Máire Devine
Dublin South-Central · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“We women need to have the opportunity to know this, to be informed and to walk away before it is too late. I wholeheartedly commend Jennie's loving brother, Jason, for his dedication and tenacity pursuing the establishment of this domestic violence register. We also had David French in here a couple of weeks ago as well.”
“It is an emotion we all have - falling in love. It is a promise. It is life-affirming, with a possibility of leading to a life partner. It is a wonderful human emotion.”
“The original proposed scope of convictions to be included on the register was too narrowly limited to only physical violence. We know there are many other types that are committed in intimate relationships.”
“I concur with them and therefore I support Committee Stage amendments Nos. 5, 6 and 7, as submitted by my Sinn Féin colleague, which extend the length of registration to five years. I also support amendment No.”
“This is a sensitive, vitally important piece of legislation and has the potential to affect for the good everyone on our island. Jennie was a young, vibrant woman; a daughter, a mother and a sister who believed she had found a life partner but suffered the heartbreak of knowing that he was not who he seemed to be and he took her life - a…”
“There is a timed amendment on this legislation, which would allow a simple and practical issue that somebody cannot live next door, on the same street or in the same neighbourhood as their abuser. It is a no-brainer.”
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“We heard fine words from the Minister but Ireland's involvement and support for Palestine, on which she and the Government self-congratulate themselves, are but an embarrassing drop in the ocean of what is needed. The Government has been kicking around the occupied territories Bill and looking concerned for eight years. The silent tuts and concerned frown lines which come up when atrocities happen will not cut it; sanctions will. I thank the bold Deputy Boyd Barrett for introducing this Bill. Tomorrow will mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba catastrophe, 78 years of forced displacement that is continuous and ongoing. Some 66% of the Palestinian people are refugees following three years of genocide, multiple crimes and blatant breaches of international law.”
“The HSE squandered the opportunity to decrease the billions of euro spent on agency workers and overtime over the last number years and instead provide skilled, knowledgeable and experienced nurses. It was a crucial missed opportunity to end long hours and burnout, provide safety and allow us to carry out our duty of care. I conclude by acknowledging all of the healthcare professionals who have been abducted, injured and killed in Palestine due to Israel's horrific and violent attacks on the health infrastructure there. What they have endured is truly abominable. We are witnessing the loss of humanity. Humanity is a core component of what it takes to be a nurse.”
“That means a strong commitment to the existing workforce in terms of pay and conditions, safety, respect, support and professional development. We must invest in affordable housing for nurses, midwives and their families near their workplaces. Locally, I am talking to the approved housing bodies and requesting of them in the Dublin 8 area, which is the health hub of our country, to retain some of the new housing builds for accommodation for local nurses through their four years of training. I cannot help reflecting on the HSE's appeal at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. The Be on Call for Ireland campaign was heard loud and clear around the world. Tens of thousands gave up jobs and homes and returned to Ireland to assist. Many were nurses and were given a mere three-month contact, as I was.”
“A large proportion of our nursing force is now from other lands. It is a global phenomenon, as the Minister rightly said, and we are now heavily reliant on international staff to help steady our wobbly ship. While on the one hand we have a brain drain of trained nurses, we are also posing a drain on nurses from the less-advantaged countries of the world, negatively impacting their own quality of healthcare. The WHO has identified more than 50 countries that are exporting nurses, putting their own healthcare systems at risk. Everyone is entitled to look for a better life as our nurses have done abroad. However, the solution is not just in recruitment, but in retention and increased capacity for those wishing to train as nurses.”
“Some 6,000 funded posts remain vacant, meaning that recently announced HSE staffing controls are extremely worrying to all nurses. As the INMO warned, nurses cannot provide safe care and are scraping by with unsafe staffing levels. Essential worker recruitment is the first cut in every healthcare budget overrun. Likewise, the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland has flagged the HSE's shocking proposals to close ten CAMHS beds in St. Vincent's in Fairview. Serious difficulties in recruitment and retention of psychiatric nurses give rise to grave concerns of the feasibility of opening the 11 beds in Linn Dara, as the Minister of State will be aware, and the 20 new CAMHS beds at the national children's hospital, whenever that opens. I am grateful to the registered nurses from outside Ireland who have arrived to help.”
“Empowered Nurses Save Lives." This means ensuring the nursing workforce has the resources, the authority and the safety necessary to improve healthcare outcomes. Nurses are carers but they also need to be cared for. The insecurity of poor working environments with so many vacancies compromises patient care. That is just the way it is. Our healthcare system is in trouble. It is shaken to the core by the rapid and steady exit of medical professions to perceived greener pastures. An estimated 25,000 Irish qualified nurses and midwives left the healthcare system in the past two decades. The significant long-term trend of emigration deepens the nursing crisis in Ireland with three quarters of new graduates considering emigrating due to burnout, poor working conditions and, of course, the housing crisis.”
“We are the backbone of the healthcare service - the glue that holds it together - and keep it going, albeit in unsafe conditions. I recognise my colleagues from the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland, the INMO and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, NMBI, formerly Bord Altranais, in the Public Gallery. Tá céad míle fáilte romhaibh, a cháirde. International Nurses Day was first celebrated 65 years ago on the anniversary of the birth of Flo, Florence Nightingale, also known as the Lady with the Lamp. I also honour our own Irish nursing heroes - Cumann na mBan's Elizabeth O'Farrell and the very matronly Margaret Huxley, in whose name they still have yearly awards in hospitals for the most high-achieving nursing student. This year's theme, as the Minister said, is "Our Nurses. Our Future.”
“As the only nurse in the Dáil, I stand here very proud. I am fortunate enough to have served on the board of St. James's Hospital, the largest hospital in the country. I am delighted that the Government agreed to have these statements on International Nurses Day and I thank the Minister and the Ministers of State. It is a first for the 100,000 plus nurses across this island, North and South. We hardly ever agree to things and this might be a rare occasion. I concur with most of what the Minister said. There are details in other areas I would disagree with but today is a day of celebration and we will not get too snarly with each other. It is about, I suppose, recognising the hard work of nurses, globally and nationally.”
“Apparently the Labour Party not only has buyer's remorse; it is also having by-election remorse. The Minister of State should be ashamed of himself - absolutely morto for you - at the irreparable damage he is wreaking upon the working classes of our city and the inner city that is their place and their home. Respect is a two-way street. Please stand up and respect these guys in the Gallery.”
“The damaging criminality, antisocial behaviour and drug dealing are picking off our youth in these complexes. Some of the well-heeled are aghast that these young people seemingly do not respect their areas but why should they when the Government does not lead by example? The social cost to communities the Government is tearing asunder and neglecting is immeasurable. The Government's countermotion cites the successful rebuild of phase 1 of Dolphin House. What a joke - more jokes than a cracker factory. Entire rows need to be redone. If the Government considers this a success I would hate to its failures. The Labour Party's amendment decries the recent rent increases in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, yet Labour Party councillors voted in favour of these hikes along with the Green Party.”
“Even the Brits were forced to acknowledge this was unacceptable and undertook the construction of estates for public health and to clear some of the slums. In 1917, Sinn Féin alderman Thomas Kelly chaired the Dublin Corporation housing committee and kicked against funding delays, a mirror image of the failings of today's Government and the Minister. Residents of Dolphin House had to bring their case to Europe due to sewage, damp, rodent infestations and mould. There has been no meaningful maintenance of inner city flat complexes. DCC has been bled dry of expertise and decimated due to the Government decisions and funding cuts over the past 20 years. The Minister of State should know this well. He has continued these practices and policies that perpetrate Dickensian conditions.”
“Céad míle fáilte to all the residents up there. I want to give a shout out to the flat complexes of Meath Place, Dolphin House, Tyrone Place, Braithewaite Street and Seagull House in my constituency alone. Unfortunately the residents of Oliver Bond House, who planned to attend, cannot be here, as has been mentioned. These residents are devastated by dealing with yet more Government ineptitude but they are ready for the fight ahead. All these guys in the Gallery have fought all their lives and they are not going to give up now. Some 120 years ago, Dublin had the worst slums in Europe in which 30% of the city's population resided. Slums were described as unfit for human habitation. These conditions bred illness and premature death. It was called the consumption at the time.”
“The counter-motion is an embarrassment. The Minister made a pre-election pledge, and now he comes along with this. It is time to step up to the plate and deliver.”
“The voluntary system is unfair, one-sided and very short-sighted. It flies in the face of our obligations under international human rights law. It is counterproductive for thriving, successful enterprises and services. In fact, collective bargaining secures industrial peace and economic stability. It respects workers and employers and establishes mature dialogue and has been shown to prevent much industrial action. All other European states legislate for this, and most avoid strikes and stoppages. They reap the rewards of rewarding workers for productivity, innovation and ownership. Those rewards support industrial peace, economic stability and success. Workers have a democratic right to be collectively represented by trade unions. This Government, including the Minister, made a pledge It should honour that now.”
“With paltry sick leave and a living wage kicked to touch, in his contribution, the Minister did not do an awful lot to instil confidence. His first point was that "nothing prevents parties who wish to exercise their right to collectively bargain". He can tell that to the 700 workers in Covalen. I do not think they would find that very comforting at all. Trade unions are the only organisations that protect the rights and interests of workers, yet in our country, which has a long history of struggle and union activism, is an outlier in Europe. Workers have no right to collective bargaining. Employers holds the cards – their veto – and can refuse to engage with unions, which happens. That creates a chilling effect for workers in the context of job security and the quality of their well-being.”
“I have a couple of asks of the Minister of State. The first is that we progress the Bill whatever way we can. The Minister said he would. Whatever way we can, let us progress it urgently. Second, can we please find funding for research into historical cases and the social history - the wrong history - of what occurred in this country prior to 1993? We need to be very proud when this Bill passes because it will have repercussions internationally. It will reverberate around those countries that still have this criminalisation and show us in a positive light as did the marriage equality referendum. It will send a message to a very disturbed world, a world that has recently risen up with much hate and a lot of chaos. I urge the Minister of State to act with urgency. Let us get this across the line. Tá sé in am.”
“As Deputy O'Reilly said, a stigma existed. They fled and were disregarded. They were sent away and exported. It was also the time of the very beginnings of the HIV epidemic, and it was that double whammy. Some of the poor young men who were struggling with being far from home and being disregarded by home also contracted HIV. The fear that was around at the time was just enormous among all the population. They did not have anybody to turn to. They did not have the comforting warm embrace of a mam, dad, brother or a sister. They survived very much alone and that was an absolute tragedy when I think back on it. I was very upset by it at the time but I did not know what to do because none of us were sure what this epidemic would bring. It brought a lot of sadness to already isolated and emotionally impoverished people.”
“I did not know about this stuff, but Brighton was like a Mecca for gay and bisexual people to gather and feel safe. It was a safe enough haven. There was a lot of different hatred towards them, but it was a safe enough haven. I was a young student nurse, a Dub from Dublin 8. I told my friend Ciarán about me being present in an admissions ward and the British police came along. They were not arresting me at that time but they came along with a young man who was from the country in Ireland. He was from Tipperary. He was bound by his hands and feet. They literally threw him in the door of the hospital. He had fled from Ireland, as so many others that I met in the small Irish community in Brighton had, because there was nothing there for them. They could not live their lives as they wanted to. They were a shame on their families.”
“Those included young 15- to 17-year-olds who were convicted for intimate behaviour. It was under the British occupation and their rules at the time, but it was also carried on with our own rules within this State. We did not seem to be bothered about having a look at them and trying to change them to make things better from a human rights perspective. It seemed like a throwback to Victorian era, but it is recent and, as Deputy O'Reilly said, it is within easy living memory. We also had members of the Defence Forces who were convicted in military courts for having same-sex sexual relationships. To be discharged dishonourably and shamed must have been horrific for them. Like many working class inner-city girls in the 1980s, I did not feel that I had a future in this country. I left and started nursing in Brighton.”
“As was said earlier, this removed the colonial-era laws of the Brits that had previously been in force here. Among the activists involved was a man with whom I served a term, the bold former Senator, David Norris. He took the legal challenge. He worked on it for 16 years and took the challenge in 1987. His tenacity and his boldness have to be acknowledged, as do the guys in the Chamber from the LGBT+ Restorative Justice Campaign. They did not let go and did not back down. We need to acknowledge what happened prior to 1993 and the suffering that the secrecy brought. It is known too well in many sectors in Ireland. We are good at secrets, we are good at hiding, we are good at locking away, we are good at humiliating and we are good at isolating and hunting others who may be perceived as different. There were 900 odd convictions.”
“Today, we are focusing on the establishment of a legislative scheme to enable the disregard of relevant criminal records. There was violent persecution and entrapment of those suspected of male same-sex intimacy. They were deliberately hunted by the State authorities. They were hunted to humiliate them and their families, to put their jobs in jeopardy, and to cause their landlords, local churches, clubs and so on to learn about them. Every aspect of life was threatened by the State authorities. They were interrogated and fired from their jobs. Moral panic was enthusiastically encouraged, aided and abetted by State agencies. This fuelled further moral panic. The decriminalisation of sexual acts between men was officially achieved in 1993.”
“It is time Bill was dealt with. It is good to see that the Minister has acted on the prompting of my colleague Deputy Ó Snodaigh. It is good to have this debate in the Chamber. I thank everybody who has got it to this stage, including the guys up in the Gallery who have pushed for it. The Minister promised this would happen in February but he has acknowledged that he is a few weeks behind. I hope he is going to rectify that and get it to Committee, Report and Final Stages. This about putting wrongs to right and lifting State-imposed burdens that destroyed lives. As a member of the rainbow caucus within the Oireachtas, I will state we seek a speedy resolution to this and urge that the Bill be passed. It is but one of the 95 recommendations set out in a report published in 2023.”
“Now, when finally faced with the ire of the people and with the electorate awoken to its lack of governance, it brings forward insulting half measures that just do not cut it. It spends taxpayers' money slapping plasters on all of Ireland's problems rather than fixing the root causes. The country is unsettled and demands leadership. People are sending a very loud message that they reject the Government's feeble attempts to deflect, pat itself on the back - that is what I have heard all day - and to twist the narrative, especially when it comes to Sinn Féin and what we heard earlier about the carbon tax and the obfuscation on that. It is a display of ignorance, I would imagine.”
“Working people, families, and elderly and disabled people cannot afford to heat homes and gas up their vehicles while the Government grants data centres lower energy costs at a time of record profits for big oil and gas corporations. Trump's illegal war on Iran has exacerbated higher fuel prices and taxes, yet An Taoiseach remained silent on this despicable war and the chaos it imposed on the world when sitting face to face with that man. Trump's God complex may have had the Taoiseach in awe. However, more than this, the Government removed the cost-of-living supports and refused to bring prices under control. It voted down every Opposition proposal to help everyday people, including Sinn Féin's legislation a month ago to reduce the cost of petrol, diesel, including green diesel, and home heating oil.”
“"Responsible" seems to have been the mantra from the other side all throughout the day as well as talk of how great those TDs all are but the Government did not read the room. It hid, it dithered and it ignored for months on end people who were trying to get it to listen to them about the hardships they were going through. The fuel issue last week was the straw that finally broke the poor camel's back. It certainly broke the back of the Minister of State earlier today. Years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael incompetence and indifference have landed the whole of Ireland in an unenviable position of needing to flood the streets in rage in protest at what has not been done.”
“We need to help spread the idea of where the problem is and what we can do about it. I want to recognise the zero tolerance community-lead action groups opposing violence against women and promoting that community repair. I need to give a shout out to the Liberties community groups that launched the zero tolerance campaign recently, to our Uachtarán Shinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, for her leadership on this and the mná of Sinn Féin for creating the first group in Dublin Central.”
“It is an inescapable fact that these influencers and influences foster the manosphere. The manosphere's attitudes coincide with an alarming increase in violence against women. In Ireland in particular we have higher rates than the EU average. Women and girls are easy targets for young men who are angry and look to blame. They state that they have enough of equality, enough of fairness and enough of women being independent. Where did that come from? It is a cultural shift that we must really keep a close eye on to help fight it and to call it out at all times but it must be a community response. There must be community healing and community repair by all of us. I would love to see men here giving International Women's Day speeches because the problem is not us.”
“It is timely that the young women in the Gallery are here. I wish them a céad míle fáilte. It just feels a little bit late for me as it is ten days after International Women's Day. I know it is to do with the schedule but it kind of reflects women's place. All the recent research that has come out in the last week and our own research from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Women's Aid and international research is quite alarming in that it sees that Gen Z men - those born between 1997 and 2012 - have, alarmingly, retreated back to the traditional macho roles of masculinity. There is pressure on them to conform to rigid gender stereotypes from influencers like that millionaire misogynist Tate and others we can think of in America. They target young men via social media, as do the pornographic sites which depict violence and sex as the norm.”
“However, parents and SNAs in my district believe that her advised toolkit criteria is unfair. Many children who previously qualified for SNAs, such as those needing emotional regulation and managing sensory overload, no longer qualify. How wrong and tone-deaf can the Minister be? She should own her own misguided, misleading statements and actions and please do it now.”
“She has made a U-turn but is not calling it that. I think she needs to own it. It goes down much better and she will get over it a lot quicker because these guys are going to let her slide off with the nonsense she has just said, and neither will we. Again, it is the most vulnerable. I keep saying that. The most vulnerable in our society are always the first to be targeted and this is what is happening. I do not oppose the re-evaluation of SNA allocations across schools. It is vital to ensure schools are properly resourced and children receive every support in order to get a full education. From speaking with staff of schools in the Dublin South Central constituency, St. James's Primary School in Basin Lane and Canal Way Educate Together also in Basin Lane, they all agree.”
“I am a bit astounded by the Minister's response. I do not think it sets the tone. She is really doing herself a disservice. She is doing the Government a disservice. Most of all, she is doing all those people in the Gallery a complete and utter disservice. She has attacked the vulnerable. Why is it that the vulnerable get attacked time and again? These people have fought, rallied, protested, camped out and demanded that each child who needs an SNA is provided with an SNA. She has come in, in her wisdom - I say that lightly - and put a pen through all of that. The Minister said there have been misunderstandings and mistruths. That is pretty strong stuff coming from her when she got it wrong. She has severely attacked SNAs, parents, pupils and principals and families across this country. She caused an awful lot of embarrassment to herself.”
“It is imperative that we do so because we all agree that it needs fixing and fixing fast. We must stand up to these tech giants that are undermining democracies and humanity worldwide. They are also undermining how we are with each other worldwide. There is a lot of hate out there and a lot of toxic nastiness that, as one of my colleagues said, would make you want to vomit at times. I voice my solidarity again with all those people in the Public Gallery who have worked really hard and who are not going to stop. They are going to gallop through this virus and we are going to stop it whatever way we can. I look forward to engaging with the committee on this.”
“Apparently, there has been a 43% increase in sexual offences, according to statistics issued by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre at the weekend. This virus is infecting minds and warping them, especially the minds of our youth because they do not know any different. It is abhorrent and we as leaders must be diligent. We need to stand firm, be proactive, be parents and educate our young people. We are not going to rely on the technology giants, which appear to have a preference for, allegiance to and maybe a love for robots as opposed to humanity. They make them a priority. Their only concern is profit and their moral compasses are largely lost. Ultimately, these mega-corporations must be held to account. We must pass robust legislation that can be used to deal with the task at hand. We need to stand together.”
“The core issue here is the violation of the privacy and dignity of women and children by creating sexualised depictions of those who cannot and do not consent. There are Irish people involved in what is happening, but it could take two years for the Garda to even get to look at images that supposedly exist. By the time that happens, victims will have had to put up with, live with and dodge the existence of such images for years. Technology is enabling non-consensual harm. In that context, the burden should not fall on the victims to fight back alone. That is why we are here. Stronger safeguards, clearer laws and responsible and accountable AI design are not optional; they are urgent needs to preserve social cohesion. The rise of misogyny and sexual assault is deeply concerning. We all need to be very concerned about that.”
“I thank all those who contributed. I also thank the stakeholders involved. We have come a long way from Bebo. That is a flashback. The Minister mentioned that the Attorney General thinks the existing definition is okay. The stakeholders and victims feel it is not, but that is for us to work out at the committee. We can discuss the matter, listen to people's opinions and come to a conclusion on the matter in a fairly urgent manner. This is urgent; we cannot allow what is happening to continue because it will just multiply. I describe it as being like a virus that gallops through people. In the past few weeks and months, it has galloped through all our little minds in the context of what we are watching or are being subjected to. As has been stated, 99% of the images involved relate to women and children.”
“In the week since Grok's nudification functionality was switched on, numerous Government TDs and Ministers have rightly expressed outrage and demanded this issue be taken seriously. Now is the chance to prove ourselves. Let us work together and let us do it.”
“Deepfakes, though untrue, still communicate something of a person's body, behaviour or character. They shape how others see them. Part of the dark motivation is exertion of power over a woman to shame her, to subjugate her and to silence her. Many perpetrators of this intensely misogynistic cyberbullying only find images sexy when they are non-consensual. I want people to think about that; it is so dark and twisted. Our Bill seeks to: explicitly criminalise the creation of sexualised AI deepfakes; increase the statute of limitations for the summary offences to allow victims plenty of time to come forward to An Garda to thoroughly investigate it; and increase the maximum penalties upon conviction to better reflect the heinous nature of these digital crimes.”
“The most common age to start using social media is 13. Grok is a generative AI tool from the company owned by the bizarre millionaire, soon to be trillionaire, Elon Musk. Grok's image generation tool was used widely by people to generate explicit sexual content. A simple prompt "undress her" generates these. It generates millions of sexualised images over a very short period. We know over 11 days there were roughly 3 million, 99% of them of women and children. Women experience the Internet differently from men. From cyberbullying and harassment to co-ordinated attacks meant to silence women, the digital world can be especially hard for women. Here on our island women standing for recent elections were bullied and sexualised with AI deepfakes designed to damage reputations and self-esteem.”
“Tomorrow's vote on Sinn Féin's Bill will demonstrate whether the Government truly aspires to the zero-tolerance in Ireland of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Most of us have posted pictures of our children or grandchildren on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or the dreaded X. Imagine someone gets their hands on a photo of a kid and via an AI tool digitally strips away their clothes creating a sexual image, all to feed their own revolting fantasies or to sell to the dark web. This is happening now and it is called nudification. No matter how innocuous the image is, it can be turned into child sexual abuse material without the person ever knowing it. When a child image is used in this way, the child is not only victimised but can be traumatised for life. Nearly 40% of children aged eight to 12 use these platforms.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." Hello to all the activists and supporters in the Gallery this evening as well as those who cannot be here. I thank them for all their support in helping us prepare for this important proposed legislation. Céad míle fáilte. My heart goes out to all those who have been victimised by sexualised AI deepfakes. I know this Bill cannot repair the tremendous harm done to them but I hope it can help prevent future harm. Most of all, gabhaim buíochas le Jackie Fox for supporting this amendment to the law named after her treasured daughter Coco. Today, aptly, is international Safer Internet Day and this year its theme explores the impact of artificial intelligence, a fitting way to honour Coco's memory.”
“It is not a lot for what the centre does and I think we need to reward that volunteerism. The money would just be to cover the cost of running the place, upgrading fire exits and things like that.”
“The nuns in Loreto College own the building and were subsidising the centre with the provision of the building, the cost of the heating and the lighting and through financial support. The centre has provided over 3,000 hours of counselling and 350 individuals have been helped. The waiting lists are at six weeks, but this is better than other much longer waiting lists. I do not necessarily want to be downhearted in relation to the HSE's capacity, but it is poor for the number of people in life-challenging situations and difficulties. The centre sees people in the constituency from all incomes and none. It is a mix of everybody in the Dublin 12 area. There is a meeting tomorrow between Mr. Kevin Brady and Mr. Brian Cummins and two Loreto counselling board members, and the request is for €100,000.”
“They are looking at social media - girls are in particular - and at the slagging going on there about their image, what they say, what they do and the competition. Then we have AI coming into the mix and making reality unreal. We have to tackle that because our next generation - our next leaders - will be reliant not on one another, but on whatever comes up on their phones. I also want to take the opportunity to talk about Loreto Centre Crumlin counselling. The Minister of State was kind enough to accept and take an email from me this morning. The centre does vital work in the Crumlin area. I have been out to visit it and I have engaged with it several times. Deputy Ó Snodaigh and I did a site visit there. The people there are volunteers, along with one paid worker.”
“Deputy Daly and I do not often agree. In fact, we very rarely agree, but I say "Well done". He articulated the concerns for this generation - our new generation - going forward with the explosion of AI and social media and all that stuff that is really scary. It is good, but most of it is scary for young minds and bodies. We really need to grab hold of it. I ask the Minister of State to push this issue if we can. I am not sure what Department it sits in, but it involves mental health and communications and requires legislation. We need to grab control of it now because it is lashing ahead of us and we are way behind. It is the young people who are so proficient at it. Deputy Daly has articulated that many of them are now on antidepressants.”
“To add insult to injury, after the Government has forced people into poor housing and homelessness, leading to their worsening health, the Government refuses to adequately invest in our health services and provisions to care for them and their families. People with worse health outcomes are more likely to call in sick at work and to become disabled. This Government's budget just punishes people. This is a contemptible budget. It is a budget for the elites and everyone else got the proverbial two fingers. It is offensive to hard-pressed families and workers and it is a further breach of the already shattered social contract.”
“There are no extra hospital beds, no extra nurses, no investment in better endometriosis care, and a pittance for mental health in this budget. There is no cost-of-living help, no childcare help, no increase in pay for early years workers, no extended GP care, and no expanded free transport for young people. The Government is well able, however, to fund horse and dog racing at 900% in contrast to the amount of new funding for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence initiatives. This violence is everywhere. I invite the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, to visit Dublin South-Central and acknowledge the stark reality of one in five children living in poverty.”
“Of the many laughable statements and assertions made by Fine Gael in yesterday's budget press release, the most pathetic was from the "Beyond GDP - Quality of Life Assessment" section. According to it, "wealth inequality in Ireland has declined over time, reflecting rising assets for those in the middle of the wealth distribution and falling liabilities for those at the bottom." It also claimed that Ireland has made good progress in increasing disposable income for the working age population. Were those insulting statements made with the Government's fingers crossed behind its back? The budget documents explicitly acknowledge negative trending figures, in particular around mental and physical health, which are driven by the unmet need for medical attention and poor outcomes of people working very long hours.”
“Repeated requests for an interim grant from the Minister of State's Department went unanswered until today when transport suddenly materialised at 4.30 p.m. Others remain, unfortunately, distressed and in limbo. Why are grants not available when the school year begins? A cost of €300 per week on taxis to school is not affordable. It would be remiss to say that the Minister of State and his predecessors took their eyes off the ball because the eyes of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were not on the ball for the past few years. The belated attention, the lastminute.com solutions are just not working. They have failed. The Minister of State must try harder. He must do better.”
“Parents have to beg for places and now some are burdened by the added obstacle of no transport. They may finally be given a place at a school far from their home - we will take the Minister of State to task on those numbers - but now a lot of them cannot get their children to the school doors because of a lack of transport. Elaine O'Reilly is a warrior of a mammy who lives in the Liberties in Dublin 8. Like many others, she fought for years for her son, Dawson. She found out in June that he had a place - yippee - in Dublin 2. Elaine does not drive so Dawson was granted a transport ticket by Bus Éireann. Bus Éireann needs to step up to the plate. There is a recorded message with no information. She ended up hailing a taxi in the rain to bring him to school. The cost is €60 per day.”
“I do not doubt the Minister of State's sincerity. I believe he is sincere about trying to resolve this, but with all due respect, his response did not reflect the experience of people on the ground. Why else would these mammies and daddies be in the Gallery tonight? Céad míle fáilte to them for keeping up the good fight. It is like déja vu . I stood here in February with the Minister of State and explained how my constituents in Dublin South-Central who are parents fight every day for special places in schools, a fundamental right promised in our Constitution. Wonderful grassroots groups such as Families Unite for Services and Support, FUSS, Equality in Education and D12 Autism work tirelessly for families. The lack of school places and transport arrangements should not come as a surprise.”