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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“This Bill creates what I have been referring to as an "unblocking mechanism". Its purpose is to unblock the process of seeking redress from religious bodies and associated lay-run trusts. It would facilitate the bringing of child sexual abuse proceedings against unincorporated bodies of persons, notably religious orders, and would empower survivors to recover damages arising from such proceedings, not only from the orders but also from the assets of an associated trust in certain circumstances. It would extend the limitation period provided for by the Statute of Limitations in respect of civil proceedings arising from claims of child sexual abuse. This is a Bill I have been working on for some years.”
“I will begin by saluting the courage of all those survivors who have spoken out, disclosed and shone a light on a dark and shameful chapter in the history of this country in highlighting the reality of their lived experience of abuse as children. Indeed, I acknowledge the many survivors who cannot speak out for other reasons and who continue to suffer. We all think of them and what they have endured. It is in that context that I am glad to be moving the Second Reading of this Bill. If passed, it will be an Act to facilitate the bringing of child sexual abuse proceedings against unincorporated bodies of persons. It seeks to enable such a body to pay damages arising from such proceedings and from the assets of an associated trust, to extend the limitation period arising from claims of child sexual abuse and to provide for connected matters.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am delighted to be moving the Second Reading motion for this important Bill. I am particularly moved to be doing so today in the presence of some important visitors in the Gallery. I acknowledge the presence in particular of Mr. William Gorry of the Residential Institutions Survivors' Network and Mr. David Ryan. I also acknowledge Mr. Ryan's late brother, Mr. Mark Ryan. They did so much between them to expose the reality of abuse in schools. I also acknowledge Ms Deirdre Kenny, CEO of One in Four. I acknowledge those visitors. I should also say that I have been working with many other survivors and their families. Many have come forward to me over recent days and many are watching the debate on this Bill on Oireachtas TV.”
“Addiction is a public health issue, not a criminal justice issue. The Labour Party brought forward a motion on decriminalisation of drug users in 2025 and the Government told us then to wait for the report. It has been launched today.”
“I welcome the report today from the Oireachtas committee, which has recommended decriminalisation of possession of drugs for personal use. I commend the work of the committee's members, including our Labour Party Deputy Marie Sherlock. This follows from the recommendations of the justice committee some years ago. I was a member of that committee, which also recommended decriminalisation and took, in particular, the Portuguese approach as a model. This is long-standing Labour Party policy led by our now MEP, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who as a Minister of State some years ago, brought in facilities for injecting centres, which we have now seen put in place. The evidence from around the world is increasingly clear. Prison is no place to treat the sick and criminalising addiction has not worked. The war on drugs has not worked.”
“They have asked me to ask the Taoiseach that question. They are seeking answers as to how Cooke continued to perpetrate abuse for decades, and how he was able to use his position as owner of Radio Dublin and his influence to escape justice. It took more than 20 years after a complaint was first made to the Garda about his abuse before he was finally convicted. Survivors believe his malign influence extended into the Garda and the Church, as well as other powerful networks. I commend Gerry Kelly in particular and other gardaí who did investigate and enabled him to be brought to justice. Does the Taoiseach support survivors' calls for an inquiry to investigate the State's role in why justice took so long?”
“I commend the makers of the RTÉ Documentary on One, "Pirate Predator", for their chilling investigation into the prolific and powerful Dublin sexual predator and paedophile, Eamon Cooke, the owner of the pirate radio station, Radio Dublin. Cooke has been compared with Jimmy Savile, whom he knew and met on many occasions. The true number of children abused by Cooke is now thought to run potentially to hundreds. I pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery of the women who did come forward, two of whose testimony at last secured Cooke's conviction in 2007 after years of failed attempts to bring him to justice. We owe them gratitude but there is a glaring question outstanding about Cooke: how did he get away with this for so long? In recent days I have had the privilege of speaking directly with a number of the women whom Cooke abused.”
“What is the timeline? Can these women secure redress before we see the very welcome further developments at a broader level through the interdepartmental group?”
“I welcome the Taoiseach's indication that the Government will support that Bill on Thursday and will look to see it brought into law as it aligns - as it absolutely should - with Government policy. Over the decades since the Ryan report, with all of the revelations and all the bravery and courage of survivors, we have learned so much about church and State cover-ups. The practical steps we take now are what is important. I welcome the Taoiseach's comments on our redress Bill. It does offer a way forward. It gives the State leverage to pursue religious orders for unpaid redress. Second, I ask precisely what the Taoiseach means by mediation for the Dunderrow victims. This group of 19 women are absolutely right to seek redress now in respect of the abuse they suffered at the hands of Leo Hickey. What does the Taoiseach mean by "mediation"?”
“I certainly do not need a lecture on the vile history of child sexual abuse and State and church cover-up in this country. I represented survivors of abuse in the 1990s before the Residential Institutions Redress Board. I recall the flaws in that scheme, which I have spoken about before. I also recall the 2002 agreement, the shameful Michael Woods agreement, which capped the contribution of religious orders at a fraction of that €1.5 billion cost the Taoiseach rightly pointed out. Of course, religious orders should pay more, but given opportunities multiple times since 2002 they have failed to do so. That is why the Labour Party is proposing this constructive Bill.”
“We want to hear from the Taoiseach about justice and redress for Dunderrow survivors, and about what the Government attitude will be to our Bill on Thursday. Will it facilitate the Bill's passage? We have spoken before about it. The Taoiseach said he would refer it to the Attorney General and I know his interdepartmental group is looking at mechanisms to pursue religious orders for redress, but survivors cannot wait. The commission of investigation is not due to report for three or four years and the interdepartmental group in a year's time. There are things we can be doing now for survivors.”
“It is a Bill to enable survivors of institutional child sexual abuse to pursue redress from religious orders, which have substantial assets. An analysis of finances from a sample group of congregations showed that collectively they had about €1.3 billion in cash and other assets. Yet, they owe the State €750 million in unpaid redress in respect of those who were abused in schools and institutions that were run by religious orders. Our Bill would end an indefensible practice from religious orders that purport to show moral leadership, yet are refusing to pay redress and are shifting assets to put them out of reach of survivors. All institutions in both State and church that facilitated or enabled abuse of children should pay redress.”
“We know the commission of investigation into abuse in schools is under way and that an interdepartmental group is examining options for future redress. That report is due in May next year. Its recommendations must be survivor-led. These may require significant legislative and policy reform, but there are things we can do now to deliver justice for survivors. The first is in respect of the Dunderrow survivors. I spoke again today with a representative from the group of women. They want to see action. They heard what the Taoiseach said about listening to them but they want action and they want redress. Second, the Tánaiste has said that religious orders must pay their fair share of redress - I agree with him and I welcome his comments. The Taoiseach will know that the Labour Party has a Bill before this House on Thursday in my name.”
“Last week, we learned of the death of paedophile Bill Kenneally, whose crimes destroyed numerous young lives and many of whose victims are still seeking justice. I want to begin by paying tribute to every survivor of child sexual abuse. Survivors have shown extraordinary courage in coming forward. As they tell us, many are still fighting for justice and to be heard. A common theme runs through these appalling cases of child sexual abuse: power and silence; abuse of power by monstrous predators; and silence from the institutions of both State and church that should have been protecting children. The church and the State have a duty to make amends for decades of their failures towards victims.”
“Over recent days, we have once again been confronted with some of the darkest chapters in the history of this island. Yesterday saw the conviction of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson for horrific sex offences against children. Today, survivors of systematic sexual abuse, perpetrated upon them by Leo Hickey at Dunderrow National School, have come forward to share their harrowing ordeal. Still excluded from existing State redress schemes, they are calling for an effective route to recognition for the horrific campaign of abuse they suffered as children. Last night, we heard the final episode of RTÉ’s "Pirate Predator" documentary, with renewed calls from survivors for an inquiry into the State’s failures to apprehend the prolific and violent sex offender Eamon Cooke.”
“I wrote to the Taoiseach again earlier this week, at Lisa Phillips's request, to forward him a request she has made for a meeting with him to outline her concerns about the nature of visits Epstein made to Ireland and about whether any criminal behaviour may have been engaged in by him here. I again ask that the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, consider meeting with Lisa Phillips on her next visit to Ireland.”
“I renew a request I previously made to the Taoiseach relating to the campaign by Ms Lisa Phillips, who is a courageous survivor of sex abuse by Jeffrey Epstein. She and other survivors are engaged in a quest for truth and justice. Since the initial batch of files relating to Epstein's depraved international paedophile network was released, we have seen a further drip feed of allegations about his connections, which have implicated many people in public life, including former European Commissioners. Troublingly, the files also suggest that Epstein visited Ireland on quite a number of occasions, which opens the question as to whether he may have committed crimes here.”
“She talks about the challenges in clinical practice and the potentially unfair outcomes for parents arising from implementing the current section. I have spoken with doctors and with women and couples affected. We need to acknowledge the language in that section needs change. That is another crucial part of the reforms necessary to guarantee women and their partners decent healthcare.”
“Fifteen hundred women is not a small number, and in each situation, there are really difficult circumstances. I am glad that we are seeing a change of heart from the Government on the three-day waiting period after years of insisting that, because it was inserted into draft legislation late in the campaign just prior to the vote, the Government was prevented from looking to abolish it. I welcome the Taoiseach's change of heart on this but supporting this modest measure through the first stage of a multi-phase legislative process is not enough. We need a timeline for its passage into law, if indeed Government is going to support that. We also need to see the crucial change on fatal foetal anomaly. I am looking at Marie O'Shea's report.”
“From that moment, he and his colleagues were on notice the system was failing women and that arbitrary and paternalistic processes were failing women and, indeed, doctors. Therefore, we need to go further than removing the mandatory three-day wait. We need urgent reform of the overly restrictive provisions on fatal foetal anomaly and implementation of all the recommendations from Marie O’Shea’s report. The three-day wait is just one serious obstacle and women cannot wait any longer for it to be repealed, so can we have a timeline for this change? None was forthcoming from the Government yesterday. Three years on from the O’Shea review, when will we see all of her recommendations implemented to deliver effective reproductive care and abortion rights?”
“It is a residual, insulting, patriarchal mistrust of women that forms the basis of the mandatory three-day wait and the Government's unwillingness to engage with the evidence that other change is needed. I welcome the Taoiseach's confirmation that he will vote in support of the Private Members' Bill to remove the three-day wait on Second Stage tonight, but even if that reform is introduced, it will not be enough. It will not be enough, in particular, for women who receive a devastating diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality and who still have to travel abroad because of the unnecessarily restrictive provisions in the current law. The Taoiseach asked barrister Marie O’Shea to lead a review into how abortion care was working in Ireland. Her report was published three years ago.”
“Women across Ireland are still feeling the loneliness of rejection by their own health service, so we must address the barriers to accessing necessary reproductive healthcare. Resources are not the issue. The constitutional ban is gone. What is preventing women from getting the care they need is political squeamishness and cowardice.”
“As students union president in Trinity in 1989, I will never forget taking calls from women and girls in crisis pregnancy who were seeking the phone numbers of abortion clinics in England and had nowhere else to turn. Women who were panicked and desperate would describe their terror to me. Their bodies were no longer their own. Their futures were no longer their own. Due to the eighth amendment, they had to resort to calling a Trinity student’s phone line to ask for help. After many decades of campaigning, we succeeded in repealing the eighth amendment in 2018 and in legalising abortion here. That was very welcome but far too many women are still travelling. At least 1,500 have done so since 2019.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. No woman who lived under the shadow of the eighth amendment will ever forget its impact. Many of us will recall the X case, the A, B and C case, the PP case and the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar. We all know that there are thousands of other women who were harmed and whose lives were deeply impacted by Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion between 1983 and 2018. Thousands had to travel abroad for necessary healthcare. In later years, many self-medicated with pills purchased online and far too many, in the early years, had to resort to using underground phone lines to get abortion information.”
“As a tech hub, we have an opportunity to lead on a just green transition for quality jobs, a renewables revolution and finally being able to meet our climate targets.”
“We need to see a Government that is using evidence to drive energy policy, not just acquiescing to the calls of tech giants and fossil fuel lobbyists. Before I finish, I want to emphasise that for Labour and for all of us, the debate should also be about jobs because the same artificial intelligence, AI, revolution driving demand for data centres is reshaping our labour market. Companies are selling AI and marketing its use as a way to flatten teams, which is a euphemism for cutting jobs. Young graduates are seeing diminished job prospects as early-stage AI lay-offs really cut deep. Generative AI is also having serious ethical implications due to the risk of mass theft of intellectual property. The Government is sleepwalking through an AI revolution.”
“I say none of this to diminish the importance of tech jobs. I know it well as local TD. However, there is a balance to be struck with the needs of working families and, indeed, other sectors and other businesses matter too. At present, what renewables we do bring on stream, the capacity is immediately being swallowed by the growing demand from data centres instead of reducing bills for households or improving our energy security. That is why in this motion, the Labour Party is calling for a levy on energy used by data centres and a moratorium on the introduction of new data centres until bills come down. We need to see offshore wind generation operating and capable of supporting that growth. We need that renewables revolution that we have seen driven by a socialist Government in Spain and that we have seen in other countries.”
“Every month, and the Minister of State will be aware of this, people open electricity bills they can scarcely afford. They watch prices rise, while they see people in other countries like Spain, which have invested heavily in renewables, availing of cheaper, cleaner energy. Ireland still has some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. More than 500,000 people are in arrears on their energy bills. Energy security is a buzz word for Government when it comes to justifying liquefied natural gas but less so when it comes to being honest with people about data centres. As Deputy Ahern pointed out, data centres are now consuming more electricity than all urban households combined and that demand is set to grow. It seems the demands of multinational tech corporations have an outsized influence on national energy policy for this Government.”
“I commend my colleague and our climate spokesperson, Deputy Ahern, on proposing this motion, which I am delighted to second on behalf of the Labour Party. In my constituency of Dublin Bay South, we saw the largest mobilisation of young people in the first school strike for climate in 2019. My constituency is also home to a great many people working in the tech sector. However, it is also a constituency where many households are now struggling to make ends meet, in part due to the outrageously high cost of energy. I make these points at the outset to illustrate the strong connection between the climate crisis, the cost-of-living crisis and the future of our economy and our workplaces. The connection here is so clear for the working families I represent.”
“In addition, today we see a concerning report from thejournal.ie based on a study it has done, showing that almost half of all speeding prosecutions never reach conviction in the courts and showing some disturbing regional variations across different court districts. How does the Taoiseach propose to address these issues and ensure that our roads are safer? In particular, how can we address enforcement and see an increase in the number of roads police?”
“I want to raise the very serious issue of road safety with the Taoiseach. Ireland is now one of the few European countries where road deaths are increasing despite an official target to halve fatalities by 2030. Behind the figures of fatalities and injuries are lives lost, families devastated and communities traumatised. The Crowe report on roads policing was clear about the need for stronger enforcement but there has been a fall in the number of checkpoints and breath tests for motorists and there are nearly 400 fewer gardaí on our roads than there were in 2009. The Government's road safety strategy is not being delivered.”
“Why, when all employees have to pay PAYE, is this new tax, even once it finally comes in, going to be confined to urban areas with a population of 4,000 or more? Has there been pressure from somewhere? Why is this arbitrary distinction being made? Is it not true that the new tax will not be collected until 2028 at the earliest?”
“I have listened carefully and the Taoiseach's answer is again a textbook response by Government. People like the young mother in my constituency are sick of central government looking to claim ownership for any win but absolutely looking to absolve itself of responsibility for any failure. It is buck-passing to local authorities and it is utterly shameless and meaningless to people who are looking for action. Yes, of course we acknowledge that one third of local authorities collected no derelict sites tax revenue in 2024. Clearly there are issues with the existing model but it is the job of central government to fix it. I have several questions because the Government has no sense of urgency and there is no sense of urgency from it on these new announcements. Why is the Government introducing this new tax on a selective basis?”
“The Taoiseach is not a commentator; he has effectively been in government for a decade, so when will he and his Ministers stop blaming everyone else for the vacancy and dereliction crisis? Will the Government introduce the stronger measures needed to bring empty homes back into use and to generate greater housing supply to fix this housing crisis?”
“Each case and each family situation is heartbreaking. I am supporting one such mother of three, who has had her eviction notice and now feels she has no option but to overhold. She and her young family have literally nowhere to go and in Dublin Bay South, they see vacant houses and derelict sites all around them. People like that young mother need the Government to act now on dereliction. The Labour Party is calling for the introduction of compulsory sales orders - a new mechanism to force persistently vacant and derelict properties back into use. We are calling on the Government to fund vacancy and dereliction teams in local authorities across the country.”
“The Government said it is phasing this in but why this approach and why rule out these small towns and villages which are also blighted by dereliction? Speculators and land hoarders in every part of the country, not just in larger urban centres, are profiting from the misery caused by the chronic shortage of homes so unless this new tax is set at an effective and meaningful level, speculators will keep sitting on their assets, literally. Derelict buildings on empty streets across the country will remain a visual reminder of the Government's failure to get off the fence and fix housing. We are all hearing from people who have been directly affected by this. Every day, I hear from people who have received an eviction notice and who can find nowhere else; nowhere to rent and nowhere to buy.”
“After years of inaction, it seems the best response from the Government will be a thinly-veiled attempt to pass the buck. What has this so-called war on dereliction delivered? A delayed measure, already announced in last year's budget, the renaming of a 35-year-old levy and a promise that Revenue will now collect it. If it worked, this could be significant but, as with so many of the Government's housing plans, it is a half measure, delayed and diluted, and arbitrarily deployed, initially only to urban areas with populations of 4,000 or more. As if dereliction did not affect small towns and villages when we all know it is a blight on every community. PAYE tax is paid by every employee, so why this selective approach?”
“The Minister for housing has declared a "war on dereliction"; fighting talk and a striking turn of phrase. This is the Government's tactic. It is to flood the airwaves with repeated announcements, deflect responsibility and spin its failures to save face. This week, the Tánaiste sought to pin responsibility for vacancy and dereliction on councils alone, a convenient distraction from years of Government failure. Who has been in charge of national housing policy for the past decade? It is the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. For years, the Government ignored the growing number of vacant and derelict properties blighting the country. Meanwhile, rents and house prices have spiralled, homelessness continues to rise and people are losing hope.”
“The Government is leaving PAYE workers behind. There was nothing for them in the Finance Bill debated last night. Will the Government give working people a break and commit to indexing tax bands for PAYE workers now to protect against inflation, as we in the Labour Party have consistently sought?”
“The cost-of-living perma-crisis is hurting all our communities, worst of all people on low and middle incomes. Spiralling costs in housing, health, energy and groceries are forcing people to spend more and more of their pay on bare necessities. This is causing real suffering. In this context, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has again issued warnings about the Government's spending. Five out of every six euro collected in corporation tax is being spent, but not in a sustainable way and not to deliver quality public services. We, in the Labour Party, are for public spending. We know communities need investment and we backed our spending plans with revenue raising proposals - taxes on wealth and not work. We have called for investment in what matters, not just for sectoral interests that shout the loudest.”
“We have been looking for a public inquiry into the litany of failure there in respect to victims. The State must clearly do better. I know, as the Taoiseach said, there are better procedures in place now, but we can still do more. On 25 June, in this House we will be putting forward the Labour Party's Bill to ensure that where religious orders have colluded in cover-ups, that they can be pursued in order to facilitate the payment of redress to victims.”
“I thank the Taoiseach for his considered response. Like him, I commend the judge, Michael White, on all his work and for taking on this report and giving us such a comprehensive picture. I agree that we need a debate in this House once we have had time to digest the full findings of the report. Unfortunately, however, there have been so many of these situations where we have seen paedophilia covered up and even facilitated by State agencies, and where we have seen failures to support and protect victims and survivors. I am thinking of the survivors of Eamonn Cooke, the survivors of industrial schools, the brave individuals who came forward about the "Blackrock Boys" and the survivors of Michael Shine. Deputy Nash has been speaking out on behalf of survivors in that appalling situation. I know the scoping inquiry is due to report soon.”
“Will he commence the process of introducing that crucial new offence and will he implement the other recommendations of the report into his crimes?”
“We understand that the Taoiseach will offer a State apology to Bill Kenneally's victims. That is very welcome, but survivors deserve clarity about when that will happen. After the ordeal they suffered, the minimum these men deserve is the Taoiseach's respect. I regret to say that the decision by the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to share this 400-page report with the survivors so close to publication did not show sufficient respect, as they have said. We have seen this before. Survivors of mother and baby homes were forced to learn key findings of that report through the media. We understand that survivors of Kenneally's vile crimes were given only 24 hours to digest the report before its findings were all over the news. Will the Taoiseach do right by Bill Kenneally's survivors? Will he engage respectfully and directly with them?”
“Had proper procedures been followed, and had the children been taken seriously, more children could have been protected from suffering at the hands of Bill Kenneally. No institution comes out of the report well - not the Garda, not the health authorities, not sporting bodies, not Fianna Fáil and not the Catholic Church. It now falls to the Taoiseach and the Government to respond. I am still reading the report, as we all are. It is very detailed, but we know it makes a number of important recommendations. It recommends in particular an urgent review of the need to introduce a criminal offence of misconduct in public office. That in particular follows the failure of former Fianna Fáil Deputy, Brendan Kenneally, to contact authorities after he became aware of his cousin's campaign of abuse in 2001.”
“The details set out in the report are nothing short of horrendous. So many young lives were destroyed by his vile and heinous crimes. I pay tribute to all the survivors. What they endured is the stuff of nightmares. Bill Kenneally tortured young boys over many years in unfathomable ways. He exploited his position of authority to abuse them. He ensured their silence through blackmail and intimidation. When some of his young victims found the courage to report him, their bravery was met with inertia and cover-up by the Garda and by those who should have been protecting them, whose duty it was to protect them. For far too long they were not protected. The report is unequivocal. There was a clear dereliction of duty by senior gardaí in dealing with Kenneally's disgusting crimes.”
“Before I begin, my thoughts are with the man who remains seriously injured in hospital, and with his family, following Monday's brutal knife attack in north Belfast. I also condemn the appalling violence perpetrated against Northern Ireland's migrant communities overnight and commend the work of the emergency services in response. We must all condemn those who seek to exploit any awful incident in order to target ethnic minority and immigrant communities. We saw it here during the Dublin riots in November 2023. All of us have a responsibility to unite against racism and violence. I will raise with the Taoiseach the final report of the south east independent commission of investigation - the report into the depraved systemic sexual abuse of children by the paedophile, Bill Kenneally, which was published yesterday.”
“To ensure that women have decent choices and a decent maternity care system, we need to see progress on delivering a world-class, midwife-led maternity care model, as envisaged in the maternity strategy. What steps is the Government taking now to ensure that is the case?”
“It is welcome that the impasse with the Rotunda Hospital has come to an end, and it is important that the principles underlying Sláintecare are upheld. I was concerned, however, by some of the language used by commentators in the debate, with men on social media and in national newspapers using derogatory terms like the "posh push", which is belittling of women and not helpful, especially given the shameful history in this country of women being failed by our reproductive health and maternity care systems. As my colleague Deputy Sherlock pointed out, the national maternity strategy is now ten years old, and almost all of the ambition within it has not been realised: no new midwife-led unit in ten years, less access now to home births, and Domino, the early transfer scheme, not available in every county.”
“On the football game, of course there are complexities but it was a Fianna Fáil Government in 1999 that took a strong stance against Yugoslavia, and rightly so, after the ethic cleansing it carried out in Bosnia and Kosovo. That was a strong stance taken in the context of an international football game. Many of us remember that. That is the stance that football fans and others are now calling on the Government to take in this case.”