Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin
Wicklow-Wexford · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“This is Groundhog Day in terms of school transport. It is the same as last year. The only thing that has changed in the school transport system is the families affected. We are still inundated with emails from frustrated parents from Rathdrum to Kilmuckridge. Children who have always qualified have suddenly been refused tickets.”
“Children in Coláiste Bhríde, Carnew, who had always received transport were told no service was available, but when we contacted the provider, it said that a service was available. The waiting time to hear back from Bus Éireann is unacceptable.”
“Irish author Emma Donoghue stated, "They are robbing us in hopes of replacing us." That is a shocking statement. Irish artists, writers, musicians, actors, composers and performers are being ripped off by big tech billionaires through plagiarism or, to give it the proper term, theft.”
“They tell our stories and shape national identity. However, they are now forced to take on some of the world's largest tech companies simply to vindicate their rights. It is creating a dystopian nightmare. We have to stop it.”
“Higgins, Joseph O'Connor, Gerry Adams, Anne Enright, Colm Tóibín and Sally Rooney. We need to see action on this in Ireland and at a European level to protect artists' rights and income, respect their creativity and defend their livelihoods. It has to stop now.”
“I highlight the serious case of a ten-year-old called Poppy, whose experience is a compelling example of a wider service failure for children in my constituency of Wicklow-Wexford, which covers south Wicklow and north Wexford.”
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“There are long waiting list to get a child a place in a crèche, with some parents putting their names down while the child is still in the womb. Early year educators and providers have been underpaid and undervalued by successive Governments. The Government needs to look at the funding model. It needs to engage with the umbrella group together with the public and to give us a timeframe for an action plan to address the childcare crisis.”
“The figures relating to lone parent vary across my constituency, with disadvantaged pockets of Arklow town hitting up 36%. That is one in three parents. While there are 15 private crèches in the town, there are no community childcare facilities in Arklow according to the Pobal early years maps. There are just ten community childcare facilities in this huge constituency, which stretches from beyond Rathdrum to beyond Kilmuckridge. These are a far more affordable option for low-income families, costing approximately €100 per child per week. By not having these community facilities the Government is disincentivising people to go to work or to go back to work, with some feeling that are better off not working. No barriers like this should exist.”
“Childcare costs are completely out of control, with many people now paying the equivalent of a second mortgage. A local man who came in to do a job in my office this week stated that most of his wages went towards the €1,400 per month charge for childcare, while his wife's income went towards the €1,600 per month mortgage. In view of the high cost of living, how are families supposed to cope? How are they supposed to survive? Childcare costs in County Wicklow average €11,000 per year per child, while across the border in County Wexford they are up to €9,000 per year. Rents in County Wexford average almost €1,100 per month while those in Wicklow average over €2,000 per month. With mortgage repayments often over €1,600 per month, parents are really struggling.”
“How at a time of such enormous wealth has it come to this sorry state of affairs that we have gone so far backwards from the time I started school, which is well over 50 years ago and when this State was poor? All of the above is symptomatic of a very broken system. I really wish the Minister very well in her job and in her endeavours to clean up the mess that has resulted from decades of Government neglect of children's healthcare in the State under various health Ministries. However, to quote the Proclamation, if we are to cherish "all the children of the nation equally", we really need to see systematic change right from the very top to the bottom.”
“Thankfully, the problem disappeared literally overnight and a life sentence of medication, inhalers and steroids was avoided. To give another example, not too long ago he had a painful ear infection. After an initial over-the-phone request for a €60 payment upfront, we were astounded to be informed of the magical over-the-phone diagnosis that they were planning for his ear infection - quite an amazing thing really. As a four-year-old, he also had to undergo an anaesthetic in hospital for surgery to extract a number of teeth, which was later deemed unnecessary. Last week, he became a teenager, and like so many local children I know, has gone through his entire school years since junior infants - he is now in secondary school - without ever having a dental or eyesight check other than what we had done privately.”
“With regard to children's healthcare in Ireland and our Bill to address the scandals of misdiagnosis, I would like to briefly mention my personal experience. From two months old until two years, my son was prescribed antibiotics for throat infections. When he turned two years old, he was misdiagnosed with asthma. He was supposed to begin a lifetime of medication, steroids and inhalers. It was a worrying time for us all. Thankfully, we sought a second opinion from my wife's home country, which some might class as a developing country, where a few relatives are doctors. Describing the symptoms, they could tell us in five minutes over the telephone that it was unlikely to be asthma and was most likely to be mild reflux and advised us to change the baby milk formula and raise his bed 10 cm in height.”
“As I said, we are approaching Easter week and we remember the words of republican leader Liam Mellows who stood in this Chamber as a TD. His words more than a century ago, advocating for more economic sovereignty, were prophetic. As part of an lengthy contribution, he stated the following: Ireland, if her industries and banks were controlled by foreign capital, would be at the mercy of every breeze that ruffled the surface of the world's money-markets. Ireland, therefore, must start with a clean slate. The Irish Republic is the People's Republic. Instead of continually waving the blue and yellow flag, perhaps we should wave our own flag for a change and fight for the interests of the Irish people.”
“Strengthening links with the five BRICS economies is also crucial, as is outright rejection of the Mercosur deal. We need co-operation with our European friends. However, shooting the gun of retaliation to the Trump tariffs is not in Ireland's interest. Ireland is very exposed and we cannot win a trade war. This is a time for caution, rationality and restraint. Our priorities - exports of dairy and pharma and our connection to high-tech - are not those of the EU, nor of German car manufacturers. It is timely at this time of year to remember the ideals of Easter week and start acting like a sovereign and independent state. First and foremost, the Government needs to safeguard Irish interests and adopt an all-Ireland approach.”
“The economic model and approach of successive governments, whereby they put all our eggs in one basket, has today left us exposed and vulnerable. In Wicklow and Wexford, we certainly are as we have no fewer than nine pharmaceutical companies and our local struggling agricultural sector cannot afford any more cost increases. Recent governments in this State failed to properly invest in infrastructure or, crucially, build up indigenous industries. Instead, we rushed headlong into becoming the 51st state of the Union. What direction do we take now? We need to play on our exceptionalism and mobilise the 44 million-strong Irish-American community. We must build cross-party alliances and use our influence to negotiate with the US to try to keep the tariff rates North and South at the same level.”
“People ask where these children will go. It makes sense that they should just go up the road to a repurposed special school nearby when the building is already there. St. Catherine's Special School in County Wicklow will have seven places for September. However, there are 72 children on the list seeking a place in this school. There are six places across the border in Gorey Hill School. However, the figure could be way over 66 and much more. Demand is there and so is the building. I ask the Government to adopt a common-sense approach. It makes perfect economic and environmental sense for the Department to repurpose these schools as special education centres.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I welcome his acknowledgment of common sense in repurposing existing buildings. From an economic and environmental point of view, it makes sense. I also welcome his comments in relation to Gorey Hill School and the establishment of special classes in Wexford and Wicklow. As he pointed out in his remarks, five more schools will be built in other counties. Will the Department look at the Ballyfad National School building? There are early intervention units in a number of local areas. Those children will need places to go. There is one in Barndarrig and another in St. Michael and St. Peter's Junior School in Arklow. Ballyellis National School has two early intervention units. Just 2 km down the road from this building, Coolgreany national school has two early intervention units.”
“She outlined plans for the opening of quite a lot of new special schools. I ask the Minister of State, respectfully, if he would consider repurposing the Ballyfad National School building as a school for children with special or additional needs.”
“It has just 24 pupils. It is an excellent school. It will only be taking in six more pupils in September. Many primary schools in north Wexford and south Wicklow have early intervention units, which are basically preschool units for those with special needs. There is substantial demand for special school places in north Wexford and south Wicklow that Gorey Hill School would not have the capacity to cater for. As the Minister of State knows, last week, parents slept outside Leinster House, desperately demanding spaces for their children. As we all know, there has been a failure of successive governments to invest in special education, which has left many children with special needs without places that they urgently require. I followed the debate last night and listened attentively to the Minister, Deputy McEntee.”
“This school has so much history. It even produced a local GAA all-star. However, every cloud has a silver lining. There is huge community and political support on both sides of the Wexford-Wicklow border for this lovely building to be repurposed as a school for those with special or additional needs. The physical building is there and is very good. There is most certainly demand in this area, which is close to the Wexford-Wicklow border, between Arklow and Gorey, two very large towns. All we need now is for the Minister of State's Department to please look at this proposal and hopefully implement it. I was a special education teacher and taught in Gaelscoil Moshíológ in Gorey. We recently gave a full school wing to allow the Department to establish Gorey Hill special school. The Tánaiste, Simon Harris, officially opened it just weeks ago.”
“This June, a school in my parish, Ballyfad National School, will sadly be closing its doors, as the current sixth class student will move on to second level and the remaining student has secured a place in another school for sixth class next September. The Diocese of Ferns notified the Department of Education about the impending closure of Ballyfad school in recent weeks. It is a school in a beautiful setting overlooking Ballyfad Wood, a natural woodland, and the north Wexford and south Wicklow coastline. It has a high-speed broadband hub and community centre next door. Like any rural school closure, it is a sad event for a building that has served the local community for 74 years since it replaced the old school on this site in 1950. As the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, knows, a rural school is the heartbeat of a local community.”
“We are seeing the possibility of hard-pressed householders and small businesses being asked to foot the bill. People power on the streets of counties Wexford and Wicklow and elsewhere defeated water charges in 2015. I have no doubt it will do so again in 2025 if necessary. The Water Services Act 2017 is still on the Statute Book. The Government and the Minister have said there are no plans to enact these extra taxes. If so, they have nothing to fear from backing our legislation so we can draw a line under this and put an end to this long-running saga once and for all.”
“Uisce Éireann has failed miserably so many villages in our counties of Wexford and Wicklow. Recently in Aughrim and previously in Camolin, I met builders who are ready to build desperately needed housing but Irish Water's failure to invest in wastewater treatment plants in both villages means they cannot proceed. Householders and small businesses, whether in Bunclody, Gorey, Arklow, Rathdrum or other areas, are already struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. A water tax would represent the last straw. As previous speakers have said, water is very precious. Water is life and it must be conserved. Unfortunately, the Government has failed to invest in water infrastructure as we in Sinn Féin have been continually advocating. Instead, we have a massive 37% of water lost due to the underground network not being maintained.”
“As a County Wicklow man, the Tánaiste will be very familiar with the small, rural town of Carnew. This town is somewhat isolated, lacks basic facilities and services and has insufficient public transport. This week, local people were alarmed to learn that an investment fund, Quest Retirement Solutions, is applying to install an International Protection Accommodation Services , IPAS, centre to accommodate 44 persons, who are usually young males, in a public house on Carnew's main street. Needless to say, as usual, there has been no local consultation on this. County Wicklow is already accommodating more than 1,500 IPAS applicants. Has an impact assessment been conducted to evaluate the effects of imposing yet another IPAS on a local community in County Wicklow? Will the Tánaiste intervene in this matter?”
“As with the driver licence issue, this is a significant matter for the Road Safety Authority. I call on the Minister of State to immediately intervene with emergency funding for County Wexford to deal with the disintegrating road conditions. No other country in Europe has to put up with this and no other county in Ireland would put up with it, so why should we in Wexford? I need this to be addressed immediately as an emergency safety issue.”
“It is a serious road safety issue, whether one is a young learner or an experienced driver, having to zigzag across rural roads to avoid hitting huge potholes, some akin to craters one could almost wash a child, and broken verges while meeting oncoming traffic. One can see how this would be such a danger. In a recent parliamentary question, I called on the Minister to start allocating funding to counties based on road condition rather than, as at present, road length. The response I received was rather ridiculous, essentially telling me that it would disincentivise county councils from repairing bad roads if the Government were to allocate funding based on road condition. This is nonsensical and unacceptable to everybody and it is something I will not let rest in the Chamber.”
“In Wexford, however, this figure rockets up to 28%, which is almost double. Judging by technical surveys, roads in Wexford have been left behind for 30 years. This information comes from official road surveys, engineers reports and the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, report. A technical analysis by Wexford County Council estimated that €194 million was needed to address the crisis in County Wexford's rural roads, presenting a significant safety issue. The local authority simply cannot bridge this gap with its own resources. It is not fair on motorists, who are having their cars wrecked on such terrible roads.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. More than 8,000 learner drivers are languishing on waiting lists in Wicklow and Wexford. Some have been waiting for more than eight months, which is unacceptable. A young person could be fleeced by exorbitant insurance costs of €2,000 to €3,000, which is frustrating. Then comes another shock, that is, trying to navigate and drive safely on County Wexford's rural road network, which is disintegrating before our eyes, especially after the recent bad weather. After the Celtic tiger years, Governments reduced roads funding dramatically to County Wexford, leaving a €67 million hole in the county's rural roads budget. Even the 2021 storm works, including bridge repairs, are only being completed now. Across the State, an average of 15% of roads are in poor condition.”
“That is official according to three decades' worth of National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, studies. We need massive investment - there is €194 million needed to bring them up to what is classed as acceptable standards. In short, the programme for Government needs to be ambitious for Arklow. It must also deliver for Gorey and the surrounding villages, rural hinterlands and farming communities in places from Ballindaggan to Bunclody to Ferns to Ballycanew. We need to support these communities and reject the Mercosur deal. Faoi dheireadh, it would be remiss me of not to gabhaim buíochas le mo chlann, mo pháirtí, mo lucht tacaíochta and to all the voters of north Wexford, to my family, friends and party. I am very grateful to have the honour to represent them.”
“As a primary school teacher for 34 years and a special education teacher for many years also, I would like to see the programme for Government delivering the ASD units that many villages and towns in north Wexford and south Wicklow are seeking and applying for at present. We need enhanced sports facilities, including the east coast sports hub, to be delivered. In order to reduce our carbon footprint, we need to upgrade the outdated rail service to Dublin. A new exit to Arklow from the N11 is also needed. We also need to see the delivery of the Gorey inner relief road and the provision of Local Link buses. Basically, we need to have much enhanced facilities. Do not get me started on Wexford roads. The Ceann Comhairle is very familiar with this matter. Wexford has the worst roads in Ireland.”
“We also need to redevelop the old Eir centre in Arklow, and I know this is the Minister's brief, which was designated as an international protection accommodation services, IPAS, centre. This needs to be made available for use by the local community. It is no longer going to be used for IPAS but it needs to be put to local community use for many of the groups to which I refer. Other facilities also need to be developed in the town, particularly, as was happened in this instance, it is just a case of speculators making very quick profits in these villages by means of the IPAS system. Caithfimid dul chun cinn a fheiscint chomh maith leis an nGaelscoil san Inbhear Mór agus Gaelcholáiste san Inbhear Mór. Tá na páistí ansin ag fanacht rófhada ar scoil.”
“The Ceann Comhairle will be aware that County Wexford, which is home to 163,000 citizens, has just one OT. That is both incredible and shocking. Similarly, in relation to CAMHS, we have to depend on a voluntary group, Talk To Tom, to fill the void that is there in terms of the provision of services for child and adolescent youth health services. That is due to the Government's failure to address this in the matter. We have no acute mental beds in County Wexford. That is really shocking in a State that is awash with money and has a massive budgetary surplus. We need to see the provision of community spaces and centres. Arklow does not have them, and many groups have no home base. There are about 60 groups that do not have a place to go.”
“We need to deliver infrastructure for south Wicklow for recreation in terms of the Arklow to Shillelagh greenway that is planned. We also need to support Arklow fishermen. I mention the case of C.J. Gaffney, whose case has come up at committee meetings and in this Chamber on many occasions over the past five years. I want this to be the programme for Government that delivers justice for C.J. Gaffney and his family. We need to the see the coastguard station delivered in Courtown. We need to upgrade the primary care centre in Arklow and expedite the delivery of such a centre in Gorey. Of course, centres on their own are pretty useless they are staffed. As a result, we need ensure that the necessary the GPs, the psychologists and the occupational therapists, OTs, are employed.”
“This morning, just across the county boundary in my hometown of Gorey - which is also in the Dublin commuter belt - we had the opening of the sales portal for the first affordable homes scheme in County Wexford. However, not one single affordable home has been delivered to date by the Government in County Wexford. Unfortunately, the Government's 30% rule means that just six of these 20 houses in Wexford will be ring-fenced for local applicants. I believe 20 out of 20 need to be ring-fenced for people in that local area and should go to local families. In addition, we need far more of these schemes. We certainly need to harness Arklow's maritime potential and redevelop the quay area, the riverbank and the main street. We need to work to develop recreational facilities, which are very neglected, in the town.”
“Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom roinnt rudaí a lua mar gheall ar an gclár Rialtais chomh fada agus a bhaineann sé le mo cheantar féin, which is tuaisceart Loch Garman agus deisceart Chill Mhantáin. First, let us take the example of Arklow, which has never had a TD elected in the history of the State and has been neglected for decades by Government. It is a town which, in many ways, is dying on its knees. However, it is also a town that has massive and unharnessed potential. It needs to be key objective of this programme for Government to improve things in the Arklow area. The wastewater treatment plant there has just come to completion. What we need now is to see the biggest affordable and social housing delivery programme in the history of Arklow and in the surrounding villages of Rathdrum and south Wicklow.”