Nessa Cosgrove
Labour Panel · Labour Party · Ireland
“The Minister of State recognised that there was a grassroots movement and the documentary "Groundswell" captured it. There is also the documentary "Gasland", which was made in America and came out in 2010. We know it is going to come from America. Again, this is the Trojan horse.”
“The amendment defines "fracked gas", which does not appear anywhere in the Bill. This, with amendment No. 13, would make clear that the importation of fracked gas would not be possible under the Bill. LNG particularly when sourced in the US, is usually derived from fracking.”
“I move amendment No. 3: In page 8, after line 39, to insert the following: " "hydraulically fractured gas" means liquefied natural gas, or natural gas in any other form, that has been produced, in whole or in part, by means of hydraulic fracturing within the meaning of section 5A of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960;".…”
“I am sorry but I just do not buy the argument that it is security. A floating LNG storage facility in Qatar was blown up. It is actually more of a risk to our security to have a floating LNG terminal. This whole thing is mad.”
“All of us were probably at the IFA briefing yesterday. When they gave us the briefing document I saw that it was exactly the same as the one last year and I wondered whether it had got anything it looked for. I was told not really, apart perhaps with regard to areas of natural constraint.”
“Historians, no doubt, are going to refer to this legislation in that way, because the reserve is not going to be used solely for emergencies. We are trying to define what an emergency is. There is no definition. Seven years ago, we led the way in the international community by committing to phase out oil and gas exploration.”
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“The minimum wage was established just over a quarter of a century ago, in April 2000, two years before the first euro notes and coins were circulated in Ireland. Just like the euro, the minimum wage has become an accepted and crucial element of our economy. At the time of its introduction, no political party represented in the Oireachtas opposed it. It was recognised as an essential tool in the ongoing battle against social exclusion. It is hard to recall those times now, but 25 years ago in Ireland the wages for the lowest paid workers were firmly on the floor. Throughout the eighties the gap between the 10% lowest and 10% highest paid workers was greater in Ireland than in any other European country. Despite the birth of the Celtic tiger, the same trend continued into the nineties and a consensus developed that wages needed to increase.”
“This kind of certainty would led to an increased congeniality among elected members and improve decision-making as priorities can be agreed strategically and with consensus over the course of the life of an elected council rather than resulting in an annual scramble and the distribution of piecemeal projects which reinforces the concept of clientelism and undermines the vision of a 21st-century councillor, as outlined in the AILG report.”
“What I found so frustrating as a new councillor was being dependent on annual Government grants, whether they were for roads, parks or public spaces, which required the local authority to apply for certain grants under various schemes. This approach introduces more bureaucracy which then distracts from the services by the executive which can be offered to the local authority and impacts on the elected members' ability to prioritise and direct how the council is to deliver its services. I cannot understand why there are not certain levels of funding that are directed, particularly for things like play parks or recreational facilities and their upkeep, which needs to be done every so often. The enhancement of local authorities’ fiscal autonomy is dependent on certainty and stability of this funding.”
“As more complex and technical aspects are added into the role, it is crucial councillors are given the training and support they need. A huge part of that, as has come up in every contribution, is a proper wage. Doing the job of an elected representative on a local authority properly is a full-time job. It is a highly responsible job and should be paid as such. If we expect local councillors to hold the local authority to account, we need to be prepared to pay an adequate wage that will attract top-quality people into the role. I welcome the recognition in the programme for Government of the need to enhance local authorities’ fiscal autonomy. A large part of that will be through funding and certainty of funding.”
“I welcome the Minister of State. I would also welcome the establishment of a task force. As other Senators have said, recent research into the role of a 21st-century councillor carried out by the AILG revealed, as any of us who have had the privileged position of being an elected county councillor, as I was for a short time on Sligo County Council, will know, that the role is multifaceted. Councillors work on the front line and have many roles, including advocating for local communities, trying to solve problems, trying to fix things and providing a lot of information. Another key finding of this research - anyone who has been a councillor will be acutely aware of this - is that the role of local councillors is changing and developing.”
“It has recognised the potential talent being excluded from consideration. It is time for us in the Houses of the Oireachtas to do the same. Although the role of interns is not directly addressed in the Bill we are discussing today, it illustrates just how ingrained is the exclusion of those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage and how often that exclusion is perpetrated at every level, generation after generation. I am delighted to support this Bill. I agree with my colleagues in opposition in hoping it can be pushed through sooner rather than being delayed for another 12 months.”
“I am sure many parliamentary administrative assistants in these Chambers started their careers as unpaid interns and many have risen in the ranks to become parliamentary assistants and then continued on to become TDs. We all get that phone call asking us to consider this. When we are taking on someone as an unpaid intern, we have also to think of the people who are being excluded from consideration not just for an internship role but potentially from a career in a role that might suit them perfectly. Unintentionally, through the use of unpaid interns we exclude people from a background of socioeconomic disadvantage and we reinforce a system which replicates itself and magnifies the normalisation of privilege. Incidentally, much of the corporate world has abandoned the practice of unpaid internships.”
“I know that since starting in the Seanad I have been approached by a number of young people or organisations acting on their behalf asking that I consider employing an unwaged intern. Working for a TD or a Senator can be very exciting and we all know that there is plenty of meaningful and valuable work we can find for an enthusiastic graduate or student to do. The same applies to unpaid interns in media, fashion and film-making. All are attractive and desirable areas within which to build a career and all of which have a deeply embedded concept and acceptance of unpaid internships. We know that an experience such as this is also likely to benefit that young person in their future career, so it is often very easy to justify.”
“This is a topic I hope to address next week in the form of a Commencement matter and one I will be returning to in much greater detail when we deal with the National Minimum Wage (Payment of Interns) Bill 2022, which was introduced to the Seanad by my predecessor as Labour Party spokesperson on workers' rights, Marie Sherlock. Unpaid internships are a vehicle through which discrimination against those experiencing economic disadvantage is driven at high speed. Who can afford to work for one month or six months a year without any wages? Only those who already have a significant advantage, whether it is their own personal wealth or the support of a family who can afford to support an unwaged adult for a period of time.”
“On the basis of that logic alone, there is a compelling case for supporting this legislation. We also need to recognise that people who experience discrimination on any other grounds are also likely to experience socioeconomic disadvantage and frequently multigenerational poverty. In Ireland, this is particularly evident among members of the Traveller and Roma communities. I wish to use my time to highlight a particular aspect of discrimination relating to socioeconomic disadvantage that directly affects Members of the Dáil and Seanad and that consequently impacts on the lack of diversity we see in both, not only among Members but also among the staff.”
“The Minister is very welcome. I am delighted to support the Bill introduced by my Sinn Féin colleagues. The idea that socioeconomic disadvantage is inherited is not a new or radical idea. A 2022 report from the ESRI indicates, "Past research strongly indicates that individuals who experience poverty in childhood face an increased risk of experiencing poverty as adults." To state the absolute obvious, poverty is never the fault of a child born into poverty and it is not the choice made by a child. Socioeconomic disadvantage bears a strong resemblance to six of the nine grounds for discrimination. Generally, we accept the logic that aspects of our lives over which we exert no control should not be aspects of our lives on which we are discriminated against.”
“They are a mile off being ready for the test and this cannot be resolved within a week or two. Our form system, based on this instructor's detailed idea, which I will send into the Minister of State's Department, allows the pupil to plan for a learning schedule within a fixed window of time. As they learn, their approved driving instructor will gauge how are they progressing and how many lessons each learner is likely to need. Most instructors know their students well enough and, after four to six weeks, would be able to judge their ability. Some people take to driving more naturally than others but I certainly was not one of those people, I failed my test four times. We should trust driving instructors to judge a learner's progress and help young people to achieve what is a major and essential to life skill.”
“This would allow the learner and the instructor to plan and to structure a learning programme that optimises the learner's chance of passing without a large gap in the frequency of lessons and without them having to do a more intensive programme of lessons. If we do not take seriously the need to change the format, our waiting will only get longer. Because of this break in the relationship between the instructor and the learner, just when it is needed and which will help to make our roads more safe, underprepared students are sitting tests without any adequate pretest preparation. The instructor said to me that he is told regularly "I just need a lesson to refresh myself before the test" because the learner may not have had a lesson for six to 12 months.”
“If we trust driver instructors to instruct, we should also be prepared to trust them to assess a candidate's ability and suitability to take a test. The first proposal is to replace the mandatory six-month wait with a certification that the candidate is ready to take the test or allow the learner driver to apply for the test as soon as they get the provisional licence with a fixed date of six to 12 months into the future, as one would book the NCT online. This could include payment of a non-refundable fee to ensure the learner is committed to the date. In no way does it impact on the necessity of the learner to complete the minimum of 12 lessons.”
“Consequently, it is not unusual for the learner to have completed the 12 essential driving lessons within the first four months of holding the provisional licence, at which point they are at peak preparedness to pass the test. However, because the first-time learner permit holder cannot sit the driving test until he or she has held the provisional driver licence for six months, this peak then comes at exactly the wrong time. With the current waiting lists of anywhere between five to ten months between applying for the test and getting the test date, most people cannot afford to keep on paying for weekly lessons for an additional six to 12 months. They lose preparedness and subsequently fail their test.”
“We are all in favour of a rigorous testing regime that only certifies safe drivers to drive, but the situation seems to have got out of hand with delays to test times leading to fails, which leads to more pressure on retests, resulting in longer wait times. The Minister of State said he is looking for suggestions. I have a suggestion for him from a very well-regarded instructor in Sligo who gave me his analysis of what is wrong in the system and, more importantly, how to fix it. We are all aware that getting the provisional licence is a big stage in a young person's life and most people are keen to get on with learning to drive as soon as they get their provisional licence.”
“As all previous speakers said, the current waiting times for driving tests are unacceptably long. This is having a very real impact on the lives of young people. I will not repeat what other Senators have said. Young people in rural constituencies like mine are unable to leave home, whether to go to college or work, because of the scarcity of town centre housing and its cost. The expansion of Local Link services has helped immensely but the reality is that most people in rural Ireland still need a car to get around. Under the current system, people are left waiting extensive periods for a test and frequently fail for no reason other than the way it is structured.”
“We can enact the occupied territories Bill. We can implement ethical procurement policies across Departments and State bodies. We can stop arms transitioning through Ireland, which we know is happening. There are debates on it but we know it is happening. We can stop the Central Bank selling Israeli war bonds. We can join the Hague Group of nations and say that no nation is above the law. We can boycott, divest and sanction at every opportunity, including culture and academia. Israel needs to be isolated and it needs to be isolated now.”
“We have all said that we cannot just sit back and watch it anymore. The Israeli regime is sticking their two fingers up to us at every turn. They are committing war crimes. They are committing genocide. It has even been called out now by the UN that it is genocide. I hosted a briefing last Tuesday with healthcare workers. Healthcare workers and the symbols of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have always been symbols of humanity. They are there under the Geneva Conventions as protection of life. They have been targeted. A total of 1,400 healthcare workers have been deliberately killed. Surgeons have been pulled away from operating theatres in the middle of conducting operations. They have said to me that in trying to restore humanity back into the conversation we as a country can do six things.”
“I, too, commend my colleague Senator Stephenson on bringing this forward. I wish to speak about healthcare workers and read out the names of just five nurses who have been killed: Omar Khorsheed, Mohammed Lubbad, Mohammed Al Azzaiza, Ahmed Moshtaha and Somaya Temeraz. We have all said that the people of Gaza are at very risk of extermination. The UN said two hours ago that 14,000 babies, which was referenced earlier, are going to die of starvation in the next 48 hours. Other Senators have stated that we as a country have been victims of state enabled famine and colonial mass murder. We know more than anyone else about the trauma that has been inflicted on us as a people for generations. I do not believe that this is an Opposition-Government issue. All of the Government parties know their history just as well as I do.”
“The impact on the environment and most importantly the impact on biodiversity should be the forefront of any of those decisions.”
“He says that the sea is able to recover and bounce back stronger than ever with remarkable speed in ways that we did not know or understand previously. This is a message that I am heartened to hear. Living in a coastal community like Sligo, I am heartened that National Biodiversity Week in Sligo later this week will recognise the importance of our inland and the care that we need to take of our inland and coastal waters. We need to heed the serious and real warnings from environmentalists that we risk being responsible for a new mass extinction but we also need to heed the message of hope. Most of all we need to act. Messages of hope will not bring about change. We as legislators can bring about change. Going back to my first point, we need to make sure the loss of biodiversity is at the forefront of any monetary decision.”
“Colder oceans slow and even prevent the escape of methane gas from the seabed to the surface, while warmer oceans transport methane more quickly from seabed to surface. As other speakers have noted, for all our actions, there is a reaction, as we are all living forms and are all connected. On the one hand, we are asking farmers in Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal to rewet their lands to trap carbon. However, we are also allowing super trawlers and fossil fuel conglomerates to play havoc with the delicate balance of ocean life as their actions accelerate the release of carbon dioxide and methane, which is 80 times more warming than CO2, into the atmosphere. David Attenborough assures us that there is hope, which is great. He describes the sea as our greatest ally against climate catastrophe.”
“This is not only stripping the oceans of life we need to maintain, but the methods we use to trawl the seabed for fish and the extraction of oil and gas from wells deep under the seabed increase the release of carbon dioxide and methane into the sea, which measurably alters the chemical make-up of the water. Most marine life is extremely well adapted to the conditions it finds itself in and is not necessarily easily adaptable. A slight change in the chemical make-up of the water has a profound effect on the creatures that live in it. Having moved from the surface of the water into the air, the same CO2 and methane move into the atmosphere, adding to the levels of warming gasses and driving warmer temperatures on the earth and in the oceans.”
“Thus far in the lifetime of our planet, there have been at least five mass extinction events, each of which, in turn, probably took place 440 million, 365 million, 250 million, 210 million and 65 million years ago. We are all familiar with the theory that a comet caused the last mass extinction 65 million years ago. However, the four previous events were likely caused by volcanic activity and changes in oceanic chemistry such as changes in oxygen, methane and carbon dioxide levels in the deep sea. At 99 years of age, the veteran environmentalist and film maker, David Attenborough, has just released a new film in which he shows in graphic detail the damage we are doing through overfishing, over-exploitation and the wasteful and unacceptable pillaging of life from the ocean.”
“I will not even need five minutes. The Minister of State is very welcome. I take this opportunity to give praise to my colleague Senator Noonan. I am delighted he is part of our group because, as Minister of State, he placed biodiversity and the threat of biodiversity loss firmly on the agenda within policies. His legacy will always be there and I thank him for that. Other speakers referred to the impact of having not only biodiversity officers but heritage officers as well. The roles are all intertwined. It is really important, as the Acting Chairperson said, that the Government makes sure the funding continues and there is no inconsistency in or threat to that funding. As someone from a coastal community, I take the opportunity of these statements on National Biodiversity Week to talk about our inland and offshore fisheries.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply. I knew there was a lot of progress on it since 30 April. I am delighted. However, there is still uncertainty among the farmers I represent. If the deadline for submissions is tomorrow, can something be addressed tonight? I know the Minister has only recently taken over his brief. Is there some way there will be a guarantee so people do not feel they are going into something and they cannot reverse? The concern was about the appeals process. There is no guarantee or clarity around that, if people want to make an appeal. Could there be more clarity?”
“If a farmer believes or learns subsequently that a proportion of their land is mineral or non-peaty soil, can they split their land into portions? This is a bone of contention that has come up a lot. The Department's website indicates that this will be possible "in certain circumstances", but what are those circumstances? Should a farmer disagree with a decision that all or part of their land is classed as peaty, what will the process be for lodging an appeal? They must have clarity. These farmers I have spoken to are not trying to upset the apple cart. They just want clarity. There is nothing more certain to undermine a relationship than uncertainty. Will the Minister grant our farmers the respect they deserve and pause the implementation and enforcement of GAEC 2 for one more year?”
“Assuming this is correct, have soil samples on all land parcels throughout the State been taken? The second issue that farmers are concerned about is what portions of a farmer's land are classed as being peaty or carbon-rich. As of 6.15 p.m. yesterday, the Department website advises, "The Department is in the process of writing to farmers subject to the standard." In the process? The deadline for submission of BISS forms is tomorrow. When will the Department complete its process of writing to farmers? If farmers find themselves in the process of deciding whether GAEC 2 applies to their land when the deadline expires, and when they decide it does not, will they get paid? This leads me on to portions of land.”
“Are they peaty, are they carbon-rich or are they organic? I have heard all three of those terms used interchangeably and, as we all know, the use of multiple phraseologies often leads to confusion and misunderstanding. The current definition on the Department's website is: A peat soil is defined as organic soil materials which have sedentarily accumulated and have at least 30% ... organic matter over a depth of ... 45 cm on undrained land and 30 cm deep on drained land. The Minister knows all this; there is no need for me to go into it. However, a couple of questions occur to me. "Dry mass" is the mass of a biological sample once the water has been removed. An ordinary farmer is surely unable to ascertain this himself or herself, and this must be a job for a laboratory that can test a soil sample.”
“For instance, ploughing of grasslands to a depth greater than 30 cm is prohibited, but I am told there is no problem with that. Grasslands can be reseeded only once every four years. Again, I understand that is considered standard practice. GAEC 2 allows for the maintenance of existing drains but tightens up on the prohibition of digging new drains without planning permission on peat-rich soil. That is all very well as well, but the farmers I spoke to from the IFA are struggling with two basic issues. The first of these issues is the definition of what constitutes peaty, carbon-rich and organic soils. This is what I would like the Minister to provide if he can: clarification in plain English as to what constitutes peaty soil. Are we able to agree on a single terminology for these soils?”
“Most Senators from rural constituencies such as Sligo-Leitrim, which includes parts of south Donegal, will know at this stage that GAEC stands for good agricultural and environmental conditions. GAEC regulations set out minimum environmental standards which must be adhered to. There are nine GAEC standards in total. GAEC 2 is the last to be imposed and relates to the protection of peatlands and wetlands. As only approximately 20% of our landmass is thought to be carbon-rich or mineral soil, GAEC 2 will not affect large swathes of the country, such as eastern counties, where the land is rich and well drained. There is a fear, though, that it will have a disproportionately significant impact on my part of the country. A lot of the things that farmers are being asked to do are things they are totally comfortable with - no problem at all.”
“I thank the Minister for taking this Commencement matter this week as it is a matter of urgency. As the Minister knows, farmers are required to sign and submit their basic income support scheme forms by tomorrow, Thursday, 15 May, to be entitled to receive their annual payments from the Department of agriculture. Part of this submission is a declaration that the farmer is compliant with GAEC practices on the farm. Just over a week ago, I met with representatives from the IFA in Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon. These farmers, all thinkers who take their environmental and legal responsibilities seriously, wanted to draw my attention to the BISS submission date in a last-ditch hope that the Minister might listen to my plea on their behalf.”
“Due to ETB centre closures, there are a few tutors who work for the full year. They mostly work a maximum of 37 weeks, which means they have to sign on. Adult education is a necessity. The FET sector is often overlooked. I am wondering whether it could be included as part of the National Training Fund. I know the money has been unlocked, but can this area of tutor pay be included?”
“Three thousand tutors across the country are not being recognised with fair and equal employment rights by comparison with teachers working in secondary schools. The tutors are teachers. They are employed, registered with the Teaching Council and have the requisite qualifications. They are recognised as teachers but are not being paid as teachers. Many adult education tutors are not paid when they are not teaching, leaving them dependent upon social welfare payments during the college holidays. That is not fair and does not make sense. The new pay scale for tutors that the Government announced last year has turned out not to be the solution. In fact, it has deepened the unfairness. The new pay scale fails to take prior experience into account and assumes 52 weeks of work per year.”
“This holistic-based learning, which is very much target-based learning for young people, addresses their needs with life skills and serves as a pathway to move people further to traineeships and apprenticeships. Senator Tully and my colleague, Deputy Marie Sherlock, have raised the issue of apprenticeship pay. I encourage Members to support the inclusion of apprenticeships in the minimum wage Bill. We know there is a shortage of apprentices. I know from working in Sligo training centre that there is a wrap-around approach to students. Their learning is tailored and they are with adult education tutors who make sure they are supported in every aspect of their learning needs. This brings me to the point that we need to recognise adult education tutors. I am aware that there have been demonstrations outside Leinster House in this regard.”
“These are an introduction for people who might not have felt supported in school and that school was not for them. It is a pathway that might lead them to continue on their education journey. Ballyshannon, Collooney, Mohill, Drumshanbo and Manorhamilton are all small towns that have outreach for further education centres. They are going to equip many entrepreneurs who will stay in area and provide sustainable wealth that our future should be built on within rural Ireland. Coming from a youth work background, I can see the pathway Youthreach and community training centres create. They provide a lifeline for many young people who might otherwise not get a meaningful qualification.”
“My colleague in the Labour Party, Niamh Bhreathnach, abolished fees in 1995. That had a big, long-term effect of getting more people access to third level education. I take this opportunity to talk about the further education and training sector. It is a vast and diverse sector with many strings to its bow, and it can often be overlooked when discussing higher education. Many small towns have further education colleges which provide access to education for huge numbers of people who might otherwise not have an opportunity to gain further qualifications. It would be impossible for me to list all the courses. In my constituency, there are courses offered from level 5 to level 6, for example, pre-nursing, physiotherapy, health skills, education and complementary therapies.”
“I commend the motion. I am delighted we are having this discussion. Where I live in Sligo, the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, is fantastic. It has become a technical university. It is a huge investment into the area and we are all very proud of it. On transport infrastructure, I raise the issue of connectivity between all the ATU campuses - Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. If the western rail corridor was opened up, it would make a massive difference. In all the campuses, particularly in Sligo, there is a huge problem with student accommodation. I have also raised in the House the need to have an early commuter train from Longford to Sligo. That would alleviate the problem to some extent. I am delighted to hear there is a move towards reducing third level fees.”
“I ask that the Department and the Minister would halt the implementation of GAEC 2 for one more year just to allow the Department to have all its information up to date and to avoid another shambles like ACRES, which I will not get into now.”
“The second issue relates to what parts of their land are classed as being peaty or carbon rich. The Irish Farmers' Journal on 2 May advised that the Department is in the process of writing to farmers subject to the standard. This is in the process but farmers are required to have their basic income support for sustainability, BISS, form submitted by 15 May and today is Wednesday, 7 May. Of course we have all enjoyed a bank holiday, which farmers do not get. The Department, however, is still in the process. If farmers find themselves in the process when the deadline expires, will they get paid? Of course they will not. How can farmers declare themselves compliant with the standard if they do not know which part of their farms the standard applies to? It does not make sense. It is nonsensical.”
“There are nine GAEC standards in total and GAEC 2 relates the protection of peatlands and wetlands. In a nutshell GAEC 2 will mean that restrictions will apply to land that is deemed to have peaty or mineral soils. Grasslands can be reseeded only once every four years and ploughing of grasslands to a depth greater than 30 cm is prohibited. GAEC 2 also tightens up the prohibition of digging new drains without planning permission on peat-rich soils. This all very well but farmers are struggling with two basic issues. First is the definition of what constitutes peaty or mineral soils. I understand from the Irish Farmers' Journal , which published a story on the same day I met the farmers just last Friday, that a comprehensible definition of what peaty soil is is becoming clearer.”
“Last Friday I met with representatives from the Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon IFA. These farmers wanted to draw attention to a number of serious matters that are potentially impacting on their ability to continue farming. The most pressing issue of all, and the reason I need to raise this today, is that farmers are required to sign and submit their basic income support scheme payment forms by the 15 May in order to be entitled to receive their annual payments from the Department of agriculture. Part of this submission is a declaration that farmers are compliant with GAEC 2 practices on their farms. For those who do not know, GAEC stands for good agricultural and environmental condition and sets out minimum environmental standards that must be adhered to on the farm.”
“I have learned about breast density and I know what to ask for when I go to my radiographer but many people put their trust in their health professionals or might not have the confidence to raise this matter with a health professional. I do not think it is a big request. If the Minister for Health is not able to introduce a Bill herself, I would love it if she supported a Bill introduced by our Cross-Party Group or, in the Dáil, by my colleague Deputy Sherlock, who is our Labour Party spokesperson for health, and if the Government could get behind such a Bill.”
“The Minister of State's final comment on expanding the age range for mammograms and the introduction of a breast density check was good news, but this is a matter of urgency. As I outlined in those stories, six months for a diagnosis can make a significant difference. I know that there is a review. I invite the Minister of State and the Minister for Health to a briefing we are having in the AV room on 27 May at 1 p.m. We will be joined by Professor William Gallagher from UCD, and Martha and Siobhán will be there to present their own stories. They will present an informative, patient-centred look at breast density.”
“Clear guidance should also be provided on what their breast density means and on any additional screening options, such as an MRI or ultrasound. GPs should receive this information so that they can properly advise their patients.”
“It is estimated that between 43% and 50% of women have dense breast tissue. Siobhán, Martha and I hope that, as women, the Minister of State and the Minister will appreciate the urgency and necessity of this. It is already done in every state in America and in Australia, Canada and several of our European neighbours. This is information that is easily derived by the radiologist at the time of a mammogram and we ask that this be passed on to the women at the time of their screening. Clearly, women need to know whether they have dense breast tissue. They also need to know the potential consequences of that information. I implore the Minister, within the lifetime of the Seanad, to introduce a Bill to ensure that all women are clearly informed whether they have non-dense or dense breast tissue, after a mammogram.”
“She beat the cancer and became a fierce advocate, highlighting the issue of breast density. Marian was not so lucky. In September 2024, the cancer took her life. Her daughter, Martha, found a purpose within her grief and just like her mother, Siobhán, she harnessed her fierce determination to ensure that Irish women were aware of the issue. This is how I, a woman who will shortly be attending my first mammogram when I turn 50 in September, first heard about breast density. If I had not been aware of it, I would have accepted a clear result as just that - clear. I know from the reaction of several of my senatorial colleagues and friends that when I raised this issue a month ago, it was the first time that many of us had heard of this also. Breast density is not unusual. In fact, it is virtually the norm.”
“This dense breast tissue, which is fibrous and muscular, makes it difficult for a standard mammogram to see potential growths or tumours. Breast density levels are impossible to assess visually or by touch. They can, however, be measured during a standard mammogram. The radiographer carrying out the mammogram should be able to note the presence of dense breast tissue and advise women undergoing a breast check that further investigation through an ultrasound or MRI scan will be required to confirm any seemingly clear results. I am not being alarmist, but women need to be aware that a clear mammogram result does not mean they are clear of cancer. It means that no cancer is visible. Absence of evidence is not the same as evidence of absence. Siobhán's treatment was successful.”
“She went for a routine mammogram in the summer of 2015. By Christmas, she had been diagnosed with a stage 3 invasive lobular carcinoma. It is a type of breast cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the breast's milk-producing glands. Now imagine that the same thing happens to the person you love and depend on more than anyone else in the world, namely, your mother. That is what happened to Martha Lovett Cullen, whose mother, Marian, received even worse news. Twelve months after her clear mammogram in 2020, she received a diagnosis of terminal stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. How could this happen to two different women in different parts of the country seven years apart? They both had significant quantities of dense, non-fatty tissue within their breasts.”