Michael Collins
Cork South-West · Independent Ireland · Ireland
“This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother.”
“Another huge problem which normally arises in August is that relating to school buses. Parents have no way to get their children to school because of the nearest school rule. The current and previous programmes for Government contain promises that this will be done away with, but nothing has happened. The rule needs to be abolished.”
“Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees.”
“Either 25 children are left without a school place this September, or two senior infants classes are merged into one class of 34 children. Does the Minister of State agree that schools should not be punished for helping to solve an enrolment crisis? Will he immediately sanction the additional teaching posts required for St.”
“Education should not be measured by means of the distance someone lives from school, and school transport should not be measured on that basis either. I want to raise a matter that Councillor Bill Clear brought to my attention. It is a very serious issue regarding St. Corban’s National School in Naas in County Kildare.”
“I was chairperson of a board of management and know the difficulties that schools face just because they are one or two children short. That can be made up as the year goes on but it is a crisis that Councillor Clear finds unacceptable.”
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“They are not properly illuminated in comparison with the ambulance service, which has complete and utter illuminated clothing. That is an area they would like the Minister to look into. This Bill makes good reading. It tightens rules to prevent re-litigation on access to proceeds of crimes. It broadens CAB powers for data sharing domestically and internationally. It extends CAB staff anonymity provisions and reflects evolving EU asset confiscation standards but does not fully address international protocols. In its approach to crime prevention and deterrents, the Bill focuses specifically on targeting the financial assets of criminals. Independent Ireland is focused on stricter sentencing and eliminating suspended sentences for serious crimes and supporting Garda retention.”
“There is one jeep and one BMW from Cork city all the way down to Castletownbere and gardaí have told me that when they stand on the side of the road, they have little or no coloured clothing in comparison with the ambulance service, which is completely well clothed and well covered. The Garda vehicles are not covered and the gardaí feel unsafe on the side of the road. Remember these are people who have young families. They are not making up the story. I would not come in making up a story because it is a serious issue, especially given recent events. That prompted their call for further and proper protective gear going forward, especially coloured gear, for their safety on the side of the road. They are keeping us safe in the long term. That is what they say to me. The vehicles are not properly illuminated.”
“It is a great way to give young people a boost. Everyone points the finger and tells young people they are involved in this and that. They are not. Chloe Anne is not involved. She is a great athlete from my area and involved in all the community initiatives. She got a little bit of honour for that and it gave her a boost and gives others a boost to meet the same standard going forward. We also have to look at the protection of gardaí. This is a serious issue. They have a responsibility of non-disclosure in their communities and they do not want to be whistleblowers, but they are concerned. They are out on the roads trying to prevent drugs coming into communities.”
“It looks like it has to come from his Department. I plead with the Minister once again to look into it. As far as I am concerned, it is a huge issue in west Cork in order that we can at least keep people safe. Regarding young people, we need more encouragement to come from the Department, or wherever it comes from, in relation to the Garda. One initiative in west Cork has worked well. It is the Garda Youth Awards. They are trying to pat young people on the back, give them a purpose and let them know they have done some good and that they are there and things can be changed. The likes of Damien White, Brigid Hartnett, Jonathan McCarthy, Ian O'Callaghan, Don Davis and others put together the Garda Youth Award. Chloe Anne O'Callaghan from my area won it this year and others from other communities such as Bantry won it other years.”
“I do not know whether there are others. I am told Kinsale, Bantry and Schull are still switched on. Are others in the country in the same situation? Are there more? Is this the way it has gone? Will CCTV be switched off in our country? That will make our communities extremely vulnerable and wide open to crime. Why did the community alert groups meet with the local Garda Síochána in the first place to put it there? It was to keep their communities safe. Why are they switched off today? That answer needs to be forthcoming. I need that answer immediately. The Dáil should not be sitting this evening until we get straight answers. I do not care if it is this evening, tomorrow morning or Saturday or Sunday morning, I want an answer for those people. I keep asking for it and I am not getting it from the Minister.”
“The community lurks and the business watches to make sure it has that little bit of additional security so that if these lunatics are peddling drugs out there, they will be seen on CCTV. They know they are being watched by the local people, because An Garda Síochána cannot do everything. Then automatically - bang, bang, bang - switches went down last Tuesday in west Cork. CCTV was blacked out in west Cork last Tuesday and the Minister's Department cannot answer me in eight days as to why that happened. Is there any hope of turning this around? How quickly can it be turned around for the safety of the people? I am being honest and fair. I wrote to the Minister twice. I ask him to answer the question, to give a fair and honest answer. Let us sit down with the bodies that be to see whether we can resolve this.”
“An issue I brought up last week, which is an important one, related to the towns and villages of west Cork, such as Skibbereen, Clonakilty and Dunmanway. I have been waiting for eight days for an answer from the Minister's Department about why CCTV was turned off in those towns. Surely be to God, he could give me a fair and honest answer in a couple of days and at least see where we are going with it. Councillor Daniel Sexton has raised it at council level and the council is not giving an answer other than that it will try to meet the Department this week to see where it can go. Why is CCTV being turned off? Is it being turned off throughout the rest of Ireland? It is leaving communities wide open. Local communities fundraised for it.”
“I would appreciate if the Minister would send me the number of gardaí so that I can prove to him that it is down. How will the Minister turn that around? When it comes to drugs they are brought in mainly by sea. I am surrounded by sea; my constituency is. The nearest parish west of mine is New York. I live on the Mizen Head. If I head to Barryroe or Timoleague, I am surrounded by sea. Kinsale and the whole area is on the sea. They are the areas the Minister needs to be spending his resources on. That is where the drugs are coming in and these guys are walking away free, unless An Garda Síochána is majorly on top of its game but it cannot be when it is under-resourced. That is an area the Minister needs to look at. We need to keep looking at how we nip crime in the bud along that line.”
“It is a sad statement to make, but it is a factual statement. Years of a lack of resources in An Garda Síochána have left us in that situation. It is neglect. I noticed in west Cork that the drugs unit in Bantry is now closed because - and I have raised the issue - of the lack of gardaí in west Cork. There is a Bandon drugs unit but, mother of God, there is a huge coastline from Mizen Head to Sheep's Head and the Beara Peninsula. I will not say it is unmanned, because there has been serious apprehension of drugs in recent years, even recently, by An Garda Síochána in west Cork. I commend Chief Superintendent Vincent O'Sullivan and his gardaí, but there is only so much he can work with. If the numbers are down, the numbers are facts and the facts are there. The number of gardaí in west Cork is down.”
“I looked at the briefing paper. We agree, as I think most people here do, that we should reduce the timeframe from seven to two years for the disposal of assets identified as proceeds of crime. The Bill strengthens the Criminal Asset's Bureau's powers to restrain and seize assets before the High Court. A process introduces new restraint orders to prevent transactions linked to suspected proceeds of crime and the automatic appointment of a receiver to deprive individuals of benefits from criminal assets. We certainly agree with all these things. However, we should focus going forward on nipping crime in the bud. That is what we are failing to do at this time. I hate to agree with Deputy Ó Murchú on this , but I have to because it is common sense that we have lost the law on drugs. He said the law on drugs is lost.”
“There are areas where services need to be improved and I ask the Minister to look at them. In the case of Perrott House and the nursing home in Bantry, people are finding themselves in crisis situations right now. They would appreciate if some help were given by the Minister.”
“We have fantastic medical care centres in a lot of places in the country. My worry is that, while they have 20 or 25 rooms, only three or four of those are in operation. Why is there no dental service back in operation in places like Schull, Skibbereen, Dunmanway and Castletownbere? We have fantastic medical centres in Schull and Castletownbere but no dental service. It was there when I was growing up in the seventies. Surely be to God it should be there in 2025. The dental service in Bantry is in operation only three days a week. Clonakilty has a five-days-a-week service and is now seeing to the whole of west Cork, with which it cannot cope. At one time, first, third and sixth class children were looked after by the service. Now, it is only sixth class pupils who get that service.”
“I have spoken to a lot of nursing home operators about how they have to keep their facilities up to standard. The community hospitals at least have the State behind them in ensuring they are up to standard. Nursing homes have no such State backing and those costs must come out of the owners' coffers. In some cases, that may lead to the closure of nursing homes. It is a very serious concern. There must be supports to bridge the gap. The Minister has met Tadhg Daly of Nursing Homes Ireland several times, as have we. He has advised on the direction things need to go. They are not moving quickly enough. I have spoken to nursing home operators who are seriously concerned they will not be able to keep their doors open. In most cases, they are having to pass increased costs on to patients. That is unfair on patients and their loved ones.”
“They are the gold stars of our health service. Anybody with a loved one in a community hospital, or who is familiar with the local community hospital, knows the excellent service these facilities provide. In my area, we have lots of community hospitals, including in Schull, Castletownbere, Dunmanway, Bandon and Kinsale. They are top-class facilities. However, the population is ageing and there is no extra bed in them, nor any extra beds planned over the coming years. How do we plan to tackle the crisis facing us in the next five, ten or 15 years? We have a growing population of elderly people who will need community hospital beds. Hospitals that had 20 or 30 beds in the 1960s and 1970s still have the same number now and the same number planned into the future. The Minister must take note of that. It is not a good situation.”
“An issue that has been raised by several Deputies is the ambulance service. I have been fighting a long time for a better service. I know of cases where people have waited three, four, five or six hours for an ambulance. That is outrageous and bordering on a disaster situation for many people. I have sometimes advised people that the best thing to do is to take a chance on taking the person by car to get treatment. I spoke a year ago of someone having to wait eight hours in Bandon. It is not good enough. We need an ambulance service that people feel they can trust. People living in west Cork might have an ambulance coming from another county. How is an ambulance brought from another county into the deep end of west Cork to pick up somebody who is gravely ill? It would be wrong of me to stand here and fault community hospitals.”
“It is down to a paperwork exercise. There is no longer any issue with the nursing home. There is another one in Conna near Fermoy. I also raised the issue of Perrott House. I hate to use the word "abuse" but abuse can come in different forms. We have seen what goes on in some nursing homes. Families have been told Perrott House has to be done up, and there is no issue with that, but they have never been told where their loved ones will go. Last week, a family member of mine asked me about this. He is delighted I am raising it continuously in the Dáil. Families feel they are not getting adequate support or advice as to what exactly is happening with places like Perrott House. They are finding out information bit by bit and they are worried and looking over their shoulders.”
“There has been an enforcement order slapped on it by HIQA, giving two weeks, which I think will be up this weekend, for the receiver to appeal. In the meantime, there is an opportunity because the hospital has been brought up to a perfect standard. The staff there are doing their best to bring the hospital up to standard. There is a possibility of 17 more beds for patients and that provision is desperately needed. I know of people in the Bantry catchment area - in Drimoleague and all around that area - who are being sent to nursing homes as far away as Kenmare. That causes awful stress for families. I put a question to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, recently, on which I am not sure he ever got back to me, to find out exactly what was wrong and asking that he intervene in some way or other to get this across the line.”
“It means supporting carers who give so much and receive so little. It means a mental health strategy that does not just exist on paper and reaches into homes, schools and communities. Our vision is clear. It is oversight, transparency and fairness with policies rooted not in spin, but in service to patients, workers and families. Over the last number of weeks, I have raised a lot of serious issues here and I find there is very little progress on them. I am writing to the Department of Health and the Taoiseach and I am raising them with the Taoiseach. One is the situation we have with the nursing home in Bantry. There is an issue between a proposed purchaser, the receiver and HIQA. The bottom line is the people who are suffering most are the ones who are worried their nursing home will be closed down on them.”
“Eventually, he had to go to the HSE stores department and get the equipment. Communication with the HSE is extremely poor. Friday saw the publication of the abortion figures for 2024. There were 10,852 abortions in Ireland, which is up 63% on 2019. The promise made during the 2018 referendum that abortion would be safe, legal and rare has well and truly been broken. The figure of 10,852 is the highest number of abortions we have ever seen. In my county of Cork, 957 babies lost their lives by abortion last year. The Government must think seriously about offering women with unplanned pregnancies greater supports and clearly-signposted alternatives to abortion. No woman should ever feel she has no option but to have an abortion. True reform means more hospital beds. It means better pay and conditions for our healthcare staff.”
“We have another family, which has a six-year-old boy who has been diagnosed with undescended testes. He has been on the waiting list to be seen in Cork University Hospital even though he is classed as urgent. He is in a lot of pain, which is causing him to fall quite a lot. He is not able to go out and play with his friends and this is causing him a lot of anxiety. His mother received a letter today asking if she wanted her son to remain on the waiting list. We have a constituent who is in his mid-50s and caring for his elderly parents at home. They both have dementia. Recently, his mother was in hospital and, upon discharge, she required a wheelchair and commode at home. Her son made over 40 phone calls to the HSE about getting the equipment he was told would be supplied upon discharge.”
“She had it until a number of weeks ago but the HSE has set up a pod system for home help in the Bandon area. The constituent is outside the pod system and, therefore, has no home help. It has been put out to private providers, but to date that has been unsuccessful. This lady is saving the State a lot of money by caring for her 55-year-old son yet the State is unable to provide her with assistance. She is 89 years of age. There is a severe lack of home helps in west Cork. A new computer system is being set up and the home helps are being expected to go online instead of doing what they are great at, which is looking after the people at home. A lot of them are retiring and walking away from the whole thing because it has got too complicated. It is obvious it is not working on the ground.”
“Today, we are presented with the Health (Amendment) Bill 2025. On the surface, the Bill promises reform, but let us be clear - this is not reform, but bureaucracy dressed up as progress. The Bill does not fix our broken health system. It merely rearranges the furniture in a house that is already on fire. It tinkers with the governance structures while ignoring the real crisis, which is the daily struggle of patients and front-line workers. The people do not need more layers of reporting or internal reviews but functioning hospitals, nurses who are empowered and not overworked, GPs who are supported and not sidelined, and care that is accessible, timely and humane. This morning, my office got a call from an 89-year-old lady who was caring for her 55-year-old son who had a disability. She is unable to get home help.”
“This low-cost, low-tech, simple solution could be put in place quickly in order to give everyone breathing space to investigate the feasibility of developing a new source of water for Beara. Blocking development in Beara while more than 90% of rainfall is available through the environment is beyond draconian and grossly unfair to the people there. I urge the Taoiseach to act and to bring Uisce Éireann and all the concerned bodies together to work for a short-term solution for Beara.”
“I want to raise a critical issue affecting the people of Castletownbere, Eyeries and Ardgroom. These communities are effectively frozen, unable to grow and develop because of a water infrastructure crisis that has gone unresolved for far too long. Planning applications are being refused or withdrawn due to the concerns over water abstraction from Glenbeg Lough, which lies within a special area of conservation. As a result, over 100 residential and commercial units are on hold. Even vital marine infrastructure and housing projects have been stalled. Castletownbere is Ireland's largest fishing port, yet its future is being held hostage by an outdated system and bureaucratic delays. A simple low-cost interim solution has been proposed, one that protects the environment while allowing development to proceed.”
“To be left €2 million out of pocket as these people were, tells parents they may not be able to send a child any further in education because of the amount of money that was wasted. It was initially paid up to get a proper dental service and they ended up getting no service. In the worst-case scenario, some of them already have a service that has been left unattended.”
“The Dental Council of Ireland is supposed to investigate the fitness of registered dentists to practise based on allegations of professional misconduct or unfitness due to physical or mental disability. According to the parents of these children, however, the dental council has done absolutely nothing to help them. These parents and children have been left more than €2 million out of pocket. Let us imagine €2 million paid by parents who are hard-working people in Oranmore. It was sad to hear the stories at that public meeting. Out of respect, I travelled there to listen to their stories because Councillor Declan Kelly asked me to. They have had no satisfaction from the dental council. We are living in a very tough time for some people out there. They are the ordinary folk, not the extraordinary folk. These people deserve answers.”
“I attended a public meeting at Oranmore, County Galway, with Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice and Councillor Declan Kelly. I met parents whose children had been scammed by a local orthodontist and neglected by the Dental Council of Ireland. These parents paid large sums upfront in 2022 for their children's dental treatment only to find out they were being deceived. Some children were left with misaligned jaws and others with braces but no treatment plan. Some had to remove their braces themselves or with the help of others over the phone. One girl had a wire sticking into her mouth, which her boyfriend eventually cut with a clippers. These parents have faced significant challenges as a result of the previous Government, the dental council and the former Minister for Health with no solutions or support available.”
“There are children in west Cork who have been put on the routine list at 14 years of age and are never seen as children because by the time they come to be seen they are aged over 18. They are then in the adult dental service and go onto another waiting list. When I was growing up, there was a dental service in every town and village. In the name of God, what has gone wrong in this country? We take one step forward and two, three or four steps back. A mile or two down the road, we were able to meet our dentist on a weekly basis when we had problems. There was no issue. Now we have to travel 40 or 50 miles and we still cannot get to see a dentist. If you cannot afford it, "To hell with you", you just lie in pain. I brought up this issue a couple of weeks ago.”
“Reform the dental treatment service scheme, restore clinical autonomy, invest in prevention and, above all, ensure that every person in Cork and throughout Ireland can access the dental care to which they are entitled with their medical cards. We cannot allow this crisis to deepen. The people of Cork deserve better, our dentists deserve better and our healthcare system must do better. The waiting time to see a HSE dentist for a routine visit for a child is five years. The urgent waiting time is more than two years. All children in west Cork, from Mizen Head and Castletownbere to Kinsale, are being referred to see dentists in Clonakilty or at St. Finbarr's Hospital campus in Cork city. There is no service west of Clonakilty. It is questionable that children who should be seen urgently are being put on a routine list.”
“One Cork dentist described the system as being like banging your head against a brick wall. Who could blame dentists? The scheme is outdated. It was designed in 1994 and it has failed to evolve in order to adapt to modern dental practices. Dentists are restricted to providing only two fillings per year, but they can perform an unlimited number of extractions. That is not healthcare; it is damage control. The HSE has admitted that access to routine care is now somewhat restricted and that the focus has shifted to emergency care. Emergency care is not a substitute for prevention. It is not a substitute for dignity. Dentists are burning out and patients are being left behind. The system is collapsing under the weight of its own neglect. I call on the Minister for Health and the Government to act now.”
“I thank Deputy Stanley and his group for tabling this very important motion, particularly in view of the crisis we have in dental care throughout the country. In the past 12 months alone, Cork has lost 58 dentists who were providing treatment to medical card holders. This is almost one quarter of all dentists who are part of the dental treatment service scheme. These include 22 dentists in the south Lee area, 25 in the north Lee area, eight in west Cork and two in north Cork. These are not just numbers; they are people and families left without access to basic dental care. The figures speak for themselves, with a 23.57% drop in the number of dentists participating in the dental treatment service scheme in only one year. We are met with nothing but a mass exodus from the scheme, which is no longer fit for purpose.”
“Education in general is a huge issue. On a slightly different issue, since the Minister is present, I wish to take 20 seconds to impress the issue of a second special class in Owenbeg, Sligo. Councillor Michael Clarke has asked me to raise this matter. Since April, four more eligible children have come forward in the national school. Both classes are now needed. These children deserve to learn in their own community in Owenbeg National School in Sligo near their families and peers. Denying them that right would be a step back for inclusion and well-being. I ask the Minister to consider that.”
“It calls for immediate action to ensure that such failures are not repeated. The report’s revelations have prompted calls for reform to enhance the protection and care of vulnerable individuals, ensuring they receive the support they need. Moreover, the report’s findings resonate with the ongoing discussions about the importance of safeguarding vulnerable people. As we navigate through these challenges, it is crucial to prioritise the well-being of those in care or school and to implement robust measures to prevent abuse and neglect. The Farrelly commission report serves as a catalyst for change, urging policymakers and stakeholders to take decisive action to address these critical issues. In the seconds I have, and before the Dáil rises in the next couple of days, I have urged for a debate on education. This is a huge issue, of course.”
“The recent Farrelly commission report on the Grace foster home abuse case has resulted in much public debate and concern. This investigation took almost ten years and cost approximately €13.6 million. It found evidence of financial abuse and a serious lack of oversight by the South-Eastern Health Board and the HSE. This report is important because it shows ongoing problems within our social care system. The findings highlight the urgent need for better oversight and accountability to protect vulnerable individuals. The public reaction to the report shows a broader demand for transparency and justice in handling cases of abuse and neglect in today’s context. The Farrelly commission report is a stark reminder of the systemic flaws that still exist within our social care frameworks.”
“This issue has shaken public confidence and raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability in our institutions. As public representatives, we have a duty to respond not with words alone, but with action. I speak from personal experience. My aunt was severely physically abused by a teacher simply because she was considered at that time as a bit slow. That was the language used at the time. We must do better for her and for every child who still faces barriers today. Even days before her death, she spoke to me about the hurt it caused her all of her life. It does not ever go away. It is a severe hurt on people, both mentally and physically. If we take the Grace case, we cannot allow this to be another moment of outrage followed by silence. Real change must follow.”
“We need a debate this week in the Dáil on the leaked draft of the Common Agricultural Policy, which shows zero ambition to protect food security going forward. It looks like there will be no increase in funding for the LEADER programme and no increase in funding for agriculture. With rural pubs and post offices closing in the country, this is a terrible time for this leaked document to come out. As Independent Ireland has stated, the funding seems to be heading towards arms, tanks and guns but not for food security in this country.”
“I agree with the amendment if it is with regard to larger developments, but I would be more cautious in relation to one-off housing. I am not objecting here for the sake of objecting. I would just add that word of caution that people genuinely look for planning and hope to get something off the ground but then all of a sudden, the money is not there, the banks will not backing them and it takes a period of time for them to build up their finances again to get the house built. It could pass the three-year period. I would just be a bit cautious on that.”
“I would accept it maybe for large developers but, certainly, I would be a little bit more cautious about reducing that to three years for one-off planning in a rural community because a lot of people are finding it very difficult. They are finding it difficult with regard to wastewater. We have a situation in Union Hall at present. Councillor Daniel Sexton told me there was no water there last weekend, and people are in an awful state. Businesses are losing money left, right and centre. People had to hand back money in respect of their bed and breakfast accommodation businesses. These are areas where people are losing money at present. Certainly, that is a crisis that Irish Water needs to look into. It is not looking into a lot of other issues in west Cork as I have mentioned here before.”
“Reducing the length of time with regard to a planning permission might be okay with the large developments but I would be very concerned about the one-off housing. A lot of people might apply for planning but may not have the money to get started, especially with the price of materials at the moment. I refer to one-off housing in rural Ireland. I have often met people, as we all do in our constituencies, who ask for another five years and, on that basis, thankfully, they get it across the line. They may not have the money to finish, or they might just have the foundation put down or whatever. I careful in that regard.”
“Today it was switched off. This was an outrageous decision that will lead to a lot of crime, an increase in crime. I had no other opportunity to raise this today. I plead with the Minister of State to speak to the relevant Minister to ensure CCTV will be restored, at least in Clonakilty and Skibbereen. I plead with the Minister of State to work with us on rail. Independent Ireland has a plan and proposes that communities should at least have connectivity if they have no rail. There should at least be signs and bus connections to every rail link in the country. We genuinely would settle for that as an honest solution to an almighty crisis.”
“There was a protest outside today, organised by Councillor Ian Neary of Independent Ireland, on the closure of Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow. The protesters were worried about losing their road, never mind rail. Imagine closing a road at this time in Bray, County Wicklow. This issue is of great importance. I ask the Minister of State to work with us to deliver at least a plan for how to connect to light rail. If light rail is not going to be brought to rural communities, they should at least have bus links to rail. We are not at this point at the moment. We have very many issues in rural Ireland, including west Cork. In this regard, I am going to raise a certain matter even though I need the Minister of State to talk to other Ministers. CCTV is going to be lost to the people of Skibbereen, Dunmanway and Clonakilty.”
“We were slated during the election campaign for saying light rail should be brought to rural communities. The least we should do is put a feasibility plan together and cost it. We know the Minister of State cannot bring light rail down to Castletownbere or Goleen, but he might, in the lifetime of the Government, commit to bringing it to Bandon and having connecting buses to Bandon every morning. He should bring people to Cork city, where there is rail at present; however, for the love of God, he should also put a sign up indicating rail exists and give us some hope that some Minister will decide someday that Cork county needs a bit of rail as well. That is all I am asking of the Minister of State today. I plead with him. The problem we have is that we have so many issues and worries today that even the roads are an issue.”
“That there is none in west Cork is not the Minister of State’s fault but that of his predecessors. Unfortunately, in the 1950s and 1960s, somebody came up with a bright idea to pull up the rail line and that was the end of it. The problem we have is that nobody has a vision. West Cork is only one place but I am speaking on behalf of every rural community that does not have light rail. Rural Ireland has an entitlement to have some kind of transport service, at least to bring people to rail services. That is what we are examining. I am involved with this locally. There is no point in my dreaming that rail will come back to Bantry and Schull, where it was in the 1850s, because we seem to have no money now. We had plenty of money then. We should push very hard to ensure there is at least connectivity of some sort, and a plan.”
“The all-island strategic rail review, published in July 2024, outlines a comprehensive vision for enhancing the rail system across Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050. Recommended in it are additional capacity, faster services, higher frequency, electrification and new routes. These are great except if you live in rural Ireland, where I happen to live. Light rail is to come to Cork city but, for the whole of 128 km down to Ardgroom or 120 km down to Mizen Head, there is not even a sign, never mind a piece of rail. The funny thing is that in 1850, there was a rail line to Schull and I would have been able to walk from the house to hop on the train. Today, there is not even a sign for 120 km or 130 km. The first thing the Minister of State should do is put up a few signs to let people know rail exists in Cork. It comes to Cork city.”
“Independent Ireland stands firm on reducing the cost of living, supporting rural, urban and agricultural communities and promoting transparency and fairness in the economic system. However, the Minister of State knows well the figures I have read out. The mother and the father who go into the shop daily and try to pay for their groceries are coming to the point that they cannot. They are walking out trying to see if there is a bargain in the next shop or the previous shop or up and down the street. It is a terrible situation. This Government has provided no supports this year, but last year, before the election, there were supports.”
“I thank the Social Democrats and will support this very important motion. Since 2021, grocery costs have surged nearly 40%, adding €3,000 to annual family expenses and pushing more than 100,000 children into consistent poverty. These are some examples. Brennan's white bread, 800 g, increased from €1.87 in 2022 to €1.99 in 2025. Avonmore milk, 2 l, rose from €1.99 to €2.69. Denny sausages, 454 g, went from €2.69 to €3.89. Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, 110 g, increased from €1.49 to €2.50. A bottle of Coca-Cola rose from €2.65 to €4. A four-pack tin of beans jumped from €3.50 to €5.50. The price for 1 kg of chicken breast surged from €4.99 to €10.99. Rooster potatoes, 1 kg, increased from 99 cent to €1.90. Kerrygold butter, 454 g, went from €3.74 to €4.95.”
“They work during the summer to see if they can pay for the comforts they need. Those comforts are food, not anything else, just the basic, day-to-day foods. The Government is trying to make their lives a misery and make a decision sitting at the table as to whether they can continue in college or not. It is a despicable situation.”
“Some 40% of parents went without food or borrowed money to feed children. One in three parents is falling behind in paying bills like energy and rent while 28% do not have enough food for their children. Some 76% of parents say their children's well-being is being harmed by rising costs. It goes on and on. The Government is totally, unbelievably out of touch with reality. If it does not look after the young people, where does it expect this country to go? Does it want them to stay at home from college? Is that the plan? Does it not want to help them going forward? No child in Ireland should go hungry, yet tens of thousands are. These students will be hungry next year because every one of them is at home. I am living with a student myself, Jessica, my partner's daughter, and her friend Isabella.”
“It tells me that this Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Independents is completely out of touch on the reality of the situation. They had ample opportunity last week and on numerous occasions to put the record right and at least ease the worries of the people. I welcome all the students who are in the Gallery today. They are fighting for their future here. This Government wants to make sure to wreck their future and put them on a boat or a plane out of this country. That is a sad situation we are facing. If they do jump through the hoops right now, they will get caught on housing or something along the line to make sure the Government destroys their careers. At this present time, 48% of families are cutting back on essentials, including food, heat and electricity.”
“I have attended most of the debates on college fees in the past week and the one thing I found was that nobody got clarity. This is a terribly unfair situation for parents to find themselves in. They are very concerned. There is no point in saying something here that is not true. Every politician, including the Ministers, must surely realise from emails the concerns of parents. In a message I received one morning last week, a west Cork lady informed me that the question of whether her child will go to college is down to whether her car will break down. That is a terrible situation for any government to put a family in. If the car breaks down, the child will not go to college. It is down to that and down to the bare minimum.”