Jennifer Whitmore
Wicklow · Social Democrats · Ireland
“The Minister for justice recently brought in reforms for the criminal justice legal aid system. While we all recognise that there is a need for reform within the system, the reforms that the Minister has brought in are ill-considered, not backed up by data or evidence and have led to absolute chaos in the courts system.”
“Hundreds of jurors were recently told that their services were no longer required. Many vulnerable people in the legal system are falling through gaps.”
“A hosepipe ban will come into force in a number of counties on the east coast from tomorrow. I completely understand that because we are seeing record temperatures and are in the middle of dealing with the climate crisis and climate change.”
“In 2024, 1,000 incidents of antisocial behaviour were recorded on Dublin Bus. That was nearly double the figure recorded just a few years earlier. Unfortunately, this is not just limited to Dublin. We are also seeing instances of this in my constituency, Wicklow, on Go-Ahead services.”
“More than 1,000 people died in Spain due to heat-related causes in June of this year alone. By early July, Spain had 14 major forest fires and 50,000 ha of land had been burned. Across Europe, more than 10,000 excess deaths associated with the recent heatwave were recorded in a single week. These warnings have to be taken seriously.”
“As a family member, you wonder if the person is getting care, whether they are being fed properly and whether they are being looked after. There is no visibility. There is a dementia care home in Shankill that a lot of people from my constituency use, St. Joseph's. It is incredible. I visited it recently.”
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“If it is split and trade is dealt with separately, my understanding is that it will cause us concerns. Regarding European partners, has the Tánaiste had any conversations with the Netherlands and Italy? My understanding is that their framing of this is softening. Is the Tánaiste or is the State also trying to have conversations to get them back to a position where they are opposing it? I am concerned about recent reporting in The Business Post that said the Department was saying it was not as worried about the Mercosur deal and it was not as bad as people thought. Will the Tánaiste provide some comments on that? That is a very worrying message to be sent out to the sector.”
“I thank the Tánaiste. France is one of the leading countries in opposition to this. It has said it does not want to see European farmers being used as an adjustment tool for trade. Similar to the Tánaiste, they question the environmental concerns about the deforestation of the Amazon and the weaker agricultural standards in Mercosur countries. Poland is backing France in a blocking minority within the European Council. Will Ireland also formally join that blocking minority? At this stage, we need to get some formal systems and processes in place so that our agricultural and environmental sectors' fears are allayed and they know Ireland is doing everything possible. The Commission wants to finalise this deal by the year's end. It is important that we formally join France and Poland to oppose this deal.”
“The looming threat of Mercosur is causing enormous stress in the agricultural community. What level of engagement has the Tánaiste had with like-minded European counterparts, by which I mean those who also do not want to see the Mercosur free trade agreement go through, and will he make a statement?”
“While pursuing flood mitigation measures, which is the engineering solution, it would be really interesting, even in a few pilot samples, to also do the upstream work, including rewetting, planting and rewiggling the rivers, to see whether that work can provide a solution and negate the need for flood mitigation works. We would still have the insurance policy of those works but initiating some pilots would prove concept. I ask the Minister of State to look into it.”
“As a Government and as a society, we need to look at our rivers and see how we can move them back to the more natural way they operated. We must start putting the meanders back in. Up to now, we have, in essence, seen them as channels. We wanted to straighten them because we needed them to move water quickly. That is why the water moves very quickly when there is a flood or heavy rain event. It is really important that we bring our rivers back to their natural way. When we talk about flood relief, we need to look upstream to see what we can do. We have disconnected ourselves so far from our natural environment that it is very hard for us to trust natural solutions. When we look to the UK, we can see the success of that approach.”
“I welcome the Minister of State's indication that he is open to reviewing the Arterial Drainage Act. We have heard a lot this afternoon about the financial, emotional and social cost of flooding. When flooding hits people's homes, businesses or land, it is very difficult. Aside from climate change and a changing weather regime, one of the reasons we experience such large and problematic flood events is the effect of the Arterial Drainage Act. We have come from a situation where our rivers were not seen as entities within their own right but just as channels, their primary purpose being to drain water from agricultural land and get it out to sea as quickly as possible. We absolutely will not be able to engineer our way out the climate impacts, changes and events we see coming towards us.”
“The Government is going backwards when it comes to climate action. The EPA report today states that even if every one of the Government's plans and policies was implemented, this would only meet 23% of our emissions target reductions. We are meant to be meeting 51%. It is clear that the Government is not doing enough. The Government may think it is doing a good job on climate and it may spin to the media that it is doing a good job. However, the science and the evidence say the absolute opposite. What will is the Government going to do to ensure that we meet the 2030 targets? Will it urgently revise the climate action plan, as the Social Democrats asked it to do during the negotiations to form a Government, in order to meet our full 51% commitment?”
“We cannot retreat to our constituency offices over the summer period while a genocide is happening in Gaza, when we know we could be in here achieving something that is quite strong in relation to trade and services that would send a message not just to Israel but to all other countries in the world that we all have a responsibility to do something here. We all must do our absolute best. I hope the Minister of State takes that back to the Tánaiste. We should all work together over the summer recess to make sure that happens as soon as possible.”
“My constituents are also the constituents of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and he will be well aware that they want to see action. They want to see Ireland stopping the overflights. They want to see the occupied territories Bill enacted and they want to see that happen very quickly. I welcome the moves we have seen from the Tánaiste in that regard but what I want to see is that Bill passed before recess. I know I speak for my colleagues in the Social Democrats when I say that if that is not possible then we need to use the summer recess to make sure that the Bill is passed and in place by the autumn.”
“There is just nothing behind those children's eyes any more because they have seen nothing but horror for over a year. What can we do, here in Ireland, that can really reflect the absolute horrors of what they see and the actions we need to put in place? They are watching their towns, villages, whole families being destroyed. I do not know how anyone, any nation, any country, any people would ever, ever get over that level of destruction and trauma. Ireland has said a lot more than other countries on this issue and there was a time when words were really important. I want to acknowledge that but there is so much more that we can say and absolutely so much more that we can and should do. My constituents want to see sanctions on Israel. They want to see actual accountability for Israel.”
“It is really hard to find the right words to say about Gaza now. Week after week, month after month, we have seen the most awful and horrific actions and destruction happening in Gaza and it is just getting worse and worse. To try to reduce it to a three-minute speaking slot is impossible. How can we honour those dead and how can we express our outrage at what is happening on the floor of this Chamber in such a short space of time? What can we say when we see children being murdered indiscriminately, when we see children starving while there is food sitting in trucks a short distance away from them and when we see them crying over the dead bodies of their families and loved ones? When we see them on television now, their eyes just look dead.”
“I can tell the Minister of State that the charities will be very disappointed if they are told the respite centre for children will not go ahead, the day care centre for adults will not go ahead, and the training centre will not go ahead. It will cause great disappointment in Wicklow if I go back and tell people a Fine Gael Minister of State has told me it has nothing to do with the Government.”
“I understand the Minister of State cannot speak about specific charities or applicants and that is fine. This response indicates to me that the Minister of State is completely washing his hands of it. Am I to go back to this charity and tell it this has nothing to do with the Government anymore, that it is on its own, and that the programme which the Government and Fine Gael set up has been closed and there are no guarantees about the funding? This charity has made plans on the basis it was approved for this funding. It has been waiting for three years. It is still in discussions or consultations. There is still information going backwards and forwards between it and the organising entity. What am I to tell these charities? Has this absolutely nothing to do with the Government now?”
“That is an incredibly disappointing response. It is also very confusing. In one part the Minister of State said it is a private matter between a potential investor and the project concerned and that, essentially, he has nothing to do with the administration of it. In another part, he said the immigrant investor programme was first introduced by the Government and directed us to the Department's immigration service website for information on it. Clearly there is a role here for the Government. Clearly the Government set it up and facilitated it. The Government has a responsibility to those charities which, as I said, are providing a service that the Government is unable to, or will not, provide to ensure those charities, which applied in good faith for this programme under the auspices of the Government, get the money they are due.”
“I hope the Minister of State can give us some clear indication of what will happen to the funds for St. Catherine's and whether they will be available soon. There are 250 children and their families relying on St. Catherine's for services. It provides a function that in most countries would be provided by the government. Because of this we should absolutely pull out all the stops to make sure it can provide the best service that it can, with all the support it requires from the State.”
“Despite being told that, there is still no sign of the money. The association is becoming very worried at this point. Can the Minister of State provide any clarity on the project or the entire scheme? The scheme was closed but my understanding is that the process would happen as normal for all applications submitted prior to the scheme closing down. It seems to be a very long and protracted process. I understand the need for robust scrutiny but at some point it becomes a barrier and a stressful situation for these charities. There could be 100 charities in this situation. I know of another one in Kildare, as my colleague Deputy Aidan Farrelly has spoken to me about it. It is Sensational Kids and it is in dire straits waiting for the funding. It has proposed various business plans and it is waiting for this to happen.”
“It is trying to expand its functions. It has planned and has approval for building an adult day centre, an administrative and training unit and four respite homes. This will increase the valuable services it provides. It applied for immigrant investor programme, IIP, funding in April 2022 and, three years later, still has not received it. As the Minister of State can imagine, that is causing huge difficulties for the charity. It has done all of the work and has the plans and designs in place. Planning permission has been granted. The diggers are ready, the land is available but the association has still not received any information from the Department on when the funding will be provided. In July last year, the association was told it could finally access the donor funds, which is quite a significant sum, in the hundreds of thousands.”
“I want to raise with the Minister of State today the issue of the immigrant investor fund and the difficulties faced by a number of charities as a result of delays in funding. I thank him for coming to the House today. All too often, we do not get the responsible Minister in the House. It is very welcome that he is here today to answer questions. A charity in my home constituency of Wicklow, St. Catherine's Association, does incredible work. It is a voluntary association and has worked with children and young adults with intellectual disabilities for many years. It is an invaluable service for hundreds of families across and outside the county. It ensures that each child and young adult can meet their full potential and are fully included in and feel part of their community. The work the association does is so important.”
“I would love it if the Minister could give the school and schools like it additional funding to help with those kinds of measures because they are so fundamental to the children who are there. Additionally, the school communities are not the same as many other school communities; they are much smaller and do not have the capacity to raise money in the same manner. I will raise that with the Minister separately.”
“There is no way a school will be able to get through that and that administrative issue is the problem. We also need to look at a new school for Newtownmountkennedy because this is playing into part of this issue. I want to talk very briefly about a fantastic school called New Court School in Bray. It is a special needs school. I was at the launch of its sensory garden a couple of weeks ago. The school had to fundraise for the sensory garden. It has no money and is now going on to another fundraising campaign to fundraise for swings. It is a special school and it has nothing there. The parents and the community do not have the energy to be fundraising for this. I will contact the Minister about this.”
“I do not know whether he has had a chance to mention it to the Minister yet, but there is a number of students in Greystones in sixth class who still do not have a place for the end of August. One of these children actually had to stay back last year. The child repeated sixth class because there was no secondary school place for last year. This is the child's second time getting caught up in the demand issue in Greystones. There are also problems in Newtownmountkennedy and around Wicklow town. What I asked yesterday was whether the Minister would send a liaison to talk to the parents. I have a number of names I can provide. The liaison should also be sent to the schools because they are caught in the enrolment process. The child may be No. 100 on the list.”
“I know there was a review and recommendations were made, but we have not seen them rolled out yet. At the very basic level, we need to make sure there are enough buses, because it causes untold difficulties for students and families when those buses do not show up on time. There needs to be a speedy resolution to the next-nearest school issue. There are an awful lot of issues with that, whether just by virtue of the fact that a child cannot get a place in their next school, but parental choice also needs to be reflected in that. Indeed, the distances will be reviewed as well, but primarily we need to make sure that there are enough buses. I wish to raise a few specific issues relating to Wicklow, the first of which I raised yesterday with the Taoiseach.”
“There are issues across the country, but my county of Wicklow seems to be one of the worst impacted every year when there are difficulties. Oftentimes, literally the night before the students are due to go back to school at the end of August, parents are told there is no bus for them. Two years ago there was a situation whereby some of those students did not get their bus for six, seven or eight months after that point, despite having paid and having secured their tickets. One parent actually had to give up her job because she had to drive her child to school. The impact this had on families was enormous. Will the Minister make sure for the upcoming term that there is sufficient capacity in the system and that we have enough bus drivers and contractors on board?”
“I thank my colleague for sharing her time with me, especially when she has such valuable insight to give and so much to say on the issue. I wish to raise the issue of the school transport scheme. A key part of the education system that we provide is the ability for our children to get there, particularly those who are living in rural communities. This facilitates parents who might need to work and children living distant from the public bus route. It is a very important component of the service that the Department provides. I know the Minister is new in this role but, unfortunately, what we have seen to date is a year-on-year failure to provide a sufficient bus service for children who need it under the school transport scheme.”
“Many entities are responsible for different elements of it; no one has taken responsibility for it on a whole. Again, I ask that the Minister of State look into it. It is a special area of conservation that has huge potential. I also want to mention badgers. This matter is in the news at the moment. It is another instance where a species that is protected under the Wildlife Act is also being hunted or killed under that Act. I ask that the Minister of State speak to the Minister for agriculture. The evidence is clear that the culling of badgers is not impacting on or reducing the incidence of bovine TB on farms. I understand how difficult it is when farmers get the result. It is devastating for them, but we need to work with them to make sure that the solutions that are put forward are actually working. They are not working at the moment.”
“Again, if we were to use that €3.6 billion set aside in the climate, biodiversity and nature fund to purchase sites like this, it would be a really good thing to do, not just for our current need to meet our nature restoration laws but for generations to come and for nature restoration. We need to grasp these opportunities when they arise. I will also mention Our Lady's Island. I was down there recently. I do not know if the Minister of State has been. It has huge potential to be a fantastic site for birds and it is absolutely dying. When I was down there, I saw problems with the site. There was what looked like sewage being pumped into the site. I contacted the council, the EPA and the National Parks and Wildlife Service - I was ringing around everyone. No one, not one single entity, is taking responsibility for that site.”
“It is a place very close to my heart, as it is to many people not just in Wicklow but on the east coast because it is such an iconic ancient woodland. There is an opportunity for the State to purchase land there. I know the National Parks and Wildlife Service is looking at that at the moment. I ask the Minister of State to expedite that process because I fear that that land could be sold and that that opportunity would be lost. Many areas like that are coming up for sale. Under the nature restoration laws, there will be a requirement on the State to purchase land and protect it for nature. We have Lugnaquilla. There is 1,500 acres going up for sale in Wicklow at the moment as well which is really in the heart of the Wicklow Mountains.”
“They have managed to produce fledglings in the last year or two. They have not been in Ireland or bred in Ireland for hundreds of years. I would have major concerns about any potential plans for a solar farm there. I have asked for more details from Bord na Móna on it, but I will certainly be keeping an eye on it and I ask that the Minister of State do so as well. Not only have the Government and the State been the role model for nature, but we also need to protect and enhance what we have. We have some fantastic sites but they are not being managed properly and there has not been enough focus on enhancing and expanding what is there. I refer specifically to our national parks and many of our SACs in that regard. I am sure the Minister of State expects me to mention the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow.”
“A lot of the time when we look to the likes of Coillte and ask why it is not doing more for nature, a large part of that is because the State has not given it the legislative framework to do more for nature. We could see that recently with Coillte Nature being quietly abolished earlier this year. No one really seemed to know about it. It happened very quietly and under the radar. That was a bad move and it should be revised, or certainly the legislative framework. If that were done, I think that would make a huge difference. As regards Bord na Móna, I have heard recently that a solar farm is to go up on two lands that Bord na Móna own which are the exact site where we have a pair of breeding cranes. As the Minister of State knows, those cranes have tried to breed in Ireland for a few years.”
“I am referring specifically to the lands of Coillte and Bord na Móna and the practices of the OPW. The Minister of State was on the previous Oireachtas committee on climate and environment with me. One of the main recommendations that came out of one of our reports was that the legal remits of Coillte, Bord na Móna and the OPW need to change. They need to reflect the need to protect biodiversity. There has to be a public interest element to what they do, and the protection of biodiversity should be at the core of what they do. Unfortunately, at the moment, they are on a purely commercial basis, and that really ties the hands of these entities in many regards.”
“I love the Minister of State's passion for nature. You can tell it is a huge part of who he is, and I look forward to working with him over the term of this Dáil to see what we can achieve in this regard. It is absolutely needed and I know he wholeheartedly knows and believes that as well. In his statement he spoke about how this needs to deal with nature and how our biodiversity crisis needs to be a grassroots exercise involving communities. I absolutely agree with him on that, but the Government has a huge role to play in this. We need a government that is a role model for nature. The Government and the State are the biggest landowners in the country, so there is a real responsibility and a real onus on the Government to use that land for nature and to be very active and conscious of its responsibility in that regard.”
“Schools are getting ready to close for the summer but yet again, in County Wicklow, a number of students and children do not have places for September. I am aware of seven in Greystones. A small number in Newtownmountkennedy and Ashford do not have places for September either. This is a problem every year. It is really unfair on students. Will the Taoiseach send a departmental liaison to meet with the parents and schools to resolve this issue? Ultimately, we need a common enrolment process in these areas to solve this problem once and for all. In the meantime, will the Taoiseach send someone there to get this sorted because this is not fair on students?”
“I ask the Minister to see today’s motion and the sacrifice that Cara and her family, and families across the country, have made and just start getting this right. The solutions have been put forward. The Government knows what they are. Just put the focus on it because I do not want to have this conversation again five years from now.”
“What she is doing is incredible but no child should be put into that situation where they have to put their own lives at a standstill to fight for things that are her brothers' rights. It is their rights that are not being met and it is the same for children around the country. In my constituency, there are 854 children on the east coast of Wicklow and 1,692 between Kildare and west Wicklow whose rights are not being met. For any Government to come in here and say it is not in a position to meet the law when it comes to these children is completely unacceptable. It is also completely unacceptable for the Government to pretend this is something that has just happened and that it has not been in government for the past 14 years, or the past ten in the case of Fianna Fáil.”
“What I am hearing a lot today - something that really frustrates me and must make those families feel invisible - is a Government that is describing a problem and keeps saying, "Yes, we know it is really bad. We know we are letting children down. We must do better." Well, do better. This is not the Minister's first rodeo. She was in office in the previous term. The Tánaiste said today that this is a top priority of his. Fine Gael has been in government since 2011. How many more terms are needed in order to get this right? It is not fair on these children and it is not fair on their families. We hear people continually repeating the accolades we are hearing for Cara Darmody.”
“Tonight, we see Cara Darmody out in the rain, protesting in order to support not only her two brothers but all children and families who have been left in this awful situation by the Minister’s Government. The promise of something like early intervention must feel like an impossibility for most of these families. They see their children suffering. They know that were they to get the right supports, their futures would be so much brighter than what they will have now but, because this Government and previous Governments have failed to provide the necessary supports and services, those children are left in a very difficult and precarious situation.”
“A total of 15,296 children. I know the Minister has heard that figure a lot today but each one of them is a child that is being failed by this State and the Minister’s Government. Each is a child that cannot reach his or her full potential because of that failure; a child who is living a life where they are uncertain, do not know what is happening and do not know their place in the world, where they face huge challenges integrating, making connections with other people and being seen for their own potential and what they can bring, and the value they bring to their communities. It is not only those children but also their brothers, sisters, parents and grandparents who are being impacted by all of this.”
“As I mentioned during the previous debate, we need the same kind of provision under the service-level agreement as we have with the NCT to the effect that if the RSA does not provide the test within a certain period, it is free. If there were a financial sanction on the RSA to the effect that if it did not provide the test within the ten-week period, the test was free, it would move the RSA along considerably in terms of providing this fundamental function. I am worried that coming up to the new college term, many young people who have been unable to get their tests will be driving unaccompanied because they cannot get housing or accommodation where they are going to college. It is important that the RSA expedite this to ensure that people who need a car for college or a job can get their tests.”
“That is in the past and going forward, they will be full-time jobs. I welcome that. I was not aware that these staff can be moved. One could be living in Dublin and be required to go to a centre that is a long commute away. I imagine that lack of certainty makes it difficult to recruit when people are required to travel considerable distances. I acknowledge the current staff, who have been put in a difficult position in recent years. I can imagine that the stress for someone who is the only tester in a particular county is difficult. The RSA needs to look at pay and conditions to ensure that it is offering a job people wish to apply for and that it includes job security.”
“It talks about hurrying up the recruitment process. Last September, the Government sanctioned the recruitment of 70 new testers. Are any of them in place? The RSA is just starting recruitment. That recruitment process is taking an incredibly long time This was also mentioned in February. It is a long time for any recruitment process. The other thing that is noticeable to me is that I do not know what the salaries are for those jobs but they are fixed-term contracts. Is that not the case? Are they not fixed-term contracts for less than two years? The Minister of State is shaking his head. Are they full-time jobs? They are. Are there going to be any fixed-term contracts? That was a part of the problem. Those who were recruited were on fixed-term contracts for 18 months. Of course, that makes it difficult to provide job security.”
“The last time we discussed driving test wait times was in February as part of a Sinn Féin motion. At that time, the wait time in Wicklow was 26 weeks. It is now 33 weeks so the situation has got unusually worse. In Meath, the wait time is now a staggering 43 weeks. According to CSO data, wait times have grown in nearly every county. The situation is going backwards, unfortunately. It is clear there is a systemic problem. There are issues with the RSA and I welcome the fact that there will be a review of that entity. I also welcome the fact that the Minister of State is taking this seriously and gave the RSA a two-week deadline to come up with solutions. It would, unfortunately, appear that he has been sold a pup. In the solutions in the report he has been given by the RSA, I see nothing that will make the difference we need.”
“The majority of women who go into Dublin for that mini-marathon and all of the charities that rely on them will be severely impacted by these service disruptions. I ask the Minister of State to directly contact Iarnród Éireann to ask it to reverse the decision. I understand the need for maintenance but on such a major event weekend, it is ridiculous that Iarnród Éireann is cancelling services south of Dublin.”
“If the Minister of State were to talk to my constituents in Greystones and Kilcoole, they would not be particularly in agreement with him about public transport being a good news story. They have seen an increase of 30% in their fares and children have seen an increase of 200%. It is very hard to sell that as a good news story to people in those towns, particularly when the train service for areas like Greystones, Kilcoole and further south in Wicklow is essentially a part-time service as we do not have services on the majority of bank holiday weekends. I also want to mention that the services south of Dublin are due for major disruption on the bank holiday weekend of 2 June, which is the VHI mini-marathon weekend.”
“We have seen increases in train fares for people in Greystones, Kilcoole, Sallins, Kilcock, Balbriggan and Skerries. That is the wrong way to go about trying to encourage people onto public transport.”
“I find it interesting that, literally, the only mention of affordability came in the last sentence of a two-minute contribution, and my question was about fare pricing. I know we have seen an increase in the number of people using public transport, which is fantastic, but we need to see more of it. Our emissions are stubbornly high in the area of transport and while we have seen a slight reduction, it is nothing like what we need to see. There has been a 6% increase in public transport emissions and as there are a lot more people in Ireland now, that is projected to continue to rise. We need to see a 12% reduction in public transport emissions this year to meet our targets for 2025 but that is clearly not going to happen. Disincentivising people from using public transport by putting up fares is not the way to do it.”
“I ask the Minister to introduce a policy to ensure there is no increase in public transport fares until we are at least on track to meet our transport-related carbon emissions; and if he will make a statement on the matter.”
“As a matter of general principle until we get our transport emissions under control, there should be no increase in public transport fares for passengers.”
“This week we saw a new train fare structure rolled out around the Dublin area. While I welcome the simplification of fares, because I believe it was necessary, and also the reduction in fares for some towns, towns such as Greystones and Kilcoole have seen significant increases. This is really difficult to understand considering our transport emissions, the fact that we have to reduce emissions, the fact that we are not on track to do that, and the risk of having €20 billion in fines imposed on us by the EU if we do not meet our targets in this regard. The fare in Greystones has gone up by 30% for adults and something like 200% for a child, which is just incredible. Will the Government direct Iarnród Éireann to reduce the fare increases we have seen?”
“We do not have sufficient, affordable and proper public transport. We do not have investment in the infrastructure we need. Unfortunately, I do not have much faith that the Minister will be able to deliver the communities we need.”
“Not only does it take years but it takes hours, weeks and months of parents fighting for it to get it in place. That is not acceptable. This week, public transport for Greystones and Kilcoole went up in price. That is a crazy decision.”