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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“I urge the Minister to make sure this agreement is delivered upon and does not become just a flashy document that sits in a filing cabinet like so many other Government announcements. On the topic of GPs, we need to train more of them. I ask the Minister to consider also expanding the role of pharmacists, similar to the role in Britain.”
“It is important that this long-overdue initiative happen. A particular issue is the strain on our healthcare system. In Mayo University Hospital, the emergency department is experiencing peak presentations. One of the reasons and drivers behind this is the fact that GP access has gone into freefall. That is what is happening. GP availability and primary care was one the key functioning aspects in our health service. It was one aspect of the health system that was working well, but in recent years we have seen that collapse. That has pushed a significant burden onto emergency departments across the country. A total of 40% of GPs across the country are over the age of 60. This problem will present itself in the most acute way in rural areas. Expanding the role of pharmacies across the country is fundamentally important.”
“I welcome this move, which is positive. Expanding the role of healthcare professionals in our community is fundamentally important. Let us be honest: this should have been done a long time ago. Offering, for example, screening programmes is a positive move, as is offering immunisations. The integration in the ehealth system is obviously positive and will help pharmacists deliver in their communities. I wish to be clear that it is important that this be delivered upon because too often we see the Government delivering flashy documents announcing positive things but its delivery is lacking. Recently, the Government announced the HRT scheme to much fanfare, many TikTok videos and many press releases, etc., and just a few weeks later, we see significant issues with the supply of those medications.”
“There are large parts of County Mayo that have no such facilities. Ballinrobe in south Mayo, for example, had a pop-up swimming pool this summer. I look forward to working with the Minister of State to see whether we can develop a swimming pool in that area in the years ahead. Athletics is becoming a really fast-growing sport in Ireland. It is important that it be prioritised.”
“When we see such a level of waste from the Government as set out in the most recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on the lack of regulation and the void of accountability in respect of IPAS centres, we can compare it with the money spent in local communities and see the value of that. It is really important that we continue to invest in sport and in our young people. It is an investment in the future and in the next generation. When we consider the many issues in terms of drug and alcohol misuse and screen use, we see the value of investment in sport and the fun, joy and satisfaction it brings to people. We also see the traits it imparts to participants. The competitive nature of sports and the teamwork aspect are fundamentally important. It is really important that we invest in swimming facilities.”
“It is good to be able to speak on the sports capital today. It has been a tremendous scheme for many rural communities across Mayo and the country. I recently attended the opening of my own club, Aghamore, which received sports capital to develop a gym and dressing rooms, etc. Parke Keelogues Crimlin recently opened a floodlit pitch and a walkway around its facilities. It will be hugely valuable for that club, and Westport Athletics Club. One of the key things that struck me over recent months and years is the value for money and efficiency achieved by the sports capital funding. The reason for that is it is given to local communities, many of them engaged in fundraising, that want the best for their facilities.”
“Indeed, Ireland cannot become the big brother's playground either. The other big issue here is around control in relation to digital IDs.”
“Britain's digital ID card - the so-called "Brit-card" - may be a domestic policy, but the consequences will not respect borders. By making the ID digital card mandatory for work, housing and basic services, Britain risks displacing thousands of people from the grey economy. If we consider for a moment where these people will go, are they likely to return home or to come to Ireland via the North? We already know that 88% of all asylum applicants come via the North of Ireland. We must work proactively and not reactively in relation to this issue. We must address this matter before the spillover arrives in Ireland. I call on the Government to establish an Irish Sea border to check Irish ports and airports. We must get ahead of this problem before the situation presents itself. Ireland cannot become Britain's overflow.”
“The big point is that in recent years the housing crisis has pushed a lot of people from Mayo out of Dublin. Covid and working conditions also played a role. We have seen many young people returning to live in Mayo and commuting to Dublin, if you can believe it. Many of these people travel to Dublin one, two or three days a week. The point I am making is that a journey of almost three and half hours on the train line from Mayo is unacceptable. The average speed is 80 km/h. Does the Minister of State have any plans to increase capacity and speed and develop a double carriageway rather than a single one in order that the people of Mayo can get to Dublin in a timely fashion? The distance from Cork to Dublin is the same, but there is a difference of an hour in the commute time. It is about two and half hours versus just under three and half.”
“The distance between Cork and Dublin is the same. Trains on that route reach Dublin in two and a half hours. The TGV in France has an average speed of 300 km/h. With such average speeds, it would be possible to get from Westport to Dublin in under an hour. In many cases, the people of Mayo are waiting in Roscommon for half an hour for a train to pass because of the single line and because the speeds needs to be increased.”
“Will the Minister of State please focus on regional rail? The Dublin to Westport line has had no significant upgrades in quite some time. From Westport to Athlone, we are still operating off a single-carriage line. The distance from Westport to Dublin is 262 km. The journey takes three hours and 20 minutes, which means that the average speed is 80 km/h. There are tractors in Mayo that can reach 80 km/h.”
“When it comes to litigation, Germany caps the legal fees associated with this, and the same should be considered here. I have no doubt it would crystallise the minds of those in the legal profession to perhaps engage in a pre-court settlement. I also want to raise the issue of the personal injuries board. The vast majority of claims are being settled by the court route, which is still dominant. The IRB was set up to assist in reducing legal fees in the insurance sector but it has not worked. We need to review it. In fact, we should consider having more claims go through the IRB in a mandatory fashion and make its cases binding. We cannot have a situation where the IRB is twiddling its thumbs while the vast majority of cases are going to court, and 70% of the cost is tied up in legal fees. It is a major issue and must be addressed.”
“The European Commission recently investigated the sector in Ireland and found it is highly concentrated and behaving like an oligopoly. There is so little competition that it is driving up prices for consumers. It is consumers and motorists who are paying the price. I want to raise a very important issue, namely, the litigation bonanza that is happening, particularly in the motor insurance sector. With regard to fees, 70% of the payout goes to the legal profession, that is, 70% of the total cost of a claim. For example, the average cost of legal fees is €23,000 for a claim of €46,000. That is incredible, in particular when the average claim through the personal injuries board is €700. I am asking the Minister of State to do a number of things.”
“The cost of insurance is crippling to so many young people. This Government has already priced young people out of the housing market, and out of the opportunity to have their own home. Now the Government is pricing them off the road. The Government is taking away their independence. That is what is happening. Over recent years, premiums have risen on average by almost 10%. The major issues are the lack of competition; inflated claims and the culture around claims; and legal fees. Young motorists are not only paying for their own risk, but they are also paying for systematic failures, historical legal costs and an out-of-control culture when it comes to claims. We need to focus on the solutions. We need to focus on reforming the claims culture and the awards associated with claims. We need to increase the competition in the market.”
“The manpower factor is a fundamental part of addressing these issues. These organisations have staff but a huge bulk of their work is done by individuals on the CE scheme, RSS and Tús. When wage increases happen, when there are improvements to employment and so on, the social enterprises do not receive additional funding from central government. That places significant pressure on them and it needs to be addressed. These organisations are doing tremendous work and they must be protected and supported. We cannot afford to lose the wonderful organisations that are the glue in our communities.”
“People on the RSS, Tús and CE schemes do tremendous work. They are the people preparing meals on wheels, cleaning our graveyards and cleaning the streets. It is really important work but we are not offering them enough to stay on those schemes. I spoke recently to a man who is on one of the schemes and was doing great work in the local cemetery. However, notwithstanding the additional money for being on the scheme, he was losing money by the time he drove to the different locations where he is required to work. That needs to be addressed. In Ballindine, the Meals on Wheels service had to close recently, one of the reasons being manpower issues. The fundamental factor was that the service could not find individuals to recruit onto the schemes. I believe the Minister of State is sincere in wanting to support these wonderful organisations.”
“Balla Community Centre is the hub of its community. It is a wonderful area and community. Balla Community Resources Development is doing tremendous work in Balla as well. There are many other such organisations right across Mayo. One of the major issues they consistently raise is to do with the community employment scheme, the rural social scheme and the Tús scheme. The Minister of State is from a rural constituency and will be very familiar with those schemes. The issue consistently raised is that it is particularly difficult to get individuals onto the schemes. We are in an economy of full employment, which must be mentioned as a factor. However, there is a significant issue also in terms of the money. The threshold needs to be increased because it is simply not enough to ensure these schemes are viable.”
“Indeed, it administers and assists with the warmer homes scheme as well, which is a very important aspect of its work. Clár IRD should be commended on the great work it does. I draw the Minister of State's attention to the great work taking place in Mayo Abbey, a small community that is producing some wonderful activities. The training centre in Mayo Abbey is a force for young people and all types of people in terms of the activation of the labour market. It is doing wonderful work with its organic centre, social homes and so on. Another wonderful organisation is Castlebar Social Services, which is doing tremendous work delivering hundreds of meals across the Castlebar area. I met people from the organisation recently in Buswells Hotel. They talked about the financial pressures they face.”
“I also commend the work of Sheila Hunt, the former manager in Kilmovee, who laid the foundations for the great work that has happened. Closer to my own area is Brickens Meals on Wheels, another social enterprise. It is a fantastic organisation run by the wonderful Lorraine Lowry. Brickens is the epicentre of hundreds of meals on wheels that go out to elderly and vulnerable people across my part of Mayo. It does tremendous work. During the storm, the organisation was at the front in assisting people in the worst number of weeks at that time. Eugene Waldron, a local engineer, was and remains a driving force behind Brickens Meals on Wheels. Clár IRD runs social homes and assists elderly people, senior citizens and vulnerable people in the Claremorris area.”
“It has also done great work on the AstroTurf in the community. The loop walk is a huge asset. There are plans for ten more houses in the area as well as a group home. I commend the great work of the manager, Trisha Duffy, and Tommy Horan, the chairperson of the board, who has done tremendous community work. During the storm, Tommy Horan, a number of other people and I delivered hot meals to people in the community without power. Without these types of social enterprises, the local knowledge of elderly people, senior citizens and vulnerable people would be lost. These organisations are under constant and significant financial pressures. I welcome the Minister of State's opening statement and his commitment to this sector. I will work with him to ensure this happens and is felt on the ground.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on social enterprises. I welcome the Minister of State's opening statement. It is important that we support social enterprises. I will highlight some of the great work in my constituency to emphasise the valuable work happening across Mayo. One example is the Kilmovee community housing centre. It is a small community but the social enterprise there is doing tremendous work. It is an approved housing body, runs social homes in the community, provides meals on wheels, runs after-school clubs and promotes heritage activities. It also supports young people with a homework club. It runs a Thursday club where it offers hot meals and bingo to senior citizens. In an age when we are trying to combat social isolation, this type of work in our communities is important.”
“I know this auto-enrolment scheme does not facilitate or give an opportunity for the self-employed person to receive a pension in this way. In that sense, it is unfair because the self-employed person is paying so much tax but does not receive the benefit of social welfare and so on when he or she falls on hard times in the same way that he or she would if an employee of a company. In this case, we could have examples where there is a very small company, that is, a self-employed person, who will not receive the matched funding that an employee can. That is unfair. I urge the Government to develop a scheme that facilitated the self-employed. There is no question that these self-employed individuals are second-class citizens in this State and this auto-enrolment is another example.”
“Also in respect of compliance and the setup costs, I urge the Government to ensure support is available for SMEs, particularly very small companies, to assist with the various elements of compliance that will be necessary as regards an employee leaving a company, re-enrolment and employees opting out. All of that type of stuff should be led by the Government. I will also highlight the self-employment sector. The self-employed individual is in many ways the forgotten citizen of this State. He or she is a second-class citizen of this State and the auto-enrolment scheme will do nothing for the self-employed person. I urge the Minister to develop a similar scheme that will assist a self-employed individual in this regard.”
“I welcome the auto-enrolment scheme. It will be very positive for a lot of workers across the country. I question the delays in relation to it. It is such an important aspect for particularly middle- and low-income earners and I urge the Government to prioritise its roll-out. However, I have some concerns. These concerns relate to compliance and to SMEs. SMEs are already struggling with the cost of insurance, the cost of doing business, the cost of energy and all of that and I hope this would not be another cost for SMEs. There should be a careful analysis in the years ahead. I appreciate that this is a scheme that will be rolled out incrementally. That is a positive thing but I urge the Government to tread carefully.”
“The number of housing commencements was greater during the Covid years, when the construction sector was in and out of lockdown. This is a major issue. One of the biggest issues in my constituency at the moment is the residential development fee for construction. Families have to pay the local authority more than €4,000 to build their own home. What services do they get for it in rural Ireland? Nothing. That is the truth. Approximately one third of the cost of construction goes in tax in any case. That is one measure affecting home building that the Minister has also increased in the past year.”
“As of July, 5,000 children are homeless, a 14% increase in the past year. What has the Minister done about it? I will tell him what happened in my constituency. The tenant in situ scheme was removed. A family was seeking to stay in a property and the council was willing to engage on this when the landlord wanted to sell, but because the scheme was removed the family ultimately entered homelessness. One tangible and practical thing that could be done would be to reinstate the tenant in situ scheme. I also want to raise issues relating to housing in Mayo. There were only 103 housing commencements in Mayo in the first six months of this year. We must go back to 2016 figures, essentially recession-time levels, to see such a low number of commencements.”
“I welcome transition year students from Ballyhaunis Community School in County Mayo, and their teachers, Bernie Osgood and Mairead Conway. It is great to have them here with us. I thank them for making the journey. I have no doubt some of the next politicians and leaders of the country are here today. I very much welcome the motion before us, brought forward by the Labour Party. I also welcome the housing Minister here today. Housing is fundamental when it comes to child poverty. The rates of child poverty have doubled in the past year. One in five children across Ireland is below the poverty line. The rate is increasing every year. The Minister is no doubt aware that housing is one of the biggest contributors to this. The knock-on consequences for children waking up in a hotel room and going to school are immense.”
“It is also important that the force, in terms of the regular units, is beefed up to ensure the last remaining few - the three or four members of the units - are supported as well. Again, I thank Deputy Paul Gogarty for bringing this motion forward.”
“It is really important that the Minister starts to listen to the rank-and-file gardaí because it is really unacceptable and disrespectful that the previous Minister and Commissioner disregarded one of the most emphatic votes of no confidence in the history of An Garda Síochána. In fact, it was the most emphatic: over 98% of the Garda rank and file voted a motion of no confidence, and the Minister of the day and the Commissioner shrugged their shoulders. I ask the Minister to engage with the Commissioner and to review the geographical boundaries, both subdistricts and larger districts. The bureaucracy also needs to be reviewed. The IMS system needs to be analysed. I wonder why it has not been introduced into Dublin. Is it because that system would actually crash the force in Dublin? That is what is happening across rural Ireland as well.”
“Ten years ago, it was seven, eight, nine, ten gardaí per unit; now we are down to three or four. One of the big problems here relates to the new policing model. What the Minister has done is create specialised units. It has pulled from regular units and moved those gardaí away from the front line and away from community policing. What the Minister has done is unsustainable. If a shopkeeper wanted to expand his offering and offer coffee, for example, that shopkeeper would have to do an analysis around the capacity and perhaps recruit new staff to make that offering, but the Minister has not done that. As a result, he has left the remaining few to pick up the pieces because he has not planned for this. That must be addressed by the new Commissioner.”
“It is no wonder, as Deputy Fitzmaurice mentioned, that gardaí do not feel supported with regard to their management and so on. The subdistricts need to be reviewed as well. In my own area, if you look at east Mayo, Ballyhaunis is in the subdistrict of Ballina. If they have to detain a suspected criminal, they have to travel nearly an hour to bring that person into custody. That is unacceptable and it is causing a significant barrier to a proactive policing model that I think we all need. The other issue here regards manpower. We have seen a significant reduction in the number of gardaí. I have been speaking to hundreds of gardaí over the last number of years, and right across every area and station of Mayo, the units have reduced by half. The regular units and stations in Mayo have reduced by half.”
“I very much welcome the motion brought forward by my colleague Deputy Paul Gogarty. In recent weeks, the new Commissioner has taken office. It is really important to say that the previous Commissioner left the morale of the force in tatters. This is why the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, now has a major job at hand in recruitment and retention in the force. I believe the first thing that needs to be reviewed is the new policing model, particularly in relation to the geographical areas. Mayo is in a district of the north west, with Roscommon and Longford. That is a span, from Blacksod Bay in the barony of Erris to the eastern side and the boundary with Longford, of over 200 km. It is a geographical region from one end to the other of more than three hours.”
“It has created chaos in housing and services and for the wonderful families and young people across Ireland. It is unacceptable. Essentially, its policy amounts to pouring a gallon into a pint and it is unsustainable.”
“Over 40,000 international student visas issued, representing an increase of more than 30% in the past four years. Almost 40,000 working visas were issued last year. Ten years ago, that figure was about 10,000 per year. We all are aware of the massive acceleration and surge in IPAS numbers. It is very simple: the capacity of the economy is simply unable to cope with this huge increase. A Savills report recently outlined that the ratio of housing delivery to population growth was 1:4, which represents one of the worst ratios in the western world. Yet, the Government and many in this House fail to recognise some of the issues before us. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. On the issue of migration, that is what successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have done. The Government has no plan.”
“The population is now more than 5.4 million. Last year, over 25,000 immigrants arrived into this country. That is a net figure of more than 60,000 people. In one year, that is equates to the population of Sligo, Ennis and Castlebar. Yet, this Government has failed to deliver the necessary infrastructure to sustain that level of development. Over the past five years, just over 100,000 houses were built, with a net migration figure of almost 400,000. This is basic arithmetic that the Government fails to understand. It is very frustrating for people right across the country. In the past number of weeks, students across Ireland have found it incredibly difficult to find accommodation. When we drill into the numbers, we see that the universities are engaging in a very expansionist approach to the international student cohort.”
“My understanding from speaking to Saolta and the management group is that this could provide an additional 30 nurses who are desperately needed for the hospital in Mayo. It must be sanctioned. The audit is there; it is sitting in the HSE. I am asking and pleading with the Minister, on behalf of all of the doctors and nurses who are worked off their feet, working under incredibly difficult situations and experiencing burnout on a daily basis, to implement the safe staffing framework as quickly as possible. I want her to do it this week, if possible. It could take several weeks to get those people on the ground.”
“I wish to raise real concerns about Mayo University Hospital. The Minister for Health will know that last month the hospital was in a crisis situation, experiencing over 160 presentations daily despite the fact that just four or five nurses were rostered on a given day. This month we are way off peak in terms of the winter period but Mayo University Hospital has been forced to cancel elective procedures. That is how bad things have become. We are experiencing a significant and dangerous level of understaffing. In August, a patient was in the back of an ambulance for over 13 hours. That is a verified story that the Minister will be aware of because she attended the hospital on that week. There has been an audit done in relation to safe staffing. I have researched this audit.”
“It is over €66 million of unclaimed items in one year. The Minister of State has talked about controls. I have asked him how much the CEO is getting paid and what the salaries in this organisation are. That is the level of control I expect him to declare before us in the Dáil. It is unacceptable that he talks simply about the environmental aspect without addressing the issue the people of Ireland have, which is where the money is going, how much the CEO and senior management in return are getting paid and what the situation is regarding the bin companies. Is it the case that the recycling companies across Ireland will increase their fees? Will families across the country who are struggling in this cost-of-living crisis see their bin fees rise as a result of this? What is the Minister of State going to do to ensure families are protected?”
“Is he satisfied with the level of money and unclaimed items in the company? Where is that money going? How much are the staff and CEO being paid? The people of Ireland have no choice but to pay this tax.”
“The deposit return scheme has become another tax but it is not like a normal tax that might be used to pay teachers, nurses and gardaí. This is a tax that is going into a private organisation. Last year, at the end of 2024 the company had more than 100 million deposits from unclaimed bottles and cans. Last year, the company had a cash pile of €90 million after expenses. The CEO's salary is not declared. That is what I am asking the Minister of State. I am not disputing the fact there has been an increase in recycling, which is welcome and positive. However, there are other aspects to this. This is a significant sum running to millions of euro. It is essentially a tax not used for the running of this State and that is what I am asking the Minister of State to address. Will he please deal with the question?”
“Has the DRS been a success? I am not just asking about the environmental aspect but about the financials behind company, the percentage of unclaimed deposits and where that money has gone and the impact will the scheme have on families right across Ireland who may well experience higher bin collection fees as a result of the DRS.”
“I agree that such a plant should be established but the introduction of the plant should have happened in advance of the scheme. There is a great deal of inconvenience involved. A significant amount of money is going to a private company, which gives rise to a number of questions that I hope we will soon address. It is very important that a bottle-to-bottle recycling plant be set up. Does the Minister of State have a timeline for when the facility will be made available and be able to process the material in this country?”
“It is very important that this was sold as an environmental measure. It is clear that a significant volume of material is leaving the country. Does the Minister of State have an assessment of the emissions in that regard? What work is he undertaking to ensure we have the capacity and facilities available in this country?”
“There is significant work to do on reducing the costs for cancer patients, on car parking charges and on variations in geography. It is difficult to believe that someone diagnosed with cancer in the west has a reduced survival rate and someone diagnosed with cancer in a public hospital versus a private hospital has a significantly reduced chance of survival. I ask the Minister of State to look at the important issues I have raised and perhaps come back to me with a review of those key points. I thank the Ceann Comhairle and Oireachtas staff for their professionalism and assistance in my first term in Dáil Éireann.”
“The cost of buying a bottle of water or whatever it may be in a hospital vending machine is double what it is in a shop. If I could have the Minister of State's attention briefly, why are vending machines in hospitals so expensive? Could he address that issue? Could he look into it and see what we can do as a Parliament to try to reduce that cost? Anything he or the House can do to remove additional costs and stress from people who have cancer and significant illnesses is a good thing. This is a step in the right direction. The right to be forgotten and the ability of cancer survivors to access financial products like mortgages are fundamentally important, but we cannot stop here. There is much more work to be done.”
“While it may seem small to the Minister of State and me, in the fullness of our health, please God, it would make a significant impact on cancer patients. Having a cancer diagnosis comes with significant worry and anxiety, emotionally, for the patient and their family because of all the things that go through their heads. Financial anxiety should not be heaped upon them and, where possible, the burden of the financial cost should be removed. An answer to a parliamentary question released to Aontú outlined that hospital car parks are generating extraordinary revenue. From whom is that being extracted? The hospitals are creaming it off the most vulnerable people in our society. I want the Minister of State to reduce the cost of car parking for cancer patients and other patients and remove that particular cost.”
“Coupled with the geographical disparity, it is a major task on which the Minister of State needs to work. While we are in the process of improving the circumstances for victims and survivors of cancer, the Minister of State needs to recognise the significant financial cost of having cancer in this country. Car parking charges, for example, are significant, particularly in Dublin and Galway. Many of my constituents have to travel to Galway regularly. There is a significant cost in terms of fuel, cars, taxis and buses and parking charges. The Government should remove parking charges for patients with cancer. A certain number of hospitals have done this already but, with the Minister of State's intervention, that could happen overnight.”
“For example, radiotherapy equipment with a lifespan of ten years is still in operation after 17 years. This has a significant impact on servicing, etc., which knocks these machines out of action for some time. There are no PET scanners in public hospitals in Galway, Limerick and Waterford, which is hard to believe in this day and age. From memory, over the past ten years, the number of patients treated for cancer at the Galway centre of excellence has doubled, but that has not been reflected in investments, staff numbers and physical space. Figures released to Aontú recently show there has been a 12% disparity between cancer patients in the public system versus those in the private system. The survival rate for breast cancer is 81% in the public system and 93% in the private system. That is a shocking situation.”
“I knocked on the doors of rented houses where the tenants had survived cancer for five, six or seven years and were still locked out of the ability to own their homes. This is at a time when rents are doubling because of the Government's policies. This is, therefore, a fundamentally important Bill, which we welcome with open arms. I also raise the variations in cancer diagnosis. It is a well-known fact that early detection and diagnosis improves the prognosis for individual patients. The Irish Cancer Society outlined recently that there are shocking variations when it comes to cancer diagnosis. There are geographical variations and, indeed, a postcode lottery when it comes to cancer. However, there are also significant variations in public and private treatment, which is hard to believe in this day and age.”
“I welcome this fundamentally important Bill. Aontú has been campaigning for this for a long time. The right to be forgotten is crucially important for cancer survivors. We welcome and support this right 100%. The State has effectively punished cancer survivors and victims on the double. The first way is in terms of delayed treatment and diagnosis. The Irish Cancer Society this week launched a report stating that five out of six targets are being missed by the State. In the second instance, they are punished through financial discrimination. The idea that cancer survivors have been locked out of home ownership is a sad and shocking state of affairs. I have met many cancer survivors.”