Pat Buckley
Cork East · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“This Sinn Féin motion is to recognise that art is the product of the labour of artists informed by their unique human experience, creativity and skill. The Script's Danny O'Donoghue on "Morning Ireland" said: ... no public funding goes towards AI-generated content, humans only.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for tabling this motion. It is not just ordinary workers who are being made to fear for their futures as artificial intelligence continues to develop and expand. Musical artists, writers and filmmakers are also being badly hit by this AI revolution.”
“I thank the Social Democrats for bringing this motion here today. I sat here last night and have sat here again this morning, listening to the debates. The first thing I have noticed is there is absolutely zero from the Government bench. It is absolutely shameful. It is crocodile tears we see in here.”
“We have heard many lines here before about how we do not want to be on the wrong side of history. I urge the Government to withdraw its countermotion. It is utterly shameful. The Irish people are very angry and very hurt. What if the Government had to walk in the shoes of any Palestinian. I have spoken to many of them.”
“To think of an Israeli team with an Israeli flag on Irish soil with the national anthem and the Israeli national anthem being sung and it being acknowledged as normal is absolutely unbelievable and unimaginable. Yesterday, I listened to a debate in the audiovisual room from the Stop the Game campaign.”
“I do not even think UEFA has the balls to take us on because it will set a precedent. If we do the right thing now, we can stand up here in a year's time or ten years' time and say we are proud we did the right thing and we stood up for the people who needed us.”
The complete record
Every one of 195 lines we hold for Pat Buckley, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 4.
“In 1981, The Stranglers song "Golden Brown" was at number one and I was called in by my school principal and told I was not going to be thrown out of the school but they would much prefer if I did not come back after the Easter holidays. That is how they dealt with cover-ups and abuse - they just got rid of it. I heard speakers talking about it and burying stuff. I commend the Ryan family because the two most difficult things to do in this country are to tell the truth and help people. You will be absolutely battered and punished for it. What makes me angry here is the cover-up that happened in this. I urge us all to work together on this. I have lost many friends. It took over 22 years to find out what actually happened in the area I represent in east Cork. I have lost school friends from primary school where the abuse started.”
“I welcome the establishment of this commission. It is very welcome and very long overdue. It is essential that this commission of investigation must be survivor-centred and the terms of reference must be comprehensive and drafted in consultation with the survivors and the representative organisations. Given that up to 300 allegations of sexual abuse in 32 schools in Cork were recorded during the scoping exercise, I suspect it is more. I have spoken to some of these survivors. I have known these survivors. Many have detailed that they had to emigrate because they were hurt. Many experienced marital breakdown, psychiatric events, addiction and suicide attempts.”
“We just need what I have requested and to have tranche 2 as soon as we can to start preventive work, no matter how minor. I congratulate the county council and OPW, which have been working well, but we just need to resource everybody better. If there is European money available, let us ask for it.”
“I do not know whether it is a matter of who sourced the gates but to me it is a case of a car jack in a wetsuit if a gate 3 ft high is being used to stop 5 ft of water. It does not make sense and I want the Minister of State to know that. At the far side of the bridge where the Maghy family is, where the bend in the river was, there is a flood plain. It has not been dropped enough for the water to get in. The family were very close to being flooded again. Could the Minister of State commit to meeting the residents’ group when in Cork again? They are very honest. It is a matter of urgency and fear. It is summer now and everything is grand, but if the crap hits the fan again and these people are flooded, they will be broken mentally, financially and every other way.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his reply, in which he stated, “Any flood relief scheme needs to map and understand the location and the flooding sources and constraints.” This is spot on, but I just want a preventative measure very fast. Land at Gleann Fia, the land next door to the site at Mogeely, owned by a farmer, can hold water, and there is an agreement in this regard. We can divert the water away from the timber houses. If there is a constraint that we can lift very fast, it will be a win for everybody. The majority of the flood protection gates people are getting are only about 3 ft high. Some people have had 5 ft of water. When I met the residents last Friday night, I was actually taken aback.”
“Never mind the financial stress and worry, the mental health of the affected people should be considered. They are really upset, hurt and frightened. The Minister of State knows that with mortgages so expensive in this day and age, they will be goosed if there is another flooding event in their area. The homes will not be homes anymore. I will make a few more points in my two minutes after the Minister of State responds.”
“I acknowledge that he said he will be back down again, but the residents are looking for points of contact. If there are any planning issues, they would like to be involved with them. This is not just to be nosey but to facilitate. They probably do the Minister of State’s job and mine at times because they are the experts on where they are living. They definitely want early input on priorities. They also want to know the Minister of State’s realistic availability to engage on this matter. He has engaged and I acknowledge he will be visiting the area. At a meeting I was at in Midleton last Friday night, the residents told me flooding is no longer an occasional national disaster but an ongoing crisis for affected communities. They are asking the Government to act before the next flood causes totally irreversible damage.”
“Residents respectfully request the following engagement. They have asked me to ask for the defined scope and priorities aligned with the strategic outcomes, confirmation of ownership and resourcing across the impacted teams, the establishment of timelines, dependencies and measurable success criteria, and a commitment to reviewing the regulation on private house insurance, which is very high. I live not too far from the main street in Midleton. I live beyond a place called Forest Hill, which gets flooded. We need an ark for the whole of County Cork, and that indicates the problem we have with insurance there. The flood group that has been formed basically wants the Minister of State’s support. In fairness to him, he has been extremely engaging and has visited the region and spoken to residents there.”
“Each new flood exacerbates the already significant financial and emotional burden on the residents. The situation in Mogeely is even more precarious. The village has at least 32 homes constructed with timber frames, which are particularly vulnerable to water damage. These homes will not withstand another flood without severe consequences for the residents. The inhabitants live in constant fear of destruction and many now feel abandoned by the system that is supposed to protect them. The houses have roughly 56 entry points so the flood protection gates are, as a fellow said, as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. While I acknowledge the measures implemented through tranche 1, it is now imperative that tranche 2 be initiated without further delay, with Castlemartyr, Killeagh, Rathcormac and Mogeely placed high on a list.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, for being here. It is much appreciated. I thank him and his Department for their engagement. I am speaking today on behalf of the residents of Castlemartyr, Mogeely, Midleton, Whitegate, Killeagh and Rathcormac to urgently implore the Government and Minister of State to initiate tranche 2 of the flood relief programme for these communities. These towns and villages have been repeatedly and severely impacted by flooding events that have devastated homes, livelihoods and essential infrastructure. In Castlemartyr and Rathcormac, in particular, flooding has become distressingly regular. Families are being displaced, local businesses suffer long-term damage or have been closed, and community morale is at an all-time low.”
“It is shocking to see more time being spent trying to silence people who are giving the Palestinians a voice. If half that effort was spent trying to have peace in Palestine, we may not be in here talking about it. Please, work together and do whatever is possible to pass the occupied territories Bill.”
“That is because it has never been held to account, not for one of its actions in killing thousands upon thousands of civilians - unarmed mothers, children, fathers, you name it. Professional people who have a right to go there and report what is happening are just massacred without any consequences. It is genocide - there is no other word for it - and it is being normalised. We are not doing enough to get this right. Israel has violated every single part of international law and got away with it. We are human beings, and if we get away with something the first time, we will chance it again, regardless of what it is. That is what we have seen with Iran. I wish to mention the band Kneecap and others who have given Palestinians a voice.”
“I ask the Government to listen to everybody here and play its part in passing the occupied territories Bill. From a tiny little acorn grows a mighty oak tree. Let us start with every small thing we can do to get us to the big oak tree and help the Palestinian people who are suffering. Ordinary people in their tens of thousands have come out onto the street throughout the country to give voice to how angry they are at Israeli war crimes and the inaction of the Irish Government and others. Please, listen to everyone. Look at the people all over the world who have come out in support of peace and the Palestinians. To say it is shocking, but Israel does act with impunity.”
“If nothing else, we have to lift the blockade on the aid and allow in what we would call impartial organisations into Gaza to distribute that aid. Let us be honest - Israel has trampled over international law and is getting away with it. I have to be very careful with my words because, like everyone else, I can get angry. There is no crime that Israel has not inflicted on the Palestinian people, yet the international community has done nothing. We have named them, namely, the US, France, Germany and our own European Union. I thought a union was meant to help and look after one another and have strength in numbers, but I have lost faith in that. How can a lasting peace be built when Benjamin Netanyahu is not held to account? The regime acts with impunity and gets away with everything. That drives me crazy.”
“I came across a quote today that said a sane state did not wage war against civilians and did not kill babies as a hobby. That is a very strong statement. What has been happening, particularly in Gaza, over the past number of painful months has been atrocious. It makes me nervous that people in the western world - in the whole world - are looking at what is happening Gaza and war and death have been normalised. This shows that, while not all of us, a lot of people in this world have lost their souls and humanity. I cannot imagine what the people who have been bombed every day are going through. What the people of Palestine are being subjected to is absolutely and utterly horrific. Millions of people face starvation. We have spoke about it.”
“The bridge at Belvelly in Cobh is affecting the Port of Cork and housing. A rail service would deliver significant advantages to commuters, tourists, businesses and the environment. It would make a valuable addition to Ireland's rail network. I urge the Government to please support the reopening of the historic Cork to Youghal line and ensure it is included in any future transport planning and investment.”
“Irish Rail has indicated that it is willing to look at reopening the line, if it receives the funding to do so. Regrettably, the reopening of the line from Midleton to Youghal is not included in the all-island strategic rail review. I have raised the issue with TII and the NTA approximately three times every year for the past seven years. I have asked for a park-and-ride facility in Youghal to service the rail station but, unfortunately, it has not been forthcoming. If the Cork to Youghal rail line is restored, it would reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality, decrease traffic congestion on the N25 and contribute to a more sustainable environment. I met Fáilte Ireland this morning. We discussed Youghal and Cobh, but especially Youghal, where the congestion on the N25 is holding back tourism and the growth of business.”
“Many Corkonians have happy memories of taking the train to Youghal on a summer day. The train might have 14 carriages but we would be lucky to get a seat on the train from Midleton. Sadly, the train service between Cork city and Youghal has not been in operation for almost 30 years, when passenger services were withdrawn. An online petition has received more than 6,000 signatures, which shows the hunger among the people of Youghal to have this train service back up and running. Irish Rail owns the land, and a space has been kept alongside the new greenway that could easily accommodate a new twin-track or light rail line. Every five years, there is a review to assess the demand and viability of a potential route connecting the city to Youghal.”
“It is a glaring anomaly that an Irish citizen living in the Six Counties can stand for election as, and be elected as, President but cannot vote to elect a President. This is an insult to the 1.8 million-plus Irish citizens living in the Six Counties, who have historically been denied participation in the life of their own nation by the historic and undemocratic injustice of partition. It is now 12 years since the constitutional convention in Dublin voted overwhelmingly to extend voting rights and nine years since Fine Gael reaffirmed its commitment to holding a referendum to make the necessary changes to the Constitution. Disappointingly, no progress whatsoever has been made since. We cannot allow this to continue. We need to grant a voice to all Irish citizens and ensure they are no longer excluded from voting to elect their President.”
“Presidential voting rights for all citizens of Ireland have always been high on the agenda for Sinn Féin. We strongly believe all Irish citizens resident on the island of Ireland should have the right to vote in our presidential elections. The President represents all the people of Ireland and it is only right that all citizens on this island be allowed to vote for their first citizen, their Uachtarán. Successive polls have shown the majority of Irish people support voting rights in presidential elections being extended to all Irish citizens. There is clear and undeniable momentum towards extending voting rights and enhancing the democratic rights of Irish citizens. This would be a positive step and would strengthen and enrich our democratic process.”
“If we do not do this, in the words of Professor David Robinson, a consultant geriatrician in St. James's Hospital, "This is going to shorten people’s lives and the lives that they have will be more miserable because of the situation that they’re in". This is not a matter for tomorrow. This needs to be addressed urgently. The cost of inaction will be measured in human suffering. We owe our elders not only respect but our action. The Government has a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in our society and I call on it to make elder care a national priority not next year, after the next crisis, but now.”
“Currently, they are being left without the most basic items such as bedsheets, towels, sanitary wipes and gloves. To add insult to injury, families face high costs to pay for this long-term care. There has been next to no investment in public care homes. Over 70% of our nursing home capacity is now private. This was facilitated and enabled by successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Governments and this is the result. When profit is prioritised over people, it is always the vulnerable who pay the price. In this instance, it was our older generations. The privatisation of nursing home care cannot come at the expense of quality and care. We need to tip the balance back in favour of public capacity with robust regulations and the appropriate safeguarding and protection.”
“Sinn Féin calls on the Government to immediately enact the adult safeguarding legislation as this would provide a legal framework to support safeguarding, additional powers for social workers and relevant social care professionals and agencies separate from the HSE, which is empowered to oversee safeguarding policy and practices across the public and private sector and in the home. We need to legislate to provide the legal right of entry to any designated care centre for relevant social workers and social care professionals. Nursing home staff are overworked and underpaid. They are doing their best and that is all they can do in their impossible circumstances. They deserve better training, fair wages and the resources necessary to provide high-quality care.”
“Given this, it is essential that people are supported in long-term residential care and that the highest standards are maintained. We need to ensure that safe, clean and dignified conditions are maintained in all our nursing homes. We cannot continue to rely on HIQA alone. Sinn Féin has long called for adult safeguarding legislation, mandatory reporting of abuse and a legal right of entry for social care teams to investigate complaints. The “Prime Time Investigates” programme proved just how critical those reforms are to prevent neglect and abuse.”
“When I saw the footage of a frail female resident with dementia, considered a serious fall risk, being left alone on the edge of her bed for seven minutes at night while confused and agitated and seeking a toilet break, I thought of my own 79-year-old mother and how angry and let down I would feel if that were her. Families are now lying awake at night wondering if their loved ones are safe, whether their basic needs are being met and if they are being treated with the compassion and respect they deserve. Families should be able to trust that facilities are meeting the standards our elders deserve. Even with greatly enhanced home and community care for older people, many families still have to make the difficult decision to place their loved ones in a nursing home as they require full-time care.”
“In the words of the Democratic Programme of the First Dáil, we are committed to the care and support of Ireland’s older people “who shall not be regarded as a burden, but rather entitled to the Nation's gratitude and consideration”. The footage shown on the “Prime Time Investigates” programme on Emeis nursing homes was far from showing our older people gratitude and consideration. It was shocking, disturbing and nothing short of abuse. Too many elderly people in our country are living in facilities that are underfunded, understaffed and under-regulated.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his opening remarks. First, I commend the whistleblowers on this. I keep saying here that you get absolutely battered for helping people and telling the truth in this country. The Irish population is ageing and growing, which is associated with higher levels of ill health and greater demand on all types of health and social care services. This obviously poses great challenges but we in Sinn Féin believe we should see improved health as an opportunity as well as a challenge, celebrating and enabling the contribution older people make to our communities while building a health service that cares for us as we age.”
“What is happening here, on an island surrounded by water, is frightening. There is also the tourism aspect. Sprats were mentioned. I know of a man who has lost his business of whale watching and dolphin watching because the sprats are not coming and it is having a knock-on effect. As I have said, please let us all work together on this. It should be a win-win situation for everybody and in particular the families.”
“As a young fellow, when I was 16, I worked in the fish plants. I remember we used to process our own fish here. This could be an industry worth billions, with the crossover between aquaculture, the landing of oysters, crushing oyster shells and mixing them in with hen feed to produce more calcium to benefit the eggshells, the by-products of this and the waste products that go into cat food and animal food. We are not processing. It sickens me when I go to the likes of Ballycotton and I see a container lorry. The trawler comes in and offloads the boxes straight onto the forklift and they go into the back of the refrigerated truck and they are gone. It is ridiculous and I appeal to the Minister of State to work with everybody on this. This is one of the greatest assets we have in this country.”
“It seems that the fishermen themselves have become the endangered species. I congratulate Deputies Mac Lochlainn, McGuinness and others on the survey. It is stark and unsurprising. The survey quotes one person who said they had been fishing for 30 years and had never seen it so bad, and went on to say that fishermen are not going to survive if things stay the same and that Irish fishermen are being treated very badly. Another person said they have been fishing since they were 15 years of age and are now 50 years old and have never seen the industry in such a bad shape in all sectors. They commented that there is no political will to seriously help the industry, and sad to say, they will not be in it for much longer the way it is heading because it is hard pay the bills now with poor quotas. I have listened to other speakers.”
“I wish the Minister of State the best of luck because, as I have always said, our fishing industry should be one of our greatest amenities and benefits to the State. I want to paint a picture of east Cork, where I am from, including Youghal, Goleen, Ballycotton, Cobh and the small ports in between of East Ferry, Whitegate and Aghada. I was struck by a piece on youghalonline.com in November 2024 which stated, referring to Youghal's lost fishing industry: Youghal, once a bustling fishing port, has seen its industry dwindle to almost nothing. The once-bustling quayside, where fishermen unloaded their catch of salmon from the Blackwater River, is now a quiet reminder of a bygone era. Many of the pubs that were once the heart of the fishing community have also closed their doors.”
“One would not buy a lawn mower to cut the grass for that. I appeal to the Minister to withdraw his amendment and support our motion tonight.”
“We left the coffee table, the Sky box and so on so that whoever came in could just plant his telly there and would have free-to-air Sky. The house was pristine but the council spent €28,000 on it. It ripped the whole lot apart and it took nearly two years to bring that house back into service. It is disgusting when we have people coming into our offices every single day and in our clinics, crying because they do not have a home and yet they are walking past empty houses that are clearly pretty good, that people could actually move in to. I just cannot understand why the Government has tabled a countermotion. We come in here and we try to do the right thing but I find it so difficult and frustrating. How do we explain it to constituents when they are walking past an estate and see two perfect houses? One of the Deputies mentioned €67.”
“The Minister has heard from the speakers here tonight. This is absolutely bonkers. We are talking about dereliction and vacancy. I am going to relate two very brief stories. I am lucky enough to be able to walk the dogs every Sunday morning and when I do I pass two beautiful, three-bedroom semi-detached homes that have been vacant for over 12 months. They are probably still good enough to be turnkey but they are lying idle now and are going to rot and it is going to cost thousands to repair them. Prior to being a TD, when I was on the council, my dad lived in a council house. When he died, three separate times over a nine-month period I raised the issue of the house. It was turnkey. A change to the lock on the front and back door and someone could walk in.”
“We in Sinn Féin are calling for the immediate reinstatement of the tenant in situ scheme, the reinstatement of the no-fault eviction ban, a freeze on private rents, and the Government to provide adequate funding to Cork County Council to build enough council and affordable homes to tackle the housing crisis and end homelessness for good. Other Deputies mentioned the event on 21 June at the National Monument in Cork city. I am calling on everyone to come out and show the Government that we have a housing emergency and to bring attention to other failings - the 10,000 people on boil-water notices, failing mental health services in east Cork and flooding issues. I am asking everybody to vote with their feet and show this Government that it is not providing what it should.”
“In that same month, Cork City Council shut down its tenant in situ scheme due to insufficient funding. We have seen the pressure intensify in places like Midleton, Youghal, Cobh, Carrigtohill, Fermoy, Mitchelstown and others. The demand for housing is so high but supply is not keeping up with it. Too few social and affordable housing projects are being built. The planning process is so slow, and short-term rentals sit vacant while families go without roofs over their head. We need this Government to treat housing like the emergency that it is. Housing is not a commodity; it is a human right. The Government's failures on housing have become normalised, which is shocking. Nobody expects anything from this do-nothing Government which constantly fails our communities. There are solutions to the housing crisis, however.”
“The housing crisis that the country is currently in the grips of is affecting entire communities, none more so than the communities I represent in east Cork. What was once known as a great region with welcoming towns, strong community spirit and national beauty is now grappling with the growing problem of the lack of social and affordable houses. As we speak, there are currently more than 300 empty council houses in County Cork, of which 100 have been vacant for more than two years. While these homes remain idle, the rate of homelessness in Cork has reached an appalling level. In the past three years, the number of children spending more than 12 months in emergency accommodation has jumped by 171%. In April, a shocking 650 adults were in emergency accommodation across Cork.”
“I urge the Minister of State to try to expedite this. The farmer next to that estate has given land. There is the possibility of diverting any more flooding - if it will happen again, which it probably will - into that field and the culvert into Castlemartyr. That will give those living there at least an assurance. If their timber-frame home is flooded for a second time, it is goosed. I appeal to the Minister of State on that.”
“A lot of work has been done on flood protection barriers for the houses and I know there have been little tweaking issues there. Some doors are not standard, so Cork County Council has had to go back and retender, but I thank the council for its speed. I asked the question only on Tuesday; it was back to me Wednesday. It was on top of it straightaway. My biggest fear is the pace. The Minister of State has heard other speakers say the issue is the pace of getting these flood mitigation works done. Some 600 homes and 300 businesses were absolutely haunted. Nobody was killed. I had never seen water like it in my life. We are making progress but it is slow. The biggest fear I have for people is the loss of a home, in particular in Gleann Fia because they are timber-framed homes and you cannot get flood protection barriers for them.”
“The report predicted approximately 1 m to 1.5 m of water at the railway gates on the Mill Road in Midleton. It actually flooded up to the fascia board and the soffit of the bungalow before it overtopped and went down the Mill Road. That was documented in 2013. I thank the Minister of State again for engaging with people in east Cork, whether it was in Rathcormac or Midleton, and on the big problem we have in Gleann Fia in Mogeely or the issues in Castlemartyr, Killeagh and Whitegate. I am grateful also for the engagements from Cork County Council and the OPW. I have made my feelings known to the Minister of State about inland fisheries. The crux of this is that, like everything, we have tranche 1, tranche 2 and tranche 3. People are getting very anxious and many of them panic any time there is a warning of heavy rains.”
“I welcome the Minister of State back. I always shoot straight from the hip. I thank him for all the engagement. I am grateful for the engagement of Cork County Council and the municipal district council. He knows what I am going to bring up. It is Midleton again. The last time we were here, when he was Minister of State previously, I raised the Midleton northern relief road bridge final study, the CFRAM study, in October 2013. What was frightening about that was that it gave a detailed map and depths of the potential flooding and what would happen. It tells us the route but, unfortunately, for some reason, the report seems to have been shelved. According to its recommendations, between €12,500 and €25,000 would have alleviated a lot of the flooding.”
“Obviously, I am not happy with it and the people outside will probably not be happy with it, but we will certainly revisit this issue. We have had this issue for more than 45 years. We have recognition for SNAs and disability service workers, who are being discussed in the House this week. This is about giving recognition to those who are supplying that service. That is where governments have failed. It is why this country and our services have been failing. I thank the Minister of State for his response.”
“The granting of access to a fair, secure public service pension is about equality and equality is not a privilege but a right. That has to be addressed. We will not have time to do it now but I would like to find out, perhaps through a parliamentary question, who or which Department is responsible for this. I ask the Government to look at this. Whatever Department is responsible, I ask that it act with fairness and give school secretaries the recognition and the retirement security they have more than earned. I gave the example of the difference between 40 years' service as an SNA or schoolteacher and 40 years' service as a secretary is that one leaves with a pension and the other gets a bunch of flowers and maybe a box of chocolates. I respect the Minister of State’s response.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response. I got the same response, probably word for word, less than two hours ago in a reply to a parliamentary question. I cannot stress enough how much these issues need to be resolved. The last line in the response from the Minister for Education was: For those reasons, any proposals must be considered in detail by my own officials and those in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform as the granting or otherwise of public servant status is not within the scope of this Department. I would love to know which Department's scope it is within. It affects so many people. Immediate steps need to be taken by this Government to ensure all school secretaries are recognised as public servants, which they truly are.”
“They have gone above and beyond for schools and deserve fair treatment and the peace of mind that comes with access to proper pension schemes. It is only fair they receive the same recognition and entitlements as their colleagues such as teachers and SNAs. I have been absolutely battered and lobbied about this. I spoke to a lot of secretaries and they feel very underwhelmed. The secretary is the backbone of any committee, cumann or school. There is a massive injustice here. I am anxious to hear the Minister of State’s response.”
“In October 2020, the then Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, gave a commitment in the Dáil that the Government would address the long-standing pay and employment issues secretaries were facing and finally secure pay equality and pension entitlement for school caretakers and secretaries. We have not had sight nor sound of this since. To the school secretaries and all those involved in this campaign we in Sinn Féin say your efforts are seen, your voices are heard and your rights are supported. We stand with you in calling for a swift and just resolution to this pension row and will support you all the way. I am calling on this Government to act urgently. These workers have shown remarkable dedication to their job.”
“As it stands, a secretary could work 40 years in the same school, retire on the same day as a teacher or SNA and walk out the door with only a bunch of flowers while the teacher or SNA will leave with a work pension. How can we, in good conscience, justify a system where two people working in the same school and contributing equally to daily life at that school retire under vastly different circumstances? This is not just an administrative oversight but a moral failure. We are sending a message that the work of school secretaries is somehow less valuable and that their commitment, often over decades, does not warrant the same respect and security in retirement as that of others in the public sector.”
“All they want is pay equality and the improved working conditions and pensions they are entitled to. Secretaries provide an essential service to their schools, which would simply be unable to function without a secretary. They ensure our schools run smoothly day to day, which is crucial. They are the backbone of our schools. These are hardworking individuals, many of whom have served our schools and communities for decades, and they deserve the recognition and fair treatment of public servants. Despite recent progress in securing employment on the Department of Education’s payroll, school secretaries still face significant inequalities and continue to be treated as second-class public servants.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here at this ungodly hour. I have recently been in contact with a number of dedicated school secretaries across my constituency of east Cork who are campaigning for their rightful access to public service pensions. Public service pensions are not just a benefit but a vital safeguard for workers' futures and provide security and dignity in later years. Public service status would see secretaries given access to the protections and pensions that come with this status and would end a 45-year injustice. It would see secretaries who work side by side with teachers and special needs assistants, SNAs, having the same rights and pension certainty on retirement, and proper wages. This campaign has been ongoing for decades now. Secretaries deserve better. They are not asking for the earth.”
“Every child deserves timely access to the assessments and services they need to thrive, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure no child is left behind. I plead with the Government to please commit this time to taking the necessary actions to rectify this situation and uphold the rights and dignity of all the children in this country.”