Mark Wall
Kildare South · Labour Party · Ireland
“I understand that the Electoral Commission is undertaking research on this, but we really need to see changes in our voting system to ensure that everyone can take part on voting day.”
“We are seeing lower turnouts in our elections and extending postal votes to a wider range of people would be one measure that could help us all address this issue. I appreciate that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage may be waiting on the research to be received from the Electoral Commission on postal voting.”
“The Minister is 100% correct that we all want to see recruitment to our Defence Forces continue. However the figures she has given far from the 11,500 sought by the Commission on the Defence Forces by 2028. The Minister mentioned 850 a year. Is that the height of the ambition? It is not going to take us near 11,500.”
“They cannot engage in the democratic process like every other ordinary citizen because they work 24-7, 365 days a year, with no break. This Bill is a small but necessary step to ensure that family carers feel that they can use their voice by voting.”
“There is no single issue here. This is about housing, pensions, pay and conditions. Has the Minister dealt though with the representative organisations on the single public service pension scheme? She might confirm that and let us know whether there is any update.”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to entitle certain persons caring for others to be entered in the register of postal voters, for that purpose to amend the Electoral Act 1992, and to provide for related matters.”
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“That is what was said, time and time again on my local radio station. They do not want to go to Kildare town. They want to go back to where they know best, to their familiar surroundings where they can meet their friends, have that cup of tea, have the chat. That was in Ballyteague GFC. I cannot understand for the life of me why it cannot be reopened. I hope the Minister of State will bring some good news today.”
“The community centre in Allenwood in Ballyteague GFC was a lifeline for all the people using it. It was where they met their friends and, as Gabrielle Dempsey said, where they had a cup of tea and a chat, but it has been taken away from them. For the life of us, we cannot understand why it cannot be reopened. I have dealt with the HSE and thanked it for its replies. It tells me that the new centre in Killmeage will be completed in June, but the problem is these older people cannot wait until June. The Minister of State will be aware of the detrimental impact that loneliness can have on older people, given the lack of social contact and contact with friends. The interviews on KFM were all about people who use the centre asking the family carers if they could go back to the centre.”
“It also affects the family members, wives, husbands and family carers of those who use the centre. I have been informed that, in the three months since the centre closed, four service users have gone to nursing homes and two have been hospitalised. I thank Karen Gorey and many members of the community, including Frank Moran, who have continued to advocate on this matter. I acknowledge, as I am sure the Minister of State will tell me in his reply, that the HSE has organised places for people to attend another daycare centre in Kildare town four days a week. Through the work that other public representatives and I have done, the HSE will also provide transport for those people. Thirteen of those using the Ballyteague centre have accepted but five have not. Those five are a worry for the community, but so are the 13 who have accepted.”
“We should be keeping people in their communities and keeping them close to their vital community connections, friends and services rather than closing centres such as the Allenwood daycare centre in Ballyteague GFC. I listened to my local radio station, KFM, and some testimonies of those using the centre. One was from Gabrielle Dempsey who is 80 years young. She said she missed the cups of tea and the chats. She said it was heartbreaking that people could not go back. The community feels let down by the Government and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. They are disheartened and feel there is a process of bureaucracy that their families are suffering under. From speaking to people on the ground, the impact of the closure goes beyond the attendees.”
“I am sure that the Minister of State knows of many great communities in Cork. One of the great communities I am aware of is in Kildare, that being, the community of Ballyteague, Allenwood, Kilmeage, Robertstown and Milltown. It is a great community that comes together. Unfortunately, it is now more than three months since the Allenwood daycare centre closed its doors in Ballyteague GFC. This closure has had an immense impact on the older people who attend the centre. According to their family members, they are regressing and deteriorating. For many attendees, this centre was their social lifeline and a way of staying connected with their neighbours, community and friends. This move definitely flies in the face of Sláintecare.”
“As I have said previously, it is time to shine a light on the young carers in the State who carry out so much work at home. I ask that Members support the motion.”
“It calls on Government to establish a cross-departmental working group on young carers and designate a Department with lead responsibility, commit to develop a new dedicated programme of supports and services for young carers and young adult carers through a new national strategy for carers, ensure that Ministers in the Departments of Education and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth recognise their responsibilities to young carers and develop appropriate support programmes and recognise the unpaid work of young carers with guaranteed respite days, the introduction of a young carer's grant and educational bursaries, dedicated funding for counselling or psychological support and increased carer payments.”
“It is only through Family Carers Ireland that these young carers have any real support outside of their family. The organisation supports over 1,000 young carers through membership and a range of programmes and services. However, it cannot continue to do this alone. The support it provides barely reaches all those young carers who need vital support. The Labour Party's motion would address these issues.”
“Despite the significant care work taken on by many young carers, Government has no plan or strategy to support their specific needs. Our social protection system fails to recognise their value, as the rules on carer’s allowance and other income supports are a major hurdle for young people in accessing or continuing in further and higher education, training or employment. Like many Deputies, I have read the programme for Government over and over. While it is disappointing that Government is going to take so long to abolish the means test for the carer’s allowance, it has also forgotten young carers and young adult carers. There is an urgent need for a new national strategy for carers that specifically recognises the needs of young carers.”
“These stories of young carers show a profound impact on their educational outcomes, mental health and life opportunities. Young carers tend to receive lower leaving certificate grades in comparison with their peers. They are less likely to go to further or higher education and more likely to have their choices limited to being close to home. Young carers report poorer emotional health and well-being outcomes and lower life satisfaction compared with their non-caring peers. Over 90% of young carers feel stressed, 56% feel they cannot cope and 80% are at risk of depression. More than one third have reported being bullied at school and one in four young carers have gone to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food at home.”
“Two in five have a household income of less than €30,000 a year and nearly 70% find it difficult to make ends meet. According to Family Carers Ireland, of those struggling financially, 29% are cutting back on essentials such as food and heat, 49% have had to pay privately for services that should be publicly available and 72% of carers have never received respite. We need to acknowledge the immense contribution young carers bring to society and we also need to acknowledge the fact that in many cases, these young carers would not be providing such care if the right supports were in place to help their loved ones to begin with. There are thousands of children who are overdue assessments of need and thousands more are without appropriate school places.”
“We all know these young carers, they are often the child sitting patiently in a waiting room while their sibling is with the doctor, the young adult who failed a college exam because there is not enough time to study and care for their mother. There is not a doubt in the minds of these young people that they would continue to provide care to their family members if needed, but they should not have to. Young carers and all the mothers, fathers, grandparents and other carers out there save the State an estimated €20 billion in unpaid care work each year. That is close to the annual budget of the HSE. They are the invisible backbone of our health service. Caring households are providing 19 million hours of unpaid care work every week. These families are faced with additional costs due to caring.”
“Should they be at home helping more? Can they even go to college? I spoke with another young carer today who wants to study nursing when they finish school. Unlike their non-caring peers, this young carer is worried about whether they can even move away from home to study. There are so many young carers who have skills beyond their years due to their caring role. Many like this young person want to go into caring professions, an area that is in a recruitment crisis, and they would thrive due to their experience of providing care. There are young carers who are having to trade time with their friends or other activities due to their caring responsibilities. These issues are endemic amongst many young carers today. These young carers are a hidden population to many teachers, employers, health professionals, the Government and society.”
“Lucy describes having to grow up faster than her friends because of her caring responsibilities. At only 14 years of age, caring is her priority, not school, even though she gets good grades. Conor is 20 and helps care for his brother who has a condition which causes developmental difficulties. Conor looks after his brother for a few hours or for the odd day, but this can impact his college studies. These stories are just a small representation of the 67,000 young carers in Ireland today. These four young carers spoke about the love of their family members that they help care for, and while they are not the primary carer, they play a very active role in providing care in these households. Carers like Sarah Ann, Benjamin, Conor and Lucy are faced with difficult questions that no other young person is faced with.”
“I had the privilege earlier today of listening to the stories of Sarah Ann, Benjamin, Conor and Lucy’s experience of being a young carer. Anyone listening to these stories earlier today will have been truly moved. They spoke about love for their family, of sacrifice, resilience, loneliness and the toll caring can have when there is not support. Sarah Ann spoke about how the first thing she thought in the morning is not about her friends or school, it is what needs to be done. She said that there is no time to fall apart or no time to be a kid. Her brother Benjamin spoke about the bullying he experienced. He told us how he did not want to be a burden on his parents, pushing it all in until he could not do so any more. Lucy, another young carer, is 14 and helps care for her brother, her mam and her dad.”
“I welcome the Minister. I am very happy to bring forward this motion on young carers in Ireland on behalf of the Labour Party. I want to begin by thanking representatives of Family Carers Ireland and the young carers who delivered a briefing today for Members in the audiovisual room. It was powerful to hear at first hand about their experiences and the impact providing care can have. These young carers are children and young people under the age of 18 whose lives are affected in the most significant way by the care needs of another family member or household member due to their illness, disability, mental health difficulties or problems with drugs or alcohol misuse, and who provide care or help to provide care, to that person. There are also young adult carers who are recognised as a separate group and are aged between 18 and 24 years.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: - young carers and children are young people under the age of 18 whose lives are affected in some significant way by the care needs of another family or household member due to their illness, disability, mental health difficulties or problems with drugs or alcohol misuse, and who provide care, or help to provide care, to that person; - young adult carers are recognised as a separate and distinct group aged 18 to 24, who provide care, assistance or support to another family member on an unpaid basis; - the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey estimated in 2018 that there were approximately 67,000 young carers between the ages of 10-17 in Ireland, with the overall number higher now; - the experience of being a young carer can have a profound impact on educational outcomes, mental health and life opportunities; - young carers report poorer emotional health and wellbeing outcomes and lower life satisfaction compared to their non-caring peers; and - more than one third of young carers have reported being bullied at school, and that one in four young carers have gone to school or bed hungry because there was not enough food at home; further notes that: - the Department of Education, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have no dedicated programmes to support the specific needs of young carers; - there is no recognition of the unpaid work of young carers in the social protection system; - the rules covering Carer's Allowance and other income supports can act as a barrier for young adult carers accessing, or continuing in, further and higher education, training or employment; and - the first National Carers' Strategy was published in 2012 and has not been refreshed since, and a new national strategy is now needed that specifically recognises the needs of young carers and young adult carers; recognises that: - the Programme for Government – Securing Ireland's Future commits to a range of measures to support carers, including the phasing out of the means test for Carer's Allowance; and - there is no mention of young carers or young adult carers in the Programme for Government, or commitments to improve supports or services for this hidden population who are often invisible to educators, employers, health professionals and society; and calls on the Government to: - establish a cross departmental working group on young carers, and designate a Department with lead responsibility; - commit to developing a new dedicated programme of supports and services for young carers and young adult carers, through a new national strategy for carers; - improve the identification of young carers at the earliest opportunity, so that services can be adequately resourced to ensure young carers can access the additional support they need; - ensure that the Ministers in the Department of Education, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, recognise their responsibilities to young carers and develop appropriate support programmes; - put in place bespoke targeted programmes in schools, to recognise and support the specific needs and circumstances of young carers; - provide pathways and programmes for young adult carers to access or remain in further and higher education, or other training, while also recognising their caring duties; - review the impact of social protection rules on young adult carers seeking to continue their education or begin careers in their chosen field; - recognise the unpaid work of young carers, with guaranteed respite days, the introduction of a young carer grant and educational bursaries, dedicated funding for counselling or psychological support, and increased carer payments; - provide additional home care supports, so young carers have more time for themselves; and - publish a comprehensive plan outlining the annual increases that will be made to the income disregard for Carer's Allowance, towards phasing it out over the lifetime of this Government.”
“Those facing homelessness need the scheme. I ask the Government to come back to us as quickly as possible with its plans for the tenant in situ scheme.”
“Statistics indicate there are 160,000 derelict homes in one state or another in the country. My colleague mentioned the tenant in situ scheme. There have been 140 approvals in County Kildare, that is, 140 families saved from homelessness, but last November there was a diktat from the Government stating that since the council’s target has been achieved, it would get no more money. Unfortunately, I had to deal with the fallout of that over the Christmas period. People were saying their landlord contacted them stating the council was no longer going ahead with buying the family home for them. As my colleague has done, I ask the Minister to approve funding for our local authorities. In Kildare, where I am from, several landlords are waiting on news as to whether the tenant in situ scheme will continue.”
“I listened to the Minister’s contribution, in which he referred to 1,400 homes that have come through under the initiative. However, I am dealing with five cases in which people simply cannot afford the outlay of €50,000 for the Croí Cónaithe grant. Those people could move in, thereby taking themselves off the Kildare County Council homelessness list, if they had the €50,000. There has been some commentary on staged payments. I ask the Minister to flesh out a little how it may work for the people concerned. The initiative will make a difference but no builder in the areas I am dealing with will start unless they see some money upfront. That is causing a huge problem for many, who see the grant as a way out of homelessness and of affording their own family home.”
“I wish the three Ministers well in their new portfolios. In our Private Members’ business of a week ago, I described what is happening with housing as an emergency. Indeed, the Housing Commission report calls for a radical reset of housing policy in Ireland. While every possible solution should be investigated, my party and I are of the opinion that the solutions should and must be led by the Government by way of identifying ways of cutting delivery times, dealing with the slow turnaround of social homes, which I mentioned on the last occasion, and tackling dereliction, not just in some towns but in every town, city and village in the country. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, will be very familiar with my thoughts on Croí Cónaithe. We discussed it in the Seanad over a long period. The vacant homes grant system is good.”
“Are there are plans to continue to hold oral hearings as part of the appeals procedure? I have used this in the past as well. It is a very effective mechanism and allows people go and meet the appeals officers, but there seems to have been a lack of oral hearings in recent times. Was this down to a shortfall in the number of appeals officers?”
“I welcome the independence of the appeals office. It is a great system whereby we get a second opinion, and it is something I have used during my time as a public representative. I have always found the appeals officers to be very helpful. With regard to the new appeals procedures, does the Minister have any indication of what the timelines for appeals will be or what he is working towards? That somebody is waiting for an appeal in respect of carer's allowance for over a year is simply not good enough in this modern age. I welcome the fact that there are 20 additional appeals officers, but what can we expect from the new appeals procedures? Something we discussed at the social protection committee in the previous Dáil - this was one of the biggest issues - was the length of time the process takes.”
“It is an unnecessary step that the appeals office has to look for the information first. That takes a number of months, and then more months pass before the appeal goes through. Will the Minister outline the plans for streamlining appeals that he hopes to put in place?”
“I thank the Minister. I welcome that there are 20 additional appeals officers but, unfortunately, as far as I am concerned, appeals times are still growing. I am dealing with a large number of carer's appeals that have been in train for 12 or 14 months and invalidity pension appeals that have been live for more than six months. The problem is that it is very difficult to explain to a person who is under stress and who needs a payment that he or she will have to go through this system. We get letters stating that the relevant papers are with the appeals office in Longford. I would love if someone could explain why officials have to write such letters. Surely, as the Minister mentioned, all of this should be done online. The review should come very quickly from Longford and be with the office in D'Olier Street in Dublin.”
“The previous committee on social protection discussed at length a retrospective payment for those families who have gone through grief, as the Minister and others mentioned. Will the Minister consider a payment for those who do not qualify or even a supplementary payment for those whose partners passed away pre-January 2024?”
“There is an expectation out there, as the Minister indicated. Those who have applied are waiting on the results of the O'Meara case. I am dealing with a number of people whose partners passed away before January 2024. The Minister mentioned not building up expectations. Is the Department considering making a payment to those people? Will the Minister give a commitment today that he will consider a payment for them? In my question, I asked that he consider issuing a supplementary payment. Given we are only talking about 331 applications, it is important that nobody is left behind. Following the judgment in the case taken by the O'Meara family there was an expectation that these people would qualify for a payment.”
“I thank the Minister for acknowledging the work that Deputy Alan Kelly did in relation to this. I also thank the O'Meara family for the work they did to ensure that those who are entitled to a payment can have one. It was a long road for them. They stood steadfast and got a result for many people. As mentioned, this issue may affect over 150,000 couples. The Minister informed us that 331 applications are on file. It is my understanding, from dealing with constituents through my office, that the Department is asking people to send in an application and is holding applications on file subject to the legislation coming through. I was a member of the previous committee on social protection which discussed this. Of the 331 applications, how many date from before January 2024?”
“I welcome the Minister and wish him well. As Labour Party spokesperson on social protection, I look forward to working with him over the lifetime of this Dáil. My question is very similar to the previous one. In addition, I ask for the number of applications received for the payment since the O'Meara case and whether the Minister will consider supplementary payments to qualified applicants in advance of the passing of legislation.”
“We need to discuss trying to expand the military facilities on the Curragh and including other agencies that are crying out for space in County Kildare. I look forward to a meeting on the Curragh and to further discussing its future with the Tánaiste.”
“I welcome that the Tánaiste will visit the Curragh Camp. That is very important. I will take him up on his request that I accompany him on that visit because it will be important that we meet local representatives who are getting this on the ground from those who live in the Curragh and who have previously, as the Tánaiste said, served on the Curragh. The State needs to use the Curragh Camp and the Curragh itself more. I ask the Tánaiste to look at other Government agencies. The Curragh Camp is right next to the M7 motorway and is a great facility. We should be expanding it at this stage, not looking at stages where we need investment in the Curragh Camp. I have spoken to a number of other local agencies throughout Kildare that would love to be able to use the Curragh Camp.”
“They are members of the Defence Forces, but they are finding it difficult. The issue facing them is whether to continue in the Defence Forces, yet I know of 83 derelict houses in the Curragh Camp.”
“The Curragh Camp is the jewel in the crown of the Defence Forces, as I and many Members of this House and the Upper House have said many times. The first thing anyone who drives through the Curragh Camp will notice is dereliction and the closed premises on the main street. The news that the fire station is to close has been greeted with disbelief by people who live in the Curragh because it seems to sound the death knell for the Curragh Camp. I ask the Tánaiste to outline his plans, as the incoming Minister for Defence, to ensure the Curragh Camp survives and becomes the jewel in the crown of the Defence Forces again. With regard to married quarters and encouraging members of the Defence Forces to continue in the Defence Forces, I am currently dealing with three families who cannot find accommodation in County Kildare.”
“I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and apologise. I ask the Tánaiste for an update on the proposed closure of the fire station at the Curragh Camp and also provide an update on the provision of living quarters for enlisted members in the Curragh.”
“I raise the very serious matter impacting first responders in all our communities. Recently, a number ambulance officers were informed, many of them, indeed, trained paramedics, that they could no longer park their ambulances, their vehicles, at their own homes. Instead, they will have to park them at ambulance bases and primary care centres. This is having a knock-on impact on first responder response times, particularly in relation to cardiac arrests and other emergency medical situations. We are asking for an urgent response in this regard to allow those first responders who are trained paramedics, to continue to park their vehicles at their own homes and to be allowed to respond in the quickest possible time to events within communities. It is having a serious knock-on effect and it has raised problems for these first responders.”
“Obviously, there are then the increased overhead costs that many of these childcare providers, particularly in rural areas, have faced. Will the Government address any of that to try to reduce childcare costs for parents while also ensuring providers will stay open?”
“I thank the Minister. The other area I wish to ask about is childcare costs. I recently met a young family in Newbridge, County Kildare, who are paying €1,400 per month. The Minister will know, as it is often referenced in this House, that this is a second mortgage. However, it is obviously not just in Newbridge that those are the costs of childcare; it is throughout the State. Linked to those costs are the turnover in staff where the average turnover is 25% of those working in the sector. Many of them quote the low pay they are receiving at present. There is a huge cost for them. Associated with that is the issue of the many regional childcare providers that have delays with payments from the Department, which are causing them headaches and issues about staying open.”
“This is what is happening throughout the country in many areas in the State. In Kildare, in my own area, many parents are seeking childcare accommodation and they want to hear from the Government and from the Minister as to what is going to happen for them and the when, where and how that poll might be conducted.”
“I thank the Minister. Early Childhood Ireland outlined in January that statistics from Pobal state that 6,663 children under the age of one are on a crèche waiting list where there are only 223 places available. It also goes on to say that 12,208 children aged between one and two are on a waiting list where there are only 675 places available. The Minister mentioned that in the programme from Government, the Government has committed to building or purchasing State-owned childcare facilities and to creating additional capacity. In her reply, the Minister spoke about a poll of parents. Will she let us know in the House when, where and how that poll will be conducted? It is important that we address those anomalies. In Cork, at the moment, there are 534 children under the age of one vying for 17 places.”
“What actions will the Minister take to ensure parents can have access to State-provided early years education facilities where there is currently a lack of such facilities? I also ask what actions she will take to reduce the cost of childcare.”
“Having listened to the principal, the feedback that I have heard is that they are actually experiencing something that they never thought they would. The experience of the dangers that they are getting from virtual driving will stand to them as they move forward on their driving career. It is something the Minister of State might look at.”
“It is the education that they receive from this that I wanted to bring to the Minister of State's attention tonight because I believe this is where we need to start off. We need to spread what is happening in Athy college this week right around all the secondary schools throughout the country. We need to add road safety to the curriculum. They are not just looking at driving but are also looking at pedestrian safety and cycling safety. As part of this motion, I ask the Minister of State to look at education in our secondary schools. Something like the virtual driving that has been going on this week at Athy College would benefit many people and, most importantly, those who need it most, namely the students as they set out on their driving experience journey.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. I wish the Minister of State well in his new role. There has been a great deal of talk about the totally unacceptable statistic of 174 of our citizens dying on the roads, about young drivers and about allowing drivers to learn the rules of the road. In the time available, I want to bring the Minister of State's attention something going on in my hometown of Athy this week. It is a road safety week being run by Richard Daly, the principal of Athy College, and by Barry Keatley of Virtual Driving Hub. They are bringing virtual driving hubs into the schools to allow students to experience various driving conditions on the road at a very young age. Everyone from first year up to sixth year gets the chance to drive a vehicle, albeit in a virtual environment.”
“I welcome the fact that she has mentioned additional pay for those workers and look forward to engaging with her to ensure that section 39 workers get the pay they deserve. Finally, as a member of the Oireachtas autism committee, the cost of disability was something we discussed time and time again. There are varying costs associated with disability, as the Minister said. It is something we need to get hold of and the Government needs to address. I will discuss it with the Minister over the coming months and years to ensure the cost of disability is recognised by Government and those who need payments actually get the payments they deserve.”
“When I questioned the Minister on it, she stated that the need was actually in Kildare South rather than in Naas where the school is currently located. I ask her to work with me once again to ensure that the school can be located in Kildare South. It is already full and is doing great work. I wish the management and staff well. However, we need a school that is functioning and has places in Kildare South, where, as the Minister identified when she was Minister for Education, there is a need for a special school. The Minister mentioned the voluntary sector and the section 39 workers. We all know in this House that without section 39 workers, the disability sector would fall down.”
“In Suncroft, County Kildare, a new Rural Link route is being proposed to deliver six services a day. I am dealing with people with disabilities for whom this would be life changing because they could access the bigger towns like Newbridge, the train stations and so on. The issues of rural transport are connected with disability issues. I hope the Minister will work with us to ensure that these services can happen for those who need them most. I spoke the last day about special schools, which have been mentioned today. In Kildare South we have an issue around a special school that was promised by the Minister when she was Minister for Education. She said it would be located in the constituency during a Seanad debate. It is currently located in Naas in Kildare North. There are ambitions for that school to be located in Kildare South.”
“We have all heard of families paying massive amounts for private assessment and therapies. The programme for Government provides a commitment for a children’s therapies grant fund for evidence-based therapies. Is this something that parents can apply for to fund private therapies? It would be a very welcome measure for many families. It will have come too late for some but would be very welcome for others, given the many thousands of euro that many families are committed to paying already. I also wanted to touch on transport. It is an issue other colleagues have raised. There are ongoing issues in accessing transport for people who have disabilities. One of the biggest barriers is to those in rural areas. I welcome the fact that Rural Link services are making a difference. We need to see more of them.”
“I ask the Minister and her colleagues, on behalf of the children and families who need their help most, that they provide this help in the quickest possible time. In the Seanad, I raised the issue of assessment of need in my own area of CHO 7 time and time again. There are currently 4,272 children waiting for an assessment of need for more than one year while 1,103 are waiting between six and 12 months. As if children are not waiting long enough, the average time for the CDNT waiting list is more than three years in CHO 7. The term used time and time again regarding these children is “early intervention”. By not providing early intervention, we are missing a key opportunity to support children during their development, risking further developmental issues and indeed pain for their family.”
“There are already more than 2,000 children waiting for this new facility to open, 90% of whom are on HSE waiting lists. As the Minister knows, that is still in blocks in Kildare town, which is a disgrace. The development has come to an abrupt halt due to the withholding of funding from the Department of Justice through the immigrant investor programme. I ask the Minister to work with her colleagues to ensure this national child development centre is built as quickly as possible in Kildare town. I understand that a capital investment application has been made to the HSE. This project needs to get off the ground. The centre is needed by so many people, not just in Kildare South but throughout the State.”
“I look forward to engaging with the Minister on it. As she said, it will be a very important document, but it will be an important document for all those who need help at this stage regarding employment. The second issue I want to raise relates to Sensational Kids, which is in my area of Kildare South. I recently met with the CEO of Sensational Kids, Ms Karen Leigh, who brought me around the national child development centre they propose to build in Kildare town, which is to be a state-of-the-art facility to support more than 300 children per week and provide 13,000 therapy sessions annually that children with additional needs so desperately need. That includes occupational therapy, OT, speech and language and psychological assessments.”