Mary Lou McDonald
Dublin Central · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Now he watches as Paudie, his other son, aged 16, deteriorates with the same disease. He says Paudie does not have weeks to wait. He says, "I can't lose him [too]. He is all I have left." That is what is at stake here. This is urgent. Caithfidh an Rialtas an rud ceart a dhéanamh dóibh siúd a bhfuil Friedreich's ataxia orthu.”
“We know that both scramblers and e-scooters are being used by gangs to distribute drugs, to openly and actively intimidate, and to evade the gardaí and, yet, we heard the Garda Commissioner say that there would be no chance of pursuit training until next year because of the EU Presidency. I found that really shocking.”
“Their hopes were very high that the HSE drugs committee would finally approve Skyclarys, but those hopes were to be dashed. The committee decided against approving the drug. Instead, it referred it to a rare disease review group. In other words, one committee passing the buck to another committee.”
“This cruel condition moves relentlessly, ravaging their bodies and their lives, yet the system stands still, putting up obstacle after obstacle, forcing them to wait and wait as time slips by. This drug was approved by the EU Commission back in 2024. Two years on, it is available in France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Czechia.”
“So we are clear, it is not that all of this is frustrating for those living with Friedreich's ataxia; it is actually terrifying for them. I met Emily three or four weeks ago and I was speaking to her again on Tuesday. Even in that short time span, she told me that her swallow and speech had disimproved. We are on the clock here.”
“There is someone the Tánaiste knows very well in the Public Gallery. She is the unstoppable and heroic Cara Darmody. Cara has just completed her third 50-hour protest outside the Dáil, calling for real action for children and young people waiting for an assessment of need.”
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“The system created and presided over by the Government, as my colleague has said, is broken, not fit for purpose and now does not command the confidence of the public. That is a big problem. The processing of applications takes far too long. Deportation orders go unenforced. There are no exit checks. Too often, the State does not know if those issued with deportation orders have actually left. Sickeningly, there is massive profiteering from the provision of IPAS accommodation. The Government has made multimillionaires of a small group of people, virtually overnight. Millions have been made from the misery of others. Meanwhile, communities are sidelined, ignored and left behind without the basic resources needed in housing, healthcare and local services.”
“It should not come as a surprise, given the recent and marked growth in Ireland's population and diversity, that there is a widespread public conversation on migration. It is no surprise either that people recognise the value that nurses from the Philippines, doctors from Syria and engineers from India bring to our society, our economy and our service provision, which would really struggle without them. Ireland remains a welcoming country. It is no surprise either that the Irish public requires and demands that the Government and its agencies manage, regulate and oversee all aspects of the migration of people in an orderly and efficient way. Today's statements are about the international protection system processing and enforcement.”
“Nearly 1 million hospital appointments have been cancelled since 2022 under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the crisis deepens by the year. This is according to new HSE figures released to Teachta David Cullinane. This is a damning indictment of the Government's failed health policies. Hospitals are understaffed, overcrowded and overstretched because the Government has built in recruitment restrictions that strangle the system. The Government promised 3,000 new beds in 2024. The funding has not materialised. The Government promised four new elective hospitals by 2027. They are stalled and will not reach planning until 2031. It is failure on every front. Behind every cancelled appointment is a person left waiting, worrying and suffering because the Government refuses to act. It is time to get real.”
“Under Standing Order 35(3), I propose an amendment to the Order of Business. The current nitrates derogation expires in a matter of mere weeks and the Government's handling, or mishandling, of the issue, leaving negotiations with the EU to run down to the wire, means farmers face a possible serious cliff edge in January. I ask that time be allocated in this week's schedule to debate this crucial issue for the future of Irish agriculture.”
“I have told him that in the run-in to Christmas, families now - not next year but now, in November and December - cannot make it and the Government simply sings dumb. I find it astonishing that the Government is so out of touch. We need action now. We need the energy credits as an immediate response, but the Government needs to take on these energy companies and face them down.”
“I will tell the Minister what is not sustainable. It is not sustainable to tell families that are struggling so badly now that his only response is to refer them to the national development plan, budgetary parameters and whatever other political jargon he has got written down and has placed on the record of the Dáil. Does he understand how widespread this experience is? He keeps talking about targeted measures. Does he understand how widespread the experience is now for households that cannot make their bills? I have told him already, and he knows, that 300,000 households are already in arrears. I have told him that energy companies have hiked their prices upwards and upwards with no real substantive challenge from anyone in the Government. They can do what they want.”
“This is a lazy do-nothing Government incapable of understanding how these huge bills impact on people's lives so it does not even muster up the effort to do anything about it. That is not good enough. The Government's job is to stand up to those companies, to end this energy rip-off and to support households mar tá geimhreadh lán de bhillí leictreachais ródhaor in ann do theaghlaigh. Caithfidh an Rialtas seasamh suas in aghaidh na comhlachtaí móra fuinnimh agus tacú le teaghlaigh. Given the scale of this crisis, will the Government now act to reinstate energy credits to help households and what action will the Government take to reign in energy companies and to put an end to the scandalous rip-off?”
“The big question for me is this: how many wake-up calls does the Government need before it acts? Four energy companies announce big electricity price hikes but the Government does nothing. The International Energy Agency reports that energy companies are fleecing Irish households but the Government does nothing. The CSO releases figures proving that people are being ripped off but the Government still does nothing. Now the Government's own task force confirms that households will be hit with massive electricity bills over the coming weeks but the Government still does nothing. Worse still, the Government actually has the neck to tell people to wait until next year for some pie-in-the-sky plan. Not alone is this Government inaction woefully out of touch, it is downright lazy.”
“These huge bills are already landing and yet the Government pretends like it is not happening. Government failure to tackle energy rip-offs leaves people in desperate situations, with families using prepay meters going days without electricity and households relying on organisations such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to keep the lights on. The Government sits back and allows big energy companies to rip people off at every opportunity. Now, as the days get darker, families will be forced to cut back on necessary electricity use, counting the cost every time they use the washing machine and feeling pressure every time they flick on the light switch because they know it is costing them a fortune. Is that an acceptable way for people to live?”
“The barrage of electricity price hikes from big energy companies puts people under huge pressure in the run-up to Christmas. Three hundred thousand households are unable to pay their electricity bills. Household energy arrears have almost doubled in the last four years. Many more will now be pushed into this awful situation. The Government's decision to strip away energy credits was a terrible call in a terrible budget - a budget of €9.4 billion that has left working people worse off. That is some going. While people are so brazenly ripped off, what is the Government's big idea? It is a promise to make an announcement of a plan sometime next year, with action to follow God knows when, if at all. Households are being fleeced, right here and right now.”
“Déanaim comhghairdeas ó chroí lenár gcara, an iarTheachta Catherine Connolly. It is a truly historic achievement. Our warmest congratulations go to our Uachtarán-elect, Catherine Connolly. I would like also to pay tribute to Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, who passed away yesterday. Sr. Stan championed social justice, advocated for the homeless and spent her entire life standing on the side of those in need. She gave gentle yet powerful voice to the voiceless. She never stopped working for a fair and equal society. She leaves an incredible legacy of compassion, activism and hope. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. The Government's energy task force published its interim report yesterday, confirming people's worst fears. Households will be hit with massive electricity bills this winter, with average yearly bills approaching €2,000.”
“There is not a minute to waste. Inch by inch, we come closer to a united Ireland. This generation hears tomorrow coming and steps forward to walk our length of the journey to full nationhood. Our dream is the dream of Wolfe Tone - to unite the whole people of Ireland, to achieve a 32-county republic and for Ireland to finally take its rightful place among the nations of the world. This is the future the Government must pursue with hope, with spirit, with determination and with pace.”
“Is deis stairiúil í Éire aontaithe agus is é an smaoineamh is fearr do thodhchaí ár dtíre. Caithfidh an Rialtas stop a chur leis an mhoill agus an obair a dhéanamh le pleanáil agus ullmhú do reifreann aontachta. Our motion calls on Government to embrace this mounting spirit of ambition for a united Ireland in our time. The position of yes but not now, the attitude of this far but no further and the partitionism of successive Governments must be consigned to history. The Good Friday Agreement places the democratic future of Ireland in the hands of the people of Ireland. The question was prophetically posed by a former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds in a different time: "Who is afraid of peace?" The question that arises for us now is: "Who is afraid of unity?" Now is the moment to plan and prepare for reunification.”
“That report received cross-party support recommending citizens' assemblies and other relevant forums, a designated joint Oireachtas committee and a Government Department for planning and preparing for Irish unity. Irish unity has featured prominently in the presidential election. All candidates have expressed their hopes for reunification and outlined how they would propose to progress Irish unity during a term as Uachtarán na hÉireann. The President is a president for all of the people of Ireland and so this must be the very last presidential election in which Northern citizens are excluded and denied their right to a vote. The Irish Constitution asserts the will of the Irish nation to achieve a united Ireland and so it is crucial that we have a President who advances this ambition with vision and generosity.”
“By contrast, the poverty of ambition from the Irish Government is not alone wrong but utterly negligent. It is disappointing that the Taoiseach creates false obstacles to reunification. His consistent rejection of the calls for unity referenda is out of sync with the direction and pace of travel - his reasoning dismissive of the huge efforts made to progress reconciliation by communities over three decades. I urge the Taoiseach to recognise that history is now unfolding. He must seize the promise of the Good Friday Agreement and grasp this moment to progress the reunification of our country. The Government should implement the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.”
“The question is now no longer: "How can we afford to unite Ireland?" It is rather: "How can we afford not to?" Throughout society, the unity discussion is widening and deepening led by civic organisations like Ireland's Future; grassroots GAA groups, including Gaels Le Chéile; across academia; and the commissions of political parties, including those of Sinn Féin and the SDLP. Voices supporting Irish unity come from across the political and societal spectrum, including former Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, Leo Varadkar, and Archbishop Eamon Martin. Contributions have also been made recently by SDLP leader Claire Hanna emphasising the need to prepare for constitutional change and by the Alliance Party leader Naomi Long calling on the British Government to clarify criteria for the calling of a unity referendum.”
“There are encouraging signs of growing support for Irish unity in successive electoral results, demographic changes, contributions from civic society, opinion polling and public commentary. July's landmark research report by Professor John Doyle of Dublin City University supported by Ulster University's Economic Policy Centre deals a fatal blow to the economic arguments proffered against a united Ireland demonstrating that the costs associated with unity have tended to be exaggerated while the benefits of an all-Ireland economy have been largely ignored.”
“The perpetual unionist majority is gone. The most recent set of elections has cemented nationalism as the political perspective with the largest support. I say this not to sound the bell of triumphalism, far from it, but, rather, to underscore the immense change that is taking place. This is a change best represented by the fact that Michelle O'Neill, a republican woman from Tyrone, now leads the Executive as First Minister for all. More and more people now see that partition has failed both communities and has failed Ireland. The momentum for the reunification of Ireland is building. Across Ireland, among people from all walks of life, the unity conversation is live and there is an onus on the Government to prepare for constitutional change and to plan for unity referendums.”
“To promote his 1977 album, Heroes , the late, great David Bowie coined the phrase, "Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming". This message should resonate powerfully as together we look to the future of our country and to our national journey from peace to unity. A united Ireland is an idea whose moment has come. The politics of Irish nationhood has come full circle. A century ago, partition was forced upon our people against our will, under the British threat of immediate and terrible war. The formation of two conservative states divided and separated the people of Ireland. This was an act of political vandalism which sowed the seeds of military occupation and conflict. Today, the Orange state built on prejudice and discrimination is no more. The Good Friday Agreement, signed almost 30 years ago, transformed the future.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: recognises that: — the reunification of Ireland is an objective of Bunreacht na hÉireann; and — there is a growing national discussion around constitutional change with people from diverse backgrounds now exploring the possibility of Irish unity; notes that: — the Good Friday Agreement 1998 provides the democratic and peaceful means to achieve reunification through the provision of unity referendums; and — the significant Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement report "Perspectives on Constitutional Change: Finance and Economics", recommends the establishment of Citizen Assemblies and other relevant forums, a designated Joint Oireachtas Committee and a Government Department to take responsibility for planning and preparing for constitutional change, received cross-party support; and calls on the Irish Government to plan and prepare for Irish unity, through the following actions: — establish an all-island representative Citizens' Assembly or Assemblies, to allow for informed debate, and a Joint Oireachtas Committee on Irish Unity to enable careful planning; — produce and publish a plan towards Irish unity in conjunction with civic society and key stakeholders; — engage with northern protestant and unionist opinion about the future of Ireland; and — work to secure a date for the referendums on unity provided for in the Good Friday Agreement.”
“Yesterday, ripped-off households were hit with a double whammy. First was the news that food price inflation had reached its highest level for nearly two years. On that same day, the big electricity price hike from SSE Airtricity kicked in. This is the second hike in just one year. This is affecting hundreds of thousands of households. How bad do things have to get before the Government stands up to these companies and protects people from price gouging? When will it rein things in and end the rip-off? Surely the Taoiseach now recognises that it was a serious mistake not to include a cost-of-living package in his budget? The Finance Bill is before the Dáil this week. I ask the Taoiseach to see sense and provide meaningful measures to support households through this cost-of-living crisis.”
“For any parent or anyone caring for a child, one of the worst imaginable nightmares is that the child would go missing or be assaulted, particularly in this way. As the Taoiseach said, it is not surprising at all that this case has caused profound anger and unease. I appreciate that he recognises that there has been a failure of the system in this case. That is a necessary acknowledgement. However, a disturbing pattern has emerged. This requires more than a simple referral to a panel. There has to be more action, because the most unnerving thing is that this happens to children in the care of, in accommodation provided by or who are known to Tusla and the State and again and again we hear these unimaginable tales.”
“Tá ceisteanna tromchúiseacha le freagairt anois ag Tusla agus ag an Rialtas. The safety and protection of our children must be the first and highest concern for all of us in this House. Children in the care of the State are the most vulnerable of all and yet they have been failed far too often with nobody held to account. This demands an immediate and strong response from Government. It is important the Taoiseach provides as much information as he can today without, of course, compromising the legal process. What action will be taken to hold Tusla to account for this ten-year-old child going missing from its care? Can he explain to people how the alleged perpetrator is still here six months after being issued with a deportation order?”
“It is also reported that the man now charged with this assault was subject to a deportation order issued in March of this year. How is it that a person issued with a deportation order remains in the country six months later? People are now asking how this was allowed to happen, why the order was not enforced and whether the authorities knew that he was still in the State. This violent incident deeply unnerves the entire community, in particular the local community in Saggart and the surrounding areas whose pleas for additional resources, including Garda resources, have been ignored. They now feel very betrayed and very badly let down. Tá imní ollmhór ann i measc an phobail tar éis ionsaí gnéasach líomhnaithe ar chailín deich mbliana d'aois ag ionad IPAS i Citywest.”
“There is a disturbing pattern of children in the care of the State and of this agency being failed catastrophically. We think of six-year-old Kyran Durnin, missing and presumed dead, three-year-old Daniel Aruebose, whose skeletal remains were found in Donabate last month, and, of course, 17-year-old Vadym Davydenko, who was stabbed to death at a Tusla care facility in north Dublin only last week. It really begs the question: what on earth is going on with Tusla? Why is this happening again and again? How is it that in our small country so many children can go missing? Our thoughts today are with this ten-year-old girl, who has been so failed and violated, and with her family. Our thoughts are with all of the children that I have mentioned and with their families, who have experienced imaginable loss hurt and trauma.”
“There is huge public shock and anger regarding the reported sexual assault of a ten-year-old girl on the grounds of the Citywest international protection accommodation services, IPAS, centre here in Dublin. A man in his 20s has been charged in connection with the assault. An Garda Síochána is to be commended for its work in making this arrest. Of course, our first concern is for the welfare of this young child. Tusla has confirmed that the child was in its care. This vulnerable ten-year-old girl went missing from Tusla's care while on a supervised trip to Dublin city centre. She was then reported missing to An Garda Síochána. She remained missing overnight, and she was then reportedly sexually assaulted. How could a ten-year-old in the care of Tusla go missing on a supervised trip?”
“Increasingly, the wider public, seeing more and more, have no confidence in him either. God, hurry the day when they get to remove him from power.”
“Níl muinín ar bith agam as Simon Harris. Bhain sé a bheatha as gealltanais mhóra a thabhairt agus iad a bhriseadh. Tá dochar ollmhór déanta de bharr na gealltanais bhriste seo agus tá daoine cráite. Ní féidir leis freagracht a sheachaint a thuilleadh. People are not fools and they have long memories. They are good at remembering when those in power walk away from their promises. Away from the cameras and the mics and from the din and cut-and-thrust of this House, I wonder whether there is regret at breaking so many commitments. I remember the Tánaiste once said that he remembered the names and faces of the children with scoliosis and spina bifida that he had met. They are looking on today, and they feel so badly let down and so badly failed. I have no confidence in the Tánaiste. The families he has let down have no confidence in him.”
“The vast majority of people are decent and trusting and they believe that if you say something, you will follow it through and if you promise something, you will keep your word and come through for them, especially on an issue profoundly affecting their lives. Making promises is easy. Doing the work to keep those promises is hard, and Simon Harris does not want to do the hard work. The shattering of public trust in Simon Harris, which has mounted in recent months, is a result of the Tánaiste revealing himself to be a man who will say what needs to be said to get a positive reaction in any particular moment but does not follow through on commitments made. The collapse in trust has been fostered by the Tánaiste's own actions, his own words and a litany of broken promises. That is the record he is confronted with today.”
“I remind the House, as she consistently does, that the Government is still breaking the law by leaving children on waiting lists and not abiding by the six-month statutory timeframe, as is its duty.”
“Nominating him for Taoiseach, she had this to say: It is that sense of simply wanting to help, of breaking down barriers, and making life better for people that drives Simon Harris. I know, under his leadership, we will see a major focus on improving supports for people with disabilities. So she said. I would imagine that at that time, the parents of children waiting in agony for spinal surgery listened in disbelief to that. I imagine that the parents of children left waiting and waiting for an assessment of need were also left shaking their heads in disbelief. Let us remember that it has taken 15-year-old Cara Darmody to force any movement from the Government on this issue.”
“Let it be said that in that election people will have the opportunity to vote for values that stand in marked contrast to broken promises and grubby deals, the proven currency of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in government. It is a currency, of course, with which Fine Gael's presidential candidate, former Deputy, Heather Humphreys, is fully comfortable. She was fully aware of the promise Simon Harris made to children with scoliosis and spina bifida and of the devastation caused to families when that promise was repeatedly broken, yet she backed him to the hilt.”
“Arrogance and a sense of entitlement are the bedrock upon which the Government was formed – the foundation stone of a grubby deal struck by Deputies Simon Harris, Micheál Martin and Michael Lowry, a deal all about holding on to power at all costs, protecting the positions of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and feathering the nests of those at the top. Delivering for children with scoliosis and spina bifida was not even on the radar when they were brokering that deal. They tabled this motion today simply because they did not want a vote of no confidence in the Fine Gael leader landing in the same week as the presidential election. That is actually their priority, and we all know it.”
“If the Tánaiste can break such a profound promise to children in such desperate need of surgery, it should come as no surprise that he can so readily break his promises on issues like the cost of living, giving ordinary workers a break in their income tax, abolishing student fees and delivering affordable childcare. Those big election promises were all broken in last week's budget, a budget in which the Government bragged, as it has done again today, about its billions of euro but still managed to leave working people worse off.”
“Of course, the backdrop to this catastrophic failure of children is the ongoing fiasco surrounding the national children's hospital. When he was Minister for Health, Simon Harris signed the contract for this project, something he very bizarrely denied during general election campaign debates last year, which was a brazen attempt to distance himself from responsibility. The opening of the hospital has been delayed time and again and billions of euro in public money have been spent, yet not one child has been treated to this day. Broken promises cut more deeply when broken by somebody with the power to make a difference.”
“We heard from parents racked with worry that their child might die waiting for the care and surgery they need. It is a case of stolen childhood, broken lives, damaged futures – a catalogue of human hurt and anger that stems from a most profound betrayal, a promise broken, by the Tánaiste. Today, 225 children are waiting for their operations. The promise is being broken in real time again today. The lifeline of access to surgery abroad has proven to be a dead end for most children. The promise of a public inquiry into the care of spina bifida and scoliosis patients by Children's Health Ireland must be fulfilled. It is essential now that the Government move heaven and earth to get every child the surgery they need, because Simon Harris's broken promise must not steal from those children what it has already stolen from so many others.”
“was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of nine. He was told he needed an operation to correct the curve in his spine. He was left to wait years without surgery and waited so long that he became inoperable at the age of 13. He is now confined to a wheelchair. The curve in his back remains, causing him pain and difficulty breathing. This courageous young man has been robbed of the life he deserved. His big appeal is that this should never happen to another child. Yesterday, as has been noted, the Oireachtas audiovisual room was packed to capacity with TDs, Seanadóirí and the Minister for Health herself. We all heard parents speak of the pain, trauma and suffering of their children with scoliosis and spina bifida, children who have been waiting in agony for their operations and children who waited for so long that they became inoperable.”
“In September of last year in the Dáil, I raised with Simon Harris Harvey's worsening condition, the need for urgent surgery and the fact that he had been silently removed from the waiting list without his parents' knowledge. Simon Harris promised to meet the parents urgently, yet it took more than a year to fulfil that promise. By that time, sadly, Harvey had passed away. Harvey's parents would be the first to tell you he is not the only child who has suffered as a result of the Government's failure of children. Over recent years, I have had the privilege of getting to know quite well a lad from Tullamore by the name of T.J. Coughlan. Some Members might know T.J. He is an amazing young man, he is smart, positive and full of optimism, and he is great craic. He is just a real lover of life. Having been born with spina bifida, T.J.”
“His dad, Stephen, said, "We watched him deteriorate, cry in pain, struggle to breathe and lose the sparkle in his eye." Speaking on "The Late Late Show" last month, his mum, Gillian, said: Knowing … that he was only going to live to nine [years], knowing that he spent the ... [guts of] three years in pain on a wait list, feels incredibly unjust. If Harvey had had the timely access to healthcare, I feel like he wouldn't have missed so much of his childhood. We would have more memories as a family, more happy memories as a family, and not so many negative memories. [I]t robbed him of a large portion of his childhood, and … that's incredibly unfair. These are the words of parents who have lost about as much as you can lose in life.”
“The anger surrounding the Tánaiste's broken promise has only been aggravated by his attempt to pass the buck to HSE officials. For his words, for his empty promise and for giving these children and their families false hope, the Tánaiste is the only person responsible. He was not a commentator and not even a backbench TD; he was the Minister for Health making a serious commitment. Therefore, the buck stops with him, and with him only. Harvey Morrison Sherratt was born the year Simon Harris was appointed Minister for Health. In 2017, when Harvey was just one year old, his parents were told his ribs were crushing his lungs. That was the same year the Tánaiste made his infamous promise. While waiting years for the operation he desperately needed, Harvey's spinal curve deteriorated from 75 degrees to 130 degrees.”
“What that promise meant to those children and their families should never be underestimated. They took Simon Harris at this word. They believed they were finally being listened to and that the Government would finally provide the resources needed to end their children's suffering and to give them the chance at life to which they were entitled. Sadly, over the past eight years that promise has been broken over and over again. Children have been left to wait in agony, their conditions deteriorating by the day as they are denied the operations that could change their lives and, indeed, might save their lives. Year by year, Teachta Harris's promise came to be seen for what it was: something that sounded good on radio, good for the moment.”
“It is important to say that the call for a motion of no confidence in Simon Harris and the call for him to resign did not originate here in the Dáil. Those calls came directly from a groundswell of public anger that grew throughout the weeks of late summer, conveyed in protests and marches following the harrowing death of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who suffered from scoliosis and spina bifida. These calls for justice were supported by Harvey's heartbroken parents, Gillian and Stephen. There is nothing toxic or cynical in their calls for accountability and justice. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Their heartache, hurt and anger can be traced back and connected to the promise made by the Tánaiste in 2017 when, as Minister for Health, he promised that no child would wait more than four months for spinal surgery.”
“The motion tabled today by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is a move cynically designed to intercept and shut down a prospective motion of no confidence in the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, to shield him from being held to account for his litany of failures, but primarily his profound failure of children with scoliosis and spina bifida. The pace with which the Government moved to protect Simon Harris today stands in very marked contrast to the constant delay that is the hallmark of his failure of some of the most vulnerable in our society. The making and breaking of promises has come to define his time in office as Minister for Health, as Taoiseach and now as Tánaiste. His broken promises have caused deep hurt, pain and anger for many people and have damaged lives in the most serious way.”
“I ask him to tell me how he will put a stop to this blatant gouging and profiteering. I ask him to tell me the precise actions he proposes to take.”
“Wholesale prices are down considerably, by over 70%, and that reduction is not being passed on, so bills are rising. Energy companies are profiteering, turning huge profits, and the Government is sitting idly by. Families and workers are struggling hard and the Government sits idly by. It is too lily-livered or perhaps too indifferent to bother to intervene and take this on. I notice the Taoiseach's language is rather more watery today, but he acknowledged and accepted yesterday that blatant gouging and profiteering are occurring. Surely he accepts that families are struggling in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. I want to know what he is going to do about it. He is not a commentator or some passive bystander. He is the Taoiseach. He is the Head of Government.”
“have the guts to take on anyone who is engaged in price gouging, absolutely." So far, this Government has been gutless. He is the Head of Government. He should do his job. Can he please tell households what exactly he will do to protect them from this blatant gouging and blatant profiteering?”
“The Government should, of course, implement this legislation and start putting manners on these companies. Tá Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael sásta suí siar agus tada a dhéanamh agus ligean do na comhlachtaí fuinnimh leas a bhaint as teaghlaigh na hÉireann. Diúltaíonn an Rialtas seo seasamh ar son oibrithe agus teaghlaigh agus i gcoinne phraghsanna arda fuinnimh. In almost every other EU state, the drop in the wholesale cost of energy is being passed on to the customer. Households are getting a break, but it is not happening here. This disinterested, out-of-touch approach from the Government cannot continue. Yesterday, he said that he recognises and accepts that price gouging is happening. Back in July, when he was challenged on the floor of the Dáil, he said " we ...”
“She wrote to me, stating: Our ESB bill became so high over the past two years that we were left with no choice but to switch to a pre-pay system, just to ensure the electricity was not cut off. I am extremely worried now as we face winter. We can't afford oil to heat our home. We are drowning in bills and we are struggling to stay afloat. This is what the rip-off means in real life, and the Taoiseach allows it to happen. In other EU states, governments ensure that the regulators have full oversight of the hedging practices of energy companies, but this Government is happy to take companies at their word. That is weak and, at best, naive. We produced a Bill that will provide the regulator with such powers. We have been raising this matter for the past three years.”
“Having already withdrawn energy credits, the Taoiseach now shrugs his shoulders as households are taken for a ride and as more than 1 million households face big hikes in their electricity bills this month. People are very worried. I spoke with one woman last night who is at her wits' end. She and her husband have three kids. They both work and they are worn out from paying rip-off bills. This woman is up to ninety wondering how she will afford increased electricity bills this winter. She told me that she fears they will go into arrears and that they might face being cut off because she simply does not have a euro to spare. I was contacted recently by another mother. Her husband works full time. She says the unaffordable cost of childcare prevents her from working.”
“Yesterday, I raised with the Taoiseach the scandal of big energy companies shamelessly ripping off and gouging households. I outlined how the latest report from the International Energy Agency highlights that Irish energy bills are three times higher than the wholesale cost of energy. The cost of energy has dropped significantly since 2022, but these companies are not passing on savings to hard-pressed customers. Instead, they pocket the savings to boost their own massive profits. Proof of Irish households being so blatantly ripped off should provoke the Head of Government into action, determined to rein in these companies. I asked him a very straight question: what will he do to end this rip off? In response, he offered absolutely nothing.”