Nicole Ryan
Administrative Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“This is not just happening in my area; it is also happening in other places where estates are not being taken in charge and, therefore, residents do not know who to call if something happens. They are left alone. Tanyard Wood is unique because nobody has taken charge of the estate for ten years.”
“By 2007, the developer had gone bust and therefore, Cork County Council submitted an appeal to take charge of the estate. It has been almost ten years and it still has not taken charge of the estate. It sits in no man's land. The estate has not been maintained. No proper maintenance at all is happening.”
“It means that cancer patients in the mid-west have virtually no opportunity to access clinical trials. Accident and emergency access, dentistry and now access to clinical trials for cancer patients - how did we get to this point?”
“I will speak briefly on amendments Nos. 39 and 41. Amendment No. 39 is quite straightforward. It ensures that applicants are clearly informed of two fundamental rights within their international protection process.”
“At the core, the amendment is about ensuring individuals entrusted with supporting some of the most vulnerable children in our system are properly trained, suitable for the role and held to appropriate standards.”
“We need clear timelines. Interim measures are required to ensure residents are not left feeling unsafe or conditions are allowed to deteriorate while progress drags on. People bought homes in the area in good faith.”
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“It is great to see the Minister in the Seanad Chamber again. I thank Senator Ruane for bringing this Bill to the floor of the House today. The Bill seeks to address the imbalance in our parole system whereby information can be withheld from parole applicants and their legal teams under the guise of exceptional circumstances. This is a barrier in our justice system and the proposal for the appointment of special advocates in such cases is a reasonable step forward. The reality is that the parole system can only work fairly when there is transparency and accountability. The Irish Prison Service is under immense pressure. Overcrowding, underinvestment and a lack of meaningful rehabilitation services mean that many prisons cannot properly support reintegration.”
“We understand the need for mutual recognition of the framework across borders but we must also be the voice for those who sometimes cannot afford to hire a barrister, who can barely keep the lights on and who fear every brown envelope that comes through the letter-box. The opting in to the regulation may be a formality but the broader issue of debt insolvency and financial justice in this country is far from resolved.”
“They have done everything right in that they have paid, negotiated and restructured but they still find themselves being punished. Therefore, when we talk about harmonising insolvency proceedings across Europe, we have to talk about harmonising justice and fairness here at home, too. We saw the most recent changes in legal aid for personal insolvency cases under Abhaile, changes that strip back many people from the right to have a barrister represent them in court, even when facing complex proceedings against heavily resourced banks and funds. Despite this, there is the fact that 65% of such cases, when properly resourced, result in rulings in favour of the borrower. While the regulation is technical, as the Minister will know, justice is never just technical. Sinn Féin recognises the construct of international co-operation.”
“As noted, this is a technical update. As it does not affect the types of insolvency proceedings or practitioners recognised in Ireland, Sinn Féin will support it. When we talk about insolvency, we talk about debt. We are talking about people's homes, lives and futures, as the Minister knows, so while this measure may be administrative in nature, we cannot ignore the debate in the broader context of how insolvency plays out in our State. Right now across the country, there are families who are struggling, as the Minister knows well. They are trapped in cycles of unsustainable mortgage debt. Many are victims of vulture funds, and one in four people who has fought back from mortgage arrears is being dragged back again, not through recklessness but by interest rates of over 6% and, in some cases, 8.5%. They are mortgage prisoners.”
“That is a massive and indefensible gap in our fertility and reproductive care, so I urge that we have a debate with the Minister for Health on this to see how we could help families who are navigating both loss and fertility. They deserve support, clarity and proper legislation on this, not just bureaucracy, red tape and delays.”
“Despite having full legal consent and paying monthly to store Dylan's samples, she is being told there is no protocol for a widow in her situation. She has been advised to wait until December and then reapply in the hope that the national guidelines might be in place by then. However, Melanie does not have the luxury of time at the moment. Her fertility tests have shown that she has a lower egg reserve than expected for her age, and her window is narrowing. While she waits, she is being told that she could have an easier access route to fertility from a random donor than from her late husband, the very person she planned that future with. It is just disgraceful to have that, it really is.”
“Melanie is a constituent of mine. She has bravely shared her heartbreaking story following the loss of her husband, Dylan, to cancer earlier this year, and he was only 32 years old. Before Dylan began chemotherapy, they followed the best medical advice and arranged to freeze his sperm. With full consent, Dylan signed the necessary forms, clearly stating that Melanie could use the samples in the event of his death. Yet when Melanie attended her consultation this year, those critical forms were missing from the digital system. Only a hard copy existed at the time, so they had not actually been scanned into the system at all. The clinic, rightly concerned, had its solicitor draft fresh documents for Dylan to sign to reconfirm his wishes, which he did just weeks before he died. Melanie finds herself in a cruel limbo at the moment.”
“The news is welcome that Kanturk will eventually get a primary care centre. The issue, however, is that the people of Kanturk still have no out-of-hours service or primary care centre. A building in the middle of Kanturk that could be used as an interim centre for out-of-hours care has been identified. Equally, I have been contacted by a developer who is interested in this kind of project. I would really welcome the opportunity to work with the Department to see how we can progress this and to engage with the community to let them know what is happening. They do need some kind of out-of-hours service. While this building in the middle of Kanturk is not the end goal of course, it could be used between now and when the primary care centre is built.”
“We have to be honest: if this were an urban area, the service would be already up and running, but because it is Kanturk and it is rural, it is put on the back burner once again. The people of Kanturk deserve this centre. They have waited so long for a healthcare facility like this. The healthcare they need must be local, accessible and reliable. I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I await her response.”
“The question is how rural Ireland and rural communities are consistently expected to do more with less - to travel further, to wait longer and to accept decisions without any consultation or transparency. We often talk in this House about health inequalities. Here is a real-life example happening in front of us, right this second. Urban centres are expanding their services while towns like Kanturk and other rural areas are losing the few healthcare services they have left. I ask the Minister of State to clarify the following. Why did the developer pull out of this project? What engagement has the HSE or the Department had with the developer or even alternative partners for this project? What immediate steps are being taken to ensure that the people of Kanturk are not abandoned and that the healthcare facility will actually be provided?”
“The message to the people of Kanturk at the time was that they had to wait, everything would happen, and the process and the new centre would be there to meet their needs. The people of Kanturk waited patiently, but just over a week ago we learned that the developer had pulled out of the project. The people of Kanturk have been let down once again. There are no timelines, there is no clarity and there is no replacement plan in place, so people are anxious, as the Minister of State can imagine. It is just more and more disappointment for a community that has already paid a huge price for its healthcare. The building is not just about a building; the fundamental lack of healthcare infrastructure in rural Ireland is the bigger problem.”
“It is lovely to see the Minister of State here. I wish to raise a very serious issue for the people of Kanturk and the wider north Cork area, that is, the ongoing delay and uncertainty surrounding the delivery of the Kanturk primary healthcare centre. This project has been promised for the community for a long time - years, in fact. The closure of SouthDoc in Kanturk in 2023 was justified explicitly on the basis that the community would get a healthcare facility. The closure forced patients - older people, vulnerable people, people with sick families and ill children - to travel to Mallow. Some do not have access to cars, and the public transport system in rural Ireland is not great. At the time, the then Minister, Stephen Donnelly, gave assurances that the new primary care centre would be a solution.”
“It would be great to have a timeline on the Garda youth diversion programme that is being introduced for those up to 24 years of age. That would be great to see. There are also other fantastic projects and wider supports that have been acknowledged. For instance, Senator Andrews has introduced the concept of the activity card, which would be a fantastic thing to have. It is based on the Planet Youth model for young people. Diverting young people from crime is more than just keeping them out of the courts. It is about giving them a chance to thrive, and I think everybody in the House echoes that. It is about addressing poverty, addiction, inclusion and making sure no young person is left behind without any type of hope. I hope that is what we can all build together.”
“Sometimes the youth worker is the only consistent adult in young people's lives. The youth worker is the trusted adult they need but, equally, youth workers also need funding because we see many youth workers being undervalued and underpaid and they do such amazing work. Substantial investment in youth work would be fantastic. We are calling, as every other Senator here has mentioned, for investment in fantastic existing projects such as the TRY project, Foróige and CDYS. These all do fantastic work. Also, I would ask the Minister of State to consider the roll-out of local community safety partnerships because it takes a village to raise a child, and we all know that. It takes everybody's commitment to youth safety and youth crime prevention.”
“As an addiction counsellor myself, I have worked with many young people who are in the depths of addiction who come from fantastic families but who are now tied up in different parts of the criminal system because they owe debts to people. It is something that, in rural Ireland, is still seen as more of an urban issue than a rural issue but, in fact, it is everybody's problem. It is an issue in every crevice and village in Ireland, both rural and urban. These symptoms disguise a deeper cause of social inclusion inequality, and if we want to talk about crime, we have to talk about the addiction treatment and the mental health supports that young people need and the poverty reduction around that. Youth workers play a vital role in this as well. Everyone shared their sentiment about youth work.”
“For many young people, the cost of college, the lack of accommodation and the high prices of travel mean they are staying in their communities and they are being locked out of opportunities. We see many young people staying in the community just because they cannot afford to move out of their community into the bigger cities. They are staying in communities because, as I said, there are fewer options and very little support and it is a space where sometimes poverty, addiction and isolation can take root. Addiction is a key part of this picture, especially in rural Ireland in recent years. Whether it is alcohol, drugs or behavioural addictions such as gambling, they are not individual moral failings.”
“I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, and thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on this critical issue. Our goal must be clear: to keep as many young people as possible out of the criminal justice system by addressing the root causes of crime, which are poverty, exclusion, addiction and lack of opportunities for younger people. Prevention and rehabilitation must be the focus if we are serious about building a safer and fairer community. While cities see some level of youth investment, rural Ireland is constantly being left behind. Services are often concentrated in urban centres while rural communities are left scrambling for scraps. In my constituency of Cork North-West, we have one community superintendent who is in charge of 19 different towns and villages all at the one time.”
“Sinn Féin does support the Bill, but we are clear: we really need real change, and that only happens when the Government matches legislative change with proper investment in Garda recruitment and community development and workers’ rights. As everybody has mentioned so far, retail workers, and all workers, deserve not just new laws but a society in which they feel they are safe, they have dignity and have livelihoods that are genuinely protected.”
“We are still living with the legacy of austerity-driven cuts, the hollowing out of community infrastructure, the stripping back of youth services and the long-standing neglect of crime prevention measures. All these failures have contributed, unfortunately, to an unsafe environment faced by retail workers today. If the Government is serious about protecting retail workers, it would not be rowing back on commitments on implementing the living wage, which has now been shelved until 2029, nor would it have shelved the auto-enrolment scheme, which has now been pushed from September to January of next year. Respecting workers means respecting them inside their workplace as well as outside their workplace.”
“Replies to parliamentary questions have confirmed that more than 1,600 gardaí are eligible for retirement over the next five years, and it is not something we have heard for the first time today. Yet, the Government has failed to expand Garda recruitment and retention, and the intake capacity at Templemore remains completely insufficient for the challenge we face. Today's Bill is a small and very welcome step, but it does risk tinkering around the edges unless something is backed by real action on the ground. Retail workers deserve more than symbolic legislation. They deserve to feel safe when they go to work. That requires investment in Garda visibility. It involves investment in community policing and youth diversion services as well.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I thank Fianna Fáil for bringing this Bill forward. Sinn Féin supports the principle behind this Bill. It is right that we send a clear message that abuse, threats and assault against workers will not be tolerated. However, we have to be honest with people that this Bill on its own will not address the real problem. The crux of the issue is simply not the absence of the specific offences but the absence of gardaí, which a few other Senators have also mentioned. Retail workers, business owners and ordinary members of the public are crying out for a visible Garda presence on our streets, in our towns and in our communities. Instead, however, we have a situation where Garda numbers are falling as our population continues to grow.”
“The disparity raises questions about equitable access to healthcare services across the nation. I request that the Leader allocate time for a debate with the Minister for Health. We need to understand the reasons behind the developer's withdrawal, the anticipated timeline for the retendering and the measures being taken to prevent such occurrences happening in other areas in the future. It is imperative that we ensure that rural communities across Ireland have the same kind of commitment and resources as urban areas.”
“I express deep concern at the recent announcement that the long-awaited primary care centre in Kanturk in Cork has suffered a significant setback. The developer has withdrawn from the project, necessitating a retendering process by the HSE. This facility was envisioned to provide essential services, including GP consultations, mental health supports and ancillary healthcare services, to the community. Its delay is a profound disappointment to the Kanturk community, who have been waiting for improved healthcare infrastructure since planning permission was granted in 2018. This situation underscores the broader issue of the persistent neglect of rural healthcare development. While urban centres see rapid progress in healthcare projects, rural communities such as Kanturk face repeated delays and setbacks.”
“We cannot keep responding to youth mental health with constant reports and reviews when families are living real-life crises day in, day out. I call on the Leader to arrange a debate with the Minister with responsibility for mental health to address the specific gaps in CAMHS and ensure services are available to all young people, not just those in the cities, so that they have access to that vital support no matter their postcodes.”
“I raise the increasingly urgent issue of access to youth mental health supports in rural villages, particularly in my constituency of Cork North-West. In towns across the constituency like Kanturk, Millstreet and Charleville, parents have been contacting me in despair about the lack of timely access to CAMHS. We are seeing long waiting lists - some for months, if not years - for younger people at a stage when early intervention could be the difference between a crisis and getting the support they need. In rural communities, this is often compounded by a lack of localised supports. Parents are being asked to travel long distances with no certainty of appointments, while community-based services are overstretched or sometimes non-existent in these areas.”
“It was a teacher in Macroom Youthreach. I thank the Minister for clarifying that. The biggest issue with Youthreach centres across Cork and maybe more generally is that there is not a clear guideline so the information is fed down clearly and they can understand what course they can be paid for. As the Minister said, some Youthreach centres are starting to put on level 5 courses and I do not think that issue is widely known across Youthreach. Some more clarification on that would be fantastic and I would be delighted to work with the Minister to relay that information to the Youthreach centres across my area.”
“The young people in Youthreach deserve the very best and their teachers who support them deserve to be recognised, supported and paid for the full extent of the work they do.”
“In many centres staff go above and beyond, often covering a wide range of responsibilities in small teams and with very limited resources. Their continued denial of payment for LDA corrections is not only a moral failing but a serious blow to the sustainability and morale of Youthreach services. Will the Minister and his Department acknowledge the disparity formally and clarify and confirm that Youthreach teachers are entitled to the LDA payments in line with Circular 27/2011? Will he instruct SOLAS and ETBs to immediately apply this payment structure to Youthreach staff? We cannot continue to rely on the goodwill and professionalism of Youthreach teachers while denying them parity with their peers.”
“To put it plainly, a second chance education should not mean second-class resources, and certainly not second-class treatment for the educators delivering it. I am sure the Minister is very familiar with Youthreach. The teachers are not just instructors, but are also mentors, social supports, emotional anchors and advocates for young people who have faced a lot of adversity. These young people have faced trauma, poverty, exclusion and disconnection from mainstream education. These teachers' work goes beyond solely the classroom, but at the very least their classroom work should be properly compensated. It is unacceptable that these teachers, who are delivering accredited QQI components, just like their colleagues, are asked to mark assessments in their own time and without pay.”
“Despite the circular and the fact VTOS and all other further education and training staff are reimbursed for this work, Youthreach staff continue to be excluded. There is no policy or directive that explicitly states Youthreach staff should not be paid. The Teachers' Union of Ireland has been unequivocal that there is no impediment to Youthreach staff being paid for the work in line with their FET colleagues, but nothing has yet come to fruition. This is more than an administrative oversight; it is a fundamental issue of equality and respect. We speak often enough in these Houses about the importance of a second education and giving young people a fair shot no matter their background. We cannot say that with integrity when the very staff who are at the front line of this second education are treated as second class themselves.”
“I thank the Minister for coming in today. I wish to highlight a long-standing and unjust issue affecting Youthreach staff, specifically the ongoing failure to pay these dedicated educators for the correction and grading of locally devised assessments. This issue of these staff members not being paid to the same standard as those in other FET centres was brought to my attention by a very passionate teacher at a recent visit to Youthreach. This has been raised multiple times over multiple years. Circular 27/2011 sets outs clear rates for LDA correction across QQI levels 4, 5 and 6. These are the very same modules being delivered in Youthreach centres every day by teachers who invest considerable amounts of time, energy and care in supporting some of our most vulnerable and at-risk young people.”
“The problem is not Ukrainians. This is not us turning our backs on people who are fleeing war, who seek asylum, who want to work and who want to contribute. This is about ensuring that compassion does not become exploitation. It is fairness for those seeking safety and for those struggling to build a future in their own country. The problem is a Government that refuses to build enough public housing, has let vulture funds and corporate landlords dominate the market and would rather have us fighting among ourselves than uniting for real solutions. This scheme does need reform. It needs oversight and fairness but, most importantly, we need a Government that stops playing divide and rule games and actually fixes the issue for everyone.”
“There is a big difference between a family's generosity in hosting people in their home and a private landlord taking advantage of a tax-free scheme that outcompetes local renters. That is why Sinn Féin has proposed amendments. They introduce fairness to that scheme which, while well intended, has been exploited. They ensure the payment goes only where they are genuinely needed and not as an extra stream of unregulated, tax-free income. They limit the scheme to primary residents only, not just landlords with empty properties. The amendments introduce a means test, and that is something that exists in every other housing assistance scheme. They prevent further distortion of the rental market which has been pushed beyond breaking point. More importantly, they demand accountability and a real plan Let us not lose sight of the bigger picture.”
“Ordinary people are struggling to pay rent, mortgages, childcare costs, energy bills, you name it. Yet, instead of fixing the problem, the Government finds new ways to take from those who can least afford it. The ARP is money that does not go to Ukrainians and while many have genuinely opened their homes in the spirit of generosity, there are also those who have profited massively, collecting thousands of euro in tax-free money while others struggle to put a roof over their heads. The people fleeing war did not design the system but some have certainly taken advantage of it. The Government says it is protecting people from homelessness, and we agree there should be no cliff edge, but let us be real.”
“There is no means test. A Ukrainian person working with a full-time job, which could be a very well-paid job, still qualify, while people struggle on lower incomes and are shut out of the housing market altogether. That is not solidarity; that is just bad policy. What is the plan? The Government wants to extend the scheme to March 2026 and will reduce the ARP to €600, but nothing is confirmed. How long will that go on for? What is the exit strategy for people? We all remember the pandemic unemployment payment. That was a lifeline during the Covid pandemic but when one hand gave, the other took. Once lockdowns were lifted, people were hit with massive tax bills. The same will happen again. The working class will once again be the ones paying the price. We have seen it time and again.”
“They get stuck on waiting lists with absolutely no timeline and many just give up. While the Government pats itself on the back, people are left in limbo, scrimping, saving and still getting nowhere. It is unfair to the people who are seeking asylum from other countries and who are thrown in the direct provision system left to rot for years, unsure if they will ever be allowed to stay, while other groups are given a different path. It is unfair that money can be found to fund schemes for some, yet the Government still cannot pass the occupied territories Bill, turning a blind eye to human rights violations elsewhere. Let us be clear: not all Ukrainians benefit from the €800 per month APR. Some are in direct provision centres, just like asylum seekers from other countries, left to rot in a system that dehumanises them.”
“Instead of asking why families cannot afford a home, why young people are forced to emigrate or why the State has failed to build public housing, the Government wants the conversation to be about Ukrainians. They want people to point fingers at refugees instead of looking at the people who are in power who have failed us. Here is the reality: it is unfair. It is unfair to the average person who is working full time, trying to save for a deposit, maybe living back home with their parents, and they get nothing. There are Government schemes to help people put themselves on the property ladder, but let us call them what they are. It is like putting lipstick on a pig. They sound great in the headlines but they are anything but straightforward. People have to fight tooth and nail and go through mountains of red tape.”
“Tá mé anseo inniu mar dhuine Éireannach agus Úcránach. I stand here today as both Irish and Ukrainian. I want to remind people why this scheme was introduced in the first place. When the war broke out in Ukraine, families were torn apart and people fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They arrived in Ireland in desperate need of safety. Thankfully, the ordinary Irish people stepped up. They opened their homes their hearts, and showed the true meaning of solidarity, which That is something to be proud of. However, what have the Government parties done? They have done what they do best, namely, divide and deflect. Instead of people holding them accountable for a broken housing system, for skyrocketing rents, the cost of living and squeezing the life out of ordinary working people, they have turned neighbour against neighbour.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after “6th March, 2025”: “: provided that this Order shall take effect only after the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 has been amended to provide for the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) Scheme termination date to be extended only for the following: - existing recipients with respect to the beneficiaries of temporary protection currently benefitting from the scheme where those beneficiaries of temporary protection have satisfied a means test similar to those applicable for other housing assistance payments; - new applicants who propose to host a beneficiary of temporary protection in their property which is also their own primary residence and who have not availed of the Rent-a-Room Scheme in the previous 12 months; ensuring that the ARP does not further distort the rental sector; and - recipients who are not in receipt of any additional or ‘top-up’ payments from a beneficiary of temporary protection".”
“There needs to be an end to this endless waiting and gatekeeping that Andrea and Joanna have had to endure. Joanna does not want to just survive in school; she wants to thrive. She deserves to. Andrea deserves to be her mother, not just her case worker, therapist, advocate and fighter. I say to Andrea and every parent fighting this uphill battle: "I see you. We see you." It is now time that the system finally sees them too.”
“She told me that Joanna has made her a better mother, a better friend and person and an even more empathetic nurse. That is the kind of parent Andrea is and the kind of mother our society should be lifting up and not breaking down. As she spoke to me exhausted and in tears, she said something that would stay with you for a long time. She said that she could buy speech therapy and private assessments, but she cannot buy her child a school place. In Ireland today, access to basic education, which is a fundamental right, is not something that money, love or sacrifice can guarantee. This Government must be held accountable for the lack of forward planning. We cannot keep pretending this is acceptable. We need a streamlined humane system, one that supports families in the diagnosis and education systems and beyond.”
“Instead, Joanna was offered a place in a community hall with no fencing, no proper infrastructure and no proper safety measures in place. How can we stand over this? How can we call ourselves a compassionate, developed country, when parents such as Andrea are left at the mercy of an unfeeling, unco-ordinated system? Andrea and her husband have reshaped their entire lives to care for Joanna. She now works nights and her husband works days to ensure that someone is there to take care of her. Still, after all these sacrifices, Andrea does not know whether Joanna will get a place in school. The passion and love Andrea has for her daughter is palpable. It radiates when she speaks. She does not just love her child - she adores her.”
“A child with a recognised diagnosis and evidence-based needs was denied access, not because of the assessment but due to the bureaucracy, box-ticking and gatekeeping. Andrea has been forced to fight tooth and nail for her child. She has had to advocate constantly and relentlessly, even to the point where she had to speak down about her own daughter. Let me be clear; no parent should have to diminish their child's dignity to access care. Mainstream schools with overcrowded classrooms and under-resourced teachers are not equipped to support children like Joanna. Teachers are doing their best but they are not miracle workers. They are not trained to manage complex needs without proper structures in place. Andrea was told that a new special school was on the way - hope at last - but that it would not be ready in time.”
“Andrea's journey through the public system has been harrowing. At no point did she feel supported. Not once did a care pathway emerge. It was not professionals, institutions or hospitals, but friends and colleagues with lived experience who stepped in to offer the scraps of advice the State failed to provide. Andrea was told to place Joanna in mainstream school to see how she would get on. Joanna is not an experiment, however, she is a child with specific needs, one whose teacher quickly recognised that mainstream was not appropriate for her. Despite that, Andrea still could not access primary speech therapy for her child. She was blocked at every turn. At a couple of appointments and consultations, she was told by clinicians who had never seen her daughter that she was not disabled enough to qualify for services.”
“I am speaking today not only as a representative but as a witness to the asylum struggle that so many parents endure across this country. These struggles are invisible to the system but are devastatingly real for the people who must live them every day. I will speak about Andrea and her daughter, Joanna, a family in my constituency whose story, sadly, is not unique but remains deeply urgent and troubling. Andrea is a midwife and nurse who served this country tirelessly, even during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was during that time that she gave birth to Joanna. From an early age, Joanna's developmental differences were recognised and flagged only through a research study focused on children born during Covid. As autism was identified early, one would imagine that the door to care and guidance would open, but that door never opened for her.”
“They have been slipping through the cracks because there is no support for families in the healthcare system for the prevention of conditions requiring surgery. We support the Bill. The amendment I propose offers a real solution. It introduces accountability, reinforces waiting time targets, and ensures that children suffering from scoliosis are no longer left behind. It is not just about politics; it is about basic human decency for many of these people. Every child in Ireland deserves timely care. The amendment puts a timeframe on the process and ensures timely, effective and compassionate medical care. Every family deserves a healthcare system they can rely on.”
“In order to avoid this she attends multiple physiotherapy sessions every month, not to cure her condition but to slow its progression and manage her pain. The child has a medical card, yet her family must pay in excess of €300 every month for private physiotherapy because public services are unavailable. That is a significant financial burden, especially at present, for a lot of people. Her mother is struggling to keep up with the costs. The child has been on a waiting list for months for a medical consultation to see how she is getting on. It has been mentioned previously how this case highlights the broader issue of people who are often overlooked. I refer to those who are not yet in need of surgery but who desperately require medical intervention.”
“We found out today that behind these statistics and policy failures are real children and real people's families. I thank Senator Clonan for sharing his deeply personal experience. It is a real experience that highlights exactly what is happening to families across the country. I want to highlight a case that has also been raised by Senator McDowell and others. It relates to a different but equally devastating failure of the system. A child in my constituency was diagnosed with mild scoliosis but her doctors warned that during puberty her condition would worsen and become moderate, which it did within a matter of weeks. Surgery is an option for her but, because she is still growing she would require multiple consecutive surgeries.”
“As everyone has spoken about the waiting lists, I will not repeat what has been said. These are not just numbers on a page; they are real children who are suffering while our healthcare system sometimes fails them. The amendment I propose will give the Minister the power to set legally binding waiting targets to ensure no child is left waiting indefinitely. The targets are ten weeks for the first outpatient appointment and 12 weeks for an inpatient appointment. They are not just arbitrary figures; they were originally set out in the Sláintecare report, which outlined how Ireland could provide a world-class healthcare system. By making these wait times legally binding, we will ensure the HSE and CHI are held accountable. The Bill is about making sure that scoliosis patients are no longer left behind.”
“It is great to see the Minister in the Chamber again. I welcome her back. This Bill is not just legislation, but a statement of our values as a nation. I thank Senator McDowell and the Independent Group for bringing it forward. It is a recognition that no child in Ireland should be left behind to suffer in pain while he or she waits for medical treatment, and it is an assertion that our healthcare system must be held accountable for the promises that we make to patients and families. Children with scoliosis have been ignored, left on ever-growing waiting lists and forced to endure unimaginable pain. This is not just a failure of our health system; it is a failure of governance, policy and our collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable citizens.”