Peadar Tóibín
Meath West · Aontú · Ireland
“Lonely Planet. It did a review of Dublin and stated, "Once Dublin’s grand boulevard, O'Connell St has struggled with decline". It stated that vacant buildings, derelict upper floors and long-stalled redevelopments leave this part looking neglected while retail has shifted elsewhere and been replaced by fast food shops that dilute its char…”
“The Irish people are a generous and decent people and have been over the past number of years, with the provision of supports to people from Ukraine who are fleeing the war. This is right and just. The war unleashed on Ukraine is absolutely wrong. Aontú will support the reduction in the rate of payment under the scheme.”
“I am very disappointed to see that the Government, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party, the Green Party and People Before Profit will vote against an amendment that wants to means test the payment, as an amendment also did on the previous occasion, and put it on a level footing with other housing assistance payments.”
“Landlords are rational and they will make economic decisions to best suit themselves. Landlords have been more inclined to take on Ukrainian tenants over Irish tenants in recent years. This system is discriminatory. It gives an advantage to guests in the country over the people who have lived here for most of their lives.”
“Anyone who sat the leaving certificate economics paper just a few weeks ago will know that demand also has a role. It determines what rents are, the price of houses, etc. It is physics and maths and not ideology. We need to get to a situation where we equalise supply with demand.”
“A global study by TomTom indicated that it is the 38th most congested city globally, behind cities such as London, Toronto and Rome. The task force indicated that the Cork Luas system would be built. That Luas system is in planning and that planning is taking a long while.”
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“The Colombian President has expelled the remaining Israeli diplomats and Colombia has also terminated its free trade agreement with Israel. I appreciate the information the Tánaiste has given us in the Chamber today. It is important information. I appreciate also that the Tánaiste is in contact with the families and that is important too. However, what practical actions are we taking to protect the rights of our citizens, to make sure their well-being is protected and to get them home as soon as possible?”
“It is incredible that the Israeli foreign minister, in a post on Twitter, labelled those involved in the flotilla as Hamas, announcing that the IDF had intercepted Hamas vessels. This is a dark and dangerous surrealism that the Israeli Government would accuse Irish citizens of being members of Hamas. It is absolutely incredible that names like Kelly, Sheehy, O'Donovan and Clancy could ever be associated with Hamas by an actual government. Protests are happening in Greece, Italy, Germany, Tunisia and Türkiye. Governments around the world have been ramping up the criticism and pressure. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has increased that pressure. Türkiye's foreign minister has condemned these interceptions as an act of terrorism.”
“Those lies were never credible but they are certainly not credible after today. We express our solidarity with all those who have been detained. The idea that 500 lawyers, activists and parliamentarians have been involved in this is an incredible feat. The flotilla was intercepted in international waters. That is a clear breach of international law. It is another example of Israel operating as a rogue state. It is an act of aggression against the countries under which flags those boats were travelling. It is incredible that we have had such a serious act of aggression against Ireland. There are 15 Irish citizens in the custody of the Israel Defense Forces, IDF, at the moment.”
“I add my condemnation to the horrendous attacks that have happened outside the synagogue in Manchester. As the Tánaiste knows, the world has looked on at the horror that has happened for the last two years in Gaza and the fact that over 60,000 men, women and children have been murdered. Dozens of men, women and children are being murdered daily. Bombs are being dropped on schools, tents, religious locations and churches, hospitals and asylum centres. The level of destruction and murder that has been happening in Gaza for the last two years is absolutely horrendous. This flotilla is a significant tool for focusing light on that horrendous situation. Israel has been at pains to tell us that there is no genocide, that there is no blockade of food and that they are not stopping aid getting into the region.”
“Will the Minister ensure there is no such separation from the families, and that the terms of reference of such an inquiry are fully in sympathy with the needs of the families when they are announced?”
“I think the Minister understands this perfectly well. Given that it has been so hard to get information from CHI over the last number of years, anything less than a statutory inquiry into the lack of care for children on scoliosis waiting lists is not going to get to the truth. The fact that there has been no information forthcoming from the individuals involved means that if we cannot compel people and papers to find out the truth on this, we are simply not getting to the facts. I have been here for a while and I have heard of inquiries being announced in tandem with campaign groups, and it being said that the terms of reference will be agreed by the campaign groups. However, when it comes to the inquiry being set up there has been a separation from the actual campaigns.”
“The 2023 report, in fairness, states that CHI is sitting on approximately €36 million at the moment. My understanding is that it is not spending it because that money has been assigned to fit out the new children's hospital.”
“The Minister must admit it is quite shocking that it will take 14 months for a question asked in September 2024, about how many children have been taken off waiting lists without their parents knowing, to be answered. It points again to the dysfunction. I welcome that the Minister has met with parents about this. That is a good thing. The Minister mentioned money going into this section. Some €11.6 million was provided to outsource operations abroad for children who need it. As of now, there is no child scheduled for operations abroad. This shows that while money is being provided, it is meaningless if it is not making a practical difference to the lives of these children. The 2024 report of CHI has also not been published. That is scandalous.”
“It is now eight years since the Minister's predecessor, Simon Harris, said that no child would be left waiting for longer than four months for a scoliosis operation. This time last year I asked him how many children had been taken off operation waiting lists without their parents knowing. He stated he would find out. However, as yet, there is no evidence that he has found out and let us know. Does the Minister know how many children were taken off the waiting lists without parents knowing, in a similar manner as to what happened with Harvey Sherratt?”
“The Government talks about the fact that it has improved the income disregard in the last 12 months, but the income disregard change is actually having no effect on the number of people who are being failed in their application for carer's allowance. Unless the Government gets real in this, it is going to condemn tens of thousands of people to lower incomes, poverty and to not being recognised for they are doing. That is wrong.”
“If the Government does not fund carers, cares do not do the work they do and if the State has to step in and fill that gap, it will cost the State billions of euro. Indeed, it is estimated that the whole value of care that carers are providing at the moment is worth about €20 billion. Therefore, it is does not make sense that the Government is not focusing funding in this space as it saves the Government significant money. I wish to mention a reply to a parliamentary question we got back over the last few days. Incredibly, 37% of carers who applied for carer's allowance last year were refused. That is an incredibly high figure. Nearly 40% of the applicants are being failed on an annual basis. The truth of the matter is that it looks like the Government is going to fail more applicants this year than it did last year.”
“It is long hours and it often means significant sacrifice. I am talking about sacrifice in terms of income as well; income that would been earned if that individual was in another job. It is also work that is predominately done by women therefore it also has a significant impact on women throughout the country and their incomes. If we want to know what this Government values, just follow where the money goes. In all forms of care, the Government does not value care. Whether it is childcare, care for people in nursing homes or children in State care, these are many of the jobs that are paid the least of all the different jobs that exist in this country. There is also a fool's economy here in relation to this.”
“This time last year, Aontú proposed a motion in this Chamber seeking the ending of the means test for the carer's allowance. That motion was co-signed by Seán Canney and Noel Grealish who are now junior Ministers in this Government and it had a timeframe of 2027 for the complete abolition of the means test. It is very clear that there is absolutely no will in the Government to abolish the means test by 2027, which is shocking. This particular motion had the will of the Chamber here. The big problem I have with the Government at the moment is that it treats this payment as if it is social welfare. It is not social welfare. Care work is some of most essential work that happens in Irish society. The idea that it is being treated in the same manner as social welfare is absolutely wrong. It is often done out of love but it is tough work.”
“Not only is Gaza being levelled but Israel is destabilising its own future. This is the truth of the matter. It is creating an enormous crisis. There is no doubt that atomising children in a tent will not lead to peace. It will lead to the radicalisation of people against Israel. We know that in this country: "...the fools, the fools. They have left us our Fenian dead ...". We know the fact of the matter is that by killing people, peace is not created; a response in return is actually created. The criminal government of Netanyahu is destroying the opportunity for a two-state solution and a peaceful outcome in that region.”
“Incredibly, that flotilla has come under drone attack. It is a really serious international incident that has not been pushed back on to the level it should have been. There have been a few shards of light in this horrendous crisis. The flotilla is a significant one, and the recognition of the State of Palestine by other western countries is another one of those few positives that have happened recently. The Government has been stronger than the EU on this issue, but it has been weaker than the Irish people on this issue too. I urge the Government as well to make sure it sends some form of observation in relation to this flotilla. Aontú wants to see the occupied territories Bill implemented as soon as possible and the Government take a harder stance with the US and the EU on this issue.”
“It is incredible that Ireland is one of the few countries in the world whose population is still out of its normal growth trend because of that famine. We see ourselves very clearly reflected in the eyes of the Palestinian people. Midway through this conflict I was looking at the screen and like many people I could not understand why western countries were not dropping food into Palestine. I cannot think of another location on the planet where such violence and starvation would exist where the West would not have taken the step to airdrop food into a location to make sure people survived. It did not happen, though. It is incredible that it has taken a flotilla of citizens, a group of volunteers, to do the job the international community would not do. This flotilla is embarrassing the international community for its inaction.”
“The truth of the matter is that western countries have underwritten this action. Many western countries have offered a blank cheque to the IDF to continue this war, and that is something that is a stain on the international community and the rule of law, which will haunt the west for many years. It is important that we in Ireland take a strong stance on this. I have been asked many times why this matters to Irish people. It matters because Irish people see themselves in the eyes of Palestinians. Irish people have gone through occupation for many centuries at the hands of a far more powerful neighbour and have suffered enormous violence associated with that occupation. We have suffered a strategic famine that was levelled on the country in an effort to reduce the population.”
“Some 66,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel's bloody war on the people of Gaza. Dozens of men, women and children are being killed on a daily basis. Hospitals, schools, refugee centres and churches are being bombed by the IDF. Bombs are literally atomising families in tents. We have never before seen this number of journalists, doctors, nurses and UN staff being killed in large numbers by the IDF. Food is being denied to the whole nation as a tool of war in order to starve the people of Gaza, which is unbelievable. Gaza is being systematically levelled. The IDF is unconstrained in its bloody retribution by any humanitarian consideration. Netanyahu's bloody war has been allowed to happen as a result of the US and many countries in the EU doing as little as possible.”
“Mention was previously made of the establishment of an office of inquiry. Given that these statutory inquiries can go on at length-----”
“I welcome the announcement that there will be an inquiry into the care of spina bifida and scoliosis patients by CHI. It is good news and I give credit to Stephen and Gillian and the advocacy groups for achieving this. It is really important that it be a statutory public inquiry. Any inquiry without the power to compel people or papers will not get to the truth in relation to this. It is also important that the terms of reference are in agreement with the family of Harvey Sherratt and the advocacy groups. We have been here before where terms of reference were promised to be done in agreement with the campaign and then, at the last minute, the group found the terms of reference were not in sympathy with its views. In the case of the Women of Honour, a number of women who were part of that campaign did not agree with the terms of reference.”
“A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, it is poor performance by the Minister to make an allegation in relation to things I said and when I ask him to indicate what it was I said, he does not give that information. It is very poor.”
“Despite the fact that we have gone through an horrendous summer as regards difficulties children have had and that the money is sitting there, some dysfunction is stopping those children going abroad for those operations. CHI has still not published its 2024 report, which is quite incredible, the Minister must agree. I understand CHI is also sitting on a big pot of money that it is not using for the benefit of these children.”
“I welcome the decision to fold CHI into the HSE. We called for it a number of months ago. However, a number of serious issues have not been dealt with yet. First, I raised the case of Harvey Morrison Sherratt with Simon Harris about a year ago when he was taken off the waiting list for surgery. Simon Harris told me he would find out how many other parents and children had been taken off that list. A year later, I have not received that information. Critically, 230 children are currently on that waiting list. In January this year, €11.6 million was given for those children to be able have operations abroad. Right now, no children are scheduled to have operations abroad.”
“If this was an isolated incident, there would be some excuse for it. The truth of the matter is that we know there are dozens, potentially hundreds, of people who will be affected by this. Regarding An Post, a group of retired workers had to hold a national day of action in Dublin before the Dáil broke for its summer recess to protest the unfair pension cap. It was put in place due to the financial crisis in 2008. I understand, admit and accept this is a separate case to the case we have discussed, but in this situation pensioners have had their pensions significantly reduced because of an emergency action taken after the 2008 crisis. Other emergency restrictions imposed on public services were removed many years ago, yet these men and women, aged in their 70s and 80s, are suffering from financial hardship because of the cap.”
“I have no doubt that this will last for years; these men and women will find themselves before the High Court in two, three or four years' time. Some will have to pay costs, which can be extremely high, having taken cases against a semi-State organisation.”
“There is currently a case before the High Court. The Minister is in charge of the law at the moment. He quoted the Act determining the situation. There is confusion about the Act. It is obviously not doing what it is meant to do in clearly delineating the different responsibilities people have under the different classes. That is a problem. The Minister is handing over the decision-making process to the court. He could change the law to clear up the current position. An Post is also a semi-State organisation and operates under the Government's policy and law. Scope is a State agency. It operates under the Government's policy and law. It is the Government's pension law in question that is problematic.”
“I am frustrated by the Minister's answer on the pensioners who have worked in An Post for decades who are being given a reduced pension. It is an incredibly serious issue. It determines the standard of living these pensioners have. Given the Minister's previous answer on this matter, it seems like he is outsourcing a decision to the High Court. It is the responsibility of the Government to set out the rights of pensioners clearly. It is wrong for the Government to come in here and tell the House that the High Court will sort out this particular misclassification. Will the Government take responsibility for this classification problem?”
“These workers - men and women - are getting older. This is a live situation that has to be resolved. It cannot be allowed to meander and languish in the High Court for years.”
“I am happy to share any information I have about the constituent, but the question on the Order Paper asks how many pensioners are in a similar situation. This is not a criminal case that An Post is involved in, so I do not see why the Minister cannot give a view about the entitlement and rights of a pensioner. I know of at least 30 pensioners who are in a similar situation to this pensioner. It is my understanding that it might be the case throughout elements of the public service. Perhaps people who are employed by local authorities could be in a situation where there is confusion about what pension entitlement they have. This is a serious situation. For example, as part of the court case, papers have been requested from An Post to help the case and An Post is refusing to provide the papers, which is slowing down the case.”
“The pensioners cannot find out what their entitlements are because of an outstanding court case brought by An Post. How come the Department cannot work out their entitlements? Why are they the subject of a court case? Will the Minister seek to resolve the matter as soon as possible?”
“A pensioner came into my office recently who was one of six workers who started work on 25 July 1994. The rule, which the Minister mentioned, was that anyone who started before 6 April 1995 and worked on a continuous basis in an established position should be on class D PRSI contributions. The State made its decision. The scope section of the Department agreed with the decision. The class D contribution means people were entitled to retire at 60 and receive the full State pension. However, an appeal was made by An Post. Let us think about this. These are workers who committed their lives to the service of An Post. They paid a rate of PRSI which means they are entitled to a decent standard of pension on retirement and a semi-State company is in court fighting this decision. As a result, these pension entitlements are in limbo.”
“There are major problems with pensions at the moment. People have to fight for their pensions. Aer Lingus pensioners come to me who are still not being paid their full pensions. Pensioners come to me who say that 70,000 of them have received letters stating they may have been overpaid on their pensions. They are living in fear about that. This question relates to An Post pensioners who have been left in limbo about their pension rights. A High Court case is coming up, which seems like it is looking to deny them the income they should have as pensioners. How many pensioners are in that situation? When will it be resolved?”
“A Government that gives a semi-State body the mandate to make €800 million in profits during a cost-of-living crisis when so many people are in arrears does not give a tuppenny damn about the state people are in. Actually, there was €700 million made in profit last year. Incredibly, during Storm Éowyn, when people were begging the Government for food and trying to get energy infrastructure back up and running to get their houses reconnected, the ESB’s suggestion was that they should pay for the fixes themselves. This from a semi-State that was making so much money. The Government is talking out of both sides of its mouth, offering tea and sympathy to people while pilfering their pockets with extra taxes every year.”
“How bananas and dangerous is it for a Government to lock in a tax five years in advance without knowing what condition people will be in at that stage? The Government is ratcheting up costs during a cost-of-living crisis. That is having an effect on people. Hundreds of thousands of people are living in poverty in this country. One quarter of all domestic gas users are in arrears, which equates to 180,000 families. Some 300,000 people are in electricity arrears. Ireland has the second highest rate of rent and mortgage arrears in the EU. It is incredible that the price of electricity is either the highest or second highest in Europe, depending on which day of the week it is, and yet a semi-State body, the ESB, is enormously profitable.”
“What does that say about the Government? Last year, the Government took €1 billion in carbon taxes. They are now the second biggest tax on fuel in the country. My real frustration is that TDs on all sides are wringing their hands and saying how difficult and terrible the situation is, but the Government is jacking up the taxes on fuel that are putting people into debt in a cost-of-living crisis. It is not just the case that carbon taxes are where they are at the moment. The Government will raise carbon taxes in budget 2025. It will do so again in 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030. It has already locked in increases in carbon taxes on fuel for the next five years irrespective of whether people will be able to pay them, of where people will be at economically and of whether or not they will be in a cost-of-living crisis.”
“I agree with Deputy O'Flynn. I talk to people who say they are a timing belt issue away from not being able to pay their bills. They tell me that if something goes wrong in their lives, they will be on the edge. People are lying awake at night wondering what bills they will be able to pay. That is an incredible situation. The frustration I have is that the Government is acting like the cost-of-living crisis is nearly over. The Government is the main driver of that crisis. We often hear it blame foreign elements for the crisis. Let us consider fuel and energy in particular. Last year, the Government took €4.1 billion in fuel taxes. It was the biggest take in fuel taxes in the history of the State. The Government took more money than ever before in fuel taxes from people who are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”
“There is a family in Bohermeen with a child with additional needs who is being forced into a school that does not have the necessary support for them. The parents are missing out on the supports that would help that child to get the education they need.”
“The Minister said it was not the Department's fault but that of Bus Éireann, and that it is its regulation that requires a ban on over-70s driving school buses. Who is in charge here? The Minister is ultimately responsible. The Minister needs to sit down with Bus Éireann and direct it to change its direction in relation to this. There is an issue over schools. Many areas have traditional and historic links to particular schools. School choice should be real for families. Right now, we have different ethoses among schools, yet parents are being forced to go in certain directions they do not want to go. Parents from the area of Rathmolyon–Baconstown have a natural relationship with Trim, yet their children are being pushed elsewhere. This is especially the case with children with additional needs.”
“The second issue in relation to this, which really frustrates me, is that although there are many private bus providers with the capacity, buses and drivers, they cannot get their buses into the system. This is because the tendering by Bus Éireann can often be very difficult. It can often require a scale that makes it difficult for smaller providers to get their buses into the system. Moreover, the fact that we have increased energy costs makes it more difficult for smaller providers to tender. This is because their margins are squeezed by those higher energy costs. I wanted to talk about common sense on the matter of drivers over 70. I heard the Minister being asked why the rule has not been changed.”
“Parents were scrambling around trying to find solutions to get their kids to school, with many parents having to take time off work just to be able to do that, and obviously getting into big difficulties with their employers. Thankfully, a lot of these cases have been solved. I thank the Bus Éireann staff in Meath who have been able to resolve them. This chaos is not by accident. One of the reasons it is happening is the lack of capacity. One of the reasons we have a lack of capacity is that drivers and mechanics are not being offered the proper pay, terms and conditions necessary to get them into the sector. If you want to employ people, you have to compete in the marketplace for them and ensure you can provide them with the proper pay, terms and conditions.”
“Every single parent in the country who lives outside the core of a town wants to get it, but while the Government is using the stick to get them into public transport it is actually denying them the public transport they are crying out for. There is a major contradiction in the Government's plans in relation to this. Right now, pools of families in certain areas all want to get to particular schools. They have the critical mass for buses but the Government is actually refusing them those buses. This year, for the first time I have seen, we had a case in which the service for children whose parents had the tickets and the right was cancelled a week before school starting. I know of at least ten services in Meath that were cancelled just in the week in advance of school opening.”
“As sure as every summer holiday finishes and as sure as the kids go back to school, there is a school bus crisis. It is incredible that there is a crisis every single year. Every TD in this House has been chasing their tail and chasing around the country to find solutions in individual cases. Let me outline the issue that really frustrates me. The Government's stated objective is to get people into public transport and it is using a stick to do so. In this regard, there was €4.1 billion charged in fuel taxes last year and €1 billion in carbon tax. It is not that people do not want to use public transport. People are dying to or crying out to use it.”
“The children's ombudsman has slammed the absence of a statutory power to investigate these deaths. Some national review panel reports are not being published and many of the recommendations are not being implemented. UCD has completed a study which shows that children in State care are being exposed to sex exploitation by gangs. I have raised the Kyran Durnin case, as well as the cases of Hugh, Niamh, Eva and Luke. I also raised the case of the 14-year-old girl who, within an hour of being put into State care, went missing and was found locked in a brothel one year afterwards. I and so many other people have been raising these issues for the past six years. The reality is that the Government has not been listening to the experts on this. Will the Government ensure we have the power in this country to protect children?”
“Daniel Aruebose's remains were found in Donabate yesterday. He had been in State care but he was returned to his family and it appears that there were no follow-up checks. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see such a young boy lose his life. Since 2014, 239 children in State care or known to State care have died. Ten of those were murdered and 51 died as a result of drug overdoses or suicide. Today 37 children who are in State care or are known to State care are missing. Judge Simms wrote to the Government about child protection issues before and the Government shredded those files for GDPR reasons. Judge Fottrell said it was shocking and appalling that Tusla had failed to inform the courts that 250 children were without the assigned social workers.”
“The HSE is the largest employer of CDNTs, but 44% of those staff places are vacant at the moment. Some 43% of all psychologist posts are currently vacant. In one CHO area it is incredibly 62%. Children are being radically failed by this Government. Even the most basic right, the right to education is being taken away from them and that has to change.”
“They cannot get treatment or support for the children due to the lack of diagnosis and the waiting list for assessments of need. They cannot get respite and these parents are left so physically exhausted they are finding it hard even to struggle to ask for help. The figures included in this motion are shocking. There were 260 children as of June who did not have an offer of a school place. We know that due to building works in some areas, a further 168 children will in reality not have an offer of a classroom. We do not know the number of children whose parents are homeschooling them at the moment because of the lack of places that exist in schools. Figures we received also show there are 117 vacancies in CDNTs across the country. In CHO 1 there has been a drop of 22% in the area of therapy in the last year.”
“Aontú has asked questions repeatedly as to how many children have been suspended or expelled from school just because they have additional needs. In my town I have a constituent. He is in senior infants. He has been repeatedly suspended from school and is being threatened with expulsion. He is waiting for an assessment of needs. The schools simply cannot handle him. He has been left without a diagnosis and a treatment and is being deprived of the right to an education. He is just a small child and he is being excluded from school at this stage. I believe families are being broken by this Government. Many of them, especially those who have children with round-the-clock needs are being left abandoned. Many cannot get carer's allowance due to the high qualification threshold for assistance.”
“Many children are being locked out of the education system and the figures the Government is giving us are not even specifying exactly how many children are actually in class at the moment. The figures we are getting are misleading. I read reports today that some principals are being told to accept children in their mainstream schools and they will get support in terms of SNAs, etc, down the track. Here we are in the third week of September and some of these children who are supposed to be in class have not seen the inside of a class yet. I am reading of another eight-year-old child who has never been to school. His mother has gone looking for a school in every single part of the county with no success. Shockingly, the State has no entity to even follow up why this child is not in school yet.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an rún seo agus roimh an iarracht rochtain a fháil ar oideachas le haghaidh gach uile pháiste sa tír. Is é an t-oideachas ceann de na cearta is tábhachtaí sa tír seo. One of the key objectives of the Proclamation of the Republic is to cherish all the children of the nation equally. An education is one of the most important rights that exist in society. Education facilitates the growth and development of children but it also helps them reach their full potential. Yet, we have a situation in this Republic where not all children have equal access to education. Not all children are treated equally, and indeed some children are being excluded from the education system. I stated in a contribution earlier that this is no country for young children and it is certainly not a country for many children with additional needs.”
“She has received a 100% commitment not to change the six-month waiting list to assess autistic children. She has also achieved the objective of getting extra funding into this area. I understand the Tánaiste has said the Government is going to see if it can recruit therapists from the private sector to help with the waiting lists in this regard. I hope this is under way, because I have been talking to some therapists and they have not heard about it yet.”