Donna McGettigan
Clare · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“At a time when families should be proudly taking photographs of their children on their first day back at school, many parents are instead lying awake at night, wondering how they are going to pay the bills.”
“This year alone, at least 47 schools have been referred to the financial support services unit. That is a staggering 38% increase. While Government Members will stand up and list the things they have done, some which are very welcome, they will conveniently ignore the things they have done to make life harder.”
“The reality is that a growing digital divide is emerging in our schools, and while the Government celebrates its announcements, parents are being asked to pay more and more simply to ensure their child or children can fully participate in education. So much for free education.”
“I thank the Labour Party for this timely and important motion. Sinn Féin supports this motion because the cost of sending children to school has become an unacceptable financial burden on families across the State.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for this important, timely motion. I want to tell the story of Christina from Clare. Christina is an artist and like so many artists across this island, she spent countless hours creating work. She poured her talent, experience, emotions and imagination into it.”
“As an artist in wool myself, I am lucky that this AI cannot take my creativity and use it. I feel extremely lucky about that every day but across Ireland, artists, photographers, writers, and musicians are seeing their work taken without consent and used to train generative AI systems.”
The complete record
Every one of 388 lines we hold for Donna McGettigan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 8.
“In the middle of a housing crisis, there are more than 2,600 houses boarded up across this State. Some 91 of them are in my own constituency of Clare and of those, 18 have been empty for more than 18 to 24 months. This is not down to a lack of work on the part of Clare County Council. It is being hampered by a lack of Government commitment, a lack of action and most of all a lack of funding. Can you imagine being homeless through no fault of your own and having to see perfectly good homes left to go to rack and ruin? These homes should have families living in them. It is a national disgrace that children are growing up in hotel rooms instead of these homes. We have had more than enough excuses, broken promises and missed housing targets. Media reports yesterday revealed that this year's targets will be missed by 10,000.”
“In the words of ambassador Majed Bamya: The whole world chants for Gaza, weeps for Gaza, aches for Gaza, is outraged by what is happening in Gaza. But the people in Gaza, the children of Gaza, have no use for our chants, our tears and our outrage if they are not accompanied by actions that could actually stop the killing, feed the hungry, heal the wounded, save those who can still be saved. When future generations ask, "What did you do when the people of Gaza were massacred?", what will you tell them? Will you say that on this day you refused to help them, or that you finally acted?”
“Bombs are being dropped on homes, hospitals, schools, shelters and aid centres. Aid workers with international agencies are targeted and murdered. We were horrified when babies in Al-Nasr hospital were left to die and decompose after hospital staff were forced out at gunpoint. This is unthinkable. The Irish public stand overwhelmingly with the Palestinian people. They march, protest and promote the BDS campaign in huge numbers. They are disgusted by this complicity with the Israeli regime. The Government and the previous one are and have been strong in rhetoric, but we need action. We must do everything in our power to save the people of Gaza from genocide. We must take a stand for international law, and we must uphold basic humanity and decency.”
“Through the Central Bank, this State is complicit in Israel's genocide and apartheid. Its role in the funding of the most unspeakable crimes must end immediately. This Bill is legally sound and independently drafted. What does breach international law is Israel's brutal occupation of Palestine. It is burning children alive, starving entire communities and killing civilians with impunity. Despite multiple UN reports affirming that Israel is committing genocidal acts, the issuing of arrest warrants for senior Israeli Government officials, a separate ICJ ruling that Israel's occupation of Palestine is entirely illegal and the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including children in Gaza, the Central Bank of Ireland continues to act as Israel's sales agency in the EU. The world has watched the genocide unfold every day.”
“What is being done to attract, recruit and retain doctors, especially those who are trained here, and make them feel they are welcome and do not need to emigrate due to a lack of housing or the cost of living?”
“We are facing a shortage of GPs. People in County Clare have contacted me to state that when their doctor or GP retired, they were left with no GP as they did not have a medical card and they are now reliant on walk-in clinics. People with a medical card have been assigned to already overburdened GPs when their GP retired. People cannot get appointments to see their doctors, leaving them with no choice but to head to accident and emergency departments. Some have to go to walk-in clinics and pay a fee as the walk-in clinics do not accept medical cards. Some have to borrow money to go to walk-in clinics and others have to make the awful choice to hope for the best and wish for their issues to go away, but usually end up in accident and emergency departments. What can be done to increase the number of doctors working in underserved areas?”
“The counsellor-student ratio should be 1:1,000 but at the moment I think it we are at 1:1,500. We need to bridge this gap. I am glad to hear about Togetherall and that it is a 24-7 service but is there a waiting list for it? Students struggling with their mental health today should not have to wait weeks for help. They should not have to choose between paying rent or paying for therapy and they definitely should not have to suffer in silence. I believe that the Minister will be willing to work on this and I know I will continue to push until all students have been listened to and their burden in respect of mental health is helped. This is a very serious issue and we all should be working towards a solution.”
“The existing funding framework for mental health services in higher education is insufficient. It is resulting in underfunded and understaffed counselling and healthcare services on campuses. At this time, I am not aware whether the additional funding will be enough to bring services back up to the proper ratio.”
“I am glad to hear that the Minister is going to put funds into this. It is a very hard issue for students to deal with. Some of the issues they are dealing with include the skyrocketing cost of accommodation or even the type of accommodation they live in. Some students are just leaving home and are stuck in accommodation that is not working for them. Mental health should be treated with the same urgency and importance as physical health. Many are juggling work and study just to keep their heads above water. One of the findings of a survey done my colleague Deputy Conway-Walsh was that one in four first-year students was not aware of the mental health supports and counselling services available to them. One solution to the problem would be just letting them know that the services are available and can be accessed.”
“I want to raise the pressing issue of the mental health crisis among third level students. We are failing our young people in this regard. The mental health services available to students in our colleges and universities are underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed. Is the Minister satisfied with the current level of mental health supports available to third level students and is further investment planned?”
“If you look at it, it really is not for them and there needs to be a compassionate mechanism for students estranged from their parents - one that puts the student's life experience first and not a bureaucratic checklist.”
“I am glad to hear the Minister will be looking at this but there are other people who for myriad reasons - some deeply disturbing - have had to leave home and are living with other family members. They are independent but do not have bills, rent or other things in their name and are finding it difficult to get evidence that they are separate from their parents. As there is a breakdown in communication, the parents will not give them this. It is not a simple if-or situation and it must be looked into. It is not fair on those people who are running from home for certain reasons. They are trying to make their lives better but these barriers are being put in their way and they cannot get the bills or the evidence.”
“They said when their means test for SUSI was being completed, it did not take into consideration tax, PRSI or USC charges because their child is independent but they cannot prove it so their income is taken into consideration. They have received a minimal amount from SUSI and must now pay €10,000 in rent, student fees, food and travel. This really needs to be looked at.”
“We all want to work together for fairness, justice and equality in education and one of things we can do to help us is the reform of the SUSI grant. For too long, SUSI has been a barrier rather than a bridge for many of our young people. This is supposed to be a scheme which enables access to education but instead for many it is yet another wall that blocks their future. Let us speak plainly. The age of 23 - that so-called threshold for being classed as an independent student - is actually a barrier for some. Looking at one family's situation - this family contacted both the Minister and I - they feel that middle-wage earners are being punished because of this.”
“There are issues with the SUSI grant and people being able to access it. Will the Minister reform the SUSI assessment criteria for independent living? Students under 23 are assessed as dependent on their parents, even if they live independently, and those over 23 who are forced to live at home due to the housing crisis are assessed as dependent on their parents. Will the Minister reform SUSI?”
“The HSE-operated nursing homes received significantly higher funding under fair deal compared with private and voluntary homes. These financial challenges are leading to many nursing homes closing due to financial viability. They are also causing long-term waiting lists for those needing to avail of the system. The fair deal pricing review must be published, as per the commitment in the programme for Government. It is time to fix the broken system and treat carers not as burdens but as the backbone of our health and social care system. When residential care becomes the appropriate setting, nursing homes need to be fully recognised and resourced.”
“The Minister of State has said the Government is acting "with a view" to phasing this out over the lifetime of this Government. However, a view is not a guarantee. Carers alleviate pressures in hospitals and long-term residential care facilities. They are under significant and unsustainable strain due to inconsistent access to services and limited financial supports. Rural areas, such as Clare, are experiencing higher demand, which means the failure to provide timely and adequate home support services leads to an increased number needing to avail of the fair deal system. We also need to end the pay disparity between section 39 and section 38 workers, as was also promised. Please do not let this be another broken promise. Caring should never come at a cost to a person's financial security or health.”
“I welcome this motion from Independent Ireland. As someone who was an unpaid carer for my husband before he passed, I have lived the reality of a system that does not value care work, whether it is done in the home, in our communities or in nursing homes. I know first hand the emotional and physical toll and the financial hardship carers face every single day. However, I would do it again because I felt it was the right thing for me to do. In Sinn Féin, we believe in a fair, sustainable and compassionate model of care that enables people with high care needs to live with dignity at home. Right now, our care system is under enormous strain. Carers are being punished by a broken means-testing system that actively disincentivises people from taking on care roles. We call on the Government to abolish the means test for carers immediately.”
“This needs emergency action to make funding available to Cara's Fund to clear the backlog and to get a specific target date by which the Minister aims to comply with her legal obligation.”
“I am in awe of a 14-year-old disability rights campaigner, Cara Darmody, who is staging a 50-hour sleepover but angered that she feels she has to do this to be heard. The Government's failure to implement the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 has meant the education system and the National Council for Special Education are not capable of delivery for children in school settings, which is directing additional pressure to overburdened specialist services. I visited two schools in Clare with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, St. Anne's in Ennis and St. Conaire's in Shannon, and witnessed this. The HSE anticipates that this will only get worse and there could be as many as 24,796 left waiting by the end of 2025.”
“More than 15,000 children are now overdue their assessment of need. That is 15,296 children who could be left with a decline in their quality of life. It is 15,296 children whose development and learning will be potentially impacted, who could be missing out on opportunities for support, who could be missing out on therapy and other services that could help them reach their full potential, and whose parents or guardians are experiencing significant stress and frustration. This week, I am glad to see the combined Opposition coming together to bring forward a joint motion on this, but I am extremely angry it has come to this and that we have to stand here and demand that the Government provide children with an assessment of need within six months, as required by the law.”
“These models are not good enough, particularly in Clare where some people live almost an hour and a half away from the nearest hospital emergency department. This is because we do not have our own emergency Department in the county. Will the Government fully fund ambulance shifts in Clare as a matter of urgency?”
“We are treading a precarious line when it comes to our National Ambulance Service and its duty of care. I was recently contacted by the parent of a 21-month-old boy who had a seizure out of nowhere. This young child was unconscious for several minutes, but it took 66 minutes for an ambulance to reach him. Time and again we have instances like this where people are experiencing unimaginable distress, watching loved ones suffer while they wait for help. Lives are being endangered, which is simply unacceptable. I have been contacted by paramedics who are very concerned about changes being made in County Clare, where there will be no ambulance cover in certain areas on certain days. The HSE has said these are non-funded shifts.”
“Let us invest in people, remove barriers and celebrate all pathways to success, including academic, vocational and everything in between. Let us hold ourselves accountable for building a system that serves not just today's economy but tomorrow's society.”
“From biotech to AI and from clean energy to advanced materials, we are at the frontier. This will only be the case, though, if we continue to support the research ecosystem. This means public investment in laboratories, early career researchers and interdisciplinary exploration. Innovation does not happen in isolation. It is born where education meets immigration. I cautiously welcome the roll-out of the global talent recruitment initiative. We need to be cautious about the issues we are having here before bringing that initiative to fruition. The power of further education lies not just in the degrees conferred or the jobs secured but in a society we build together. An inclusive, adaptive and fair education system is the strongest foundation for all of Ireland, which we want it to become.”
“If megacorporations from sectors like aviation tech or pharma begin strategically shaping the education landscape, we risk marginalising disciplines not seen as commercially useful and obscuring the social or environmental harms of the same industries. Inclusion must remain a pillar of our education system. The National Youth Council of Ireland, representing 54 national voluntary youth organisations, understands this. Its innovative skills summary project recognises youth work as an educational process. It provides a structured way to make non-formal learning outcomes visible, especially for young people furthest from mainstream education. This is not just a good policy but is essential for an inclusive learning society. Let us not forget the role of science and innovation. Ireland has always punched above its weight in this arena.”
“Worse still, apprentices start on subminimum rates of pay and this low income is prolonged by delays in training progression. We cannot expect young people to build our future if the system is failing to build theirs. SUSI grants are meant to be a safety net for students in further education but too many fall through the cracks. Students under the age of 23 who have left home, often out of necessity, are locked out of funding. Others, aged over 23 but still having to live at home due to the housing crisis, are assessed based not only on their income but also on their parents' income, which is a cruel irony in our current economy. The funding deficit in our education sector has become so large that private companies have begun to step in. While partnerships can offer value, we must not normalise the privatisation of public education.”
“Yet, in this picture of progress, apprenticeships remain an under-leveraged asset. They bridge the gap between education and the real world, equipping people with practical skills while offering a vital route to employment. The Government's Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025, with its goal of 10,000 registrations by 2025, is a step in the right direction. Record registration numbers show a growing appetite for this path. We must confront uncomfortable truths. Dropout rates in apprenticeships hover around 20%, largely due to training delays. Why? It is because off-the-job trainers are not being hired in sufficient numbers and earn less than they could make on-site. Apprenticeships intended to last four years might sometimes stretch to six years.”
“This figure represents thousands of young people who began with ambition but did not complete their journeys. Behind each number is a story of financial hardship, inadequate support or a system that did not adapt to their needs. If education is a universal good, then our commitment must also be universal to help every learner reach the finish line. A highly skilled labour force is not optional; it is essential for Ireland's future prosperity. It is these skills in construction, healthcare, technology and trade that will help us to address the housing and healthcare crises and unlock the potential of emerging technologies. Fortunately, Ireland has cultivated a strong reputation as a hub for research and innovation. Our ability to attract foreign investment is no accident. It is built on the foundation of a skilled and adaptable workforce.”
“I speak today about something that touches every community, family and sector of our economy. I refer to the power of further education in an ever-changing Ireland. We are living in a time of profound transformation, technologically, economically and socially. In such a dynamic world, education is not just a tool for personal development; it is the backbone of national resilience and progress. In Ireland, we proudly hold the belief that higher education is a universal good, and rightly so. Time and again, our graduates go on to contribute enormously to society. Whether in classrooms, clinics, studios, factories or research labs, they help us to grow, heal, build and imagine. Yet, we must also acknowledge the challenges facing our system. Despite our progress, the dropout rate in higher education remains stubbornly high, at around 11%.”
“I welcome all that the Minister has said. I know he cannot make airlines land in certain airports, but I am sure he can help make the other airports more viable for these airlines to land in. We would welcome working with him in that regard. We have seen the chaos in Dublin Airport. This is not an anti-Dublin Airport statement at all. We welcome the lift on the passenger cap too, but the regional balance needs to be looked at. It is very unfair to have 86% of flights going out of one airport and not the others. As the Minister said earlier, Shannon Airport has seen an increase of 17%. There is room for a further increase; it can go up to 5 million or 10 million, as the Minister stated earlier. Therefore, we need to work on this together, and work on it soon. It is a matter of urgency.”
“Shannon Airport plays a vital role in promoting regional development by supporting balanced growth across the country. More regional balance will help ease congestion in Dublin and ensure the economic benefits of international connectivity are served nationwide. It will boost tourism, trade and investment in the mid-west, create jobs and drive local prosperity.”
“I understand all of what the Minister has said with regard to what needs to be done. However, I believe the stakeholders would probably say they are already at where they need to be with it, so maybe it could be expedited. Many tourists visiting Ireland travel to the west, and many are brought in by bus. They are brought through Dublin Airport, take a bus to the west and take a bus back up. This is not helping the economy in the mid-west or tourism. It means they do not stay there and contributes to air pollution. In reality, they could have flown directly into Shannon or the west. The positive impacts of regional balance and a national aviation policy will play a part in Shannon Airport. It is a key gateway to the west of Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way.”
“We are looking for the new aviation policy to be reviewed. I have heard the Minister say it will be reviewed. I understand that we have to get this right but this clearly needs to be done as a matter of urgency. The Minister has not given us clear timelines on this. Perhaps the Minister could really push this and give us clear timelines.”
“Can we see engagement with the Together for Public alliance on the terms of reference for the consultation before it commences? Can we have a timeframe for that in order that families can have hope? Finally, I commend Deputy Claire Kerrane for tabling this motion.”
“They tried in numerous areas but in the end the mother had to give up her full-time job and take on a part-time evening job, leaving their household financially vulnerable. The early years education sector is predominantly staffed by women, who, because of failings in the current system, are working in conditions where they are overworked, underpaid and burnt out. Rural and disadvantaged urban areas, where there are even fewer incentives to operate, are also underserved by private providers, meaning women from these communities are more likely to be faced with no other option than to stay at home. This issue was a key priority during the election. Promises were made. Families need us to step up for them and provide what was promised.”
“In my county of Clare there is a high demand for early care and education places. Parents have to put their children on multiple waiting lists and there still may not be a place for them in the end. I know of a couple who have two young children and the best option for them is to have one child in a service in Sixmilebridge, which is approximately 9 km from where they live, the second child attend a service in Caherdavin, which is a further 13.9 km away, and then drive back to work, which is approximately 48.9 km. This must be done twice per day. This not only adds an extra expense onto this family but is also means they spend a lot of time on the road. Adding the expense of fuel to the high cost of childcare exacerbates the issues the family is having. A second couple were told there would a two year waiting list, if they are lucky.”
“A commitment was made last autumn to make the increase in the cap for the defective block grant scheme available to all homeowners and not just new entrants. This is a straightforward amendment to the 2022 legislation and should have been brought through the Dáil and the Seanad before now. A large number of homeowners are facing real financial hardship trying to make the final payment to builders for remedial work. These people are already struggling and suffering with the fact their houses have defects. Leaving them to wait like this is very cruel. When will the commitment be honoured?”
“There have been too many medical scandals already, whether it was the CervicalCheck crisis, when my party's warnings were ignored with disastrous consequences for hundreds of women and unbearable stress and worry for many more, or the scandal involving spinal springs, to give just two examples. When the latter scandal in Temple Street hospital was revealed, we were told system failures were to blame. That cannot be the case this time. We must see real accountability and real reform of the oversight systems and mechanisms in order that something like this can never happen again. Currently, it is hard to have any confidence in this regard.”
“According to media reports, there were concerns among hospital staff for years. What did previous Governments know, and when? The families deserve answers, and we demand them. Parents whose children actually require surgery must be terrified that they may be putting them through operations they do not require. Trust has been squandered or lost. Rebuilding that trust will be a monumental task. It must start with full disclosure and real accountability. We all need assurances that the full scale of this scandal will be disclosed, that all parents whose children were involved will be informed and that sufficient oversight mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that nothing like this can ever happen again.”
“There may be thousands of children who have been operated on unnecessarily. The Government should change the terms of reference of the inquiry to allow for the investigation of cases far earlier than 2021. These were life-altering surgeries carried out on vulnerable children, with parents who put their faith in the so-called medical professionals cruelly manipulated and betrayed, and not in one hospital but in Cappagh, Temple Street and Crumlin. Where were the oversight, scrutiny and accountability? It is appalling that there were no supervision mechanisms capable of uncovering this and putting in place effective measures to bring the practice to an end. It fell to a whistleblower to make a protected disclosure. Even then, the Government response was slow and marked by empty promises and hollow reassurances.”
“There is the possibility of hundreds of children having had unnecessary surgery for hip dysplasia just in the period 2021 to 2023. That is hundreds of children who were put through the pain of surgery and the difficulty of recovery. Hundreds of sets of parents, guardians and wider families who were put through the anxiety of having their child operated on. They had to watch their children suffering and they now find out that it may all have been unnecessary. It must add further heartbreak on top of what they have already endured. Many parents sought second opinions, and then these cases were diagnosed as being incorrect. These cases may just prove to be a snapshot of a wider problem. The scale of this and similar scandals is likely to be far greater than has been revealed so far.”
“Assistance measures will be needed as we are all too aware of the devastation the Border can have on communities on both sides as companies move to the side where they can maximise profits at the expense of the other side of the Border. The real solution to this problem is reuniting Ireland. In the immediate term, the Government must call a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council to protect the all-Ireland economy. We have seen a number of election promises abandoned in recent weeks. This cannot become an excuse to renege on more of them. Our housing, healthcare, childcare, transport, infrastructure and education sectors, and other sectors, all need urgent investment and development. While it seems likely there will be a drop in tax receipts because of tariffs, we need countercyclical investment from Government to offset this.”
“We must ensure the EU does not take any retaliatory actions that are likely to negatively affect us disproportionately. The primary job of the Government now is to protect the interests of Ireland, both with the USA and the EU. The outworkings and changes of these tariffs are not yet known. The fact that pharma has not been hit with these tariffs gives us the space to put contingency plans in place and make sure supports are put in place for workers and industry. However, this needs to be done quickly as we do not know when these tariffs will change, so we must keep all options on the table. It is essential to continue with the pharmaceutical tariff elimination agreement that has been in force since 1995. Having two regimes on our island is also likely to disproportionately impact on our Border communities.”
“Some 77,500 people are directly employed by pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing companies in Ireland across 213 factories. Many thousands more are employed indirectly. Companies will need to adapt to this and inevitably jobs will be lost as a result. This will affect those already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. The agriculture sector is also likely to be impacted by tariffs. The US Government has also blamed non-tariff barriers for their trade deficit. This means environmental, food, agricultural and other standards must not be sacrificed, undermining our standing as an agricultural producer and our sovereignty. We are hugely overexposed to the USA due to the policies of previous Governments. Some 32% of exports from this State go to the USA, and the next highest in the EU is Italy at just 10%.”
“We have heard for years that we have a small, open economy which is highly susceptible to international economic factors, but we have seen few, if any, tangible measures to reduce this susceptibility. The Government must do more to promote indigenous industry rather than depend on international actors who do not have the interests of Ireland at heart. Successive Governments have been far too reliant on multinationals attracted here using tax incentives. County Clare is home to a number of manufacturing firms, but it is also home to small companies, family-run farms, high-tech manufacturing and global firms in the Shannon free zone. They rely heavily on smooth tariff-free trade with countries and are likely to suffer as a result of tariffs.”
“I am sure we are all relieved that so far pharmaceuticals and chemicals have been exempted from the 20% tariff imposed on exports to the USA from the EU. However, reports are now suggesting that President Trump will be introducing tariffs on these sectors. While tariffs are usually seen as a tool to protect local industries, they can also have a negative impact for small, export-driven economies likes ours in Ireland. Tariffs imposed by the USA in 2018 and reciprocal tariffs imposed by the EU resulted in reduced trade in steel and aluminium. That should have been a wake-up call that tariff trade wars damage everyone, and that the State cannot be over-reliant on one export market.”
“I ask again about the pay increases that are not being funded. That is a big issue and while I welcome increased investment in higher education, there is still that deficit to be filled. More funding does not necessarily mean better outcomes if inefficiencies persist, as students already contribute significantly through fees, so there is a clear need for the Minister to assess the needs of higher education. I acknowledge the Minister has said he is committed to doing so and I look forward to seeing great advances in third level institutions as education is the key to our future.”
“We have an ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the State and yet, hard-pressed parents are asked to shell out for student contributions to try to give their children a good education. Universities have, in some cases, increased the cost of student accommodation to try to bring in funds. This puts further economic strain on students and their parents.”
“I welcome that the Minister said he will try his best to get this but this €307 million deficit was first raised in 2016. The Irish Universities Association, IUA, has said it will not fund pay increases. Has this been sorted? That also lends to this deficit. The austerity programme introduced in the State punished ordinary people and bailed out the banks and the bondholders, and it caused increasing hardship for many of the most vulnerable of our citizens. It is incredible that it is still causing hardship today. The first Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science promised to reverse the cuts and address the funding gap. That was Simon Harris, and there have been two other Ministers with this portfolio since and nothing has been done.”