Chris Andrews
Labour Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I want to move an amendment to No. 1 on the Order Paper, proposing an orderly winding down of the accommodation recognition payment scheme in a way that is fair and efficient. I note today is the last day of Dáil and Seanad sittings before the summer recess.”
“The Government can point to housing and claim that there are huge successes. There is only success for the wealthy, the well-off, the developers and the landlords. They are all delighted with Government policy.”
“Government will say, "Look at the positives", but there are a huge amount of challenges. You need not look any further than the housing crisis. Of course, the Government will point to an increased number of housing developments. However, those housing developments are for the very well-off.”
“We supported the development of housing on the Glass Bottle site. We worked hard to ensure to get more social housing. Unfortunately, the Government would not do that. Now it seems that the so-called "affordable housing" on the Glass Bottle site will be unaffordable.”
“I move amendment No. 14: In page 7, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “Annual report 11. The Minister shall, within the first six months of the year, lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report outlining the application of this Act, providing an update on— (a) how many successful actions were brought under section 14…”
“I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “ “settlement service” means a service provided in whole or in part within a postal code or relevant occupied territory to which this Act applies;”.”
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“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and I wish him well in his job. I have not seen him since his appointment. It is in everyone’s interest that he is successful. I have a couple of observations. I agree with Senator Fitzpatrick that councillors are on the front line. They have their fingers on the pulse of various events and issues that flare up in every constituency. Often, they are the link to the local authority. My local council is Dublin City Council, DCC, and I see the connection between the local councillors and management. In the past four or five years, however, the relationship between councillors and the management in DCC has become increasingly poor. Morale on the council is increasingly poor. As has been said, the money councillors are paid needs to be increased for the hours they put in.”
“I ask that there be an investigation and that we have the Minister in to discuss it. You could not make this up. Rescues do a lot better. There were reports recently that a kennel in Roscommon was raided and 50 dogs removed because of the shocking condition they were in. This was reported in the newspapers. Greyhound Racing Ireland knew about the shocking conditions six months ago. This needs to be investigated again but not by the Department; we need an independent investigation into this. There are so many issues we are failing dogs and animals on.”
“Some €19 million of taxpayers’ money is going to the greyhound racing industry every year. In 2019, “Prime Time” highlighted that 6,000 greyhounds died because they could not run fast enough. The death rate is as high today as it was then. They highlighted at the presentation that traceability is an absolute shambles. In March 2021, there was a commitment that there would be four care homes set up for greyhounds, but only two care centres have been set up since then. In 2024, those two care centres got €291,000. Do you know how many dogs they rehomed? Thirty-six dogs were rehomed. This means the cost of rehoming a greyhound by these care homes works out at €8,000. It makes the bike shelter look like good value. This is where €19 million in greyhound funding is going. This funding needs to be investigated independently.”
“Today we had a very strong dog welfare presentation in the audiovisual room. I thank everybody who came to it. I thank Working Animal Guardians, Greyhound Action Ireland, Greyhound Awareness Cork and Ban Bloodsports, who all attended and were part of the presentation. Working Animal Guardians, WAG, and five other groups took a judicial review against the Government to have an appeals process for the XL bully ban recently, and there still has been nothing from the Government. Where is the review and when will this decision be made? Dog owners are in limbo. Some of the facts presented by the groups were mind-boggling and staggering. I did not realise that 5% of all racing greyhounds are dead by the time the race is over or shortly after. In 2024, 202 dogs died racing.”
“Rathmines post office is being sold off, which is shocking in and of itself, and is also experiencing serious staff shortages. There is a real need to invest, as the IPU said. There needs to be investment in the postal service or else it will be gone. We have to stop selling off State assets, such as the post office in Rathmines, which is a fantastic centre and facility for Rathmines.”
“The British establishment is complicit in genocide in Gaza. It funds genocide in Gaza. It supports genocide in Gaza. The same British establishment has now charged a young Irishman in his 20s from west Belfast of a terror charge for waving a flag. It is bizarre and it is political policing. It is trying to silence Kneecap. Kneecap are not the story; genocide in Gaza is the story. We need to ensure our Taoiseach and Tánaiste tell the British Government that this is completely unacceptable and that we are not going to take it and roll over like we do on many issues. As has been previously mentioned, I raise the concern about post offices. The post office on St. Andrew's Street, off Grafton Street, was closed on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago because of staff shortages.”
“We see that week in and week out. We see that families and individuals are left in appalling conditions in inner-city communities because of discrimination by Government. I know this is not directly related to this Bill but there is a sense that inner-city communities are neglected, forgotten about and discriminated against on an ongoing basis. The Government has had plenty of time to get it right. This is just an excuse. We have to pass this legislation. It is too important that, in 2025, we would not have this passed.”
“It is used by the Government to block good legislation. The legislation we have proposed was supported by the Minister's colleague, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, who put something almost identical before the Dáil and Seanad, yet the Minister is now voting against it and kicking the can down the road. That SME cost review could have been done 24 months ago. My Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael colleagues are saying we must make sure we get it right and that there are barriers there. We heard that it is not a delay but an opportunity. They have had the opportunity to get this right for 20 years but they have failed every time. They have neglected inner-city communities. Not only are individuals neglected and discriminated against individually, housing policy also neglects and discriminates against those living in flat complexes.”
“The Government should not disregard this House and its ability to scrutinise legislation. If it is serious about ensuring Bills are fully considered, it must allow this legislation to proceed to Committee Stage. That will take considerable time to progress, by which point the SME test review will be complete. An arbitrary 12-month delay is meaningless. Delaying the Bill is a cynical move to avoid taking action, driven by the notion that a good idea cannot be had by anyone not sitting on the Government benches. I regularly hear that the Seanad is about consensus and collegiality. That is absolute nonsense. The Government is only into consensus and collegiality if we on this side of the House agree with it. Proposals by the Opposition are blocked straight away. It is a nonsense to say the Seanad is some sort of nice debating society.”
“It sends a message to people living in inner-city communities, flat complexes and disadvantaged communities that the Government does not care about their lives and the reality they face and does not see ensuring their well-being as a priority. The Government is kicking the can down the road once again. I said the exact same two years ago. It is deeply disappointing the Government has failed to use the time since to make progress on ending discrimination against our disadvantaged communities. Allowing the Bill to advance to Committee Stage is not contrary to the Government's intention to reflect on and refine it. The very point of Committee Stage is to allow for such reflection and refinement. Legislators have an important role to play in ensuring the quality of Bills.”
“Senator O'Loughlin and her Fianna Fáil colleagues were happy to support the proposed reform back in 2017. I simply do not see how they cannot, in good faith, do the same today. We are all aware of how scarce Private Members' time is in the House. Delaying the Bill by 12 months is designed, in effect, to kill it. The amendment is a cynical way for the Government to kill the Bill without opposing it. I am confident that the vast majority of Senators support the legislation. I hope we will all vote on the Second Reading based on what is the right thing to do. Not allowing the Bill to proceed to Committee Stage will do absolutely nothing to promote equality.”
“I thank colleagues for their contributions and the Minister for her comments. I know she cares deeply about equality and I sincerely hope the Government makes progress on this urgent issue. However, I am deeply disappointed that, once again, we see the Government tabling an amendment to attempt to kill these legislative proposals. More than two years ago, the then Government passed a near-identical amendment to stop the progression of an identical Bill. That amendment stated that 18 months were needed to examine the matters arising from the Bill over the course of an ongoing review. That was 26 months ago and the review referred to is now finished. The Government declined to use that opportunity to take action and has hypocritically decided it needs another 12 months to examine this very straightforward proposal. It is not a new proposal.”
“The Minister for equality signalled that the Government did not oppose adding this definition of discrimination to the Equality Acts, but I find it incredibly disappointing that it was absent from this incoming legislation as well as from the programme for Government. I understand that the Government has tabled an amendment to once again de facto kill off this Bill. I hope that all of us in the House do not let this debate be sidelined again. The danger is that this can continue to be kicked down the road with no end in sight. This is an urgent issue and one that countless people across the country have been waiting for many years to be addressed. They have waited too long for protection, and it is time that we get serious about fighting for the rights of the disadvantaged and marginalised.”
“Our colleague Senator Fiona O’Loughlin and the now Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, introduced a near-identical Bill in 2017, which was supported in the Dáil by Fianna Fáil and other Opposition parties. I applaud them for that, and I hope they will support this Bill today. I introduced this Bill in the previous Dáil. Unfortunately, the Government parties chose to kill it off through an amendment that delayed its reading by 18 months. The reason given was that further time was needed to examine the introduction of disadvantaged socioeconomic status as an additional ground in the context of the review of Equality Acts that was then under way. That review has now concluded. Unfortunately, there is no mention of socioeconomic discrimination in the general scheme and heads of Bill arising from this review.”
“A decade ago, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission submitted a report to the United Nations on the need to enshrine a prohibition on socioeconomic discrimination in Irish equality legislation. Citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the UN observed that Ireland was failing to meet its civil rights obligations by not providing for protection against socioeconomic discrimination. Over the past 20 years, there have been countless reports and recommendations from civil society groups, public bodies and international organisations calling for this gap in the legislation to be addressed. Unfortunately, nothing has been done. As I alluded to, this proposal is in no way new.”
“The introduction of a disadvantaged socioeconomic status ground will give people who experience discrimination on this ground the practical means to challenge their experience with a rights-based approach, as is the case with the other nine protected grounds. It will also be of very real, symbolic importance for the State, including the Government, to make clear to society and the people who face this discrimination that it will not be tolerated. By continuing to exclude socioeconomic status from our equality legislation, we are creating a hierarchy of equality in which we recognise certain forms of discrimination while failing to prohibit discrimination pertaining to disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds and accents. This is vital legislation and is long overdue.”
“Article 40.1 of our Constitution states that all citizens should be held in equal regard before the law, yet these people lack the legal protections provided to other marginalised groups. The Bill offers a mechanism for people to fight back against this. For example, if the Bill is enacted, employers will not be able to legally discriminate against a job applicant or current employee because of his or her accent or the disadvantaged socioeconomic status of the area where he or she comes from. Further, it would not be legal for service providers to deny access to people because of socioeconomic status or where they live.”
“This is blatant discrimination designed to reinforce the inequalities in our society, and if we are serious about allowing people the opportunity to succeed, we must ensure that social or economic disadvantage does not prevent someone from bettering his or her life and improving his or her community. Ireland is a country with significant inequality and inflexible social strata, copper-fastened by socioeconomic disadvantage and how people's opportunities are considered by the prejudice of others. In 2024, Social Justice Ireland estimated that 559,850 people were living in poverty, of whom 176,912 were children. Similarly, the CSO concluded in 2023 that 17.3% of the population were experiencing enforced deprivation, meaning that they were unable to afford or access two or more basic necessities.”
“That is horrendous treatment for anyone to receive and yet the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, advised him that he had no legal resource due to the lack of legislation on this form of discrimination. Hence, we are here today. We may recall a similar issue highlighted by our colleague Senator Ruane in 2017 regarding admission practices at DIT, which is now TUD, in which students from disadvantaged backgrounds on an access programme were required to be Garda vetted while other students had no such requirement. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds were unfairly deemed to be dodgy and required to be vetted by the Garda before being allowed to join the rest of the college community, imposing a needless obstacle on them accessing education.”
“A man from a flat complex very close to here reported to me that, after submitting a video application for a job in a large multinational company, a drinks company, he was contacted by a concerned employee who informed him that fellow employees involved in the hiring process had exchanged text messages mocking this young individual's inner-city Dublin accent, with one questioning how a knacker like him could be qualified for the position. This incident directly led to him not being able to take the opportunity to advance his career. This is despite him holding a master's degree, having years of relevant experience and being fluent in Portuguese, as was required for the role. He was more than qualified.”
“This systemic issue dates back generations for many people living in flat complexes, who report high levels of generational and present-day social exclusion and discrimination that is directly or indirectly due to their socioeconomic background. They are treated as second-class citizens simply because of where they come from, how they speak or how their perceived disadvantaged background defines them as people. I will give an example from my area, in the constituency of Dublin Bay South.”
“Socioeconomic disadvantage is defined as belonging to a community that suffers from poverty, unemployment, insufficient access to education, poor housing, deprivation or any other form of socioeconomic marginalisation. It is an unfortunate reality that people in this country are faced with stigmatisation and prejudice based on nothing more than their accent, address or perceived social class. In countless communities across the State and particularly in inner-city Dublin, working people are routinely denied employment, housing, social opportunities, service provision and simple equal treatment from both private and public organisations.”
“The purpose of the Bill is to amend Irish equality legislation, particularly two equality Acts: the Employment Equality Act and the Equal Status Act. These Acts currently legislate for nine grounds for discrimination covering marital status, family status, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion and membership of the Traveller community, thereby ensuring that people are not denied equal treatment because of their demographic or social identity. This Bill intends to add a further tenth form of discrimination to the legislation, that is, to expand the protections of both Acts to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disadvantaged socioeconomic status to ensure that people can no longer be discriminated against on the basis of their class or economic background.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I will share my time with Senator Maria McCormack. I thank the Minister for coming in. Before I begin, I will acknowledge the absolutely Trojan work done by IHREC, the #AddThe10th Alliance, ATD Ireland, EAPN Ireland and the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, whose representatives are here with us today watching proceedings. Many other organisations have also put in a great deal of work in advancing this issue over the years. I also acknowledge the residents of south inner-city Dublin, who have fought for this issue for generations. Without these individuals and organisations pushing this issue forward for the past two decades, this Bill would not exist and we would not be having this conversation on the realities of socioeconomic discrimination.”
“They have been waiting more than a year and a half for repairs to be carried out on the roof. I understand there are still two rooms unavailable to the children there. Because of the severe disabilities they have, one of those rooms is a soft play room. The children need this room during the day to stretch, relax and take a break. Those rooms are out of action and therefore the school is cramped and far from ideal for the children. We need the Minister to come to the House to explain why Enable Ireland Sandymount School has had to wait more than a year and a half to have two rooms that have been out of action put back in place.”
“I acknowledge the campaign of 14-year-old Cara Darmody, campaigning for improvement in the waiting list for assessment of needs. A total of 15,000 families are now waiting on an assessment of need. It is completely unacceptable, and I find it really difficult to listen to Government party Senators telling Cara how wonderful she is when it has been under their Government that the waiting list for assessment of needs has increased to 15,000. Rather than congratulating Cara, the Senators’ time would be better spent tackling their own Minister and ensuring the Government adheres to the laws it has in place in respect of assessment of needs. I also raise the situation in a special school, Enable Ireland Sandymount School, where the children have severe disabilities.”
“We need to see the passing of the occupied territories Bill, and we need to ensure the selling of Israeli genocide bonds through the Central Bank stops as well. I will recognise some of the children who have been murdered in the Gaza Strip. One is Muhammad Khalifa, who twice visited Ireland playing football. Both he and his whole family were wiped out. There are more than 20,000 other children like Muhammad, who have been slaughtered at the hands of Israel. We need to see action, and not just words. We need a debate. We need the Minister to come in here because he is ducking a debate on the issue of Gaza.”
“Israelis are gathering on hills overlooking Gaza and cheering as bombs rain down on families and individuals in Gaza. Israel is a depraved country. You cannot dress it up any other way. The UN has warned that 14,000 babies could die in Gaza in the next 48 hours if it does not get the food aid it requires. Let us acknowledge that the UN is not an alarmist organisation. We have a position in Ireland now, where countries will object to Israel being banned from the Eurovision Song Contest and yet they are calling for the ending of starvation in Gaza. You have a situation where Kneecap and Gary Lineker are facing more consequences and punishment than Israel is for genocide in Gaza. We need to see action.”
“There are no more laws that Israel can break. There are no more UN conventions that Israel can ignore, and Israel continues with the ongoing genocide. The Irish Government continues to do nothing. I know Government will list things it believes it has done, such as measures like recognising the State of Palestine. It will say it funds various projects in the West Bank, and of course that is positive and good, but it does nothing to end the genocide in Gaza. It does nothing to make Israel be held to account for the slaughter and starvation it is imposing on Gaza. What has also happened is that while Ireland has funded projects in the West Bank, weeks later Israel blows them up and Ireland does nothing. Israel is the most dangerous regime in the world.”
“These charities do not get Government funding because they are not national charities but they are still taking referrals from national organisations. One organisation she mentioned was North West Stop, which covers some of County Mayo, counties Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon, south Donegal and County Cavan. It covers a huge area and it does fantastic work but ultimately, it is not funded. It is taking referrals to provide counselling throughout the country. Could the Minister of State outline why organisations like North West Stop are not funded and is this something that can be considered at a future date? North West Stop does fantastic work and does not have that support it desperately needs.”
“I was speaking to someone recently who suggested that physical and mental health are inextricably linked. They proposed that there be a tax credit for gym membership. I acknowledge it is not the Minister of State’s area but it is something to raise and be aware of. We cannot lose on a tax credit for gym membership because not only are people physically fit but it addresses preventative measures, rather than treatment of many mental and physical health issues. The stronger a person is, the less time they spend in hospital. There will be fewer people going to hospital. Yesterday I spoke to Councillor Leah Cull from Boyle, County Roscommon, and she highlighted that non-profit, non-government funded charities are holding up a failed system in rural Ireland. She feels strongly about this.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I know this is an issue she is very passionate about and active on. I thank and acknowledge all the volunteers who came out last Saturday morning for the Pieta House Darkness Into Light walk. The volunteers come out extra early, at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. If it was not for them, this event would not happen. It is a very important event for mental health and suicide prevention but also for Pieta House, whose funding is almost exclusively dependent on private donations and events like that. Some 87% of its funding comes from events like Darkness into Light and a variety of other events throughout the year. I acknowledge the work the volunteers do because the public donations ultimately will not keep the services that are needed alive and there, in place.”
“It would have funded grassroots academy football and ensured the 67% of Irish clubs that lack suitable women's toilets were able to access funding. Will the Acting Leader invite the Minister to the House to have a debate on funding for Irish football and sports in general?”
“When the votes were counted and the two parties returned to Government, they decided to drop that from the programme for Government. That would be a hugely sustainable source of income for football and sports in general. It is a huge miss by the Government. It is not the first miss by the Government in supporting Irish football; the Brexit adjustment fund was missed by the Government. It would have helped League of Ireland football clubs to access long-term, sustainable funding. A 1% betting levy increase would have taken in nearly €50 million. What would that do for Irish sport? Ireland is at the bottom of the European league in terms of investment in sport. A figure of €50 million would have made a huge difference. It would have been sustainable.”
“American football is coming to Dublin. Craig Hughes, in his article for the Irish Daily Mail , highlights that the Government will spend €10 million on this event and on bringing over the two American teams. Yet, at the same time, 77% of Irish amateur football clubs do not have adequate changing facilities for women. The Government continues to ignore Irish football because four years ago, the Taoiseach said on radio that he would ensure the Government invested in academy football, yet not one cent has come across since then. The figure of €10 million would be transformative for grassroots and academy football. Before the previous general election, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael included a 1% betting levy increase in their manifestos. After the election, that was dropped and was not included in the programme for Government.”
“I understand he was a garda in Pearse Street, a station I know well, and I know gardaí have huge respect within the local community. I acknowledge the loss to his family and friends.”
“I am concerned and I have a strong belief that there will be no social housing on this site because of the huge cost. When neighbouring sites are producing two bedroom apartments and looking for €1.1 million for them, it will be very difficult to ensure this social housing goes on that site. From a time when there were 900 homes promised, that is looking like it will all unravel and there may be a fraction of that on the Irish Glass Bottle site. Obviously, the residents in Pearse Street, Ringsend, Sandymount and Irishtown are devastated because they seem to have to continually pick up the tab for the Government's failure on housing. I ask that the Minister for housing come to the House and discuss that particular issue. I extend my sympathies to An Garda Síochána on the loss of Garda Kevin Flatley.”
“Six years ago, there was an agreement for 900 social and affordable homes on the Irish Glass Bottle site. The agreement was put together between An Bord Pleanála, Dublin City Council, the Government, the then Minister for housing, Eoghan Murphy, and the housing action group in Ringsend. There was going to be 350 social houses and 550 affordable homes. That was the agreement the then Minister signed off on. Now it seems that is being reneged on because there will not be any affordable housing in the first phase of the scheme. That will make it much more difficult to ensure the remaining 550 homes are squeezed into the last phases. Obviously, this is devastating for residents and it will make it harder to squeeze the affordable homes into the remaining development.”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for prohibiting discrimination on the basis of a person’s socio-economic disadvantaged background, for those purposes to amend the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000; and to provide for related matters.”
“Residents, including older people, are terrified to leave their homes. When we talk about discrimination and antisocial behaviour, the State is the biggest discriminator. It is guilty of neglect of inner-city communities. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
“I am sure we can all agree that discrimination on the basis of disadvantaged social origin or disadvantaged socioeconomic status is unacceptable. I sincerely hope that all my colleagues across the Seanad will support this legislation. Speaking of discrimination brings me to the neglect of and discrimination against residents of the inner city, in Pearse House and in City Quay, who are facing State antisocial behaviour and neglect. The residents of Pearse House continue to be left in limbo. There was a commitment that there would be a regeneration programme for the flats in Pearse House. The conditions in which the people there are living are appalling. We need the Minister to come to the House to discuss the matter. We also need to look at the ongoing violence and criminal activity on City Quay, which is happening nightly.”
“If this Bill is enacted, employers will not be able to discriminate against a job applicant or current employee because of his or her accent or the socioeconomic status that their home address might imply. Furthermore, it will prohibit service providers from discriminating against people on the basis of where they live. It will provide a legal basis to challenge socioeconomic discrimination and will give people who experience this hardship on a daily basis a practical and rights-based means of fighting back. I previously introduced this Bill as the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 during the term of the previous Dáil. Unfortunately, it was effectively killed by a Government amendment to delay its reading by almost 18 months.”
“I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 11 be taken before No. 1. I refer to the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, signed by all Sinn Féin Senators. This Bill seeks to prohibit socioeconomic discrimination or any sort of discrimination based on social background or economic disadvantage. The purpose of the Bill is to amend Irish equality legislation and two Acts, namely, the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000, in order to add a tenth form of legally defined discrimination, to include socioeconomic discrimination. This issue affects countless numbers of people across country, particularly in disadvantaged parts of the inner city.”
“We should be encouraging families into the inner city. Local businesses on Grattan Street like Mamma Mia have seen their turnover go off a cliff but they are still expected to pay rates by Dublin City Council. They were encircled with barriers and their business has gone down the tubes. They need support. The council is not supporting local businesses and it needs to. Given the lack of respect State agencies show to residents and the lack of input local residents have in their own communities, why would they agree to anything the Government proposes? That is the reality. Residents are treated like second class citizens and are then expected to be cheerleaders for the Government. That will just not happen. For social cohesion to be maintained, dialogue needs to be a two-way street.”
“Can we ask that the Minister for Justice attend today to explain why the barriers surrounding the International Protection Office on Mount Street have been up so long and when they are coming down? The Mount Street residents in Power's Court and Verschoyle Place have been living with tents and metal barriers in their neighbourhood for over 18 months. The tents are gone but the barriers remain. Residents are asking why the barriers are being allowed remain. Mount Street and the streets off it look derelict. There are weeds everywhere and rubbish. It is unkempt, untidy and has a kind of ghetto look to it. Grattan Street is a constant rat run and very dangerous. There are many family homes on that street. None of this is encouraging families to move into the inner city. The neglect of the inner city is ongoing.”
“Dublin City Council makes it almost impossible. There are event management plans, risk management plans and ecology reports. The amount of barriers local authorities are putting up is horrendous, and they make it difficult for communities to organise important events like this.”
“The reduction in income from Darkness into Light walks and various activities means that Pieta will need more from the State for services, otherwise services are unfortunately going to close. I acknowledge the thousands of volunteers who wake up extra early in support of Pieta's Darkness into Light walk. Funds raised by Pieta are already down for Darkness into Light, and there is a real worry for the services because, without the money raised by Darkness into Light, those services will close. This is a major concern for everyone, as the services Pieta provides are desperately needed within the community. It is a concern for me, as somebody who has been involved in organising the Darkness into Light walk annually, that many State agencies are increasingly imposing barriers to communities running these events.”
“Initiatives like Darkness into Light, the walk this Saturday, 10 May, are important events and make real progress in funding services and building awareness. However, this issue is simply too important to be left to private charities. The State is failing to provide services that are urgently required and we need swift and decisive action by the Government to fix this. We simply must act now. I strongly urge the Minister of State to do everything she can to address the epidemic before it gets any worse.”
“This is not just a statistic but a sad reflection on something very wrong with our society. Suicide is a growing issue for women, with the percentage of female suicides increasing by nearly 10% in the past decade. We urgently need better access to mental health services both in Dublin and throughout the country. That will not happen without significant funding from Government. We need to properly fund suicide prevention programmes. We need to fund 24-7 crisis helplines and to have a real plan to combat loneliness, isolation and other causes of suicide and self-harm. Pieta, probably the best-known suicide prevention charity in Ireland, receives the vast majority of its funding from private donations.”
“This Saturday morning, thousands of people will be waking up early in support of Darkness into Light, building awareness around suicide prevention and raising money for urgently needed mental health services. Every single day, a family have their lives changed forever by suicide. In 2023 alone, more than 300 people in this State died by suicide. While, thankfully, this has reduced from previous years, it is still far higher than we can allow it to be. It is an ever-present reality in our society and we cannot fail to treat it as anything other than an emergency. More than one in five deaths of men under 25 years of age is through suicide. That is more than any other cause of death in this age group. Three out of every four suicides in Ireland are men.”