Ciarán Ahern
Dublin South-West · Labour Party · Ireland
“What we are asking for today is simply that the Government lives up to the commitment made in the programme for Government to carry out a new, independent feasibility study for an extension of the MetroLink from where it is currently due to end in Charlemont, out to Dublin south west.”
“It examined quite a nonsensical route that finished abruptly in Knocklyon, and therefore it significantly underestimated the cost benefit of the project.”
“This all comes back to funding our schools. All too often, despite the much publicised overspend in the education budget, schools still have to fight tooth and nail to get the resources they need. I never predicted that so much of my time as a TD would be spent working with local schools on funding and resourcing issues.”
“As the capitation grant is not covering basic operating costs, many school boards feel that to avoid running deficits, which they will get into trouble for from their governing bodies, they have to find funds elsewhere.”
“As the Minister knows, parents are paying hand over fist for ancillary school costs, be it for school uniforms, laptops, school transport or the so-called voluntary contributions. We cannot say we have free education in this country if the whole architecture that enables proper participation is hugely expensive for parents.”
“Some parents are now having to pay hundreds of euro for devices if their children are to just fully participate in school. As this motion states, we are at risk of creating a digital divide and new inequalities in our education system unless we put further supports in place for low-income families. Kevin Shortall, principal of St.”
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“That is great - we always want to see more homes built - but the water infrastructure obviously has not kept pace and is struggling and failing with the amount of pressure being put on it now. I am not sure if any sort of analysis was done prior to the new apartments going in on the quality of the pipes servicing the areas surrounding them to determine if they would be able to cope with the additional network connections. Regardless of that, it is evident that they are not coping. The most recent correspondence I have received from Uisce Éireann acknowledges that the pipe network feeding the area is ageing and not in the best condition. That network, the pipes in Dargle Wood and other nearby areas, should have been upgraded at the time those new apartments were going in.”
“Work actually did not begin until the following Tuesday. There is a real sense among the residents of Dargle Wood that they are just being fobbed off, and this cannot go on. I have been in contact already with Uisce Éireann on the issue a number of times, and until recently the approach seemed to be just patching up the pipe anytime a burst happens. It cannot be just a case of putting a plaster on this problem consistently. There are serious issues here with the whole pipe network servicing the area. Uisce Éireann does seem to have acknowledged that and that there has been significant development around the Dargle Wood estate in recent years. Some 480 apartments went in adjacent to the estate just a couple of years ago.”
“As the Minister of State can imagine, it is incredibly disruptive. Homes in the estate went three days without water over the Easter weekend. They could not wash dishes, wash clothes, take showers, flush their toilets, drink tap water, etc. These are the basics. Residents have also been expressing their frustration to me about the speed, or the lack thereof, on the part of Uisce Éireann when it comes to sorting out the burst pipes that are causing the outages when they occur. I understand that residents who report these issues to Uisce Éireann get told that they will be sorted by a particular time on a particular day but then there is no sign of the crews. During that burst pipe on the Easter weekend, residents were told by Uisce Éireann that its crews had been out working on it over the weekend. That was not true.”
“I wish to raise water infrastructure and, in particular, issues that have been experienced by residents in Dargle Wood, Knocklyon. There has been a marked increase in water outages over the last few months. The residents have had eight separate outages since the beginning of this year alone, but such outages have been a persistent issue for years now. There have been 23 water outages in this estate since 2022, some lasting days at a time. I have been contacted by some residents who have lived in that area for decades and they have never experienced anything like this before. If it were an isolated incident, you might say, "Fair enough. It is not great, but these things can happen." However, it has been persistently a recurring problem for years now and it appears to be just getting worse.”
“With all of this in mind, we need to be ever more conscious of the effect of the OPW's approach when it comes to flood relief and what that is doing to water quality. I ask that we beef up Inland Fisheries Ireland in that regard. It does not have enough inspectors. It is all well and good having plans in place but if Inland Fisheries Ireland does not have the power and resources to carry out its monitoring and enforcement mandate, the optics are that we just do not value our rivers and waterways.”
“Regardless, I ask that the OPW seriously consider taking a different approach to these kinds of flood relief scheme, one that does not necessarily put concrete first wherever possible and does not require the level of habitat and biodiversity destruction that we have seen with the Whitechurch scheme. As the Minister of State will know, 466 of our water bodies - rivers, lakes and estuaries - are to be classified as heavily modified, meaning the State is signing off on the lowering of environmental protections for our rivers and lakes. This potentially allows for the degrading of our natural water habitats by damaging works such as river dredging and clearance in circumstances where it would not otherwise be allowed. We call on the Government to pause this reclassification.”
“We have seen concerning developments in terms of the effect of the flood relief works on water quality in rivers in the catchment area. In the Whitechurch stream element of the scheme, works were shut down by Inland Fisheries Ireland earlier this year because materials being used by the OPW, known as "puddling clay", were deemed to be polluting this important spawning river. This material is clearly inappropriate for such works. I understand that interventions could have been made further up the river in the mountains that could have had the same effect on flood alleviation and would not have been quite so environmentally destructive downstream on the Whitechurch Road.”
“However, the manner in which the scheme has been constructed and the type of flood defences could easily be described, and have been by many, as an act of environmental vandalism. The OPW, in many people's view, has taken an overengineered, concrete-pouring approach and the result is that the habitats and ecosystems along the Whitechurch Road have been decimated. There must have been hundreds of trees destroyed in the process, as well as otter habitats, and the severe engineering interventions have changed the character of what previously felt like a lovely old country road in the middle of our city as well as causing massive traffic and noise disruption for the past year for local residents on Whitechurch Road with unfortunately no immediate end in sight.”
“I will put Labour Party environment spokesperson hat on and raise a specific issue with the Whitechurch flood relief scheme in Rathfarnham in my constituency of Dublin South-West. I do not think any of us would deny that some flood relief interventions were required for the Whitechurch stream. There was a serious incident of flooding on Whitechurch Road a number of years ago now. While it may have been partially due to unauthorised developments and culverting along that road, that is another matter. I understand that certain residents along the Whitechurch Road have had some difficulty getting flood insurance in recent years, so some intervention in respect of flooding is certainly welcome.”
“The Government's policy appears to be to give more and more data centres the green light. Will the Government now ignore the warnings of its own officials or will it take up the Labour Party's call for a moratorium on new data centres until we can at least be sure they will not put further pressure on our grid and can be self-sustained by energy from renewable sources?”
“The most senior official in the Department of environment and energy said today that we will have to decide between building more homes or expanding our data centre capacity because our energy infrastructure cannot handle both. This is an extraordinary intervention. The Labour Party has long been sounding alarm bells about the scale of data centre construction. We have serious concerns about their energy consumption, the pressure they are placing on our grid and the dirty fuels they will have to use going forward because new renewable energy sources cannot keep pace with their exponential growth and energy demand. While data centres are currently responsible for 21% of our overall energy consumption, that figure will grow to 30% by the end of this decade. The Taoiseach, in particular, has been dismissive of our concerns.”
“I feel it is unjust in the extreme to exclude them now from these very limited health measures. It is beyond debate that the industrial and reformatory school systems were abusive per se . It should not be necessary for someone to have demonstrated anything about their particular experience under examination by the redress board in order to qualify for health supports under this legislation.”
“I echo Deputy Connolly's comments in respect of the previous redress schemes and this one. I think our party is going to find it difficult to support it as well. I wish to make one final point about exclusion, to which Deputy Connolly referred. I believe it is unfair to limit this legislation’s healthcare provision to people who have already received a payment under the residential institutions redress scheme in the past. This discriminates against an already doubly marginalised group, those who could not or did not apply in the past for a payment. The deadline for applying to the redress board was short and many did not realise they were entitled. We know the process was horrendously intrusive and distressing, and it may be that some people chose not to apply precisely because of the health impact of doing so.”
“The Department of Education commissioned the Walshe and O'Connell consultation in 2019. The survivors need and explicitly requested the HAA card. This is particularly shocking because reinstitutionalisation in nursing homes is the consequence many will face when home help and home care is unavailable. This is something the special advocate, Patricia Carey, has been at pains to make clear. Having been in touch with more than 1,200 survivors of Ireland's institutions, she is speaking from people's direct lived experience. I call on the Minister to withdraw this amendment.”
“They remain on interminable waiting lists for desperately needed services in housing and, lest it be forgotten, they have experienced the worst forms of abuse possible at the hands of the State and the church. The Minister said the HAA card has only ever been given to hepatitis C survivors but the enhanced medical card is not what Justice Quirke recommended for Magdalen survivors. His first recommendation was explicitly that the full range of HAA card services be provided. This is not what survivors of mother and baby homes requested in their hundreds through the OAK consultation commissioned by the Government. They clearly requested the HAA card. It is also not what industrial and reformatory school survivors requested in yet another consultation, which the Government duly ignored.”
“It seems far too vague a definition to be workable or suitable for a Bill like this. For this reason, we have a problem with the amendment. I emphasise, as Deputy Connolly and others have done, that this Bill is already a huge breach of trust because it ignores entirely the survivors' repeatedly stated need for the full HAA card. Instead, under the Bill, people will receive little more than the regular medical card. We know from the special advocate, Patricia Carey, that survivors of Magdalen laundries and mother and baby institutions who are already in possession of this enhanced medical card find it to be wholly inadequate for their needs.”
“I am still concerned about this proposed amendment. It appears to be an attempt to water down the services available to survivors so that even less home help is on offer compared to the Magdalen and mother and baby institution schemes. As I said, section 4(1)(d) reads identically to the legislation underpinning both the Magdalen and mother and baby institution schemes. In those schemes and currently in this Bill, public home help services will be provided upon an assessment of need made by a registered medical practitioner or nurse. The Minister wants to amend this so that the entitlement to public home help service would arise only where an assessment of need is made on behalf of the Health Service Executive. What does that mean and how will this be implemented?”
“The Minister wants to amend this so that the entitlement to public home health services will arise only where an assessment of needs is made on behalf of the executive, that is, the HSE.”
“I am conscious that the Minister is new to this brief, as am I as a first-time Deputy. The Bill went through the House before I was elected. I am concerned by the proposed amendment to section 4(1)(d) of the Bill, as drafted. It might appear to be an attempt to water down the services available to survivors. Even less home help is on offer compared to the Magdalen and mother and baby institutions schemes. Section 4(1)(d) of the Bill, as it stands, reads identically to the legislation underpinning the Magdalen and mother and baby institutions schemes. In those schemes, and in this Bill, public home help services are to be provided upon an assessment of need made by a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse.”
“Virtually all scholars on the issue are now in agreement. There can be no more excuses for delaying the passage of the occupied territories Bill - goods and services included. Last week, I cosigned a letter along with hundreds of other Irish lawyers, confirming there is no legal impediment to that. I hope those experts are invited to appear before the foreign affairs committee so that the Tánaiste's stated issues with the legality of the services aspect of that Bill are set aside and that he and the Government can get fully behind it. We can have no more excuses for continuing to allow weapons to be transported to Israel through our airspace or for the sale of Israeli war bonds by the Central Bank. We need to see the Government use every lever at its disposal to pressure the international community to act.”
“Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war and of its genocide on the people of Gaza. The blocking of aid into Gaza and the rhetoric we have been hearing over the past number of weeks from Netanyahu and his government have made their intentions clear if they were not already obvious. They have dropped any pretence that their war on Gaza and on the Palestinian people is one of defence and that it is about Israel's security. It has always been about eliminating the Palestinian people and colonising their land. Now the Israeli Government is saying the quiet part out loud. It is talking about a full occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and about ethnic cleansing. It has killed upwards of 55,000 people, including more than 15,000 children. That is a full classroom of children every day. It is genocide.”
“I look at my son and cannot even begin to imagine the pain the parents of those Palestinian babies must feel and their anguish and constant despair. Quite frankly, I would not want to imagine it. It is not a pain that any parent or any human being should have to feel. As legislators, we need to see what is happening in Gaza but the horrors are so obscene and frequent that it is difficult not to scroll past them when they come up on one's social media feed. We have to keep watching. We have to continue to let it devastate us from afar. We have to continue to let it drive us to do more and to conclusively and sustainably end the genocide. No parent should have to live in constant fear a bomb will suddenly drop on their new baby's head. No parent should have to watch his or her child be starved to death.”
“Last month, my wife and I welcomed a new baby into our lives. It has been just so joyous, spending the first few weeks of a child's life together as a family, getting to know our new baby and seeing them grow and develop a little personality. It was a precious time. I returned to work here after a few weeks of parental leave. Last week I attended a briefing by the Irish Healthcare Workers for Palestine, which outlined in absolutely heart-wrenching detail the extent of the war on children and healthcare workers that Israel is conducting. It has been a very strange juxtaposition - a disturbing and devastating one. Looking at my new son, this beautiful and fragile new life, I then see images of babies just like him in Gaza starving, malnourished, mutilated and, in too many cases, dead.”
“This is one of a series of significant failures that resulted in years of pain and struggle for justice for the O'Farrell family. Something went seriously wrong here and the State and our justice system need to answer the questions this case raises about their processes and how to ensure this never happens again. No family should have to go through what the O'Farrells have had to go through. To lose a son and a brother and then, in the Tánaiste's words, to have misery heaped upon tragedy is not acceptable. We cannot allow it to happen again. This apology cannot be used to whitewash the serious failings at the heart of this matter.”
“It is extremely concerning that certain judges were not informed of Gridziuska's breaches of bail by the Garda or the prosecution. That is an incredible error and it was compounded by the fact that two gardaí who were disciplined in respect of the handling of this matter successfully challenged their disciplinary proceedings on the basis that they were not properly trained on the PULSE system and not legally required to check the court outcomes and, as such, not actually required to bring previous outcomes to the attention of the court. We need to know that this cannot and will not happen again. The loopholes that allowed this to happen need to be closed immediately whether through legislation, some other mechanism or simple training for gardaí.”
“I will talk to the family following these statements and whether they feel they need to continue this fight or they feel this issue can finally be put to bed, we will make that argument. The O'Farrell family's wishes must take precedence. Notwithstanding this apology and how the O'Farrells feel about it, questions still remain for the State regarding how this case was handled and these must be answered to ensure this can never happen again. For example, there are questions as to how a document as flawed as the Haughton report was so easily accepted by the State and our justice system and used to quash calls for a public inquiry. The report was necessarily incomplete given the nature of the terms of reference and the documentation given to the judge. It could never have been anything other than incomplete and inadequate.”
“To have their son and brother blamed for his own death and the various processes they have had to go through just to get some answers have been an exercise of repeated revictimisation for the O'Farrell family. That happened at the hands of this State. I do not want to presume how the O'Farrells are feeling about what the Minister has said during this apology. I understand that this will be their first time hearing the actual substance of the apology. This apology of wrongdoing by the State may be enough for them. It may provide the closure they need and deserve. I sincerely hope that is the case and that they can finally rest after a long and arduous fight for justice for Shane.”
“To suggest that Shane was somehow at fault for his own death was plainly wrong and the supposed evidence on which that suggestion was made does not stack up. The first three pages of the Haughton report are dedicated to criticising Shane and intimating that his own actions had a hand in what happened to him. I cannot begin to imagine how the O'Farrell family must have felt when they first read it. There is one person directly at fault for Shane's death and that is the driver of the vehicle that hit him, Zigimantas Gridziuska. However, the justice system that allowed that man to be out on the streets in the first place is also in the dock today.”
“expectation must surely be that the State comes to the aid of its citizens and supports them in the terrible aftermath. Instead, it is to our great and eternal shame that, far from the warm embrace of a caring State, the Stardust families experienced a cold shoulder, a deaf ear and ... generations of struggle for truth and justice. It is to our great shame that State processes heaped misery upon tragedy for the Stardust families. Those same words could be copied and pasted with respect to what our State has put the O'Farrell family through. They too have had misery heaped upon tragedy. The report of the scoping exercise carried out by Judge Haughton to determine whether further enquiry was needed in this case adopted a narrative of victim blaming, which I know has been a source of considerable pain for the O'Farrell family.”
“Apologies must almost always be dragged out of it following significant campaigning, heartache and often adversarial litigation on the part of those affected. An apology is certainly warranted in this instance. We would not be here were it not for the resolute determination and ceaseless campaigning of Lucia and all of the O'Farrell family to achieve justice for Shane and for their family, who first had to live with the grief of Shane's killing and then with the gaslighting from those the family were relying on for straight answers and justice. The O'Farrells should all be incredibly proud that they have got us to this point. I hope today's apology will provide them with some degree of closure. During the State apology to the Stardust families, the Tánaiste, who is with us today, said: In such shattering circumstances, the ...”
“However, what stuck with me the most was the dogged determination of Shane's family to rectify that miscarriage and to make sure that justice was realised for both Shane and the O'Farrell family. The O'Farrells have been wronged by the State and by our justice system. Shane has been wronged. We in the Labour Party welcome this State apology to the O'Farrells today. The Minister supported the O'Farrell family from the Opposition benches, as did the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, who is also sitting here today, and politicians from many parties, including my own, and I commend him on taking this important step and beginning to make amends for what happened. A State apology is a rare thing. The State does not easily apologise for anything.”
“Like everyone, I was absolutely shocked to hear of the tragic circumstances of Shane O'Farrell's death on 2 August 2011. I am always saddened to hear of deaths on our roads, of which there are still too many, but as a cyclist, a law student, a UCD graduate and someone who was around Shane's age at the time, his death in particular hit home with me. I recently had the privilege of meeting with Shane's mother, Lucia, and his sister Hannah. The meeting stuck with me for a number of reasons, including the extraordinary background to Shane's death and the subsequent miscarriage of justice in how the investigation of that death was handled by the State. It was a miscarriage of justice and we need to be clear about that.”
“If essential pollinators, such as honeybees, end up going extinct, we will see a massive depletion in ecosystems and further degradation in biodiversity. If the bees die, we die. A small but effective step each of us could quite easily take is to let our gardens and grass go that little bit wilder. The real beauty in our lawns and gardens is not in their aesthetics but in their role as homes for hundreds of species of flowers and insects.”
“There is an interesting history behind that practice, as an expression of colonialism and classism. The "civilised colonisers" in places like America kept their gardens pristine, at least aesthetically, while the native population lived in the wild. This is not to mention the fact that when we cut our grass, we are essentially colonising the habitats of various types of plant, wildflowers and species, and creating green deserts. It is another one of those things all of us could do to make one small improvement to our biodiversity at an individual level. Beekeepers are warning us that pollinators, such as the native Irish honeybee, are under threat because of issues of habitat destruction and the use of pesticides. Those pollinators are vital in maintaining our ecosystems. This is a threat we need to take seriously.”
“We saw that in some of the responses to the nitrates directive and the EU nature restoration law, especially with regard to rewetting. We urgently need to re-wet a considerable amount of our peatlands but we must do so in a manner that ultimately benefits those who work that land. The principles of a just transition must apply. I will bring the issue of biodiversity a little closer to home. While walking through the Merrion Street side of our campus, I was glad to see a sign for No Mow May indicating that the grass will not be cut for the month of May to allow wildflowers and wildlife to flourish. The whole idea of having perfectly pristine lawns, be it at Leinster House or our own homes, is an anti-environmental and anti-biodiversity practice.”
“Ivana's Bill provides a good model to establish some sort of authority to monitor and protect against water pollution, not just in Dublin Bay but in other coastal areas and harbours around the country that are ecologically damaged. We need to involve all stakeholders in our efforts to restore biodiversity and nature, including communities, environmental organisations, public bodies and, crucially, our farmers. It is vital that farmers are brought with us as we endeavour to tackle this crisis. A lot of the degradation we have seen in our biodiversity and ecosystems is, historically, as a result of farming practices. I acknowledge there is a lot of anxiety among that cohort about the necessary measures we have to take in the agricultural space in order to deal with this crisis.”
“He has done amazing work in promoting mini-ponds, including one on the Trinity campus that is teeming with ecology. Many of us Dubs will have noticed the rewilding of the former lawns outside the college on College Green. It is a great example of how even a small patch of land can provide such a rich habitat for plants and animals, even in the city centre. My party leader, Deputy Ivana Bacik, has also shown the sort of actions we can take in protecting and enhancing biodiversity in Dublin, with her Dublin Bay Bill. We need to reverse the decline in our rivers, lakes and coastal waters more broadly. As I mentioned, we are seeing the effects of excess nutrients in lakes and rivers all over the country.”
“People need to feel and experience the benefit of a healthy and thriving natural environment, as the Minister of State mentioned, be it through our parks, waterways or woodlands, and taking time to do so. People are taking action on an individual level as well as a community level. Community allotments are terrific examples of people coming together and living by that principle of growing what we eat to the greatest extent possible. Organisations such as Community Gardens Ireland are doing fantastic work in connecting people with our ecosystems through the development of community gardens. I also pay special tribute to Collie Ennis, the biodiversity officer at Trinity College, as someone who has inspired me on a personal level.”
“While it is not finished yet, the impact the finished portions are having can already be seen in creating new ecosystems and habitats, as well as providing a wonderful asset to our community and preserving existing biodiversity, including our famous kingfisher. It is a great example of the benefits of connecting people with nature, particularly in urban areas. It is very important that people feel that connection with our environment and recognise their stake in it. They see its intrinsic value. Ensuring continued access to the countryside can play a role here. I will recognise the efforts of the Keep Ireland Open group in this regard. We need to bring people along with us if we are to address the climate and biodiversity crisis.”
“It is leading by example, which my colleagues in Dublin Mid-West can attest to. Its biodiversity action plan is a superb document. It has been fantastic to see the actions it contains come to fruition over the past number of years. We are seeing great initiatives, such as the restoration of the Tallaght wetlands and the creation of biodiversity habitats along Dodder Valley Park, which was shortlisted for a green award. These areas are teeming with ecological richness and biodiversity. It is really great to see. There is also the development of the Dodder Greenway, a joint initiative between South Dublin County Council and Dublin City Council.”
“The OPW could be given a stronger role in climate mitigation and mandated to take a more nature-based approach to things such as flood prevention work, as others mentioned, rather than the heavy engineering and concrete-pouring approach that appears to be its current preference, which is something I have direct experience of locally with the Whitechurch stream flood alleviation scheme in Rathfarnham. The point I am trying to make is we need to see a cross-departmental and whole-of-government approach to addressing this crisis, including by using the existing structures within our semi-States. We are seeing great action at local level. My local authority, South Dublin County Council, is doing incredible work on biodiversity, nature restoration and nature conservation.”
“However, their mandates are largely defined in commercial terms. We need to look at what role they can play beyond a primarily economic one. We need to ensure that their objectives and operations align with our climate, biodiversity and nature restoration ambitions. I encourage the Minister of State to work with the Ministers for the environment and agriculture to look into amending the Forestry Act and the Turf Development Act to see what can be done in that regard. The same can be said for the likes of Teagasc. We could reconstitute that as a food security agency, for example, tasked with working with stakeholders to ensure we are growing more of what we eat.”
“That will require a redoubling of the commitment to addressing our biodiversity crisis with sustained funding for initiatives that seek to improve our habitats, waterways and air quality. We in the Labour Party have consistently called for a more active and ambitious State in respect of housing, healthcare and in our efforts to combat the climate and biodiversity crises. These are the most existential crises we face, not just as a country but as a species. This is about protecting our island and our seas but it also about protecting our future. The State has a crucial role to play, in particular, our semi-States. Bodies such as Coillte and Bord na Móna, for example, control extensive tracts of land where the State could make a huge difference in improving biodiversity and restoring nature.”
“The fact we had a Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, and a Children and Young People's Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, is testament to the crisis we face, which is already here. We know what needs to be done. We have the reports and recommendations of those assemblies. The first three recommendations of the citizens' assembly are illuminating. They each point to a failure by the State in protecting our biodiversity and environment and call for urgent interventions, including just enforcing existing laws relating to biodiversity. I appreciate that many of the recommendations contained in the assemblies' reports are being put into action. This Government must continue on that path and ensure that each recommendation is fully realised.”
“Excessive nutrients in the water have given rise to a high production of algae, which grow at such a density they block out the light and stop the plants that were growing on the lake bed, and stop anything living in the lake. The EPA has reported that agricultural run-off is the source of the excess nutrient levels. The lake is dead. Locals cannot even let their dogs swim in it. Our landscapes and the beauty we all enjoy in this country are only as rich as our biodiversity. Our ecosystems are in a critical state. It is not an exaggeration to say we are facing an ecological crisis. Some 91% of our habitats are in an unfavourable condition and 15% of our protected species are in decline.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue of biodiversity and to mark biodiversity week. We have an awful lot to do in this area. The Minister of State will know that better than anyone else. He has a reputation for passion in this area. I look forward to working with him as best we can over this term. In Ireland, we very often trade on the incredible beauty and richness of our landscapes. It is probably our most marketable asset, if it can be put that way. Millions of people come here every year to experience our 40 shades of green for themselves, but the unfortunate reality is that our prized asset, namely, our natural environment, is at serious risk. Just this week, we saw reports that 40 shades of green algae have taken over Lady's Island Lake in County Wexford, which is supposedly a special area of conservation.”
“Teachers and SNAs are already at breaking point. This cannot be allowed to go ahead. The school should have its teacher allocation restored and I will ask the Minister for education to intervene here. We are all aware of the importance of early intervention, and it has been mentioned repeatedly today, in giving children with autism or other complex needs the best chance to live fulfilling and dignified lives and independent lives insofar as possible. That opportunity is being withheld from so many children in my constituency and all over the country. We want fewer promises from the Government and more action.”
“We are seeing significant issues in our special schools as well. The Libermann Spiritan School in Templeogue, for example, is opening two new classes in September which is certainly welcome. However, the much-needed therapeutic supports available in the school will remain the same which means the actual services being provided to the students in that school are being diluted. St. Kevin's Girls' School in Kilnamanagh is facing another issue. Enrolment in the school has dropped by just five students for next year, so they are losing a teacher from their allocation and being forced to merge two classes. This will result in a single class of almost 35 students, including children with autism. What will that do to the development of these children from a social and educational perspective and in terms of the management of the SNA resources?”
“Those assessment units still have not been rolled out and the Minister reneged on the commitment to take our Labour Party proposals to budget. Since then the issue, the backlog and the wait times have only got worse. The victims of this Government inaction ultimately are vulnerable children in need of support. It is nowhere near good enough. The same can be said in terms of the actual supports available. Speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physios are all virtually absent in Dublin South-West and in many other parts of the country. I recently visited the Ballyboden primary healthcare centre in my constituency that previously had five speech and language therapists in 2022. It now only has one working part time and is having huge difficulties in hiring due to the pay and numbers strategy.”
“Too many of the parents I speak to have had to fork out hundreds of euros for private assessments because they cannot wait any longer. They are the lucky ones. Many other parents just cannot afford to go private. This is not a new problem, but it is getting worse. Two years ago my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, brought forward a motion calling for reimbursement for families forced to go private for assessment and therapies. The then Minister of State, Anne Rabbitte, said at the time that she had made a proposal to the HSE where she wanted a minimum of six regional assessment units stood up and that if that was not done by 1 August that year - two years ago - she would take to budget what the Labour Party had suggested which was to fund the families.”