Nikki Bradley
Nominated by the Taoiseach · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I rise in solidarity with Cara Darmody, the 14-year-old-girl who is currently outside and has been since yesterday. She has been mentioned in the Chamber already, but I am going to run through a couple of things again. She plans to protest for 15 hours.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her time. We appreciate it. I also welcome our guests and hope they are having a good day. Hopefully, it continues the way it started. I thank my colleagues for bringing forward this important Bill.”
“This was clear evidence that people cared deeply about this issue. As a Senator from County Donegal, I feel strongly about this issue. Too often, our constituents feel left behind, not just economically but politically. There is a real sense of disconnect from national policymaking and from the protections others take for granted.”
“In this House, we recognise disadvantage is not just about income. It is about perception, access to opportunity and an overall lack of inclusion. While the Government has proposed a 12-month deferral to continue work on this issue, I believe we should use this time wisely and constructively.”
“We need to make sure any changes to the existing policy are workable in practice, consistent with our legal framework and enforceable. These areas will need additional consideration before any version of this Bill is fully considered on Committee Stage. That said, we must not lose momentum.”
“She is such an eloquent speaker. She is incredible, but we need to do more. It is simply not good enough. It is projected that the waiting list will go up to 25,000 by the end of the year. That is simply not good enough. I encourage the Minister to come to the House to debate this issue.”
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“We need to make sure any changes to the existing policy are workable in practice, consistent with our legal framework and enforceable. These areas will need additional consideration before any version of this Bill is fully considered on Committee Stage. That said, we must not lose momentum. People who live with socioeconomic disadvantage, especially those in communities that feel under-represented, deserve more than recognition. They deserve real legal protection. I acknowledge and thank the Senators who brought this Bill forward. I support the intention behind it fully and look forward to engaging in a spirit of collaboration to ensure that we deliver meaningful and lasting change.”
“In this House, we recognise disadvantage is not just about income. It is about perception, access to opportunity and an overall lack of inclusion. While the Government has proposed a 12-month deferral to continue work on this issue, I believe we should use this time wisely and constructively. This will allow the respective Departments to engage with stakeholders and affected groups. On this issue, there are international precedents from other EU countries. In addition, just last year, the United Nations specifically called on Ireland to include socioeconomic status in its anti-discrimination laws. We have a chance here to show leadership both at home and abroad. This is not about rushing legislation; it is about pressing it with care and credibility.”
“This was clear evidence that people cared deeply about this issue. As a Senator from County Donegal, I feel strongly about this issue. Too often, our constituents feel left behind, not just economically but politically. There is a real sense of disconnect from national policymaking and from the protections others take for granted. People in rural areas, especially in counties like mine, know exactly what it feels like to be judged by the assumptions people make when we say where we are from. This Bill seeks to protect people from that kind of prejudice. The proposed legislation defines "socioeconomic disadvantage" in a clear and thoughtful way. It includes factors like poverty, educational level, housing, employment status and, yes, even social or regional accents. This matters.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her time. We appreciate it. I also welcome our guests and hope they are having a good day. Hopefully, it continues the way it started. I thank my colleagues for bringing forward this important Bill. The principle at its heart, that socioeconomic disadvantage should not be a basis for discrimination, is something we can and should support. This is not a new conversation. In fact, the need to examine the inclusion of socioeconomic status under the Employment Equality Act 1998 has been acknowledged by successive governments, including one in which Fine Gael played a leading role. The programme for Government in 2020 explicitly committed to exploring this and the public consultation that followed received more than 580 submissions.”
“She is such an eloquent speaker. She is incredible, but we need to do more. It is simply not good enough. It is projected that the waiting list will go up to 25,000 by the end of the year. That is simply not good enough. I encourage the Minister to come to the House to debate this issue.”
“I rise in solidarity with Cara Darmody, the 14-year-old-girl who is currently outside and has been since yesterday. She has been mentioned in the Chamber already, but I am going to run through a couple of things again. She plans to protest for 15 hours. I want us to take a moment to visualise this situation: a 14-year-old-girl is sleeping in a tent because she feels she has no choice but to take this drastic measure to get our attention. She is doing this on behalf of her two brothers and the people of Ireland who do not have a voice. I want to say publicly that I support her. After this I will be going outside to bring her some snacks, because it is warm out there, and I want to make sure she is okay. I absolutely and unbelievably admire her. I urge anybody who has not listened to her interviews to take the time today to listen.”
“In addition, I call for a commitment to rare disease care so that the roughly 150,000 Irish women affected are provided with timely expert treatment. Last, I call for equitable resource allocation across all regions so that no woman's quality of life is dictated by where she lives. Healthcare is not a privilege, it is a right. On this day, let us commit to building a system that truly works for all women because when women are healthy, our families communities and societies thrive.”
“As a Donegal woman – I always like to throw that in – the impact of an under-resourced healthcare system is especially clear in the north west. While Letterkenny University Hospital boasts dedicated and skilled professionals, resource limitations mean that women in the region face longer waiting times and fewer specialist services. Whether a woman lives in Donegal, Dublin or Kerry, her health should be prioritised equally without geographic bias. Today, I call for a greater investment in women's health research to ensure that conditions affecting women receive the attention they deserve. I also call for stronger support for women with disabilities, by making healthcare facilities accessible and inclusive.”
“Although the issue of rare diseases may seem abstract, the term is a misnomer. With thousands of diseases classified as rare, the total number of individuals - I say "individuals", as it is not just women - estimated to be afflicted with these conditions is one in 17. That is 300,000 men, women and children in Ireland, so not so rare after all. There is growing evidence that women with rare diseases are offered less comprehensive care than their male counterparts. Historical biases and a lack of gender-specific studies contribute to delays in diagnosis and fewer treatment options tailored to women. We must do better. We must ensure that healthcare providers are fully equipped to recognise and treat rare diseases in women just as effectively as in men.”
“I thank the Minister for her time. I am conscious that she has covered some of the things I am going to mention but I will cover them anyway. This week, we celebrate the strength, resilience and achievements of women across Ireland, but as we take pride in our progress, we must also confront the gaps that have a profound impact on women's lives. Today, I am addressing the gaps in women's healthcare. Women in Ireland are more likely than men to experience delays in diagnosis and longer waiting times for treatment. Conditions that predominantly affect women, such as endometriosis, autoimmune disorders and certain rare diseases, often receive less research funding and clinical attention. For women with disabilities, the barriers are even steeper with inaccessible clinics and a system that sometimes fails to understand their unique needs.”
“In fairness, I have already approached the Minister about this and her team are doing everything they can to try to help this gentleman, but we need to realise that people with prosthetics should be given access to medical cards. It should not be means tested. I would invite the Minister to come to the House to discuss this further.”
“I asked his daughter-in-law to send me pictures of the leg because I wanted to see what it looked like, and I could not believe that is being held together with duct tape. As this patient is a farm owner, he is not eligible for a medical card. He has been encouraged to appeal if he feels the need to. Prosthetic legs cost anywhere in the range from about €10,000 to €20,000, depending on what type they are. He does not have the money for that, but he is in dire need of a new leg. He fell to the ground recently and dislocated his shoulder because the leg was so unfit for purpose that it completely fell off. Ever since, because his balance is off, he has fallen at least three times. This is just one case of many.”
“I will try to keep the story quick. I was approached last week by the daughter-in-law of an elderly man who lives in Donegal who has been an amputee since the eighties. To briefly share how he lost his leg, it was in a farming accident. When I heard what he did straight away after the accident, I could not believe it. He picked up the leg that was severed in a tractor accident, hopped up the field, got into his car, drove to his house and then said he needed to go get help. Aside from the fact he is a living legend, I was disgusted to hear what had happened to him since. I found out last week that he had been trying to get around on a prosthetic leg that is more than 15 years old. I obviously know what it is like to get around on a prosthetic. Mine is only three years old and it is already on the way out.”
“This was widely reported in the media in Donegal. We are now at the stage where, unless a solution is found, nine children will not have a place in September even though they have waited and waited. This is simply not good enough. Last Sunday, there was a parents meeting in Letterkenny. While parents are dealing with a huge amount, they also have to become the chair of this new committee, social media experts and secretaries and speak publicly, which is not easy for everyone. However, solutions were found during the meeting. I call for the Minister to come to the House so that we can fast-track this. We can hold meeting upon meeting but we do not have time. We need to find a solution in the next few weeks so that, when September comes, those nine children can continue their education and avail of a service that is owed to them.”
“I would like to talk about Little Angels, an incredible school in Letterkenny, County Donegal. This is my second time today talking about the school and I will continue to talk about it until we resolve the issue that I am about to share. Little Angels is a special needs school that has been in operation for decades in Letterkenny. It caters for pupils ranging from the ages of three to 18. The previous school, which we visited last year, while offering excellent services was not big enough and therefore a new state-of-the-art facility was to be built. So began a 14-year long process for the building of a new state-of-the-art facility. However, there is one problem; the new facility is also not big enough. I want to know how over 14 years, this development could not be halted or changes could not be made.”
“If you have a disability and you cannot get from A to B because you cannot rely on services, that is simply not good enough. That is one of the biggest things I will be focusing on this year, along with cancer services, as I mentioned. I need to stick up for people who cannot stick up for themselves. I see the heartbreak and I have lived the heartbreak. I am here for those reasons. I have absolutely no ego. I will be the first to say that I had not a clue last July and I do not have much of a clue standing here today but I have no problem asking. I am not embarrassed. The bigger issue here is what needs to be done. It is not about me. It is not about my career. That is absolutely the least priority that I have. It is about working together in this room to create positive change. I am so excited to work with you all.”
“If you can get yourself to a bus stop in a wheelchair, you may not be able to get on the bus because the actual bus stop is not suitable. They do not work together. I would like to acknowledge an incredible woman, Councillor Vicki Casserly, and her son James. James has done absolutely incredible work in the disability space. James is so cool. Members should look him up. He does so much, considering he struggles every single day with a disability. He went up to Donegal to test out different bus services, and it was up there that he dealt with the biggest issues. This angers me because it is not good enough. In 2025, it should not matter whether I live in Donegal, Cork, Tallaght or Lucan, which is where Vicki Casserly is from.”
“I hope my father is not annoyed at me for mentioning that he was diagnosed with cancer the week of the election. He is dealing with the same waiting lists, and the same transport issues, that I dealt with. If you do not drive in Donegal, good luck to you. I often say that Donegal is like LA, minus the weather, in that everybody drives there. We cannot rely on transport up there. I received an email yesterday from someone who informed me of the dire situation with bus services in my county. I was aware of it to a certain extent, but he went into some further detail. I can assume that this is reflected at national level. He had some specific information to share with me about locations where buses are accessible but bus stops are not.”
“I apologise to Senator Ruane but I had to get my county in there. I had to give Donegal a plug. It is tough work. Regardless of what party you are from or whatever, you need to be able to collaborate with the people around you and with the people in this room. Some of the speeches I have listened to today were incredibly inspiring. Some of the areas and the issues I will be focusing on will be very similar to my very brief stint last term. Obviously, disability is my number one focus. I have lived experience of this, as is very clear today. For those who do not know or cannot see, I am an amputee. I am also a cancer survivor. When I was diagnosed with cancer over 20 years ago, I tried to get treatment while living in Donegal. I would have thought that the process one undergoes when one lives in Donegal would have changed by now.”
“I congratulate the Cathaoirleach. I want to start by saying it is an absolute honour to be nominated for the second time by the former Taoiseach and current Tánaiste, Simon Harris. Like many of the people here today, I come from a background that was far from the ordinary. My disability advocacy brought me here last July. If it was not for my Fine Gael colleagues who, thank God, took me under their wing, I do not know what I would have done. It is very daunting to stand up here and speak in front of so many seasoned politicians and incredible people who have created really positive change. However, it is also okay to acknowledge when you are new here that you were brought here for a reason. I remember that every day. The job does get tough. I learned that going through a general election up in Donegal, which was incredibly tough.”