Conor D McGuinness
Waterford · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Vincent de Paul, both of whom, to be fair, are stepping up but that is not the way it should be. I have also spoken to principals who are told to stretch their ICT budgets, and, in fact, that is the response I got from the Minister of State’s colleague, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, when I queried this. Those budgets have been cut.”
“Every July and August, families steel themselves for the cost of children going back to school, including uniforms, books, and shoes, and, as the Minister of State well knows, school transport. Now, for thousands of parents, there is another bill waiting on the kitchen table. It is one for hundreds of euro for a digital device.”
“It is simply passing responsibility on to families and calling it policy. A child's education should never depend on his or her parents' ability to buy a digital device, and no student should be disadvantaged because they cannot afford the device his or her school requires.”
“I dtaobh chúrsaí Gaeltachta, ní aontaím leis an Aire in aon chor go bhfuil dearcadh nó aighneachtaí na ndreamanna éagsúla atá ag obair sa spás seo iniata leis an gcáipéis seo. Is léir go ndearna an Roinn agus an bheirt Airí sa Roinn tithíochta neamhaird air sin.”
“Today is a very important day because the State has finally and formally apologised to the survivors of Bill Kenneally's abuse. Those who should have been protected were instead failed in the most profound and devastating way. No apology can undo the harm that was done.”
“It is a recognition of the persistence and bravery of you men who are here in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and those who are not here today. Those of you who refused to give up in your pursuit of truth and justice, I thank you for what you have done. I thank you for your courage and for your power.”
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“Is í an Ghaeltacht cliabhán ár dteanga agus croí ár gcultúr ach arís eile tá an Rialtas seo tar éis faillí a dhéanamh ar na pobail sin. Is beag an méadú ar mhaoiniú don údarás, níl faic ann i dtaobh Gaeloideachais agus níl aon straitéis fíorúil do thithíocht Ghaeltachta nó don phleanáil teanga. Once again, the Government has neglected our Gaeltacht communities. There is no meaningful investment in Údarás na Gaeltachta, no increase for Irish-medium education, no expansion of Gaeltacht housing schemes and no support for the community groups that keep our language alive. Sinn Féin's alternative budget would have delivered multi-annual funding for Údarás na Gaeltachta, real investment in language planning and a plan to help young families stay and build their lives in the Gaeltacht.”
“This budget has left workers and families feeling angry, deflated and abandoned. If you have been listening to any media during the day or saw "Prime Time" last night or any of the coverage, you will know that. Certainly, that is the clear sense on the ground in Waterford among my constituents. People see through the spin. They see a Government that can find billions in tax breaks for landlords and developers but cannot find the will to reduce rents, lower energy costs or properly fund the public services our communities depend on. In Waterford, families really are struggling with rent, childcare and the cost of living. They looked to this budget for hope and for help and what they got was another round of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil looking after the few while ordinary people are left behind.”
“When one of the boxes was opened, an archivist there took out a wooden stick from Gougane Barra in west Cork and said it had obviously been used for counting sheep, such was the ignorance. Of course it was a bata scóir, the piece of wood that was tied around a child's neck when they went to school, on which it was recorded how often they spoke Irish. They were beaten in school and they could be beaten again when they went home. These are important artefacts that we should have in Ireland, our country, so our people can interpret them and access them rather than having them stored in dusty shoeboxes in archives in Cambridge University. I ask that that work take place and that the Minister publish the report and circulate it to Members. He might send me a copy.”
“I agree with the Minister that it is a two-way street. In the case of any artefacts or items of cultural heritage held here that are vestiges of the colonial past of this country and its unhappy presence within the British Empire for far too long, they should of course be logged and dialogue should take place for those to be repatriated to their peoples. I just want to give a very brief anecdote. Recently, a research group from Belfast was in Cambridge and when they visited the archives they were shocked to see the Irish collection in dusty shoeboxes. An astonishing number of Irish historical and cultural artefacts lay undisturbed. They had not been touched. They had never been looked at, but they were kept there.”
“In many cases it was taken without the permission of the Irish State and the Irish people at times of war and oppression and often stored inadequately, not open for researchers from Ireland or any other country to access and certainly not available for the people of Ireland to enjoy, understand, interpret and hold as part of our intangible cultural heritage.”
“The Minister will be aware that I have submitted some parliamentary questions on the work of this advisory committee. I am really keen to see the report. I do not know if the Minister has published it, or if he is willing to publish it or share it with Members. It is really important that we see the fruits of that work. The minutes of meetings have been published but there does not seem to be any record of a meeting since February. Perhaps meetings have taken place and minutes have not been published. There is a lot of interest in this topic and in the repatriation and restitution of our cultural heritage that is held in museums and educational institutions in other countries.”
“I want to briefly refer to the criminal actions that happened overnight where Israel kidnapped Irish citizens and other humanitarian personnel and illegally seized 14 vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Government must now implement serious sanctions against Israel. There can be no more impunity. Colleagues of ours in this House and in the other House have been kidnapped in international waters. I just wanted to say that.”
“I have given the Minister of State four examples from my constituency but I could give him many more to show how important these funding streams are. I urge the Minister of State to ensure we see the political will and a greater effort to bring along sports clubs and empowering them to access funding.”
“It is about ensuring that Waterford FC and every League of Ireland club has the structures needed to nurture talent and to give young people real opportunities – men and women, boys and girls, ensuring participation and continued, sustained participation in sport. This funding must be delivered in next week's budget. I urge the Minister of State to make all the representations he can in the coming week. It is about protecting and enhancing the game, and unlocking the untapped potential of football in Ireland for generations to come. I thank my colleague, Deputy Joanna Byrne, for her leadership. She is Sinn Féin's spokesperson on sport. She has been making this case very strongly and engaging with the FAI.”
“This is not a passing campaign. It is something on which I would like to work with the Minister of State. A recent Government-funded audit found that League of Ireland academies are lagging far behind international standards in terms of staff, facilities, and player-contact hours. The FAI has now submitted a detailed proposal for €4.45 million per year, over two years, to deliver 81 new academy jobs, a women's under-15 programme for every club, development equipment and a centralised player tracking system. This is not abstract policy, it is about young players in places like Waterford.”
“Other towns of similar size have secured pools because their councils showed leadership. There is no reason Dungarvan should be left behind. The large-scale sports infrastructure fund is key to developing facilities of this scale and nature. I reiterate my call to management in the local authority in Waterford - the chief executive of Waterford City and County Council – to show leadership and to identify this as a project worth advancing and to engage with the Department about funding for same. I do not need to explain to the Minister of State about the importance of having a swimming pool in Dungarvan. There are many fine swimming pools in his own constituency of Donegal. A swimming pool would be used year-round for health, water safety, sport and tourism. It would serve schools, clubs and families across west Waterford.”
“It is easy to underestimate the scale of work involved but it is the beating heart of this community and many others besides. The Government must match that effort. It must make the funding system more accessible, so that clubs and communities can identify, secure, and plan around the supports they need for long-term development. For years, there has been a clear and sustained campaign for a public swimming pool in Dungarvan and west Waterford. The council's own feasibility study confirmed the demand. Clubs, schools, families, tourism operators, care facilities, medical professionals and community groups all see the value this would bring to a town the size of Dungarvan and the wider hinterland of west Waterford but the council has not as yet advanced design, costing or funding applications.”
“Tá sé an-éasca neamhaird a dhéanamh den obair mhór atá i gceist, ach is é seo croílár an phobail. Ní mór don Rialtas an iarracht seo a mheaitseáil. Caithfidh sé córas níos inrochtana a chur ar fáil do chlubanna agus do phobail ionas go mbeidh siad in ann an maoiniú ceart a aithint agus a fháil, agus pleanáil fhadtéarmach a dhéanamh. The work under way in Gaeltacht na nDéise is remarkable. Fiontair Pobail has delivered a multi-use, floodlit all-weather pitch at Páirc Uí Shíothcháin, An Rinn, bringing together local sports clubs, and it is not finished yet. It has ambitious plans for further facilities in this community. This success was built on a mix of funding sources, but above all on a relentless voluntary effort and sustained community fundraising.”
“I ask the Minister of State and his colleagues to engage directly with Waterford council and Tramore's sporting bodies to secure land and funding. The young rugby players of Tramore deserve a proper sporting home. Tá obair iontach ar siúl faoi láthair i nGaeltacht na nDéise. Chríochnaigh Fiontair Pobail páirc ildánach faoi sholas saorga i bPáirc Uí Shíothcháin sa Rinn, ag tabhairt le chéile clubanna spóirt éagsúla, ina measc an cumann camógaíochta, an cumann peil na mban, an cumann reathaíochta agus an Cumann Lúthchleas Gael áitiúil. Níl siad críochnaithe fós lena pleananna. Tá breis obair uaillmhianach do thuilleadh áiseanna sa phobal idir lámha acu. Bhí an togra seo bunaithe ar mhaoiniú éagsúil, ach thar aon rud eile ar obair dheonach agus ar bhailiúcháin coistí leanúnacha sa phobal.”
“Despite its population having almost trebled since the 1980s, not a single new playing field has been developed in Tramore in 35 years. Tramore Rugby Football Club has no home ground. Teenagers leave once they outgrow mini rugby, undermining the work of volunteers. Last year the club even lost its training base, putting its future at risk. It depends on the goodwill and generosity of other sports clubs in Tramore, including Tramore GAA, yet this is a vibrant and successful club in its own right, with more than 100 active players, 200 members, one of the largest minis clubs in east Munster. Last year, its under-14s reached the Pan Munster cup final at Thomond Park, defeating Garryowen. What they need is simple – 7 acres to 10 acres to call their own. Without it, their growth is capped. Young people drift away from sport.”
“I welcome the chance to speak in this debate in the statements on the sports capital programme, the large-scale sporting infrastructure fund and the major events programme. I want to highlight four examples that show both the power of sport in our communities and the urgent need for further Government action and investment. The Government often speaks about participation in sport but the reality on the ground is very different. Tramore, the largest town by population in County Waterford, has one of the youngest populations in the south east and yet its sporting facilities have not kept pace with that growth. The facts are stark: Tramore has just 5.5 sq. m of pitch space per person. If we compare it to its nearest comparator town, my own town of Dungarvan has 15.3 sq. m of pitch space.”
“If it is attacked and Irish or EU citizens are harmed, the Government must be prepared to respond with immediate political, diplomatic, travel and economic sanctions, decisively and without delay. I ask that they be prepared now so that they can be rolled out immediately. If the European Union, blocked by Germany and other countries, will not take action, we must act unilaterally or with other like-minded member states because we cannot allow this on our conscience.”
“The Government should enact the Bill but, for God's sake, let us do more. Ireland must impose targeted sanctions and travel bans. We must block the use of our airspace, our seas and our ports for the transmission of munitions and weapons of war to Israel. We must make it clear that any Israeli war criminal who sets foot on our soil will be arrested and brought to The Hague to stand trial for war crimes. Germany bears a heavy responsibility for the impunity enjoyed by Israel. If Germany wishes to add the guilt of supporting this genocide to its collective conscience, let it. The Germans can knock themselves out. However, we must not let our morals be bound by Germany's willingness to turn the other way and to allow "Never again" ring hollow. The Global Sumud Flotilla approaches Gaza, as we speak, with food and medicine.”
“It is an ultimatum to the Palestinian people to give up their people's right to freedom, dignity and self-determination and perhaps the killing will stop, but Netanyahu's own manoeuvring and briefing makes clear what we already know, which is that the Israeli regime has no interest in any genuine deal, peace or a future for the Palestinian people. To add insult to real and grave injury, it is placing this farce under the guidance of Tony Blair, a war criminal whose name will forever be tied to illegal wars, occupations and the mass killing of civilians. Words are no longer enough. The Government must enact the occupied territories Bill now. The delay is a national embarrassment. The Government should be embarrassed and ashamed by the delay. The Bill needs to include services as well as goods.”
“It is a rogue state, a settler colonial outpost and should be treated as the international pariah that it is. Despite all the words from all the Government party representatives here and all the Independent, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs, it still enjoys privileged access to EU and Irish markets. It still enjoys participation in cultural and sporting life internationally and unrestricted travel for its officials and for its military personnel. Much has been said in this Chamber and internationally about the so-called "deal" on the table. It is not a peace process; it is an ultimatum. It is, as Lloyd George would have said, the threat of "immediate and terrible war". The irony is that war is ongoing in any case.”
“What we are witnessing in Palestine is beyond what we can describe here in words. It is the systematic destruction of a people, of human beings - babies, adults, toddlers and older people. It is the destruction of their homes and their lands, their children, their very future, their dignity and their peace. There is no denying that it is a genocide and there is absolutely no denying the utter depravity of the Israeli regime and its terrorist IDF at this point. The horror of all this has been enabled by decades of impunity. The lie that Israel is a normal democracy is long gone, despite its frequent propaganda claims. It is an apartheid state. It ignores international law and it shows nothing but disdain for international human rights norms.”
“Thankfully, she has, and we have averted the loss of really essential childcare spaces but it was touch and go and she is not confident that she will not make a loss because of the enormous cost of insurance. What we are calling for here is very simple. We are asking the Minister of State to back our proposals, which our colleague, Deputy Doherty has put down. It is very simple. We need to hold insurance companies to account. We need to ensure correct, fair and appropriate regulation and we need to make sure that people can keep some of that money in their pockets so that it can go into the local economy. The cost-of-living crisis demands action. That starts with tackling the rip-off in the insurance sector.”
“That is not to mention the impact of the insurance crisis and the lack of government action on public- and employer-liability insurance in the private sector for small and medium enterprises and for community organisations. Premiums are up 56% over the past decade yet claims in cafés, shops, sports clubs and community organisations have more than halved since 2019. I have heard from small-business owners in Waterford city who say that insurance is now one of their biggest bills and is more expensive than electricity in most cases. In west Waterford, a local childcare provider described to me how employer and public liability insurance has become such that she really questioned whether she would open her doors in September.”
“Motor insurance is up 11.5% in just the past year, its highest level in five years and nearly double the EU average, and average premiums have risen to over €616. In Waterford, like everywhere else, people rely on their cars to get to work and drop kids to school. We had statements last week on the crisis and chaos in school transport. The car has become ever more important to families, including for the care of elderly relatives. These hikes are not abstract and, as my colleagues have noted, they come in the context of increasing rents and grocery costs and they are hitting ordinary people every single day. People dread when the insurance renewal is coming. People have always dreaded it but now, when we are looking at trebling and other increases, it is particularly difficult.”
“Right across the State, families, small businesses and community groups are being squeezed and screwed by soaring insurance costs. In recent months I have been contacted by families across County Waterford who are struggling to keep cars on the road. Any of us who represent rural constituencies in particular, but also all across Ireland, understand that having a car and keeping it on the road is a necessity for many families. Indeed, it is a necessity for anyone trying to hold down a job or pursue an apprenticeship, people who are in training or education. Premiums are jumping by hundreds of euro and in some cases doubling despite there being no claims on the insurance account and even with a full no claims bonus.”
“That is not good enough. I look forward to the remainder of the debate. I look forward to hearing the contributions of other Members. Hopefully, the strategy, as I said, will be followed by a framework for action.”
“Communities cannot run on goodwill, strategies and platitudes. They need sustainable funding. They need support and they need it in a structured and structural way that they can depend on and plan for. The Minister's reply to that simple request, which would not have cost a lot but which would have had a big impact in the area - and possibly across the State if the model gained currency - was that there was no money this year and there probably will not be any next year.”
“They are linking existing social enterprises, such as the Dunhilll Multi-education Centre, the Copper Coast geopark, Kilmacthomas Social Enterprise Group, the Bunmahon community development and, pretty much, every GAA, camogie and ladies' Gaelic football club in the region. They are bringing them all together to harness their innovation and collective strength. Once again, however, Government is behind the curve. Communities are miles ahead. They are building these networks, finding the solutions and creating the opportunities and it seems Government is not even playing catch-up a lot of the time. Earlier this year, I asked I asked the Minister of State's colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to provide pilot funding for a full-time co-ordinator to support this ground-breaking new initiative.”
“There is an exciting example in my county, where communities in the Comaraigh area of County Waterford have come together as part of the Comhar Comaraigh initiative. The latter is a holistic network bringing together villages, towns and townlands, including Annestown, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballyduff, Boatstrand, Bunmahon, Carrickbeg, Clonea Power, Dunhill, Faha, Fenor, Fews, Kill, Kilmacthomas, Kilmeaden, Kilrossanty, Modeligo, Mothel, Newtown, Portlaw, Rathgormack, Stradbally, Touraneena and Kilbrien. It is important to mention all of them, not so as I can rattle off a list of villages in my constituency but to show the breadth of what this community group and this new initiative is trying to do. These communities are pooling resources, sharing their experiences and developing common approaches.”
“I agree with everything my colleague Deputy Donnelly said. We have spoken about this matter in the past. The Minister of State knows my feelings on it. Social enterprises are at the heart of rural and community life. They create jobs and roll out services. They foster innovation, but too often they have been treated as an afterthought by the Government. They have not been given priority and have been left without the enabling mechanisms and investment they need to thrive. What is needed is a change in attitude to recognise their role, reward their contribution and invest in their future and I truly hope that this new strategy will come with the enabling criteria that is required.”
“They are seeking €240,000. I am sure they have been in touch with the Minister’s Department on core funding a proper capital scheme to invest in new centres and funding for counselling supports. Will the Minister commit in his budget to giving the family resource centre sector the support that it needs and urgently requires?”
“Earlier today I attended a briefing by the Family Resource Centre National Forum. I think we can all agree that FRCs are tremendous services. They are holistic, engaged, progressive, they provide vital interventions for families and individuals at all stages of life. In Waterford city we are very fortunate to have three excellent centres, Sacred Heart, Brill FRC and St. Brigid's, but there is a glaring gap if one looks at the map of FRCs on this island. A contiguous area covering much of west and mid Waterford, south Tipperary and east Cork, towns like Dungarvan where there is demonstrably huge need are left without any family resource centre. In recent weeks, there have been 49 applications made to establish new FRCs and only five of those, around 10%, were approved. Existing centres are under huge pressure just to keep going.”
“We would cut family bills by extending fuel support to low-income working families, moving all prepaid meter households and expanding free hot school meals, schoolbooks and school transport. Communities need to be funded with sustained multi-annual investment in family resource centres and youth and community development. We need to recruit the therapists and clinicians to end scandalous CAMHS and scoliosis backlogs. We also see a need, as Deputy Eoin Ó Broin has laid out quite clearly, to build public and affordable housing at scale to end the pipeline into homelessness and poverty, because that is the legacy of this Government. The money exists but what is clearly missing is the political will. The legacy of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Lowry Independents is rising child poverty and homelessness. It does not have to be this way.”
“I could also mention scoliosis and spinal waiting lists, shortages of school spaces, school building delays, unaffordable childcare and school transport chaos. Families are turning to food banks while parents skip meals so children can eat. The ESRI has shown today that child poverty is at crash-era levels. Barnardos has shown that almost half of families are cutting back on heating, electricity or food. Targets are set in press releases only to be missed by a mile. It does not have to be this way. Sinn Féin would do what this Government will not. We would guarantee adequacy by benchmarking and indexing core welfare and child income supports, and introducing targeted measures for low- and middle-income families.”
“It is the result of Ministers refusing to index core rates and child income supports and starving the very community infrastructure that keeps families afloat like family resource centres, youth work, community development programmes, breakfast and after-school clubs, addiction supports and local mental health supports. These services need multi-annual, ring-fenced funding. Instead, they have been left scrambling year to year. We see the impact of this across a whole litany of failures that face children every single day, including record child homelessness and the CAMHS crisis. Children are waiting unconscionably long times for disability assessments. This Government is breaking the law on therapies.”
“Right now in Ireland, 5,000 children are homeless and more than 100,000 children are living in consistent poverty. That is only the tip of the iceberg and what the official figures are telling us. One in five children is living below the poverty line once housing costs are counted and 250,000 children in this State are in enforced deprivation. This is a State that has recorded unprecedented surpluses and in that context, children are paying the highest price for Government failure. Let us not kid ourselves; this has not happened by accident. It is not happenstance. It is the consequence of years of underinvestment and a refusal to ensure adequate funding.”
“I said it before and will say it again: this is about regional development. We need the investment. We need the Government to make the decision, and stop prevaricating and wasting time, because the costs are only going one way. The longer this is let go, the higher the costs will ultimately be. Let us invest now and invest well in Waterford.”
“From listening to the Minister of State and scanning his speech as he read it, it strikes me as a bad mash-up between "Yes Minister" and "Computer says no". It is shifting the goalposts every single time. It is putting unfair demands on Waterford and the south east that simply are not placed on other regional airports around the State. No other regional airport is forced to jump through these hoops one after another. The Minister of State is quite right to point out that the costs have risen at an alarming pace in the time that has been wasted because the Government will not invest. It will not do what is needed here, which is to invest in an airport runway extension that means this airport can actually stand up and take the kinds of flights we need into the south east.”
“One of the core components we are missing in Waterford is transport connectivity through the airport. I implore the Minister of State, in the name of fairness for the south east, regional balance, economic development and jobs, to make the decision. He should bring this message back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Let us make a decision to invest in Waterford Airport now.”
“The indignity or insult added to the injury of the decades of neglect is to see Cork Airport, a fine airport with good rationale for investment, getting a huge amount of public money for a new VIP lounge and additional retail space when we in Waterford do not have a runway that can cater for the commercial aircraft and scheduled services we need. In South East Technological University, SETU, and the Walton Institute in Waterford last week, I was at meetings with ambassadors and diplomatic staff from six embassies – namely those of the United Arab Emirates, the People’s Republic of China, Britain, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada – to consider international innovation and best practice, including in academia, business development, and research and development.”
“As my colleague Deputy Cullinane has laid out, this is not the first time the two of us, as Sinn Féin representatives for Waterford in this Chamber, have raised this. I believe the Minister of State was here the last time we raised it as a Topical Issue, just a short few months ago. We did so because of the demand and the urgent need for the Government to come to a decision on this. We have the vista of Waterford – the economic engine of the south east, a region that has been left behind, neglected and left short of funding, investment and IDA Ireland visits for far too long – being without an airport that can actually cater for scheduled services. The solution is to build the runway and for the State to invest in the same way it invests in airports in other regions.”
“It is the same dysfunction and distress, with poor or non-existent communication making matters worse. On top of that families of children with additional educational needs – the Minister of State will know this, as we raised it last week – who had to campaign to secure school places have been left high and dry with no transport. It is happening in Waterford and right across the State. As was mentioned earlier, the 2030 report gave clear solutions but it is gathering dust. This dysfunction cannot be allowed to continue. Families deserve certainty, not chaos. Children deserve a seat on the bus and not another year of neglect. I ask the Government to please take action now.”
“Families already struggling with the cost of living are in many cases forced to pay fees far in excess of a bus ticket for a private Bus Éireann service. In Lismore and the wider district around it, parents were issued tickets for stops miles away. I was at an event for Blackwater Community School last week with the Taoiseach where a fantastic new facility was opened, but the constant refrain from parents in attendance was that while it was fantastic, there were so many kids who could not get there in time to avail of the new facilities. In Grange and Pilltown, families were left in limbo until the day before schools reopened. They were scrambling to find out if their children had a seat. Others are still waiting. This is happening across the county, from Ballymacarbry to Dungarvan, in coastal villages and in the Comeraghs.”
“Parents found out just before term began and appeals were dismissed with copy-and-paste replies. In fact, two of the 11 belatedly got a school bus ticket a couple of weeks after school had started back, with absolutely no rationale for why they were selected, and the other nine were not. Children have been stranded even though there are seats on the bus. In Ardmore, Grange and Kinsalebeg in west Waterford, families were told at the very last minute that their children had no seat, even after using the service for years. Now, children are cycling dark country roads, walking and leaving class early to catch a Local Link bus because the Minister of State’s Department will not implement its own review.”
“The Minister of State does not need me to tell him the school transport system is in chaos across this State, but I will do it anyway. Families in my constituency of Waterford are being failed. The system is broken. Parents are exhausted, angry and frustrated. Children are left without a safe and reliable way to get to school. I have been raising this for months. I have written to the Minister of State and his colleague. I have written to Bus Éireann and met parents from every corner of Waterford. The stories I heard again this week are appalling and are the direct result of Government neglect. I was on a Zoom call last night with up to 20 parents from west Waterford alone. In Ballymacarbry, 11 children have been refused tickets to get a school bus to Dungarvan.”
“Tackling antisocial behaviour requires more than headlines or short-term crackdowns. It requires gardaí in our communities, proper long-term, consistent investment in youth work, real support for families and local authorities with the capacity to intervene effectively. The Government has not delivered on any of this but it is time it did.”
“It is a result of political choices to underfund youth work and community infrastructure, year on year. There are solutions such as gardaí youth diversion projects as mentioned already. They are proven to work but they remain underfunded and patchy in their availability. Outreach programmes that meet young people where they are should be expanded. Restorative justice referrals are back to pre-Covid levels, which is welcome, but we need to see more consistent use of these by the courts. The bail supervision programme should be properly resourced and led by the probation service, not the Garda. This would free up Garda time to be in communities, to be visible and accessible. Crucially, we must empower and resource local authorities to take a more active role in responding to antisocial behaviour where it presents.”
“The Government's target of 1,000 new gardaí a year is simply not going to be met. Recruitment and retention remains the key crisis and the front-line deficit in gardaí is leaving our communities actually exposed and feeling exposed. We cannot pretend this is just about Garda numbers. Antisocial behaviour has roots in deeper issues. Government after Government failed to tackle the causes, namely poverty, deprivation, chronic lack of investment in community development and youth services. Rural Ireland knows this as much as any city. For many young people there is nowhere to go, nothing to do and no structural support. That is not to excuse antisocial behaviour and it is certainly not to excuse criminality but it is not an accident either.”
“At the heart of this there is a crisis in An Garda Síochána. People in communities tell me that they cannot see gardaí on the beat. We see this in the empirical evidence and the facts as presented to us in response to parliamentary questions. We see it on the ground too and anecdotally we know it to be true. In particular people do not see community gardaí, that is, the front-line presence that prevents crime, builds relationships and reassures people, that reaches out to young people and that can solve issues and identify them before they become larger issues and have negative impacts on communities. The figures speak for themselves. At the end of December 2024 there were 14,191 serving members of An Garda Síochána. By the end of July this year the number stood at 14,254. That is a net increase of just 63 members in seven months.”
“Too often when we talk about antisocial behaviour it is framed as an urban problem. However, the reality is that this is not just an issue for cities or large towns. Rural communities, small villages and settlements throughout the country are also experiencing the impact. Communities in every county want to feel safe. They want their young people supported and they want to know that the Government takes their concerns seriously. In my role as Sinn Féin spokesperson on rural affairs and community development I have heard these concerns echoed in every part of the State. In my own constituency of Waterford, both rural and urban communities tell me the same thing, which is that there is real frustration about the lack of a Garda presence and lack of support for community-based responses.”