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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“We all have to come together - there are more than 100 centres involved - and get insurance that way. It is still not sorted out and there is still a lot of work to do but I welcome what happened yesterday. We can see the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, did his due diligence and thought about what he was doing. He made the right call. I raised the issue about 11 times in the House - I was not counting, I swear. I really appreciate this decision, My Fine Gael colleagues and I brought a motion on this issue four weeks ago, which had the full support of the House. I thank Senators for that. It would be remiss of me, in my last 20 seconds, not to wish the Meath GAA team the best of luck this weekend as we face Donegal in the men's senior semi-final and also the ladies who are playing the following week.”
“Yesterday would have been wrong time for this to happen, when businesses are under such immense pressure with the increased cost of doing business and everything they are faced with. The proposed increase probably would have been rounded up to 20% by insurance companies. I had messages from people saying if their insurance were to go up any more, it would be detrimental to their business. That is not to take away from the fact there are many businesses, groups and festivals that still cannot get insurance. We still have a lot of work to do on insurance reform. For example, the play centre sector, which I am involved in, organised a group scheme about six years ago. If we did not have a group scheme, there would not be a play centre insured in Ireland.”
“I very much welcome our distinguished guests to the Gallery. They will enjoy sunshine at the weekend. The weather is looking good so they are very lucky. I feel the need to speak today because the rejection yesterday of the personal injuries guidelines was momentous for every hard-working small business and for every community group, festival about to be organised, sports club, GAA club and motorist. It was the right decision. I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, for that decision. I thank the subcommittee on insurance, which met yesterday. I thank my Fianna Fáil colleagues and Senators Byrne and Crowe who stood up on this issue. It took a team, including Sinn Féin colleagues and Independents. Everyone stood up and had a go at the personal injury guidelines because we could all see it was the right thing do.”
“It is really important to give them time to recover. I thank Senator Ryan. She is doing the right thing. I have no doubt we will get legislation and we will get it right, but it is really important we look at all this in its entirety and I respect the Government’s call on wanting time to do that, but I thank the Senator for bringing this forward.”
“The Organisation of Working Time Act is not the appropriate legislative vehicle to provide for the new proposed entitlements as it is not designed to be the initiator of new policies nor to set out terms and conditions for compassionate leave. Rather, it implements the working time directive by setting out an employee’s maximum working hours and associated entitlements to minimum rest periods and annual leave. An amendment to the existing family leave provisions or discrete stand-alone legislation providing for bereavement leave in limited circumstances would form a more suitable legal basis for pregnancy loss-related leave. It is important to keep in mind anyone hoping to have a baby has made a plan from the moment, as the Senator said, they see that pregnancy test, the moment the pregnancy is known.”
“However, even with these challenges humanity should prevail. I really feel it should. Nobody should have to go through such a traumatic experience and be expected to keep up appearances in work. In this case a couple of sick days or an expectation to just bounce back is not enough. I go back to the Bill. It proposes to amend the Organisation of Working Time Act to introduce a statutory entitlement of five days of paid leave for an employee who experiences pregnancy loss and two and a half days’ pay to an employee who is a parent to a pregnancy loss. It also proposes to extend protections under the Unfair Dismissals Acts and provide for the establishment of a confidential opt-in register of pregnancy loss under the Civil Registration Act, which is something I would like to see.”
“It is not about forgetting the pain, but living alongside the pain. As an employer, I consider it my responsibility to support all our employees, both professionally and personally. We must recognise life does not stop at the door of a building when an employee walks in, and our policies in this case should reflect empathy and a commitment to well-being, especially during one of life’s most painful moments. I hope that, even without this potential Bill, many employers would actively engage with their employees who are suffering this, but we know a lot of them cannot talk to their employers about it. I am also acutely aware of the costs that come with running a business. We are currently faced with an increase in insurance premiums, sick day pay, minimum wage increases and auto-enrolment, to name a few.”
“Miscarriage is surprisingly common, with not just one if four women experiencing it but one in four pregnancies ending in loss. Think of the number of women in Ireland who have had to endure this loss. I also acknowledge that the grieving process is different for everyone and affects people in different ways. This is no right way to grieve or to heal. For some stepping away from work and daily responsibilities helps them to grieve – Senator Ryan and I chatted about that – and to try to regain a sense of control. It was different for me. Work provided a structure for me as something I had to get back into to occupy my mind, because I would go mad if I had to think about it all the time. I went straight back into work, but everyone is different in this and everybody needs to be accommodated.”
“Many individuals and couples grieve in private while feeling isolated and unsupported. On that, I think of Senator Ryan’s journey at that time, driving to the hospital, coming back and feeling so alone. Unfortunately, you often hear comments that are not supportive of loss or that are unhelpful or hurtful, like in Senator Ryan’s case and with my numerous miscarriages, such as “At least it was early” or "You can try again" or, in Senator Ryan's case, "You're highly fertile now". These types of judgment only add to the fear of discussing the loss you have experienced. It is frequently the case that a pregnancy loss is treated as something that is silently endured. You grieve through it quietly and then you return to work as if nothing has happened. Miscarriage is a real loss of a baby, but also of a future and a dream.”
“First of all, a massive hug to Senator Ryan. You were very brave when you spoke, so well done. It took a lot for you to do that. I really admire you. David Platt said, "There is a unique pain that comes from preparing a place in your heart for a child that never comes." I thank Senator Ryan for bringing this Bill to us. It has been a pleasure to discuss this with her over the past couple of weeks. As someone who has suffered miscarriages, including my eldest daughter's twin, I know what that ache is like for thousands of women across Ireland. Pregnancy loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth, is often not openly discussed due to a combination of factors, including societal discomfort, lack of language to express grief, fear of saying the wrong thing and the belief sharing the news will somehow lessen the pain.”
“The objective from my side, which is the business side, is that businesses should feel they can tackle people and not worry about defamation. As I mentioned, there were 3,500 defamation cases in Ireland and 3,500 in the whole of the UK, so it is definitely something we need to sort out. I wonder whether we should be looking at running the SME test on this to see what impact that would have on businesses. That is my bit. Otherwise, we have made great strides. There has been a lot of improvement and I welcome that we are doing this. I thank the Minister for his time.”
“Perhaps they could be capped at approximately €75,000, allowing special damages to exceed the cap where demonstrable harm exists, in line with European standards and existing Irish precedents. We need to end the abuse of the appeals process. Again, I spoke about the sweat business owners feel, but defendants who succeed in court also face appeals to higher courts, which causes more stress and forces them to settle on actual grounds, even when they are victorious. The recommendation is to restrict rights of appeal in defamation cases. If we are to proceed with this Bill today - I might be wrong in saying this; I have not checked it with anyone - can we allow for a review in 12 months' time to see how it affects businesses?”
“Defamation cases often involve the serious harm test to determine whether the defamatory statement caused substantial damage to the individual's reputation. The seriousness of the harm is a key factor in determining whether a defamation claim can proceed. Should we introduce a statutory harm test in the definition section, to mirror the one in the UK where a statement is not defamatory unless its publication has caused or is likely to cause serious harm to the reputation of the claimant? Perhaps the transient retail defamation test promised in the draft general scheme could be reintroduced. There is a harm test for the SME, but not for the person alleging defamation. There is no cap on general damages, which is a bit scary.”
“I wish there was a pot of money for businesses to make an example of bringing defamation cases further and taking a stand, but unfortunately it is not possible. Much of what is included in the Bill is commendable - fair play to the Minister - but there are concerns from business organisations, as I mentioned. The harm test was mentioned by my colleague, Senator McDowell - I was about say Minister McDowell. In various legal and ethical contexts, it assesses whether a specific action could cause harm or injury. It is a crucial element in determining whether a record should be withheld, a referral to a safeguarding body is necessary or an action should be taken. However, the people who bring the cases can sue for defamation, but not the other way around. That needs to be included, as my two colleagues have said.”
“The owner's heart skips ten beats and they go into a sweat while their brains try to think about what the situation was, when it happened, what date it was, who was on duty and where the time sheets and CCTV are. Their bodies go into what is almost a spasm of fear. The first thing that happens when that letter comes in is that the insurance excess kicks in. The excess in small businesses can be €2,500, €5,000 or €10,000. That is what happens. When businesses deal with their insurance companies, the small print says the insurance company will work on the case on behalf of the business and it will decide whether to bring the case to court, but often, as we know, cases, including defamation cases, get settled. People settle them because they fear the high cost of going to court.”
“In fact, if we were to work out the scale of defamation cases in Ireland by their cost, it adds up to €70 million in legal costs. Ireland continues to record the highest per capita rate of defamation litigation in the common law world, at 140% of the volume in England and Wales. Relative to our population, as I said, this means that defamation litigation is 19 times more common in Ireland than in England and Wales. Let us look at the Adams v. BBC case. The plaintiff received approximately €100,000 and the legal costs were €3 million. That is very concerning. Retailers settling cases was mentioned and the Minister and I spoke about this in the past as well. From the point of view of small businesses, the first thing that happens when they know they are potentially being sued is that a letter comes in from a solicitor.”
“I am speaking on behalf of small businesses. It is my thing. From speaking to retailers and in particular to Retail Excellence, which is the body that nominated me for election to the Seanad, defamation is of huge concern. The Minister was gracious to me a few weeks ago when he gave me a few minutes of his time to talk to him about that. I thank him for that. I appreciate it. Retailers need to be able to ask questions if they suspect someone of stealing. I also appreciate that shoppers need to be protected, but as we have seen, in Ireland, with 5.3 million people living in the country, we have the exact same number of defamation cases as the entire UK. Someone is taking advantage of the situation and I hope this can help to sort that out. People are obviously taking an opportunity in this.”
“Awards for minor shoulder or soft tissue injury are up to €12,000, whereas in England it is £5,200. Awards for a minor ankle sprain in Ireland are up to €12,000 and in England it is up to £6,300. Awards for a minor foot fracture in Ireland go up to €20,000 compared with a maximum of £12,700 in England. Our awards are way higher and that is without the increase of 16.7%. I am here to put my trust in all who are sitting at the sub-Cabinet meeting tomorrow. I am trusting in all of them not to allow the personal injury guidelines to go through. It is not the right time.”
“The recommendations from the committee say that, "The committee did not find it possible to carry out any meaningful analysis of the quantum of court awards given under the Guidelines [to date] that might inform this review." We did not, therefore, have the meaningful analysis and an increase of 16.7% was recommended instead. The Judicial Council Act 2019 made clear that rigorous analysis should take place, including consulting with the personal injuries assessment board. No such engagement took place, despite the thousands of cases the board processed since the guidelines were introduced in 2021. Presently, without these increases, awards in Ireland for minor back injuries are between €12,000 and €20,000. In England, it is a maximum of £8,300.”
“While the worry is that people will skip the Injuries Resolution Board in search of higher discretionary awards, as only 4% of claims are settled before judges, I am not even remotely persuaded that there will be a mass exodus from the Injuries Resolution Board as people head off to wait another five or six years to go through the courts. The other reason I am hearing is that we have left ourselves with no choice but to accept the findings of the Judicial Council. We should have clear separation of powers. The Supreme Court made clear last year that the guidelines would only be constitutionally permissible if they were approved or consented to by the Oireachtas. If we have no choice but to consent to them, then this consent is not freely given and runs contrary to the holding of the Supreme Court in the Delaney case last year.”
“In light of tomorrow's sub-Cabinet meeting, I am making my final call to the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to not increase the personal injury guidelines. We cannot let the progressive, reforming work of countless Ministers in recent years be thrown away at perhaps the stroke of a pen which would decimate countless family businesses throughout the country, particularly in my home county of Meath. If this measure goes ahead, all our premiums will increase, especially business premiums, and businesses are the backbone of our economy.”
“I am just looking out for everyone’s business, as well as sports clubs, festivals and everything else. I am glad to hear the Minister of State say he is concerned about it too. I really appreciate that. Many others have spoken about it here, so I thank them.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I really appreciate it and the acknowledgement of my work and his own on everything to do with insurance. It is the reason I got into politics seven years ago when I nearly lost my business over it all. That is why I am passionate about it. It can be hard when you know something is wrong and you feel it is going to happen. I just know it will be wrong if these rates increase because it will have a catastrophic impact. One lady told me yesterday that if her insurance goes up by anything, she will have to close her business. The cost will be passed on. We need to give it more thought. We should not rush into it. I hope there will be time to reflect on it and debate it more. Maybe the SME test is not the thing for it. We will see the decision about that.”
“A minor shoulder soft tissue injury in Ireland has a maximum of up to €12,000, while in England it is £5,200. A minor ankle sprain injury in Ireland has a maximum of €12,000, but it is £6,300 in England. In Ireland, a minor foot fracture has a maximum amount of €20,000, while it is £12,700 in England. These are the numbers before we apply the 16.7% increase. I call on the Minister for enterprise to enact the SME test on the personal injury guidelines before any decision is made to implement them.”
“This is because the inevitable delay between the commencement of proceedings to which the then new Guidelines applied and their trial has meant that there are very few decisions and certainly not enough to be statistically significant. How can we apply these guidelines when we have not even properly analysed the data? The committee just recommended an increase of 16.7% instead. The Judicial Council Act 2019 made clear that rigorous analysis should take place, including consulting with the Personal Injuries Assessment Board. No such consultation took place despite the thousands of cases the board has processed since the guidelines were introduced in 2021. Without the increase, a minor back injury in Ireland sees people get between €12,000 and €20,000. In England, it is a maximum of £8,300.”
“My colleagues and I brought a motion to this House only two weeks ago on insurance whereby all of us stated the increase in the personal injury guidelines was excessive. We cannot allow this to go ahead without performing the SME test. We have brought in the SME test for businesses to allow us to consider impacts on them when policy and legislation is before us. When the personal injury guidelines go ahead, all our premiums will increase and, in particular, those of business, the backbone of our economy, so we keep getting told. The recommendations from the Judicial Council state: The Committee has not found it possible to carry out any meaningful analysis of the quantum of court awards given under the Guidelines to date that might inform this review.”
“Ireland's SME test is a four-step process for policymakers to consider: consultation, identification, impact and mitigation. If ever this test were needed, it is now, when the personal injury guidelines look likely to come before us for an increase of 16.7%. On 5 March 2024, the personal injuries guidelines committee of the Judicial Council submitted the outcome of its review of the personal injury guidelines to the board of the Judicial Council, pursuant to section 18(2)(b) of the Judicial Council Act 2019. This means businesses, community groups, sports clubs, motorists and charities will all pay the price as this increase will be passed on to policyholders. I have brought this issue up many times here in the Upper House.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I am here to ask about the SME test being applied to the legislation on the personal injury guidelines, as there is a recommendation that they be increased. The SME test was introduced by the Government as a part of measures in May 2024. This is a no-brainer because any major new measure from the Government will be assessed for its impact on small business through an enhanced SME test. In all cases, a completed SME test must be included or an explanation provided as to why it is considered an SME test is not required. The SME test is all about "think small first" and considers how measures will impact businesses. Some enterprises can be disproportionately impacted by regulatory or administrative burdens if not given due consideration during the formation of policy.”
“We have heard from every party in this Upper House at this stage, I think, and everybody is saying, "Don't do it." There has to be a debate on this. Another Minister, Deputy Lawless, is determined to increase student contribution fees by €1,000. I appreciate the reduction over the past two years was part of a cost-of-living package but now is not the time to do this, not when we have one in ten people living in poverty and so many students struggling to pay rent. I did a grocery shop yesterday. Just three bags of groceries cost €160. Many families are under enough pressure without the extra cost of student contribution fees. I urge the Minister, Deputy Lawless, to really think about this and I urge the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, not to increase the personal injury payouts. I would welcome either Minister in for a debate.”
“ordering every jersey he could get. Is it not incredible what GAA can do to our countries? On a less bright note, two Ministers are set to bring about changes which will have us paying more. Now is not the time for that. Three quarters of small businesses, sports organisations and community and voluntary groups have seen their insurance premiums rise in the past two years and we hear the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, is set to bring a 17% rise in personal injuries awards to Cabinet next week. I am sorry but all here who have a car, have a business or work with a sports club will see their insurance go up if this goes through. I cannot understand it because we have so many people against these changes.”
“Two weeks ago, I stood up here and said it was not fair the Meath versus Kerry match was not available to stream or on TV. I told of how Meath are back in form and how we want to see these matches. I am thrilled to say last weekend's match between Meath and Galway was broadcast and brought joy to many people who went to the match or watched it at home, in the pub or in a nursing home. I was fortunate enough to go and watch the royal county win with an epic performance. When I returned to Navan, it was a sea of green and yellow. The place was hopping, as I am sure every town and village in Meath was. I hope every business and GAA club benefited from that and continues to do so. I called into Jacksie Kiernan's on Trimgate Street and told him to get ordering the jerseys for the semi-final. He told me he was already on the phone at 8 a.m.”
“It says "government risks being seen as completely out of touch if it approves an increase in personal injuries awards that will see insurance premiums skyrocket". Does the Government not know that people just cannot afford it? Businesses cannot afford it. It will be passed on. That is what insurers do. It will probably be rounded up to 20%. We cannot let this happen. I would really appreciate another debate with the Minister in here to discuss this. It is very urgent and we do not want to see this happen in the next week and a half.”
“If someone goes through the Injuries Resolution Board, he or she will get a €23,000 payout and it will cost him or her €1,000 in legal fees. If someone goes through litigation, it will cost him or her €23,000 in legal fees and he or she will still get a €23,000 payout. We have put so much work in. We have a Cabinet committee on insurance reform. We have done so much to try to help businesses, sports clubs and other organisations and now, only three years after the personal injuries guidelines came in, we are planning to increase them by 16.7%. This cannot happen. I know my colleagues in Fianna Fáil have written to the Minister. We have spoken about it. We brought forward a motion on insurance reform two weeks ago. We just cannot see this happen. There is a quote from the Alliance for Insurance Reform that I really do not like seeing.”
“I had to run around the country six or seven years ago trying to bring businesses together, form a group and get a group scheme. That is the only way my business has insurance. A total of 90% of respondents said they had not benefited from the Government's action plan on insurance reform. We have the duty of care and the personal injuries guidelines. They have only been in effect for the past three years and now the Judiciary is telling us that the personal injuries guidelines should go up by 16.7%. This should not be the case. This will affect community festivals, businesses and sports clubs. It will affect everybody. We have not seen what these guidelines have done yet. It takes four to five years to get through the system with a claim in the first place.”
“On this beautiful morning, I would also like to speak about the issue raised by Senator Fitzpatrick. I believe others might speak about it as well. An article in today's edition of The Irish Times let us know that the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is planning to bring the personal injuries guidelines increase to Cabinet in a week and a half. This is probably the 15th time I have stood up here to talk about this because it is too serious a matter not to talk about. Coincidentally, I received a press release in my inbox from the Alliance for Insurance Reform. The alliance received 775 responses. It showed that premiums continued to rise and one in five organisations have one underwriter willing to provide insurance. I am one of the people in that situation.”
“If we are serious about reform, the voices of people with lived experience, like Tom Clonan's son, people who have navigated the pilot or who have been left waiting need to be central, not consulted after the fact. These individuals must be involved in shaping the roll-out from the start. I fully support the intent of this Bill. I understand why some colleagues seek more time before progressing it and I am sorry that is not what Senator Clonan wants to hear, but I also hope we do not lose momentum or let this issue stall. When we talk about giving people control, dignity and agency, that is not an abstract principle. That is an absolute right and I want to be part of a Government and Legislature that makes it a reality. Go raibh maith agaibh and I apologise for my tears.”
“We know the stress that process is already under. People are crying out for assessments of need at the moment. The process is already under strain. There may be tax implications associated with personalised budgets on both the HSE and service user that must be examined, so I believe that extra time is needed. We must take time to understand all of this, but let me be clear - a delay must lead somewhere, Minister. It must be used to design a clear, ambitious and inclusive roll-out, and if the pilot shows that this model works when resourced and supported, we must act decisively to move beyond pilot status and provide people with the right of fiscal autonomy.”
“That evaluation is crucial and I know how desperate Senator Clonan and others are to have this for their families, but I support making sure we get this right. I also believe that we need to legislate from a place of learning, not just aspiration. We really have to get this right and we owe it to the community of people with disabilities not to fumble the execution because of haste, even if the motivation is well-intended. The Minister has proposed an 18-month timed amendment to allow the evaluation to conclude. I suggest we do all we can, put the resources in, and see what happens and if we can get that timeframe to be a bit shorter. The Bill tethers the provision of personalised budgets to the assessment of need process, as a service statement is required for an application for a personalised budget to be made.”
“One was a person-managed method, often referred to as direct payments, whereby moneys were paid directly to the individual. The other method was via the HSE, with individuals directing it on how their money should be utilised. The HSE's latest figures show that 302 individuals engaged with the scheme. Of these, 130 individuals are currently active, with 50 now in the final "living life" phase. These are people who are now using their budgets in real and meaningful ways, and that really does matter. I know Senator Clonan looks forward to that happening for his son. The evaluation phase of the pilot is now under way. When concluded, it is hoped by the end of the year that it will provide the first in-depth picture of what worked, what did not work and what needs to change to make personalised budgets viable at a national scale.”
“These include the right to independent living, in respect of which Senator Clonan is absolutely right, and self-determined support, as outlined in Article 19 of the document. This commitment is reflected in the current programme for Government. I oppose what Senator Clonan said. I think the Government is definitely taking disability seriously in the programme for Government. This Bill speaks directly to that ambition and helps to move us closer to making those rights real in people's daily lives. In Ireland, a demonstrator pilot was launched in 2019 to test this in our own context. I understand the pilot faced challenges, with Covid being the most obvious one. Two methods of budget management were tested as part of the pilot.”
“Often questions of choice and autonomy are discussed in the scope of gender, age or nationality. Rarely are these questions considered in regard to those individuals in our society living with a disability, who, as you find out when you research this, comprise about 22% of Irish people. We have seen examples abroad of where personalised budgets work, including in Australia, the Netherlands and England, among others. These models are not perfect but they have shown that, when implemented correctly, they can offer real improvements in quality of life, flexibility in care and, in many cases, better value for money. Like many of the countries in question, Ireland has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and with that comes a responsibility to work towards its goals.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this important debate on the personalised budgets Bill on behalf of Senator Nikki Bradley and Fine Gael. I commend those who introduced this Bill. I admire Senator Clonan's passionate advocacy. The idea that people with disabilities should have more control over the supports they receive is not radical; it is common sense and a reflection of what we have heard time and again. For people living with additional needs, choice, independence and dignity matter, just as Senator Clonan pointed out regarding what happened on the summer solstice. At its core, a personalised budget empowers individuals to decide how the support is delivered, by whom and when. That is not just a financial tool; it is a statement of trust in people's capacity to know what they need and shape their own lives.”
“I ask the Minister of State to take particular note of that condition I mentioned. It is molar and incisor hypomineralisation, shortened to MIH. It has really only been discovered in the past 20 years in Ireland and it is really impacting children's teeth. We need to look at it.”
“I dread to think how many children are suffering with this condition and they do not know because they cannot get to a dentist or the public dentist has not visited the school. I am sure there are many kids with this condition who are not seen until sixth class, which in many situations is too late for their teeth. Our dental schools do not have the basic capacity to educate and train enough dental partitioners to meet population needs. Only half of the 90 students who graduate each year stay, as most of them are international students who go home. We need more investment in our colleges and specific training in other aspects of dentistry. We need to change the work permit rules for dentists and dental nurses. If we do not do this, I dread to think what will happen to our children's teeth in the future.”
“Early detection and management of MIH are crucial to prevent tooth damage and reduce the need for extensive restorative work. Now that my children have this condition, when speaking to parents, I cannot believe the number of children who also have it. I was lucky I could bring my kids to a dentist. I started going when they were three and as I said, this condition was picked one year and a half ago. My children have had fissure seals and crowns and they both have had four teeth removed in hospital in their younger years. While the cause of this condition is not entirely known, it can be from genetics, low birth rate, C-section babies or babies who took a lot of antibiotics in their first two years.”
“To take my children as an example, they are aged nine and a half and ten and a half and have never seen a dentist through the school programme. I am in the lucky position that I was able to bring them to a private dentist. I welcome the proposal on taxpayers being able to claim tax relief on specialist dental treatment. In the past year and a half, we have now discovered that both my children have molar and incisor hypomineralisation, MIH. This is a developmental enamel defect affecting the first permeant molars and incisors. It is characterised by enamel that is softer than normal, leading to discoloration. A lot of people would see that there are these white dots on their children's teeth. It leads to the potential for chipping and decay.”
“I second the motion. The analysis from the Irish Dental Association shows that we need an extra 500 dentists across the private and public sector immediately. The number of dentists with a dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, contract is down 642 nationally in 12 years. A total of 7,711 children were seen by dentists in the school dental screening service in Meath in quarter 4 of 2017, compared with just more than 1,000 in quarter 4 of 2023. Those are baffling figures. In the public dental service, the lack of dentists has led to a situation where less than half of the children who should be seen under the dental school programme have been seen. Some children in parts of the country are facing a ten-year backlog.”
“I am delighted to stand and speak on this motion today. I welcome the motion by my colleagues. While I knew there was a huge problem with dentistry in Ireland, I had no clue how severe it was until I began my research. Analysis from the Irish Dental Association shows that we need an extra 500-----”
“It involves housing, justice, migration and public expenditure, and we badly need it. As my colleague, Senator O'Loughlin, said, there needs to be a committee set up to discuss it. To think that we are at an overall 50-year high for domestic abuse in Ireland in 2025 is absolutely disgraceful.”
“Resourcing by the Government and implementation of the third national domestic, sexual and gender-based violence strategy through coherent cross-government co-operation remains crucial to effectively reduce the scale and impacts of violence against women and children in Ireland. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, did so much groundbreaking work in this area, including the launch of Cuan, the new statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency. I was delighted to see the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, launching the final implementation plan for a zero tolerance strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence yesterday. We need to ensure we hold a cross-Department approach to support these organisations to do their job. I encourage the Leader to discuss this with the relevant Departments.”