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.”
The complete record
Every one of 679 lines we hold for Mark Wall, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 14.
“As she said, according to the census of 2022, only 49% of people with disabilities of working age in Ireland are in employment. That is compared to almost 71% of those without disabilities. That is a shocking disability employment gap of 21.5%. Among disabled people, the unemployment rate is higher among people with an intellectual disability at almost 30%. I cannot begin to tell the Minister the number of times mothers and fathers of adult children have contacted me to highlight this, and I am sure it is the same in her office. She stated in her contribution that the new national disability strategy is an early priority for her and a key strategy as well. However, we are still talking about a matter of months before it will be published. We really need to see something as regards employment in that strategy.”
“I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his new role and wish him the very best. I also congratulate the Minister on her new role. As Labour Party spokesperson on children and disabilities, I look forward to working with her constructively during this term. I thank her for her engagement to date. Obviously, the waiting lists referred to in this debate are something we have to tackle, and that Government especially has to tackle because behind every one of those numbers on the waiting list is a family and somebody who needs help. They are the people who we have to help. As I said, I look forward to engaging with the Minister over the next period. The first area I want to speak about today is employment, which the Minister referenced.”
“This means 32 families waiting on a space for their loved ones. Progress just cannot happen quick enough for them. Imagine the stress they are going through. We need to do more. I congratulate the teachers who work in this space. They go above and beyond. I refer in particular to the SNAs, who do a tremendous job day in, day out. The relationships they form with the children who need special education are to be welcomed and celebrated. More needs to be done for the SNAs, given the job they do day in, day out.”
“This has been mentioned here before in colleagues' speeches. I am aware of people who travel from Dublin to Kilkenny and South Kildare and people who travel from Kilkenny and South Kildare to Dublin. It takes two or three hours in a bus. Since it takes such a long time, the young person is barely awake when he or she comes home. I welcome the common application process that the Minister mentioned. I brought this up with the previous Minister for Education because I believe SENOs need to be doing more. They need to be helping the affected families. I am aware of a family who have rung 47 different schools. I have spoken to the family and know what they are going through, including the stress. I was recently told by a principal in Newbridge, which in my area, that the average waiting list for a special school place has 32 families.”
“The announcement was that the new schools would cater for approximately 120 young children with autism and complex learning needs, initially up to 18 years of age, and gradually increase the numbers over the following years. The announcement was greeted with much joy by many parents in Kildare South and, indeed, the other counties I mentioned. We all expected the school to be located in Kildare South but it was actually opened in Kildare North, in Naas, leaving the families in Kildare South without a school once again. I am pleased to learn the school is up and running and doing very well. I wish the staff there very well, but it is already full and we still do not have a special school in Kildare South. That brings me to the biggest problem, namely the crisscrossing that must be done by families and their loved ones.”
“I wish the Minister and Minister of State well in their new briefs. I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this important motion. The lack of special school places in my area, Kildare South, continues to grow. Not a week goes by when I do not get contacted time and again by worried parents who simply cannot find a place for their loved ones. It was in late 2023 that the then Minister of State, Josepha Madigan, announced that four new special schools would be established the following September, in Limerick, Meath, Wexford and South Kildare. When I questioned her in the Seanad at the time, she said the announcement was in response to increasing number of students with learning needs.”
“For me and my party, that must be State-led through a State housing agency. It is time we treated this housing crisis as the emergency that it really is.”
“After shouting in the Seanad for a review of the housing adaptation grant for over four years, the review has not gone far enough and homeowners cannot adapt their homes. The Government's Housing Commission called for a radical strategic reset of housing policy. Recent commentary by the Taoiseach and many Ministers seemed to suggest that this radical reset is to go back again to massive tax reliefs for developers, returning us to the ghost estates of the past and rising house prices for the highest bidder. It will once again remove from young families and working people the possibility of owning their own home or even affording private rent. I wish the Minister of State well in this housing emergency. I join with one of his party's TDs, who yesterday in this House called for a Covid-like response to housing.”
“I am aware of houses purchased by local authorities that stand idle years after their purchase, many still at the so-called first stage of planning. Like colleagues throughout the House, I am aware of derelict houses throughout the State in many housing estates which are lying idle during the housing emergency. I am aware of the attempts of many local authorities to compulsorily purchase these houses. Unfortunately, I am too aware of the time it is taking to secure such homes as potential family homes. This is a housing emergency because the housing list for one-bedroom units in my local authority is around 20 years long. It is taking 20 months for a warmer home scheme to be put in place.”
“Sheltered housing in the same town, which could house ten older people, has been held up by two Government agencies, namely, the HSE and the local authority. For over two years, they have been unable to agree on a contract or lease. Why does it take two years for two Government agencies to agree on a lease? I could name other projects in other towns and I am sure my colleagues will do so. It is a housing emergency because there are no rental properties available to rent in Kildare South. Many landlords continue to refuse HAP and a number of tenants are afraid to report poor and dire living conditions to their local authorities because if they do so, there is simply no other place to rent. I am aware that many local authority houses are taking years to return to council stock.”
“It is an emergency because 70% of 25-year-olds are stuck living at home with their parents. It is an emergency for young people like Alex, who I met at a public meeting on Monday night. He told me that housing is a major concern for him and peers. He made a 150 km round trip each day to attend college, a total of 80,000 km in travel over the four years of his study, simply because he could not find any accommodation and any that was available was overpriced. He recounted a number of similar stories from his friends, all of whom he said are worried about their housing future in this country. It is an emergency because a joint project for assisted housing in my home town to be built on council land has not seen a sod turned in ten years, despite funding announcements.”
“Recent commentary talks about a housing crisis in this country. The term "crisis" does not describe what so many families and individuals are experiencing because what we have is a housing emergency. No other word can describe it. It is not a crisis when over 15,000 of our citizens, including over 4,500 children, are living in hotel rooms. That in itself is an emergency. However, this emergency is not limited to that totally unacceptable figure. It also includes working families who cannot get onto the housing list or have been taken off housing lists and cannot access the housing assistance payment, HAP, because local authorities are assessing income from last year. They are also taking into account temporary payments like jobseeker's benefit which, as we all know, is temporary.”
“The reason I raise the issue today is that I have been contacted by a number of sports clubs, in particular ladies’ sports clubs who are sharing facilities with other sports clubs. They are totally dependent on those clubs as to when they can take to the field. That is simply not good enough at a time when we are encouraging more and more women to take up sport. We need separate facilities. What is needed, and what we have proposed before is municipal areas where the Government buys land and develops facilities for all sports clubs so that the people in sports clubs can enjoy the sport in their own time. We have some wonderful clubs but they cannot share with the other clubs all the time. We are disallowing so many young people from taking up and playing sport, which obviously we need to do.”
“Speaking of the Defence Forces, we need to ensure retention in the Defence Forces. This has been mentioned by colleagues previously. The Curragh is the heart of the Defence Forces and what we need to see is investment in the Curragh, not what we hear at the moment that a facility like the Curragh fire station is to close down. I have raised this with the Tánaiste and the previous Minister for Defence. He tells me that the accommodation that could be there for retention is not going to be viable, but what we need to do is to build houses for the Army and others on the Curragh so as to retain Army membership and encourage more to join the Army. That is what the Defence Forces need. In the time remaining, I also want to mention an issue that comes up regularly for me, namely, the lack of sporting facilities.”
“I ask the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien to bring public refuse collection back into the programme for Government. We should not sell off the last public refuse collection company, as Bord na Móna is intent on doing. The other day I listened to my colleagues from County Kildare talk about the Curragh. I totally support the inclusion of the great facility that we have. The plains of the Curragh is a magnificent facility but, unfortunately, we have heard in recent days that the Curragh fire station is to close. As a Member of the Seanad I previously raised the dereliction that is in the Curragh. If the Government is serious about the Curragh, it needs to include the retention of the Curragh fire service and also investment in the Curragh training camp. It is the jewel in the crown of the Defence Forces.”
“It flies in the face of what other countries in Europe are doing at the moment. Every other country is going back to having a public service rather than privatising their service. If the Minister of State is from the country, like I am, she will see illegal dumping right around the State on every road she travels – on every country road and even in urban settings we see rubbish being dumped on the side of the road. Once we go to the private sector for our refuse collection, we are only going to encourage profit and illegal tenders to go back out and start dumping on our roads again. The most recent estimate I saw suggested that local authorities spend in the region of €100 million in cleaning up illegal dumping in this country.”
“Like my colleague, I ask the Minister of State to look at this again and to bring it back to the Minister and ensure that this occupational pension comes in for all those people that we depend on so often. The other issue I want to raise today is the unacceptable news we got last week about the sale of Bord na Móna Recycling. This flies in the face of so many issues that I have dealt with in recent years, but it also flies in the face of the recommendations of the Dublin taskforce and the previous Oireachtas joint committee on the environment. From talking to colleagues in SIPTU and workers in Bord na Móna, it is my understanding that this decision will come before the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to be signed off. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, and the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, not to allow this decision to go through.”
“As my colleague said, when Storm Éowyn happened last week, it was those people who were on the front line while we shut the door. It was those people who were out there. Time after time they have come to our rescue, yet we have not rewarded them. It is not about reward; it is about fairness. It is all about fairness for these people. They chose this career. They want it. As my colleague said, they go through a stringent process in order to get this career yet they face this situation because the Government has not put this issue into the programme for Government. Some €500 a month is what we are talking about today. That is what is involved in the pension. It is unacceptable to get €250 after 40 years’ service at the age of 55.”
“I agree with my colleague, Deputy Smith. We recently met with Dublin Fire Brigade. We listened to unbelievable stories from individual members who went above and beyond on a daily basis for the people of Dublin. A young firefighter called Aisling says she is trying to build in her mortgage because she knows she may have to retire at 55 due to the nature of the job. Even after 40 years’ service and paying into a pension, they would be left with €250 a week. That is simply unbelievable. It is not acceptable. Firefighters have called for a supplementary occupational pension, along with the Defence Forces, the Garda, the Dublin Fire Brigade and the Prison Service. It was promised by Fianna Fáil. It should have been in the programme of Government, which is what this debate is about today. We turn to those people when we need them.”
“It gave out messages day in and day out and many people relied on the station. The importance of a working grid has also been mentioned. It has never been more important that we have a working grid. It is the topic that has been spoken about by so many communities.”
“I have spoken to him often in recent days and he has, in fairness, always come back to me. It is important that we have that kind of connection with those who work in these State agencies. I hoped the Minister for housing would be here while I finished my contribution. Some of my colleagues mentioned the issue of air-to-water systems, which have let down so many people. Many people have got on to me in recent weeks about the failure of those systems in their homes. Their chimneys were taken out as a direct result of the installation of these air-to-water systems and those people were left without heating in their homes at a time when they needed it most. We need to revisit that and come up with solutions into the future. The power of local radio was mentioned. My local radio station, KFM, is at the heartbeat of communities.”
“That would greatly assist many communities in the aftermath of such an event in the future. The Minister for housing said earlier that we need to work more closely with local authorities. My local authority, Kildare County Council, recently began to look at the number of community facilities within the county of Kildare. I believe that needs to be expanded throughout the State. We need to know what community facilities are available and what can be offered to communities, particularly those in rural areas, at times of emergency. It is something the Government should take on board quickly. As other Members, including the Minister, Deputy Calleary, have said, I thank all the emergency workers, including those working for the ESB and Uisce Éireann. I pay particular tribute to Mr. Seán Murphy of the ESB.”
“Those clubs include Clogherinkoe, Carbury, Allenwood and Robertstown. They came to the fore again, as they always have. They are the heartbeats of our communities. There are over 2,000 GAA clubs on this island, in every corner of the island, rural and urban. A recent suggestion made to me was that we must work with the GAA to utilise its facilities and hubs in the event of further storms and serious events. It was mentioned earlier that many of these clubs have received grants for generators, which are essential in such a scenario. Other clubs are seeking sports capital grants to avail of generators or to replace existing ones. The Government needs to work with this network of community facilities and their parent organisation to ensure they are ready for such events. We must ensure that each club has a working modern generator.”
“I listened with interest to the comment by the Minister for the environment, who said that all sectors need to understand who their vulnerable customers are and noted the need for the relevant agencies and Departments to work together to ensure a co-ordinated approach. What we need is for the Government to take the lead. That has not happened over the past 12 days. The most vulnerable have been left behind and they are the most important people who contacted all public representatives over those days. They felt isolated and left behind. I will also speak about the co-ordination of emergency hubs, which needs to be handled better and quicker than it was in recent days. In my own area, a number of GAA clubs have opened their doors, offering food, power and showering facilities to members and non-members alike.”
“She did not know how she would care for him or how she could explain to him what was going on with this massive change in their lives. Their power only came back at the weekend. This lady, like so many of her neighbours throughout Kildare, looked after her neighbours, showing again the great spirit of so many communities in Kildare. The first lesson we have to learn from this storm is the need to compile a definitive list of vulnerable communities and the members of those communities, as has already been mentioned. This should involve all Departments of the State. We have the knowledge in the lists of vulnerable people that are held by power supply companies. The Minister has such a list in the Department of Social Protection and there are other lists with other State bodies.”
“We cannot afford the unco-ordinated response we saw in many places over the past 12 days. Like other Members of this House, I took multiple calls from constituents in the aftermath of the storm who had no idea when their electricity would be restored. One such call was from the family of a young child who is recovering from major surgery. There was no heating in their home when it was vital to the recovery of that child. I also received multiple calls from the families of vulnerable people who felt isolated and cold, and who could not communicate with their loved ones. The bottom line is that these people are the most vulnerable in our society. They include a 75-year-old lady who has to care for her husband who has dementia.”
“Indeed, I have spent time in recent days with a number of constituents whose power only returned in the past number of days. In the run-up to the storm, we saw some great examples of community spirit as other Members of this House have already said, with local bus companies in my area offering lifts to older people and with neighbours looking after one another at all times. Hotels offered food and washing facilities. All of that is good in this country. However, as good as those intentions were before, during and after the storm, there can be no doubt that we must learn lessons in its aftermath. We must plan better for the future. We are facing a climate crisis that is undeniable. This storm was described as a once-in-100-years storm but such storms will become more regular.”
“As other Members, including the Labour Party leader, have done, I will put on the record the thanks of the Labour Party to all the front-line responders who put their lives at risk during Storm Éowyn to ensure the general public were protected. They have done so during similar events previously and they continue to do so when called upon. We should never forget first responders and the work they do. We should always continue to support them at every opportunity in the great work they do. We must also remember that the storm, unfortunately, took a life. I send my condolences to the family of Kacper Dudek on the tragic loss of his life. I also send my condolences to the family that Deputy Conway-Walsh has just informed the House of. My own county of Kildare did not escape the hardship and destruction of the storm.”
“If the Chair will indulge me for a moment, as this is the first time I have spoken in this historic Chamber as an elected Member of Dáil Éireann, I would like to thank the people of Kildare South for putting their faith in me. I assure them that I will work tirelessly for them, their families and all the great communities that we have in that most important county in the State. I thank my wife, Michelle; my sons, Eoin and Cathal; my father, Jack; and all the members of my family who worked so hard in recent years to support me. I also thank the many supporters and friends who helped me in so many ways during recent campaigns. It is an honour I do not take lightly.”