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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“The early years education system in our country is broken. There are thousands of children languishing on lists for places that parents can pay up to €1,000 per month to early years educators who themselves are underpaid and undervalued by this and successive Governments. In the past, the subsidies the Government introduced were welcome but turned out to be cumbersome, off-putting and confusing, to say the least. The funds given to the private providers do not reach the early years educators. Parents are paying the equivalent of a mortgage payment each month for services but the actual providers and workers on the ground do not benefit. These decisions overwhelmingly affect women - women who stay at home and women who staff the early years education sector.”
“Reports suggest nearly 80% of hip operations on children in Cappagh hospital and 60% in Temple Street were unnecessary and based on incorrect diagnoses. Not only is reform required but full accountability. I hope the Minister will demand that.”
“Unapproved metal springs being implanted in children's spines at Temple Street and elsewhere, the glacial waiting lists for scoliosis surgery and the unnecessary hip surgeries at Temple Street and Cappagh hospital, these are tantamount to unauthorised medical experimentation on children. The Taoiseach is never too happy with the reporting of The Ditch , but it has said, and this rings true, that "Nothing like this has happened in Europe since the Second World War". We should just think about that and what happened then. These scandals reveal an absolute breakdown in safety protocols, governance and systemic failures in regulation of the hospital system. Again and again children have been utterly failed and this has placed their health and safety at risk. There has been a loss of credibility and of the confidence and trust of the people.”
“This is a sensitive, distressing and very damaging space we need to talk about. I am not a begrudger but this is not the most appropriate place to congratulate a camogie team. I will start with something I have worked with all my life. The oath medics take is "first, do no harm". It has been proved CHI and those involved have done absolutely horrific harm. Harm has been done to our children and to the families trying to cope not just with the illness but also the effects of their children being guinea pigs, for whatever reason those people had to do those operations on the little ones. I am dismayed at the myriad serious, shocking failures that have come to light regarding Children's Health Ireland under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's stewardship and the watches of their Ministers for Health since 2011.”
“I have been involved in this children's hospital saga since its conception in 2015. I have witnessed much of St. James's Hospital, also known as the South Dublin Union, giving way to development. Gone are the 16 weeping willows planted in 1966 and it was disappointing not to see the flag hoisted this weekend. The children's hospital illuminates my street and the surrounds of Rialto and Kilmainham. It has been a ten-year plus endurance test for the community. Kathleen Lynn, a suffragette, revolutionary, medic and an innovator for children, is a perfect match, so cad í an fhadhb? Councils throughout the Twenty-six Counties have had similar motions to this passed and a plethora of historians agree, as does public sentiment. It is what will tie our yesterdays, our todays and our tomorrows together.”
“There is practically nothing these kids can do to help gain perspective on how they fit into their community and therefore they feel no ownership or care for it. Their homes are literally moulding and falling down around them. When we do not look after their environment, it is a small wonder they do not feel inclined to either. A multiagency approach is needed. Yes, we need more gardaí, visibility, accountability and responsibility but we cannot police ourselves out of this problem created by austerity and deliberate neglect of our working-class communities. An holistic approach must be taken to engage young people on terms they understand . These kids bear the brunt of inequality and our task is to level the pitch.”
“Many of the antisocial behaviour reports I receive in Dublin South Central concern young people in Pimlico, Weaver Square, the Liberties, and Inchicore. Last Halloween, a group of young people hoarded wooden pallets and tyres intended for a bonfire. Some burnt the pitch in Michael Mallin House, the only one we have. Some of the kids involved contacted me via social media and I engaged with them openly and honestly. They apologised for the pitch damage they had caused and said, “MIssue, we didn’t think of it as destroying community property; there is just f-all for us to do here.” They are not malicious; they look to provide for themselves as there is no community centre in the area. Donore Community Centre and Notre Dame in Paris both burnt down at the same time five years ago, but guess which one still remains closed?”
“To quote a wise man I know, “Inequality is our Trojan horse.” Adolescents in our inner cities face harrowing challenges in their environments due to inequality and disadvantage brought on by neglect. The term "age-friendly cities" must be expanded to include adolescents in particular, who presently have no input into the amenities and features of their surroundings in their public realm and are often left with little to no safe activities to avoid falling into troublesome behaviour, which then forms their adulthood. Most of these kids are good. They are not all angels but who was when we were growing up? Their experience as a result of socioeconomic factors and being alienated by poverty has corrupted their childhood and we know childhood lasts a lifetime.”
“Given the broken election promises for carer's allowance, I challenge the Minister of State and the Government to address this motion with genuine, meaningful action. I give a shout out to all those in the Public Gallery and for those who cannot be here. Children are our future; please allow then to be children.”
“He is terrified of telling anyone in authority of his situation because he does not want his family to be broken up. That is his big fear. For all the uncertainty and his father's diminishing capacity, it is the only family he knows and it is home. Declan, and thousands like him, desperately need better supports that actually reach them and a system that proactively identifies and reassures them, allowing them to be children during childhood. I wholeheartedly welcome and support this motion. However, I do not have faith in the Government delivering, given the ongoing dysfunction in so many areas that affect children, for example, in respect of Tusla, CAMHS, CDNTs and special education. These are all woefully underfunded, understaffed, underresourced and on their knees.”
“He ensures his father has taken his morning medication, eats breakfast and can reach his mobile phone, in case of emergency. After school, there is not time for play. There is dinner to get, usually a precooked meal that he has bought at the shops himself. He helps the younger ones with school homework and projects and then bed. If his father needs help to make an appointment with a specialist or social housing assistance, Declan must do this before the offices close for the day. Only after everyone else has been helped can he start homework but it is often at 9 p.m. and by then he is exhausted. He would love to play Minecraft again but recreation does not really fit in to his life any more. Declan does not think of himself as a carer.”
“My constituency of Dublin South Central has one of the highest percentages of residents with a disability. We know that households with a disabled member are more likely to be in poverty. Several communities here are chronically disadvantaged and children can be seen minding parents, especially in cases of mental health issues and addiction, which sadly often go hand in hand. In my previous role as a community nurse, I remember visiting a patient in Crumlin. I was introduced to his 11-year-old son, Declan. I witnessed this boy's caring for his siblings and his single father, due to his father's debilitating neurological disorder. He gets up at 6 a.m. and gets himself and two siblings dressed, fed and out the door to school.”
“Granted, more women are visible around the table but the reality is that decision-making is a “real” man’s game. Sex trafficking is very real and, in some cases, is rewarded. We need only reference the Tate brothers welcomed by the US Government last week. Rape and sexual assault continue to be wielded as a weapon against women. The image of strutting, preening MMA personalities is nauseating. Are women central to every organisation, every company and everything for just one day? Forgive me if I do not bake my own cake for the day. We are important to every aspect of society. We are not an afterthought for a single day of events and celebrations. Equality and rights are not a choice; they are an imperative. Challenging the status quo is not a choice; it is a duty.”
“For all our achievements and sisterhood, in the blink of an eye, a single man’s words or actions can remind us that we are not equal and might never be. Here is a reality check: sexual harassment will affect four of every five women. The reality is that we are going backwards on equality. The worldwide current climate is veering towards embracing the “back in the box with you” mentality. Sexual harassment is perpetrated by powerful and influential men, with relative impunity: think Trump, Musk and England’s Andrew. Women continue to be burdened with 76% of all unpaid care work worldwide. Power and decision-making remain in the hands of men, who still hold three quarters of the world’s parliamentary seats and management positions.”
“You do if you want to. I think we know who we are talking about. I will talk about them later on, if the Deputy does not mind. Please do not interrupt me. We remain underpaid in the office and we are not promoted at the same rate as our superior male colleagues, but we are expected to nimbly step through society’s carefully choreographed dance routine of what a woman should and should not be. Saying the words proclaiming that you want to work towards equality is not the same as working towards equality or enacting equality. I do not want International Women’s Day freebies in shops, annual praise or annual articles on women’s achievement without taking actual meaningful steps forward. It must begin now.”
“I should express deep sorrow at being an upstart and upsetting the men in the Chamber but, let us remember, well-behaved women are rarely heard or achieve equality. I enjoy acknowledging women’s day but I am a bit of a begrudger at times. I love to celebrate and enjoy our sisters, daughters, mothers, aunties, nieces and gal-pals every day of the year, and I enjoy the recognition of this one day of 365, but I am also quite weary. I am weary because little seems to improve. Given the current general political atmosphere and the turn to the right and neofascism in some arenas, we may be moving backwards. We remain underpaid in the office and we are not promoted at the same rate as our male colleagues in business but we are expected to nimbly step through society’s carefully-----”
“That is shameful. Cén fáth? Cad faoi anois? Sinn Féin stands with the students of south Dublin who are demanding an education through Irish. Beir bua.”
“Níl ach beagán Gaeilge agam ach leanfaidh mé ar aghaidh. Tá an-áthas orm tacú leis an rún seo. Is le gach páiste an Ghaeilge. Ba chóir go mbeadh gach páiste in ann freastal ar Ghaelscoil. Faraor, i mo cheantar féin, níl Gaelscoil ar fáil i mBaile Átha Cliath 10 agus 12, nó Gaelcholáiste ar bith i mBaile Átha Cliath 2, 4, 6 nó 8. Go raibh maith agaibh to those campaigners atá sa Ghailearaí inniu. Well done to them. I will continue as Béarla anois. There are no school buses for students in my area, who have no local Irish-medium secondary school, to get to Gaelcholáiste an Phiarsaigh. The children have to change public buses on the way to school and on their way back home. The No. 68 bus will soon be gone and there will be no way for these students to get to school. The Department will not respect their right to a school bus until 2030.”
“They request to meet other residents' groups to discuss their experience and be supported by active training workshops so that they know they are not alone. These types of meetings should be convened. It is very scary when an apartment complex, park or local shop is overrun and overtaken by those who offer only damage and serious threat. Has the process commenced to recruit the next Commissioner who has the confidence of An Garda Síochána? Can the new local community safety partnerships be established with somebody who is not in an unresourced chairperson position?”
“Last night, I hosted a residents' meeting in the Dublin 8 area. The frustration of residents who are subjected to regular wanton acts of violence on their property and threats to their persons is insupportable. They wonder if the Garda will not deploy forces to protect the hundreds of thousands of visitors in the premier tourist trail of the entire country, what chance have they, as residents of the community, of getting adequate protection. I commend the local community gardaí on their hard work. They do their best with what little they have. The voice of residents is an untapped asset throughout our communities. Good people want to do the best for themselves, their neighbours and the wider area.”
“The Dublin South Central constituency encompasses densely populated areas in the south-west inner city, including suburban areas like Crumlin, Inchicore and Walkinstown. I have witnessed an increase in significant antisocial behaviour, ubiquitous drug dealing and violent crime. Community policing and youth diversions under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's stewardship have been minimal. We are now reaping the fruits of the laissez-faire attitude that every part of Dublin and area across the country are safe. Following the economic crash, financial cuts stripped many communities of services and supports for youth projects and other facilities. Dublin 8 has no operational community centre after a fire destroyed Donore community centre nearly four years ago. It remains closed and a shell.”
“Proper provision must include the front-loading of adequate community facilities including community centres, sports pitches, leisure centres and crèches. Adolescents in our inner city face harrowing challenges in their environment due to inequality and disadvantage. The term "age-friendly city" must be expanded to include our youth, who have no input into the amenities and features in their surroundings and are left with few safe activities to avoid falling into troublesome behaviour. They will be the first tenants of these regenerated areas but they have no voice in their communities. Their voices will add a layer of ownership and responsibility and reinforce, protect and respect the area. We need teen-friendly public realms and cities. We need them to own their area and to belong.”
“It is very concerning that there is no national timeframe for the refurbishment of local authority housing stock. I commend the dedicated volunteers and project co-ordinators who desperately try to hold communities together as people lose hope given the unacceptable probable 30-year timeline for regeneration. They will be pensioners by the time regeneration is complete. Where is the urgency in that? The Minister must prioritise in any revised regeneration blueprint. It is not all about bricks and mortar. He must determine how to keep a community together and prevent fragmentation. He must ring-fence funding for essential repairs in the meantime to make conditions bearable in the here and now. We should not have to beg exhaustively.”
“The Minister, the Department, the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the local authority must understand that these formerly proud and tight-knit communities struggle to maintain cohesion in the face of an interminable wait for decent modern housing as opposed to their present utterly Dickensian conditions. In 2017, the European Committee of Social Rights found human rights violations regarding the substandard social housing in Ireland. Sewage, contaminated water, dampness and persistent mould raised concerns for habitability. Dolphin House residents continue to report sewage invasions years after these problems were first identified. I have personally witnessed these conditions and have made representations for reasonable repairs to these homes.”
“I am a member of four significant regeneration projects within the Dublin 8 area: those for Oliver Bond House, Dolphin House and Emmet Road and the Donore Project Consultative Forum. There is scant and limited mention of regeneration in the damning housing report so I will inform the Minister of the communities' experience to date. Oliver Bond House and Dolphin House are established complexes that are mortifyingly overdue for regeneration. They have now been in progress for 20 years and it will be at least another ten before they are completed.”
“Additionally, while the Irish courts refer convicted domestic abusers to rehabilitation programmes, there is no obligation on them to complete them. Only 10% did so in 2023. Completion of these schemes should be a condition of sentencing and we should also discuss whether all such convictions should be referred to the rehabilitation programmes and a Jennie's law register. I thank the brave women and men in the Gallery who spoke out and in doing so call attention to the plight of other victims. I also recognise those voiceless victims who have yet to come forward and cannot do so for fear for their safety. We will continue to demand action on their behalf.”
“They were told they made their bed and had to lie in it. We have moved on from that but we have so much more to do. A zero-tolerance policy for these crimes shows 52% of women and 28% of men reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime. This underscores the need for the Cuan governmental agency to address all aspects of tackling domestic and sexual violence. I ask the Minister of State to consider that local authorities must be supported to provide priority accommodation for victims fleeing life-threatening situations, an emergency flee fund must be introduced to allow people to set up new lives and shelters must have access to emergency medical services and local GPs. Sinn Féin has submitted to the civil legal aid review that the €18,000 threshold for legal aid remains far too low.”
“I thank Deputy Coppinger for the comprehensive motion on gender-based violence. It will further the State's response and our society's attitude to this insidious harm in virtually all walks of life. The statistics are startling as mentioned by my colleagues here. Substance abuse and poverty play their part in the domestic and gender-based violence and disturbingly our homeless figures do not include those who are accessing safe havens. We welcome the inclusion of criminal behaviour which was previously not recognised and abusive coercive control, revenge porn and marital rape. In my role as a mental health nurse and just talking to women about why it was always women that were referred to and not the perpetrator, women, especially older women, said to me that they did not know they had rights.”
“A shortage of teachers has a significant detrimental effect here in Dublin. It impacts resource teachers in particular. Transport buses are unreliable. Services are frequently cancelled, leaving children unable to attend school if it is located away from the family's home area. This disruption affects the entire family. Mainstreamed autistic children need support as well. Each mainstream class should have a full-time SNA. Children are left with unsatisfactory home schooling or drastically reduced hours. We must invest in them and in our staff.”
“Why has a governmental comprehensive research plan not been enacted? The Government has left it up to the mammies to lead. The building and its facilities are not ideal, although they are better than in some other places. For example, occupational therapy is held in the hallways. Despite this, the school has given children and parents a haven and a base near home so that they can belong in their community, know it and be nurtured as future leaders of that community. It is their right. Why has this not been replicated throughout the country for the rights of all of our children? Where are the additional need essential autism classes? Where are the special school places? When will teachers be trained as part of their college degrees? They should do work experience in autism classes and special schools. A brief workshop is not sufficient.”
“In Crumlin, in Dublin South-Central, the Dublin 12 autism group, a grassroots organisation of exhausted mammies, has through hard slog, tenacity and dogged determination showed up the abject failures of those tasked with providing an education for children with extra needs. Education is the only right guaranteed by this State. Unfortunately, a lack of understanding and cohesive policy in the face of an obvious need has resulted in underinvestment and a paucity of services and supports that leaves many children way behind and abandoned. I have worked with the Dublin 12 autism group. Their vision, hopes and dreams for their children's futures spurred them on to become warriors and to achieve the opening of Scoil Eoin in Crumlin, which is bursting at the seams. It has become a safe place to learn, to grow and to belong.”
“The sick and vulnerable languish on trolleys for days waiting for beds. Anxious parents in Dublin South-Central cannot access full public health development checks for babies and children with additional needs go on waiting lists to get on a waiting list. In addition, no plans have been made for women to receive the promised free hormone replacement therapy. I send solidarity and greetings to my fellow 100,000 nurses on this island. As the only nurse here, I will be their voice. Finally, I send my heartfelt love and respect to my fellow healthcare workers in Palestine who are victims of murderous intent, abducted and tortured as they attempt to fulfil their duty of care to ensure the well-being of others.”
“As an experienced psychiatric nurse, I have grave concerns that this unimaginative programme for Government does not even acknowledge, let alone begin to alleviate, the serious problems in our health service. I have seen first hand how the recent HSE recruitment embargo and chronic underfunding by successive Governments have resulted in catastrophic understaffing and this new and so-called improved programme for Government does nothing to resolve that. Understaffing is extremely dangerous. We lose experienced healthcare workers because we do not respect their hard-earned expertise. They cannot afford to stay in Ireland. Eleven of the 15 who were under my tutelage recently qualified and left the country because of economic issues. That is no way to build a thriving country, let alone a strong, resilient health service.”
“While this is considered to be my maiden speech, my first utterance in the Chamber consisted of loud gasps a fortnight ago as I was incredulous at the embracing by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael of the Regional Independent Group to be half in and half out of the Government. Luckily - it is concerning and it took time - the penny has dropped and we move on. I thank the people of Dublin South-Central for electing me to represent them. It is a place that values community. I remain a Liberties gal at heart and always will be. I will continue to serve my constituents each and every day. I also thank my family, friends and party activists for their enduring support. Without them, I would not have won a seat here. Tá an-áthas orm.”