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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“Many landlords in my constituency are small landlords. They might have a number of properties and most of them are generally fair. They might get a nice family in to rent and want to keep that family there, so they may not have increased the rent in some years. Suddenly this legislation comes in and it is going to change how things are done and the rent can only be raised for new tenancies every six years. If the tenants move out for whatever reason, and new tenants are moving in after 1 March, naturally they will raise the rent because they will not be able to raise it for another six years and may not have raised it for quite some time before that. I know many landlords in those circumstances. One landlord told me he has a number of properties.”
“I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, to delete lines 30 and 31, and in page 6, to delete lines 1 and 2 and substitute the following: “(2) Within three months of the passing of this Act the Minister shall lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report setting out the impact of the “market rent reset” provision contained in section 8 on rental inflation in the private rental sector.”. I have genuine concerns about this Bill, where it is going and what it will do for renters in this country. I am already concerned about affordability. Rents are very high all over the country. That is particularly the case in urban areas but elsewhere as well. It seems that no impact study was done on this Bill before it was produced as to what it was going to do to rents. The way I see it is that rents are only going to go one way.”
“A proper investigation needs to be made into what resources precisely are needed in our schools. We know that many more children are presenting with additional needs. Early intervention is key and that is not happening at the moment. If early intervention was provided to the children who need it when they need it, we would need fewer supports as they get older and they would be able to reduce their SNA reliance as they progress through the education system. That is what we need to see happening.”
“It was sending them back and segregating students with additional needs again, because they were going to be pointed towards special classes and special schools where the resources are if they are taken out of mainstream. We need to see the proper resources put into mainstream to assist our students who have autism, ADHD or a different additional learning need, who do not need a special class or a special school and manage well in mainstream with that little bit of support that they were already getting. Students with access to SNAs currently were not just based on primary care needs. Suddenly, this was being cut and given only to those who have primary care needs. That is so unfair. It is such a blunt instrument and is causing significant distress. The pause is not sufficient. It needs to be reversed.”
“The recent letters announcing cuts in special needs assistants, SNAs, in schools have caused much concern and distress to students, parents, school staff and especially SNAs. The announcement today by the Minister for education that the review is to be paused does not go far enough. It needs to be reversed immediately. The Minister referred to engagement over the coming weeks on this issue with the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. It is not clear who else she intends to engage with. I hope it is the wider sector. It would have made sense to have that engagement first before announcing these cuts. We need to identify the need and then meet it with the resources needed. In the 1990s, SNAs were introduced to schools. It allowed schools to integrate students with additional needs into mainstream schools. This was going to be a retrograde step.”
“I congratulate the company and acknowledge what it has done. Scaffolding only became an apprenticeship in 2021. I acknowledge the work this company has done employing young people and people of all ages to take up scaffolding. It is something that requires training because it can be dangerous. I am delighted and welcome that it is now an apprenticeship.”
“There is 10% sectional scoring in the public sector on the basis of gender, social class and people from different areas of discrimination to encourage more to be included and taken on as apprentices in the public sector. We discussed other issues such as better support for small and medium enterprises to take on apprentices and better co-operation between the National Apprenticeship Office, SOLAS and the ETBs to avoid duplication and confusion. We mentioned a central application system for apprenticeships similar to the CAO to make it easier for people of any age to progress into an apprenticeship and find out all the information. A Cavan-based company, Celtic Working Platforms Limited is involved in scaffolding. It won the small employers award at the 2025 apprenticeship employer of the year awards in December.”
“All information about apprenticeships needs to be provided in an accessible way for people with learning difficulties or a disability. The curriculum needs to be adaptable to keep up with changes in modern technology and to align with what apprentices are actually doing in the on-the-job phases. We need to expand facilities and increase the number of teachers or instructors we have. There is a waiting list in certain areas for off-the-job training and people end up spending longer than they should doing their apprenticeship. It should be four years, and they may be spending five or six years. The North has a social value procurement model, which is worth considering here as well. The committee discussed how public sector participation in apprenticeships should be mandated, with targets set for under-represented groups within that.”
“There also needs to be a link to employers for Travellers and people from other disadvantaged backgrounds, or even from rural backgrounds where there are not a lot of employers in the locality in a position to take on apprenticeships. Young people may not know who to reach out to, to get an apprenticeship. If we can put in links to employers as well it would be helpful. People with additional needs have a low representation among people taking up apprenticeships. The National Learning Network could not provide an inclusive pathway to an apprenticeship. More pre-apprenticeship places need to be made available because they are oversubscribed at the moment, and they help people from disadvantaged backgrounds to progress to an apprenticeship.”
“We also need our career guidance teachers to promote apprenticeships as much as they promote other third level options to our students. My son is doing his leaving certificate at the moment and his career guidance teacher has not talked to him about apprenticeships. I asked him. Anything he has heard about it is from me when he is considering different options he can take up after school. We need to see a lot more done at second level. The Minister of State mentioned the Traveller apprenticeship incentivisation programme. It is a pilot programme. I hope there are plans to make this a permanent programme, and to make sure there is long-term sustainable funding put in place to support this programme. Providing bursaries for Travellers has encouraged and increased the number of Travellers taking part.”
“Bus Éireann, for example, was before the committee. It provides tools for its apprentice mechanics. Not all employers are in a position to do that. A grant for tools and equipment should be made available for those who find it a barrier to their participation. We need to create positive awareness of apprenticeships and promote examples of success. Katelyn is welcome and she is a huge success. She has done more for apprenticeships and for female participation in apprenticeships than any of us talking tonight or in previous months. By the way, she is an excellent dancer, and I wish her the best of luck on "Dancing with the Stars." We need to promote stories like that, so we encourage young people to take them up. Our career guidance is curtailed. We need increased hours in career guidance at second level.”
“We need to look at some targeted financial supports for people in those positions. The option to choose where to do the off-the-job training is not given. We were looking at some sort of ranking preference where people could choose where they might want to go, and if that is not possible, they should get additional financial supports. For example, I am from Cavan. If people are doing their off-the-job training in Dundalk, Sligo or Athlone they can travel to that place every day. However, if they have to do their off-the-job training in Waterford or Cork, that is not possible. They may end up paying double rent. They are paying the rent or mortgage where they live and then they are paying rent for the few months they are away as well. Another matter is tools or equipment. Some employers are in a position to provide the tools or equipment.”
“Apprentices who presented at the committee and those I have spoken to at home in Cavan are suggesting €7 or €8.50 per hour for the second year. I was speaking to one lad. After he finished school he did a particular job or course for a few years, and then at 23 he decided to do an electrician course. He went back to earning €7 per hour. I know the rate will increase as time goes by. I know when he is qualified he will be able to charge a high rate because plumbers and electricians are like hen's teeth. You cannot get them. We need to treat our apprentices better because they are older. An employer told me at the weekend that the average age of an apprentice is 25. They are coming in older. Many of them have families. They may have a mortgage or may be renting.”
“I am a member of the Joint Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, which is quite a long name. Quite a number of us in this House are members. We have been focusing on apprenticeships for the past few months and we are in the process of publishing a report. It should be published very soon. We were examining what we could do to improve the lives of our apprentices and the apprenticeship model in Ireland. In that process we met with a lot of different people. We met with employers. We met with ETBs and SOLAS. We met with unions. However, the most important voice in all of that is the voice of the apprentice. The issue for a lot of apprentices when they are taken on, particularly in the first couple of years, is the very poor rates of pay.”
“How on earth are they going to get drivers for all the additional capacity needed to bring up to 100,000 or more additional children to school on the school bus transport system? Something needs to be done. I call on the Minister for Transport to address this issue with Bus Éireann immediately to allow drivers who reach the age of 70 to continue to drive until they choose to retire as long as they are capable and pass whatever tests are needed.”
“A bus operator in Cavan is set to lose three drivers this year for his school run due to the ridiculous rule of Bus Éireann whereby people cannot drive a bus once they reach 70 years of age. This is one operator in one county, so if we look at all of the operators in all of the counties, there will be many more. The ridiculous thing is that the same driver could arrive on a bus an hour after school has begun and bring those children on a tour, to a sports event or to another event. I have heard many Members raise this in this House and in the Dáil, and I have not heard anyone disagree with raising the age for school bus drivers. The Government has announced its intention to significantly expand the school transport system between now and 2030. It is supposed to increase year on year.”
“I do not blame the local authorities in this case. They are prepared to provide the housing. Sometimes the house is just a regular house and there is no need for any sort of adaptations or anything like that but the person concerned may require some form of care or support within that house. That is not being provided by the HSE. Some of the cases are complex and others are not. It is unfair on people who are not being treated equally as citizens of this country. Their fair share of housing options is not being provided. It often ends up in an emergency situation. When a parent or carer passes away, the individual is placed in a residential setting, often in a completely different county from where he or she grew up. It is very unfair. We need a discussion on housing options for our disabled citizens to ensure they are treated properly.”
“I raise a concern about the high number of disabled citizens, especially those with autism or an intellectual disability, who are often waiting the longest on our social housing lists. There are significant delays in providing suitable housing options for people. Some are still living at home with elderly parents who are no longer capable of caring for the individual. Others are still living in congregated settings, which were supposed to be phased out years ago. Others are still being inappropriately placed in nursing homes. There is a lack of vision and planning. The Housing for All strategy was launched during the term of the previous Government. There was supposed to be co-operation between the HSE and the county council in every area to provide suitable housing options but that is not happening.”
“Not even 2% - 1.5% of the local road structure can be repaired under the current funding model and that is not sustainable.”
“They were asking that the allocation be made in early January in order that planning within local authorities could take place as to what roads they could repair. Any additional funding that might come later in the year, which is always welcome, could also be allocated sooner as well. It often ends up that there are roadworks in several locations at the one time, which causes a lot of disruption in a local area where councillors are trying to get the money spent before the end of year. The allocation still has not been made, despite promises it would be made in January. We are into February and it has not been made. I ask for the allocation to be made to local authorities but we need an increased allocation in Cavan as well.”
“People hear about billions of euro of funding in the budget and yet, the money that is coming to local authorities for the repair of our roads is minuscule. Two local roads were particularly outlined which have a lot of traffic on them, including local buses. Of course, councillors will work with the engineer in the area to see if is there a possibility of having those roads repaired. There was a wider discussion about how they feel there is a lack of accountability as to how the road money is spent. There are also issues of waste. Drainage came up a lot as well. A number of those councillors were part of a delegation to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, towards the ends of the year. They were looking both for an increased allocation and for the allocation to be made sooner in the year.”
“Last night, I attended a public meeting in Ballintemple Community Centre, Bruskey, County Cavan. It was a meeting organised by and very well attended by local people, as well as three county councillors from the locality along with me. The reason for the meeting was concern about the deterioration of the local road structure. I acknowledge this meeting could have taken place in many other places in Cavan and in many other counties throughout the country, as we are hearing, but there is a genuine concern about the lack of funding going towards the repair and upkeep of our local road structure. Cavan is a county without a rail service so we are depending on the roads for transport. It is also an area that depends on agriculture and intensive agricultural practices, in particular.”
“We need capital funding to provide spaces for young people to congregate safely and we need investment in youth workers so that we can ensure there are people willing to do that work. I request a debate on youth services to look at the sectoral plan but also to look at where the implementation plan for the national youth strategy is. A national youth strategy for 2024 to 2028 was published in the autumn of 2024. We are now into 2026 and the implementation plan has never been published. It was promised before Christmas, as was another sectoral group meeting to discuss it, but that has not happened either. I would like a discussion on all of those issues around youth services.”
“In November last, communities across Ireland came together for Oíche na hÓige. I attended an excellent event in Cavan and I am sure many Senators attended events in their own areas where youth clubs and services opened their doors to showcase the incredible work that youth workers, volunteers and especially the young people themselves are doing. That initiative was developed in partnership with the Department of Education and Youth, the ETBs and the National Youth Council of Ireland representing the youth work sector. It was a celebration of what youth work achieves every day. It was both creating the demand for and creating the awareness of youth services but it seems the level of ambition is not matched by what was announced by the Minister, Deputy Naughton, yesterday. We need to put much more investment in youth services.”
“Yesterday, many Senators stood up and welcomed the publication by the Minister, Deputy Naughton, of the national development sectoral investment plan for the 2026 to 2030 period. However, looking in detail at the document, the figures outlined have a striking lack of ambition for youth services. Of the €7.5 billion allocated to the Department of Education and Youth, only €20 million, which is 0.265%, is designated for youth affairs. This means youth services will receive well under 1% of the overall national development plan allocation. Given the Government's stated commitment to developing youth services and spaces, this level of investment is deeply disappointing and it raises significant questions about the priority being afforded to young people and the services that support them.”
“For too long, students left special schools without any kind of qualification and nothing more was expected of them than to go into a day service of some description. Many students are capable of going on and progressing in different courses and we need to make sure they can avail of different options open to them. However, the notice for the appeal and the rule both need to be looked at and addressed. It is unfair in this instance.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response. It still does not deal with the point that students are treated differently in special school settings from how they are treated in mainstream school settings. The notice this family were given was poor. They were not aware of this rule. All parents should be made aware of the rule much earlier than going into the final year of school. They have been left in a state of limbo in which they are not sure whether their son will stay in school for another year or will have to transition. The Minister of State pointed out the different post-school options students may take and it is good to see they are being considered for students in special schools.”
“I am sure it is not a huge number, but I am also sure it would not be a big issue to change it to allow students to stay in school until they are 19. When I was teaching, I taught in a mainstream school, but there were many students there with additional educational needs and one student celebrated her 21st birthday while at school. There was no issue. She had repeated school years in primary school, which left her a little older, but there was no issue with it. There was no rule that she had to leave at the age of 18 or 19. The same should apply to special schools.”
“That is their preference. They have done some preparation, but they do not want to do too much in case it does not happen. Why is this the situation? As I said, most children are now five when they start school. They do eight years in primary school and six years in secondary school so they are 19 or approaching 19 when they leave school. It seems a little unfair that children in a special school setting are told they must complete their education in the year they turn 18. Why does this anomaly exist? Can it be addressed to allow them to stay at least until they are 19? There is an appeals process, but it takes too long and it is too late in the year for many students. I am not sure how many are affected.”
“Most students now do, or have the option of doing, transition year and most students are now 19 or approaching it before they finish school. He will be 17 when he finishes school in June. He will turn 18 during the summer and they feel it is too young for him. They were surprised by it. They have appealed it through the school principal, but the appeal will not be heard until March or April and they feel that is too long. They will have this uncertainty hanging over them from when they received the letter in September until March or April of this year. For a young person who is autistic, routine is vital, as is planning for any change. They have been unable to do that with him because they do not want him to prepare for leaving school and going on to something else given that we hope he will get the year at school.”
“It is a little disappointing. I was not aware of a rule that applies to special schools only, which is that students must complete their education in the year that they turn 18, until I was contacted by the parents of a young lad who is 17 at the moment. He is in a special school. He attended a mainstream primary school until he was 12 or 13. He had been diagnosed with moderate to severe autism and it was felt that his education needs would be better served in a special school. He started special school in September 2021. This year, when he went back to school and turned 17, his parents were informed that this would be his final year in the school. They were quite surprised because they thought he would have another year. If he had stayed in mainstream school, he could have had six years of education.”
“At the same time, the Government must be upfront about the future. If it becomes clear that a derogation post 2028 is not achievable, work on an alternative plan must begin well in advance. Farmers deserve honesty and foresight, not last-minute crises. I welcome the derogation and the certainty it brings in the short term, but certainty alone is not enough. We need adequate funding, clear guidance, in particular on the habitats directive, and a genuine commitment from the Government to support farmers over the next three years. If we get this right we can protect water quality while also protecting family farms, but if we get it wrong we risk losing both.”
“Farmers should not be left in limbo, trying to make long-term decisions without knowing whether the rules are going to shift beneath their feet. The Department must engage clearly, transparently and directly with farmers and farm organisations on this issue. We must also be honest about what the next three years represent. This period is critical. If we want to retain a nitrates derogation beyond 2028, now is the time, with strong Government support, for farmers to put in the work required to ensure that water quality improves. Farmers are willing to play their part but they cannot do it alone. This means real partnership. It means practical measures that work on the ground, not just additional red tape. It means recognising the diversity of farming systems across the country and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach.”
“Another issue that is causing significant concern on the ground is the lack of clarity on how the habitats directive will interact with the nitrates derogation. This uncertainty is deeply unsettling for farmers. We have seen commentary, including from ICOS, expressing serious concern about whether compliance with the habitats directive could prevent some farmers from accessing the derogation altogether. This is not a minor issue. Farmers need clear answers. They need to know whether land designated under the habitats directive will affect eligibility for the derogation and, if so, how. At present, we simply do not know if every farmer who was in derogation last year will be able to avail of it again this year. This uncertainty is unfair. It is unacceptable. Clarity must be provided urgently.”
“It is vital that Government action, or inaction, does not become a stumbling block for farmers who are trying to comply with the new and more stringent conditions that come with this derogation. If we are serious about supporting farmers to meet these requirements, the necessary supports must be put in place immediately. A key example of this is investment in infrastructure. There needs to be increased and targeted funding under TAMS for slurry storage and soiled water storage. Farmers cannot be expected to comply with higher standards without the practical and financial supports to do so. Delays in approvals, insufficient grant aid or caps that do not reflect real construction costs will undermine the very objectives we are trying to achieve.”
“I wish the Minister a good afternoon. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on the nitrates derogation. First and foremost, it is important to acknowledge and welcome the granting of the derogation. For farmers operating within it, the decision provides a degree of certainty at a time when there is already enormous pressure on farms and farm families. That certainly matters. It allows farmers time to plan, to invest and to make decisions with some confidence about the future of their farms and their livelihoods. However, while the derogation has been granted for a three-year period, the reality is that the clock is already ticking and those three years will pass quickly.”
“I responded to Bus Éireann and told it my availability but I have heard nothing back and have contacted it again. I have also made representations to the NTA, which continues to tell me it is monitoring the situation. At this stage nothing is moving forward and nobody seems to be willing to do anything about the matter. I do not mind submitting another Commencement matter if I can get an assurance from the Department of Transport that a Minister will take this matter and maybe secure that meeting so that we can actually find solutions to the problems with the bus service.”
“When Benjamin stands at a bus stop on a Friday evening to get the bus home, more often than not the bus drives past and he either has to wait an hour or sometimes longer. Often that situation leads to such heightened anxiety that he goes back to his accommodation and does not wait for the bus, which means he either has to stay in Dublin for the weekend or somebody has to come to collect him. Following advice from the Leader, I submitted a Commencement matter on this issue but the Department of Transport refused to take it. I thank the Seanad staff here and the staff of the office of the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, because they tried to secure a meeting for me with Bus Éireann, which eventually responded just before Christmas to say that it would meet me in January.”
“I wish to raise capacity issues concerning the 109 bus service from Cavan to Dublin. I have raised it here before and in the Dáil. I have also raised it with the National Transport Authority, NTA, and Bus Éireann, as have passengers who use the service and bus drivers who drive for the service. I refer to issues around capacity, especially at rush hour in the evening when these buses leave Dublin. There are a number of other issues but capacity is the main one. Following communications, nothing has changed. We continually hear from the NTA that it is monitoring the situation. I contend that the time for monitoring is long past as capacity issues have gone on for years. In particular, I have been contacted by one young man, Benjamin, who is a student in DCU and is on the autistic spectrum.”
“These organisations are also concerned about the recently implemented Tusla Child and Family Agency structural reform and they want an assurance from the Minister, Deputy Foley, that this will not alter their national programme status or their ring-fenced national programme budget, or indeed the local governance and autonomy. They give cradle-to-grave development support in all our family resource centres to the people in their community and they want to ensure that they can continue that work. They want to ensure that the work they are doing now will continue to be supported in the way it has been and, indeed, better supported financially. If that could be raised with the Minister, I would appreciate it.”
“They work with a lot of deprived communities, in particular, on issues such as domestic violence, mental health and addiction. They use evidence-based and evidence-informed prevention and early intervention ways to address all these issues. They support families facing cost-of-living challenges, housing crisis challenges, food poverty and even hygiene poverty. They are filling a gap that is left by some of our State agencies. Their asks in budget 2026 were quite meagre, but one of the asks is very important, specifically for Teach Oscail in Cavan town. It is capital funding in order that it can source a building. Its rent is colossal and continues to rise and it may find itself homeless without some sort of support. We need to see if there is a building that would suit its needs.”
“I too want to be associated with the condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Brian Crowley. While I did not know him personally, I certainly knew of him and I was a great admirer of him. I actually thought about him in recent weeks for some reason. I had not heard anything about him and I was very sorry to hear of his passing. I want to raise family resource centres and the work they do. I think we would all agree that they are vital to our communities throughout the country. I refer in particular to Teach Oscail in Cavan town, the Focus family resource centre in Killashandra, Clones FRC and Teach na nDaoine in Monaghan and the vital work they do with families in those areas. They work with children, families, individual adults and communities.”
“I move amendment No. 5: After “calls for:”, to insert the following paragraph: “- the creation of a health outcomes assessment for Air Corps Medical Personnel similar to the Study of Health Outcomes in Aircraft Maintenance Personnel process in Australia, in order to identify potential adverse health outcomes for said personnel, and to ensure that Air Corps Maintenance personnel are supported with healthcare costs for such potential outcomes using an appropriate mechanism;””
“We call for an immediate medical assessment of former Air Corps personnel to see whether they are affected by exposure to chemicals. The Government also needs to engage with the personnel in question to ensure that a mechanism is found to ensure the personnel and their families are supported with medical care as they deserve answers.”
“The amendment calls for: the creation of a health outcomes assessment for Air Corps Medical Personnel similar to the Study of Health Outcomes in Aircraft Maintenance Personnel process in Australia, in order to identify potential adverse health outcomes for said personnel, and to ensure that Air Corps Maintenance personnel are supported with healthcare costs for such potential outcomes using an appropriate mechanism;... To explain, there have been multiple cases of long-term medical conditions that former Air Corps personnel believe to be connected to exposure to hazardous chemicals. The urgent priority now must be ensuring that medical needs of the former personnel are addressed but there is also a need for answers. What they deserve, most urgently of all, is to have their medical care addressed.”
“The focus of this Government should be on rebuilding the Defence Forces, ensuring that it has the personnel and equipment that it needs, while protecting our core value of neutrality. Our neutrality has been our greatest protection since the founding of the State and it is needed more now than ever. We are in a very difficult and volatile period of history, with the possibility of war becoming more real every day. It is vitally important that the Government is clear-sighted in ensuring the readiness of our Defence Forces and does not make rash moves such as scrapping the triple-lock neutrality protection. The amendment I intend to propose has been put forward by Sinn Féin Senators.”
“There are also the very real vulnerabilities to our offshore cables and our inability to surveil our own airspace. The reality is that our Defence Forces are in a very precarious position as a result of Government underfunding and despite a series of promises and commitments, we have seen very little practical change. It is long past time for the Government to cease the neglect of the Defence Forces and ensure that Ireland has a defence force that is fit for purpose. Sinn Féin believes Ireland must be both strong on defence and equally strong on protecting our neutrality. That means ensuring that we have Defence Forces that are able to ensure the security of the State and that enable us to participate and contribute in UN peacekeeping missions to the best of their abilities.”
“It is worth remembering that when Micheál Martin was Minister for Defence, he repeatedly returned defence money to the Exchequer unspent – €30 million in 2024, €70 million in 2023 and €70 million in 2022. What this results in is the systematic decline of our Defence Forces. In the past five years, we have had more people leave than join, resulting in a clear drain of our experience and expertise. We have also seen how more than 900 people recruited to the Defence Forces since 2020 left within five years. Unfortunately, we are now in a situation where the lack of personnel and capabilities in our Defence Forces is a threat to our national security. We have seen it most recently during the visit of President Zelenskyy to Ireland, in which we were left vulnerable to drone attacks.”
“For a military as comparatively small as ours, it is a shambolic failing that we are not able to ensure that our basic staffing and equipment needs are being met. We currently have fewer than 8,000 personnel in the Permanent Defence Force, well below the established strength, never mind the 11,000 personnel recommended under stage 2 of the Commission on Future of Defence Forces. We have had the embarrassing situation where ships have been put to sea with no functioning main gun because of a lack of specialist staff to operate it or have been unable to be put to sea at all due to lack of crew. I welcome the intention of this motion, but we now need to see real and meaningful follow-through from the Government parties. The men and women of the Defence Forces deserve better than what they have seen from the previous Government.”
“I welcome today's motion regarding our Defence Forces, which has been proposed by Senators Wilson and Gallagher, my two constituency colleagues, and I recognise the urgent need for investment and reform to improve the quality of life of personnel and the overall strength and readiness of our Defence Forces. A crisis has been allowed to develop within the Defence Forces due to long-standing neglect by a series of Governments. The State has completely failed to plan for the future and to ensure that Ireland has a defence force that is fit for purpose. Our Defence Forces are effectively at rock bottom in terms of morale and are seriously struggling to manage recruitment and retention.”