Micheál Carrigy
Longford-Westmeath · Fine Gael · Ireland
“People with Alzheimer's and their families throughout the country deserve to be supported by the State. Statutory home care is in the programme for Government. It is something we have been working on for a number of years. I look forward to progressing that over the term of this Government so that we can have it in place.”
“We also need to continue to invest in research to stop this condition being so prevalent. Some programmes are in place in the UK and some families from Ireland are travelling to the UK to take part in studies. I would like that research to take place here in Ireland as well.”
“I look forward to working with the group led by George and Fiona under the tutelage of their new chairperson, Cathy Reynolds, another proud Longford woman who has done so much in this area in memory of her late mam and her dad, Albert Reynolds. Earlier we were looking at the portrait of Albert Reynolds in the Taoiseach's gallery.”
“I acknowledge Jordan and Cian for coming here for the statements. Helen is here also, along with Jordan's wife Agnes and their dad who has been such a major part of the journey so far. Deputy Sherlock said they are an inspiration.”
“I still vividly remember during the Covid pandemic when I went to visit her with my son and, for the first time, she did not recognise me. That was a difficult day, but she got the best of care in St. Joseph's care centre in Longford.”
“We should put in place financial supports through the budget to support companies to do the research here to find the drugs that can stop this disease which takes so many of our loved ones away. Once again, I use the word inspiration. That is what Jordan, Cian, Helen, Agnes and their dad have been to people in this country.”
The complete record
Every one of 144 lines we hold for Micheál Carrigy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 3.
“We as a Government will be judged on delivering each one of these commitments. I ask that the Government put every resource possible into doing so, and I know it will. I know the commitment is there to ensure we deliver on all these commitments.”
“[...] We will ensure that disabled people are made aware of the supports available to them in accessing the National Screening Service through improved targeted promotion. [...] We will ensure that disabled children and adults who develop hearing loss can benefit from appropriate and timely interventions. [...] We will take a “whole-of-journey” approach applying Universal Design principles in the development of infrastructure and services to improve the accessibility of our transport system across the country. [...] We will support those who cannot use or access ... public transport, or who may need private transport to get to and from public transport, by providing disabled people with enhanced personal mobility options.”
“[...] We will create a more accessible and inclusive mainstream health service ... [...] We will ensure that disabled people are treated with respect and dignity, have their welfare promoted and receive support in an environment in which every effort is made to promote welfare and prevent abuse. [...] We will enhance disabled people’s overall health and wellbeing. [...] We will ensure that all disabled children and young people are supported to access the mental health services they need. [...] We will achieve a quality, accessible, equitable and timely service for all disabled children and their families based on their needs. [...] We will ensure that disabled children and adults can benefit from improved access to oral healthcare.”
“[...] We will enable disabled people to have meaningful engagement in political life and public fora and to actively engage in elections on an equitable basis as citizens. [...] We will improve access to supports and enable disabled people, particularly those with more complex disabilities, to live a full life in the community. [...] We will enhance the effective delivery of the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (2022 – 2027). [...] We will support the inclusion of disabled people in their local communities by continuing to improve our services and by creating accessible environments ... [...] We will ensure that disabled people have access to justice on an equal basis with others and that they do not unnecessarily enter the Criminal Justice system ...”
“[...] We will maximise opportunities and access for disabled people to get meaningful work in the civil and public [service]. [...] We will actively promote the hiring and career advancement of disabled people across the private sector. [...] We will provide the right supports at the right time for disabled people to access work or return to work. [...] We will deliver the right individual supports at the right time so that disabled people using disability services can maximise their opportunities to live independently and choose to be an active part of their local communities. [...] We will increase the participation of disabled people in social and cultural life, including in arts, tourism, and sport ...”
“This strategy sets out a whole-of-government approach to disability. Individual Departments and State agencies are responsible for delivering on these commitments. I am just going to read into the record these individual commitments. They are that: We will create a more inclusive educational system for disabled children and young people that will respect the rights of everyone to choose and access the learning environments that meet their needs. [...] We will improve retention rates and progression for disabled children and young people as they deal with transitions within education ... [...] We will help educators and staff to create learning spaces that are friendly and supportive of all disabled children and young people.”
“The just transition fund has delivered more than €169 million into the midlands and is in place until 2027. However, a significant number of local projects struggled to gain the matched funding to deliver those projects on time. I am looking for the Government to seek an extension on that just transition drawdown so these projects can be completed. I want the Government to look at introducing a just transition economic zone, similar to the Shannon free zone. We have seen the benefit that had for that whole mid-west region down in the south. We should consider creating a just transition zone in the midlands to encompass counties Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly, centred on TUS in Athlone. It would drive further economic activity into the midland region into the future.”
“It is important to put on record the help and support of all those who work giving home help to elderly people throughout the country. The reality is that we do not have sufficient people to carry out that service and allow elderly people to stay in their own homes, where they are safer and more comfortable. That is why we need to address these issues. We need increased home help hours but also an increased number of staff to support those families who want to support their loved ones at home. As I said, the programme for government has been clear on the support we are going to give to persons in their elderly years and we need to deliver on that in the short term.”
“She was also in The Manor. I visit my Uncle Bernie monthly in Thomond Lodge. Overall, I can say, hand on heart, that the care being provided in all the nursing homes in my county is excellent and nothing short of that. Nonetheless, we need to strengthen the sector. We need to increase funding for the fair deal scheme and ensure the waiting list does not exceed four weeks. We need to build more public nursing home beds, as at St. Joseph’s in Longford. We need to provide a clear pathway for healthcare assistants, with better benefits. Ultimately, we need to invest in our older generation. We need to introduce the statutory homes scheme, which we have promised. We put it into the programme for Government and it is something we need to deliver on.”
“We were all shocked by the recent “RTÉ Investigates” programme but it is important to put on record that this is not the case for the entire nursing home sector. Across the country, many nursing homes provide excellent service to our family members. We need to increase the support that we put into both public and private nursing homes. I visit nursing homes on a regular basis in my county. A multi-million euro development is taking place on-campus at St. Joseph’s Care Centre and there is also Laurel Lodge in Longford town, Thomond Lodge in Ballymahon and The Manor in Edgeworthstown. I have been in all of these centres in recent years and in two of them with my late mother, who passed away during Covid in St. Joseph's Care Centre, where she got nothing but the best of care. That is something that we as a family will always be grateful for.”
“I welcome the Minister's comments on prioritising those most in need. That is what we need to do, particularly for low-income families, carers, those with disabilities and part-time workers. I welcome consistency in the future. As a public representative, I do not see consistency in how applications are treated. People who are ultimately entitled are turned down on one or two occasions and have to go through an appeals system when it should have been granted the first time. I appeal for consistency in means testing in the future.”
“It is a key commitment in the programme for Government to review the means test across the entire social welfare system. A more consistent, transparent and targeted approach is needed. It needs to be a priority to ensure low-income families, carers, those with disabilities and part-time workers are not unfairly penalised. I ask the Minister to ensure this review addresses anomalies across the schemes and takes into account the real cost of living today and the need to support people trying to balance work and caring. Clarity and a timeline for publication would be welcome. I ask for it to be prioritised in the Department so that this review is done in time and we can make changes for budget 2026.”
“I refer to viability in this regard, if the Minister could give me an answer on these points on behalf of people in those areas. I am delighted, however, to be able to support this legislation and will be supporting the further legislation when it comes before the Dáil in the autumn term. I also look forward to having the opportunity, along with my colleagues, to scrutinise that legislation when it comes before the housing committee.”
“Yesterday, we heard that approximately 55% of the units being built currently are being supported by the State. This is not sustainable into the future. We need to get leveraged finance from our own financial institutions, but we also need international finance coming into the country to support housing construction. I have a few queries. Specifically regarding my area of Longford-Westmeath, the initial legislation referred to rent levels above the rental average in the State. Our rental average would be quite a bit lower compared with other counties. I would, therefore, like to query the implementation of this aspect in every county. Concerning my home county, we have a short supply of hotel accommodation and many people are doing short-term lettings.”
“The Housing Agency looked at four recommendations. I went back over the text because I feel it is important that these reasons be known. Regarding the first option, while it was felt it might encourage more supply, it would be detrimental to tenants who would experience very large increases in rent. It was felt the second option would not encourage further investment. The third option, a points-based system as used in Europe, was felt to be a system that could not be introduced here. This is why the fourth option - to expand the RPZs across the country - was the recommendation put forward by the Housing Agency, which had been charged with looking at the best system for tenants here. Ultimately, this is about having a system that will protect tenancies and create investment.”
“I welcome this legislation. As the Chair of the housing committee, I also thank its members from all parties for waiving pre-legislative scrutiny at a meeting yesterday so this Bill could be on the agenda here today and passed before the week is out. I just wanted to put that on the record. Ultimately, this Bill is about protecting tenancies and trying to create an environment to get inward investment into the building of apartments. As Deputy Devlin said, the report of the Housing Commission was referred to the Housing Agency, and that body was tasked with coming up with recommendations on the RPZs and the best formula going forward. We had representatives of the Housing Agency before the housing committee yesterday and members put these questions to them. They asked for clarification concerning why this recommendation was put forward.”
“We have lost a number of services over the years in our county and we will not accept losing this service where there are alternatives. I want common sense to prevail and older persons services, primary care and HIQA to come to a common-sense agreement to keep that service on site.”
“I want to highlight the excellent physio service we have at St. Joseph's care centre in Longford. Following a recent HIQA report, however, there were queries about the location of it with regard to the older persons who were in the care centre and who have had to move location on site. There are now fears among staff and the 4,000 people who attend that service in the care centre that the service could be moved to Athlone or Mullingar. That would not be acceptable. I have met with the Minister of State, Kieran O'Donnell, and HSE officials in older persons' services with regard to this. They have put forward proposals to maintain that service on that site. I want a commitment to the people of Longford, the service users and the staff that this will happen.”
“I seek commitments that physiotherapy department will go back to its location on that site or an additional site will be located to make sure we maintain that service in our county and, indeed, to improve the services available on that campus in general.”
“The programme for Government commits to improving our services throughout the health service. Specifically, I refer to St. Joseph’s campus in Longford. Recently, following a HIQA report, the physiotherapy department which serves the people of Longford and the patients in St. Joseph’s Care Centre has had to move location in the centre into a building that is due to be demolished in six months due to ongoing works and welcome investment into the campus. However, staff have been notified of the possibility that they might be moving to Athlone or Mullingar which would mean that service would no longer be available to the people of Longford.”
“Children are on waiting lists because there is no capacity in schools. I ask for that to be prioritised for St. Christopher's Special School. We must consider schools where there is an early intervention class and ensure there is capacity within primary schools to which students can move.”
“Notwithstanding significant investment in special education, and the Taoiseach spoke earlier about 400 additional classes, we still find ourselves in a position where some children do not have school places for September. For St. Christopher's Special School in my county of Longford, the children of three families do not have a place for September. Sacred Heart national school in Granard has an early intervention class. Children are due to transfer into the primary system, but there is no capacity within the primary school attached to allow them to move into the primary system. I ask that we prioritise, in particular, special schools to ensure that every single child has a place and we are not in a situation at the end of May whereby people do not know whether their children will have a school place.”
“The programme for Government commits to improving urgent and emergency care, yet since February advanced paramedics, some of our most skilled emergency responders, have been barred from bringing home their marked National Ambulance Service vehicles, preventing life-saving out-of-hours responses in local communities. Between 2022 and 2024, these managers, again out of hours, responded to over 200 acute, life-threatening echo and delta calls. The decision, based on benefit-in-kind concerns, was made with no patient safety risk assessment. Will the Government urgently review this decision and engage with the Revenue to resolve this issue?”
“I ask that the various Departments covering the therapies and education consider these figures, break them down geographically and plan to ensure we have the school places for children not just months in advance but also one, two and three years in advance.”
“I thank the Minister very much. I welcome the commitment from the Minister on behalf of the Government to legislate for the autism innovation strategy. Key to it is giving every child the same chance in life and the opportunity to be the best they can be. I welcome the huge amount of work done in the Minister's Department with regard to new school places for September 2025. However, I ask that the work start. It probably should have started a number of years back to ensure we provide places for 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028. One just needs to look at the census figures of 2022. We have more than 40,000 children with a disability, based on the census results. Some 4% have indicated they have a disability.”
“Try to see past the autism and realise that we are the same inside as others. I have already started to legislate by introducing the Autism Action and Oversight Bill in the Seanad in October 2024. I have asked that the Government bring the Bill through the Houses in 2025 and ensure autistic people have the same chance to live, work, grow and participate.”
“This is indicative of circumstances in my county, where there are currently 3.9 vacant posts to be filled in the children's disability network team, CDNT, and a waiting list for places in special schools. We heard last week stories at first hand from parents of autistic children who are struggling to find suitable school places and relevant therapies. While we talk about numbers, we need to remember that each one is a person – a son, a daughter, a brother, a sister. I would like to put on record the words of young Fiacre Ryan, a young autistic boy from Castlebar who gave evidence to the joint committee: It only seems appropriate to give the same rights given to those without autism to individuals with it. Needing some type of assistance does not make someone less of a person. ...”
“Supports need to be put in place for the whole of life. The only way to ensure accountability and delivery of all the actions is to put it on a legislative footing. It is now eight months since the launch. How many of the actions have been commenced or completed? The recent Same Chance report, launched by AsIAm, identifies a regression by comparison with what is in last year's report. Some 86% of respondents say they still do not have the same chance as non-autistic people in Irish society, citing long waiting lists, discrimination, a lack of support and financial pressures as key barriers. Some 70% of respondents do not believe the educational system is inclusive of autistic people, representing a 14% increase. Some 69% of children represented in the report are not currently receiving supports, while 84% are waiting over one year.”
“Some of the important actions of the strategy include establishing an autism innovation fund to fund projects to empower the autistic community and increase our understanding of autism; supporting inclusive and accessible learning environments that ensure autistic children and their families are supported in transitioning throughout the educational system; and enabling autistic children and adults to access early intervention assessments and multidisciplinary supports. I acknowledge the work completed to date, including one-stop shops, a €65 million investment in this year's summer programme, additional undergraduate places in therapies, and the 400 extra special classes and 300 school places sanctioned for this year. Let me be clear: the needs and challenges faced by autistic people will not go away or end after 18 months.”
“In August 2024, the autism innovation strategy was launched by the Government. Today I ask the Government to action its pledge in the programme for Government to place this strategy on a permanent legislative footing. This must be followed up with the appropriate investment and implementation. The strategy contains over 80 actions that reflect the priorities of autistic people, address the daily challenges they and their families face, and seek to address the gaps in existing services and supports. It is also designed to complement and enhance wider action on disability. It includes a significant number of recommendations of the final report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism, which was representative of all political groups within this House and engaged with relevant stakeholders.”
“The Minister of State highlighted in his reply the funding for community centres. They recently had a round of the community centre funds announced. I want to ask a question about that with regard to an appeal mechanism on that. I had a parish hall in Newtown Cashel, County Longford, that was unsuccessful due to an error in a letter of comfort as regards the length of time the hall was available. Will there be an appeals mechanism on unsuccessful applications, particularly, as I said, since community centres play such a vital role in all our communities throughout rural Ireland?”
“I feel the same with regard to the local improvement scheme, coming from the rural county of Longford. Significant funding has been provided in recent years through the Department when the previous Minister, Heather Humphreys, was in that role. If the Minister, Deputy Calleary, looks at his list he will see that every penny allocated to Longford County Council was spent. I wish to highlight that we have the capacity to get more roads done if additional funding is made available to the local authority. I thank the Minister.”
“The programme for Government states under the transport heading that it will enhance the road connectivity to the north west, increase funding for roads and provide multi-annual funding. The N4 recently announced an emerging preferred route from Mullingar to Roosky through County Longford. It is the only region that is not serviced with motorway or dual carriageway access. An emerging preferred route was announced previously in 2008 before it was taken off the national development plan. It is back on the plan and a funding of €8 million is needed for stage 3 of that project in 2025. Can I get a guarantee that the €8 million will be available for Longford and Westmeath county councils to progress stage 3 of the N4 and ensure we deliver that project over the next ten years?”
“The next generation needs clear pathways into farming and food production. We need support for training and apprenticeships, and funding for start-ups in the food sector is essential. The sector is the backbone of the rural economy. My home constituency of Longford-Westmeath plays an important role in producing and processing top-quality food. While there are always challenges, there are also huge opportunities, particularly in value-added products, sustainability and exports. We need to support farmers, processors and food entrepreneurs to ensure the long-term success of the sector. I ask the Minister to ensure that Government policies, funding and initiatives are in place to help the agrifood sector in Longford-Westmeath, and in Ireland as a whole, to thrive at home and abroad.”
“Lough Ree Distillery is producing alcohol that is now being exported. Midlands Ireland's food innovation is promoting the food industry in the midland counties of Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly. Our agricultural shows, as mentioned by Deputy Clendennen, are a fantastic opportunity and need to continue to be supported to promote local food production. We need more support for direct-to-consumer sales, farmers' markets and online food retail. There are fantastic opportunities for growth. We need to encourage more food processing and agrifood innovation at a local level rather than just exporting the raw materials. Irish food is already known for being grass-fed, high quality and traceable. We need to market this even more. There are big opportunities in the growing organic and regenerative agriculture sectors.”
“It is home to top-quality beef and dairy farms, with farms investing in grass-fed, high-welfare systems that are in demand internationally. It is home to leading food processing businesses, especially meat processing, prepared foods and bakery products, including Pat the Baker, which is well known to us, and Panelto Foods, which has based its research and development facility in the county. We have companies such as Green Isle Foods in Longford town that are key players in frozen food production. However, we need further investment in food innovation hubs that can help small agrifood businesses in the county and allow us to expand into new markets. We have seen a rise in the artisan food businesses in our county producing everything from cheeses, organic meats and craft beverages to bakery goods.”
“I recently met McCormack's fruit and vegetable growers in south Longford, along with the IFA chairperson, who are struggling to get employees. Employees are coming in from outside this country. With the increase in the minimum wage, they are struggling to get people to pick their products. There is an urgent need to attract and retain talent, from farm workers to skilled food technologists. The challenge is balancing sustainability while maintaining productivity and competitiveness. Brexit continues to pose challenges, especially for supply chains and exports to the UK. There is a need to diversity into new markets, with Asia, North America and the Middle East offering huge potential to Irish food exports. In my home county, we have a strong dairy and beef industry.”
“The sector is worth more than €16 billion annually, making it one of Ireland's most important industries. We export 90% of what we produce. Our food and drink exports hit €16.3 billion in 2023 with strong demand from Europe, the UK and further afield. Dairy contributed €6 billion, beef stood at €2.5 billion and prepared consumer foods, such as bakery products and ready meals, were worth approximately €2.2 billion. However, there are challenges for the sector. Inflation and energy, transport and raw material costs have increased significantly, putting pressure on producers. We have seen price fluctuations in key commodities such as dairy and beef, which impact both farmers and food manufacturers. The agrifood sector, in particular, has shortages in processing and logistics and is struggling to find workers.”
“I also wish the Minister and the two Ministers of State well. I have every confidence in the three of them as rural TDs who will work on behalf of farmers throughout the country. I have known the Minister for a long number of years. From meeting with of as Minister. The agrifood sector has been the cornerstone of the Irish economy and rural communities for generations. It is not just about farming; it is also about processing, innovation, exports and sustainability. It is about taking what we produce on our farms and adding value to it, creating jobs and economic opportunities throughout the country. I will talk about where the sector stands and some of its challenges and opportunities, and will highlight how my home county of Longford plays a role in that food story.”
“The programme for Government states that a statutory home care scheme will be designed to allow people to stay in their homes for as long as possible. In my home county of Longford, numerous families are struggling to look after family members. Based on medical need, they are being allocated hours but the reality is that there are no staff employed by the HSE to provide the hours. Families are now considering applying for the fair deal scheme to allow for nursing home care for their relatives. That will ultimately cost the State more money. When will see a home care scheme in place to look after those elderly people in Longford and in communities throughout the country?”
“Furthermore, the local authority requires additional funding to repair roads, to clear fallen trees and to restore essential public services. The Department of rural development must ensure flexibility within existing funding schemes to support storm recovery efforts. We are seeing storms of this magnitude more frequently and we must address the immediate crisis. We also need long-term investment in infrastructure and in resilience planning to ensure our communities are better protected in the future. We need to make sure we put generators in place in every single community. We need to see generators at our Irish Water plants. I urge the Government to act swiftly so that the people of Longford receive the support they need without delay. Rural Ireland matters. Longford matters.”
“The financial burden of repairs, spoiled goods and ongoing disruptions is growing by the day. While the local response has been outstanding and our emergency services have worked tirelessly, this is a situation that requires national urgent intervention. I call on the Government to take immediate action. A compensation scheme must be put in place for all those still without power to ensure they are not left to bear the cost of a situation that is outside of their control. Additionally, the humanitarian assistance scheme must be made available without delay, not just for lower income families but for everyone affected by the storm. Businesses and farmers also need direct support as many have suffered damage to infrastructure vital to their operations.”
“Indeed, 89% of households and businesses, etc., lost power in the recent storm, one of the highest percentages in the country. I want to take this opportunity to thank the various crews - the ESB crews, the Civil Defence, the family resource centres in Longford, the Longford County Council staff and the Irish Water staff members - that worked tirelessly night and day to bring back services as quickly as possible. Many businesses and homes have suffered extensive damage and, crucially, some people in my home county are still without power. I spoke yesterday to a 95-year-old lady who is going into her 13th day without power. A loss of electricity is not just an inconvenience; it has serious consequences for families, for older people and for businesses trying to operate.”
“I rise today for the first time as a Member of Dáil Éireann. I want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Longford for giving me the honour of representing them. I follow in the footsteps of General Seán MacEoin from my own native Ballinalee. I thank my family, the local Fine Gael organisation, my colleagues on Longford County Council, the members, my campaign team and those who have advised me over the last number of years and in recent times. I thank them sincerely for their support and I commit to working tirelessly on their behalf and on the behalf of the people in my constituency over the next five years. I speak today about the severe impact of the recent storm on County Longford. It has caused widespread destruction and significant hardship for families, businesses and farmers.”