Paul Lawless
Mayo · Aontú · Ireland
“Confidence in our education system depends on quality resources but parents remain seriously concerned about inappropriate material that is being promoted in our schools, libraries, etc. Concerns have been raised in relation to the book What's the T?”
“They would make up a higher proportion of the membership of the Dáil than is the case at Westminster. Aontú's leader, Deputy Peadar Tóibín, during his time on the Oireachtas enterprise committee, completed the first Oireachtas report on the all-island economy.”
“Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace — respect for diversity. Aontú believes fundamentally in a united Ireland.”
“It is important that those who oppose a united Ireland - who are now a minority on this island, and increasingly so - are treated as equals and with the respect they deserve in the discussions relating to a united Ireland. I have good friends from the Protestant tradition to whom I speak on a near daily basis.”
“The Tánaiste once said that he wanted to make Ireland the best country in the world in which to raise a child. He is failing in that regard. We have a situation where we have record homelessness among children, spinal surgery waiting lists and children with special needs or disabilities who are waiting for supports.”
“Rather than celebrating and respecting our differences and our right to be different politically or religiously, they wish to make us all the same. They want to make us all apolitical atheists who never speak on or campaign in respect of the issues.”
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“Gardaí tell me that being in An Garda Síochána used to be a job where people were out on the street tackling criminals but more often than not now, it is a job where they are tied up in knots behind screens because of the level of accountability in the job. I know it is true because I was recently out on a bank holiday weekend, one of the busiest weekends of the year, and there were no gardaí to be seen on the street. That is reflective of where we are at the moment. I ask the Minister to ensure the issues in the force are addressed and that the money is used to tackle those issues and support An Garda Síochána.”
“I know gardaí who are seeking to relocate back to Mayo and because that request cannot be facilitated, they are leaving the force. They cannot afford to live in Dublin. They are young people who are happy to continue to be gardaí, but not happy to continue to work in the capital and therefore they are willing to go back to work on farms, in pubs or in shops and leave An Garda Síochána as a result. The Minister needs to work on this. There are hundreds of applications, or D19 requests, which cannot be facilitated through no fault of the gardaí. It is the fault of the Government and the Minister's predecessors who reduced An Garda Síochána to the difficulties it is facing with bureaucratic practices and the lack of proactive policing that is now happening.”
“The regions are far too large and this is causing a massive deterioration in terms of the type of proactive policing practices that have built up since the foundation of the State. Deputy Tóibín and Aontú have long argued that money should be recouped and ring-fenced for An Garda Síochána. It is important the Minister tackles the issues relating to the force. Being a garda used to be an intergenerational job. It was a job that a father would pass on to his son. Indeed, three generations of some families have served in the Garda. That link has been broken. It was broken before the Minister's time. He is going to have a significant job to do to address this. The truth is that fathers are no longer passing the baton on to their sons. In fact, they are telling them to get out of the force.”
“I spoke to the Garda Commissioner last year. He told me about the number of D19 transfer requests from gardaí. These are, in the main, young people from Mayo, Roscommon and Galway who are working in Dublin and who are seeking to relocate back to Mayo or other counties. They cannot do so because, as the Commissioner stated, An Garda Síochána just does not have the manpower in Dublin to allow this to happen. Dublin is being prioritised in that sense, while Mayo and other counties in the west are being left without gardaí. It is important that we address the issues relating to An Garda Síochána and tackle the problems around morale and bureaucratic practices. The new geographical units are not working.”
“I welcome the Bill and commend the great work of the members of An Garda Síochána and those officers who work in the Criminal Assets Bureau. It is important that we tackle criminals at source. The best way to do this is by tackling the proceeds of crime. We welcome that the turnaround time will be reduced from seven years to two years. This is something for which we in Aontú have called for quite some time. I ask the Minister to please ensure that we try to reinvest this money in the communities involved and in An Garda Síochána. An Garda Síochána is really struggling in Mayo. I recently spoke to a garda in Castlebar Garda station who told me when members of An Garda Síochána are attending court or out sick, the station cannot function on occasion. In the past three years, my constituency of Mayo has received just one new garda recruit.”
“This is not a minority condition. It affects one in ten women, which is more than the number of people in Ireland who suffer from diabetes, yet there is so little information. There is a vacuum of information. When one speaks to women across the country, there is significant variation in what their treatment pathways look like. I am keen for us to progress the national framework so that we have a standardised system and get to the bottom of this for women across Ireland.”
“I want to see the Minister address this issue with urgency. I want to see her tell the women who are here, before the Dáil, what is happening with the national framework, whether the GPs are engaging in that forum and if not, then why not. I want to see her say what she has done as Minister to bring the GPs to the forum to make sure the national framework moves to the next stage. This is what the women who are here with us want to know. This is what the future women and girls want to know. It is critical that we progress this national framework and get to a situation where women are no longer suffering in silence. Women should not have to wait ten to 15 years for a diagnosis. I urge the Minister to engage proactively with the Endometriosis Association of Ireland to bring the framework to the next stage. The women of Ireland deserve it.”
“In some cases, women only realise they have this disease when they are in their 30s and are trying to have children. In many cases, this is a significant problem. A significant number of women who undergo IVF realise they have endometriosis. There is obviously a very significant impact on day-to-day life, including the work experience, for many women. Since I raised this in Leinster House, I have had hundreds of women contact me who stated it was incredibly difficult to go about their lives during particular times of the month. We very much welcome and support this motion, but it is really important that the Government does not just table an amendment. I hope the Minister gets a chance to meet the women who are here and listen to their experience. It is too important an issue to simply move an amendment on and forget about.”
“When we met the association, I was struck by the number of constituents who contacted me with really harrowing experiences. Many mothers contacted me as well. What is very concerning is that so many women present with difficulties and pain and in some cases the pill is prescribed. That obviously has a benefit in terms of the pain but it also has a masking effect and, as a result, there is a significant delay in diagnosis and, therefore, treatment. This needs to be looked at seriously by the framework. It is totally unfair that women have to wait ten years in many cases to get the diagnosis they deserve and it is only at that point that they can get the treatment they need. I appreciate that this is a very difficult condition to diagnose but simply putting girls and young women on the pill cannot be the answer.”
“The national framework is a key piece - guidelines that will provide a pathway for women and a referral pathway for GPs that is critically important. I would like the Minister to make a statement on this in her reply. My understanding is that there is great difficulty with regard to the HSE and GPs regarding bringing that framework to the next level. My understanding is that the GPs have yet to engage with the HSE on this. It is critical that this is introduced and I would like the Minister to make a statement on where that framework is now and what the next steps to bring that to fruition are. I also commend the work of my colleague in Aontú, Melissa Byrne, from Kildare South who has done tremendous work on this. We hosted the Endometriosis Association of Ireland recently in the audiovisual room in Leinster House.”
“Misdiagnosed for over a year, she was told she had anxiety and depression despite having all of the symptoms, pain, vomiting and digestive issues. At 26 years of age, her bowel perforated due to undiagnosed bowel endometriosis and she needed surgery as a result. Had she not had that surgery, she would have died. This is how significant this is. The idea that Holly and hundreds of other women across this country were told "it's in your head" is deeply wrong. This is the lived experience of so many women across the country. They suffer in silence, they go to their GP, they go to accident and emergency and they go to the consultant in many cases and in some cases, they are told "it's in your head". That is why we have actively worked on this issue and have raised the national framework with the Minister on so many occasions.”
“I welcome the motion brought forward by Sinn Féin. I also welcome the visitors in the Public Gallery. Aontú has done quite a lot of work on this issue. It is really important that the lived experiences of so many women across Ireland are brought to the floor of the Dáil and put in front of the Minister. The fact is endometriosis is not a minority condition. It affects one in ten women. There are more women with endometriosis in this country than there are people with diabetes and yet many of these women suffer in silence. Many women have endometriosis for several years and it goes undiagnosed. I will raise the story of Holly Barr. Holly Barr is a young woman from Kildare whose harrowing journey and endometriosis experience are worth raising here today. For Holly, the delay nearly cost her life.”
“In fact, there are no targets for affordable housing. That is the reality. The Government must introduce targets and apply some urgency in regard to the provision of affordable housing. Most of Mayo is not even considered for affordable housing. Claremorris, Ballina and Castlebar still have no affordable housing.”
“There exists a huge chasm between Government rhetoric on housing and the reality locally. I draw the Taoiseach's attention to the housing situation in Mayo. The first home scheme, introduced in 2022, has delivered, on average, just six houses each year across the county. The affordable housing scheme, introduced in 2019, has delivered just five units, which is less than one per year. The cost-rental scheme in Mayo has delivered no housing units. There were hundreds of applications for the vacant property grant but just 83 payouts. Only four houses transitioned into the mortgage-to-rent scheme. The tenant in situ scheme has, in effect, ceased in Mayo, which is causing great difficulty. This is the reality locally in Mayo. Five affordable housing units were delivered. Deputy Séamus McGrath mentioned affordable housing targets.”
“Will the Taoiseach outline in simple terms whether there is a contingency in place should these tariffs continue? What does this mean for the people of Ireland and what does it mean for counties like Mayo, which is so reliant on medtech and pharma, for example?”
“Aontú has raised concerns about the economic threats of the tariffs for quite some time. An Aontú Private Members' Bill sought to urge the Government to take steps to mitigate the consequences of the tariffs. In response, Deputy Alan Dillon, the Minister of State with responsibility for enterprise, stated that there is no threat to Ireland as regards these tariffs. I warned at the time that this was very naive and dangerously complacent and I hoped it was not reflective of the Government across the board. Since then, there has been a narrative change. Recently, the Tánaiste stated that there is a major economic challenge, and the EU trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, stated that it would be almost impossible for US-EU trade to continue under a 30% tariff.”
“There has been a significant reduction in the number of taxis in Ireland. There has been an increase in population and an increase in State contracts in terms of the HSE and the Department of education. As a result, taxi drivers in the main are fulfilling their taxi obligations during the day.”
“The rural pub is the heart and soul of rural communities. In many villages and towns, it is the last remaining space for villages and clubs to come together to support rural organisations. The rural pub is closing in dramatic fashion. Recently, a report by the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, VFI, found that there was significant pressure. One in four pubs has closed since 2005. This represents more than 2,000 pubs. This trend will continue. I want the Government to realise that there is significant value to the rural pub. A two-tier economy is developing in Ireland. If the Taoiseach comes to Connacht, he will see significant dereliction in our town centres. We need to protect the rural pub. Government policy on excise duty and VAT is hammering rural pubs. The other major issue for publicans is the lack of transport at night time.”
“I have looked into the data on the Limerick to Galway line. Since that line has been opened, there have been 5 million journeys. It is growing rapidly every year. In 2023, there were over 600,000 journeys. It is really important and there is a significant case for this. I commend the Minister of State and his work over many years. My colleague in Tuam, Luke Silke of Aontú, has worked with the Minister of State. I refer particularly to the West on Track campaign and Colmán Ó Raghallaigh, who has been a tremendous advocate on this. I commend the great work and ask the Minister of State to drive on this project and make sure that the legacy of this Government and Seán Canney for our region is the western rail corridor from Athenry to Claremorris and on to Collooney.”
“When the Ministers were announced, I was delighted the Minister of State, Deputy Canney was being given this responsibility. He realises the importance of the western rail corridor. The Claremorris to Athenry line is fundamentally important for our region. The Minister of State is only up the road and knows the value of this. I ask him to drive on this project and make sure that the legacy of Seán Canney in government is the western rail corridor reopened from Claremorris to Athenry and beyond from Claremorris into Collooney. We cannot forget about north Mayo and Sligo. It is really important. I attended a Western Development Commission presentation recently, which stated our region is lagging well behind in infrastructure and transport. One argument the Government has made over many years relates to the viability for this project.”
“We need to ensure that we have civil liberties and freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is important for everyone. Recently in Germany pro-Palestinian protesters were dispersed with water cannons and batons under the guise of spreading hate. In the Netherlands students who were voicing their opposition to what was happening to the poor people of Gaza were labelled as inciting hate. This is not just for the far right or the far left, but for everyone. It is really important that we write back to the European Union and tell it that we will not be introducing censorship laws in Ireland.”
“Last year the Government sought to introduce censorship laws under the guise of hate speech legislation. The Government essentially sought to assert itself as the arbitrator as to what is and what is not hate. Recently the European Commission warned Ireland that we are outside the laws in terms of hate speech legislation. An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, recently told an NGO that we will be working on this issue and that we must be within the European framework. This is of great concern to the people across Ireland. The Government was out of step with public opinion last year and was brought kicking and screaming into reducing or sidelining that part of the legislation. Now the European Union seeks to introduce this again. I call on the Government to tell the EU to get stuffed on this issue.”
“I ask the Minister to do the right thing and tell families throughout Ireland and the students here in the Gallery and throughout the country how much their fees are going to be. Is the Minister going to increase the fees by 50% like he said last week or is he going to agree and remain steadfast to the commitment Simon Harris made three weeks before the election that the Government would reduce fees if it was returned to office.”
“It is the only way students from Mayo can afford to live and go to college. It is a cynical thing to do, to tell the people of Ireland the Government was going to reduce the fees when the fees were €2,000, and then increase them by 50% weeks after the election. The Minister can do the right thing today and tell the families what his plan is. It is totally wrong that the Tánaiste would come out and ask if people can pay in instalments while the Government sees how it goes. What level of respect is that for students who are hoping to budget and manage their budgets? Students are coming to me wondering if they can afford to go to college this year, and the Government tells them it will see how it goes.”
“Electricity costs are the highest in Europe, insurance costs among the highest in Europe and fuel costs are also among the highest in Europe. This Government took in €4 billion last year in fuel tax, which is driving up the cost of living. Now it seeks to drive up the cost of living more on these wonderful students. What does the Minister of State say to the families across Mayo, many of whom have to send their students to Dublin, Galway or Cork? These families are already suffering, largely due to this Government, in respect of the housing crisis. I know families and I am sure the students in the Gallery will agree that students are moving out of their accommodation on a Friday and moving back in on a Sunday night or a Monday morning. That is how bad things have gotten. It is the reality of what is happening, particularly in Dublin.”
“I welcome the students in the Gallery this evening. No doubt some of them would have voted for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on the premise that those parties told them before the election that they would reduce student fees. Student fees were €2,000 and now the Minister is seeking to increase them to €3,000. That is actually a 50% increase yet the parties opposite went to the people, and told these good people up here, the families across Ireland, that they would reduce their fees. It is totally disrespectful that the Government treats these families with such disregard. It introduced giveaway budgets and, in my constituency, announced things before the election that were already announced, only to take them away just months later. The 50% increase on student fees comes at a time when rents are skyrocketing, particularly for students.”
“That aspect, and the significant delays in An Bord Pleanála, have allowed the facilitation of bogus organisations operating on environmental grounds to exploit the situation and hold builders to ransom with regard to housing delivery.”
“It is hard to believe that in a housing crisis, we have built into the system a metric that actually prevents housing delivery. We have such a housing crisis, so that needs to happen. I ask the Minister to follow up with me in this regard. He can issue a section 29 notification. He can revise the housing targets for Ballina, which would allow this development to take place. He could do that if he wanted to, but he appears to lack the will to proactively work on this. It is so frustrating. I welcome this part of the legislation relating to serial objectors. This needs to end. We cannot have a situation where people in County Donegal can object to a development in County Cork, for example.”
“A very good, reputable builder in Ballina who is capable of building 100 houses - not all of them can - had the finance ready to go, and it was rejected, not for any significant reason but because of the population targets. It comes at a time when there is a huge housing need in Ballina and right across Mayo. It also comes at a time when Hollister has announced an €80 million investment, which would bring significant jobs to the area, and the county development plan - the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, which is under the Minister's remit as well, has a big role in this, by the way - rejected it. It is incredible. I have done a lot of research in this regard. I want the Minister to issue a section 29 notification, which is allowable in the planning Act, to revise the housing targets and allow this development to take place.”
“Within those county development plans, we have population targets. My concern here is that these targets are being used as a ceiling upon housing delivery. This is really concerning because we are in a housing crisis; 16,000 people are in emergency accommodation. That list is going to grow, and yet a housing development on the Killala Road in Ballina was rejected. It was approved by Mayo County Council and rejected by An Bord Pleanála, and it was objected to and overturned was for two reasons, one of which was that "population targets of the core strategy could be exceeded by the residential development". That was the key reason it was rejected. This is a site with all of the services.”
“Is that why the Minister will not tell us? Is that why we have to go digging? I am very concerned about An Bord Pleanála, by the way, with regard to the cost of judicial reviews to the State. I would like the Minister to reply to me with that information. I want to raise a concern I have regarding planners. My understanding is that there has been a huge lack of planners in An Bord Pleanála, and the Government has essentially stolen them from the local authorities. It has robbed Peter to pay Paul. What assessment now has been done with regard to the delays that may inevitably follow as a result of taking so many planners from local authorities? I also want to raise an important point, if I could have the Minister's attention, please. We have dezoned land at a time of significant population growth.”
“They were around how long the average wait is with An Bord Pleanála, around the number of JRs and around the cost of JRs to An Bord Pleanála. The Minister replied that he did not know. I also asked questions around the various housing schemes, for example, the affordable housing schemes and first-home schemes in terms of delivery. Again, the Minister replied that he did not know. These are key performance indicators. These are the tools and the levers which the Minister can use to activate. It is very disappointing these key metrics are unknown to the Minister and his Department. I will tell the Minister: six homes have been delivered under the first home scheme in Mayo since its introduction over five or six years. Under the affordable housing scheme, five homes have been delivered in Mayo. This is an abysmal record.”
“I welcome aspects of this legislation. We will be supporting it. However, I have raised many very valid points in this House around viability and around reducing the costs. I have brought points to the Minister about people with planning permission who want to build, who have a housing need, who are renting and cannot afford it, and he has not engaged with any of those points. I ask the Minister to engage with this because there is a value to engaging with the Opposition as well. It is very disappointing that issues around the demand have not even been mentioned by the Minister regarding the housing crisis. I want to raise a number of important points. Through the parliamentary question process, I have raised a number of questions with the Minister.”
“It is deeply shocking that the Government would seek a mandate from the Irish people and then hand over power to Europe. Then, when it hits the fan and we have a fine, the Government says that it is nothing to do with it, that the EU says so. It is despicable. In the short time remaining, I want to raise the issue of IPAS centres going into communities which are given no say. Section 5 applications are being submitted right across the country. Last week, in my constituency two section 5 applications were submitted, one for Kevin Barry Street in Ballina and the other for Abbey Street in Ballinrobe. I did some research into the companies involved. You would want to be an investigator to understand what is happening.”
“What happens when we do not comply with an EU directive? We get a fine. Who pays the fine? It is not paid by the Minister who signed over. No, it is paid by the Irish people. The reality in relation to the EU migration pact is that we currently do not have the ability to process asylum applications and are looking at fines down the line. Many of the issues raised in relation to the EU migration pact were things we could have implemented ourselves. That is the truth and the Minister of State cannot argue with that point. What was sold to the Irish people was that this pact would streamline the immigration system and speed up processing times, as if to say that we could not do that already. The Minister of State knows that we could but we did not have the will.”
“I have a message for the Minister of State. If he cannot manage his Department, he should hand over the reins to someone who can. He should not hand them over to the European Union. We go to the people seeking a mandate to govern this country and to make decisions for the welfare of our people but the Government turns around and cedes power to the European Union. That is what it has done and it is so frustrating. We have marked the 100th anniversary of this Republic. On that anniversary, the Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly said that 70% to 80% of our laws are made in Brussels. On so many issues that I raise at the committee on agriculture, I am told they are related to a European directive. That is what we are told but it has been signed over by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. That is not what they tell us.”
“The Government's immigration policy has been an absolute shambles. The Government has disrespected the people of this country. People in the community where I am from ask me every day what is happening to a particular building. I come in here and ask the Minister of State and his party leader but I get no response. I engage with property owners who tell me they are developing a hotel only to find out later, through a leaked document, that it is going to be an IPAS centre. That is what the Government has done. It has treated the people of Ireland like mushrooms. It is keeping them in the dark and feeding them rubbish. After a year or two years of raising this, what has the Government done? Nothing. Then it signs the EU migration pact. The Government cannot manage the system so it hands it over to our European overlords, to let them decide.”
“We have a history of persecution by a foreign power in this country and we have a key competence in peace negotiations. We should be engaging with the European Union, Israel and, indeed, the Palestinians to work out a solution.”
“All the while I have watched the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, respectively, moralise as if we have achieved something. Talk is cheap, and all that has happened has been months and years of conversation and moralising. The time for action is now. What is happening in Gaza is deeply distressing. I would like the Minister of State to take back to the Cabinet the message that we should be doing much more within the European Union to put forward the Irish position and that of the people in Gaza. Right now, we are bystanders on this. We have talked a good game here in this House but that is it. Now is the time to take the lead in the conversation across the European Union and take a more proactive role.”
“As many members of the Opposition asked important and poignant questions, I was particularly struck by Senator McDowell’s contribution. He raised the point that between member states of the European Union, there is a treaty entitlement that allows member states to prevent the importation of goods on public policy grounds. Has the Irish Government engaged with the European Union to see if this entitlement is available in respect of a country outside the EU? It seems implausible to think that this provision is available within the EU but we cannot enact the same legislation for a country outside the EU, for example, Morocco or Israel, when we could do it for Spain. It is very frustrating. I have watched conversations and debate here for weeks and this issue has been passed around like a parcel.”
“We have seen horrific scenes of the destruction of people in Palestine. It is difficult to pick any single moment but I was struck by a Palestinian paediatrician, Alaa al-Najjar, who fell to her knees with the pain and devastation of witnessing her own children arriving into her emergency department. Her nine children were killed by an Israeli airstrike. They were between the ages of two and 12. To think of such young children being killed is heartbreaking and then to think there is such starvation happening in Gaza as thousands of people are in search of food, yet there is a blockade on humanitarian supplies. Hunger is being used as a weapon of war. This is genocide. Yesterday, I listened and watched Department officials being questioned at the joint committee on foreign affairs. It was painful.”
“The rhetoric of the Government in terms of urgency and delivery is not felt on the ground. Will the Tánaiste come to Ballina? Will he engage with the planners at Mayo County Council, the developer and the engineer to see what is happening on the ground? There is no urgency in housing delivery across State agencies.”
“Last week, An Bord Pleanála overturned a decision by Mayo County Council to grant permission for 92 homes in Ballina, north Mayo. An Bord Pleanála overturned the decision and rejected this development. The site was dezoned in recent years. It is located just 2 km from the town centre and has all the necessary services, including water, wastewater, telecommunications, footpaths, etc. There is a huge demand for housing in Ballina. The board cited preserving agricultural land and housing targets in its decision. The board has chosen bureaucratic rigidity over people. It has chosen policy over people, preferring cows to couples in search of a home. It is incredible that this development was refused on the basis of potentially exceeding housing targets when housing delivery is on the floor in Ballina and across Mayo.”
“We need that Covid inquiry. We need that Covid review to investigate this. By the way, "intercepted" is not my word; it is the word of the then Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, who stated that the HSE intercepted those supplies. One third of all Covid deaths happened in nursing homes. I commend the advocacy group Care Champions, which has emerged from these horrors to see justice and rights for those in the care system. It is a wonderful advocacy group and I hope the Minister of State will work with its representatives on this journey to ensure elderly people are treated with the dignity and respect they so desperately need.”
“We very much welcome the debate. I also welcome the Minister of State's contribution and his work in this regard. I want to see HIQA having teeth to address this. It is a fundamentally important way forward. I also raise another issue. We saw during Covid, for example, the way nursing homes were abandoned. The entire sector was abandoned. We saw how elderly people were shipped out from hospitals by the National Treatment Purchase Fund into nursing homes. It caused a huge spread of Covid. We also saw how supplies, including PPE and oxygen that were meant to go to nursing homes, were actually intercepted by the HSE. These were meant to go to the people who were most vulnerable due to Covid and the HSE intercepted them and took those supplies to hospitals. That is a scandal that the Minister of State needs to investigate.”
“I could not watch the level of abuse in the "RTÉ Investigates" documentary. I could not stomach the way elderly people were treated and abused. What we saw was a complete disregard for human life and human rights and it was very focused on economic profits in this regard. Profit does seem to have been the motivating factor in some of the abuses. This is clearly concerning, particularly in light of the fact that the Government has moved away from public nursing homes to a place where this care is primarily in the hands of the private sector. The Minister of State has a major job of work to ensure that HIQA has teeth, that there are very clear regulations and consequences when actions such as these take place. Over recent weeks, we in Aontú have opposed the Order of Business because we wanted to discuss this very important issue.”
“I have reached out to the Minister and the HSE, and now I am reaching out to the Tánaiste in order to show compassion for this family and families like it who are forced to travel abroad through the travel abroad scheme, which is a good scheme. However, I believe that because we are essentially outsourcing this support, it is only right and fair, for major surgeries in particular, support is provided to family members to accompany their loved ones abroad.”
“I rise today to speak for a mother, Michelle O'Toole, who spent thousands not on luxury, but on love. Her daughter Katie was faced with a harrowing surgery abroad where a full removal of the pancreas, spleen and gall bladder had to take place in London because it was not available in Ireland. Katie was ultimately forced abroad, and Michelle's only thought was to be by her side at this very difficult time. However, no support came from the State in terms of travel or accommodation - no guiding hand. What parent has to bear this alone? It is a really difficult situation for a child to be left alone overseas in a hospital bed. The Government speaks of compassion, but there is really no compassion here with regard to this family who have paid taxes all their lives.”
“From speaking to many GPs across my constituency, there is a significant level of backlog due to many retirements and additional work that has been heaped on them.”
“I very much welcome the endometriosis clinical guidelines that were published recently. This is a very positive step forward for the thousands of women who suffer with this condition. One in ten women in Ireland is believed to suffer from it. Many of them suffer in silence. The guidelines specifically state that the clinical guidelines should be used in conjunction with the national framework. However, the national framework has yet to be published. It was due to be published last year. From speaking with the representatives, my understanding is that the discussions have yet to commence between the GP organisation and the HSE. We are coming into the summer recess. I seek a commitment from the Taoiseach to progress with the discussions so we can get to a stage where the national framework can be published.”