David Cullinane
Waterford · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I met many of those patients and people with the illness yesterday. Many of them were here in Leinster House. They told me, as they have in the past, they cannot walk and they cannot swallow and, as the Taoiseach acknowledged, it is also very difficult for their families who have to watch as their condition worsens and the disease progres…”
“In fact, in the programme for Government the Government committed to reviewing that process because it was accepted it does not always work. The technical review group obviously now needs to be convened and needs to meet urgently. Emily cannot afford more delays.”
“Yesterday, as the Taoiseach knows, the HSE drugs group met to consider reimbursement of Skyclarys, the first approved treatment that can slow the progression of Friedreich's ataxia. Patients hoped for a positive decision. This process has been ongoing for years.”
“They were left desperately making phone calls, checking for updates, asking journalists and asking politicians if they had heard anything. They were treated appallingly. Then, when the news did eventually filter though, they were left devastated.”
“Richard Walsh, consultant neurologist and co-director of the National Ataxia Clinic, has described this drug as a ground-breaking development. He has said that he would prescribe it if it were available in Ireland and that it may reduce the rate of disease progression.”
“"We are not going to regain any of the abilities we've lost, but Skyclarys will give us time. Time when you're dealing with our progressive relentless disease is everything. We all deserve time with our loved ones." Those are the words of Emily Felix, a 28-year-old trainee solicitor from Kilkenny who is living with Friedreich's ataxia.”
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“I could not agree more. I have been saying this for a long time. I am a big supporter of the surgical hubs. There is one coming in my own constituency adjacent to University Hospital Waterford, so I know the difference that will make. I fully agree that we have to look at how to take pressure away from our acute and major hospitals, for example, more off-site rooms for outpatient activity where we can free up clinical space. I am in favour of all of that. I am fully on board with a seven-day-week health service. I want all of that to happen, but for the efficiencies to happen, there also have to be the resources. While the surgical hubs will be a game-changer, I can tell the Minister for a fact that the elective hospitals will be an even bigger game-changer. I am saying that to her because there will be push-back from consultants.”
“I know the Minister is. When she is pushing forward those reforms, I will be supporting them, as I did with the public-only consultant contract because we needed it. We have to get bang for our buck. I agree that we need reforms and efficiencies but we also need capacity. If we do not have the diagnostic capacity, the bed capacity and the staff in our hospitals, then it is more difficult to reach our targets and actually get the reforms. It is a combination of all of that, and all of that is obviously part of Sláintecare.”
“I welcome some of what the Minister said but the problem is there are not clear deliverables and timeframes in the current Sláintecare action plan. That is something that has to change. I want to see, for example, changes to the medical card and GP card thresholds. There have not really been any substantial changes to medical card eligibility in a long time. The big reform that the health service needs, from an acute hospital perspective, is delivering the elective hospitals. If you really want to deal with waiting lists, then build the four elective hospitals as quickly as possible. I guarantee that that will give us capacity to deal with lots of the planned procedures that need to be done, separating scheduled from unscheduled care. I am big believer in a seven-day-week health service.”
“We need an updated implementation plan with clear timeframes and targets so that the new CEO and the Department head actually have a plan to work to.”
“I am seeking an update, if I can, on the Sláintecare programme board and how that will operate, given that we have a new CEO of the HSE and, indeed, a new Secretary General in the Minister's Department. I wish to take the opportunity to thank Mr. Bernard Gloster and Mr. Robert Watt for their many years of service, two people I have worked closely with and have a very high regard for. I also want to wish Ms Anne O'Connor and Mr. Derek Tierney the very best as well. We obviously want them to succeed. They are two highly professional people who I have a lot of faith in and I know they will do lots of good things. During the previous Dáil, the leaders of the Sláintecare programme board were the heads of the Department and the HSE. Will that continue? I also refer to the implementation plan, which I think ended in 2025.”
“The targets that were set are not being met in relation to response times, and the number of paramedics that we need is not being met. It is falling back on those paramedics who are in the system. They are clearly crying out to the Government, the Ministers and the HSE to say they are voting for strike action and voting no confidence in the management of the health service and the National Ambulance Service because they do not see the concrete actions that they need being taken.”
“The paramedics that I have spoken to, and I have spoken to many, are all in favour of reform, but they also want to know that the Government has their backs and is putting in place the capacity. The Minister is right to say there has been an increase in the number of paramedics, but the objective was to double the number of paramedics over a five- to six-year period because that is what was estimated was needed. I gave the Minister the figure that, for 2026, the target is 4,780. The Department and the HSE are telling me that, at best, it will reach 2,920. We are going to be somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 paramedics short. In 2023, the Government cut the target response times for categories purple and red from 80% to 50% and from 75% to 45%, respectively, within the specified time period, but those targets are still not being met.”
“As far as I can see, they do not have confidence in the management of the National Ambulance Service because clearly if there are votes coming back all of the time where they are voting against recommendations and for industrial action, there is a problem. The problem is burnout and fatigue and can only be fixed by more capacity and better resources. I appeal to the Minister to do everything possible to support our paramedics and avert industrial action.”
“The problem is that the National Ambulance Service is massively understaffed. I put down a parliamentary question to which the Minister's office responded a number of weeks ago. In 2025, the HSE target was to have 4,162 whole-time-equivalent paramedics working in the National Ambulance Service. The number for this year is 2,657. By 2026, the target was to have 4,780. The number is estimated to be 2,920 by the end of the year. By 2028, it is meant to be over 6,000. At best, we are going to hit 3,500. We are somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 paramedics short of what we need. That is leading to burnout and fatigue, which is why there has been vote after vote where paramedics, EMTs and others have said that they have had enough and cannot take any more.”
“My question concerns potential industrial action by ambulance paramedics, particularly pre-hospital care professionals, which would include emergency medical technicians, EMTs, paramedics and others. They voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action, as the Minister knows, on 12, 19 and 26 May. I imagine that the last thing paramedics and EMTs want is to be on strike. A number of votes were taken in recent times, including one last year, on the roles and responsibilities changes that paramedics voted against, so clearly there are issues. These are votes of no confidence in the system and no confidence in action that should be taken being taken, so what is next? What action will the Minister take to avert industrial action?”
“I do not know if the Ministers know the level of frustration and anger those parents have. They want the best for their child. They want an appropriate school place. They want their child to have the full developmental supports. They say to me that they are battling and battling the system every single day with no support. That is why we are here again today with our motion. We will keep coming back with motions until the Government gets it right and until children and families with disabilities are properly respected.”
“In some cases, they get 14 or 15 refusals. It is heartbreaking for a parent not to know if their child will have the appropriate class come September. I received dozens of emails and phone calls in advance of the debate today, from parents I have dealt with in the past and now unfortunately parents I have not dealt with before. They are coming into a system that they have seen fail so many other children. They are asking me why this is the case. It is not only that their child cannot get access to a special school place. The same children are on waiting lists for assessments of need, where the State is breaking the law in not providing a diagnosis, and waiting lists for therapies. The waiting lists are going nowhere. They are only getting bigger and children are waiting longer. That is the reality of what this Government has done.”
“The way children with disabilities and their families are treated in this State is an absolute disgrace. We are here not just every year, talking about school places and appropriate school places for children with disabilities. We have tabled countless motions on a range of issues from school places to assessments of need to therapies children are being deprived of and are not getting. We do not see any action from Government. Parents are at their wits' end. They are tired, frustrated, angry and they see a broken system and a Government that is simply not fixing it. Worse than that, they feel gaslit when it comes to special classes. They are told to contact their local SENO. They contact the local SENO and get a list of so-called special classes and are told in each and every case that the classes are full or there is no availability.”
“If it happens – I think it will very quickly – it will create huge opportunities economically, in addition to enhancing connectivity with, I hope, Britain and the rest of Europe. The Government will then have a role in supporting the airport. It has not got State funding for so long because there have not been commercial flights, but with the enhanced service from the Irish Coast Guard and the runway extension I hope will be built, there are real opportunities. I hope that when the extension is built, the Government will come with money and support and enable us to have a fit-for-purpose airport that I believe can transform the south east region.”
“The Irish Coast Guard is launching an enhanced aviation service from Waterford Airport today. I fully support and welcome it because it is a really important service. We all know that the search and rescue service has huge support right across the State, but particularly in the south east. Unfortunately, there were tragedies in the past and colleagues were lost, but it is great to see an enhanced service. I want to raise a wider issue in relation to Waterford Airport because there is now a real opportunity to develop it. It is still a very sore point that the Government dragged its feet for too long on funding a runway extension. As the Tánaiste knows, a very wealthy private investor is now going to come in with money and extend the runway. We want to see that happen.”
“That, in turn, could put pressure on the landlord, because the landlord needs to move. I accept that. This is an issue that the landlord has to step up to the plate on as well. It is greed that is at the heart of this. I appeal to the Minister of State to meet these hill farmers.”
“There are sometimes cases where there is a grey area but I think this one is black and white. The people whom I have spoken to, including the hill farmers but also people in the wider west Waterford area and in Waterford city, are outraged that a British absentee landlord who goes by the name of the Duke of Devonshire, who owns tens of thousands of acres of land and is a billionaire as far as I can see, is imposing a rent increase of 900% on 16 hill farmers in the Knockmealdown Mountains who just want to farm. They say they are being driven off the land. What they have asked the Minister of State, through us, is for him to meet them to try to see if there is some resolution. That is a reasonable request. That would be a big step forward if the Minister of State were to agree to that.”
“Deputy McGuinness and I are getting it in Waterford, where people are saying that this is wrong. People can see what is wrong. It is black and white. This is wrong. It should not be happening. These farmers should be just farming and doing what they want to do rather than having to talk to politicians, talk to the media, engage in protests simply to be able to secure their livelihoods. The injustice here is even bigger when we consider that it is a legacy of our colonial past. I ask the Minister of State to meet the hill farmers and for the Department to intervene.”
“The difficulty is that because of this stand-off with the so-called Duke of Devonshire, their farm payments are being withheld. That is really problematic. The Department has to be creative. I echo the call from Deputy McGuinness that the Minister, or the Minister of State, if he is in a position to do it, should meet with these hill farmers to try to find a way to get around this and support these farmers. There obviously has to be some arrangement made on the rents and the absentee landlord has to be made to see sense, but the Government also has to come to the table and make sure that these people get their farm payments. There is real anger out there. We saw what happened in the streets over the past number of weeks. When people see an injustice, they will respond to it. We are seeing it already.”
“I do not know of any farmer, business or individual who could take a 900% increase in rent. This really is an injustice. I met with the hill farmers in question, as did Deputy McGuinness. In fact, we were there a number of weeks ago when "Prime Time" was interviewing some of them. The sense of injustice that they have relates to the fact that their ancestors, their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, farmed that land for generations and that a British absentee landlord - a multibillionaire who owns thousands of acres of land in Waterford, Cork and elsewhere - is coming in and imposing a 900% increase. The farmers are outraged. They simply want to farm. That is all they want to do. They have no interest in getting involved in any disputes.”
“They were looking on and they were applauding because they know that they are also being shafted by the same Government. That is why we are back here again. When we debated this issue a number of weeks ago, the Minister of State and his Government colleagues told us that the package was enough, and that was it. The Government is back now with its tail between its legs. It has come back with more, but, again, these are half measures. The Government comes back every time a day late and a dollar short. It leaves people behind, and people are sick and tired of it. They are sick and tired of this do-nothing Government that does not represent ordinary working people and that just leaves them high and dry over and over again.”
“We told it that the anger of people, because of a multibillion euro budget that left them high and dry, was simmering, and it ignored us. A number of weeks ago, when the Government brought forward its first package of measures, we again warned it that this was coming close to a tipping point. Deputy Pearse Doherty brought forward alternative measures that could have avoided the protests, avoided the disruption we saw, given leadership and given supports to families, and again the Government ignored us. It got to a point where people had enough. That is why I had people the length and breadth of this country contacting me to say they were proud of Ireland and proud of the people of Ireland and of the truckers, farmers, hauliers, small contractors and others who were taking to the streets because of the failure of this Government.”
“Last October, when we debated the multibillion euro budget brought forward by the Government, we warned that people had been put to the pin of their collars. The Government brought in a budget - and the Minister of State supported it - which gave billions of euro to corporate landlords, banks and the wealthiest in the country, but very little to most working families. They were promised tax cuts and childcare cost cuts that they never got. What they actually got were increases. College fees went up. People looked on as groceries and insurance costs rose. Rents are going up. More people are homeless, and more people are facing homelessness. We warned the Government that this was getting close to a tipping point and that people were really stretched. The Government ignored us.”
“That is a matter of fact and I think that is wrong. That is why multi-annual ring-fenced funding is so important. It is so that the health service can plan. Reducing the cost of care for patients is important, which is why abolishing the car parking charges and more discretionary cards are needed. The motion is about a new national cancer strategy. That is what we need. I will certainly work with the Government. Everybody in this House wants to achieve the best possible outcome for every cancer patient.”
“The figures in the motion came from the HSE through parliamentary questions. In some surgeries, we have slippage, we are not meeting the targets and more and more patients are not being seen as quickly as they should be. Those gold-standard targets of 20 to 25 days set for access to surgery, for example, and even less for a diagnostic scan, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, are things we should be proud of and should not be allowed to slip. They are targets we should try to make sure we meet. In some hospitals, they do not have the equipment or staff. The motion does not state the cancer strategy was not funded, but it was not given new development funding for half of the lifetime of the previous strategy. For five years, it got some funding, piecemeal as it was. For the other five years, it got no funding.”
“I see it in every hospital I visit: the research done; the facilities in some hospitals; the staff who provide the services, from oncologists to nurses, radiation therapists and so on; robotic technology; and AI, which is now going to become a feature. We are seeing huge innovation, changes and progression in cancer care, which is fantastic. That has to be matched by a Government and political system that back that up and provide the supports and resources that are needed. Far too often, hospitals are not getting those supports. If we have expensive hospital equipment lying idle part of the time because we do not have the staff, that does not make sense. That is an inefficiency. People look at that and ask what is going on when they are waiting and waiting for access to chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery.”
“She showed tremendous resilience and did not show any emotions. Maybe when she was alone she did, but when she was with us, she was really strong. I got that from every contribution that was made. Deputy Gould spoke about how family members were very often the ones who feel it most. I feel passionately about cancer services because they were and still are one of the areas where this State is doing well. Nowhere in the motion does it not recognise that there is a lot of good work being done. I said that in my opening contribution. I am blown away by the healthcare services given by first-class healthcare professionals in cancer care.”
“First of all, I will correct something I said in my opening remarks when I was talking about chemotherapy patients in Cavan. In fact, 100% of those were seen on time; it was in Waterford that 66% of patients were seen on time, which means 33% were not. For radiotherapy, 98% of patients in Waterford were treated on time, compared to just 67% in St. Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, which covers Dublin, the east and the midlands. They are two examples of the postcode lottery I was talking about. I thank everybody for their contributions. There were some really strong contributions. People told stories of their personal experiences of cancer and of their family members' experiences. My mother died of cancer and it was a very long year for my family having to watch her suffer as she did.”
“We do not want slipped targets or slippage. We want a new national cancer strategy that is robust, that is properly funded and that works for cancer patients.”
“That is why we do not have the money to replace equipment and allow for new equipment for cancer care in hospitals, and that is hurting. Our motion also calls for cutting the cost of cancer care for patients. That is a big issue which comes up a lot. We want to abolish the car parking charges but we also feel that cancer patients should have a medical card. Sometimes cancer patients who apply simply do not get it even though they have a cancer diagnosis which is deeply unfair. We all signed up to the principles of Sláintecare where money should not be an issue and people should have access to high-quality care. It makes no sense years on from Sláintecare that cancer patients still do not have access to a medical card. Our motion today is a call for action from the Government. We do not want half-measures.”
“It is a problem to have very expensive equipment either lying idle or only operating at partial capacity. The current national cancer strategy ends next year. In five of the past ten years, the national cancer strategy received no additional funding. It cannot operate in a piecemeal way like that. If we want the national cancer strategy to work, it has to be funded consistently every single year which is why our motion calls to ring-fence €30 million each year for the next five years, a total of €150 million. We also want to increase the capital healthcare budget because we know there is not enough money to build elective hospitals, a new maternity hospital, finish the children's hospital and deliver the beds that were promised.”
“It is unacceptable to have a postcode lottery that depends on where someone lives and depends on the surgery as to what access and how quickly they will get that service. One of the problems is that we do not have the staff. The second problem is with the cancer machinery and equipment. I again discovered through parliamentary questions that we have a lot of cancer equipment which is out of date. In fact, in some hospitals, the majority of equipment is out of date. It could be chemotherapy equipment, radiotherapy equipment or diagnostic equipment. A lot of the time it is not functioning property. Hospital equipment is at partial capacity, again because we do not have the staff. We do not have the radiographers, radiation therapists and so on.”
“In 2025, 45% of breast cancer surgeries, 39% of lung cancer surgeries and 61% of prostate cancer surgeries were not done on time, and people were not seen within the gold standard. They are shocking figures and represent a dramatic reduction on where we were only a number of years ago. I have spoken to healthcare professionals, the Irish Cancer Society, advocates and cancer patients themselves. They tell me that one of the problems is we do not have enough staff. We know we have a shortage of radiographers and radiation therapists but we also have a shortage of surgeons in some hospitals which is why we are seeing a postcode lottery. For example, in Cavan, people are waiting much longer for chemotherapy than they are in other areas. In Waterford, for example, the majority of patients were not seen within the proper timeframe.”
“Cancer care was one of those areas where we were hitting our targets and people were getting rapid access to care. However, in an area where we were doing so well, we are now beginning to see slippage which really disappoints me. Replies to parliamentary questions that I have tabled over the last year or so, particularly over the last number of months, show slippage in the key performance targets and the gold standard access times for diagnosis, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and indeed surgeries. There are a number of reasons for that but first I just want to go through some of the figures. In 2025, 15% of chemotherapy patients and 23% radiotherapy patients did not get access to treatment in the target timeframe.”
“I will be sharing time with colleagues. I start by thanking all those working in our healthcare system who provide the very best cancer services they can. I commend all the nurses, doctors, radiographers, radiation therapists, those who work in primary and community care, and those who provide diagnostic scans. The problems with the national cancer strategy are not down to the hard work of those staff. In terms of research in cancer care, I am blown away by what I see right across our healthcare system and also advances in new medications, a lot of which are produced here by pharmaceutical companies and their workers. I want to put on the record my appreciation of all those working in our healthcare services who provide first-class services to cancer patients.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 is due to end this year, and a new strategy is needed to drive improvements in access to, and the quality of, care from 2027; — in 2025, 15 per cent of chemotherapy, and 23 per cent of radiotherapy, patients did not get access to treatment in the target timeframe; — in 2025, 45 per cent of breast cancer surgeries and 39 per cent of lung cancer surgeries, and in 2024, 61 per cent of prostate cancer surgeries, did not happen within the target timeframe; — a postcode lottery exists in access to care, with access within target timeframes ranging from as low as 60 per cent in some areas, to upwards of 95 per cent in other communities; — this State has below European Union average levels of diagnostic and imaging equipment, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Computerized Tomography, and Positron Emission Tomography scanners, which is leading to significant delays in access to care, particularly surgeries, and this is caused by a combination of a low density of equipment, out-dated equipment, and poor utilisation of existing equipment; — there has been a highly concerning shortfall in the number of women screened for breast cancer, with BreastCheck only screening 75 per cent of the anticipated number of women in 2025, which already assumes a 30 per cent fall off from the number of women invited for screening; and — the most recent implementation review found that only 1 of 23 National Cancer Strategy objectives had been met; considers that: — cancer services need a clear roadmap and guaranteed funding levels for the next decade to deliver key enablers, detailed planning, and turn gold standard targets from aspirations into real deliverables; — the mission of the new cancer strategy must be to improve standards, timely access to care, patient outcomes, quality of life, efficiencies, and innovation; — a new strategy must include a strong emphasis on prevention, early detection, and proactive treatment of primary drivers, as well as of cancers themselves; — a new strategy must address access to care, workforce challenges, equipment and infrastructure deficits, research, innovation, all-island planning, and the post-code lottery which currently exists for services; — a new strategy presents a significant opportunity to drive all-island collaboration in improving cancer care and outcomes, and all-island planning, training, and delivery should feature prominently in a new strategy; and — clearly identified, protected, and guaranteed new developments funding should be provided to underpin a new strategy, through a multi-annual funding framework averaging €30 million a year, each year, in additional new developments funding; condemns the failure of Government to provide and clearly identify ring-fenced new developments funding for the National Cancer Strategy in 5 of the 10 Budgets over the lifespan of the current strategy; resolves that a new cancer strategy should: — guarantee timely access to cancer diagnosis, treatment, recovery, and follow up care; — end postcode and income-based inequality; — provide multi-annual funding certainty; — expand capacity in line with projected demand; — strictly manage expenditure to ensure cost-effectiveness without losing sight of the critical social and economic benefits of health investment; — strengthen all-island cancer cooperation; — reduce the financial and social burden of cancer; and — position Ireland as a leader in research and innovation; and calls on the Government to: — commit to a new cancer strategy, to cover the period 2027 to 2037; — guarantee €30 million in additional new developments funding each year, to underpin delivery of the new strategy; — end the postcode lottery in access to cancer care, through targeted investment; — implement a specific campaign to increase uptake of BreastCheck, catch up on women who did not attend screening invitations, and provide the option for information on breast density through BreastCheck; — implement a managed programme for replacing outdated equipment; — mandate Health Service Executive Regions to implement site specific equipment utilisation plans, including roster reform agreed with workers, to maximise use of existing equipment; — extend service hours in the evening and over weekends, following constructive engagement with workers, for diagnostic imaging, laboratories, and treatment options, and ensure a commensurate increase in staffing levels, to maximise utilisation of equipment and capacity; — fund additional training places in areas of strategic need in the health workforce, and work with graduates to ensure employment in the Irish health service; — abolish hospital car parking charges for patients and visitors; — immediately increase medical card thresholds in line with GP visit card thresholds, and increase funding for discretionary medical cards, to widen compassionate access; — increase the health capital budget to €2.5 billion per annum for the remainder of the National Development Plan, to ensure sufficient funding for all of the Government's infrastructure commitments in Health; — adopt a systematic approach towards clinical trials and life sciences innovation, aiming to make Ireland a world leader in clinical trials and the development of new medicines and therapies; and — place Sláintecare wait time targets into law.”
“a mediated settlement was reached between the parties to that legal action. The mediated settlement applied to all persons who were members of the Waterford Crystal staff and factory pension schemes on the date of wind-up of the schemes. That is true. The problem, however, is that these workers were not given the option to be members of that scheme. The only option they had, as part of their redundancy, was a refund. That is an injustice. It is wrong that the Minister will not meet those workers because they want to better understand the advice of the Attorney General and determine whether he had all the information when he made his judgment. It is incumbent upon the Minister to meet the group and talk to it about the advice he received from the Attorney General.”
“It is not a case of whether the workers were the victims of an injustice; in my view, they were. As I said earlier, at the time those workers should have been given three options: the preserved benefits option, a transfer value or a refund. They were only given one option, which was the refund. The quarrel seems to relate to the fact that the Minister and the Department are of the view that this was a matter for the company and the trustees of the pension fund as opposed to the State and, therefore, the State does not have a liability. However, the Minister confirmed in his response that the Hogan case "related to the failure of the State to adequately transpose into Irish law the relevant provisions of the European Union’s insolvency directive". He went on to say: ...”
“By the way, it has never been accepted by the State that it was at fault, regardless of whether the workers were given their full options. What the Minister seems to be saying in the response that has been given to me is that, notwithstanding that the legal situation at the time, the workers may have had a right to know all of their options, but not in writing, and they would have had to ask as opposed to being told. That is unacceptable because the whole thrust of the compensation scheme that was put in place was on the back of an EU directive that the State failed to implement to protect people in these circumstances. These workers have been failed and let down. They want a meeting with the Minister to raise important questions they have. The right thing for the Minister to do is to meet with them.”
“Those workers had to fight the State every inch of the way and, in fairness to them, they did and they got the best outcome. There is a category of workers who have been left outside of that. These are workers who, at the time of their redundancy, were not given their full statement of options. They were only given the option of a refund of their contributions. They were not given the option of a preserved benefit and they were not given the option of staying within the pension scheme. Because of that, they are now locked out of the same compensation that other categories of workers have been given. The Minister's response and the response of the Department seems to be that the State did no wrong and that it was not the State's fault, even if it is the case that the workers were not given their full entitlements.”
“I thank Minister, Deputy Calleary, for taking this Topical Issue debate today. As he knows, my party leader and I have written to him a number of times over recent months. I have received his correspondence and responses, which I know have been drafted by officials in his Department who have been responding to this issue for some time. The issue here is that many former Waterford Crystal workers who paid into their pension schemes and were left down initially by the company, but also by the State, have received compensation. They received compensation because a small group of workers took a High Court case which eventually went to the European Court of Justice. Because of that, a compensation scheme was put in place to deal with those workers who were in a deferred pension scheme.”
“Sinn Féin has come with proposals, not just this week but before the last budget, when the Government had the opportunity to support families and workers but decided to look after vested interests instead. Fine Gael is the party that looks after a cosseted, privileged class. It has showed that time and time again.”
“That is what they want to know. What will it do? The Tánaiste has come to the Chamber today with nothing. He has no proposals. He talks about how the Government might do something but we do not know what that will be.”
“Almost every cost families have is increasing, leaving them unable to pay the bills. I visited the home of a family recently who asked me to visit a 91-year-old woman who received a bill that she simply cannot pay. She told me that with all the bills she has and the price of everything increasing, she simply does not know what to do. She explained that if fuel prices keep rising, the only option she will have is to not heat her home or turn down how often she heats it. That is the reality for a 91-year-old woman and many more like her. They do not want hollow words from the Tánaiste. Frankly, they do not care what the Tánaiste thinks about Sinn Féin and our motion, or his response about what is happening in the North or anywhere else.”
“It is not a case of the Government coming a day late and a dollar short. Rather, it is a year late and several hundred dollars short for the vast majority of families. The clock did not start ticking in the last number of weeks, although it has got worse for families and fuel prices have gone up. In the budget last year, the Government had an opportunity to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, but it did nothing for families. Of course, before the election – people could see this clearly and transparently - any amount of money could be made available and supports were put in place. As soon as the election was over, however, all of those supports disappeared like snow off a ditch. People were left with rising bills, not just in the context of fuel prices, but with food prices and insurance costs too.”
“It was revealed this morning that the Minister for housing, Deputy James Browne, will jet off to an event on the French riviera paid for by developers, large corporate landlords and vulture funds. We must bear in mind that this is the same Minister who is rolling out the red carpet for these funds, the same types of funds that will make a fortune from the Government's rent hike Bill. Documents show that officials expect private market sponsors to pick up the tab for what is called the "Ireland Pavilion", from where the Minister will conduct business. It seems very cosy to me. Does the Tánaiste accept that it is a mistake to allow developers and big landlords to fund an event for the Government such as this and for a Government Minister to be attending such an event paid for by those same big corporate landlords and developers?”
“A bill comes in the door, or their tank at home is empty and needs to be filled, but they have no money, or whatever money they do have simply will not be enough with all the other bills. What message is the Tánaiste giving them? What do they do? He should speak to them, because I have not heard a single word from him about what they should do. The Government's head is in the sand when it comes to the cost-of-living crisis.”
“They are faced with insurance cost increases, and now energy price increases, which have skyrocketed over the past few days. Not a single word of what the Tánaiste said will bring any comfort to families who are under fierce pressure. I do not believe that the supports he said are in place are in fact in place. One of the measures the Government brought in was to increase the carbon tax, which has increased the cost of fuel on families, not made it any cheaper. The Tánaiste's approach is that his head and those of Government representatives are in the sand. I do not believe they really get it. If they did, they would have supports in place. I am asking the Tánaiste to speak directly to those families and to the people who contacted me. What should they do? They are faced with those hikes now.”
“We need to see real action on price-gouging and real action from this Government in relation to supports for families. Here is why. One in four people has less than €500 in savings. An increase like filling a home heating tank wipes out those savings. Many more do not have any savings. People see companies cashing in on a crisis. They see a Government, frankly and shamefully, standing idly by while it happens. I will ask the Tánaiste directly and plainly: what concrete and immediate steps will he take to stop this rip-off and protect households facing these outrageous fuel price hikes?”
“If their home is cold tonight, it needs to be heated tonight, not next week, next month or in six months. It needs to be heated tonight, yet those families do not have the money to pay. These are real people facing a real crisis. The message, it seems, from the Government - and I have listened over the past number of days - is to wait and see. The Minister for enterprise, Deputy Burke, said he will meet the industry on Friday to talk about pricing structures. Unfortunately people have seen this movie played out before. Ministers met big retailers about grocery prices. What happened? Grocery prices went up. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien did something similar with energy companies. What happened? Energy prices went up. There is little point in Ministers having cosy chats with companies.”