John McGuinness
Carlow-Kilkenny · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“That concludes our business for this morning. I thank all the Members, the staff, the press and everyone involved in the House for their co-operation during the term. I want to acknowledge the fact that we had Cara Darmody in the Public Gallery this morning. I omitted to mention that. I wish her well in the campaign and in her efforts.”
“For the information of Members, the Poole family are in the Public Gallery. The Ceann Comhairle has already extended a welcome to the family, but I want to bring it to the attention of the Chamber, now that there are so many of us here, that they are here. They have achieved a lot. I acknowledge their presence.”
“Letting time pass to build up evidence for a case is having horrific impacts on women. I do not know when it began to escalate, but it is now the situation that the sexual, physical and financial abuse of women is out of control.”
“I join the Ceann Comhairle in extending the welcome to you. You have come through a harrowing journey to this day and you have exposed the State, as has been recorded by the Taoiseach, the Minister and others, in terms of the most awful failings, which have had terrible consequences on your lives and the lives of your families.”
“There are support services, but we need to fund them more extensively. The refuge centres serve a great purpose, but they need to connect more directly with local councils to ensure that whatever housing is needed is delivered.”
“I commend the Minister on bringing forward this stand-alone legislation. It is important that he continue his work reforming the various aspects of legislation that need to be examined and updated in the context of what society faces today.”
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“We need to deal with this. We need to ensure that the repairs of a house, not in any extravagant way but the basic repairs, are billed back to the Department, to allow houses to go on and not affect the budget of the local authority. I cannot understand why this cannot be done pretty much immediately by way of a ministerial order or bringing the chief executives together and simply laying down rules for them. The tenant in situ scheme was great. I cannot understand why it is not fully funded to the extent that it meets the needs of every local authority. I know of cases, again in Carlow and Kilkenny, where the tenant in situ scheme would work and would provide an ongoing tenancy in a house, yet the local authority does not engage. It just is not good enough.”
“I have also seen cases where older residents of local authority houses living in three-bedroom or, in one case in Kilkenny, a four-bedroom house, who want to downsize or right size for their own needs now, are not being given priority to do this. Among the houses coming on the market, it is difficult to get a one-bedroom or two-bedroom house. When someone who is providing back into the housing stock a three-bedroom or four-bedroom house asks for one, they should be accommodated. The number of vacant houses in counties Kilkenny and Carlow is significant. I do not know why they are not being put back into use. When we ask the local authorities, they tend to rely on the lack of funding from the Department, and from the Minister as they would say, because they have to take the repair of these houses out of their own budget.”
“The water, roads, sewerage connections and energy supply were all part of the first phase of the development. Then, lo and behold, the council came along and dezoned the land. Even though it was fully serviced and the developer built a road and handed it back to the council as part of the overall planning permission, it was dezoned. The 40 houses there are now beside a derelict site. The builder wants to go ahead and develop it. He should be able to do so. The only agency stopping him is the housing authority, which is Kilkenny County Council. It is absolutely farcical that this would be allowed to continue. Sites such as these should be identified by the Department and the local authorities should be told to deal with them, end of story.”
“It is simply behind the game in relation to the sites that are coming on. Regarding sites that are ready to be built, there are number of contractors in Kilkenny who are waiting for the plan on the provision of supply to the site from ESB Networks or, indeed, for the upgrade of the supply to the site. Unless somebody brings them in, explains this role to them and gets them working on it, we are going to be in a continued crisis in the provision of houses. It is being held up in these situations by red tape and bureaucracy. I also want to raise the dezoned land issue. In Thomastown, County Kilkenny a site was zoned for, say, 80 houses. Of these, 40 were delivered. Delivery of these houses included the provision of all the infrastructure for the full 80 houses.”
“I also want to see small businesses being supported to deliver housing projects. They cannot get money from the banks. They are trying desperately to play a positive role in the provision of various types of social and affordable housing and they are being excluded from the market. Small builders who have access to a site and who have a track record of delivery should also be supported. We need to expand directly to the councils and directly to those small businesses. A number of projects in Kilkenny are being held up by water infrastructure and Uisce Éireann. Uisce Éireann is almost reluctant to deal in a proactive way with those who are developing sites and are short of a response from it. We need to take out the red tape and bureaucracy. We need to insist the company also plays its role. I have a similar complaint about ESB Networks.”
“I join with other speakers in supporting this Bill mainly because it is further money being committed to providing for houses for the people that are on waiting lists for so long. I draw the Minister's attention to the work of the local authorities or county councils because it was suggested by Deputy Gould that they should do more and I believe he is correct. They should be asked to do more. They were the housing authorities up to the time that the agencies came in, were able to apply for the money and took over their role. I want to see the councils do an awful lot more, and they can. They are in control of the housing lists, they should be able to access the funding at a lower rate and they should be encouraged to do more, provide more and account for themselves. That is what they are being paid for at that level.”
“The Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage has completed its consideration of the following Further Revised Estimate for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2025: Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage.”
“I must now deal with a postponed division relating to Second Stage of the Developer Profits Transparency Bill 2023. On Thursday, 2 October 2025, on the question, "That the Bill be now read a Second Time", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.”
“I am sure all of the Members will join with you, Deputy Gibney, in welcoming Bushra and Mohammed to the Gallery and say them that they are very welcome. I have no doubt the Minister who sat in the Chamber during the Deputy's contribution will take that message, so eloquently delivered, to the appropriate Department and ask for the action that is required.”
“Yes, but I have asked Members to bear in mind that they make contributions on the questions. There is an issue there as well. As I said, the Ceann Comhairle can deal with it in the context of the Business Committee or Members who are on that committee can raise it.”
“The next group of questions is Nos. 21 to 32 but we only have five minutes left for this item of business. Therefore, with the agreement of the House, I will move to the next piece of business, which is the motion. Is that agreed? Agreed. That concludes questions.”
“The only thing I can do is bring it to the attention of the Ceann Comhairle immediately after the session. I know the Deputy said he has written. It is now a matter for the Ceann Comhairle. That is about as much as can be done.”
“I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion on child poverty and homelessness. On Wednesday, 24 September, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.”
“I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion on energy costs. On Tuesday, 23 September 2025, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.”
“I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion on special education school places. On Wednesday, 17 September 2025, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.”
“I thank the Minister. That concludes questions on policy and legislation. I join with other speakers in condemning the threats to the Tánaiste and his family and indeed the threats to other politicians. I join with the Ceann Comhairle in supporting her remarks.”
“That concludes questions on policy or legislation. I join with the party leaders and others in extending our thanks to all of the staff here in Leinster House for the work they do for us in keeping the campus right and keeping all of us safe. I include the Garda in that. I wish everyone well in their work over the next number of weeks.”
“I call on the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to move the first motion and open the debate.”
“I remind Members that there are four separate motions being debated in this slot, namely, the motion regarding the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Norway on the transfer of passenger name record, PNR, data; the motion regarding the signing of the agreement between the EU and the Kingdom of Norway on the transfer of passenger name record, PNR, data; the motion regarding conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and Iceland on the transfer of passenger name record, PNR, data; and the motion regarding the signing of the agreement between the European Union and Iceland on the transfer of passenger name record, PNR, data. The motions will be moved separately, but will be debated together and decided by separate questions.”
“I want the direction of the HSE to change in order that it will be fully inclusive of all services that are being delivered to the marginalised and elderly. Complaints relating to hospitals should be answered by the manager of the relevant facility. Too many complaints are being totally ignored. Instead of learning from them, they are covered up.”
“In regard to IT investment and an organisation of the size of the HSE asking for money, I go back to my original comment that what gets counted gets done. What has changed in relation to the IT systems? Do they now talk to each other? Is IT taking up every piece of spend in the HSE? Do they know what they are asking for in terms of where that money is going? Should they get it? In other words, is the budget real? Is it based on fact? Should we go back perhaps to zero budgets to make sure that whoever asks for money, whatever hospital or organisation, must provide an appropriate plan that it will be delivered within budget and on time. The message I want to leave with the Minister is that care of the elderly and the marginalised is paramount in my politics and my response to people.”
“It has to fight for the funding. The entire upstairs of that building is empty and could be developed. Fire requirements and so on must be fulfilled but it could be done in this modern age. We are not even taking the best model in the class. We are just ignoring the best model and moving to private sector care of the elderly. A state-of-the-art hospital is being built at Thomastown. It is a wonderful facility. I would like to see more public facilities and hospitals caring for the elderly. I would feel a little bit more comfortable in that setting than in a private sector setting. The recent exposé on television has frightened the life out of those who are in care and those going into care and the families involved. We have to restore trust and it is only through action, investment and delivery that we can do so.”
“In regard to planning in the health service, why has it not planned for endometriosis and the care of women affected? Why has that not been planned, staged and developed so that we do not have that kind of debate we had last night and instead, the difficulties women face are dealt with? I spoke with a group of women regarding the vaginal mesh issue. They could not get a pathway to care. It is shocking that we allow the citizens of this State to be treated in this way. We should be to the fore in the delivery of services to people who need them, particularly when we are looking at an overall budget of €26.9 billion or whatever it is. Regarding the infrastructure within the HSE, Castlecomer District Hospital, for example, is a leading light in the delivery of care for those of a particular age who are in most need.”
“That is a small thing but what does it tell the public about an organisation when it disregards complaints that are made? What householder would not turn down the heat if they were conscious of the cost of heating, let alone the effects of it in a confined space? In terms of money being spent, SOS Kilkenny is a fine organisation. It celebrates 50 years in existence on Thursday. It was delighted when told it would have an extra €1.6 million in its budget. It has not been paid yet. Where is that money? Why has Teac Tom, which provides services as a matter of urgency to those who are mentally challenged, not got the €50,000 it was promised? It is nickels and dimes in the context of the €26 billion or €27 billion the health services get.”
“A gentleman wrote to me recently to say a man had a heart attack on Patrick Street, Kilkenny. The ambulance was so delayed that people rang the Garda. Hours later, the ambulance came, only to find that gardaí had taken away the heart attack victim. That is not uncommon. In another location in Kilkenny two ambulances turned up. I witnessed it myself. What kind of service is that? What kind of waste is that? Where is the governance and transparency there? I spoke to a lady yesterday who was on a trolley in St. Luke's hospital in Kilkenny for two days. The past two days were particularly warm, yet she was on a trolley in the corridor with the heating on at full blast. There was no way it could be turned down. Her requests fell on deaf ears.”
“Nor have they received supports such as hoists and wheelchairs and other provisions that would make life easier for them and their families at home. I ask the Minister to take a serious, deep look at what is happening in regard to the delivery of those services. What is happening to those hours? The other theme that runs through health services is the ambulance service. You cannot talk about the health service without talking about the ambulance service. I have met some of the ambulance crews and paramedics in the headquarters in Carlow. There is capital investment going on there. Patients, drivers and paramedics tell us stories of turning up to a scene, a house or a random location two or three hours after a call was made. For three hours, whatever happened to cause the ambulance to come has been waiting to be dealt with.”
“Even more perverse is the fact that the families, I would say, are conned into believing they will get the services, but they do not. This puts massive pressure on families who want to contribute to the care of their loved ones. They will put in the hours themselves but are restricted in what they can do and need support. These families should be supported. They should be told exactly what they are going to get. I would love to know where the thousands of hours that have been allocated to the services for the care of people at home are all gone. I do not see them being implemented or used in counties Carlow and Kilkenny. I just see a stream of people coming into my office complaining, not that they have not got hours but that they have not got the hours they were promised when they were taking their loved one home.”
“As long as those questions are being asked, the Minister can be sure that the services, the capital spend and the accountability and transparency that we all talk about are not being delivered in the counties, the regions or nationally. That is an undeniable fact. People will measure this by the delivery of services. When older people are in hospital beds waiting to be discharged to go home, their families are given a care plan. They are told they will be looked after from Monday to Sunday and these are the hours they can expect. However, as soon as they are in the family home to be looked after they find out that none of this is true. They may get a fraction of the hours they have been promised. That is not acceptable.”
“Reform was introduced but without drivers of reform - in line with the legislation and the changes that are necessary - to direct and change, there was no change. That is what has happened over the years. Legislation and actions have been taken in good faith but were never implemented in full. One only has to look back over the parliamentary questions asked every day the Dáil sits to see what TDs are asking about. They are asking about medical cards, delays in delivery, appointments not being filled, people on waiting lists waiting far beyond an acceptable time limit, complaints within the health service, the delivery of capital programmes and so on.”
“I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for facilitating the time for me to contribute to this Bill. I appreciate his helping me out. When I look at the Bill and see the different approaches being taken to corporate governance and accountability, I am happy to support it. These types of reforms and changes, and a lot more, are necessary. I will go with the content of the Bill but a lot more needs to be done to make the HSE accountable and transparent and to ensure public trust in the health services is restored. We can only do that by taking action and living by the word of the legislation. In my world of business, what gets counted gets done. For far too long, we have had a lot going on in the HSE that was neither counted nor being done. Any of the changes that were suggested were suggested off the cuff.”
“Before calling Deputy Stanley, I acknowledge the visitors in the Public Gallery. They are all very welcome. It is good to see so many here. I also acknowledge the presence of Councillor Pat Fitzpatrick, former president of the AILG, who is attending with family and friends. Indeed, some have come from America. They are all very welcome.”
“We must look constantly to address the issues that are affecting these people's lives. We have to be understanding that this is a huge issue. If not, we will be standing here again in a few years' time addressing Tusla and the abuse of children.”
“We know what happened with the Grace case, which was a different thing. We know that those who are engaged currently with Tusla are experiencing the same obstacles being put in their way when they, as parents, try to protect their children who are saying they have been abused. Those parents are saying they have gone to Tusla only to become the victims of the system. They are being pushed around and made to feel they are the ones guilty of something. We have seen the courts not deal with issues like this. We have seen some of the settlements ex parte . I met separately with six families recently who tell the same story, with all the same detail. They are not getting justice. I do not know for how long the State can continue to ignore this type of abuse and wait for it to be dealt with in another 20-plus years' time.”
“It is not good enough that the State might listen, learn and then attempt to provide compensation or attempt to address the issues while leaving those who have been really badly sexually abused to live further in that sadness. That must be addressed. Without doing it that way, we are simply creating further trauma for the victims who are attempting to address the issues. I started by telling the House about the man who came home from America. He is still here trying to address those issues. He has informed the Garda and the religious orders. He has done everything one would expect of someone who had this type of horrific story to tell. Yet, everyone has turned their back on him. He is not the only one. There is a history of this type of abuse. We know this went on in our schools.”
“They are now realising again that their lives were ruined and they have not enjoyed life as they might have expected, whether they are single or married with a family. That is something the State must consider. I agree with the point made earlier that when a process like this is started, the compensation must run alongside the process. We need the support and counselling services, and any other service that may be required, running alongside the process the Minister is proposing. We must ensure that whatever the circumstances, should anyone who has been sexually abused raise a concern about any aspect of his or her life or current care, that person must be listened to.”
“The fact the religious order recognised he was abused and then offered three sessions of counselling is, in itself, an indication of how reluctant the orders are to accept responsibility for what happened in their schools. I recently met a group of people in Kilkenny, all of whom attended the same school and discovered each other by chance. They had not told their partners what happened to them. They had hidden the trauma, grief and sadness in their history from their husbands, wives and families. Now they are telling their stories and they are experiencing huge obstacles in the way of their being recognised for what happened to them. They have no access to counselling other than by paying for it themselves.”
“It is an appalling carry-on by a government. Abuse has gone on in schools and institutions in this State for far too long. The people now moving into their middle and senior years who are known to have been abused have carried the mental stress of that throughout life. Their lives have been destroyed and they have had little or no support from the religious orders concerned or, indeed, the State. I accompanied a victim of this abuse to meet with representatives of the religious order that was in charge of the school he attended. He was offered three sessions with a counsellor. This man experienced horrific abuse and his life was ruined. He came back to the State from America to resolve things and met nothing but obstacles to his telling his story and getting recognition for what happened to him.”
“I acknowledge the input of Mark and David Ryan in highlighting all the issues we are discussing. It was harrowing to listen to everything that was said in the context of their case. Their work has informed the public and us as legislators. Like Deputy Connolly, I do not have much hope in what the State is setting about to do. I say that because I watched the Grace case very closely and what was asked of the inquiry. I saw the terms of reference being changed within minutes on the floor of the House because they were recognised as inadequate. The Minister of State at the time, Finian McGrath, came back with a new set of recommendations. Even that did not serve the inquiry well. We saw what happened with the report. We still do not know that much about Grace or the 47 others, who we seemed to wipe from the record.”
“This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. Today we commemorate and honour the victims of the genocide, the 8,000 men and boys killed and all of those impacted by the atrocity. Before we proceed to the minute's silence, I ask Members to welcome to the Gallery members of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Association of Ireland who have joined us here today. You are all very welcome.”
“No. It is now 6.29 p.m. and I am obliged to put the question. The time permitted for this debate having expired, I am required to put the following question, in accordance with an order of the Dáil of 8 July: "That the amendments set down by the Minister for Health and not disposed of are hereby made to the Bill; Fourth Stage is hereby completed; and the Bill is hereby passed."”
“What is happening now is that those who have log cabins who tried to accommodate themselves on their own land, or on their parents' land, are being brought before the planning authority and are having to defend themselves there. They are being threatened with the log cabin being removed. It is not right. It seems that it is all stacked in favour of the developers to give them the break, without considering the people who are trying to accommodate themselves. I am shocked by what I have heard about the new design guidelines for smaller apartments. If we are to build sustainable families and communities, they have to be allowed to live like normal human beings.”
“I am sure there are many more examples of that right across the country. Towns and villages like Johnstown, Urlingford or Inistioge, which are beautiful places to live in, and many others cannot move ahead with their developments. We have made the planning laws so complex and complicated with the 2024 legislation. Now, we will introduce this Bill and other amendments, and even amendments that are not down for discussion here because they will be taken in the Seanad. It is not right that we would rush through this. We are damaging the communities and we are alienating the people we represent. We were promised that something would be done to ensure modular homes and log cabins would get planning permission or be allowed to go ahead with certain regulations and perhaps without the formal planning application being made.”
“You cannot get planning permission and you cannot develop the small towns and villages. You cannot have a community with a little bit of vision that wants to do something without going through the likes of Irish Water. That is one area that could be easily dealt with by funding the various infrastructural needs that are there. I refer to the rezoning of land. If a developer in Kilkenny gets permission for a housing estate made up of, say, 100 houses, puts in the infrastructure for the 100 houses and builds 50 houses and lo and behold the council de-zones the land, he is then left with part of his investment and part of his land that cannot be developed. Where is the sense in that? It is just ridiculous. We are crying out for houses. That site is there but nothing is being done to alleviate that particular problem.”
“The extent to which they have to go to protect the quality of life they enjoy and the fact it can then end up with An Bord Pleanála clogs up An Bord Pleanála and takes away the democratic right of the individuals concerned to raise an objection and to be able to do so without being put into enormous debt in doing so. Deputy Stanley has a Bill before us. I ask the Minister of State and other Members of the House to let that be the Bill that will cause the general debate in this House and let the Government amend it if it so wishes. However, let us set out a course to protect the communities we serve, instead of what we are doing currently, which is alienating them. The blockages in housing, certainly in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, are down to the obstacles that are being placed in the way by Irish Water.”
“There is little or no assistance for the community in putting together a case and pursuing the genuine complaints it has about what is happening. Essentially, the system is pitting neighbours and communities against each other. As a number of counties are concerned in this issue, consideration has to be given to what each planning authority is doing. We cannot take these farms in isolation. I want to ask about the 2006 regulations or guidelines. When will the Government set out the guidelines to give communities a reasonably level playing field? What is happening? The cost that is being pushed upon communities in this regard is too much.”
“I support the Bill in principle. I believe it will unclog an issue in the planning process. I want to raise an issue and Deputy Stanley has spoken on it before me. I was out on a roadway last night between Kilkenny and Durrow. I was looking at the problem of the wind farms that will be behind and in front of the 15 houses along a stretch of that roadway. The meeting was quite constructive but it struck me the cards are stacked against local communities. Deputies may be for or against wind farms and wind energy. I have to say it is okay in the right place but it was not and is not okay at that location, because of how close the windmills are to the houses, at the front and back. Taking into account the cabling and so on, it is a real issue. The community is faced with going the full round with the developers.”
“The Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimate for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2025: Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine.”
“I welcome to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery the Minister for European Affairs of North Macedonia, Mr. Orhan Murtezani, and the special adviser for foreign policy and EU affairs, Ms Elena Presilska. I hope they enjoy the proceedings and their time in Leinster House.”
“I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding nursing homes. On Wednesday, 2 July 2025, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.”
“I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding GPO and Moore Street Regeneration as a 1916 Cultural Quarter. On Tuesday, 1 July 2025, on the question, "That the amendment to the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now.”