Dessie Ellis
Dublin North-West · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Notwithstanding the obvious requirement for the Garda to have the resources to adequately provide security during Ireland's tenure holding the Presidency of the EU, the loss of ten gardaí from Ballymun deals a substantial blow to an area that has seen a rise in violent criminal activities in recent times, particularly in relation to a wid…”
“This can be a result of staff shortages as the HSE has recruitment and staff retention problems. This has impacted school dental screening programmes and caused significant delays in routine dental assessments for children.”
“Early childhood dental examinations are important because they identify problems before they become serious. Early assessments of a child's teeth, jaws and bite can detect developmental issues that can reduce the need for more extensive treatment at a later age.”
“This is a result of the many children reaching secondary school before receiving dental assessments. There are also fewer dentists participating in State-funded schemes.”
“It systematically and deliberately attacked not just civilians, but civilian infrastructure as well as using starvation and thirst as a weapon against the Palestinian population. The barren landscape of rubble across Gaza demonstrates that for Israel Palestinian homes, schools and hospitals were legitimate military targets.”
“Detainees are denied adequate food, water and proper medical care. Settler violence has escalated and the illegal land grabs are continuing with the connivance of the Israeli military. If Palestinians intervene to protect their homes and farms, they are the ones attacked and killed by the settlers and the Israeli military.”
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“One January a few years ago, the boiler failed and there was no heat in the school for the whole of that month. The Department of Education ended up spending €50,000 to replace it. The building is so old that the school cannot replace bulbs in the lighting fixtures and has to spend a lot of money replacing the fixtures in their entirety. The school's plumbing is progressively failing. Every year, money is being spent on replacing pipes, fixing water heaters and general maintenance. Tomorrow, someone is due to visit the school to survey it for the installation of solar panels, another potential huge expenditure in respect of a structure that was supposed to be temporary. There has been much back and forth about a permanent site for the school.”
“The Gaelscoil was promised at the time that this move would last for a maximum of five years and that a permanent school building with all of the necessary amenities would be built to accommodate the it. Tá an scoil ag feitheamh 17 mbliana ar fhoirgneamh nua. There is not even proper road signage outside the school to identify that it is there. In itself, this is hazardous for parents, pupils and staff. In fact, there have been a number of incidents and near misses and one serious accident outside the school. Due to the fact that these are temporary structures not designed for long-term use, the Department continues to waste money on emergency works to keep them operable. The school is basically firefighting because maintenance problems continually arise.”
“Táim an-bhuíoch den Aire as an seans labhairt faoi Ghaelscoil Cholmcille, a bunaíodh in 1996. Gaelscoil Cholmcille was founded in 1996. Its first years were spent in the upstairs rooms of the football club St. Kevin’s in Santry, Dublin 9. It is a very successful Gaelscoil and has a great academic reputation. It is a very popular choice for parents in the area. More than 80% of its pupils live within 2 miles of the Gaelscoil due to its popularity. Unfortunately, the school has to turn away a large number of local children due to the lack of spaces in the school. In 2008, the school moved into temporary accommodation at its present location in Coolock Lane. This accommodation consists of fast-build prefab-like structures.”
“Car insurance hikes are hitting the ordinary motorist, particularly loyal customers. Despite certain reforms that lowered legal costs and claims, these savings are not being passed on to the customer. The Government has given a commitment in the programme for Government to publish a new action plan for insurance reform. When will this plan be published and its recommended reforms implemented?”
“Families are under severe strain and stress, not knowing where they stand and with the threat of homelessness hanging over their heads. The Minister needs to act immediately to get this scheme up and running. His Department needs to actively engage with local authorities and implement this scheme as a matter of urgency.”
“A large degree of uncertainty has been created, however, and is causing unnecessary delays because of the lack of clarity on funding and the new rules being introduced, which will be more restrictive and make it more difficult for people to avail of the scheme. As a consequence, we have a large number of families living in fear of being evicted and of being made homeless, and many are forced to overstay in the rental property because the local authorities have not received the approvals to go ahead with the scheme. In my constituency of Dublin North-West, I have a number of such cases agreed and being held up because Dublin City Council is waiting for the go-ahead from the Minister's Department. In this housing and homelessness crisis, this is just not acceptable.”
“The most recent homelessness figures issued in January show a significant rise in the number of people and families who are homeless. Homelessness figures have reached record levels and stand at an overall total of 15,286, of which 4,603 are children. Over recent years, a large number of landlords have been leaving the rental sector. Estimates show that between 2021 and 2023, roughly 40% of landlords left the market. The tenant in situ scheme has operated successfully for 2,500 households since April 2023, which represents thousands of men, women and children who would otherwise have been made homeless. This is a plus for both the families, who would otherwise be homeless, and for the landlords.”
“Tá go leor airgid caite thar na blianta ag iarraidh an foirgneamh sealadach seo a chothabháil. Tá an scoil rathúil agus móréilimh seo suite in áitreabh nach bhfuil oiriúnach don fheidhm. Chomh maith leis sin i Mí Mheán Fómhair seo chugainn, tá súil acu rannóg speisialta a oscailt chun freastal ar dhaltaí le huathachas. Tá iarratas nua curtha isteach go dtí an Roinn Oideachais chun scoil nua le 18 seomra ranga a mhaoiniú ina mbeidh seomraí ranga speisialta, giomnáisiam nua, cistin, leabharlann, agus áiseanna riachtanacha eile in aice láimhe. Má tá rath agus fás ar ár dteanga, ní mór dúinn tacú lena leithéid de scoileanna. Tá tacaíocht an Aire de dhíth le haghaidh an scoil seo.”
“Is trua go mothaíonn a lán daoine gur streachailt neamhriachtanach é an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim toisc go gcreideann siad nach mbeidh aon úsáid acu as nuair a fhágann siad an scoil. Sin an fáth go bhfuil daoine ann a áitíonn ar son an Ghaeilge a bhaint mar ábhar éigeantach ar scoil. I mo Dháilcheantar, Baile Átha Cliath Thiar Thuaidh, tá roinnt Gaelscoileanna agus Gaelcholáistí le foireann tiomanta a mhúineann agus a chuireann an Ghaeilge chun cinn i mbealach a thugann grá don teanga, do na páistí agus dá dteaghlaigh. Scoil amháin dá leithéid is ea Gaelscoil Cholmcille, a bhunaíodh in 1996 agus atá ag fanacht go fóill ar fhoirgneamh bhuan agus a chaith a chéad blianta thuas staighre i gclub peile i Seantrabh. Bhog siad chuig a suíomh reatha ar Lána na Cúlóige in 2008, i bhfoirgneamh réamhdhéanta a bhí le bheith ina réiteach gearrthéarmach.”
“Rinne an athbheochan Ghaelach ag tús an 20ú haois iarracht stop a chur le meath na teanga agus an cultúr Gaelach bhí ar riocht neamhbhuan de thoradh na dlíthe daingean a chur cosc ar na teanga agus ar chultúr dúchasach na nGael, agus - ina dhiadh sin - an gorta, an imirce agus an meath. Bhí an dearcadh ann san am a chuaigh thart go raibh an Ghaeilge ina bac ar dul chun cinn agus rathúlacht. D'éirigh an dearcadh seo fite fuaite in a lán glúnta de mhuintir na hÉireann agus d'fhág sé gur diúltaíodh don teanga agus gur beag an t-olc a bhí air. Na laethanta seo, is minic a luíonn cinniúint na teanga i lámha múinteoirí maithe atá paiseanta faoin teanga agus a chuireann an paisean seo ar aghaidh dá scoláirí. Cé go bhfuil naimhdeas áirithe i leith na teanga, tá gné den sentimentality freisin maidir lena caomhnú.”
“Déanann siad é seo toisc go bhfuil an-cháil oideachais ar na scoileanna agus go dteastaíonn uathu go bhfoghlaimíonn a bpáistí Gaeilge. Tá liosta feithimh i mbeagnach gach Gaelscoil ar fud na tíre. I mo cheantar, Baile Átha Cliath Thiar-Thuaidh, tá Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin i bhFionnghlas, Gaelscoil Bhaile Munna agus Scoil an tSeachtar Laoch i mBaile Munna agus Gaelscoil Colmcille i gCúlóg gann ar acmhainní ar nós foirgneamh nua. Tá nuachóiriú de dhíth.”
“Is féidir é seo a fheiceáil go háirithe i gceantair cosúil le Béal Feirste agus Doire agus fiú i gcodanna de Bhaile Átha Cliath cosúil le Baile Munna, ina bhfuil líon mór cainteoirí Gaeilge. Léiríonn figiúirí sa daonáireamh 2022 go bhfuil an líon is airde cainteoirí Gaeilge in aon toghcheantar i mBaile Átha Cliath i dtoghcheantar Bhaile an Ásaigh agus go bhfuil fás dochreidte tagtha ar an nGaeilge sa chathair trí na leabharlanna, na scoileanna agus na grúpaí spóirt is pobail. Mar sin, tá sé níos tábhachtaí fós go nglacfaidh ár gcóras oideachais ról ceannasaíoch i gcur chun cinn agus múineadh na teanga. Tá fonn léirithe cheana féin ó thuismitheoirí go mbeidh a gcuid páistí ag foghlaim trí Ghaeilge. Gan dabht, tá claonadh níos mó ag tuismitheoirí a gcuid páistí a chur chuig Gaelscoil nó Gaelcholáiste má tá ceann ina gceantar.”
“Dúirt Pádraig Mac Piarais uair amháin, “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam”. De bharr stair an chultúir Ghaelaigh, agus gur cuireadh an Ghaeilge faoi chos, tá sé de dhualgas orainn go léir, go háirithe ar an Rialtas, a chinntiú tar éis na gcéadta bliain d’ionsaithe ar an teanga nach mbeidh sí ina teanga mharbh. Tógann sé go leor oibre agus tiomantais an Ghaeilge a choinneáil mar theanga bheo. Bhí Sinn Féin i gcónaí tiomanta don teanga. Inár fhorógra don olltoghchán is déanaí, trínár gcáipéis, Ár Seacht nDícheall don Ghaeilge, chuireamar pleananna uaillmhianacha chun cinn maidir le conas an Ghaeilge a chuimsiú agus a normalú sa ghnáthshaol laethúil. In ainneoin easpa cur chuige an Rialtas i gcur chun cinn na Gaeilge, tá athbheochan de saghas éigin tagtha ar an teanga ón talamh aníos.”
“In my constituency of Dublin North-West, there are many vacant properties over shops and closed-up businesses that can be converted to increase the chronic housing shortage in my constituency and others. Local authorities are waiting on approval to continue with the tenant in situ scheme.”
“This can only change, as the Commission stated in its report, on foot of "a radical strategic reset of housing policy". This Government is devoid of innovative and radical ideas and relies too much on previous failed policies to make any substantial difference to increasing the housing stock in any meaningful way. The report recommends a substantial increase in the proportion of social, affordable and cost-rental housing to meet the current needs. We need an aggressive approach to renovating and reintroducing into the housing stock the tens of thousands of vacant and derelict properties that can be brought back into use as viable accommodation.”
“The latter all resulted in what the commission estimates, on the basis of the information in the 2022 census, as a deficit of between 212,500 and 256,000 homes in this country. Sinn Féin has been saying much of this for years. We did not need the Housing Commission's report to tell us how badly the housing issue has been managed by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the years. In the run-up to the election in November, the Government misinformed the public by claiming that housing completions would reach 40,000. In fact, only just over 30,000 houses were completed. A construction consultancy group predicted that this year only in the region of 32,000 will be completed. If this level of stagnation is sustained, the Government's target of 300,000 houses completed by 2030 will be no more than a pipe dream.”
“After two years of deliberations, the Housing Commission released its comprehensive report in 2024. The report contains 83 recommendations and hundreds of additional recommended actions that would be necessary to transform the housing landscape in Ireland. It is a significant report from a commission whose membership comprised academic experts, economists and business professionals, all of whom are experts on the housing sector in Ireland in their own right. What is of great significance is that the commission did not only look at the housing policies and strategies of the previous Government; it looked at those of successive Governments over decades. The report is scathing in its criticism of successive Governments and outlines their ineffective decision-making and failure in the areas of housing policy and strategy.”
“Many of them go above and beyond the call of duty. They deserve better. They deserve a better working environment that is fully resourced and fit for purpose. Too many people have lost their lives having been turned away from our hospitals and services. Resources are badly needed to help address this.”
“In such cases, a psychiatrist is supposed to be available to assess the individual. In my experience, during the time such individuals wait to see the psychiatrist, their condition may have changed, perhaps improved, which can lead to them being sent home after being seen by the psychiatrist rather than the assessment being based on their original distressed condition. This leads to a false analysis of the individual's true mental state. For those who get a level of support, they find that when they leave the services, there is no proper aftercare or follow-up for them. There is a lack of outreach and follow-up programmes for those who have been brought through the mental health service and are integrating back into the community. Mental health staff work very hard and do a great job with the resources they have.”
“One of the areas of mental health in which I have a particular interest and have advocated for is dual diagnosis. This simply means that a person can have both a mental disorder and a substance use disorder involving alcohol or drugs, or both. People presenting with dual diagnosis have faced barriers that have excluded them from the appropriate care needed. It can be a struggle for many to get proper care and supports for their mental health problems. The bar for admission to mental health services is set very high and there seems to be a reluctance in making decisions where people with severe mental health issues who also have addiction problems are admitted to the service. This also applies to situations where a person presents at a Garda station with mental health issues.”
“There is clearly a crisis in mental health, the provision of mental health services and the resourcing of these services. Many of these problems are a consequence of insufficient staffing levels in such services. For many years, mental health services have haemorrhaged highly qualified staff without them being replaced. Mental health services in Ireland have had a big staff retention problem for many years. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Ireland is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for mental health. The State of Health in the EU reports, which are published every two years, compare Ireland with other countries in the EU across a range of different categories, including mental health. The most recent report confirmed that the rate of mental health disorder in Ireland is higher than the EU average.”