Gillian Toole
Meath East · Independent · Ireland
“It made a significant contribution to discussions around the introduction of mandatory digital devices in post-primary education. It highlighted parental concerns regarding the cost and compulsory purchase. The roll-out was halted in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic and remote learning and having one's own device become an essential.”
“I am thankful for the opportunity to discuss this important matter. I acknowledge the massive improvements that have been made. The national broadband plan is almost complete. Massive inroads have been made in my home county of Meath, including in the roll-out and the access it provides.”
“I apologise if I am repeating what other Members have gone through. The information is there. The plan and suggestions are effectively worked out for us. What we need now is to expand on the policy.”
“Like it or not, it may mean pulling back from the commercial one-to-one contract between the family and the provider and centralising it. That will encompass centralised State procurement, standardised device specifications and collective purchasing arrangements, having guidelines, and having additional targeted financial supports for sch…”
“I raise intergenerational music sessions, and we spoke about young people and their involvement earlier. These are also pivotal. It could be listening only, listening and singing, singing along or watching a choir. These will all help improve the multiple memory systems from episodic, semantic to implicit memory.”
“The reduction is significant - around 30% for developing cognitive impairment, 23% for all-cause dementia and 34% for Alzheimer's disease. Arts are linked to demonstrable neurological changes in the brain, lower deposits of amyloid beta, and lower numbers of lesions in the white matter of the brain.”
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“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach agus leis an Aire Stáit. I have a few points to make rather than a duplication of points that other Members have made. I welcome the updates, in particular, for the small and medium-sized enterprise sector. The simplification and reduction of administrative and regulatory burdens is something that dovetails with our objectives in the programme for Government. The second point is in relation to the multi-annual financial framework, particularly vis-à-vis ensuring we have a well-funded Common Agricultural Policy, particularly to improve areas of biodiversity and food security. However, I ask the Minister of State to pardon my cynicism in light of the absence of a land use policy in this country to ensure the best use is made of tillage land.”
“I will give a small work example from my previous career as a county councillor. In the emergency accommodation figures for Meath County Council that we got each month, the highest category of those seeking emergency accommodation was those experiencing marital breakdown. If we crosscheck that with Accord research, the primary reasons are responsibility for household tasks and the division of that, responsibility for childcare and financial reasons. For all of those reasons, and how they are apportioned out, we should all be feminists. If we do that, we will have a fairer world. If we start very simply, start in the home and raise our daughters and sons differently, perhaps we will achieve equality.”
“I have enjoyed all of the contributions, including those I sat in for and those I heard on the television. I hope that everybody has an enjoyable day on Saturday, 8 March. I will keep my contribution simple and maybe go back to basics. We should all be feminists because being a feminist means believing that women and men are equal and deserve equal rights. That phrase “We should all be feminists” is not entirely mine. I have plagiarised it as it is the title of an excellent first book by the Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In her book, she recommends that we must raise our daughters differently but we must also raise our sons differently, and, indeed, I commend Deputy Barry Ward on his contribution. If we do that, this will produce a fairer world. It will be a world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. Beidh mé ag caint idir an dá theanga. The most beneficial resource we have through the local government system is the local authority Irish-language officer. For access to the public participation networks, the provision of pop-up opportunities at meetings, etc., are the way forward. A few minutes of Irish here and there will bring people on board. We must have pride in our language and celebrate it in equal opportunity with the celebration we have of other nationalities in our country.”
“I wish to give a special mention to Garda Kelly, Garda Connor and Garda Fitzpatrick, operating from Duleek Garda station in the Meath-Westmeath division, who are involved in community policing. Like all other areas, however, we need more gardaí and more collaboration with local authorities on the design of housing estates. Permeability is a buzz word in planning but it can also be a byway to escape routes. When it comes to community security and safety for older residents, the community gardaí know the people concerned and keep an eye out for them with the vulnerable persons register. With regard to increasing resources, I am happy to help and support the Minister of State in whatever way I can.”
“Go n-éirí an t-ádh leis an Aire Stáit sa phost nua. I am the wife of a retired member and related to many serving members, so my gratitude and appreciation for the role of An Garda Síochána is unquestionable. Growing up in the Ratoath-Dunshaughlin area of Meath East fadó fadó, Garda Andy Morgan was our weekly visitor to the primary school. He knew us and, more important, we knew him. That sense of guilt, whether you were up to something or not, is probably still ingrained in many of us from more than 50 years ago. It serves to illustrate the importance of the role of the community garda then and now. I will duplicate what colleagues have said regarding the importance of community policing and youth diversion projects.”
“It would be most welcome for the land use report to be prioritised and linked in with the Housing Commission report. That is a necessity.”
“It is of the highest priority to adhere to the national planning framework policies, in particular in terms of brownfield first. In my area of Meath East, in the Ratoath, Dunshaughlin and Ashbourne areas, there has been an omission of brownfield. I understand the complexity of the delivery of infrastructure, but in one situation we have an actual creep of the town centre. An OSI reference for the town centre of Ratoath seems to have moved in a south-east direction. That is something I have taken up with Tailte Éireann. The Minister alluded previously to the land usage report. It must be prioritised, in particular for a county like Meath. We have a high volume of solar farm applications and a legacy demand from Celtic tiger times of social amenity, housing demand and, again, a legacy of infrastructure first.”
“This might seem entirely disconnected from the subject matter but it has a very high social significance, and that is linked to the cost of housing. Automatically, if we have a high cost of housing, we have both partners out at work. Then we have the logistics of who is responsible for what in terms of the domestic happiness piece. We know from requests for housing, emergency accommodation and local authority housing in the case of marital breakdown that there are two people seeking accommodation rather than one. There are a few threads that have been of lower priority. I apologise, as I should have brought to the attention of An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach that Deputy Nolan has had to return to her constituency so I will take a little bit of her time.”
“Meath County Council has an arrangement to share the accommodation of Louth County Council. However, vulnerable people may be on a methadone programme or similar. The logistics of somebody in County Meath being temporarily accommodated in County Louth and then making their way to a community pharmacy on the far side of the county is a contributor to people losing their therapeutic regime and gives rise to an unsteadiness of tenure. Hostel accommodation is something that has not been given a high enough priority. Again, if we look at reasons for homelessness from chief executives' reports around the country, the primary reason in most counties where I have looked at the data is marriage breakdown.”
“Where people are already sitting in commuter hell and where the road network, public transport network, school places and all of the other things we have discussed through various channels in this Chamber are lacking, this contributes to discomfort and, in many cases, anger among existing residents. The infrastructure piece in the commission's report is therefore extremely important. We are not short of data. We have data from the CSO and various other streams. We should use AI to put all of the different subjects we discuss here together for discussion within and outside of Government for collaboration and forward planning. On homelessness, it is sad to say but there is a lack of hostel accommodation in the commuter counties, excluding County Louth.”
“In parts of east Meath, this has contributed to price inflation. There is a wait-and-see approach and a watchful eye is kept on the activities of other companies. It is definitely not healthy and does not support affordable housing. Perhaps legislation requiring commencement notices to be filed within 12 to 18 months of the grant of planning permission could be looked at. I have checked with financiers and, in the main, finance is generally in place before planning permission is even applied for. That is something that might accelerate matters and it should be considered. The lack of infrastructure being in place first is a contributory factor to existing residents' objections to planning applications.”
“They would also contribute to passive surveillance in town centres. Examples from abroad I raised with a previous Minister include andelsbolig in Copenhagen and the LILAC project. The latter is a co-operative project in Leeds. The other involves the repurposing of older buildings in town centres. The cost of the building and its refurbishment and a modest margin are divided equally among the number of units. It is another type of affordable housing measure. The details were given to Eoghan Murphy a few years ago. That model has been very successful in Denmark. A second area relates to the recent long-anticipated planning Act. This issue may have been an omission but it is very prevalent in County Meath. When planning permission is granted, there is a five-year period to execute the project.”
“I wish the Ministers well in their new portfolios. I am grateful for the opportunity to make the following points today. Just before I came down, I saw an announcement regarding cost-rental and affordable home funding. County Meath is included in that. That is a welcome development this afternoon. On the priorities and recommendations outlined in the Housing Commission report, we have acknowledged that many are already under way. I have selected a number of areas that I feel are important for consideration and which did not receive as much emphasis in the report as they could have. They also have a bearing on community safety. One relates to the dereliction in many of our towns and villages in urban and rural areas. Proposals for living over shops and the possibility of introducing a business scheme have merit and should be prioritised.”
“Since time is tight for our group I will come forward with three solutions. Prevention is better than cure, so the first is healthy eating and exercise from the youngest to the oldest commensurate with their abilities. The second is the value of the wisdom of older persons councils and the Age Friendly Ireland programmes. We must listen to the wisdom and cost-effective suggestions of our older citizens, especially in the area of falls, which are high-cost from a hospitalisation point of view. We should increase resourcing of the healthy age friendly homes programme. Third, from the pharmacy task force, the common condition service should be funded and resourced as soon as possible. That would help with older people managing their medicines and with the proper disposal of unwanted medicines. It is the dump campaign.”
“Gloster of the HSE to ensure there is a root-and-branch examination of the HSE's disability services to ensure the appropriate resourcing of competencies to those charged with providing the services.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cheann Comhairle. I wish the Minister of State and her team the best of luck on this issue on which there is great unity across the House. In essence, we must listen to the voices, the lived experiences and the needs of children and adults with intellectual, sensory and physical disabilities. We must enact and implement personalised budgets that are person-centred and family-driven and that will enable the achievement of the unique ability of each child and adult. The evaluation phase of the homecare platform and SLAs must actually be implemented as soon as possible. This must be balanced with improved respite services. The Ministers must confer with Mr.”
“A simple thing going forward relates to the recent fall-out from Storm Éowyn. While we wait for TAMS, perhaps something simple could be done on the funding towards materials for a meitheal for simple shed repairs, etc., so that animals can be housed appropriately ensuring animal welfare, protecting pastures and preventing premature turnout, which again will have an impact on soil quality and the microbiome. That will ultimately have an impact on water tables and on the final product. On the ultra-processed piece and prepared consumer foods, we must resource and invest in local and artisan food and drink producers. As I said, "Let food be your medicine". Essentially, what is required is a fair price for a quality product, safeguarding the consumer, the producer and the future.”
“When we consider the growth in the prepared consumer foods market, it is so important that Ireland's place as a primary and premium food producer is enhanced and the key people involved in that - the actual producers who are the farmers - are consulted, liaised with, listened to and included in as many boards and bodies as possible. The setting up of the Agri-Food Regulator's office is of paramount importance. That should be well resourced going forward. In line with the farmer and the farmer's ability to produce food, there is the soil and the importance of water. I cross-checked that with the audit of land use, which is so important. It takes in the allocation for renewables, housing, amenities and food security. All these things are interlinked. As I said, consultation is extremely important.”
“Ba chóir dom labhairt go tapaidh anois. I wish the Minister, the Ministers of State and their teams the very best of luck and success in what is probably one of the most important portfolios. I will try not to repeat what colleagues have said. The significance of agriculture and agrifood to our economy is nothing to be sniffed at. The word "vital" is used. That is derived from vita , the Latin for life-giving. I will restrict my focus rather than be repetitious on food production. It overlaps with my career in healthcare. Hippocrates said, "Let food be your medicine".”
“I congratulate the Minister. Many of the solutions around apprenticeships, training for special needs assistants, entry courses to occupational therapy and speech and language therapy can be delivered by Dunboyne College of Further Education. The Tánaiste visited the college in February 2022 in his then role as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. A commitment was given that money was ring-fenced for the new college on a stand-alone site, as a single-phase delivery. When will that take happen?”
“Their work has been enabled by Finding Your Wings, which is essentially a multi-sensory well-being experience that supports emotional and cognitive development. More information on this is available from me. These local initiatives support the entire school community and deserve departmental and our support. The focus on economic development and GDP must be expanded to included a well-being index. We are human beings, after all, not just human doings.”
“I wish the Ministers of State the very best of luck. The greatest wealth is health and the greatest health is mental and emotional health. We can be a little flippant in this House with the use of the word "resilience". We use it in connection with things when it actually derives from the ability to successfully adapt to stressors, to maintain psychological well-being in the face of adversity and to bounce back from difficult experiences. To this end, investment in the support of children's mental health is of paramount importance. The educational objectives in the programme for Government can be implemented next month by experienced practitioners if the will exists. A working example is the success of St. Seachnall's and Rathbeggan national schools, both in County Meath, runners-up in the Mission Possible awards last year and last week.”
“There must be inter- and intra-government, local government, State and semi-State corporates. They must all collaborate and co-operate. Silo thinking and silo management styles must end as a matter of urgency and if legislation is required, so be it. Most of us here are no strangers to acronyms, so I will throw my own two new ones into the mix for good measure - ACE, accountability, cost-consciousness and efficiency, in tandem with FGP, future-proofing, gratitude and praise, for the people who deliver all of these services. As Gaeilge arís, is féidir linn.”
“This will ensure the training of students in speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, special education assistance and care assistance apprentices, all of whom are urgently required to support the youngest to the oldest in our communities. A third example is expanded Local Link transport services. They require NTA community funding to be restored as soon as possible to connect individuals and their communities. That will alleviate isolation and loneliness and reduce carbon emissions. To deliver these few examples from the programme for Government and to mitigate future natural or man-made crises, and we have heard plenty of that in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, there must be action. We are probably unified across the Chamber in relation to that.”
“Community pharmacies are available in every town and village or within a short commute. They are open without an appointment for an average of 54 hours per week. Pharmacy teams continuously network with general practitioners, public health nurses, carers, hospital and allied health care teams. Regular medicines usage reviews and minor ailments schemes will improve patient safety and drug budgeting. Another example is investment in education and training boards and colleges of further education and training. For example, close to me, Dunboyne College of Further Education serves students from five counties.”
“Go raibh maith ag an gCeann Comhairle. Táim fíorbhuíoch do mo chairde, mo chlann agus do mhuintir Chontae na Mí as a dtacaíocht dom le mo bheith anseo i nDáil Éireann. I am also very grateful to the team here in Leinster House and indeed my new colleagues here in Dáil Éireann. There was a slight baptism of fire over the past two months. However, that is how we learn best. To go on with the business in hand, we have an abundance of data and evidence and, most importantly, we have heard the lived experiences and the needs of the people we represent. This programme for Government includes many solutions that can be implemented in the coming months. I believe some of them will address many of these needs in the short term, expressed by people in rural and urban Ireland. The first example I will give is easier access to healthcare.”