Eoin Hayes
Dublin Bay South · Social Democrats · Ireland
“As this is my final time speaking, I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all of the staff in the Oireachtas, including the ushers in particular who take such good care of us and everybody who makes this place work so well, for all that they have done. I hope that they get a good and well-deserved break.”
“It seems only proper that this new united social protection system would do the following from a principled way: establish a shared prosperity and proper social protection supports to underpin a properly functioning economy and society; ensure that no individual is worse off in a united Ireland than they were under partition; and ensure t…”
“In a united Ireland, the Six Counties' economic future should be a prosperous one, and in that it has to be properly supported and transformed.”
“There are challenges in these principles, challenges of politics and reconciliation most of all, but there are practical considerations as well.”
“While the project of integrating these systems will be significant, it is imperative that we take the opportunities to create a better life for all, North and South, where people do not just survive but are given the means to thrive and contribute, and where a system of public services supports that.”
“In that vision, we will have to give people in the Twenty-six Counties and in the six the confidence that a united Ireland will work for all against poverty, unemployment and deprivation, and that we will challenge these scourges that are felt regardless of community or background, for poverty has no religion, unemployment no flag and exc…”
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“While the project of integrating these systems will be significant, it is imperative that we take the opportunities to create a better life for all, North and South, where people do not just survive but are given the means to thrive and contribute, and where a system of public services supports that. The work on that must begin now and I welcome any person who shares this vision of an island where every person is valued not just as an economic unit, but with a socially inclusive place for each person.”
“There are challenges in these principles, challenges of politics and reconciliation most of all, but there are practical considerations as well. The UK's universal credit system has had very mixed results, at best, and has resulted in many receiving smaller social protection payments than they would receive in the Republic, sometimes by as must as 20% to 30%. Of course, the UK provides a universal healthcare system and we do not, and has other social supports, but it should not be lost on us that the challenge of merging these systems in a way that sustains livelihoods and the social floor through which no one should fall is a significant one.”
“It seems only proper that this new united social protection system would do the following from a principled way: establish a shared prosperity and proper social protection supports to underpin a properly functioning economy and society; ensure that no individual is worse off in a united Ireland than they were under partition; and ensure that no individual in identical socio-economic circumstances is treated substantively differently. It would stand to reason then that, particularly in respect of social insurance funds and pension schemes for individuals who contributed to such schemes during their working lives, these contributions would, at the vest least, be recognised in a transitional financial arrangement between Ireland and Britain.”
“In that vision, we will have to give people in the Twenty-six Counties and in the six the confidence that a united Ireland will work for all against poverty, unemployment and deprivation, and that we will challenge these scourges that are felt regardless of community or background, for poverty has no religion, unemployment no flag and exclusion no anthem. The social protection system will have to play a key role in this and will have to lead with principle.”
“In a united Ireland, the Six Counties' economic future should be a prosperous one, and in that it has to be properly supported and transformed. I hope we might be able to extend the economic model of the Republic in such a way that our prosperity is shared, with good jobs in multinationals and SMEs, a strong and balanced regional industrial strategy for the 21st century and entrepreneurial supports that underpin a strong indigenous economy. Ireland will have to lead the way in this, as it has not happened under either a Westminster Government or many Northern Ireland Executives. Financial arrangements will have to be agreed, as will trans-Border tax arrangements. Supply chains will have to be reimagined.”
“As this is my final time speaking, I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all of the staff in the Oireachtas, including the ushers in particular who take such good care of us and everybody who makes this place work so well, for all that they have done. I hope that they get a good and well-deserved break. It is possible, perhaps even hopeful, in my lifetime that we will see a united Ireland and the end of partition on this island. I sincerely hope that we do in a way that benefits all people of all communities, traditions and backgrounds. We have a long way to go to achieve that vision and to achieve the vision of a republic of equals that we have not achieved here in Ireland. It is worthy that one of the starting points of that discussion will be the fiscal make-up of a united Ireland.”
“I congratulate the Spanish on their victory last night at the World Cup. I welcome the Taoiseach's report. In Spain the price per MW hour for electricity is €14 and in Ireland it is nearly ten times higher, at €130. Pedro Sánchez has been more vociferous in his criticism of inaction against Israel than this Government has been. He passed an occupied territories Bill before Ireland did so, including a ban on advertisement of services. He has denied the US access to Spanish territory for operations in the Persian Gulf. My question is simple. What could the Taoiseach learn from the Spanish Premier and from left wing politics?”
“I urge the Government to do all it can in the forthcoming budget to support all people with dementia and to chart a future for our people where everyone is cared for regardless of their condition.”
“The Buncrana service, in particular, has been critical for local people, as I have heard from friends. We must put in place increased proper supports for people with dementia and associated diseases so they can have the care and dignified life they deserve - the care, the housing supports, the therapies, the communities. We know early intervention matters. Up to 49% of the causes of dementia are preventable or manageable, as the Minister of State outlined. Proper supports can decelerate the onset of the disease. It is a terrible one, but it does not have to define anyone. We can still remember the people they once were and help them hold on to the dignity they deserve for as long as they can.”
“I have been doing all I can to support her and the issue is with the courts, but the wider point still stands. Dementia puts people in an incredibly vulnerable position and can leave them open to exploitation by the unscrupulous. The Alzheimer Society of Ireland estimates there are approximately 70,000 people with dementia in Ireland today. Not all of them are elderly; some are in the prime of their lives but have been struck by a disease through no fault of their own. We know our population is rapidly ageing and we will have far more people with dementia in the future, not fewer. As our population ages, cognitive decline is going to become more and more prevalent an issue for us to deal with. I strongly welcome the Government's work on extending day care and mass expansion.”
“The memory of a strong, smart and trail-blazing woman's vulnerability in that moment will never leave me. She passed away in April at the age of 84. Sadly, I was here for a vote on emergency fuel excise reductions when her funeral was held, but I lit a candle in her memory in her local church, which she went to every day, the Church of the Three Patrons in Rathgar. As I am not a particularly religious person, and we had more than one argument about politics over the years, I like to think she would have got a lot of satisfaction from that. This morning, I met an 81-year-old constituent with early signs of dementia. She is in danger of losing her home to a predatory lender, or what is often called a vulture fund. Her vulnerability has been exploited for greed, including while she was in hospital.”
“She would often get confused and not be fully of clear mind but her love of talking did not leave her, which led to some interesting conversations. When I was elected, she repeatedly recounted to me meeting Éamon de Valera as a child at a funeral. I was lucky enough not to live too far from her and to see her from time to time. I found her one day outside the local SuperValu, not quite sure how she had got there. She was confused and frightened. At first she was not entirely sure who I was, even though she had known me all my life. She very often got me confused with my father. I asked her if she needed me to stay with her. She was a woman I had never seen ask for anything in her life, but she said, "Yes, please", with a meek fear I had not seen in her before.”
“There is a real grief in the process and the slow loss of a person. It is not quite as acute in grief as death, but there is a great sadness in watching the person you know slowly slip away. I am struck by how many Deputies around this Chamber have stories about people who have suffered from this disease. A family member of mine passed away recently. Her name was Maura. She was a wonderful woman from Carlow. In her prime, she had great wit and humour and could outtalk the best of them. She loved cinema and music, and opera in particular. She lived in New York city for most of her life and returned a few years ago to Ireland to, in her words, chun bás a fháil in Éirinn, or to die in Ireland. By the time she returned, her memory had begun to fade.”
“I welcome this opportunity to make statements on dementia and the programme for Government commitment on this issue. On behalf of the Social Democrats, I also welcome Cian and Jordan Adams and all those in the Gallery today, who care so much about this issue. Cian and Jordan inspired the whole country with their marathon running. It was a huge achievement. In particular what has stayed with me from the media coverage of it was the question of the licence to live for people with early onset dementia or associated conditions. I congratulate them on all they have done to raise awareness. Dementia is a terrible disease. It is devastating not just for the person at the centre of it but for everyone in their life, as anyone who has been put in that unenviable position will know.”
“What compensation programme is his Department going to put in place for businesses in the city centre that are taking a financial hit because of this Government disruption?”
“The Government closed down Dublin Castle and the surrounding area in my constituency for the EU Presidency security arrangements for six months. Shockingly, it gave no official communication to any of the businesses affected in advance. One business, the Silk Road Café, has had to take legal action that is currently with the courts. Another, the Bottega Toffoli restaurant, has seen turnover reduce by 40%. A third, the MB Glow spa and aesthetic clinic, is losing €4,000 per week. As the owner of the last establishment eloquently noted on Instagram, behind every open door is more than a business - there is history, a family and professionals, or an immigrant who bet everything to build a life here. My question to the Minister for enterprise is simple.”
“Our motion here clearly articulates how. I urge the Minister and the Government to support it or, at the very least, have the courage to acknowledge the problem and reimagine a system that treats every person in this situation with the dignity that they deserve. Anything less is an admission of failure. I ask the Minister not to fail. These people I meet are counting on her. The next time I knock on their doors, I will remind them of this day and of the Minister's inaction.”
“There is a cruelness in a system that ignores the needs of our most vulnerable, whether it is as simple as accessing housing or care, or an outsourcing of emergency care to a private sector motivated by profit over human dignity. This is not the way that we should govern. This is not the way our people should be treated. It is not the way any well-minded person would intend it to be. In speaking to these families, the same words come from their mouths. There is no planning, there is little understanding and they have no faith in a system that has let them down. Many are not in crisis, but too many are terrified to think of how that might change. Far too many are gripped by an existential dread, a cloud of anxiety hanging over their every living breath. We owe it to these families and adults to create a system that works for them.”
“For each of them, like the brave campaigners in the Before We Die campaign, they have had to bare their lives and souls to public representatives for their difficulty just to be heard. A total of 2,314 adult children with intellectual disabilities are cared for by parents over the age of 70. Thousands more are cared for by siblings, parents who are younger or extended families. All have been told, officially, that they have "an indefinite responsibility" to provide housing and care for the disabled person in their family. What a gross abdication of a responsibility by the State that was supposed to help and not to hinder. At the root of this is an exploitation of familial love.”
“The State has known about her daughter Ellie for the whole 26 years of her life, but at no point has any service thought to plan for her adulthood or independence. She said to me she had no faith in services at all, or in the quality of care and support Ellie would get, and that they had little understanding of her personal situation, her needs, or her wants or her dreams. Ellie is looking for the simple things in life - home, family, support, community and things to do - yet these simplicities seem too complicated for the State to grapple with. Across all of these stories, the difficulty is mirrored almost exactly from family to family. It should not come to this.”
“She was clearly exhausted, clearly at her wit's end of interacting with the State that seemed to care about everything but her family. I told her I would do my best, as I hope I am now. Months later, during the general election, I knocked on a door an Kieran and his son, Daniel, answered. Kieran told me that it was his wife, Mary, who makes the decisions on who they vote for. No wonder, because she has been fighting for decades for her son for services. Most recently, I fought alongside her for an adult drama programme to be continued for Daniel. Even in basic activities, these parents have to fight for everything. This week I spoke to Katy and Felim, who care for their adult daughter, Ellie. Katy made an excellent point to me.”
“By far the hardest conversations I have with constituents are the ones struggling with disability services for their children. I knock on the door and it opens, sometimes with their dependent adult child with an intellectual disability by their side. You can see the difficulty etched into the faces of those who care so deeply for those vulnerable family relatives and their despair with the State that continues to fail them so badly. During my first elections, the local elections in 2024, I remember meeting the older sister, Lynn, who takes care of her brother while working full time in the Civil Service. She was deeply frustrated by a State that she works for that lets her brother down every day. When I first knocked on her door, she asked me what the State and I would do for her brother.”
“I implore the Government for its next Bill to please bring forward something that is going to incentivise renewables to be built. We have no operational offshore wind farms in this country. We had more 20 years ago. It is outrageous. I am very disappointed with this Bill, but I am far more disappointed by the Government's reaction to the very worthwhile amendments from colleagues here and the guillotining of this debate.”
“The Government is also not accepting any of the very well-crafted amendments from colleagues, including my colleague Deputy Whitmore, to ensure it is in public ownership and to determine whether it is actually temporary or emergency. For many people outside this Chamber, it feels as though we are going in the opposite direction and that climate change is not a priority for this Government. It is going to continue to do the same thing it has always done, which is to rely on fossil fuels, which will not bring us energy security and will not allow us to fulfil our climate goals or live up to the promise of climate action and its great opportunities. If we continue with this, it is going to be absolutely devastating.”
“The Government is giving no rationale as to how it will hit these climate goals by 2030. In fact, it has already admitted failure, and we are four years out from it. In some ways, it feels like we have lost our minds here. We have lost a sense of what we are trying to do with climate change and the energy mix. The idea of building gas infrastructure, even emergency gas infrastructure, seems like the direction entirely opposite to where we should be going. I have to agree with my colleague Deputy O'Gorman. The idea that this, probably one of the most significant energy infrastructure interventions in the State that are going to be considered in this Dáil, is being guillotined after two hours and that we are spending two hours debating it at the last three Stages of the Dáil process, is outrageous. It is unconscionable.”
“We have seen what gas prices have done to our economy and what the reliance on fossil fuels has done to our economy, first with the invasion of Ukraine and second with the war in Iran, yet we are going to say we want more gas. Is that the answer here? Is that what the Government's policy is here? I absolutely appreciate there is an energy security issue - 100% - but why would the first Bill we bring forward under climate or critical infrastructure not be on renewables rather than fossil fuels? It does not make any sense, and it certainly does not make sense under these timelines, when Government is trying to hit climate goals by 2030 and get to net zero by 2050. This terminal will be operational by 2050, if the Government goes ahead with it. Of course it will. Why would it not be?”
“When I was born in October 1987, the number of parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 346; it is now 431. We are going in the absolute opposite direction. With one of the first energy bills it has brought forward after the Critical Infrastructure Bill has been passed, this Government has decided on one on gas - not on wind, accelerating solar or ensuring we have alternative or sustainable fuels but instead for us to import fracked gas from other parts of the world. That is a huge admission of failure and a huge problem. They say one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.”
“This Bill is an admission of failure. It is an admission of failure on energy policy and energy security. It is an admission of failure of several Governments' inability to plan properly for energy in Ireland. I had to stop myself for a second and think that, yes, it is 2026 - that is what is written on the Bill - but we have climate goals to 2030 and we have to get to net zero by 2050. Does the Minister know how long it takes to build an LNG terminal and to develop these gasification units? It takes years. I expect the Minister might be at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the LNG terminal when it is commissioned, which might be in 2030, when we are trying to hit climate targets. That is a huge problem. This is a huge step backwards.”
“I know it can be administratively difficult but I would be interested to know if that is something the Minister is planning to do as well for older people living alone.”
“I would strongly welcome the Minister doing that in the forthcoming budget. To come back to the fuel allowance in particular, many older people are struggling to heat their homes. They are often staying in bed rather than getting up because they cannot afford the gas or the home heating oil. I want to focus on the question of targeted energy credits. This is something that has been talked about in the House many times. There are 500,000 households in arrears, according to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. I assume that many households like that include older people living alone. The Minister's Department, in particular, has an obligation to look at how it targets energy credits for different people.”
“The Minister said that the State pension is aimed at making sure older people do not experience poverty but, according to the CSO, one in ten is experiencing consistent poverty. That is a doubling since the year before in 2024. Notably, this is particularly acute in rural areas and in the Minister's constituency of Mayo and Belmullet. Some 27% of households are reliant on the State pension exclusively. They are living alone; they are isolated in rural areas and entirely reliant on State support. One of the things the Minister mentioned was the increase to the living alone allowance. He selectively looked at 2019. The majority of that increase happened in 2020 and there has not been a significant increase to the living alone allowance since. What will the Minister do on the living alone and telephone allowances in the forthcoming budget?”
“My question is about older people living alone. According to the Central Statistics Office, CSO, about 30%, or one in three, are at risk of poverty. It seems quite incredible that in a country with a €9 billion surplus in cash and one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world that we would have such a level of people living alone and pensioners in poverty. I would like to hear what the Minister is going to do about it.”
“Given that this is the last question the Taoiseach is taking today and I think this week, and given that Abraham is here now, will the Taoiseach now meet Abraham and intervene to ensure his business is properly supported and compensated given this Government-imposed closure?”
“A Cheann Comhairle, you might join me in welcoming Abraham Phelan and Rikke Sorensen from the Silk Road Café, who are here in the Gallery. This past weekend, the Silk Road Café, a private operator in the Chester Beatty Library on the Dublin Castle campus, was forced to close as a result of upcoming EU Presidency events there. Over the last number of weeks, several of us in this Chamber have raised the issue and written to various Ministers but no one has given us an adequate response. The lack of engagement with a business that has provided excellent services to the public in one of our national institutions for 25 years gives me great concern about how other small businesses in similar positions are to be treated by the State.”
“When the Government announced the AI strategy in February, there was a very long press release, but it did not mention the word “jobs”. I want to raise a specific case in my constituency. Covalen made 720 workers redundant, and it blamed 540 of those lay-offs on AI. The company works for Meta. A total of 540 workers were under the two-year mark for statutory severance payments and they also have a six-month cooling off period. The company has refused to meet with their union, even though 30% of the workforce are members of the Communication Workers Union, CWU. In this AI strategy, what will the Government do to strengthen and uphold workers’ rights in the age of AI lay-offs?”
“The Minister drives from Mullingar most weeks when he comes to Dublin 2, which is in my constituency. He might have noticed the state of the roads in Dublin city. They are in a huge state of disrepair. It is problematic for many residents. The Minister must imagine my surprise when I received an email this week stating that the area engineer for this area does not have any budget remaining for the remainder of 2026 for road surfacing and footpath reconstruction. Did the Government knowingly underfund Dublin City Council to not start any new road resurfacing projects in the last six months of this year? Does the Minister and his Government care so little for this capital city that they use every week?”
“We have seen that courage most clearly in the resilience of the Palestinian people, who have refused to give up the hope for self-determination. It is this bravery that should impinge on the Government's conscience when it comes to the Nations League fixture against Israel. There will be consequences, fines and penalties imposed by UEFA but do any of these stack up against the horrors of Gaza or against the incredible bravery of those who are persecuted?”
“An Israeli Government headed by extreme ethnonationalists is not normal. With its flagrant and consistent breach of international norms, Israel has abdicated its right to be treated like a normal state. The Gaza genocide has inflicted untold horrors on the Palestinian people. It has also seen incredible moments of defiance and courage from aid workers who have attended the wounded and hungry, journalists who have borne witness to the brutality of the Israeli regime and the brave activists who have sailed into the path of a military with no respect for international law. We have seen it in the refusal of many Jewish people around the world not to allow this onslaught to be carried out in their name.”
“On the eve of the World Cup, it is worth remembering the immense potential for good that sport, and particular football, can have in the world. Much of what we will see in the coming weeks will be the global community coming together to cheer on their teams in the spirit of friendly competition and comradery. While the power of sport can be used for good, the same power can be usurped and used to obfuscate and distract from great wrong, from corruption and abuse, and even from the greatest crimes against humanity. It can be used by regimes that want to pretend that they are normal and are operating within the bounds of international laws and norms. Let us be clear: there is nothing normal about the regime in Israel. War crimes are not normal. Apartheid and indefinite occupation are not normal. Genocide is not normal.”
“While the summit was well organised and well done and I congratulate all the participants, it showed the Minister of State is failing at this and needs to act more quickly.”
“You get tired of being the one who says 'sorry, I can't go'... people think you don't care, but you just can't afford it. The ministers making decisions don't have a clue what it's like to have a disability. People with disabilities shouldn't have to fight for everything. We in the Opposition are fighting for people with disabilities. We have been fighting for months. We will be fighting for years, it seems like. Last week I was speaking to a constituent who has a disability. She is being evicted from her home. One thing she said to me that was frustrating was she was worried about gaining employment. I was at the summit the Minister of State was at and somebody told me it took them seven months after they lost their job to get their disability allowance back. This just is not working.”
“The disability allowance I receive falls so short in covering my financial needs. I feel penalised and knowing I will continue to deteriorate with no hope for a better future for myself and my children can be unbearable. I have to attend a food bank weekly ... apart from it being demoralising, it's a necessity to survive. I know the cold, long winter nights are only around the corner, and it scares me. Simply, the word saving does not apply to me, as I simply have nothing left over. I'm not looking to be a millionaire. I'm looking for security, home, heat, food, family and not to fight for every basic thing. We are more reliant than ever on our families and our independence is being eroded. This is not because of our disability. This is because we need to address the cost of [that disability].”
“I will read into the record some other lived experiences because the Minister seems not to be familiar with them. He seems to be ignoring them completely, month after month, year after year in this Government. These are all from the Disability Federation of Ireland. On unemployment: It's financially irresponsible of me to go full-time at work [...] it's better for me to stay part-time than it is to go full-time, which makes no sense. When I reach 66, I lose all my disability payments, but the extra costs don't go away. On healthcare: Because I don't have a medical card, I'm only allowed six physiotherapy sessions a year. I can't afford medication the doctor says I need ... I drag out blood tests as long as I can. On financial hardship: Some weeks its a toss between food or bills as there's nothing left.”
“In January, I called for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities. In that debate, the Minister refused to acknowledge the lived experience of people with disabilities. He refused to acknowledge that people were choosing between heating and eating. He called it alarmist language and said that it was dangerous. I have asked him since to withdraw those remarks. He still has not done so, which, quite frankly, is shocking and despicable. There was a protest just before that debate and Michael from Clare, a fairly young fella, told me how he had to choose how many heating rungs on his electric heater he could afford to turn on. That is the reality that people are living with. We have heard these experiences over and over.”
“I start by thanking Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. It is very important and I am very glad that it did. Here we go again. We are back here again, several months after I introduced a motion calling for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities. I am a new TD. I like to listen to what is happening around here. One of the first debates I saw was a three-hour debate on disabilities. It came from all sides of the House. Everybody was talking about how it was very difficult for families who had a disabled person in their home. We all agreed with it. What was the point of that conversation if the Government is not willing to put its money where its mouth is and if it is not willing to support motions like this to make sure people get the kinds of payments they need?”
“How is the Government going to plan for all these public bodies and public services to be integrated in a future united Ireland?”
“The moniker for the Fianna Fáil Party is the Republican Party. What is the Taoiseach's plan to end partition? There is a huge set of tricky issues here. How do we integrate a health service? How do we think about housing? Property prices are about a half or third in Northern Ireland. How do we think about public transport? How do we think about constitutional changes? It does not seem like there is any planning happening in the Taoiseach's Department. That is a real challenge for many people who believe that should be something that we aim towards. In fact, it is an aim in the Good Friday Agreement with the consent of the communities, North and South. Without a plan, it is almost impossible to convince anyone that will happen, either North or South.”
“A short drive from here is the Poolbeg area. The Irish Glass Bottle site is expected to have about 10,000 residents at peak when it is completed but there is a major traffic congestion problem. If the Taoiseach tried to go there this afternoon, he would experience it. We are waiting on the Poolbeg Luas. There was a report saying it could be delivered by 2030 and I want to understand why it will not be. Why is it not in the national development plan? What will the Government do to accelerate infrastructure in this area, which badly needs it?”
“What is this Government going to do to actually provide a robust jobs future for people in this country beyond mere words of sympathy?”
“Over the past number of weeks, Meta and Covalen have announced redundancies totalling over 1,000 job losses here in Dublin. This comes on the back of a severe stalling in graduate hiring in Ireland, leaving many young people without an economic future, as if it was not hard enough under this Government. I have been speaking with many young tech workers in my constituency who are deeply afraid that the artificial intelligence, AI, bubble is bursting and they will be left with nowhere to go. I have to say that as the party with the Ministries in finance and enterprise, Fine Gael is asleep at the wheel on this. It has no plan for the jobs fallout from the AI revolution. It has doubled down on an economic model that exposes our people to the decisions of foreign boardrooms and it has no vision for the future of the Irish economy.”