Ivana Bacik
Dublin Bay South · Labour Party · Ireland
“Just today I and other local representatives got an email from the owner of two restaurants in Dublin city centre about this issue. The Minister of State’s brief includes not only the circular economy but also small business.”
“The Bill Deputy Sherlock and the Labour Party are proposing is not one we suggest is a silver bullet or a panacea but it offers one small, constructive mechanism to address the dysfunction in waste services.”
“In Dublin Bay South we have superb Tidy Towns organisations that I am proud to work with from Ringsend and Sandymount across to Portobello in my area to Rathgar, Rathmines, Terenure, Donnybrook and Ballsbridge. We see really important work being done by Tidy Towns organisations.”
“The owner says he no longer has space to accommodate additional recycling bins, cannot leave recyclable waste out for collection and cannot leave flattened cardboard outside for collection. Private waste companies must send a vehicle to collect this directly from premises. This is costly, inefficient and unnecessary.”
“I do not mean just in Dublin, though Deputy Sherlock and I are focusing on Dublin and most of the TDs present are Dublin ones, as clearly this has ramifications across the country and the dissatisfaction and the concerns Deputy Sherlock’s constituents and mine are expressing are ones felt across the board.”
“We want to see a move, as Deputy Sherlock has it in the Bill, from competition in the market to competition for the market and this Bill would represent an important positive step on that journey to quality public services provided by the State and to remunicipalisation. Deputy Sherlock has set out the detailed provisions in the Bill.”
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“The Taoiseach has outlined some of the work of the shared island initiative. Dealing with legacy is an important part of the work being done. The British Labour Government has committed to changes but no agreement has been reached yet, and there are a number of areas where families have been seeking answers and where the Government here has a role to play. I ask in particular about the issue of Denis Donaldson. His family have been seeking answers and the case has of course been highlighted recently. He was murdered in 2006 in Donegal. His inquest has been adjourned 27 times over 19 years. The Minister for justice recently pointed out there is a Garda investigation under way, but his family are seeking an inquiry. I understand they have written to the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for justice.”
“There is a crisis in services and concerns regarding how long it takes CORU to recognise and register graduates with qualifications from abroad. What can be done now to bridge this current urgent gap in services to ensure there will be enough therapists to see children who are on these waiting lists, languishing and awaiting crucial services?”
“I welcome the proposals we have seen, which I believe went to the Cabinet today, to create nearly 500 new third level places in key health and social professions, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and more. As I said, this is welcome because we all recognise the enormous shortfall in services. The concern remains that it will take years for these new places to generate more qualified people. As my colleague, Deputy Sherlock, documented last week, children are currently waiting far too long to see a therapist. The number of children waiting more than a year to see a psychologist had risen to almost 11,000 at the end of last year, from just under 4,000 four years ago, while the number on speech and language therapy waiting lists has soared by 200%.”
“I understand that there is considerable disquiet in many member states, including Ireland, at the prospect that the Israeli foreign minister might even participate in this meeting, the purpose of which we are told is to deepen EU co-operation with Israel and other southern partners, including Palestine, Egypt and Jordan. I would like an update on that. I know the Taoiseach did not have time to address that point when I raised it earlier with him.”
“On Ukraine, I condemn outright Russia's increasingly heavy and brutal bombardment of civilian infrastructure. We have seen more civilian casualties in Kharkiv and Kyiv in recent days. It is appalling to see that and I join with Deputy Malcolm Byrne in looking for an update on a timeline for possible accession. Ireland has been at the forefront of supporting Ukraine's proposed accession to the EU. I raised earlier the plight of the crew of the Madleen and asked the Taoiseach to take steps at EU level to address the concern that many of us feel at reports that Israel is to be in attendance on 23 June at an EU southern neighbourhood ministerial meeting.”
“This is a concern at a time when we should be able to see Israel being isolated by the international community for its actions in Gaza, a genocide before our eyes. I know Ireland has been strong on this at international level, but we must do more.”
“Yesterday's arrest by Israel of those aboard the Madleen freedom flotilla ship while in international waters was a flagrant breach of international law. Those taken by Israeli forces are brave activists, bringing symbolic aid to a people who have been abandoned by the world. The activists hold EU citizenship and one is an MEP. I hope the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste will raise this kidnapping of activists at international level. I also ask that the Government do more at international level to ensure Israel is subject to some consequence and some sanction for its continued brutal and genocidal bombardment of Palestinian civilians. I am really concerned to see reports that representatives of Israel will be in attendance on 23 June at an EU southern neighbourhood ministerial meeting.”
“One thing that has not been mentioned is the idea of tying rent caps to inflation which Government is proposing for new builds. This lacks foresight. There is huge uncertainty here, particularly in the face of Trump's threatened tariffs and the impact they are likely to have on inflation. What we are going to see, I think, is that this will gut the net benefit of the Taoiseach's stated objective, which is to increase supply. We all want to see supply increase but we do not believe this is an effective way to do it.”
“We can all agree that certainty, clarity and consistency are needed for those renting, those looking to buy a home and those looking to build and develop homes. That is precisely what is lacking in the Taoiseach's own Government's policy. He is accusing the Opposition of being caught out but he has caught out his own backbenchers. He has flip-flopped on policy on rent pressure zones, RPZs, and protections for renters. None of us can see how he can say there will be increased protections for renters. Sure, the Government is extending the RPZs but if it is hollowing out what is meant by an RPZ and reducing protections for those within them, then that does not have the desired effect. Again, renters are desperately fearful.”
“We all know that when rents go up, people can no longer afford to pay them and will, therefore, face being evicted and homelessness. What safeguards is the Taoiseach going to put in place for those likely to be "constructively evicted" by landlords anxious to hike rents under these new rules?”
“The wins are rare and somebody else is always making a quick buck. The Taoiseach's party and Fine Gael have been in government together for the best part of ten years and things have only got worse for those renting or seeking to buy an affordable home. We all agree that supply is the biggest problem, yet instead of taking urgent steps to address this, we are seeing this extremely vague and opaque policy that the Taoiseach says will strengthen renters' rights but which, as we are hearing from renters and those who work day to day on the front line assisting and supporting renters, will have the opposite effect, while there is uncertainty among investors as to precisely how they are to be incentivised to build the homes we know are so desperately needed.”
“In fact, what we are seeing are policies from the Government that appear to be ad hoc , are sowing fear among renters and are sowing uncertainty among investors. Meanwhile, each month, more and more people, and more and more children, are finding themselves homeless. We know that eviction from the private sector is a key driver of increased homelessness. We are all hearing today from renters in desperate fear. I heard this morning from a constituent in her 40s that she is absolutely devastated by the announcement on RPZ changes. She fears her landlord will terminate her lease and she believes she will have to leave Ireland because she cannot afford €2,500 to €3,000 per month in rent. Her story is not unique. Her fear is reflected across the country because renters in Ireland know renting is like a lottery or, more accurately, a casino.”
“It is just a mercy, I suppose - a mercy for renters - that they were not sent over the top. It really seems the Taoiseach is making it up as he goes along. As Deputy Sheehan, our housing spokesperson, said, there are more holes in the policy announced today than there were in the Titanic . It is a panicked pronouncement. It may be he is doing this because he is responding to the latest findings that house-building contracted during May and we are seeing a fall in activity by Irish construction firms. None of this is the fault of renters. Rather, we can see an ominous slowdown in construction largely due to the sort of kite-flying we have heard from many in Fianna Fáil, suggesting that developers might get tax breaks if they wait a few months until the next budget.”
“I join others in expressing sympathies to all those affected by the school shooting in Austria of which we have just heard news. Back in February, someone in the Government was briefing the media about a proposed end to rent pressure zones. For years, the Government refused to contemplate designating the whole country as a rent pressure zone. Yesterday morning, the future of the entire RPZ scheme was in question. We were hearing it on the airwaves from the Taoiseach's representatives. However, by bedtime last night, in a screeching U-turn, we learned the whole country is now to become subject to rent pressure laws. Perhaps we should start calling him the Grand Old Duke of Cork because he led his men up to the top of the hill before marching them all the way back down again.”
“We are not asking the Minister of State to take that sort of drastic action; we are merely asking him to support the passage of this Bill into law, and to support consumer protection and empowerment.”
“It has been said too many times that the CCPC is a toothless organisation. We need to arm the CCPC with the authority to bring transparency to grocery pricing. When we talk about consumers and the protection of consumers, we are talking about families, renters, parents trying to put food on the table for children, and older people trying to make their pensions stretch. We have to do something about "greedflation", as Deputy Nash says. I am glad, as Deputy Nash is, that the Government is not opposing this Bill on Second Stage but what we actually want to see is the Government seeing this Bill pass into law. I mentioned the boycotts under way in much of Europe. In Montenegro, consumer retail boycotts are actually supported by the Government there. In Croatia, the Government has adopted a position of tactical non-opposition.”
“The public deserves to know who is profiting from the cost-of-living crisis. I might add that all of us are increasingly aware of a practice we are seeing across many different multiples that are asking consumers to hand over precious data in exchange for slightly lower prices on goods. I refer to the sorts of clubcard schemes we are seeing. The irony is that major chains are looking for data from consumers and yet are not providing the State, the CCPC or any of us with crucial data on their own profits they are making off the backs of consumers. We need to see a flow of information two ways, and that is really the kernel of Deputy Nash's Bill. It seeks to ensure we will have greater transparency and information available to us as consumers and to the public. It will also empower not only consumers but also the CCPC.”
“This is not unique to Ireland and we note that elsewhere, the cost of groceries has also been a huge political issue. In Sweden, Bulgaria and other countries in Europe, there have been mass boycotts of grocery chains that are engaged in price gouging. It is an interesting idea but we in the Labour Party are proposing a rather different solution today through legislative means. Deputy Nash's Bill, the Competition and Consumer Protection (Unfair Prices) Bill, would give the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission greater powers to analyse and survey the groceries market and to look at the pricing practices of the major multiples. Critically, the Bill would compel companies to share with the Commission the data on their profit margins. This information has to be made available to consumers.”
“These are shocking increases, and all of us are hearing daily from constituents who are feeling this squeeze and whose incomes are no longer enough to meet the rising cost of living they face. We in the Labour Party believe that Ireland needs a pay rise and we need to start with those on the minimum wage by transforming it into a living wage. We are going to be pressing the Government on that. We also need to tackle this issue at the consumer protection level. We want to stop the shameless price gouging, and I have to say that Deputy Ged Nash has mounted a really strong and powerful campaign against price gouging. We might call it a crusade to protect consumers. That is really important, and this Bill is an important part of that campaign.”
“The costs of fuel, rent, housing, food, childcare and basic services are rising. Deputy Nash gave some examples. Another example is coffee. Coffee is now 200% more expensive than it was when I was first elected a TD in 2021. They say that trends come back into fashion and those prices would have us all drinking chicory again. In seriousness, milk has gone up by more than 25% since 2022. A bar of chocolate from Cadbury has doubled in price. A basket of 25 items that would have cost us €87 three years ago now costs €115.93, and spread over the course of the year, the cost of this basket, if bought weekly, comes in at just over €6,000 compared to an annual cost of €4,500 in 2022.”
“I commend my colleague, Deputy Ged Nash, on bringing forward this important Bill. We are all aware of the spike in the cost of living. In four years, the cost of a basket of groceries has risen by more than 35%. This is having a huge impact on families and households. Organisations like Barnardos report that parents are forgoing medicines to put food on their children's plates. We are noticing shrinkflation - the charging of the same prices but with less product. Households across Ireland are having to cope with this cost-of-living crisis - a spike in the cost of living that is affecting every household, individual, family and community. Almost one third of households comprising an adult and children under 18 went into debt to meet ordinary living expenses last year and one fifth of households struggled to make ends meet.”
“Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for housing what is going on and how we can revisit this, particularly as it is a matter of real concern? A total of 33 water bodies are currently designated as heavily modified water bodies. The concern is that once we lock in this large number of further water bodies, environmental standards will be lowered.”
“I wish to raise my concerns about the future of Irish rivers, in particular in the context of a plan apparently being put forward by the Fianna Fáil housing Department to redesignate a large number of rivers as heavily modified water bodies. I refer to rivers like the Boyne, the Barrow, the Corrib, the Dodder, the Liffey, the Lee and the Shannon. Concerns have been raised by Friends of the Irish Environment and the Sustainable Water Network to the effect that the redesignation of a large number of rivers - 433 water bodies in all - as heavily modified water bodies will effectively lock those water bodies into lower environmental standards and thereby have a really detrimental impact upon biodiversity. This matter only came to people's attention last week.”
“We are all hearing from people who should be able to avail of the tenant in situ scheme but cannot. It is not good enough for the Taoiseach or any of his Ministers to blame local authorities or to say that the funding is there. Central government has not shown the will to address the housing and homelessness crisis. There are families at the sharp edge who are feeling that now and the Taoiseach is doing nothing for them.”
“Of course, the answer is supply. We all acknowledge that but the issue is that the Government is not doing anything to bring forward supply or to increase the delivery of homes. I watched the Minister for housing give an interview last night. I heard no new ideas to address the situation facing the family I have described, a family who are in the same situation as far too many others. They are facing eviction and a cliff edge and no State support is available to them. They certainly have no housing or alternative place to live available to them in the private sector because of the lack of supply. The Taoiseach spoke about the reform of the tenant in situ scheme but it is not working. I have outlined the figures from Limerick, which are stark. They are replicated across the country.”
“The Government has been in office for five months and the Taoiseach and his new Minister for housing have done nothing to address the crisis facing this family and others. What will the Taoiseach do for those now facing eviction?”
“She is ineligible for social housing, the housing assistance payment or the local authority home loan. She cannot apply for the first-time buyer's scheme or the fresh start scheme. She cannot overhold because a criminal conviction would ruin her career. In her heart-breaking letter, she said: I am still just 2 weeks away from homelessness [...] Everybody has been very kind [...] but nobody is coming back to me with any answers or hope for me and my family. I don’t know what to do. There are many other families like this who face a cliff edge the Taoiseach promised they would not see. It is an indictment of Government policy. It is in cases like this that the tenant in situ scheme should apply.”
“Desperate people are applying when facing eviction, wasting precious time that could be spent searching for somewhere else to live. That policy failure has consequences. Every time we stand in this House, we must recall that the policies we discuss do not exist in a vacuum. They impact real people, our constituents, neighbours and friends. I will refer to a letter Deputy Conor Sheehan has shared from a constituent of his. She is a healthcare worker and mother of three. She and her family have lived in their home for nearly 20 years but they are renters and received an eviction notice last year. For months, she attempted to secure her family's future by applying to the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme but the Housing Agency dropped her case just weeks ago.”
“More homes are urgently needed to address this housing and homelessness crisis but, under the Government's watch, house-building commencements are not rising but falling, no-fault evictions are continuing and, worse again, the Government is gutting the tenant in situ scheme, sowing uncertainty about its future. This scheme was supposed to save families from an eviction cliff edge. Applications to the scheme are mired in bureaucracy. It is soul-destroying for people because they know that most of them are doomed to fail. This is true across the country. For example, in the Limerick City and County Council area, more than 107 tenant in situ cases are now on hold. I understand from my colleague Deputy Conor Sheehan that only 20 to 25 such cases, which is a drop in the ocean, are likely to be completed this year.”
“I thank all of those across the House who supported Labour's important motion on Gaza today and I thank the Government for not opposing it. I look forward to working with the Government and the Opposition to bring about an end to the suffering and genocide being perpetrated upon the people of Gaza. Ireland has shown leadership but we can do more. We want to work constructively and collectively to do so. I will raise the issue of housing with the Taoiseach. This Friday, the latest homelessness figures will be published but the Taoiseach's Government is already presiding over a shameful record. There are currently 15,378 people, including 4,675 children, in homelessness. Each number reflects a personal tragedy and a State failure. Evictions from the private sector are driving increased numbers.”
“I see the Taoiseach is present and again I call upon him and his Government to do as the Tánaiste has committed to do and to work with us across the House constructively to advance this motion and ensure that Ireland, once again, plays a leadership role on the world stage to end the suffering of the people of Gaza and to end this genocide.”
“We welcome the Government's non-opposition to this motion and I very much welcome the Tánaiste's strong words earlier, that he will "work constructively with the Labour Party and others ... [to] advance this motion." However, we need more than words. We need to see action from Government on how and when this motion will be advanced. I ask the Minister of State and I will ask the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach - and I will repeatedly ask - how and when will this motion be implemented? When will a motion be brought before the UN General Assembly to bring about a sustainable peace in Gaza and the creation of an international peacekeeping force to ensure aid is delivered to the starving children and babies in Gaza?”
“It is significant that across the House we have now agreed the Israeli Government is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. Those are powerful words in this motion. It is significant that those who signed this motion have condemned the brutal attacks by Hamas and called again for the unconditional release of all hostages. It is hugely significant that all of us who signed this motion, and we who proposed it, are mandating the Government to table a resolution before the UN General Assembly to note the failure of the UN Security Council and call for collective measures to enable development of a lasting ceasefire, a sustainable peace agreement and the creation of an international peacekeeping force for Gaza. That is what children, families and civilians in Gaza need now.”
“I thank the Government parties for not opposing this motion. That shows the common resolve in this House to use every lever available to us and to take every practical step we can to stop the slaughter in Gaza. Yes, the motion proposes a bold proposal, a big ask. Yes, we know there are processes under way at UN level. The Tánaiste outlined those earlier. We know there is a high-level conference on Palestine and the two-state solution due to take place next month and that is welcome. It is welcome to see Ireland take a leading role in that. However, these processes are moving too slowly and just because these processes are under way does not mean we cannot do more to alleviate the horrific suffering of the children in Gaza. We can and we must do more. This motion is significant.”
“Israel is perpetrating a genocide; a genocide upon the people of Gaza. This motion recognises that. As we watch in horror the new atrocities being committed upon Palestinian civilians each day, there are more children and babies killed and injured and starving before our eyes and families being wiped out like the family of Dr. Alaa al-Najjar. We must do more and we can and must show leadership. One year ago today, Ireland showed leadership in recognising the State of Palestine. That was hugely welcome and this Labour Party motion is our constructive proposal for Ireland to show leadership again on the world stage at UN level. I thank all of those parties across the Opposition that have cosigned this motion. I commend Deputy Duncan Smith, our foreign affairs spokesperson, on bringing forward the motion.”
“For us, we welcome it. We await to hear your response to the words of the Minister, to the actions he outlined and to this important apology today, but we all think of you and you think of Shane today.”
“I pay tribute to you Lucia and the O'Farrell family, Jim, Gemma, Pia, Amy and Hannah, for your unwavering quest for justice for your son and brother, Shane. You have fought so insistently and so strongly for so long. Shane's life was cut short so cruelly 14 years ago on 2 August 2011 and I know from meeting with you so many times over the years just how much your grief and sorrow at his loss was compounded by that sense of injustice at the multiple failings of the State that have been outlined comprehensively by the Minister. Before my colleagues speak further, I just want to say how welcome, and yet how overdue, this apology is for the State failings that you have endured. At last, the injustice you have endured has been recognised. You have worked so hard to achieve the giving of this State apology and it is an important day.”
“The original intention was to introduce two extra days in 2025, taking the number to seven, and a further three days were to be introduced in 2026, taking it to ten days. Is this now indefinitely delayed?”
“In the context of trade and the proposed CETA agreement, I understand the Cabinet was to approve an arbitration amendment Bill today due to serious concerns about the investment court system proposed in CETA. Will the Taoiseach confirm whether the legislation was approved today? If so, when will the draft heads of Bill be published? I also want to ask about concerns that the Government is rowing back on workers' rights commitments and commitments to recognise collective bargaining and on sick pay. The Government has delayed the introduction of two additional days of paid sick leave that were promised. Will the Taoiseach confirm for workers when the additional entitlement to sick pay will be introduced?”
“We in Labour have argued for many years now in the face of this sort of volatility, and it is particularly important now, that a sophisticated job retention scheme should be developed in the form of a short-time work support scheme for employers here where there is this level of volatility and uncertainty around tariffs. Finally, has the Taoiseach been briefed on the use of Shannon Airport by civil contractors for the US Government deporting people to South Sudan in breach of US migration law?”
“I thank the Taoiseach for the report on the engagement with the US President and, indeed, on the issue of Gaza. I note that he raise that with the US President. The Palestinian ambassador and Palestinian representatives specifically asked that Ireland would use all diplomatic means at its disposal, including our connection with the US, to raise the need for peace and for a ceasefire for the people of Gaza and an end to Israel's genocide, so I hope that was part of that conversation. The Taoiseach also mentioned the very concerning prospect of tariffs and the increased volatility of the Trump Administration's approach with the announcement just last week by President Trump that he would impose 50% tariffs from 1 June and then saying that would be postponed to 9 July.”
“This cannot represent a watering down of Frances Black's original Bill, which we in Labour co-sponsored. The Bill needs to include trade in services. We need to do everything in our power to stop the horrific war crimes Israel is carrying out on the people of Gaza.”
“We must do more to stop the horror in Gaza. Yesterday, we learned of the horrific situation of Dr. Alaa Najjar, a doctor in Gaza who was working to save lives in a hospital when she learned that nine of her ten children had been killed in an Israeli bombardment, that her husband, another doctor, was critically ill, and that only one child was left alive. Thousands of children have been killed or left orphaned by the devastating genocide by Israel. Tomorrow, we will use Labour's Private Members' time to call on the Government to move a motion at the UN General Assembly seeking a sustainable peace and an international peacekeeping force in Gaza. I look forward to that debate but I ask the Taoiseach to do more. Today, the Tánaiste has sought approval for a new occupied territories Bill.”
“We need to know what will change to make sure that there is a proper culture in CHI that ensures individual clinicians cannot run amok, abuse the National Treatment Purchase Fund or carry out procedures in a sort of vacuum and splendid isolation without the holistic approach the Taoiseach rightly said was necessary. Parents and children require a sense of systemic change.”
“I agree with the Taoiseach that this is clearly an environmental, cultural and systemic failure. Of course, the parents and children most directly and desperately affected urgently require an independent review. However, we need to hear more from the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health – the Taoiseach is, of course, a former health Minister – about the systemic changes that will be made to address the much bigger failing that is clearly at the heart of these terrible individual tragedies for children who are now being told they may have had unnecessary surgery. What is the Government going to do to address the systemic and environmental issues in CHI? A drip-feed of resignations from the board is simply not enough. That is just twiddling at the edges.”
“In December of last year, The Irish Times reported that former health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, had sought legal advice on whether the State had power to take over the running of children’s hospital services in Dublin, and that advice was reportedly sought due to concern over issues around scoliosis surgery waiting lists, delays in appointments and outrageous overspends with the national children’s hospital. Now, we have these recent very serious revelations. Can the Taoiseach give assurances that there will be real accountability for all the many failures within CHI? What can he say to assure us there will be real change?”
“We welcome the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill’s engagement on the issue over the weekend - I listened carefully to her interview just an hour ago on the radio - but we need decisive action. As my colleague Deputy Sherlock, our health spokesperson, said, CHI must now come under the direct control and oversight of the HSE. Until that happens, it is very hard to see accountability. What we have now is the ridiculous situation whereby the HSE is answering questions about scandals for which it does not have direct responsibility.”
“By our count, there have now been four externally commissioned reviews of the care provided by CHI in the past three years, which show failures of culture and failures of clinical care and management that are systemic and endemic. What is most important now is that children and their families will see accountability and justice for the failings of the past. We need an assurance that children will receive the best care today and into the future. We need to see accountability, not just individual heads rolling and nothing else changing. We need to ask and answer serious questions about whether CHI has capacity as an entity to do its job. This requires the Taoiseach’s urgent attention and that of the health Minister.”
“He described the abandonment of vulnerable children, actually described by staff as orphans, left stranded in hospital receiving substandard care long after best practice indicated they should have been moved on; the carrying out of specific treatments, apparently for the personal profit of certain clinicians; and a bitter and toxic internal culture within CHI described as "chaos behind closed doors". It all begs the question: what on earth is going on within CHI? Who is actually in charge? That last is a question that has become even more urgent as we learn that three more board members resigned just today; a drip-feed of resignations, we might say, after the stepping down of the chair in April.”
“The controversy surrounding Children’s Health Ireland has somehow managed to escalate yet again over the recent days. Instead of focusing on the vital task of caring for our children, CHI is presiding over an increasingly chaotic string of failures, failures with devastating consequences for sick children and their families. The Taoiseach mentioned breaches of trust, which are clearly evident too. We have had the use of unapproved non-surgical springs in children's surgery, and horrifically the carrying out of unnecessary pelvic bone operations on children to the desperate distress of parents and the children themselves as they learn what has gone on. The Taoiseach quoted the stark figures with 60% of surgeries at Temple Street not having been clinically indicated. Yet more horrors were outlined by John Mooney at the weekend.”