Mattie McGrath
Tipperary South · Independent · Ireland
“The loss of the double child benefit payment and other cost-of-living supports has come at a time when families are facing rising bills across every aspect of daily life. Parents are not just paying for education. They are paying more for food, energy, insurance, childcare and gach rud eile.”
“Parents also face substantial bills simply because they are required to buy specific items from a specific supplier. That is not fair and is not a balanced market either. There is no good reason that generic uniforms or PE clothing cannot be used in most cases.”
“Maidir le hUisce Éireann, cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan uisce? The situation in south Tipperary has reached crisis point. Since January, the Ardfinnan regional water scheme has experienced 58 water supply interruptions, affecting 11,000 customers, while almost 28,000 homes and businesses were placed on a boil water notice in a single week.…”
“Music education is a perfect example. Some schools provide excellent music programmes and opportunities for students to learn instruments and participate in assemblies. Other schools offer very little.”
“I, too, am glad to be able to speak on this motion today. I compliment Páirtí an Lucht Oibre for introducing it. While we often the cost of education in terms of books, uniforms and transport, the reality for many families is that the financial pressures associated with rearing children have never been greater.”
“They say it would be great to have water to be affected by a hosepipe ban. Uisce Éireann is totally out of control. Two weeks ago, the Tánaiste gave me some hope here that the Government might do something. Uisce Éireann is not acting for anybody.”
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“I too want to thank everybody involved in this, from the Office of the Attorney General and indeed the Law Reform Commission. I can only imagine the vast volumes of work and time, the painstaking work that had to be undertaken here to bring forward these badly needed changes. It spans from 1821 right up to 1861, including the Famine. I think of our forefathers, O'Connell, Michael Davitt, the Land League and everybody else from those times. I listened to the previous speakers and most of them recounted. I defer to Deputies Barry Ward and Catherine Connolly, barristers who understand the law and the whole issue of updating it much better than I would as a layperson. They work in that area. How confusing it is for us and also for ordinary citizens to try to grapple with this.”
“We would not like it if that was happening to our Taoiseach. He is the duly elected President of the United States. He is entitled to that. We are entitled too. I am not saying we should massage him, but I would be careful - an-chúramach ar fad - to try to build bridges and maintain the wonderful relationship with the Irish diaspora as well.”
“We do not need to have people making interventions such as the idiot-like intervention made by the current Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, at the time of the election. We need to mend bridges. We need to keep the Irish diaspora on board as well. There is a willingness. There is huge affection and huge support. They have concerns as well. I met many of the business groups. Ireland could be damaged here with the tariffs and everything else. There is a fierce lobby within the Republican Party and within business circles, including the chambers, etc. A good few people from Chambers Ireland were over there. I met them as well. We need to work together. Ní neart go cur le chéile. We need to be mindful of our comments here, and respect the fact that he is President Trump. In this House, everybody is calling him "Trump".”
“Táim buíoch den Chathaoirleach Gníomhach freisin for allowing me time to speak here. I am not as enthusiastic as some people about the spending on our European military. Some people, such as the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Lahart, would say that it might help with our situation regarding illegal migrants here. Possibly, but I live in hope. We need to build relations with President Trump, the Republican Party, Vice President Vance and the Irish diaspora. I visited the White House, thankfully, for the shamrock presentation. I met with many people, such as RFK Jr.; Ms Pam Bondi, the attorney general; and several Congressmen on Capitol Hill. There is a unique situation for Ireland. We need to be cautious.”
“It would fit the Minister of State and Taoiseach better to give proper respect to our peacekeepers, including those who fought the heroic battle in Jadotville. The Taoiseach, Deputy Martin, when in opposition, promised that he would look after them. They have not received recognition. Those involved in Jadotville are almost all gone and need recognition, and that should happen during this Dáil.”
“I thank the Social Democrats for allowing me some time on this important motion. I wish the Minister of State well in his position. He knows my position on this. My position is that the triple lock is sacrosanct. Our neutrality is sacrosanct. I was concerned about two years ago when the Taoiseach had a roadshow with hand-picked people to try to soften up the public for a change to our neutrality. The Taoiseach has also said that our neutrality is an outdated concept. I do not believe it is and I think the matter should go to the people. We should let the people decide. We tell them they are sovereign, and they should be sovereign. There has to be a vote. We know how this came about after the Nice referendum, when the people said, "No", and the Government went back to soften them up. We must respect the people's vote and why they voted.”
“At least Deputy O'Gorman is gone from his post as Minister. He sent out a tweet in 13 different languages to invite all and sundry into Ireland. We are great. We cannot house our own. We can spend €426,000 per unit for modular homes for Ukrainians in Clonmel. It is a shocking indictment on the previous Government. Hopefully this Government will change that. They are not worth €100,000. Someone is making a lot of money behind the scenes and it smells very much like corruption.”
“I wish the Minister and Minister of State well. It is a mammoth task. We have to get real. The idea of the left here is that we cannot have private contractors or developers. If we do not have private developers involved, we will not build the houses, full stop. I would love to be back in the 1940s and 1950s when the county council had manpower and built the houses, but those days are gone. We have to get over these ideologies, stop objecting to housing being built and encourage the voluntary sector. I am a member of Caislean Nua Voluntary Housing Association. It is the proudest thing I was ever involved in. We built 17 houses. That is not many but it was a voluntary committee. If every village and hamlet built ten, we would halve the housing crisis. Then we could deal with immigration.”
“I ask the Minister of State to come down to Clonmel and walk the town with Deputies Murphy and Healy and me and see what is going on and the dereliction, the lack of investment and, above all, the drug problems and antisocial behaviour.”
“The town team was mentioned. I has never knocked on my door. I do not even know who is on it but I wish them well. There is a complete disconnect. Most business people and community organisations do not know who sits on it either. We want a task force, not a token town team that nobody knows. We want serious Government investment to stop the rot in Clonmel. We want URDF funding but we do not want 86 parking spaces removed from the centre of the town. That will kill the town completely. We might as well put gates up at both ends of it. I want to talk up the proud people of Clonmel, a proud and noble town. I hate to come in here and say this today but it has gone on for far too long. Clonmel is on life support at the moment and it needs serious help and investment.”
“I wish him well, but what happened was not right. We have only one resident living in the main street in Clonmel now. Her name is Mary O'Gorman, cara mór liomsa. Only one person living on the main thoroughfare - that has to be changed. The Minister of State mentioned some schemes and I welcome them. He also mentioned Kickham Barracks. I welcome the fact we may be getting a Garda station soon but we have no gardaí to put into it. We have been looking for it for 60 years. The Minister of State did not mention why the barracks was empty and inaccessible. It was a wonderful place and the pride of the men and women of Clonmel and surrounding areas who served their country, town and communities. Phil Hogan and Fine Gael, again, abolished it. We badly need something in there but that will not help the town centre. The town centre is not working.”
“Chuala mé an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, an Teachta James O'Connor, cúpla lá ó shin. I heard the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach talking about Youghal town centre. All the towns are struggling, but Clonmel has been under siege. The then CEO, Joe McGrath from Nenagh, took over when the county was amalgamated. All the directorships of roads, planning and finance went to Nenagh, and all the money collected in Clonmel from the parking goes straight to Nenagh. You could eat your dinner off the streets in Nenagh town centre. The investment there has been unparalleled. I do not begrudge Nenagh, but we want fair play. Fair play is fine play with me, but Clonmel has been blackguarded, downgraded and diminished while this administration with the power base in Nenagh was there. It is shocking. Now Mr. McGrath has gone into retirement.”
“Richie was there on behalf of the vintners and businesspeople. I am pleased that efforts are being made, with a newly appointed vacancy and dereliction team engaging with Clonmel borough district. The town is also waiting for funding for some grant projects under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. This is something I am looking for but I am not happy they will remove 86 parking spaces from O'Connell Street and Gladstone Street as part of this. This is sheer lunacy. It will lead to the town being closed down completely.”
“I have asked this of four taoisigh, namely Enda Kenny, Micheál Martin, Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris. I ask again for a task force to be formed working across many Departments, including enterprise, justice, local government and rural development, together with the local authorities, health services to deal with addiction issues and An Garda Síochána. The town needs action now. It cannot be ignored any longer. Will the Minister of State please commit to the establishment of a task force to help the town as a matter of urgency? Last evening, a community-wide meeting was held in the Talbot Hotel to discuss substance abuse in the town. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend because I was here, but this shows the concerns that are there. I commend Richie Gleeson and all the other agencies that were present at the meeting.”
“They are doing their best to pay the rates, insurance, keep shop fronts nice, have a presence, look after staff and pay VAT, property tax and other taxes. They are not getting support. Once the capital town of County Tipperary, Clonmel has struggled since the closure by Phil Hogan, I remind the Minister of State, of the borough council. There is huge employment out of town but the town centre is decaying. When we lost borough status, we lost €20 million per annum. Going back to 2014, we have lost €200 million of investment in the town centre. Borough status will have to be restored. They only have €200,000 this year; last year it was €160,000. It is a pittance for a town the size of Clonmel. The town needs a whole-of-government approach to bring it back to its former glory. It cannot be ignored any longer.”
“Many of them are families and third-generation businesspeople. They are hanging on but getting no supports. All they are getting are more and more punitive charges. Many of the remaining retailers are struggling to hold on, with reduced footfall, higher rates - these went up again this year by 5% - the highest parking charges in the county, which is totally discriminatory against Clonmel, and huge issues involving antisocial behaviour. The latter have led to many people avoiding the town centre. On a daily basis, one can witness unfortunate souls struggling with drug addiction and hanging around the streets, which has led to a sense of fear and people avoiding the town centre. This is not an easy thing to say because businesses are trying to hold on and in need of support. Urgent action is needed or we will lose even more businesses.”
“I am delighted an Aire Stáit is here. Clonmel, a once bustling, proud and thriving town - Cluain Meala, the vale of honey - has been left to deteriorate in recent years. Last year, it had the highest vacancy rate in Tipperary at 18.6%. This has deteriorated further in recent weeks and months. The entire area of Market Place is boarded up and there are numerous prime retail units on the main street that have been boarded up and left to decay. Is mór agus uafásach an rud é sin. The town faces major challenges. I have discussed concerns with the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, recently. Last week saw the closure of yet another retail outlet, namely New Look, leaving another prime retail unit on the main street vacant. A long-established pub also closed its doors on Monday last. I salute the people running those businesses.”
“That also goes for Sinn Féin and Labour, given the way they treated the Ceann Comhairle, our newly-elected female Member, on the first day of the Dáil. It was shameful.”
“That is an insult and an abuse of women, as far as I am concerned, and it should not be happening. Is that the kind of politics we are going to have just to gain political funding because they have to have a quota? I never agreed with the quota system in the first place but to think that Deputy Collins, as leader, would do that with his own sister and, indeed, his own partner, and others as well just to get political funding. Then, they do not think of stopping our speaking rights here. My colleague who has just spoken so eloquently and Deputy Carol Nolan are two female members of our group and they were denied speaking rights. When dishing out the compliments and praise, think of what they are trying to do to silence other female colleagues in this party.”
“I think of Cara Darmody losing her childhood campaigning for services for her two brothers who have profound autism. That should not be in this world today. I must praise my own wife for putting up with me for all of these years - 41 years now. We have five daughters and three sons, and 13 beautiful grandchildren, including two in the past two months, and ten of them are little angels, or little baby girls. We are blessed to have them all. How privileged I am to live in such a society. Politics is going backwards, however. The debate today and the rancour here are not very nice. I see the latest political party, Independent Ireland. When they were trying to get their grubby hands on finances to fund their party, they put up token ladies, four of them in all. They just put up names and registered them as candidates.”
“I think of Úna Ó Murchú, bean chéile le Labhrás, iar-Seanadóir agus stiúrthóir of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, and people like that. I think of people today like Tina Barrett of Cahir and Samantha Bray of Ardfinnan. They are two women who are fighting heroic battles to try to get school places for their children because both have a child with special needs. Why should this be? Each year, all of us in the House deal with these cases. They are fighting, fighting, fighting. It is so unfair to those people. Tina Barrett and her husband, and Samantha Bray and her family, have to agonise and have to be on Facebook or out lobbying, like the women who came up last week to the Department with their children. People who have children with special needs should be looked after.”
“I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this topic. I think of my late mother, Mary, who reared nine of us, six boys and three girls. She was a powerful woman who instilled all of the values that I carry with me today. Indeed, I think of people like Carrie Acheson, iar-Teachta Dála, who was here for a short time in the 1980s. She was a powerful woman and a visionary. I think of Helen Ní Craith, a wonderful visionary who decided to build a naoínra in my little village of Caisleáin Nua. I was delighted to be able to assist. It is now a flourishing institution where the daltaí óga, from the cradle up to five years of age, in their early childhood years, are learning through the medium of Irish. It is a wonderful institution.”
“The whole thing is badly broken. This is the one area that was not broken; it was ag obair go hiontach, doing great work and working. Why change it? It was changed because Revenue may be an issue. Why do we not wait and see if it has an issue? We literally have taken these vital paramedics off the road. This is penny-pinching on a vital service. There are plenty of other areas to sort out the waste and issues in the HSE but not for these angels of mercy who can come so swiftly to an accident or incident.”
“I would accept this if it was about some other group of employees but these are dedicated, vital, fast responders. I salute the first responder groups - there is one in my own community - that do excellent work here. They do the work of the HSE and in some cases, they are supported by these particular paramedics who have these cars. They train with them and support them every which way. It is a reassurance that they are in an area. They have the blue lights so they can travel quickly to an incident or accident. If they go in their own car, they have to observe the rules of the road and they do not have blue lights which results in delays. We are already crucified with delays and some people must wait three, four, five or six hours for ambulances, which come from Sligo to Clonmel and from Clonmel up to Roscommon.”
“How come it was not benefit-in-kind until now? In my own area and areas I know where they have them at home, they are not a huge benefit but they are there and they do not have to go to the hospital or ambulance base to pick them up, which could be 20 miles away. It makes no sense whatsoever. Surely, it can be dealt with in some other way so they have the fastest response time. That is what they are meant to be; a lead response before the other ambulances arrive.”
“The National Ambulance Service is badly broken and the Government must intervene here to try to ameliorate this situation. It has been doing a wonderful job. The paramedics are not, as the Minister said, driving an ambulance or patient-carrying vehicle - we know that - but they are normally the first people to arrive to an accident or incident. In many cases now, when they are driving their cars, they have to pass the scene of the accident or emergency to pick up the ambulance and come back. That valuable time is lost. Often there are only minutes to spare - seconds, in some cases - to revive or stabilise a patient. This is a farcical situation. We know there are huge issues with ambulances and burnout of the staff but this is something that came in a few years ago in a blaze of glory. It has been successful.”
“I ask the Minister for Health to review the current situation within the National Ambulance Service where emergency response vehicles have been removed from the off-duty paramedics. Such vehicles are now perceived to be a benefit-in-kind, which is a strange situation that will have a huge impact on response times. As they are bad enough at the moment, I ask the Minister to make a statement on the matter.”
“Therefore, we need to do more. All of us need to do more. Úsáidfidh mé níos mó Gaeilge anseo. Bhí an Teachta Connolly ag caint earlier on and she was adamant that we should have some ceisteanna here gach seachtain. I agree. This great committee of reform, where many people are trying to deny us our speaking time, might allow ceist i nGaeilge gach seachtain, nó gach lá mar a dúirt an Teachta. Ní neart go cur le chéile. Together we will do what we can. I salute all the naíonraí, the múinteoirí and the voluntary boards and committees who have supported these naíonraí. We need more. We have a lán bunscoileanna but we need more meánscoileanna as well to let people continue their education. Tá a lán oibre le déanamh againn.”
“I, too, will quote Pádraig Pearse. As he said, a nation without its language is not a nation at all. Dhein mé mo dhícheall i gcónaí chun cúpla focal a úsáid. Ní raibh aon Bhéarla ag mo sheanmháthair. Bhí breac-Ghaeltacht sa Chaisleán Nua, mo bhaile, until 1957. Thosaíomar ranganna Gaeilge agus bunaíodh Gaelscoil Charraig na Siúire 20 bliain ó shin. Ní sé san áit céanna anois ach tá naíonra ann. Is dream é a bhí ag Helen Duggan and it is flourishing. I cannot believe the way it is. Tá naíonra eile i gCathair Dún Iascaigh. Kathleen Ní Loingsigh is the manager there, the múinteoir, and it is amazing. I saw them on the street one day: daoine óga ó 30 tír ar fud an domhain singing and reciting as Gaeilge. Dúirt sí liomsa that young people like that from abroad can learn the Irish easier than they can learn the English. That struck me.”
“We have seen that the Garda has been trying to recruit Muslims, Travellers and anybody else. It is doing its best but this will not buy it the time it needs. We need to get more gardaí on the streets.”
“I will be as brief as I can. This is a huge issue. I welcome the statements but the numbers are being manicured and we are just not getting them. We want to keep Templemore because it is a wonderful centre. In south Tipperary, Carrick-on-Suir has three gardaí and two sergeants, but it used to have 14 gardaí. The Clonmel Garda district covers Carrick-on-Suir, Mullinahone, Kilsheelan, Cashel, Cahir and all the villages. The superintendent told me he would have eight gardaí on a good day. Are you telling me the criminals in roving gangs do not know this? It is a shocking situation that is only going to deteriorate, given the number of people due to leave An Garda. Those figures are there. The Garda always knew those members would be leaving the force 30 years after joining up, but it has not planned for this.”
“We did that on the footprint of the N8. We came along with the M8 and linked both sections of it, and away we went. Cashel has the bypass. Clonmel has a bypass. It is overutilised now and cannot cope. Tipperary town badly needs a bypass for industry, business and social activities, and for the people to live healthy and happy lives.”
“Tá spiorad iontach ag na daoine in Tipperary, daoine óga agus daoine aosta. It is a wonderful town with wonderful people. It has got many knocks over the years but there are many community and voluntary associations in the town. I could name them. They include Knockanrawley Resource Centre, the Canon Hayes Recreation Centre and the MooreHaven Centre. There are also sporting clubs, which is huge. All the people want is to get the heavy traffic amach as an mbaile, out of the town, and let normal traffic and normal commerce take place. Let the people work, live and play in the town. Is mór an t-áthas atá orm chun an bypass sin a fháil ar son na ndaoine i dTiobraid Árann. We must look at this model. As I said, it was done. I happened to be the Cathaoirleach of a county council the day the Cashel bypass opened.”
“We built the Cashel bypass on the footprint of the N8. We linked up afterwards when the funding came along. We have the model and it is a no-brainer to do this section and bypass the town. It is such a necessity.”
“I thank the Minister for his very in-depth reply. It is a long way to Tipperary and I hope one of his first visits will be to Tipperary town to note the anguish, trauma, noise and pollution that are experienced daily owing to hundreds of trucks travelling bumper to bumper. The people of Tipperary town are wonderful. Some years ago, 5,000 of them took to the streets with March4Tipp, along with Jobs4Tipp and County Tipperary Chamber. Tá siad ar fad ag lorg an bhóthair nua. We need it. The people need the infrastructure. This is the main thoroughfare from Rosslare Port to the Port of Foynes. As the Minister said, we are going to bypass Bansha, Monard and Limerick Junction in County Tipperary and Oola in County Limerick. It is a vital project. Before TII was dreamt of or conceived, we in Tipperary had form.”
“Ar an gcéad dul síos, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire, an Teachta O’Brien, agus an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Canney. Gabhaim buíochas leo as labhairt liom faoi bhóithre Thiobraid Árann. I ask both of them, but particularly the Minister, for an update on the Tipperary town bypass. Can it be fast-tracked because people have literally been waiting for it for decades? We were a long way down the road with the N24 back 15 years ago and now we are at it again. We would love to see the bypass included as part of the footprint of the new N24.”
“I thank the Minister for his engagement on this, including with Councillor Máirín McGrath and me, and with Deputy Murphy from Tipperary South. This project has got so far. It is small money in the overall context to keep it alive and to have it progressed from the stage it is at now. This very important route goes from Waterford to Rosslare right up to Foynes, including all the towns and villages in counties Tipperary, Kilkenny and Port Láirge it passes through. I support my colleagues. Deputy Cullinane was speaking about my parish when he mentioned the national school in Contae Phort Láirge. Traffic calming is badly needed there. It is an excellent school with excellent students. I am glad that the Deputy knows where it is.”
“He had not wanted to go and was in fear but they tell me he said he would go. It is shameful this happened in the modern day in 2025 in that hospital in Clonmel. It is not acceptable. The family are devastated, obviously, as are his extended family, his friends and his neighbours. It was so unfortunate. If he was a bed blocker and was there for a month, I would say something, but he was there for one week. I visited him last Sunday night week and he went to the hospital the morning after because of issues with standing up and getting up. He was fine with a bit of treatment but he was not fit to be discharged to that area. He should not have been. It is very sad.”
“He is 90 years of age, a powerful tradesman, a wonderful neighbour and a true friend. It should not have happened. Our elderly people are being mistreated in hospitals. An advocate is meant to be present, but apparently she had not seen him. Two or three doctors came to talk to a 90-year old man to tell him he was fit to go. He was not fit to go. He was a week in bed. He had only been out of bed once that morning and he has now, unfortunately, gone to his eternal reward. The hospital is apologetic but that is no good. I perish to think of old people who have no one to advocate for them. They are cast aside. In all the millions and all the bureaucracy, they are cast aside and there is no patient advocacy person. Two doctors should not talk to a man like that who was quite deaf.”
“I heard the Minister's speech when I was in the Chair. I congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on their new roles. I wish them well. She outlined the massive increase in funding from €14 billion to almost €26 billion. I have a personal story to relate and the heading of tonight's debate is appropriate. It hurts me. My lifelong friend who is 90 years of age, celebrated two weeks ago, was in hospital for a week in Clonmel in St. Joseph's Hospital, south Tipperary general. He was forced out of the hospital by a couple of doctors on Monday evening into a convalescent home many miles away. When he arrived, he was not fit to be there. He did not want to go. His wonderful niece, Mary, who was minding him, was remonstrating all day. I was involved in the case and he was moved because he had no one to advocate for him.”
“They will be prosecuted if they go out cutting hedges on Saturday. Never was there more need to allow common sense to prevail and to allow the hedge-cutting season to be extended - for two weeks at least or a month, hopefully - in order to allow the backlog to be cleared and to make our roads safer for all road users.”
“After Storm Éowyn and recent snow storms, bushes and trees are overhanging roads everywhere and wires have collapsed down on top of ditches. The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland, FCI, has asked me - as have many other people because it is common sense - to extend the hedge-cutting season for at least a month in view of the ferocious damage that has been done by overhanging wires. It is a threat to the health and safety of road users as well. Hedge cutting is supposed to finish on Friday. The FCI could not possibly finish this year with the weather, but its members came to the fore and helped everybody out in the meitheal style in the snow and after the recent storm, particularly in the west of the country. They are willing and ready to continue doing their work but they cannot do it if the rule is applied.”
“They are doing their level best and they are giving excellent tuition and excellent grounding to these daoine óige, from the cradle, literally, and they need to be supported. It is fine to quote figures but the reality on the ground and realpolitik are a different story.”
“It sounds great. As Gaeilge, it would probably even sound better. I salute the staff, management and teams that are there. However, the regulations are huge. For the baby room and the early years, the staff ratios are huge. In national school, you can have one teacher to 32 children. It is not a level playing field. I acknowledge there is unprecedented funding. It is trickling down to the likes of Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua and Naíonra Chathair Dhún Iascaigh and to English-language playschools and childcare facilities, which make up the majority of them. Obair stairiúil atá á déanamh ag gach ceann acu but they need the supports. They are voluntary boards and they should not be labelled with these issues and lectured to that they are not paying this wage and that wage.”
“They are well-qualified and it is hard to retain them, especially when the funding is not put in to support these voluntary groups. There are thousands of them around the country. We should not kill off the spirit of enthusiasm and entrepreneurship among volunteers who get nothing out of it only love of community and education. It is a pity. We need to support them whatever way we can.”
“Certainly, we need the voluntary sector here. Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua is a voluntary crèche. I salute the current board there, who work tirelessly, and Helen Nic Craith, who set it up. It was her dream. We need to support those people because these are voluntary boards. We should not remove them or stifle them with bureaucracy. It is the same with the section 39 workers. It is fine for the Minister to say she has no responsibility for their wages. They need to be properly resourced and funded. Early years are so vital for the children. This is rud iontach ar fad, daoine óga ag foghlaim Gaeilge. It is through fun and sport. All my children, or most of them, went to it. It is bursting at the seams. Staff might go to other services but they go into different areas as well.”
“I apologise. I had two questions. I will introduce the first one again. The question is on childcare. Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua was set up fadó fadó and we have a huge problem retaining staff. The whole early years sector is bursting at the seams with children but staff are moving on. Progression is a good thing but we cannot get replacements. It is a huge issue the Ministers might address.”
“Ar an gcéad dul síos, I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his elevation to office and I wish him well. I also wish an dá Aire well in their new roles. I really want to ask the Minister the steps she is taking to deal with the lack of disability services in south Tipperary, the number of vacancies in CDNTs 4 and 5, the number of children waiting for occupational and speech therapy and psychological services within the CDNTs and whether those waiting for services can access services privately and then be reimbursed. I hope to get some good news. This system is badly broken.”
“I have young children like Michael Barrett and Oisin Carroll who deserve an education and cannot get places. Others are currently waiting without a school place. We have Scoil Aonghusa, a wonderful institution, which is bursting at the seams waiting for additional accommodation. Yet again, the Department is letting us down and not helping them out there. We have a severe issue and we have to grasp the nettle and do something serious about it.”
“I congratulate the three Ministers and wish them well. Disability services in south Tipperary are quite simply non-existent and not fit for purpose. The CDNT teams, despite the efforts of the therapists working in them, are simply not fit for purpose with huge vacancies and even longer waiting lists. Children are crying out for autism assessments, psychology services and speech and language and occupational therapies, and the services are simply not there to meet demand. On top of that, there is a severe shortage of appropriate school places. Again, parents are scrambling for schools. They are going around to dozens of schools in some cases for a place next September. At the same time, I have schools offering ASD units and they are meeting delays and brick walls from the Department.”