Louis O'Hara
Galway East · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“There are significant concerns about the reform that is being proposed to have CAP sit alongside a range of other policy areas. In particular under the Commission's proposal, CAP funding for Ireland would be cut by over 20%.”
“Absolutely, and that is why it is critical we get a fair allocation. In particular, the future of CAP will have a significant influence on how EU member states can support young farmers. Last year, the Department of agriculture published a report from the commission on generational renewal in farming.”
“No parent should have to worry about what will happen to their child when they can no longer provide care for them, yet years of underfunding and a failure to plan has left our residential support system in crisis and families are left carrying the responsibility even as parents themselves age into their 70s, 80s and beyond.”
“Adults with intellectual disabilities have the same right as every other citizen to live with dignity, safety and independence and the Government has a legal and moral obligation to provide these services. There are so many basic things we are not getting right.”
“I raise the case of a constituent in County Galway who has experienced lifelong difficulties and trauma as a result of historical abuse at the hands of a member of the Christian Brothers who was his primary school teacher. The individual who carried out the abuse has since been convicted.”
“They cannot just be uprooted into an emergency placement down the line. The parents need to be there for the transition to ensure that it works properly and does not cause challenges for that person or, indeed, those who will be caring for them.”
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“We need some political will from the Government to ensure that these changes are made and driver tests are easily accessible to those applying for them.”
“Learner drivers have to pay outrageous insurance premiums and a lot of money for lessons. The delays only prolong the situation. We must ease the burden on young people and support them to start their adult life and get the opportunities that driving can present to them. It is very clear that more resources are needed to meet demand. This means ending the overreliance on temporary driver testers and expediting the recruitment of permanent testers. There must be an urgent review of the RSA's mandate, resourcing and programme of work. Its performance is a key factor in all of this and cannot be ignored. New test centres must be established, particularly in areas where there are none at present. There are large gaps in some locations and these must be filled by the RSA as a matter of urgency.”
“It is not fair or sustainable for them to be left having to rely on lifts from friends or family members to get around. This also leads to social isolation. This is the same generation that is suffering with the housing crisis and the rising costs of education among other things. They cannot also be left stuck at home; they need support to live independent lives. The Government must step up to the plate to provide for that. In my county of Galway, the waiting time for an invitation to a driver test ranges from 15 to 29 weeks. The waiting times are longer in other parts of the State. That is totally unacceptable. It is causing significant difficulties for young people in my constituency and across the State. Learning to drive is difficult enough and expensive enough as it is.”
“It particularly impacts those who need a driver's licence to begin a job - the likes of bus drivers, paramedics, and so on who we know are badly needed. It leaves people stranded, particularly those in rural communities who do not have public transport available to them. The Government often does not understand the reality of life in rural Ireland. We do not have good quality public transport. We do not have buses going by our door every few minutes. We rely on cars to transport ourselves. That will continue to be the reality for many in rural communities for the foreseeable. Young people in rural communities need to be able to drive. It is critical for their independence and to be able to lead an adult life, but many are being denied that opportunity for months on end.”
“This is a very important motion given the lengthy delays people across the State face in securing driver tests. More than 72,000 people are currently waiting - an increase of 60% since 2022. This has been an issue for years, but it is at crisis point now and action is needed to urgently address the backlog. We know why we are in this situation. It is because there has been a failure to recruit enough driver testers. We have been totally over-reliant on temporary testers. We do not have enough test centres and it is clear that the RSA does not have the capacity or ability to address the backlogs, which breaches its own service level agreement. This impacts hugely on people, mostly young people, who need to drive and are missing out on employment and educational opportunities as a result.”
“The questions the family have include why the hospital let him leave the premises unsupervised when he had clearly expressed suicidal thoughts, and why he was never advised by the various services that he was involved with to enter a mental health institution where he could have slowly recovered from a traumatic life. This is a desperately sad case. It raises questions about our mental health services and the protocols our hospitals have in place to care for those with mental health issues, especially those who present with and express suicidal intentions. Will the Minister of State engage with the family on this case, assist them in getting answers to these very important questions, and work to ensure this does not happen again to somebody in a similar situation?”
“Once he was at the hospital, he presented at accident and emergency where a triage nurse checked him out. Adam made it clear to hospital staff that he wanted to end his life. The hospital decided that he needed to be checked by the mental health team but they were otherwise occupied. Adam waited for a short period before leaving the hospital completely unsupervised. He then made his way to the river where he took his last breath. This was told to Adam's brother by a doctor from the hospital, who herself could not understand why Adam was not monitored.”
“The funeral of Adam Loughnane is taking place in Galway today. Adam made the decision to end his own life in the River Corrib in Galway city last week. I have been contacted by his family in relation to this, which has obviously had a devastating impact on them. Adam had a very traumatic life and was registered with mental health services in Galway. He previously made an attempt to take his own life seven years ago. Adam's brother, Joe, was informed that Adam contacted his mental health support worker from COPE Galway on the morning of his death. It was clear that he was distressed while in the company of the support worker, so the decision was made to contact mental health services in University Hospital Galway. Once contact was made, Adam packed a bag and the support worker drove him to the hospital.”
“We need a radical reset in housing policy, as called for by the Housing Commission, to give my generation a future in this country.”
“This must be treated as a priority by the Government. If one walks or drives through any town or village in county Galway, one will see multiple vacant homes, some of which have been idle for years. These are buildings that would make great homes for families stuck on the housing list or in rental accommodation but there has been no serious effort to bring them back into use. These problems have existed for years and are replicated in every part of this State. They have also been pointed out to the Government for years. The bottom line is that the Governments puts the profits of those for whom housing is an investment ahead of affordable housing for people who need it and is prepared to send my generation to every corner of the world to achieve this.”
“Now the Government wants to get rid of rent pressure zones in what, I suspect, is an attempt to squeeze even more out of hard-pressed renters. We do not have enough private housing developments either. The Government missed its housing targets last year and misled the public about how many houses would be built. People in Galway who wish to build their own homes are finding it difficult to do so because of the planning process and development fees. Many of our towns and villages do not have adequate wastewater infrastructure for housing development including Corrofin, Abbeyknockmoy, Craughwell, Ardrahan and many more across the county. There has been minimal investment and no urgency to address this deficit in our infrastructure which is holding up the delivery of housing in my constituency.”
“I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. As a young person in my mid-20s, I know all too well the impact of the housing crisis and Government inaction and the suffering it has caused for those who are homeless or in insecure housing situations. When I look the Government's record in my own constituency, it is little wonder we are in this situation. Not one affordable home has been delivered in Galway East. We are told that affordable housing is not viable or needed in most parts of county Galway at a time of record and unaffordable house prices. We need genuinely affordable housing. We are not building enough social housing. People are struggling to pay rents that are often outside the HAP limits, if they can get HAP at all.”
“Many farmers have had damage to sheds, machinery and so on. They cannot be forgotten. The Minister mentioned the extreme weather assistance scheme. We are 19 days on. It is time to wake up and bring forward a scheme for farmers, businesses and clubs.”
“Information on the scheme and what is covered is only coming out in dribs and drabs and it is not fair on those affected who could be missing out on what they are entitled to. I have been contacted by a number of businesses and clubs in my constituency which have lost tens of thousands of euro in stock or damage to their facilities. Insurance will not cover it all or, in some cases, any of it. We know how difficult it is for businesses, clubs, committee organisations at the moment, with increased costs and so on. Losses like these threaten their future. The response I have received to parliamentary questions is that it is hoped that insurance will cover losses and the issue will be examined, but that is not good enough. These organisations desperately need support, and we need to recognise and provide for that. The same goes for farmers.”
“Furthermore, the Government must ensure that the ESB provides a goodwill payment to customers based on the length of time they were without power. The ESB made profits of €898 million last year. This is the very least that should be done to compensate those affected. In that context, the suggestion by the ESB chief executive that the cost of repairing the electricity network may be borne by customers through increased bills is totally unacceptable. That should be made very clear by Government. In addition, ESB workers and all of those who responded to the storm, including Uisce Éireann, council and emergency service workers and so on, must be acknowledged. The lack of clarity on the humanitarian assistance scheme and the low payments made so far has been very disappointing, given the additional costs that people faced.”
“I am very conscious that today, on day 19, some people in my constituency remain without electricity. I do not think anybody can comprehend the difficulty of going without power for two and a half weeks unless they actually experience it themselves. It is desperately difficult for people who have faced extended periods without electricity and that needs to be recognised and compensated for by the State. Many in my constituency are absolutely furious, and rightly so, that they are receiving bills, including the PSO and standing charges, when they went without electricity for extended periods, in many cases up to two weeks or more. It is unacceptable to charge people who are left without electricity and these charges must be suspended for the period for which people were without power. That is the bare minimum that people should expect.”
“We urgently need clear, comprehensive guidelines on this scheme and what is and is not covered. It is unacceptable that we have not received that two weeks later. It has left people in really difficult situations who are not receiving what they are entitled to and what they deserve. It is my firm belief that the response to this crisis would have been so much more urgent if it was not the west of Ireland that was affected. All the stops would have been pulled out if Dublin was left without power, water and communications for up to two weeks. Rural Ireland, and particularly the west, is forgotten by this State. "To hell or to Connacht" - that is what has been said to me countless times over the past couple of weeks by my constituents and I fully agree with them.”
“Satellite communication must be made available to first responders in the future. I do not know where to start with the humanitarian assistance scheme. The lack of clarity in respect of the scheme has been absolutely appalling. The accommodation announcement coming eight days in was very unfair to vulnerable people who could move out, but had had to stay home until then. The fact that money had to be paid upfront meant many people were not in a position to access alternative accommodation. The payments of €100, €150 and €200 made so far are an absolute insult to people left without power for up to two weeks who have spent huge amounts of money on things like food, clothes washing and other expenses. There has not been clarity on what is covered. For example, are generators covered? There has been no clarity for farms and businesses.”
“There was an utterly unacceptable situation in my home town of Athenry, whereby there was no water supply to the town or any of the surrounding areas for some time. No water tanker or alternative water supply was provided. Supermarkets had been cleared of water. There was no water to be gotten anywhere in Athenry and the surrounding areas. That affected thousands of people, despite repeated requests to Uisce Éireann. It was an absolutely disgraceful situation. Phone and broadband outages were hugely concerning. I was contacted by a person who did not know that their mother had ended up in hospital. That is absolutely terrifying. Improvements in infrastructure are badly needed in this area. Some pockets of my constituency are still without these services. This obviously has a significant impact on work and emergencies.”
“Constantly changing restoration dates and a lack of communication have caused serious issues and meant people could not plan. That must be improved. There must be clear communication in future. Community hubs should be identified and equipped in advance. It was day four, five or six before many were set up. Our councils must be adequately funded to respond to changing demands. Communities and volunteers did their best to step up, but they were not properly supported by the Government. Backup generators for pump houses are essential. It is mind-boggling that they were not in place in advance. Uisce Éireann must improve its communication. Representations were not responded to, with acknowledgements only being issued after several days.”
“We need a review of how the vulnerable customers list is utilised and ensure that, in the event of future storms, priority, generators, accommodation or some other suitable solution for individual people's needs can be provided immediately to everybody on the vulnerable customers register who is affected. I want to raise a number of other issues in respect of our preparedness and response. Forestry is clearly an issue. Trees must be set back from power lines. It is absolutely critical that we improve our infrastructure and build up our grid, using underground infrastructure where possible. We need to ensure the system is future-proofed and ready to resist future climate challenges. The ESB recorded profits of €860 million in 2023. There is no excuse not to provide for significant investment in infrastructure.”
“She could not access alternative accommodation due to her needs, and, as a result, she was robbed of her independence and left in pain and discomfort. This is an appalling situation and one which is not acceptable. I appreciate the difficulty of the response, but no matter what we have to look out for the most vulnerable in our community. Emma is not the only one. I have been contacted constantly regarding elderly and vulnerable people who are suffering. A 97-year-old woman was left sleeping on the ground in the dark and cold because she could not use her personal alarm. These people cannot be forgotten about, in particular in times of crisis. Those who are still without power need support now.”
“The vulnerable customers register was thrown out the window and people were only informed that alternative accommodation would be made available on day eight of the aftermath. Many vulnerable or elderly people are not in a position to leave their homes for various reasons. They have essentially been abandoned, in many cases. Many people in my constituency are still in the dark and cold. Emma Ward, a young wheelchair user from Athenry, is well known as a strong advocate for people with disabilities. She was without electricity for 13 days and only had it restored last night. She is a registered vulnerable customer. She uses an electric wheelchair, but for most of this time she has been unable to use it.”
“Those workers have been working tirelessly to protect us all and restore normality to our communities, often in very dangerous and challenging circumstances. I urge the Government to ensure that they are properly acknowledged and rewarded for their efforts. This storm has had a devastating impact on County Galway, in particular. Thousands remain without power in their homes. We also have serious water outages, road safety issues and phone and broadband outages. These are all extremely serious and have left people without their basic needs being met. What was most concerning to me over the past two weeks was the lack of care and regard shown to vulnerable members of our community.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach agus le gach duine a thug tacaíocht dom agus a chaith vóta dom sa toghchán seo. Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall a bheith i m'ionadaí láidir. I thank the people of Galway East who have put me here as the first republican TD for the constituency in over a hundred years. I will represent them to the best of my ability. I want to pay tribute to those involved in responding to the storm, including workers from the ESB, Uisce Éireann, county councils, emergency services, community volunteers and others. Their efforts in an emergency situation are in stark contrast to those of the Government, which only returned to work yesterday when we could have all been in here last week providing much needed clarity to people and working on issues related to the emergency response.”