Cian O'Callaghan
Dublin Bay North · Social Democrats · Ireland
“Unification presents distinct challenges that need to be carefully planned for and managed. The analysis done by Professor Doyle shows that the cost of pensions would be unlikely to transfer to a united Ireland straight away. Following Brexit, the UK and Ireland signed a bilateral convention on social security in 2019.”
“Ireland spends less than that defending a much larger territory and has decades of underinvestment to catch up on. We need increased investment, particularly in systems and technologies, including sonar and air surveillance radar.”
“I welcome this important discussion on the topic of Irish unity and its fiscal implications. It deserves analysis and fundamentally respect for the people, who will ultimately decide the future of this island. There are real challenges in any transition to unity but there are also very significant opportunities.”
“These are highly skilled jobs with union representation and apprenticeship programmes. They are of fundamental importance to the local economy and community. They should never have been left exposed in this way.”
“The Tánaiste must surely know that these exports are feeding Putin's war machine. Does he not think it is unusual that Ireland is one of the very few European countries where our exports to Russia have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine? That has been driven by the exports of alumina that have more than doubled.”
“We know from the investigation carried out by The Irish Times and the organised crime and corruption reporting project that alumina from Ireland is ending up in Russian owned smelters in Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk is Russia's only smelter producing high purity aluminium.”
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“There are patients waiting on test results who want answers in relation to lab work at University Hospital Galway. They want to know what is being done in terms of their test results, which they need a quick turnaround on. Their health and lives depend on a quick turnaround. They want answers as to what the Government is doing on that. The Tánaiste has not addressed that at all. He may say what the Government is doing about that. It is welcome that the HSE is following up on this, but when are people going to know that these additional payments that are in breach of the public-only contract have stopped? We are seeing more and more things emerging about breaches of the public-only contract. What is the Government doing to ensure that the public-only contract is being enforced?”
“It is also having a real and negative impact on the care of public patients. These are patients whose lab work is being delayed while private work is done. These are patients whose health and lives are being put at risk. The whole point of the public-only contract is to improve our health system and level up care for public patients so that they are receiving the same continuity and quality of care as private patients. Instead, at the Rotunda and the CUMH, rostering gaps were being filled for private consultants. This appears to be stopping at CUMH, but what about the Rotunda? Has the Rotunda been instructed to stop this practice? Has University Hospital Galway been told to stop asking public consultants to do lab work for private hospitals?”
“It appears from reports today that rosters are being changed and this practice has been stopped in Cork this week. However, no such confirmation has been forthcoming from the Rotunda. We also know that there are major issues at University Hospital Galway where public consultants are being asked by management to do lab work for a private hospital. While some are refusing to do this, this is nonetheless leading to huge delays, including in tests for life-threatening conditions such as cancer. As a result, lab work is being outsourced for both public and private patients to commercially run labs. This is at enormous expense to the public purse. This is not just about consultants and public-only contracts getting extra payments for private work or billing insurers for work for private patients.”
“In the Rotunda, there are consultants on public-only contracts receiving payments for delivering babies while covering for their private colleagues. On Tuesday, I told the Taoiseach that this was happening at Cork University Maternity Hospital, CUMH, too. The Taoiseach admitted that he did not know anything about this. Today, it has been reported in the Irish Independent that a long-standing professional fee arrangement had been in place among consultants in CUMH. The spokeswoman for the HSE said, "This a private professional arrangement between some consultants in which Cork University Maternity Hospital plays no part". While it is no doubt true that hospital management plays no part in administering the payments, it organises the rosters that facilitate this practice.”
“I put on record the strong support of the Social Democrats for this Bill. I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and all who have worked on this on a cross-party basis, including the Irish Cancer Society and the volunteers from that society. It is an excellent example of how this Oireachtas can and should work very effectively. We need to see more of this approach to legislation progressing not just from Cabinet but from backbenchers across the Oireachtas. I support Deputy Nash's amendment. It is a very good effort to try to ensure there is not ambiguity in the Bill and he raises an important point.”
“Of course, having a basic income to be able to participate fully, including in the employment market, is key, which is why it is important. I know measures are temporary but to introduce temporary measures, take them out, acknowledge that permanent measures are needed and say the work has not been done on them leaves people in a very difficult situation.”
“I do not want to take away from the investment in disability services, which was absolutely necessary and we have a distance to go there. It is good that progress is being made and it is long overdue. Disabled people make the point very strongly that they are not just people who use services. In fact, a lot of disabled people do not necessarily use services. They need to be able to live, survive and thrive independently. It is a fact we have the highest unemployment rate of disabled people in Europe. That is an area that absolutely has to be addressed because it should not just be an issue of income support. It should be an issue, as in other European countries, of disabled people being able to participate fully.”
“I ask him to look immediately at the figures from the Central Statistics Office which show the rate of those aged over 65 who are in consistent poverty increased by 70% in just one year. This was as a direct result of choices the Government has made. Tá rudaí go dona ach go háirithe mar gheall go ndearna an Rialtas na roghanna míchearta, ach ní bhíonn sé roghnach riamh an rud ceart a dhéanamh. The Government can always do the right thing. It can do the right thing now by introducing targeted energy credits as an emergency measure. As has been pointed out, the Government has had ample time and warning to put in place its systems for this, and if its intention is to do something in the budget it has plenty of time to get its act in order on it.”
“I find it extraordinary that the reaction to the withdrawal of temporary supports on which people had relied seemed to come as a surprise to the Government and Ministers. People on a low income got a temporary support. To withdraw this support and not put a permanent support in its place was unforgivable. Disabled people on low incomes were absolutely reliant on those temporary measures. They were taken away with a promise that the Government was working on the permanent measures and people were told to wait until they were put in place. This winter people were in very tough circumstances when those temporary supports were taken with a promise of a permanent measure in future. This is no good. People cannot heat their homes on the promise of permanent measures. The Minister of State has said he will look at all of the available data.”
“We are one of the most exposed countries in Europe when it comes to this so we have to get out of short-term measures, which are necessary, and take measures that will stand with us over the coming weeks, months and years. A big problem with the approach taken by the Government over the years is the use of short-term measures and we end up with nothing to show for it in the long term. We need that combination of emergency measures, as are proposed in this amendment, and measures that will get us out of the hole and help households over the long term.”
“A targeted energy credit of €400 for those who need it most is a start but what is fundamentally missing from the Government's approach and much of this discussion is investment in long-term measures that would permanently bring down the cost of living, such as the proposals that we put forward on solar energy. A targeted energy credit of €400 should be part and parcel of a wider approach involving measures that mean households will have money off their energy bills for good so that they are better able to meet future energy shocks and cope with this existing cost-of-living crisis, and we as a country are less exposed to energy shocks and fuel price increases.”
“In his earlier comments, the Minister of State failed to acknowledge that disabled people were up to €1,400 worse off as a result of the budget. This was before any recent increases in home heating oil or any other fuel costs. The Minister of State said that he agreed that there needed to be more support for those who were the ineligible for the working family payment. He acknowledged that there was a gap for people above that threshold on low and middle incomes, yet the Government will presumably vote down this amendment. Indeed, the Government has failed to introduce a measure like this. I have to make it very clear that a targeted measure like this is just part of what is needed.”
“I move amendment No. 6: In page 8, between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: “Report on impact of an energy credit 5. Within 3 months of the implementation of the new Mineral Oil Tax rates, the Minister shall produce a report on the impact of an energy credit of €400 for each household with an income up to €70,000 per annum.”. This amendment is about the need for targeted energy credits. As I have said before, the Government is making a key mistake in not having targeted energy credits aimed at low-to-middle-income households that are really feeling pain from this cost-of-living crisis and not just from the increases that have happened since the attacks on Iran, given that we were already experiencing a cost-of-living crisis before that.”
“We have put forward two very practical measures the Minister of State could take - targeted energy credits now to help those who need the help most but also measures such as proper grants that can be accessible to low-and-middle income households to install solar so they get a permanent reduction in their bills, and that would be good for the country in terms of helping to break some of our dependence on fossil fuels. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Minister of State would not adopt our proposals.”
“The Minister of State should design the grants for those households in a way that they can access them. In fact, why should households on the highest of incomes be able to avail of those grants? They do not need that support or help at all. Why not prioritise the households that really need it? The Government keep on talking about targeting but yet, when it comes down to it, that is not what the Government does. The Government needs to be serious about just transition, which we all need to be serious about, and serious about getting support and buy-in for that. The Government approach, however, has ignored that people across the country want to support that but they have to be able to afford to support it.”
“It would be good for sustainability and good for households that are really struggling. What is really enraging - the ESRI research backs this up - is that when you look at the huge investment that has gone into grants, it is the households with the most resources, those which needed support least, that have overwhelmingly been able to avail of those different grants. The households really struggling to keep food on the table and to heat their homes are the ones that cannot avail of those grants. They simply do not have the resources to do so and they are the ones that are getting squeezed more and more. What is needed is a change in approach so that the greatest supports go to those households that are really struggling with their bills, that is, the low-to-middle income households.”
“I all the Minister of State said, there was a complete absence of acknowledgment of the very real pain that people on low-to-middle incomes are under in terms of the price increases. If you look at home-heating oil, for example, and people who do not avail of the fuel allowance increase because they are above those thresholds and cannot afford those increases in home-heating oil, the Government does not seem to be acknowledging that. We have put forward proposals. A targeted energy credit of €400 would be a start to helping households in that situation. We have put forward proposals for investment now, which would mean a long-term and permanent reduction in the cost of living for households that are struggling, by much-improved grants for solar. That would be a once-off investment by Government but it would be a permanent reduction.”
“Healthcare assistants in Northside Home Care Services do incredibly important work looking after the elderly and the community. They are paid just above the minimum wage, well below the HSE going rate. They took strike action in January and they have taken industrial action since, with work stoppages. They should not have to do this. They should be paid a fair wage that respects the work that they do. Does the Taoiseach agree that they should be paid the HSE's going rate? Will the Government introduce a sectoral wage agreement so that healthcare assistants are paid the going HSE rate, a fair wage?”
“Clearly, this is an issue beyond the Rotunda. There are instances in Cork and Galway. There is an emerging pattern around the country of breaches of the public-only contract. The Taoiseach and the Government have a responsibility to patients and to the taxpayer to ensure that the contract is being implemented. He is clearly not aware of the different breaches around the country. The Taoiseach, the Government and the Minister for Health need to get a grip on this. They need to get ahead on this. They need to take actions to ensure that the public-only contract is actually being implemented and enforced. What are the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health and the Government doing to ensure that the public-only contract is being adhered to? Is he going to get a grip or a handle on this?”
“Did he know that this was also happening in Cork University Maternity Hospital? Has Revenue started an investigation into these gifts, given that no tax is being paid? Is the Taoiseach concerned that this could give rise to a level of fraud if insurers are being billed for work consultants have not done? Was he aware of the issues at University Hospital Galway? Is he concerned that public patients are receiving-----”
“The hospital has a deal in place to do laboratory work for a private hospital and consultants on public-only contracts are being asked by management at the hospital to do laboratory work for private patients. While many consultants on public-only contracts are refusing to do this, it is nonetheless leading to big delays in the processing of samples for public patients. This includes public patients with cancer. As the Taoiseach knows, an early cancer diagnosis can save a life while a delayed diagnosis can be fatal. Delays are so bad at the hospital that it is outsourcing some laboratory work for both public and private patients to commercially run labs. This is at an enormous expense to the public purse. Was the Taoiseach aware that some consultants in the Rotunda were receiving gifts of up to €1,500 to deliver a baby?”
“Given that women are giving birth in the Rotunda and are treated by consultants employed by the Rotunda, this is clearly nonsense. The hospital is very much involved. It just does not want to act. Whistleblowers have informed my colleague, Deputy Pádraig Rice, that the payment of these gifts is not confined to the Rotunda. It is happening at Cork University Maternity Hospital, CUMH, too. It takes place at weekends because of the way the Rotunda and CUMH are operating their rosters. They each have just one roster while other hospitals are operating two, one for public patients and one for private patients. Whistleblowers have also come forward to Deputy Rice about issues at University Hospital Galway.”
“The board of the Rotunda has now said it will abide by national healthcare policy and ensure that consultants on public-only contracts are not breaching them by treating private patients. How confident is the Taoiseach that he can rely on what the board says? At the weekend, the Irish Independent revealed more concerning details of practices at the hospital. Consultants on public-only contracts who deliver babies for private patients at the weekend are routinely gifted with sums of up to €1,500 by consultants contracted to do that private work. The hospital is aware of this and described it as a long-standing practice. The hospital also says that the payment of these gifts is, “personal to the consultants and the hospital is not involved”.”
“I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister, directly after this debate, about this matter. It was fixed in 2020 and can be fixed again, with a bit of common sense. We are all asking the Minister to do it. This school really needs it. It is a brilliant school doing great work with children facing a lot of challenges, and we just need her to go the extra mile and fix things.”
“The key point here is that the school will have the numbers in the coming year. It will be above the threshold in coming year. All we need is a fix for this year. This was done before in 2020. The Minister for Education at that point intervened with a one-year fixed term contract. We are talking about the school being short one pupil last year. This is a school that has extra enrolments late every year, after 30 September, so this needs to be taken into account as well. I urge the Minister of State and the Minister for Education and Youth to put this situation right and get a solution in place for this year for the benefit of this great school, its dedicated staff and the pupils that really need action on this matter.”
“Why is the Government hiding behind its claim that it needs to ascertain the truth and establish what is going on here when it has been established already? When is the Government going to act decisively on this? When is it going to stop these exports? Will the Minister answer my questions? Has the Government asked the Ukrainian Government for samples of drones and missiles so it can forensically examine them to establish the links with the exports from Ireland?”
“The facts on this have been established. Since the war began our exports to Russia have soared. That is one fact. The second fact is these exports come from a company where the majority ownership behind it is a Russian oligarch who is a close ally and supporter of Putin. The third fact that has been established by an independent investigation is that when these exports go to Russia they are being used to produce aluminium that is then being sold to Russian arms manufacturers. The fourth fact is those Russian arms manufacturers are supplying Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the missiles, drones and weapons are being used to kill Ukrainian people. The facts are staring the Minister in the face. The Australians knew the facts more than four years ago. They acted decisively.”
“When will the Department's investigation be completed? Will it be published? Have we asked the Ukrainian Government for samples from drones and missiles to forensically analyse against samples from Aughinish?”
“It did this because alumina played a critical role in Russia's war machine, as its then Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, said. The Australians did not want to play any part whatsoever in feeding Putin's murderous war. Instead, they said they would work with companies and exporters impacted by the ban to find new markets and expand existing ones. After Australia cut off its supply, the Russians had to look elsewhere to find replacements, including Aughinish Alumina, where exports to Russia have soared. The Minister claims he has no idea about the end use of the alumina exported from Ireland, but it is clear from independent investigations that it is being used by Russian arms manufacturers. These arms are then being used to kill Ukrainian men, women and children. Will the Government stop the export of alumina to Russia?”
“This flies in the face of Irish people's support for Ukraine. Alumina exports to Russia have increased from €196 million in 2021 to €318 million last year. According to a report by Swedish tax investigators, the Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, retains a controlling share of the company that has a majority ownership of Aughinish Alumina. Deripaska is a close ally and supporter of Putin. He has contributed substantially to Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine. The Government's head-in-the-sand approach is in sharp contrast to the decisive action taken by Australia. It banned the export of alumina to Russia as soon as it invaded Ukraine. At the time, Australia supplied 20% of Russia's alumina, but it still acted with urgency.”
“Yesterday, the Taoiseach laid out Ireland's priorities for the EU Presidency. He said: "Active support for Ukraine will be a defining priority for the Irish presidency." On Tuesday night, missiles rained down on the Kharkiv region bringing destruction, injury and death to the civilian population. One of those who lost their life was a 22-year-old pregnant woman. A one-year-old child was among those seriously injured. This is the brutality caused by drones and missiles that land on Ukrainian homes on a daily basis. An investigation carried out by The Irish Times and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project found that vast amounts of alumina are being shipped from Ireland to Russia. On arrival, it is being sold to a company that supplies dozens of Russian arms manufacturers.”
“It actually has a preferential trade agreement with Europe in which Ireland participates. It is fine for the Government to say that we must address this at a European Union level because that will be more effective but it has been saying that for years. It is an absolute cop-out. There has been no agreement at EU level to do anything meaningful and there is unlikely to ever be agreement, and the Minister of State knows that. What we need the Government to do is show leadership. That is what we are asking for. Leadership was shown in the 1980s by the Dunnes Stores strikers in Henry Street and by Ireland. That had a real impact on bringing down apartheid in South Africa. We need leadership from the Government now, similar to that.”
“I thank Deputy Gibney for her work on this motion and congratulate Deputy Ennis on his maiden speech. I want to remember Trevor Dietz, the Fontaines DC manager. He was someone I knew for 30 years who was a strong advocate for and steadfast supporter of the Palestinian people throughout his life. My thoughts are very much with his family and friends today. The Minister of State, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have all recognised that a genocide is taking place in Gaza. Indeed, everybody in this House recognises that a genocide is taking place. How can we actually recognise that and give meaning to it while at the same time take the approach that it should be just business as usual with Israel? That is what is happening. The current situation is that there are no meaningful sanctions against Israel.”
“Crucially, this would build resilience and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. That is absolutely essential for tackling the cost-of-living crisis and preparing us for the next one, and for helping us to meet our climate targets. Unfortunately, this Finance Bill does neither.”
“Whether they are doing it at not-for-profit companies, or in the private sector rather than directly employed by the HSE, they are not getting the HSE going rate. It is grossly unfair. The Government needs to stop sitting on its hands on this and actually take some action. The measures in this Finance Bill follow a familiar pattern from this Government. Instead of targeting resources where they are needed most, the money is spread evenly reducing its impact and, crucially, the Government is failing to invest in measures that will reduce the cost of living permanently. That is what the Government needs to be doing. I do wonder will this Government ever learn. If it was serious about tackling the cost-of-living crisis, it would target resources where they are needed most.”
“I also want to address the situation of the workers from Northside Home Care who are taking industrial action this week. They work long and hard hours taking care of the elderly. This is another group of people who are really suffering under this cost-of-living crisis. Despite the incredibly important work they do, they are on just above the minimum wage. People who have been working there for 20 plus years are still just above the minimum wage. There is no recognition of the work they are doing. I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and his Government colleagues to actually intervene to ensure a proper wage for people doing home care work. There should be a sectoral wage agreement for that sector. It is utterly indefensible. These workers do an incredibly important job.”
“There was a promise of a cost-of-disability payment. A €500 payment was meant to be introduced but in the last budget we saw the incomes of disabled people actually slashed by up to €1,400 because of decisions that this Government made. Childcare in Ireland is exorbitantly expensive and very difficult to access. This is making the cost-of-living crisis even more difficult for families. We have record numbers of people now homeless. Shockingly, there are 5,604 children living without a home, which is absolutely devastating. Ar an gcéad dul síos, déarfaidh mé go bhfuil rudaí an-deacair do dhaoine. Rinne an tAire Stáit na roghanna míchearta. Tá na tosaíochtaí míchearta aige. Tá níos mó agus níos mó daoine á mbrú i dtreo na bochtaineachta ag an Rialtas. Tá rudaí go dona, go háirithe mar gheall go ndearna an Rialtas na roghanna míchearta.”
“It would be for those who are not covered by current schemes and those who cannot really avail of the current grants because they do not have the matching funds. This would be a once-off investment that would bring down people's energy bills, and bring them down year after year. It would be a long-term investment, it would help us meet our climate targets and it would reduce our country's exposure to energy crisis shocks. It is the kind of thinking we need but that is sorely lacking. Let us look at this Government's budget promises and the promises it made at election time. For example, affordable childcare was to be cut to €200 per month. Instead, we have seen absolutely minimal progress on that. There were promises that third level fees will be phased out. Instead they were actually increased.”
“Incredible and stark figures have been released by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, showing that the consistent poverty rate for those over the age of 65 increased by 70% in just one year. People who have worked and done their very best all their lives are being pushed into poverty at a time when they should be supported in their retirement years. The Social Democrats put forward proposals on this, for example, the targeted €400 energy credits for households earning less than €70,000 a year. That would be a start and would make a bit of a difference. We also need to invest in things like solar for all, which is our plan there. Existing grants would be doubled for people who want to install solar panels. We could make solar panels a realistic option for people on lower and middle incomes.”
“Ireland has the highest electricity bills in Europe. Over 300,000 households are in arrears and this is a direct result of a baffling failure to invest in our infrastructure. It is incredible that since Fine Gael has been in office, since 2011, we have no offshore wind farms. The one wind farm we did have has been decommissioned since, so we have actually gone backwards in that respect. Last year we lost over half a billion euro worth of wind energy, which was wasted because our crumbling grid infrastructure could not cope with that wind energy. We are an island on the edge of the Atlantic, yet we are not availing of this. We should be a net exporter of wind energy but we are nowhere near it because of this Government's failures. We see too the issues with pensioner poverty.”
“Unfortunately, the war in the Middle East is showing no sign of coming to an end and the energy crisis is not going anywhere. The impact of this Finance Bill, which will cost half a billion euro, will soon be forgotten. Consider what has happened with home heating oil and the increases of 67% and almost 70% between February and March of this year. This has been the sharpest increase anywhere in the European Union. The people reliant on home heating oil can often be older people and people on low incomes. In rural areas a lot of people who are on lower incomes are very heavily affected by that. They have not been properly supported by the measures in this Bill. One of the core increases in inflation has been driven by energy bills increasing by 15.5%. People simply cannot afford these increases.”
“The Government is failing to help families to put food on the table. We read the reports today from Family Carers Ireland on the work it did when it spoke to 3,000 carers. It talks about the financial isolation they are under and the financial strain that is making their world shrink. Thousands of carers are saying they are cutting back on food and heat to make ends meet while at the same time they are paying out for crucial equipment such as wheelchairs for their loved ones, which of course should be funded by the public system. It is absolutely outrageous that given the resources at the disposal of this Government, this is not being properly addressed. The measures in the Bill are untargeted and they ignore the root cause of Ireland's affordability crisis.”
“While we are broadly supportive of the measures in this Bill, I have to say that this is not a sustainable approach. The Social Democrats believe there needs to be targeted measures and investment that will permanently bring down the cost of living. That has completely failed in the Government's approach. The Government has failed to take action to help the pensioners who are unable to heat their homes. The whole issue of pensioners and people on low incomes who are reliant on home heating oil has not been properly addressed. The Government has failed to help renters who cannot make ends meet. Indeed, this Government has made the cost-of-living crisis even worse for renters in terms of the increased rents they are facing, putting an already very struggling and exposed group of people under more pressure again.”
“I ask the Taoiseach about St. Francis Junior School in Dublin 17. It is a DEIS+ school that is losing a teacher this year. This is based on pupil numbers on 30 September last year. It is just one pupil short. This coming year, it will be over the threshold of pupil numbers, so this cut makes no sense at all. In 2020, in a similar situation, the Minister for Education intervened and a teacher was kept on a one-year fixed-term contract, which solved the school's problems. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for Education and Youth to look at this again and intervene?”
“The HSE has been aware of the needs of adults with an intellectual disabilities for years. It does not need to wait for crisis situations to occur. This could be fixed and it needs to be fixed. Targets are one thing ,but we need clear timelines and ring-fenced multi-annual funding. Will the Tánaiste commit to that? When are we going to get information about that?”
“I welcome that the Tánaiste is being frank about how appalling the situation is and is acknowledging that it has to change and is not acceptable. If the Government is serious about not-for-profit providers being able to play a better role, it must provide ring-fenced multi-annual funding in order that they can plan for services. I will provide an example. Before the Tánaiste's party took office, St. Michael's House had five respite homes in 2008. It now has just one. There is a six-year waiting list for adults with intellectual disabilities to access respite. As parents are getting older and becoming exhausted, they cannot even access respite for their loved ones. That is an appalling situation. Is the Government going to address that? There is no need for this to be happening.”
“They do not want their sons or daughters outsourced for profit; they want them to be housed and cared for in their communities. Adults with intellectual disabilities deserve to live with dignity, security and independence. Targets alone are not enough. The Before We Die campaign wants a disability housing plan that includes delivery timelines, clear reporting and multi-annual ring-fenced funding. Will the Tánaiste finally listen to these parents? Will he meet them? They have asked to meet with him but he has not arranged to meet with them yet. Will the Government introduce the ring-fenced funding that is clearly needed to provide homes for adults with intellectual disabilities?”
“The Minister, Deputy Foley, recently announced that local authorities will be required to set disability housing targets, but people cannot live in targets and families cannot wait for to see if these homes will ever materialise. The State's growing reliance on private operators is a symptom of a deeper disfunction. The Muiríosa Foundation, a progressive section 38 provider, recently told the Joint Committee on Disability Matters that it is forced to rely on the private rental market. This means that it invests tens of thousands of euro to meet HIQA standards, only to face eviction if a landlord decides to sell. At the same time, commercial companies funded by the Government can buy up properties far from a resident's home and community. This privatisation of care is of serious concern to parents.”
“Within the space of a few weeks, a vulnerable person will lose their parent, their carer, their home, their friends, their community and any semblance of the life they once knew. No civilised society should treat its citizens like this. There are more than 600 adults with intellectual disabilities in residential placements outside of their home county. Almost 200 are in placements that are over 100 km from their homes. There are people from Cork in Kildare, people from Waterford in Dublin and people from Kildare in Tipperary. Hundreds of vulnerable people are being ripped from their communities at the most difficult time of their lives.”
“There is a brutal truth at the heart of our disability system. Families have been forced to say it out loud because the Government is not listening. The reality is the State is waiting for parents to die. Parents in their 70s, 80 and 90s must continue to act as full-time carers for sons or daughters with intellectual disabilities. Regardless of their age, health and ability to care for another adult, if they are still alive, the State looks the other way. The system for housing adults with intellectual disabilities is both nonsensical and unusually cruel. When a parent passes away, only then will an emergency placement be found for their son or daughter. That placement is too often hundreds of miles away from their home.”