Conor Sheehan
Limerick City · Labour Party · Ireland
“If a student does not have access to one of these devices or access to one at home, there is often no alternative and that could leave them excluded. Many families are forced to pay hundreds and thousands, particularly with the rising cost of microchips, for these devices.”
“I thank the Minister for her considered response. We need to get rid of voluntary contributions and move to generic school uniforms. This is something that has been done in the UK.”
“This digital divide is resulting in a severe and growing level of inequality where so many communities, students and families are unable to purchase the devices they desperately need for their children's education.”
“I raise the issue of the community access support team, CAST, in Limerick, which has prevented 133 detentions under section 12 of the Mental Health Act and reduced the number emergency department presentations. It has responded to over 1,000 incidents.”
“Do not worry. We need to have a debate this week before the House rises about the imminent report on Aughinish Alumina. There are up to 2,000 direct and indirect jobs at stake in Limerick. We cannot have a situation where the State is inadvertently complicit in the export of alumina to Russia. Where there is a will, there is a way.”
“It is absolutely reprehensible that planning permission has been granted for apartments on the site of the former mother and baby home at Bessborough. We have 19 mothers and 859 infants associated with Bessborough still missing. Now 140 apartments are going to be built on a mass grave. We need statements on this next week.”
The complete record
Every one of 808 lines we hold for Conor Sheehan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 17.
“During the last Dáil, we published legislation on implementing the recommendations of the Kenny report; however, that Bill lapsed at the election. This is something we will be coming back to because the Government must be committed to dealing with the issue of excessive profits being made following the zoning of land. It is nothing short of shameful that 17,000 people will spend this Christmas in homeless accommodation. This is a wealthy country. The focus on family homelessness in the plan is welcome but the Minister will be judged on it. The plan will be judged on its delivery of outcomes. I am slightly concerned by the lack of specific measures for single adults in homelessness. We need a stand-alone strategy for dealing with this group because it is the biggest group of what I would describe as non-movers.”
“We also need clarity - I pursued this last week with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell - on the issue of gearing and access to finance for approved housing bodies. We know how crucial the AHB sector will be to our hopes of getting anywhere near the targets for social homes. We know many of them are approaching their borrowing capacity. I do not take much confidence from the Minister of State's reply to me last week that the Department will now move the recommendations of the strategic forum to a sectoral reform working group - yet again, more delay. I want to talk about land speculation, which we know is making this crisis worse. I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to implement the land value sharing residential zoned land tax to penalise land hoarding and ensure zoned land is developed.”
“I am glad the Government has at least retained an annual target for delivery of social homes but the target of 12,000 units is too low. It should be around 15,000 units per annum . This is something we proposed in our manifesto and it is more in line with the recommendation of the Housing Commission that social and affordable housing stock should be 20% of all housing stock. It is currently around 10%. That has been ignored. It is important to note the Housing Commission estimated a deficit of between 212,500 and 256,000 homes and it is clear from the targets published here that the Government has once again ignored that. In relation to the 72,000 target, how many of these social housing units will be turnkey developments and how many will be direct-build homes? That is something we need clarity on.”
“Instead, we have had what I can only describe as a PR rebranding exercise, repackaging existing supports as a so-called starter homes programme. Again, the Government is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the people. The plan states that giving existing schemes a new name under one umbrella will "strengthen the focus and visibility of these initiatives". This is the bit I find most absurd. Is Government seriously suggesting the issue with the housing market is that people are not aware of the support schemes that are out there? This is a supply-led crisis and demands a radical supply-side response. We in Labour believe we need a massive ramping-up in the State's capacity to deliver homes. There is nothing in this plan that offers any hope on that front.”
“First is the abandonment of annual targets for the private sector. This is a naked attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the Irish people and to avoid accountability and scrutiny. It will not work because people know the previous target of 40,000 per year was a complete fiction. They know when they look at the Central Bank forecast of 32,500 homes in 2025, 36,000 in 2026 and 40,000 in 2027, that there is not a hope of reaching 300,000 by the end of the plan. There is a section in the plan on promoting affordable ownership. This is the most pressing issue facing us as a society. We have an entire generation locked out of home ownership with all the threats that poses to the social fabric of the country. There is nothing here on reducing prices or on making home ownership a plausible reality for younger people.”
“In its lifetime, homelessness rose from around 8,000 in 2021 to 16,766 at the last count. Family homelessness, in some cases, has risen by 120% and the number of single adults living in homelessness has never been as high. In that time, the average price of a home has risen from €272,000 to €380,000 and the average rent has risen from €1,516 to €2,200. In the lifetime of the plan, the Government never met its targets for social and affordable housing construction. In 2024, the target was 12,930, of which it delivered 10,596. It will not meet its targets this year either. The Government claims to have delivered 7,126 affordable homes in that time but it can only get that figure by including vacant property refurbishment grants. As for private homes, I will not even go there. There are a couple of particular issues I have with the new plan.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. After months and months, we finally have the Government's new flagship housing plan. After almost a year in office, we finally see how the Government hopes to bring an end to the housing catastrophe in this country. However, what did we get? We got very little. We got, essentially, an admission of failure and a total and complete lack of any vision or ambition. We got a plan that scrapped targets, provides no serious pathway to secure affordable homes for ordinary people and is not ambitious enough on social housing. It has nothing new on affordable ownership and it does not even give proper clarity on the role of State bodies like the LDA. This could and should have been an opportunity for Government to change course on housing. Housing for All, objectively, was not a success.”
“I am lucky to live in a society and a country that is relatively pluralist, relatively welcoming and relatively decent, albeit we obviously need to make progress. However, it is not like that for trans people. We have the worst trans healthcare in Europe and that should absolutely shame us. The last thing I want to say here today is that the legislation around conversion therapy is on the Government's autumn priority legislation programme. We have been waiting too long. We need to get that over the line and we need to see movement on that. I urge the Minister to take that back to her colleagues in government.”
“All of these mothers are up in the Visitors Gallery because they want a compassionate, person-centred, informed-consent model of healthcare for their children. They want their children to be recognised. They want their children to be treated with compassion, dignity and humanity. They do not want their children to be othered. I do not like when people come into this House or other public forums and seek to other people. Regardless of whether somebody identifies as a cisgender male or a cisgender woman, or whether somebody is trans, we are all people and we have to treat people with humanity, dignity and compassion. I am proud to stand here as a gay man, but I am very conscious of my own privilege.”
“The fact of the matter is that if a woman is going to be attacked or murdered, statistically the chances are that the perpetrator will be her husband or partner. That is the person who is going to do it. It is not a trans woman. Statistically, it is not a trans woman. There has been an attempt to slur and blur the debate in this respect. I am proud to stand here because the Labour Party has always been steadfast in its commitment to the LGBTQI+ community. I welcome all our friends here to the Gallery. I am very glad we have Mammies for Trans Rights here with us this morning. That is really important. I genuinely believe that mammies know best. Mothers know their children. They know their children's needs. They know what their children want. They know what is best for their children.”
“I am proud to stand here today as a Labour Party TD to close this motion. I commend Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, on his very thoughtful and heartfelt contribution. It really reminded me why we are here and why we do what we do, especially compared to some of the contributions we heard before it. However, I am disappointed that this debate is coming to a conclusion at 11.45 a.m. I am disappointed by the nature of some of what Deputy Cullinane said. I am disappointed that Sinn Féin has not used its full speaking slots. I am incredibly disappointed by Aontú's contribution. I am "driven by ideology" in relation to this: my ideology is compassion, inclusion and recognising people rather than pretending they do not exist. We know we have a huge problem with male violence against women in this country.”
“Along with my colleagues across the Opposition, I will be proposing some amendments to this Bill because I especially think, going back to what other speakers said earlier, that the arbitrary deadline of 29 March needs to be looked at again. There is nothing in it on expenses incurred in 2023. I urge the Minister to look at this again. While I welcome the fact he is tweaking the scheme, I do not accept fundamentally that the scheme is fit for purpose. It is designed as a grant scheme when it should be an end-to end scheme. Unfortunately the Government is insistent on doing the same thing with the defective apartments.”
“The issue is that this is actually not fundamentally 100% redress. For example, there are issues with people downsizing. They will only be paid for the square metres they rebuild, irrespective of what is actually left on their mortgage. Before I conclude this evening, I want to emphasise that not one single quarry has been adequately held to account for the defective products they sold. Many of these queries are still selling defective concrete blocks. Government inspectors, not quarry owners or employees, must select material for inspection because otherwise we have no real way of preventing this. We need an end-to-end scheme. We essentially need mark 2 of the pyrite remediation scheme that gives people the ideal model to allow them to rebuild their lives.”
“Option 1, full demolition and reconstruction, is the only viable option. It should not be up to homeowners to determine whether they should replace their foundations. That is why we need an end-to-end scheme. At the bare minimum, we need to make sure we test the foundations on every single home on this scheme. I welcome the fact that parts of Fingal will be included in the revised scheme because my colleague, Deputy Robert O'Donoghue, has been campaigning and working with affected families for years. The request first went in from Fingal County Council to the Housing Agency in September 2023. The testing was done in December 2023. It really should not take this long because if we factor in the impact of the concrete block levy and the increased cost of construction, hardworking families are effectively being doubly penalised.”
“Pyrrhotite and framboidal pyrite are the cause of concrete cracking and crumbling. The review into IS 465 needs to be published and that is not due until quarter 1 of 2026. The scientific underpinning of the scheme is outdated and flawed because it assesses superficial damage and not structural stability. We need an interim measure to stop people continuing to get wrong remediation measures. For example, options 2 to 5 under this scheme essentially involve leaving defective concrete somewhere within a building. The Government is going to have to come back to that in years to come, and that is going to cost the State and the taxpayer more money. People have huge difficulties in insuring and mortgaging these properties. This is not a long-term solution, and these homes will continue to deteriorate.”
“These poor traumatised people are expected, essentially, to project-manage an entire process themselves with little help or little assistance. Even the cost of getting an initial assessment - the testing and the reports - quickly runs to thousands of euro. My concern is that in trying to address this crisis, the Minister is not actually addressing it in the whole as the humanitarian disaster it is. He is sort of going around the place firefighting. The Minister's visit to County Donegal earlier this year was very welcome because his predecessor refused to do so, but what the Minister is proposing here is not enough because the scheme by its very premise is flawed. We finally have the so-called emergency legislation to lift the cap, which was promised over a year ago, but we need to see the scientific underpinning of the scheme updated.”
“Particularly in respect of Limerick, we are at the tip of the iceberg. There are many people in Limerick who do not even know they are living in defective homes. There is a need to consider this scheme on a national and not a county-by-county basis. This is yet another sticking plaster over a gaping wound. People have been campaigning for 15 years for redress for their defective homes. Seven years after the Government first came forward with the fundamentals of a scheme in 2018, only a couple of hundred homes have been fixed. The scheme has not worked because it has been designed as a grant scheme and not as an end-to-end scheme. The Minister is making the same mistake, unfortunately, in relation to the legislation around defective apartments.”
“People right down the west coast as far as Limerick bought and paid for their homes. They scrimped and saved and worked as hard as they could. Now in many cases they effectively have to pay twice for those homes. It is very disrespectful to publish the Bill only a few short hours before the debate. I know the housing committee waived pre-legislative scrutiny on this weeks ago to ensure that it could be done as soon as possible. When we are talking about the specifics, what is being proposed in respect of semi-detached dwellings does not go anywhere near far enough. I have seen ludicrous situations, including one in my own constituency of Limerick, where one home from a pair of semi-detached houses was demolished as defective while the other was left standing with very obvious defects and obvious damage done to it during the process.”
“This amending Bill is a tweak to a scheme that does not work. The scheme does not work because it is not an end-to-end redress scheme like the pyrite scheme that people on the east coast of the country have been able to avail of quite successfully for a number of years now. Recently, myself and Senator Nessa Cosgrove visited Donegal. We went to Letterkenny and met with Deputy Charles Ward and some of his councillors. We saw the scale of the human devastation. I will never forget the people I met or the smell in some of their homes of sheer damp. I will never forget people telling me they are terrified of the roof falling down on their house because the walls are crumbling and cannot hold up the roof. What is being proposed here is an improvement on the original scheme but it is nowhere near enough.”
“I concur with what Deputy Mac Lochlainn said about the defective concrete block amendment Bill. The further amendments were only published at 3.30 p.m. We also need more time for statements on the housing plan.”
“The previous Minister for justice, Deputy McEntee, was going to look at this in 2022 or 2023 but it sort of fell off the legislative priority list. It is really important because our night-time economy is suffering as a result of the number of night-time outlets, including nightclubs, that have closed, with many provincial towns no longer having a nightclub. The places I went to years ago, like, God forbid, Club Mission in Newcastle West and Trinity Rooms in Limerick, are all gone. That night-time scene has really been pared back. We will support the motion but we need a proper legislative framework. We need a Bill that deals with this issue once for all, thereby giving hospitality businesses the certainty they need. I urge the Government to move out of the dark ages when it comes to reform of the licensing law.”
“We need a proper Bill to put the provisions on a proper statutory footing. While this is a relatively small issue, it is symptomatic of the lack of co-ordination and joined-up thinking in the public realm in this country. While we are talking about outdoor dining and seating, I urge the Government to move on legislation to reform licensing laws, particularly in regard to nightclubs. There are only 83 nightclubs left in the country, down from 522 a number of years ago. The overly restrictive nature of our licensing laws is clearly contributing to that. We are not as far on as we think from the curry in Poldark's in Limerick. When I was in my late teens and 20s, there was a lot more availability of places to go.”
“The Labour Party, too, will support this motion. The move to allow more outdoor seating and socialising in our towns and cities was born out of necessity during the Covid period but it has been a really welcome development. In my city of Limerick, I have seen how welcome the parklets and outdoor dining in the city centre have been. I have also seen the opposite, where the council has gone in and unilaterally removed some of those parklets. In some cases, they needed to be removed because they were mouldy, decaying and dangerous. In other cases, such as Crew Brewing on Thomas Street, there was no need to remove them. There must be more flexibility in this regard. Like the previous speaker, I question the temporary nature of this legislation. We are coming back here every six months to do this.”
“Deputy Mark Wall - To discuss the lack of school places in Scoil Mhuire, Allenwood, County Kildare. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae - To discuss concerns about the increasing outbreaks of TB in cattle in Kerry. Deputy Michael Collins - To discuss water supply issues affecting Adrigole. Deputy Ruth Coppinger - To discuss the impact of car parking charges in Blanchardstown town centre. Deputies Mairéad Farrell and John Connolly - To discuss the waiting list for Áras Mhic Dara, An Cheathrú Rua. The matters raised by Deputies Thomas Gould, Marie Sherlock, Mairéad Farrell, John Connolly, Ruth Coppinger and Pádraig O'Sullivan have been selected for discussion”
“Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the urgent need for investment in Carrignavar wastewater treatment plant. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty - To discuss funding for Deansrath Family Centre to build an early childhood and family centre. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss public transport in Chapelizod. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss overcapacity and reliability issues on the E1 and E2 bus routes operated by Dublin Bus. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss delays in the school building programme. Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the continued closure of Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara, County Galway. Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss flooding and biodiversity in the tributaries of the Feale river. Deputy Aidan Farrelly - To discuss overcrowding, capacity and planned capital works at Naas General Hospital.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputies Conor D. McGuinness and David Cullinane - To discuss Irish Coast Guard SAR aviation service. Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss issues with reliability and punctuality of Cork city's bus service. Deputy Marie Sherlock - To discuss the requirement for a drive through test lane in light vehicle CVRT centres. Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss the new school building project proposed for the amalgamation of Ringaskiddy and Shanbally national schools, County Cork. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the lack of respite beds available 24/7 to families of children/adults with special needs in County Kerry.”
“I thank the Minister of State for that response. We really need to see action on this from the Government. The gearing and debt levels within some larger AHBs need to be addressed because they are basically putting our capacity to deliver housing at risk. Specifically, in relation to the recommendation of moving the AHB sector away from turnkey and towards direct delivery, there is a distinct lack of clarity on how the Government will deliver its 72,000 target, which is too low anyway because it does not take in the inbuilt deficit from the Housing Commission. How many out of the 72,000 will be direct-build social homes?”
“We know that AHBs are crucial if we are to have any hope of meeting our housing targets, particularly in terms of social housing delivery, but we also know they are approaching the limit of their borrowing capacity. A workable solution has been proposed by replacing the CALF loan element of AHB social housing with a Government-backed CALF equity grant support. It is the same level of funding as a grant equity but not as a loan. When will this be done by the Department? When the Minister appeared at the housing committee a number of weeks ago, he said that his Department had subsequently engaged with the Department of public expenditure and reform on the sanction request and that that Department would like to consider the sanction request in light of the report of the strategic forum.”
“Will the Minister outline a timeline for the implementation of the recommendations of the AHB strategic forum report? I ask him this in particular in relation to the gearing issue that is there and in relation to moving the AHB sector towards a sustainable delivery model. There is a real lack of clarity in the Minister's new housing plan on exactly how the Government will deliver its targets. How many direct-build social homes will be delivered under the new housing plan?”
“One of the things that stuck with me was the description these survivors gave of the eyes, of looking into the eyes of the individual who perpetrated such violence against them, and the fact that they are terrified that the eyes of these people in some cases are coming between them and their night's sleep. We have an opportunity here to do something tangible and practical.”
“That is shameful. Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. What better way of signalling our support for this important day than by actually doing something, by doing what we can to move this Bill to the next stage? This is a practical legislative step. Together we can make a change. We must stand with all victims of sexual violence. We must have zero tolerance within our own organisations. When victims come forward, they must be listened to and believed. I was struck when I met this particular group of survivors about the real, genuine and palpable fear that each of these women have of the person who abused them appearing before them.”
“We can introduce a provision in law whereby a person against whom an offence of sexual of violence is found to have been committed may be granted a civil protection order. While every survivor may not want that, the option would be available and would give peace of mind to those who need it. This would ensure that perpetrators of sexual violence would not be able to approach their victim, stand behind them in a queue or be in close proximity to the victim. The victims of sexual violence often feel ignored, retraumatised and dismissed because the legal system is designed, by virtue of its adversarial nature, almost to break them. Their counselling notes can still be used against them in a rape trial. I acknowledge the work that Deputy Coppinger has done in this regard. There are nine counties in Ireland that have no refuge space.”
“Along with several others, I attended a briefing some weeks ago organised by Deputy Carthy and Senator McCormack, and I was genuinely shocked by what we heard. We heard from Leona O'Callaghan, Sonya Stokes and Shaneda Daly. Leona, whom I know personally from Limerick, is a survivor of sexual violence who came forward against her abuser. He was sentenced in 2018 and received a 17-year sentence. The man who abused her is not particularly old. He is a strong, violent man and he was supposed to be released in 2027. That has been pushed out nearer to 2030. When he is released, there is nothing to stop him being in a SuperValu store near Leona, using the same gym as her, going to the same church as her or whatever else. While nothing can be done retrospectively in this legislation, we have the power to change things going forward.”
“Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as ucht an Bille seo a chur faoi bhráid na Dála anocht. Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. While I acknowledge things are changing slowly and that we have had the establishment of Cuan and the zero tolerance strategy, the fact of the matter is that when it comes to violence against women, far too often we are reactive and not proactive. Violence against women is at a crisis level in this country. I know from my clinics the number of women who come to me in genuine fear. They are petrified, have no place to go and are often the ones who are forced to leave the family home in which abuse has been perpetrated against them. Victims and survivors of sexual violence in this country have a real and genuine fear of the release of their perpetrator.”
“I want to raise the issue of prison overcrowding, particularly in relation to Limerick Prison. The Office of the Inspector of Prisons’ report is damning. Limerick Prison and its women's wing have one of the worst levels of overcrowding in the prison estate. The official bed capacity was at 155% last year. Overcrowding is impacting on the physical, psychological and emotional safety of women who are living in rooms originally intended as single accommodation. Overcrowding is a result of the failure of criminal justice policy. It compromises the provision and effectiveness of rehabilitation. Deaths in prison are up by 50% in the last year. What action will the Government take to reduce the number of women in prison? What credible alternatives to custody will the Government bring forward for women to address this?”
“Deputy Mattie McGrath - To discuss the need to revoke the Dundrum House Hotel IPAS contract following a High Court decision. Deputy Emer Currie - To discuss town regeneration in suburban Dublin villages. The matters raised by Deputies Richard Boyd Barrett, Ciarán Ahern, Michael Cahill, Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Emer Currie have been selected for discussion.”
“Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí - To discuss the recent series of arson attacks on public facilities in north Dublin. Deputy Ryan O'Meara - To discuss ambulance wait times in north Tipperary. Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss building renovations and school accommodation in St. Patrick's College, Gardiner's Hill, Cork city. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae - To discuss vaccination of cattle as a means of eliminating the TB virus. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú - To discuss the financial crisis at Darver National School, County Louth. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett - To discuss taxi driver livelihoods in light of the introduction of Uber fixed fares. Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss issues with reliability and punctuality of Cork city's bus service. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss the need for immediate intervention and humanitarian assistance in Sudan.”
“Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty - To discuss the need for a full public inquiry into the tendering and construction of Lucan leisure centre. Deputy Louise O'Reilly - To discuss access to a remediation and compensation scheme for homes built with defective block in Skerries. Deputy Erin McGreehan - To discuss the establishment of a community neuro-rehabilitation team in the Dublin and north east regional health area. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh - An gá le tacaíochtaí breise a bheith tugtha do Gaelscoil Lir i mBaile Átha Cliath 24 a phlé. Deputy Brian Stanley - To discuss the response to Storm Claudia. Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the continued closure of Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara, County Galway. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss unsafe lead levels in drinking water in Phibsboro.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh - To discuss the proposal from An Post to move operations within Mayo. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the long processing times for aquaculture licences. Deputy Pat Buckley - To discuss the proposed construction of a waste incinerator in Ringaskiddy, Cork Harbour, County Cork. Deputy Ciarán Ahern - To discuss issues on the BusConnects F spine and S orbital routes affecting Dublin south-west. Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss the new school building projects proposed for Ringaskiddy and Shanbally national schools, County Cork. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the difficulties facing Wicklow and Wexford commuters.”
“It would tell an entire generation of young people we are listening, we acknowledge them, we are taking their concerns on board and we will act on them. Go raibh maith agat.”
“I call on the Government to withdraw its amendment because a small expansion of the electorate would send an important and powerful signal that this country, the country that has had ten democratically elected presidents, the longest unbroken system in the world in terms of a democratically elected Head of State, values its young people as equal participants and will give them a seat at the table, listen to them and acknowledge and reflect upon their experiences. It is a valuable opportunity to change how we talk about politics. All parties and none pay an awful lot of lip service to young people and their issues when it comes to election time. This would encourage parties to take youth issues and participation seriously, and speak to young people, make policies that reflect their concerns and strengthen civic and community engagement.”
“I also know teenagers who really think deeply and are cognisant of what is going on in this country at the present time. The research shows that by the age of 16, a young person has the same cognitive capacity for reasoning and moral judgment as an adult. The fact of the matter is, it is simply condescending to say young people are too easily influenced. Let us be honest, we are all adults and we are not immune to being influenced either. Every voter, whether they are 18 or 88 is exposed to the same outlets, whether social media, print media or advertising. Democracy does not need perfection. What it needs is participation. This would make more than a little difference; it would make a significant difference.”
“I am pretty sure 80, 100 or 120 years ago many similar arguments were made about extending the democratic franchise to women. The fact of the matter is, when we lower the voting age, we legitimise and acknowledge the experiences of young people. It might force all of us to actually listen more to younger people, not talk down to them or not listen to them when they turn up to protest or when, for example, they take to social media, but actually listen to them through the ballot box. Some might argue that 16-year-olds are not mature enough, but Deputy Conway-Walsh made a very good point when she stated, we are taking about 24 months. Maturity does not magically arrive on your 18th birthday. I know adults who vote carelessly. God knows we saw enough of it in the presidential election.”
“The evidence shows that when people cast their vote at 16 or 17, they are more likely to keep voting throughout their lives. I think that, by doing this, we would not be taking a leap into darkness. We would be giving young people a real say in their future. The political decisions we are making in climate, education, housing, healthcare and the future digital regulation of social media companies, these are all long-term issues that will affect us consequentially, probably as far as 2050. The people who will be most affected by this are the people who at the moment do not have a direct say in decision making. If a vibrant, healthy democracy is meant to represent all who are governed, all of us, how can we continue to justify excluding a whole generation whose future is decided right now?”
“Saoirse Exton in Limerick was a transition year student who started the Fridays For Future Climate Strike in Limerick. We saw how the Fridays For Future movement filled the streets of Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Who was at the front of that? Who was leading it? Who was calling for meaningful climate action before politicians? Teenagers were, 15- 16- and 17-year-olds who are going to live the longest with the consequences of whatever decisions we make. I do not believe lowering the voting age would suddenly make young people take an interest. I think young people are interested. There is a lot of engagement there and it needs to be given democratic power. We have seen countries that did this, such as Scotland and Austria. Some Deputies pointed to the Scottish independence referendum.”
“There was a great Labour Party Minister for education, my predecessor, Jan O'Sullivan, who introduced the politics and society leaving certificate in 2016, which started with 40 students on a pilot programme. We can all acknowledge that it has been very successful. If we look at the recent presidential election, there was a groundswell of young people who came out, particularly in support of Catherine Connolly's campaign. However, going further back to the big civil society campaigns in recent years such as marriage equality and repeal, those campaigns were driven on the ground by younger people. Young people in Ireland have been front and centre of some of the most important social and environmental issues of our time. I am thinking for example of the climate marches when they first started seven or eight years ago.”
“If we trust young people to take on adult responsibilities such as raising children then surely we can trust them to go to a ballot box and vote. There is an awful myth that we hear at times that young people are not that interested in politics. As constituency TDs, many of us spend a lot of time in secondary schools in our individual constituencies. I have often come out of some of my local secondary schools nearly with my tail between my legs. You would not get the level of probing questions, of interest or insight from some of our esteemed national broadcasters as you would in a local secondary school. I was in Ardscoil Mhuire in Limerick recently, Villiers and Laurel Hill, and I was blown away by how tuned-in all the students were.”
“This Bill is a way of addressing that democratic deficit. If you are old enough to work, to pay tax, to have sex and have children, as many 17-year-olds in this country do, then you should have the right to exercise the democratic franchise. Democracy is about representation. I am conscious that many of the decisions we make as TDs and public representatives disproportionately affect many young people who do not have that voice or agency in our decision-making process. A person aged 16 or 17, as well as paying tax and working, can consent to medical treatment and can enlist in the Defence Forces. Young people contribute so much to the economy, to our communities and society. They must have more of a say in how our country is run and how society is run. I often think of the principle "no taxation without representation".”
“Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis na Daonlathaithe Sóisialta agus an Teachta Farrelly as ucht an Bille seo a thabhairt faoi bhráid na Dála. Cuirim fáilte roimh na cuairteoirí go léir atá anseo. Is Bille tábhachtach simplí é seo. I mo thuairim, caithfidh muid é seo a thabhairt isteach, because I believe, and the Labour Party believes, that the voting age should be lowered to 16. This is something Joe Costello, who served in this House for many years, first introduced in a Bill as far back as 2006. This is a fair change but it is forward thinking, inclusive and necessary for the health of our democracy. I am worried. In the recent presidential election we saw a large and significant spoiled vote. There are many reasons for that. However, a common thread throughout all the reasons is a democratic deficit.”
“It is really quite dangerous and we are lucky someone has not been killed because when you are coming along the motorway, you literally come to a sudden stop with no warning. Basically, the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan transport strategy identified this as one of four key pinch points. While some work has been completed, the project cannot proceed to the next stage without the additional €2.2 million. I hope the Government will release that funding.”