Louise O'Reilly
Dublin Fingal West · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I welcome this debate this afternoon and am happy to be able to make a small contribution to it. I grew up in a Border town. I ended up in that town because my father was a trade union organiser who represented workers on both sides of the Border for a long number of years and, in fact, went on to be based in the North for a long time.”
“I am fortunate enough to represent a constituency that is very firmly in the Dublin–Belfast economic corridor. Before partition, as we know, Belfast was a thriving industrial powerhouse. Partition put a lid on the potential of that city to grow and flourish.”
“When we talk about Irish unity, we should frame that discussion as one about potential for growth, the potential for all-Ireland working and all-Ireland business. Between Belfast and Dublin, there are five universities, numerous colleges of further education and training, and businesses that are ready to scale up.”
“As the debate on Irish unity advances, and it is advancing despite what some of the people opposite would like to happen, we need to frame that discussion in a positive way. We need to look clearly for those opportunities while acknowledging the challenges. We are not blind to the challenges.”
“If her letter does not have any impact - let us be honest; it has not had any impact - the Minister of State might outline what he will do that might go a bit further than writing a letter. We know that devices are essential. We know that parents want their kids to be able to participate.”
“I thank the Deputies for bringing forward this motion. I was chatting to my dad as I was coming in and told him I would be debating this motion in relation to supports for parents this morning. He reminded me, of course, that it was the Labour Party in government that cut those very supports.”
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“She asked me to let them know that this limbo and uncertainty is impacting, ultimately, on the students who need support, and on the whole classroom. This chaos caused by the Government has unearthed a problem that has always been there. There needs to be an overhaul. SNAs, teachers, students and families need certainty. A one-size-fits-all approach has not worked and will not work. There must be recognition for the actual work that SNAs do. They deserve respect. I agree with Niamh. A parent in my family wrote the following to me: We ALL know there is a serious lack of support for children with needs and their families in this country, so I cannot understand why more is not being done for them, never mind understanding the logic behind support being taken away!”
“Is cuid ríthábhachtach den phobal iad na cúntóirí riachtanas speisialta. Ceadaíonn na cúntóirí riachtanas speisialta do pháistí foghlaim agus fás. Another fine mess that the Government has created. I am genuinely here in disbelief at the absolute hack of the Government backbenchers, rambling in, every single one of them, pretending to be shocked at the implications of the budget that they bloody well voted for. I want to talk to the Ministers about a woman I know, Niamh, who is an SNA. I asked her how the Government made her feel because, ultimately, the Government is her employer. She asked me to tell the Ministers that they have kicked the can down the road. She is not stupid, and she knows what they are at.”
“The key surely has to be preventing this flood damage but the fact that the State has money at its disposal and millions of euro allocated, and that somehow it is not being spent, does not make any sense. I certainly do not try to explain the actions of this Government - I am beyond doing that - but when you try to tell constituents who are in flood-impacted areas that, yes, it is possible that a system could have been developed but was not developed, that is very hard for them to stomach.”
“I would be critical, where it is due, of Fingal County Council but it has always been good in regard to the provision of sandbags and other mitigation measures. That is of no use to people, however, if they do not get the advance warning. On the advance warning, it is very hard to explain to people how the money was allocated and yet, somehow, the Department could not find its way to spend it. People might be able to understand if it was a budgetary matter. They might be able to comprehend it if it was a case of insufficient funds allocated but in regard to the money being allocated and not being spent, that is very hard for me to explain to my constituents when they look at the flood events and they see they cannot use their roads or, as I have said to the Minister of State, when they have to use the roads afterwards amid the damage.”
“What I want to say to the Minister of State today is that when the flood waters recede and you are no longer up to your knees or elbows in the flood, the damage that happens after that also requires attention. It is not just all about making sure the floods recede. We need to look at the national flood forecasting and warning service as well because at least that can give people a little bit of a heads-up. We know rightly that it is a scandal that the millions of euro allocated for the national flood forecasting and warning service over the past eight years remains unspent. That does not make any sense. It does not make any sense to me but it most definitely does not make any sense to people who can tell you that if they have a warning, they will be able to put those systems in place.”
“Every single time there is flooding, the Minister of State and I both know that the aftermath of that for people in their homes is absolutely devastating but the aftermath of that for people who are driving on the roads, because they have no choice, is also devastating. If you take Brook Lane in Rush, I know in advance when that is going to flood. The residents know in advance that it is going to flood. They might not know how bad it is going to be but they know it is going to flood and it happens every time. This time when it happened, it was particularly bad and there were people, including emergency service workers, who were stuck in their homes, which has a knock-on consequence.”
“Yes, it blocked roads but it did not get into many homes. I know from talking to Deputy Buckley and others the damage and devastation that it can bring to a community but we are still left dealing with the aftermath of it in one way or another because we are dealing with the fact that the roads are in such poor condition immediately following it. Every single time there is a flood, that means the roads are going to get even worse and there is no mitigation. If there was going to be proper drainage put in place, all of that could be encompassed within a budget to not just drain the roads but also improve the quality of the roads and recognise the damage.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here to listen to the statements. For my part, flooding is something that happens occasionally. It is usually from the sea rather than rivers in my area but it is the impact and aftermath of flooding. The state of the roads in north County Dublin is shocking. They are the kinds of words people use. If you come around by an area like Blake's Cross, you will often see tyres and parts of tyres on the side. Added to that situation, which was already bad, we then had flooding on top of it. It is an area that floods all the time. You could set your watch by it. When there is heavy rain, there is flooding at Blake's Cross. There just does not seem to be any connectedness in regard to what happens after the flooding and once the water recedes. In the recent flooding, we were very lucky.”
“Should this legislation proceed to the next Stage - the Minister of State has indicated fairly clearly he does not want it to which is very regrettable - I hope we will have the chance to include within it an amendment that Sinn Féin might table on the right to disconnect. Along with the right to remote work, there has to be a balance in terms of the right to disconnect for workers. I was somewhat disappointed to see that was not in this legislation but I appreciate that not every piece can be in every Bill. Workers should have the right to remote work. The Minister of State knows it well. Does he only work when he is sitting at his desk? No. He works in a variety of environments but he is not unique. Loads of workers can do that and all they need is the Government to get out of their way to give them that opportunity.”
“We could always request it but we did not have a right to have it fairly considered which is what workers need. Employers have consistently refused this but never advanced a single decent reason as to why. Sure they do not need to for as long as they have the old green Tories in place in government doing their work for them. Workers should, of course, have the right to remote working but workers are not stupid. The Minister of State expressed concern that people might look for it who would not be entitled to it. People who do jobs that are amenable to remote work should have the opportunity to do that. People who cannot are not stupid; if they are working in a job that does not facilitate remote work, they know exactly what that is like.”
“I thank the Deputies for introducing the Bill this morning and for giving us a chance to discuss a topic which I have discussed in this Chamber many times before. When I was thinking about the legislation as I was walking over here, I was reminded that the first case I took as a shop steward was for teleworking as we called it. It moved on to be e-working and now we call it remote and flexible working. The attitude of employers, as demonstrated by the Fine Gael Minister of State here this morning, was always the exact same: it is as if it is some sort of treat and something that workers can get if they are good but it was never going to be a right. I almost laughed when the Minister of State's predecessor brought in the right to request remote working - sure I had that in the last days of the last century.”
“Residential is extremely important, and if the Minister of State had the exact figure with him, I would be able to match that against the number of people on the waiting lists, but that is only one aspect of what is needed. Community-based housing means people can age and live in their community and be with their friends, which is so important to the families of Remember Us. They told us very clearly that that is where there needs to be some focus.”
“People are living longer and that is a good thing, but they will outlive their parents. That is also a good thing, but their parents are concerned about what will happen to them. The Minister of State said dedicated housing co-ordinators have been appointed. In his response, he might explain exactly where they are based. A name and phone number would be brilliant, and while I would not ask him to put that on the record, he can tell me who the person is for my area of Dublin - or rather our area because an Teachta O’Donoghue is here too - Dublin Fingal West. Who is that person and how can they assist with the provision of long-term housing?”
“That response was fairly disappointing, and I am saying that with as much respect as I can muster. The Minister of State stated, “From 2020 to 2025, 955 new residential places were provided to people with disabilities, which has undoubtedly had an impact in Dublin Fingal West.” It would have been nicer if he had got the figures and told me how many places relate to that constituency, if any. The question that was put was about community-based housing. It was not necessarily about residential care. There is a looming crisis, whether the Government acknowledges it or not, that relates to people who are ageing in the community. It is brilliant that people are living longer, thanks to the work of the Minister of State’s wife, her colleagues, the families and all the rest.”
“It is about inclusion. It is about people with disabilities being in their own community, with their friends and in an environment that they are familiar with. It is about ensuring they have that level of support.”
“It advised a parent that they are legally obliged to support their daughter, and that includes the provision of accommodation - accommodation that will go on after the parent has died. It is not within the gift of parents to provide that. What I am asking the Minister of State to do this morning is to perhaps outline for me what kind of joined-up thinking is happening. There is nothing more certain than these young people becoming young adults and older people. There is nothing more certain than that their parents and loved ones will not be in a position to care for them. That is why the organisation Before We Die has been set up. Some work is going on. I know Remember Us has ambitious plans in terms of establishing a small community of appropriately sized houses but it goes back to the foundation and the reason Remember Us was founded.”
“They all had one concern. That concern is around what will happen to their loved ones, their adult children, when their parents are no longer able to care for them. We are talking about people who are in their 60s, 70s and in some cases in their 80s and older, who are absolutely terrified at the prospect of their loved ones having to go into a nursing home. I think we can all agree that a nursing home is not an appropriate place for a person. A nursing home is a place for an elderly person, not a person with disabilities, intellectual or physical disabilities. I, like others, was somewhat shocked when I read Fergus Finlay's column when he wrote that he had seen a letter that had come from the HSE.”
“I instinctively knew that without developing this side of his life he would always feel inadequate and isolated from society. This would inevitably lead to even greater problems as he got older. After years of searching and failing to find such a place, I decided to set up Remember Us, for Paul and for other children like him. The key here is about integration and that feeling of not being isolated. I know that there are clubs like Remember Us and services like those of Prosper Fingal across the State. They are working really hard to provide services. However, we attended a meeting just before Christmas in the building that Nora runs Remember Us out of. We met with parents there. They all had one concern. This will not be new to the Minister of State and I thank him for being here this morning to take the Topical Issue.”
“I acknowledge the presence of my colleague, an Teachta Robert O'Donoghue. Along with our constituency colleague, Deputy Boland, we have been working with a number of groups in our area to try to secure long-term housing solutions for persons with disabilities. This morning, I want to focus specifically on one service. It is an organisation known as Remember Us. I will not try to tell the Minister of State what my view of Remember Us is but I will tell him in her own words what the founder, Nora Roban says. When she was asked why Remember Us, a club for children and adults with special needs, was set up, she said: The answer is simple. My son Paul has special needs. It is absolutely vital for people with special needs to develop their social skills and self-esteem early in life, to help integrate into society.”
“They cannot come home to buy because they cannot compete with vulture funds. Investment funds are buying family homes. Our young people do not have a chance. When the Government says it wants to ban a practice, it sometimes forgets that it is the Government and could just ban it. It could stop it happening but it does not do so.”
“The Government committed to this and yet still it happens. It is a little bit like the Minister's war on dereliction. It is really hard to see it as anything other than empty rhetoric. Last weekend I spoke to a woman who lives in Rush in my constituency. She has three grown-up children, all of whom are teachers and all of whom work abroad. They are absolutely desperate to come home and she is absolutely sick of only seeing her grandchildren on Skype. Her adult children want to come home but they are competing with these vulture funds. They are working hard but the odds are stacked against them because of Government policy. Rents in my constituency are on average €2,300 per month. Her kids cannot come home to rent because they will never ever be able to save for a deposit, paying the sky-high rents that are now Government policy.”
“I want to express my thanks to an Teachta Doherty for proposing this Private Members' motion and for all the work he has done in this space. While the Minister and his best buds in Fine Gael were rolling out the red carpet, at least there were people on the Opposition benches shouting "Stop". I feel so sorry for young people. I genuinely worry for them that they are starting to lose hope, and all the while, they are literally being gaslit by this Government. The Government has made it very comfortable for these investment funds, vulture funds or whatever word we want to put on it. Fine Gael invited them in and Fianna Fáil took out the hoover and cleaned the red carpet and made sure they felt every bit as welcome. A total of 2,000 homes have been snapped up by these vulture funds since the Government said it would stop the practice.”
“We understand the purchasing power of our own wages. We understand that every year a campaign is run asking people to support local and to drive local jobs. We understand that when we spend money, we are supporting either ethical procurement or procurement that falls well short of that. The outworkings of Government policy result in a lack of transparency and accountability and the lowest possible standards for the people who depend on the Government for support. It is a very simple thing to say, but it is a very important thing to do. The Government should spend taxpayers' money where decency, workers rights, accountability, transparency and quality are the watchwords and not continue with its current practice, the result of which we do not just see all around us, we pay for.”
“He is not a bit concerned about a potential 3% rise in costs. Would you go away out of that? Nobody is buying it. Nobody for a moment believes that it is a real or genuine concern because we know, in truth, that costs spiral out of control all of the time. What the Minister of State did not address was how he is going to build in quality, human rights, transparency and accountability, because they are not there at the moment. He read his script well, which is fine, but he did not demonstrate how these aspects are going to be built into public procurement. As it stands, the State is a major player. It was stated previously that this is hard to understand. It is not. Anyone who spends money in a shop understands how it is done. Anybody who spends any money at all understands how this is done.”
“As has previously been indicated, there is nothing the Minister of State has cited as a concern that could not be teased out, addressed and dealt with on Committee Stage. I would go so far as to say that is exactly what Committee Stage is for. It is where we scrutinise legislation and make it as good as it can be. In truth, it is the principle of this legislation, not the outworkings of it, that would enshrine transparency, accountability, human rights, equality and quality. That is what the Government has a problem with. The problem is not with the mechanics of the legislation because the Minister of State and I both well know that this can be worked out. The problem relates to transparency, accountability, quality and human rights. The Minister of State should have been honest about that.”
“Because of the Government's procurement policies, that time was whittled away and companies are now in pursuit of the big value-for-money lowest common denominator of 15 minutes for an elderly person. What can you do in 15 minutes with an elderly person? You cannot wash, shower or change them. You can barely have a conversation with them. There is not a cup of tea and no dinner. You could probably not light a fire in 15 minutes. That is where ignoring quality, standards and human rights gets us. I am long enough in here to know not to plead with the Minister of State because I know well that once the decision is taken, there is very little that can be done. However, even at this stage, I urge the Minister of State to go back to the senior Minister and discuss this legislation with him.”
“The legislation seeks to limit the practice of lowballing. I have seen that in action. I have seen companies, large global multinational corporations and SMEs go in with figures that are absolutely unattainable. They know that. They did it with home helps. They know the decision will be made on the basis of money. They go in with the lowest possible price and are then sure they will get the contract. Thereafter, whose business is it? It is the business of the poor unfortunates who have their time cut back. It was public procurement policy and the outsourcing of the home help services that led us to what is called the 15-minute call. Previous to that, a person got an hour with their home help. It was a minimum of an hour.”
“The Minister of State extolled the virtues of his Government but he did not mention its greatest hits of procurement. He failed to mention the €330,000 bike shed, the €1.43 million security hut for Leinster House or the €7 million of taxpayers' hard-earned money spent on a failed IT system for the Arts Council. This is all before we even consider the massive cost overrun of the national children's hospital. The Minister of State expressed concern about the potential this legislation has to put up the costs. He said this had happened in Holland where costs went up by 3%. Jesus, there has been a 300% increase in the cost of the national children's hospital. The Minister of State seems unbothered by that, but 3% is going to keep the Government up at night with worry. I cannot accept the arguments that were put forward.”
“Value for money does not always mean the lowest common denominator or the cheapest possible option. Value for money, in many instances, actually means spending money where workers' rights are protected and in a way that is decent and a driver of quality. The Government is indeed a big player in this market. I should not be a bit surprised that this Government is opposing this legislation. As I and others have said, this Government is allergic to accountability. Transparency is a different world from where this Government exists. This legislation is very simple. The Minister of State sought to convolute the issue and make it sound like it was more complicated than it is. In truth, however, this legislation is very simple. It puts quality as well as price into public procurement decision-making.”
“I know from my previous work in a trade union that we had disputes with the Government, and in some instances its agencies, in relation to trade union recognition, so riddle me this: how can one arm of the State say, through the Labour Court, that there should be a collective agreement, while the other arm of the State can say it will continue to do business with a company even though it does not respect workers' rights or the determinations of the Labour Court? Whenever these arguments were put to various Governments made up of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, the Labour Party and, more recently, Independents and the Green Party, the answer that came back was the Government had to be careful because it is charged with spending taxpayers' money so it has to ensure we get value for money.”
“We believe that where the Government is spending taxpayers' hard-earned money, it should be aware that it is a significant player in the market and a driver of quality or, indeed, of low standards. That choice is the Government's. This legislation would ensure the Government makes those choices in favour of decency and quality, not just the lowest common denominator and the lowest possible price all of the time. How their money is spent is important to people. Obviously, they want to see value for money and of course they are aghast, as I am, when they see the costs for the national children's hospital spiral out of control. Of course, they want to see that value-for-money element. They also want to know that their money is being spent in pursuit of decency. The Government is a major player here. How it spend money really matters.”
“It is a bit regrettable that we did not have a copy of the Minister's speech when we started but I am sure that can be addressed for future debates. I am pleased to see this legislation. I understand it was first proposed by Senator Higgins and the Civil Engagement Group in the Seanad. I thank them for their work on this very important issue. I also thank the Deputies who brought the Bill forward for debate in the Dáil. This legislation builds on work done by my colleague Deputy Mairéad Farrell who, in 2021, introduced her policy report, Towards A New Strategy For Progressive Procurement, and followed that with her Transparency and Social Value in Public Procurement Bill 2024. For Sinn Féin, this is a very important issue.”
“I want to briefly mention a woman in my area. I have mentioned this case many times. She moved from the city centre to north county Dublin. She has been advised by the Garda to remain where she is for her own safety. Her ex nearly killed her. He is now out of prison and living in the area where she was originally on the housing list. Some 12 years later, she is faced with an impossible choice. She should not have to make that impossible choice. She should not have to choose between her own safety and losing those years. That is why she requires a social housing passport, and why a social housing passport is essential.”
“I want to thank my colleague, Teachta Eoin Ó Broin, for his work on this legislation. It is very much required simply because of the length of time that families are left on social housing waiting lists. In my area, it is 14 years. That is hard to believe, is it not? They are left for so long that they are forced to move to counties and places outside of their original area. What happens then is that their kids join clubs and they join schools. It is more acute when we are looking at families who have children with special needs because they access services and they become embedded in the community. When it is time for them to go back to their original area, they cannot afford to leave all of those supports. It is very cruel that they are forced to make a choice about losing those years because they are simply left waiting.”
“In his opening remarks the Minister said "that platforms have allowed the non-consensual nudification of images". Platforms have been allowed and that has to stop. Platforms have been facilitated because that is how it has happened. This has to stop. The generation of these images dehumanises not only women but mostly women. It is dehumanising, degrading and disgusting. This amendment to Coco's Law is designed to stamp it out once and for all. We need to get serious about this. We need to ensure not just that the Government does not oppose the legislation but it supports it, implements it and enforces it.”
“I commend Deputies Carthy and Devine on this important amendment. It is welcome that the Government is not opposing this. The Minister and I both know that sometimes that does not mean the Government is supporting it either. I would like to see it supported. I welcome the visitors in the Gallery. Tá sé mícheart rogha duine éigin a thógáil agus é a athrú gan cead an duine. Níl sé ceart nó cóir é sin a dhéanamh do dhuine. It is regrettable that intimate image abuse is increasing. The harm is increasing. The scope is increasing. The way that images are being manipulated is becoming even more pervasive. The charge that has been levelled against the Government is that it is too beholden to big tech to take any real action. The only way that charge can be answered effectively is by the Government taking real action.”
“Houses are also being built in my area. The Government is not building anywhere near enough, but they are certainly building in the area. This is needed to future-proof, at some point, but it is also needed now. The schools are in very substandard conditions. There are 18-year-old prefabs in one of those schools. They are mouldy. It is not appropriate for kids to be taught in those conditions. I was going to say "in modern times", but it is not appropriate any time for kids to be in classrooms where there is mould.”
“Gaelscoil Ros Eo and St. Joseph's in Rush are at a very advanced stage, have planning permission and a site, and the tender documents are going to go to the Department in a matter of weeks. St. Mary's National School in Oldtown is in 18-year-old prefabs. It is at stage 2a. Balbriggan Community College is at stage 2b, but not on the priority list. Rush National School is also at stage 2b. These are all in towns where I would be very confident, because I have looked at the data, that they fulfil the demographic requirements. If the demographic requirements are the only requirements that this priority list was based on, I am happy to tell the Minister of State that we more than fulfil that. The Minister of State can ask the master in the Rotunda Hospital and they will tell him that there is population growth in my area.”
“I will read out the names again because none of the schools I named are on the list. To be brutally frank with the Minister of State, referencing schools that were built previously is not going to help the people in schools that are falling down around them and bursting at the seams. We have a problem in Dublin Fingal West in terms of school capacity. We also have a problem because the teaching staff, pupils and parents are absolutely sick, sore and tired of make-do and mend. I am going to read out the specific names. I would be most grateful if the Minister of State could get me a direct response as soon as possible on each of these so that I might go back to the parents and the school communities, which are all coming to me because they are understandably distressed. St. Teresa's national school in Balbriggan is stuck at stage 2b.”
“These schools are all in towns where the population is growing and the schools are already pushed to capacity. The teachers are doing their very best. The principals are tearing their hair out. Then, when the priority list comes out, it can be imagined how people felt when they saw their school was not on it. I am hopeful, given the advanced stage of some of these projects, that they will be able to progress but I would be interested to hear from the Minister of State what the response of the Department is.”
“There are a lot of prefabs there and they are falling apart. This school is stuck at stage 2b. Gaelscoil Ros Eo and St. Joseph's Secondary School, Rush, have planning permission, a site and the tender documents are going to be delivered to the Department in a matter of weeks. They are at a very advanced stage. They want to know when they are getting the green light and when there will be a new school. I am sure they are as sick now at all the Government representatives and wannabee representatives who turned up for their photographs and now it appears this is going to be delayed. St. Mary's National School, Oldtown, has 18-year-old Portakabins. It is stuck at stage 2a. Balbriggan Community College is at stage 2b but is also not on the priority list. Likewise, Rush National School is stuck at stage 2b.”
“We are scratching our heads. There are plenty of schools in my area that require additional infrastructure. I know we are very short of autism places in Skerries at the moment. I was compiling this list and it is a case of 2b or not 2b. A lot of schools in my area are stuck at stage 2b. They had hoped they would find themselves on this list for priorities and that that would give them the green light. What they fear is that because they are not on the 2026 and 2027 list, that means their school and building that is so desperately needed is now going to be pushed out and will not happen until at least 2028. The Minister of State may be able to address that. I am specifically raising a number of schools today. St. Teresa's Primary School, Balbriggan, is a fantastic school celebrating 50 years and some of the buildings are that old.”
“Unfortunately, when the Government published its priority list there was not one single school from my constituency on that list. Not one. It has been remarked on by a few of the old backbenchers of destiny, as well as by other TDs, that there does seems to be quite a number of them going to Galway, which I am sure is just a coincidence because that is in the Minister's constituency but we have not had an explanation as to how some schools get on the list and some do not and that is really frustrating. My phone has been hopping. I have met parents in person. I have also received a huge number of emails. As the Minister of State can imagine, when the list comes out and it is on the RTÉ website, the first thing people do is click and go to see where their kid's school is on the list. There was not one on the list.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here this evening. I do not mean this disrespectfully when I say it but I would have appreciated if the Minister for education could have made herself available for this because it is a very serious issue in my constituency. I do not say that in any disrespectful way to the Minister of State. I am grateful he at least is here to hear it. The Government published its priority list this day last week. That sets out who is on the list and who is not. I represent one of the youngest constituencies, which is also the fastest growing in terms of population, in this State. The need not just for infrastructure now, namely, classrooms to get rid of the prefabs, is very clear but also we need to plan for the future because we have a growing population. That is a good thing and we are very proud of that.”
“First, it must put supports in place and it must have targeted payments for energy and the basics for people to be able to live. Second, it must tackle price gouging. I heard it from Neale Richmond a couple of years ago. He was bringing in the heads of the supermarkets and he was going to talk tough. Jesus, we are paying an awful lot more than we were. I am probably glad he did not bring them in again because the prices went up almost immediately. The third thing that a Government should do is just not make things worse. Do not jack up the cost of going to college and do not jack up the cost of renting. This Government does not listen, however, and it does not understand that.”
“Again, 4% is just a figure but in real life that is a man standing at the checkout saying to a child, "Put that back, we cannot afford that this week." There is shame in that. These people come into my advice clinics and they tell me they are ashamed because they have to tell their kids that they cannot have something - sometimes it is something fairly basic - and I never, ever fail to remind them that the shame belongs to this Government. The shame is not theirs. They want to be able to provide for their kids. They work hard, but if they are on the minimum wage, they will not get any closer to the living wage under this Government. It has made it very clear. Any Government with a serious interest in protecting people from inflation has to do at least these three things.”
“They spoke very clearly. The people with disabilities said it. They are making a choice between heating and eating as a direct result of Government policy. It was hurtful and wrong of the Minister to try to gaslight them because people with disabilities face enough challenges in this State. They have to give 24-hours' notice to use some forms of public transport. It is very hard for them to access employment. It is very tough for them to get out of the house some days. It is near impossible if they do not have the money to power up their mobility devices. They were told it was dangerous for us to repeat what people with disabilities told us. The Government should be ashamed but it will not be. We see food inflation running at 4%.”
“They see you for who you are. They have memories that go back to November 2024 and all of those promises and they see them now gone - absolutely gone. One in five workers in this State today is classified as being in poverty. That is nothing to be proud of in a State where there are surpluses that run to billions and pay increases available to very well-off CEOs because obviously they have to be shielded from any cost-of-living crisis, but for the people on the front line of the Government’s policies, the people who will have to pay those higher rents when it rams its rent hike Bill through, there will be no pay increases for them, no big bonuses, no bonanzas, nothing like that. They will be told to make do and mend. They are gaslit by the Minister for Social Protection telling them their own lived reality is not true.”
“Disabled people came to the audiovisual room - I did not see too many Government representatives there – and told us that there are days when they have to make a very real choice between the groceries and energy they need and the bills they must pay. I hope that when the Minister of State comes to read out his script, he might scribble a bit at the end and express a little bit of shame about that. That is €1,400 the Government took from people who are struggling just to exist. The Government is trying to do the same kind of thing that it did with the students when it jacked up the fees by €500 and then told everyone that somehow that was cut. People are not stupid. They have to manage their own finances. They have to balance their own books. They have to get themselves to the end of the week. They see what the Government is doing.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Dillon will remember that his party leader could not pass a microphone back in October-November 2024 without reminding people of their commitment to introduce within 100 days of government a plan for €200 per week childcare. What happened to that? Again, all the pre-election promises are gone like snow off a ditch because they are in now and they do not care. We totally understand that. The Government has taken €1,400 off disabled people. Those are not my words; they are the words of disabled people. What was the response of the Government? The Minister, Deputy Calleary, said it was misleading and dangerous - he was very concerned - to suggest that people are choosing between heating and eating.”