of euro upfront or act as project managers. We have seen the difficulties ordinary people have to navigate with the defective concrete scheme model.”
“I welcome the motion and fully support it. I speak from personal experience. I am from Arranmore Island in County Donegal, with family roots in Loch an Iúir. I know the realities facing other Donegal islands like Tory and Inishbofin. They are living communities. Housing is not just about houses; it is about units and putting down roots. The value of a house needs to be considered in terms of what it brings to a community. It is about whether schools survive, services remain or Irish remains a language for daily life. Housing challenges in the Gaeltacht islands are often very much misunderstood. It is not just about speculation or luxury developments; it is about viability. In many cases, building a home costs more than a house will ever be valued at. That is a reality.”
“There has to be accountability and transparency. The lesson is clear: without accountability and a circular that safeguards every child, this injustice will repeat itself and the Government will bear the shame. The Government has to take responsibility when it goes right but it also has to take responsibility when it goes wrong.”
“Accountability is essential and whoever is responsible for the wasted resources, the undermining of SENOs and the anxiety it has caused families needs to take responsibility. Does this lie with the special education section of the Department of education? That is a question that needs to be answered. The 2014 circular for SNA allocations must be revised explicitly to provide for children with emotional regulation needs. Any review cannot come before a pathway to reduction, or by stealth, which there was an attempt to impose here. When the Government says it was not, yes, it paused it but we all know that the SENOs had until 31 January to make sure the reports were in. They were in, and you could see what was coming. It is only because the public and the Opposition stood up and said, "Enough is enough". This is the way it has to be.”
“There will be no SNA cuts next year and this is welcome but it does not undo the damage that has already been done. It is significant that public money was spent sending SENOs across the country trying to save money and making cuts. They were forced into it. It was wasted because this process lacks transparency and respect for staff, parents and children. How fiercely we protect the most vulnerable in society, and will continue to do so, was misjudged. In cases where schools no longer needed SNAs and it came to a natural conclusion when the child moved on, they were willing to step aside. I have dealt with these schools but instead of careful planning, it was a chaotic, top-down process that was imposed on them.”
“I have seen it happen in my own island of Árainn Mhór in County Donegal, where we had a fishing industry that is no longer there. I am so worried this is going to happen to Killybegs, and all the way down to Castletownbere. The Minister of State will stand up and fight - I do believe that - but we have to take it to Europe that enough is enough. The Faroe Islands have been out of control for a long time. We have to stand up and say enough is enough.”