Holly Cairns
Cork South-West · Social Democrats · Ireland
“At the end of the day, there are a few things that we know and a few things that we do not know. We know the commission of investigation found that it is highly likely there are babies buried on the grounds. We do not know why it made that recommendation. Why? Because the archives are sealed.”
“He now seems to be using that as an excuse for inaction, when what he should be doing is moving heaven and earth to find these children and 19 women who disappeared. Two weeks ago, the Taoiseach told me that Cork City Council should have placed a compulsory purchase order on the land.”
“It knows the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes said it was highly likely that burials had taken place on this land. It has all the evidence of abuse, suspicious deaths, disappeared women and children and likely burial, and the Taoiseach is telling us he is powerless to act because legislation his previous Government d…”
“I want to take up where we left off yesterday. When explaining why the Government was not going to buy Bessborough the Taoiseach said: Excavation without evidence of location is neither feasible nor lawful [because] Under the Institutional Burials Act 2022, the Government can only [start an excavation] where it is satisfied that burials h…”
“The decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant planning permission for apartments at Bessborough is disgusting. This represents yet another failure, a betrayal by the State of the thousands of women and children who were incarcerated and abused there and of the 859 children and 19 women who remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead.”
“I take it from the Taoiseach's reply and his talk about respecting An Bord Pleanála's decision that the answer is that the Government will not be issuing a CPO for the land. The Taoiseach may correct me if I am wrong because I hope the Government is going to make moves to compulsorily purchase the land.”
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“This Government constantly tells us that it values the work of carers. It has a chance to prove that in the budget next week. So far, carers have never been prioritised by this Government or previous governments. The Taoiseach does not have to take my word for that. A report from Family Carers Ireland last year was damning. It found that an overwhelming majority of carers - 70% - find it difficult to make ends meet. That is the reality of life for carers in Ireland. Many are forced to cut back on essentials just to make ends meet. That kind of treatment of carers is shameful. People have to work 24-7 because essential services are either non-existent or threadbare. Carers have been left to fill the gaps in a broken system and fight endless battles for every small scrap of State support.”
“They can change the law, they can empower the regulators and they can force supermarkets to publish their profits. The question is: why are they acting like a Cabinet of bystanders-----”
“The fact of the matter is that the Dunnes Stores operation in the North has recorded a 44% increase in profits. Let that sink in. The Minister cannot tell me what Dunnes Stores' increase in profits is in this jurisdiction because Dunnes Stores, the country's biggest supermarket chain, does not have to be transparent here. In an interview with the Sunday Independent in July, Simon Harris said that supermarkets should publish their profits. He said, "The more transparency, the better. Why wouldn't they be transparent? What do they have to hide?". He said this just a few days after voting against the Social Democrats' motion calling for just that. The hypocrisy is staggering. The Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, are in government, so they can do more than have meetings and narrate the situation; they can intervene.”
“We have asked the Government to force large supermarket chains to publish their profits and to give more powers to the food regulator and consumer regulator so they can investigate and prevent supermarkets from ripping off their customers.”
“Today, it was announced that Dunnes Stores in the North increased its profits last year by a whopping 44%. That is a staggering increase at a time when so many people are struggling. We do not know what the profit margins are in this jurisdiction because Dunnes Stores does not have to tell us. It does not have to file annual accounts and the Government refuses to do anything about it. Many of us have long suspected the consumers in Ireland are being gouged by large supermarket chains but without full transparency on profit levels it is very difficult to prove this. The profits announced by Dunnes Stores in the North today do tell us one thing though, that business for it is booming but for its customers it is another story. The Social Democrats have now been highlighting this issue for years.”
“It is because they refuse to declare their profits and the Government refuses to make them. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has stated that nearly half of calls to it this year were about a single issue, namely, groceries. According to Barnardos, four in ten parents are skipping meals or eating less themselves to feed their children. Ireland is a wealthy country; it should not be such a struggle just to survive, because that is what we are talking about. We are talking about the cost of simply existing in this country - putting a roof over your head, keeping the lights on and putting food on the table. More and more people are finding life completely unaffordable. The grocery market in Ireland is worth at least €10 billion per year and yet there is little to no transparency about its profits.”
“On behalf of all of the Social Democrats team I also want to thank Julie for everything. I wish her huge congratulations on her retirement. Before I begin, I want to say my thoughts are also with all those on the Global Sumud Flotilla, including Members of the Oireachtas, who were hit by drone strikes overnight. This is just another example of Israel operating in blatant breach of international law. There has to be consequences. My question for the Minister is quite simple. What is he doing about large supermarkets that refuse to report their profits? Increases in grocery prices have been rapid and relentless. I know that, the Minister knows that and everybody who is doing their weekly shop knows that. I think we all have a fairly good idea why. Large supermarket chains are gouging their customers but we cannot prove it. Why?”
“Enacting the occupied territories Bill has been a solemn commitment of this Government - an election commitment that has not yet been lived up to. Can the Minister give me a date? When will the Government enact the occupied territories Bill?”
“As the Minister said, we all welcome the fact that countries are now recognising the State of Palestine. We welcomed it when Ireland did so too. The point I am trying to make and the point the Minister is ignoring is that this is literally the bare minimum and that there is hardly anything left to recognise. The bar is literally on the floor when we are talking about Ireland being held up as an example. Unless the international community acts, there will be literally nothing left to recognise. The Israeli Government has not hidden its genocidal intent. The Taoiseach acknowledged that yesterday. He said that some Israeli ministers had genocidal intent from day one, and now it is day 720. When will the response to Israel match the scale of its crimes? When is real action going to be taken? In this country, we could do more.”
“The western world has watched it all and done nothing. Actually, less than nothing. A proposal to suspend parts of the EU-Israel trade agreement is finally on the cards. Making the announcement last week, the Vice President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, said she wanted to be very clear and stated, "the aim is not to punish Israel. The aim is to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.” Let me say that again: the aim is not to punish Israel. After Israel razed Gaza to the ground, murdered more than 20,000 children and bombed every hospital, this despicable and cowardly language is outrageous and shameful. As an EU citizen, I am ashamed of that response. Is the Minister ashamed too?”
“That is so hard for people to comprehend. It is hard to even believe. We see footage of multiple babies packed into one incubator. We see parents cradling the bodies of their dead children. We see journalist after journalist annihilated. We then see the Government still dithering over the occupied territories Bill. Israel is starving Gaza and then killing people as they line up for food and water. It is bombing hospitals and refugee camps. It even bombed the team that was trying to negotiate a peace deal. This has been going on for two years. What more could it possibly take for this Government to act with conviction, consequence and the might of the strength of feeling in this country? Where is the decisive action we saw when Russia invaded Ukraine? Where are the sanctions? Where is the proportionate, rational response to a genocide?”
“For two years, the people of this country have been watching a genocide unfold in Gaza in a complete state of disbelief, wondering how this can be allowed to happen and how so-called world leaders can stand idly by as that genocide is livestreamed before our eyes. I am not dismissing the fact that Ireland recognised the State of Palestine; it was welcome. It is also welcome that more countries are doing the same now, but, ultimately, there is barely anything left to recognise. Gaza has been reduced to mass graves and rubble. It is two years and too little, too late, not to mention the fact that some of those countries now recognising Palestine are still arming Israel. What exactly has it achieved? Israel has not hesitated in its continuing pursuit of wiping out a population. Why is there such a reluctance to take further action?”
“The Taoiseach says disability is a priority but he published a national disability strategy that lacks any ambition, a budget and any timelines. We have more than enough reports; what we need is action. I have one question. Can the Taoiseach tell us if he will introduce a cost of disability payment in the budget?”
“The Taoiseach tells us about increased investment and that disability is a priority, but even when it comes to something relatively simple, if we use the example of recognising the cost of disability and addressing it, his Government manages to somehow spectacularly miss the mark. A 2021 report calculated the additional cost of disability to be at €236 per week. What was the Government's response to that? It was a one-off payment of €400, as if having a disability is some kind of a one-off, minor inconvenience. According to the ESRI and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, the cost of disability is now up to €875 per week. One-off payments are not only grossly insufficient; they are insulting. Tens of thousands of disabled people live in poverty with nearly 76% of disabled people in Ireland at risk of poverty.”
“We have the lowest employment rates for disabled people in the EU and one in five disabled people in Ireland lives in poverty. It is nothing short of shameful. Will the Taoiseach ensure that children waiting for spinal surgeries will finally get the treatment they need? Can the Taoiseach at least acknowledge that the Government is not living up to the commitments that it made?”
“Harvey's parents, Gillian and Stephen, and thousands of parents like them around this country, have had to watch their children go for years without the intervention they need, feeling helpless and hopeless in the face of an uncaring system, knowing that every day means their children are further at risk of never reaching their full potential. Children are denied services and prevented from reaching their full potential at every step of the way. We are talking about the difference between a child being able to learn to speak or not - about being able to communicate - and the difference between somebody being able to live an independent life or not. When disabled people become adults, any meagre supports they had vanish.”
“Despite the 2017 promise that no child would wait more than four months for scoliosis treatment, children like Harvey Morrison Sherratt have suffered years of delays, trauma and pain. Harvey waited years for the care that he needed, only receiving surgery last November when the curve in his spine had reached 130°, causing his rib cage to twist around his lungs and heart, restricting his breathing. After Harvey tragically passed away, his mother said that all he wanted was his iPad, Hunky Dorys, the odd lollipop and timely access to healthcare.”
“Despite all of the promises that we heard during the election, disabled people and their families are still being let down. During the election, the Taoiseach said that disability would be a top priority for his Government. He also said his Government would lead a step change in the level and scale of support for people with disabilities. Let us take a look at what that looks like. Nearly 16,000 children are now overdue on assessment of need, essential therapies and supports are still almost non-existent and hundreds of children are still left in agony waiting for spinal surgeries. The harsh truth is, and I take no pleasure in saying this, that the only things the disabled people are guaranteed by the Government are broken promises and a waiting list.”
“As this is my first time addressing the Dáil since my maternity leave, I hope the Ceann Comhairle will indulge me in saying a few "Thank yous". First, I thank my colleagues in the Social Democrats for their ongoing support. I would like to say a special "Thank you" to our deputy leader, Cian O'Callaghan, for stepping in during my maternity leave. I would also like to say a heartfelt "Thank you" to the people of Cork South-West for re-electing me. I would also like to acknowledge the loss last weekend of Councillor Patrick Gerard Murphy in my area and to convey my condolences to his family. He was an outstanding disability advocate and he worked tirelessly for the Bantry area. He will be sorely missed. Today, I want to speak to the Taoiseach about disability.”