Pauline Tully
Cultural and Educational Panel · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I acknowledge that there have been huge improvements on what is available for women, compared with a few years ago when there was nothing, but still far too often conditions affecting women are seen as a specialty or mystery when there is a range of supports and advice that women could receive through primary and community care services.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire chuig an Seanad. I welcome the Bill. We will be fully supporting it. It makes sense. It will reduce barriers for women and make access to contraception easier, which is always going to be welcome. It will also ease pressure on primary care.”
“We need to look at a better public transport system, especially looking after our older people in isolated communities. Even to support our rural pub, we need to look at some sort of incentive for a taxi service that is affordable for people, so we can maintain our rural pubs and look after our older people.”
“Community and voluntary services on the ground, which are vital for providing supports and services to many sectors of the community, including older people and younger people, are not seeing sufficient funding to help them to keep running, to recruit and retain staff within the youth sector, for example, to maintain buildings if they hav…”
“The motion that we have put forward is very broad and covers many aspects that affect us in rural life. I too am astounded by the amendment tabled by the Government because it does not call for anything, which gives the impression that everything that is needed is there, yet many colleagues across the room here ask for more gardaí in thei…”
“Sláintecare is being rolled out too slowly, so we need to see proper resourcing of community healthcare. It avoids people ending up in acute healthcare settings, which are overcrowded. I see a dangerous trend where many people are being referred from areas such as Cavan and Monaghan to Dublin for acute care.”
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“As of the close of business on Friday, 3 July 2025, if our reasonable, humane requests have not been granted we will commence a hunger strike. We do not take this decision lightly. Our patience, like our Health and our time is not infinite. We are asking for: 1. A HAA Medical Card - So Survivors can access necessary medical care without delay or denial in recognition of the physical and psychological trauma we carry. 2. An Enhanced Pension - A modest and respectful financial recognition of the hardship, lost education opportunities and wellbeing we were denied. 3. We request a dedicated Industrial School Survivor Trust fund for our children (In Lieu of your proposed education fund) to support them when needed. 4. A National Memorial to honour the thousands of children who suffered and those who never made it home.”
“If I may, I will read this open letter to all Members of the Seanad from the survivors of Ireland's industrial and reformatory schools system, dated 30 June 2025. To whom it may concern, We, the Survivors of Ireland's Industrial and Reformatory Schools System, write to you today with heavy hearts and unwavering determination. For decades we endured cruelty, neglect, abuse and the erasure of our dignity in institutions run by the state and religious orders. Our childhoods were stolen, our innocence lost and our Stories too often silenced. In 1999, then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern issued a formal apology on behalf of the state and the people of Ireland, in 2009 a promise by Minister Batt O'Keeffe to allocate 500,000 euros for a national memorial to remember the children of the Industrial Schools, yet here we stand in 2025 still waiting.”
“We need to have the hurt, the beatings, the sexual abuse, the hunger, the lack of care and the lack of education in some cases - all of that – acknowledged and somehow, in some small way, made up for. If people are continually excluded from supports, that cannot happen.”
“The other priority is housing. We know that many are living in social housing or are on a social housing list. It has been suggested by Patricia Carey, who is a special advocate for survivors, that additional priority on local authority housing lists could be given. This would be similar to the priority that is given to those with medical conditions or a disability so they get priority on social housing lists but also adaptation grants or other grants that will make their homes liveable so they can continue to live there. I wish I could support the Bill because if I could, it would mean that all of the supports are being made available to all of the survivors. That is what we need to see. We need to see everybody treated equally.”
“The consultation with survivors report, which was commissioned by the Department of Education in 2019, contained a number of issues for priority that were identified by the survivors. The first was the request for a HAA card. An enhanced medical card is included in this Bill but while an enhanced medical card is a medical card without means-testing, which is welcome, it does not really give anything additional to anyone who has a medical card. A HAA card could lead to shorter waiting times for procedures or give survivors access to different supports they need without limitation and without having to wait for months or years for those services. A range of supports needs to be put forward for survivors in recognition of the trauma they have been through in their lifetime. They do not need to be waiting further for supports.”
“When redress was announced, many people were living overseas, some were in prison and others were in other institutions and, therefore, were not aware of or not able to apply for redress. To be excluded from the supports in this Bill because they did not apply for redress at the time is retraumatising for all of those survivors. We know that many of the survivors from the institutions here, perhaps up to 40%, live overseas and a large number live in Britain. The once-off payment of €3,000 is not sufficient. It should be increased or at least index-linked. While I acknowledge it is outside the scope of this Bill, there should be some way of seeking clarification that these payments are disregarded when it comes to means-tested payments, especially for those living in Britain.”
“I want to explain why Sinn Féin has opposed the Bill. There are supports in this Bill that are welcome for survivors. However, in good conscience, we could not support it when it excludes some survivors from different residential institutions. We feel there should be equal access to support for all, irrespective of whether they had received a settlement from Caranua or any other type of settlement from any other scheme. The legislation is excluding people on spurious grounds and it does not take a human rights approach. People who were boarded out or fostered out, people from certain institutions and people who spent less than 180 days in an institution are excluded from this scheme.”
“She is working round the clock and she is not even getting the minimum wage with the amount of money she is getting per hour. I hope something can be done on time before she exits this service, but I am not sure about that at this stage. If it can be looked at, updated and encouraged, more people might get involved if the scheme was more attractive.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, told me that he was unable to be here because of questions to the Minister for rural affairs in the Dáil. What he is saying is really reassuring, but I have been hearing that for a number of years and nothing has been done. When I first raised this issue in 2021, 51 providers were involved. Now there are only eight. That tells you that people are leaving. It is not because they do not want to continue. It is because they cannot continue because of the cost pressures of inflation, with food, fuel and electricity having all gone up. The money to provide the service has not gone up in tandem with that. The provider I was talking to the other day said it was difficult for her to afford to pay staff.”
“They can go to the pub for a drink. It is an independent life with just a little bit of support and so they are not living on their own. They are going to lose all of that now because successive Ministers have failed to update these regulations. The HSE has also failed to promote this scheme. It is a very good scheme that would suit a lot of people and keep them in their communities and out of nursing homes, able to live a supported but more or less independent life. That is what we need. It is something that is supported strongly by the charity ALONE as well.”
“The residents living with her were in tears when they heard this because they have nowhere to go other than into a nursing home, which they do not want to go to. In terms of the cost to the State, the difference between putting them in a nursing home and keeping them boarded out is about €30,000 per year on average. It is huge. The HSE pays between €8,000 to €9,000 at the moment. In a nursing home, it would be paying a lot more than that. It could be anything up to €50,000 a year. This scheme needs to be updated, revised, made more attractive and expanded because it is a very good scheme. I was talking to the residents living in the house the other day. Basically, they get their food and their board there, but they can come and go as they please. They can get a bus into Cavan town or Longford town. They can go to bingo.”
“They have also asked that tax exemptions, similar to the rent-a-room exemption, be introduced to make the scheme more attractive. I have been raising this issue since 2020. I have raised it with the former Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, and then with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. I had many interactions with the latter about this. I submitted parliamentary questions, raised the matter on the floor of the Dáil and written to the Minister of State. At the time, she assured me that she was having her officials update the regulations, but nothing happened. I raised the matter with the current Minister of State, Kieran O'Donnell, and I have been hearing since March that he is going to do something about it, but nothing has happened. It has come to crunch point now because the last provider is finishing up in just over a month.”
“That one has given notice to the HSE that it is going to finish up at the end of July. The reason it is finishing up and many of the others have stopped operating, not just in Cavan, but in other counties as well, is that the regulations introduced in 1993 have not been updated since. There was a review carried out about 15 years ago, but it was a very basic review and little changed. The statutory instrument - SI 225 of 1993 - and its regulations need to be updated. Providers need to see an increase in the amount that the HSE pays. They need to see that standardised across CHO areas because different areas were paying different amounts. They also need to see an increase in the amount that the resident pays. They would like to see the number of residents per household be increased from six to nine.”
“I wish to raise the issue of boarding-out regulations, that is, the service for older people. Not everyone is familiar with boarding-out services. This is a service for older people who are mobile and generally in good health and who do not require nursing home care but who cannot live on their own because they might not quite manage or they do not want to because of loneliness and so forth. Instead, they can live in a house in the community, which is arranged by the HSE. A family can take up to six residents to live with them in their home. The HSE pays a certain amount for each resident and then each resident also pays a percentage of his or her pension, determined by the HSE. This was a common enough practice the Cavan. There were eight boarding-out houses at one time. We are now down to one.”
“We need to find a system that is streamlined and a personalised budget officer and office would be the way to go about that. I fully support the Bill and I am disappointed about a delay of 18 months.”
“What kind of a life is that? The people themselves should have the option to engage the personal assistants who work for them and help them to get up, go to bed or to do whatever it might be, for example, go to work, shopping or socialising during the day, so that they are not tied to the hours of a carer. I know some people have been allocated personal assistance hours but the whole system for employing a personal assistant is awfully bureaucratic and very difficult for some people to manage. We need a streamlined service for personalised budgets, whether that is to employ a personal assistant or acquire other supports and services, that is easy for anyone to access and does not require a company being set up to pay the PRSI and PAYE.”
“We have the personalised budget pilot and I know it is being evaluated at the moment. I sincerely hope that we receive that evaluation soon and that we can look to that to guide the way forward to providing people with a personalised budget if that is what they so choose. There is the whole issue of personal assistance. Senator Clonan referred to the fact that a personal assistant put his son to bed at 8 o’clock on a summer's evening. I have heard similar stories of people who are dependent on a carer coming to their houses at a certain time. It is not about the person who is cared for, but the personal assistant trying to fulfil a number of appointments. A person could be put to bed at 7 o'clock or 8 o'clock in the evening and then may not get the assistance to get up out of bed until 11 o'clock the next morning.”
“We need to start looking at alternatives to somebody only going to a day service. There are many good examples of training courses out there that are operated well. Even teaching basic living skills would be very important and would engage people. During my time as a teacher, I taught students with intellectual disabilities. I have taught students with Down's syndrome who obtained a leaving certificate through a leaving certificate applied course. I then heard that they had gone on to attend a day service where they were sitting and colouring pictures. We need to look for a lot more for our citizens. People deserve more. That is why a personalised budget will give people options. It will give them options to purchase or engage services that suit their needs.”
“During the Covid lockdown when many services had to close and disabled people remained at home being cared for by family members, who were often aged parents, I was frequently asked about what was happening to the budget that was allocated to those people while they were unable to access the supports and services. Some services tried to engage, called out to people's houses and provided some form of service, but many did not. Whatever happened to that budget that was supposed to be allocated to a person but was not provided to him or her during that time? Day services vary but we have such a low level of expectation for many of our disabled people, especially those with intellectual disabilities. It is often just assumed that if a child attends a special school, then he or she automatically attends a day service afterwards.”
“We discussed many issues at that committee that affected the lives of disabled people but one thing that came through was that it was not the disability that was the issue, but the many barriers and obstacles in everyday life that were really disabling people. We spoke about supports and services for disabled people. Maybe some people were happy to a degree with what they were receiving, but many were not. I remember speaking to one father outside of the committee whose daughter had quite complex disabilities and was attending a day service in Galway. He really felt it was not addressing her needs. When he queried the provider or the HSE about getting a better day service for her, he was basically told to take it or leave it, that was what he was getting and that was what was there.”
“I speak in support of this Bill. I spent many engaging hours as part of the Committee on Disability Matters during the previous Government term, along with Senators Clonan and Flynn and a number of others. I engaged with the Acting Chair, Senator Rabbitte, as the then Minister of State many times on the issue of disability as well. I learned so much from the engagement with disabled people who were advocating on behalf of themselves or with advocates, perhaps family members, engaging on their behalf. The committee was very focused on the UNCRPD, which is all about rights for disabled people and disabled people being able to control and manoeuvre their own lives.”
“His teeth are now so bad that he will require implants, which will cost a huge amount of money he does not have. She was talking to me about how we get support for this young man to get his teeth seen to. It was causing him such distress that he was suicidal because of the state of his teeth. There are many issues here that need to be dealt with. There is nothing in the motion I disagree with. We just need to see it implemented.”
“Most are of them are children, but some of them are adults who were not seen as children. They have become adults and still require the service but have not been able to access it due to years-long waiting lists. As my colleague mentioned, people who require general anaesthetic for dental surgery are waiting possibly years. It is again down to a lack of trained personnel to provide this service. Autistic children have sensory issues around having their teeth seen to by a dentist, so we need a number of specialised dentists who can address that. Recently, a constituent contacted me about a young man of around 30 years of age whose teeth are in a shocking state of disrepair. He is autistic and has not gone to a dentist because he cannot stand anything being put into his mouth.”
“Regarding medical card services for adults, in 2009 the budget being spent on this was €86.8 million. It is €20 million less than it was a number of years ago. Due to our population increase and the increase in the costs of all these services, it stands to reason that people are not getting the service they deserve. Fewer people are being seen. Approximately 50% of the dentists on that scheme have pulled out. That is partly to do with funding but many would say it is to do with the contract and the bureaucracy involved in the contracts. Even if the money was increased, many would not go back in under that contract. We are seeing many people with medical cards unable to access dental care because they cannot afford to pay for it privately. There are thousands waiting on orthodontic services.”
“It is due to insufficient staff. There are 22 posts unfilled at the moment. The Irish Dental Association has been calling on the Government to rebuild the dental service and to immediately recruit 120 dentists. If we were to look at it and assess it properly, we would probably need even more dentists than that. I would say we need more than 400 dentists to address the concerns of the population as it stands. The HSE recruitment moratorium has affected dentists more so than any other grade. There has been a 23% decrease in the number of dentists recruited. The numbers of doctors, nurses, etc., have increased, even though we still need more in the system. The number has actually decreased for the dental service. Numerous posts have disappeared under the pay and numbers strategy.”
“Our public dental service is basically not functioning, or functioning to a very low standard. In 2006, there were 330 dentists working within the public dental service. Last year, there were 253. Considering that the population has increased by about 1 million, it tells the story that children are not getting the check-ups they should be getting throughout primary school. They should be getting three check-ups, in second, fourth and sixth class, but many are not getting any or only getting one, or it could be into secondary school. It is in primary school that they need to learn the preventative measures to ensure they do not develop tooth decay and gum disease. Some 104,000 children - 50% - missed out on a dental appointment in 2023. I do not have the figures for 2024, but it was something similar in 2022 as well.”
“Now, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, keeps telling me when I meet him that he is going to do that. Unfortunately, all the providers are leaving one by one because of the failure of the Government to act. This is one last plea. Will the Minister please look at it and review it very quickly? We are going to lose our last provider. It really is a scheme worth looking at and expanding throughout the country. It keeps people in their communities and it is very much supported by the charity ALONE.”
“The remaining provider has six people living with her at the moment, all of whom are upset because it is like being evicted from their home. They are going to have to find a new place to live. That will be done through the HSE but is most likely going to be nursing home care. They do not have families they can live with and they cannot, as I said, live alone. I have been bringing this issue up since 2020. I brought it up with then Minister, Deputy Donnelly, with Minister of State, Deputy Butler and now with Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell. They have all promised me that this scheme will be reviewed and updated and that it will be expanded because it is a very good scheme, but nothing has happened. I have promises on paper from the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and she has done nothing on it.”
“I raise the issue of boarding-out services. These are services that support older people to live in their own community, people who do not require nursing home care but cannot live on their own or do not want to live on their own. They live in their community and are supported where they need to be they but live practically independent lives. At one time there were eight houses providing this service in County Cavan. The last one is due to close at the end of July. The reason that all the providers, including this one, is leaving the scheme is the failure of successive governments to actually update and review the regulations and increase the supports to providers. The cost of supporting an older person in one of these settings is approximately one fifth of what it would cost if they were in nursing home care.”
“I thank the Minister for acknowledging that. Could there be a way, under a different Department or in a different scenario, to set out a plan? The amendment calls for a plan that looks for that money, so that it is not left at the discretion of the organisations. If they signed up for this, they should be made to acknowledge that and properly pay for the damage they have caused. This is not to take away from all the good work many people in religious institutions have done in this State over the years and continue to do. Unfortunately, huge damage was done to some of our citizens.”
“Compensation is a fundamental recognition of the lifelong harm caused by the neglect, physical violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse and psychological abuse inflicted on survivors. Voluntary or discretionary payments are insufficient. Basically, they are tokenistic. The State must ensure all liable institutions contribute to a transparent compensation fund. To exempt institutions or to not pursue payment would perpetuate the culture of impunity that enabled the abuse to happen in the first place. Survivors have waited long enough for justice and deserve immediate restitution. Rather than the State continuing to shield religious orders and others from financial responsibilities, it has to ensure taxpayers do not foot the bill alone for crimes the church and State played a part in.”
“I move amendment No. 28: In page 15, after line 11, to insert the following: “Commensurate compensation from Religious Orders 22. Within 6 months of the passing of this Act, the Minister shall prepare a comprehensive plan to deliver commensurate compensation from Religious Orders, this to include a consideration of every avenue of recourse and a timeline of engagements and actions, in pursuit of the public good.”. The amendment calls for, within six months of the passing of the Bill, a plan to be put in place to seek compensation from institutions responsible for systematic abuse. Whether the institutions were State-run or religious, Catholic or Protestant, privately operated or otherwise, they must be held financially accountable to survivors.”
“It should be index-linked to the cost of living and, furthermore, additional payments should be provided, on a case-by-case basis, to survivors with complex health needs.”
“I support Senator Stephenson's amendment. The Department of education should liaise with the UK's Department for Work and Pensions on this issue. My understanding is that approximately one third of the people deemed eligible for the payment live in the UK. We need clarification as to whether the payment will be disregarded for the purpose of means testing applicants for benefits given in the UK. Philomena's law will, we hope, progress through Westminster. We must make sure staff in the Department for Work and Pensions are aware of the payment and that it will not impact on means testing. I agree with previous speakers that the proposed €3,000 payment for former residents is not sufficient.”
“They are in residential settings where parents cannot get answers as to why their loved ones have a bruise, cut, are not being cared for properly or there are very few activities. I am concerned about a lot of issues. I commend the many foster families and social workers on the great work they do, but we do not have enough social workers. There are 250 children without a social worker. We need to train more. It is a tough job. In order for social workers to stay in that job and continue providing supports to children, they need to be supported. If they have too many children to look after, everybody suffers. I am delighted that Grace is living a good life now, is properly cared for and is happy in her home.”
“When I was a teacher, I had to report suspected abuse and there was a chain of command. I knew exactly who in the school to report that to. If I heard or strongly suspected something, I knew what to do with that information and, therefore, it could be investigated further and, it is to be hoped, resolved. The failings in this case include Mr. and Mrs X, who were guilty. However, the State is complicit in neglect and abuse by placing Grace and any other children in the home without the proper assessment and monitoring. I continue to have concerns because I am contacted regularly by the parents of young adults. Very frequently, those young adults may be autistic or have an intellectual disability, or both, and are often non-verbal.”
“It cost a lot of money and took a lot of time, yet the findings are lukewarm. How many children are currently in similar situations? The Children's Residential and Aftercare Voluntary Association said there has been an increase in unregistered and uninspected for-profit providers in the care system. There is a focus on profit and not care. We have heard a number of different allegations and investigations into residential settings, some of them nursing homes and others residential settings for people with disabilities, over the past few years. The management structures are letting people down. There is a focus on making profit and there are not enough staff to monitor what is going on. Proper management systems have not been put in place. We need safeguarding legislation and mandatory reporting.”
“The commission of investigation took eight years and cost almost €14 million, and the findings were of neglect and financial abuse. However, while that happened and there were findings, I do not feel that the physical abuse and sexual abuse were properly investigated. There were 47 other children in the same house at different times. I saw a “Prime Time” interview with a sister of one of those children. From what she said at the time, I think there was no doubt that there was sexual abuse in that house. Whether Grace was subjected to it, we will unfortunately never know because she is non-verbal but she is extremely vulnerable and was not protected. The interviews and information provided by the whistleblowers and Grace's legal team were not included in the commission of investigation.”
“In fact, it was sanctioned for her to be removed and, very disturbingly, this was overruled by the then Minister for Health. She was a child and developed into a woman. She was left there for 20 years. God knows what she endured in that time. Again, it was only due to another brave whistleblower, who in 2007 raised concerns about her well-being, that it was investigated, and it still took two years for her to be moved. I commend the whistleblower and, indeed, whistleblowers everywhere. It is not made easy for them in any shape or form. Many people see things happening and are afraid to report them because of the management structure within these places. I am glad that someone with a conscience came forward and stepped up.”
“What happened to Grace is forever unforgivable. It is unconscionable to know what she went through. She was a young girl of ten or 11 years of age with an intellectual disability and non-verbal who was put into a place - I would not even call it a home - that was not properly assessed before she went into it. She was left there for a period of six years during which there was not one visit by a social worker to see whether she was okay, whether her needs were being met or whether she was being subjected to abuse or neglect in any form. For six years, she was really forgotten about despite concerns being raised by the Brothers of Charity in 1991 about other children in that same house. She still was not removed in 1996 even though there were allegations of sexual abuse against Mr. X.”
“Will the Minister of State give an indication as to whether additional funding will be made available this year, as it was last year? The funding will be put to good use. I understand Cavan County Council is probably not the only local authority looking for additional funding. I know a number of them did not spend their allocations but the vast majority did and required more funding.”
“I thank the Minister of State. As he noted, that tallies with what the council has been informed of and I know additional funding was provided last year. I am really asking whether there is a possibility that can happen again this year. I know the council has made an application for additional funding to the Department. The council is willing to try to come up with the matching funding of 15% within the council. It has to managed to do that even though it has put a fair burden on the council, because it realises the importance of these grants and the importance of honouring the priority one grants, in particular, by ensuring it has sufficient funds to cover those applications. The council does not know the volume of grant applications with priority one status requiring work to be done to a home yet to be sent to the office.”
“For her, it means that if she slips in that bath, which is what she is terrified of, she could end up breaking a hip, needing hospitalisation or needing residential care. If, however, the level access shower can be provided now, that could prevent a very serious accident happening. I have other examples of people who are looking to replace windows and doors and were hoping to get it done before the winter, but now that is not a possibility. People who may have dangerous electrics in their home need to have them replaced, and that is not a possibility. A lot of work that could be carried out now could prevent more work being needed down the line if accidents occur or if the home deteriorates.”
“There will be need for increased funding for these grants as well as the council’s aspect that it spends an increased amount. Is there a possibility a top-up will be given to Cavan County Council in order for it to ensure it can honour the grants it has approved and it continues to honour the priority 1 grants and, it is hoped, some of the others? I will give an example. One woman, who is 81 years of age, hoped to have the bath taken out of her house and get a level access shower. She applied for the grant last year but, unfortunately, her application seems to have gone missing. I had to sit down with her and do the application again and get all the information in, only to find the grants are being paused.”
“It got €1.3 million last year but then received a top-up to bring it up to €2.2 million. The council told me that last year it approved 239 grants and this year, so far, 293 grants have been approved. A little bit of it is a throwback to Covid because grants were being passed at the time and then construction could not be carried out because of restrictions, or the construction workers were not there to do the work. That, thankfully, has changed. The work is being done and the money needs to be paid out. Perhaps in a year or two, there will not be as much demand. We have to recognise as well that the grant system opened up the eligibility criteria, increasing it, and the thresholds increased, which means it has consequences. We also have an ageing population, which also has consequences.”
“The county council is pausing applications with immediate effect so it can prioritise those with most need. At the moment, it is going forward by prioritising those with priority 1 status, those who require adaptions to allow them to leave hospital or a residential setting, or those who are terminally ill or dependent on a carer or family. However, even that aspect is funding-dependent. The county council hopes it is only a temporary measure but that is dependent on accessing increased funding. It is quite early in the year to pause the grants. Last year, the council spent €2.2 million, but this year its allocation was only €1.8 million, which is still a considerable amount but it is not as much as it received last year. Last year, it received a top-up.”
“I have been recently notified by Cavan County Council that it is pausing the private housing grant applications for the moment due to high demand. This refers to the housing adaptation grant, the mobility aids grant and the housing aid for older people grant. These grants are vital to make changes or improvements to homes to accommodate changing needs which may occur due to ageing and mobility issues as a result of ageing, accident or illness. It also makes it possible for older houses to continue to be liveable in respect of electrics, windows and doors, a leaky roof or so forth. These grants make it possible for people to continue living in their own homes and frequently make changes that allow life to be easier and accidents less likely to happen.”
“They said it is a hidden gem that is not promoted. We could look at that. Anything that will create more employment opportunities for people in those regions needs to be considered and invested in. I thank the Minister.”
“It is a deterrent to investors coming into the region because they cannot find housing for their workers. For all of those things to happen, there must be significant investment. We cannot overestimate the significant negative impact that the hard border had on the Cavan-Monaghan and Border regions for many years. Local roads were blown up and communities were divided. Farms were even divided at the time. I commend the incredible work of the Irish Central Border Area Network, ICBAN, and the other regional Border authorities that are working with their counterparts in the North and trying to bring investment into the area. It has been successful to a degree but it is not sufficient and more needs to be done. Tourism also needs investment. Someone said to me during the pandemic when they could not go abroad that they visited Cavan instead.”
“The area, the northern and western region, had the lowest share of investment in public tenders worth more than €1 million, at less than 10%, compared with the eastern and midland region, which constituted 66.5%. Of the larger tenders of more than €20 million, the area saw less than 6%, while the eastern and midland regions saw 75.2%. There is a significant imbalance. There is also lower investment in undergraduate funding in the northern and western region. We have an equal share of graduates but they cannot find work in the region and are forced to work in another region of Ireland or another country altogether because of the lack of investment. We need investment in transport and energy. We also need investment in water and wastewater services because housing is needed if we want to increase employment in an area.”