Linda Nelson Murray
Industrial and Commercial Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Navan hospital always needs to be strengthened, not sidelined. We need investment in that to grow with the population that is growing in Meath, and that Meath people have a hospital that grows with their needs and does not fall behind. I am discussing this with the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.”
“The Irish Cancer Society is in the news today. We met its representatives last week and had a very good engagement over in Buswells Hotel where they were giving us some numbers. I wanted to home in on bowel cancer. There are 2,500 people diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in Ireland.”
“We have had amazing debates in here from all sides of the Chamber. Everybody, without a shadow of a doubt, is a pleasure to work with. We can achieve things together whether we are in opposition or in government. I thank everybody. It is really nice to come in to the Chamber and I look forward to it every Tuesday.”
“I thank everybody in that group, particularly the Senators in this Chamber who worked on the group, because it is a day to be acknowledged. Hopefully, we will see it come through quickly. I want to follow on from that by asking the Leader to speak to the Minister, Deputy Calleary, who is working very hard on a baby loss register.”
“Senator Nicole Ryan and I, with other Senators, including Senators Patricia Stephenson, Tom Clonan and Evanne Ní Chuilinn, and many TDs - it was a complete cross-party Oireachtas group - came together and have been working on how to actually do this over the last year. Today is a very positive day for all of us in our group.”
“It was about a year ago that we had a very emotive debate in the House when Senator Nicole Ryan brought suggestions for a Bill on miscarriage leave. I was on this side of the House. It was very hard to actually be debating it when I think everybody in this House wanted to see something like that happen.”
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“I would like to put on record my respects for the wonderful Mr. Paddy Dunne, a long-time member of Fine Gael since the 1940s, who passed away aged 98. He was from Carnaross. I wish to pass on my sympathies to his family. I am going to stick with Carnaross and congratulate the Carnaross Drama Group, which recently raised over €17,000 for Tabor House, a very special place in Navan, County Meath. It is an addiction treatment centre. The entire proceeds from the show went to Tabor House. It is a residential secondary addiction treatment centre that runs a four-month programme emphasising group therapy, one-to-one counselling, personal responsibility, peer support, retraining and work skills and participation in a 12-step programme. It was set up by the wonderful Sister Catherine Lillis many years ago.”
“It allows younger people to help pay for older people. Regarding competition in the market, there does seem to be a lot of companies here offering health insurance. There are only four or five companies. Like all types of insurance, having more competition helps the price pressure, product differentiation, quality of service, innovative plans, market entry and exit, risk pooling and negotiation power. I would like the Leader to establish from the Department of Health what it is actively doing to ensure more competition in the market.”
“I would liek to bring up the subject of health insurance. There was a net increase of over 13,000 people in the number of people who acquired health insurance in the third quarter, according to Health Insurance Ireland. There are now 2.54 million people in Ireland with health coverage, which seems like a massive number. About 10% to 12% of people in the UK have health insurance. The average premium here increased by €56 quarter on quarter from €1,830 to €1,886 as several insurers increased the price of their plans. VHI increased by 3%, Laya by 4.5% and Irish Life Health by 3%. Irish Life Health has stated it will increase its prices again by 5% in January. The health insurance levy unfortunately will also be increased this year. This is like the stamp duty that helps fund the community rating system.”
“As we are in the first week of December, I want to give a massive shout-out to all our An Post workers who are working around the clock between now and Christmas. My postman popped his head over my gate last week on Saturday and he said they were so busy delivering packages after package. I give a big shout-out to all the An Post workers who are working really hard trying to get us all our lovely Christmas presents before Christmas. I want to bring up a related issue. An Post pensioners in Navan, Trim and Athboy have been in contact with me about a delay in a pay rise that was due to them in their pensions. They are very concerned about it. Obviously, they have given their life's work to working in An Post. I would like to get an answer as to when they can expect to see the pay rise in their pensions.”
“The lack of car parking facilities will kill local businesses there. It is a very important time in the run-up to Christmas. The pre-Christmas period is crucial for shops in the town. Shoppers are driving up and down the street trying to get spaces. They cannot and they then either just go home or drive on to somewhere else. We are losing business in this town and many other towns. When we are developing our public realm strategies and improving landscapes in towns, we need to accommodate age-friendly and disabled parking and parking in general in order that people can still visit their local towns and do a bit of shopping. I would like this matter to be raised again, if possible.”
“In addition the street scene should be enhanced by improving the layout, pedestrian crossings and car parking along with protecting the existing trees and vegetation. I was reading my local newspaper, the Meath Chronicle, the other day and I saw a local councillor had brought up just how difficult it is for people to come into the town and park and the worry that people will leave and go somewhere else or shop online. We are all about a dual shopping process of shopping online but you also need to be able to pull up outside where you need to go, whether it is the butchers, the dry cleaners or a café. There is a beautiful café there, Cafe Sabrosa , there is McElhinneys for Men, Doreen's Home Bakery and stuff that you cannot buy online. You just go and experience it in Athboy. There is a beautiful gift shop there as well.”
“I am bringing up an issue that I have mentioned in the House a good few times. It is about allowing people to come in to shop in small towns and villages, especially in rural areas, and be able to park there. In the past, I have brought up the example of Navan quite a lot because of the huge increase in population and all the works that are being done, but I will actually talk about Athboy today. It is a lovely town in County Meath with just under 3,000 people living there. It has a public realm strategy that was announced in 2021. It says the aim of the mission statement is to: Improve the public realm of Athboy for all users through enhancing pedestrian movement, exploring new connections and linking amenity spaces.”
“Considering it took two weeks for me to get this Commencement matter selected, I would have thought I would have had a better answer on how the transparency code is going and what it actually means for people. I thank the Minister of State but I am just a bit disappointed.”
“Will we be reviewing this whole process? It is about redress and safeguarding policyholders so they actually understand everything, especially older people trying to figure out their premiums. The number of people who say to me, "Oh my God, my insurance was €600 last year, this year it is €700 and I have not had a claim." It is so frustrating. I am looking for an answer on this one thing that we are supposed to have done by the end of the year - it is now 3 or 4 December; I do not even know what date it is - and there is one relevant paragraph in the answer. I knew everything else in the reply. We all know about everything else, about all the work we are doing, and I am very grateful we are doing all of this work.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in today but I am going to express my absolute disappointment with the answer. We have two pages of an answer and there is just one paragraph that mentions there will be a transparency code by the end of the year. I know it is not due to the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, but I really would have liked a more detailed answer. The response states that there is "a working group comprised of industry representatives, the Department of Finance, and the Central Bank" so we can see there are not stakeholders involved in that. I work very closely with the Alliance for Insurance Reform and it really is an excellent body in this area. The questions I had were: what is the primary objective of the code? Will we see meaningful disclosure in how our premiums are calculated? Will there be verification?”
“The action plan speaks about the Department working with the industry to develop the code and I do welcome that. However, it is not yet clear whether the end result will be like a voluntary industry code or a binding requirement backed by regulation or by the Central Bank's supervisory powers. Finally, it is important we do something so that the transparency code does not become a way to show policyholders why they are paying more. That would be an awful result of this work. I sit on the enterprise committee and over the past few months we have had representatives from Retail Excellence, RGDATA, the Irish Hotels Federation, a chamber of commerce and the Vintner's Federation of Ireland all saying the costs of insurance are still way too high and there is not enough competition in the market.”
“It should also explain in plain language the main reasons for changes since the previous year, including where reforms or other developments have reduced costs, not only where costs have gone up. Third, transparency needs to be standardised and verifiable. I am aware officials from the Department of Finance, the Central Bank and the industry are already working together on the design of the code. That collaboration is welcome but for the code to be useful I believe work should deliver a format in plain language so that explanations from different insurers are easy to read for everybody, no matter what age they are. I also think it is really important that public representatives and organisations representing consumers have an opportunity to input into the code and they have not had that so far.”
“That means information insurers provide under the code should not be limited to generic statements about market conditions, claims, inflation and blah, blah, blah. It should give policyholders a simple breakdown of the main elements underpinning their premiums, for example: the claims cost; their no claims discount; reinsurance; operating and legal costs; commissions to all parties, whether that be the broker, the underwriter, the insurer or the reinsurer; an indiction of the profit element at line of business level; Government taxes; the level of excess that is selected; and the individual risk assessment. Another thing is that those paying their premium monthly instead of all in go actually pay more. Put all of that down.”
“People are asking a very reasonable question, that being, why their premiums are still going up after all the reforms. The transparency code has real potential to help answer that question. My concern is simply to ensure that we design this code in a way that genuinely delivers for policyholders. For this policy to truly work I believe we need clarity in a small number of key areas before the code is finalised. First, we need to know the purpose of the transparency code. Why are we doing it? Is it there to help consumers understand how their premiums are calculated or is it also intended to help ensure that savings from reforms are passed to policyholders? What is the primary objective of the code - transparency alone or transparency in the service of lower and fairer premiums? Second, it must be meaningful.”
“The results could be informed customers, increased competition, accountability, the identification of inefficiencies, and consumer advocacy. Overall, increased transparency could empower consumers and foster a healthier, more competitive insurance market, ultimately leading to reduced costs. Would that not be great? The reason I have tabled this matter, though, is the current experience of motorists and small businesses. The most recent NCID report and what we all hear in our constituencies tell the same story: motor insurance premiums are rising again. Let us stop telling people that they are down since 2016 because they are actually back up. Motorists, families, tradespeople and community organisations are all being squeezed.”
“It says: Greater transparency is fundamental to delivering a fairer and more affordable insurance market.... This Action Plan commits to expanding transparency further, ensuring that policyholders understand how premiums are calculated, and that insurers operate in an environment of accountability. That sounds fabulous. I welcome the proposal for a transparency code for motor insurance. The fact that this is one of the early actions - it is due to be delivered by the end of this year - shows that the Government understands how important it is that people can see what is driving their premiums. Greater transparency on insurance premiums could lead to a more competitive market, allowing consumers to better understand the factors that influence pricing.”
“I welcome the opportunity to raise this matter. Although the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, could not be here, I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, for coming to the House. I was thinking about this whole insurance reform thing. People would know me as being an advocate for reform and would ask me how I was getting on because they had not seen a difference in their premiums. I always reassure people of the significant work already done on insurance reform, such as the personal injury guidelines, the Injuries Resolution Board and the development of the National Claims Information Database, NCID, and that is thanks to the past two Governments and Members of both Houses. I also welcome the new action plan for insurance reform.”
“By the 20 November, that number was 158. That is not just 158 people. That has absolutely torn apart heartbroken families across Ireland. I cannot even imagine what those families go through when something like that happens. Most are drivers and one third are pedestrians. There are motorcyclists, cyclists and passengers and e-scooter fatalities. I agree with, and would like to see, the Minister coming here to discuss what we are doing. I know, a few months ago, we spoke about driving test wait times. They are now down to an average of eight and a half weeks, which is excellent, but we need to tackle this head on, pardon the use of that term. We need to tackle this more than we are now. We cannot have 16,000 people in Meath on learner permits and we must ask the RSA to do all it can to cut this number.”
“We cannot let that happen for our fabulous ladies who are travelling and playing soccer. That is my first point. I concur with my colleague about road traffic accidents. There are 16,000 learner drivers on Meath roads now. Those statistics are from the RSA. It has increased by 285 learner permits in the past six months. There are 394,000 learner drivers in total on Ireland's roads. A quarter of all learner drivers in Meath are between the ages of 17 and 20. I spoke a few weeks ago about road deaths and the Just 1 Life campaign that Navan rotary is running through schools and how important it is that we are speaking to school students about safety on our roads. We need to start young. By the end of October, 141 people had lost their lives on Irish roads. That is the same number as for the whole of last year.”
“I raise the issue of the women's under-19 soccer qualifier against Sweden in Bulgaria yesterday. The players stood facing their Irish flag when Britain's "God Save the King" played through the speakers. The music was cut off after approximately 30 seconds. There was an awkward silence and then the ladies proudly sang "Amhrán na bhFiann". I cannot imagine what was going through their minds and how they felt before that game. I know they lost yesterday, but that must have been very difficult for them not to have their own anthem playing. It is important that we have our own anthem playing for all our sporting events, and I would like to see if we can find out what happened yesterday. Was it a complete mistake, or did the people in Bulgaria think that was our anthem?”
“Will the Leader ask the Minister for housing and the Minister for enterprise to look at this project to identify a way these people can get their homes and to protect other people who may be about to pay their deposits today on homes from going through a situation like this?”
“Our contracts are binding, our payments are made and the homes are built. The financial and emotional toll has been immense. This is not just a story about one development. It is a reflection of how broken a system can be that allows ordinary people to put their deposit down on a home, contractually agree the price of their home, do everything right and still lose. What protections are currently available to home buyers in insolvency situations, such as the five contracted purchasers in the Ringfort development in Rathmolyon who have been waiting five years for completion despite having valid contracts for sale? This situation is absolutely desperate. Can you imagine forking out all that money, knowing your house is standing there and you cannot get your keys?”
“We believed, as any buyer would, that the developer was doing everything in his power to deliver our homes. We paid our full deposit, signed our contracts and were told to expect completion within 18 months, but that never happened. In early 2023, we were told that each buyer would need to pay a lot more to make the project viable. Within five months, receivers were appointed. We, along with four other remaining buyers, tried to stay positive. We negotiated, waited and compromised, even agreeing to pay an additional sum each to help move things along. By late 2024, every house on the site was structurally complete. The utilities were connected and all that remained was the final road surfacing and landscaping works. We have been left to fight for something that should have been straightforward.”
“In my constituency, there is a lovely little village called Rathmolyon. It has a population of about 1,700 people. Five years ago, a brand-new housing development of 16 houses, called the Ringfort Estate, was begun. I will read some words taken directly from one of the couples looking for their forever home there: It has been more than five years since we put our booking deposit down on a home in the Ringfort development in Rathmolyon. At the time, it felt like the start of a new chapter and a chance to put down roots in our own community, raise our children and finally have a place to call our own. Instead, we have spent the better part of six years trapped in limbo, paying rent, storing furniture and living with a constant sense of uncertainty and frustration. We were never warned that the project would be in jeopardy.”
“We need to enhance the rights of older people and this is one step towards that. Age is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.”
“Those working in the sector said that this Bill appears to be positive and will support the sector with current labour shortages, allowing workers who are often more experienced to continue in hard-to-recruit positions. It will assist in the retention of senior, skilled workers in the nursing home sector. It will reduce recruitment costs, particularly when local workers cannot be sourced. Nursing homes are required to source candidates from abroad, which is costly. It will improve the continuity of care for residents of nursing homes and that is all we want for our loved ones. That is only one organisation and I imagine there are plenty more. I expect there will be cross-party consensus on this. I am glad the Minister of State has said there possibly is. I am glad there was cross-party support in the Dáil as well.”
“Employers will be able to retain experienced employees, which is critical, and draw on their expertise for longer periods or even maybe use them in a different vein in their organisation. The publication of this Bill together with the wider package of pension reforms being rolled out by Government is a significant step in improving the predictability of retirement income for employees and helping to protect workers when they are approaching retirement. Workers must still retire at 65 as per the contract if they so wish, but there is a cohort of people, as I have mentioned, who will continue to keep on working. In light of this happening today, I reached out to the nursing home sector, which, as we know, can really struggle getting staff.”
“Some people are afraid to stop because of having worked all their lives and what just stopping could do to them mentally. In this Bill, employees can formally notify their employer in writing if they do not consent to retire at the contractual age if it is below the State pension age. The Bill also provides employees with a right to change their minds, which, again, I agree with. Therefore, if they decide that they do not want to retire and then go back to their employer and say they have changed their mind, that is also okay. Employers will now obviously need to consider the impact of this Bill, although, as an employer myself, I would hope this will be welcomely received from all people in the private sector. They will need to consider workforce planning and succession strategies and adapt them accordingly.”
“It is also important to note that the proportion of older workers and, in particular, workers who want to continue in employment beyond what would have been regarded as the traditional age of 65, is forecast to grow significantly in the future. This Bill essentially enacts a consent-based approach to retirement. It provides employees with a brand-new right to opt out of their contract, say, if it falls below the State pension age, which is currently 66. This would allow the income bridge to be gapped for employees who would otherwise face financial difficulties if forced to retire. Financially, yes, this is an issue, but there are also a huge number of people who do not want to retire because of their mental well-being. It is just what they want to do. The just do not want to stop working.”
“At that stage, she was just about ready to retire because she was just getting a little bit tired. We are a different generation now. Our life expectancy is 82.5 years. In 1975, when I was born, our life expectancy was 71. As mentioned, life expectancy in Ireland is the fifth highest in the EU. Our health service is one that continues to deliver better results for the people of Ireland and in some cases, it is among the best in Europe. Life outcomes for a number of conditions including cancer, circulatory system diseases and heart diseases have fallen and mortality rates for respiratory system diseases are, thankfully, also falling with only 15% of us now smoking.”
“This legislation is really important and it reaffirms Government's long-standing policy to encourage and support longer and fuller working lives where older people are facilitated in continuing in employment if they wish to do so until the age that they can first access the State pension. Some people dread retirement. My mam was one of those people. If she was not running up and down to the showrooms of our furniture factory in Navan, she was lost. She liked a bit of bingo and, of course, her family, but work and that passion for meeting people and selling them furniture was everything. Mam started work at the age of 12 as a seamstress and work was all she knew. She adored it. Getting her to go on holidays was even difficult, which is why she did not retire to the age of 75.”
“In its terms of reference, the commission was also asked to consider the issue of retirement ages in private employment contracts that are set out below the State pension age. Currently, there is no general retirement age for employees in Irish legislation. Under Irish and EU employment equality legislation, an employer is currently permitted to set a retirement age but only in circumstances where it can be "objectively [and reasonably] justified by a legitimate aim and the means of achieving that aim are appropriate and necessary." In September 2022, in response to the Pensions Commission recommendations and implementation plan, Government committed to a range of pension reforms. The Government also committed to introduce legislation which would allow, but not compel, an employee to stay in employment until the State pension age.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here today. I heard a great quote once, which is: "The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off." That sounds kind of wonderful - being busy in retirement and healthy to enjoy it. However, I would like it on my own terms, and this legislation we are debating goes a long way towards that. I would not like to be told I have to retire earlier than I want to or before the State pension age, so I very much welcome this today. As was mentioned, the background to this is that the Pensions Commission was established on foot of the 2020 programme for Government commitment to examine sustainability and eligibility issues with State pensions and the Social Insurance Fund.”
“There is nowhere to play in the village, no playground and no large community facility. There is nowhere where we can go to hire out a hall and do yoga or Pilates, play badminton or play tennis outside, yet houses are being built at a fast pace in this area. Meath is a progressive council with regard to the number of houses it was building. I am just focusing on the lack of community facilities in this area. We know that when there is a lack of community facilities, that can lead to antisocial behaviour. I would appreciate if the Leader could have a discussion with the Minister for sport and see what we can do to help to progress this with Meath County Council. Do not get me wrong, I am sure that Meath County Council would love to see a sporting facility in Johnstown and a playground there.”
“I met the local soccer club recently, as I said. It celebrated its 20th anniversary celebrations in 2024, marking two decades of commitment, volunteerism and growth in the Johnstown community. It has to train somewhere on the other end of the town. As it prepares to compete in the North East Football League, NEFL, premier division next season, Johnstown FC will be the only club in the premier division without its own home pitch. For a club representing such a large and fast-growing area in Navan, this is both unsustainable and unfair, and it highlights the urgent need for Meath County Council to engage meaningfully on this issue. Johnstown FC has capital available. It is a progressive club run by an incredible group of volunteers. This is just one example of a sports club with no home in this village.”
“I met Johnstown Football Club recently. Although I will bring this up locally, for sure, like many councillor colleagues in County Meath, I want to make the Chamber, the Leader and the Minister aware of how we can build a huge community in a town and provide them with zero facilities. I will shock them with some of these numbers. It is an incredible situation. I am speaking about Navan and the community is Johnstown. Imagine having 4,000 homes and more than 12,000 people living in them, with not even a playground, never mind sports facilities. There is nothing there. There is nowhere for a boxing club to spar, nowhere for a karate club to train, nowhere for the soccer club to play. Johnstown is larger than many towns across Ireland and does not have anything close to the community facilities that other towns have.”
“This will be hugely beneficial to anyone taking out an insurance policy. The code will ensure that the insurance market operates with integrity, builds trust and that consumers are empowered to make informed decisions. Will the Leader find out where we are on this important reform?”
“"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you." No one else sang; that is all I am saying. I am here today to speak again about insurance and the action plan for insurance. As we have seen over the past number of weeks, insurance is still rising for motorists and businesses. In October the Central Bank of Ireland published the national claims information database, NCID, annual private motor report 2024 on motor insurance cover in October. Guess what? Premiums have risen by 9%. One of the key actions in the new action plan is the development of a transparency code for the insurance industry. The code will require insurers to provide simple, understandable explanations on how premiums are formed and what broader factors influence pricing. Can Members imagine an Ireland where we understand how our insurance premiums are calculated?”
“It is about informing people correctly and on time about what is happening in the towns, villages and cities of Ireland when it comes to migration and international protection.”
“Just last week, Commissioner McGrath announced details of the EU democracy shield, which includes the establishment of a European centre for democratic resilience. We need to learn more about disinformation in order to better counter it. It is to be welcomed that, in line with the programme for Government, some €1.1 million in funding was announced in budget 2026 to support media literacy, fact-checking and research initiatives. I welcome that new domestic legislation will be enacted in 2026, as I feel each country is different. This will provide for faster processing of applications, stronger border security and a more efficient returns system. Communication and education are key. This motion includes what we have included in our programme for Government.”
“We have 60,000 non-EU students coming to our universities annually. These international citizens are not strangers. They are our neighbours and classmates, and will probably be our caregivers. Many now report fearing for their safety in public spaces. This morning, I brought a Commencement matter to the Seanad asking the Minister for communications to tackle social media companies to ensure they protect us, our youth and our children online. I ask that the people who are coming into our country and working in jobs that we could not fill also be protected. I am glad that the European Commission has commenced a range of investigations into various platforms for potential breaches of their regulatory obligations, including around harmful content, dark patterns and other matters.”
“Where the motion states "require international protection applicants to contribute towards their accommodation costs", questions arise, such as how long would they have after coming into the country before they begin to contribute and what happens in a situation where they do not begin work immediately. Some may have to learn English. Some may be traumatised by where they have come from. I welcome Councillor Adenuga speaking on those issues. Councillor Adenuga also raised points relating to the gathering of migrant people, the concept of belonging in Ireland and what that looks like. I welcome that the motion refers to the need to highlight "the social and economic benefits of migration to counter anti-immigration sentiments". One in four of our healthcare workers are non-Irish.”
“She has earned a degree in business studies, an MBA and a postgraduate certificate in innovation and entrepreneurship from UCD. She has been at the forefront of anti-racism efforts and, unfortunately, has also been at the forefront as a target of racism. In 2020, she successfully proposed that Meath County Council become the first local authority in Ireland to fund anti-racism education and she has consistently campaigned for hate-crime legislation and stronger equality frameworks. Councillor Adenuga is a woman who knows what life as a migrant is like in Ireland and the process to get here. As one can appreciate, she has a few things to say on this motion. Along with our Fine Gael colleagues, she welcomes this motion.”
“In light of today's motion, I asked my friend and colleague, Councillor Yemi Adenuga, to attend as a guest. I am looking forward to hearing what Councillor Adenuga thinks of this debate. Who better is there to discuss today's motion than someone who has gone through the process and has remained here in Ireland to raise her family? Councillor Adenuga is Ireland's first elected black female public representative and Meath County Council's first migrant councillor. She ran in the local elections in May 2019 and was elected as a Fine Gael Councillor, representing the Navan municipal district. She ran again in 2024 and retained her seat, which is always hard to do. She has been setting precedents for inclusion in Irish politics ever since.”
“Saying all of this equals the need for more support to help people with COPD. The support of this integrated model of care is crucial as this has been a key driver for improved care in Ireland over the past five years, enabling better connected health services for people with COPD across the country. I urge the Leader to discuss, with the Minister for Health, the importance of retaining the support and funding to help people with COPD.”
“COPD Support Ireland is an incredible organisation that supports people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It brings together local COPD support from around the country to advocate for those living with and caring for someone with COPD. COPD is an umbrella term for a group of lung diseases that cause breathing difficulties such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. While COPD is not curable, it is treatable, allowing people to have the best quality of life. The theme for our World COPD Day today is: Short of breath, think COPD. What is very important for COPD Support Ireland is the continued support and funding of the HSE's national integrated model of care for COPD and the integrated care programme for the prevention and management of chronic disease.”
“Today is another world day. It is World COPD Day. I know only too well how COPD can affect someone as my beautiful mam had it and, unfortunately, died due to it eight years ago. Some 1,500 people in Ireland will die due to COPD. Having COPD feels like a persistent struggle for breath, accompanied by a chronic cough and wheezing. Symptoms can include a tight chest, frequent lung infections and a lack of energy that makes daily activities really difficult. It is estimated that 380,000 people in lreland have COPD today. It is a condition that affects mainly middle-aged and older adults who smoke or used to smoke. Symptoms usually present when patients are in the 50s and 60s, and I am glad to say that 70% of people who were, or are, diagnosed with COPD, give up smoking.”
“While being educated is definitely 50% of it, the other 50% is the companies' responsibility. If someone working in a restaurant gets abused, the owners would come and get the person out of the restaurant and they would never be allowed back in it again. The owners of social media companies are not protecting us enough and we should strongly urge them to do more when it comes to that space.”
“I thank the Minister of State very much. I really appreciate him giving me this information. I will refer to a few points in the statement. It is great that funding of €1.1 million was announced in the budget "to support media literacy, fact-checking and research initiatives". That is going down the educational side of things. The Minister of State also outlined that the "European Commission has commenced a range of investigations". He stated that "Commissioner McGrath announced details of the ... establishment of a European centre for democratic resilience." I very much welcome that measures are commencing and are about to be established, but I am afraid it will be too late for some people when it comes to mental health and well-being. I urge the Government to speak to social media companies.”
“I am very worried for the future of our children and what they are going to see. My two kids are almost ten and 11, so they have very few years left before they get phones or are on social media. I dread to think what they will see. Only seven days ago, a man living in Galway was sent to jail for nine years for the rape of two young girls he met on Snapchat. He groomed the girls on that platform, who were aged 14 and ten. I accept that as parents we have a responsibility to do our best to keep our kids safe online, but we cannot protect them all the time. Our kids deserve protection online. How can the Minister of State reassure us as to what the social media companies are doing to protect people, kids and businesses online?”