Pearse Doherty
Donegal · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I move amendment No. 1 to Seanad recommendation No. 2: To delete from the row dated "1 September 2026" down to and including the row dated "1 May 2030" and substitute the following: " 15 July 2026 €502.88 €502.88 €371.85 €371.85 €371.85 €0.00 €210.45 €172.14 €167.25 €79.17 €11.48 14 October 2026 €502.88 €502.88 €371.85 €371.85 €371.85 €0.…”
“Next week, this House will rise, the doors of Leinster House will be locked and Ministers will head off on their summer holidays. Their parting gift to ordinary Irish people across the State will be to have locked in fuel price increases that will hit them in their pockets.”
“That is not acceptable and it is why we in Sinn Féin have tabled this amendment to say that these price increases should not be going ahead and that prices should be properly monitored at the appropriate time.”
“This is tied to the latter amendment and I will speak further at length on that. Recommendation No. 1 deals with the diesel rebate scheme, which operates within a window that closes on 1 October.”
“Hope is what we rely on when we have no control. It is not a substitute for prudent economic planning. There is zero certainty here. There are no guarantees that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open or that global supply lines will not be choked tomorrow morning.”
“As if that were not good enough, the Government is not just hitting people with increases on petrol and diesel. On top of that, it is going to hit them with an increase in the cost of home heating oil, natural gas and a basic bag of coal.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,554 lines we hold for Pearse Doherty, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 28 of 32.
“This issue goes from the ground level, where people want the right to use their cash in their local shops or when they go to watch their local football team, all the way to the core of our economic and monetary system. We cannot and should not give up on cash. For many people, cash helps them to track their expenses. It is not required that they be literate or even computer literate to use cash. It ensures their freedom and autonomy. Banknotes and coins are the only form of money people can keep without involving a third party. They do not need access to equipment, access to the Internet or even electricity to pay with cash, which means it can be used even when the power is down or they lose their card. The EU Commission recommendation from 2010 sought to clarify the definition of legal tender as set out in EU treaties.”
“It calls for a report on the acceptance of cash and on how we ensure, legally, that the broad acceptance of cash would take effect in our State, or where it is at a point in time. Without legal protection to ensure acceptance of cash, all this Bill will achieve is the managed decline of cash because we see areas where cash is not accepted. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but cash is only good if you can use it. Euro banknotes and coins are legal tender in the euro area, with cash being the only form of Central Bank money to which everyone can have direct access to currently. This means that all other money is created by the creation of debt, the vast majority by the private banking sector or system. We need a digital euro to give us a public form of digital money, but until this happens, we only have cash.”
“I move amendment No. 6: In page 12, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “Report on the acceptance of cash within the Irish economy and to set out a legislative approach to ensuring the broad obligation to accept cash into the future 7. The Minister shall, in recognition of the interrelationship between access to cash and acceptance of cash will within 3 months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann report the acceptance of cash within the Irish economy and to set out a legislative approach to ensuring the broad obligation to accept cash into the future.”. This amendment would insert a new section into this legislation. It asks the Central Bank of Ireland to collect and publish data on cash infrastructure.”
“I move amendment No. 5: In page 12, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “(7) In the case of any new ATM which enters operation following the commencement of this Act, or any existing ATM in operation whose operating software is updated following commencement of this Act— (a) the option of a full service of equal quality shall be made available to consumers in at least both official languages, with the Irish language option given no less prominence than any other language option, and (b) where one language option serves as the default home screen option on an ATM, this default shall be the first official language.”.”
“We are not asking for all these ATMs to be changed overnight. We are saying that where there is a new ATM or an upgrade in the software of the ATM, this would have to apply. That makes a lot of sense for all the parties here which talk about the restoration of our national language being a priority for all of us. This is one wee step which does not cost us anything but gives us an opportunity at a time when we are withdrawing cash to remind us that Irish is our national language.”
“Agus é sin ráite, glacann Sinn Féin leis gur chóir go mbeadh an rogha iompú ar an Bhéarla dóibh siúd atá á lorg agus roghanna eile teanga freisin. Chun costais a choimeád íseal do ghnólachtaí, cinntíonn an leasú seo nach mbeadh feidhm ag an riail nua seachas i gcás meaisín nua nó uasdátaithe tar éis don Acht seo a theacht i bhfeidhm. The second amendment is about language rights. It is about the rights of Irish speakers, the rights of people in the Gaeltacht and the right to be able to withdraw your cash in Irish. In the case where there are multiple languages, we are saying that all ATMs should have the Irish language available. Where there are multiple languages, the main, default page should be in Irish, with an option to turn to English or indeed any other language. Given technology today, this is not impossible or costly.”
“Áit a raibh UMBanna de chuid Bhanc na hÉireann ag soláthar rogha Gaeilge agus a raibh seirbhísí fisiciúla ar fáil do chustaiméirí ar Ghaeilgeoirí iad, go háirithe i gceantair Ghaeltachta, feictear anois brainsí áitiúla ag dúnadh agus Béarla amháin ag na UMBanna. Mar sin, tá Sinn Féin ag moladh gur chóir go mbeadh rogha Gaeilge ar chomhchaighdeán leis an mBéarla ar gach UMB agus, má tá teanga réamhshocraithe mar rogha uathoibríoch ar an phríomhleathanach, go mbeadh an Ghaeilge mar an default agus deis ann teanga eile a roghnú. Is í an tábhacht a bhaineann leis an phointe deireanach seo ná go spreagfaidh úsáid na Gaeilge, más féidir de réir prionsabal na tairisceana gníomhaí, deis dul i dtaithí leis an teanga.”
“Ba chóir go ndéanfadh dul chun cinn sa teicneolaíocht ár saol níos éasca dúinn go léir, Gaeilgeoirí san áireamh. Tá sé níos fusa anois ná riamh seirbhísí a sholáthar trí Ghaeilge i suímh nach bhfuil gá le daoine le scileanna i dteangacha éagsúla a fhostú chun freastal ar phobail éagsúla. Ní gá ach inneall féinfhreastal ar nós UMB a chlárú chun an tseirbhís chéanna a sholáthar i réimse teangacha agus an rogha fágtha ag daoine. Sna blianta thart, rinneadh iarrachtaí chun a chinntiú go ndearna na meaisín seo freastal ar Ghaeilgeoirí ach, leis na blianta beaga anuas, tá meath sonraithe againn ar an dul chun cinn seo.”
“I know there was great frustration from many organisations across the State, such as Voice of Vision Impairment, VVI, which represents people with visual impairment, when banks rolled out accessible ATMs without engaging with them. This has to be more than a box-ticking exercise and the best way to make it happen is to make sure that the Central Bank and the regulator have the oversight role to hold banks to account. Amendment No. 5 deals with the issue of cearta teanga. Moltar leis go mbeadh cearta ag daoine a gcuid gnó a dhéanamh ag an ATM nó UMB i nGaeilge. Agus muid ag plé rochtain ar airgead tirim ó UMBanna, caithfear labhairt freisin faoin rochtain atá ag pobal labhartha ár dteanga náisiúnta ar airgead ó UMBanna. Tá cearta teanga i gceist leis an leasú seo.”
“In Britain, 99.3% of Britain's urban population are currently within 1 mile of a free-to-use cash access point offering withdrawals and 98.6% of Britain's rural population are currently within 3 miles of free-to-use cash access points offering withdrawals. That puts into clear perspective that looking at this with distances larger than 5 km will not really give us the information we need to ensure we have a reasonable level of access to cash. The last point of the amendment relates to accessibility for people with visual impairment and other disabilities. The standards must be led and assessed by people who are affected.”
“That is basically to ensure that a certain proportion of the population should have access to cash up to 5 km. The Government is proposing that it be up to 10 km. This is in line with the recommendation of the finance committee when it looked at this in pre-legislative scrutiny. A 10 km round trip to an ATM is not reasonable. We also seek to add into the definition the idea that the ATM needs to have 24-hour access. This is a key metric in assessing the availability for cash. As I said, it is handy if there are ATMs in shops and so on but if the shutters are down at 6 o'clock in the evening, access to cash is needed thereafter. Even though there is an ATM, if it is not available in those periods, then it is not available. We need to have a metric which looks at what ATMs are available on a 24-hour basis.”
“Amendment No. 4 would reduce the criteria that would be used here from 10 km to 5 km. It would also ensure access would be for 24 hours rather than on a shopping or business hours basis. Since we looked at this in pre-legislative scrutiny, we had the recent Storm Éowyn, which brought reality home for many people regarding the nature of digital services. We saw many communities left without power for quite a period. For weeks after the storm in some areas, cash again become king, since it was the only means of payment. It is a reminder of the importance of an underlying paper-based system, no matter how convenient digital systems are. Our amendment to this enabling legislation aims to tighten up the criteria to a degree. We want it to be looked at on a basis of up to 5 km instead of up to 10 km.”
“I move amendment No. 4: In page 10, to delete lines 16 to 25 and substitute the following: “in respect of each NUTS 3 region— (i) shall, by order, specify— (I) the minimum percentage of the population of the region concerned that ought to be within a radius of 5 kilometres of an ATM accessible 24 hours, (II) the minimum number of ATMs that ought to be available per 100,000 people in the region concerned, (III) the minimum percentage of the population of the region concerned that ought to be within a radius of 5 kilometres of a cash service point, and (IV) the minimum percentage of ATM that provide the necessary functionality to be accessible for those with visual impairment and other forms of disabilities,”. Deputy Daly referred to issues relating to access to cash and comparisons with what is happening in neighbouring jurisdictions.”
“We need to prioritise Irish interests and protect jobs and workers and their families. Does the Taoiseach agree that talk of automatic counter-tariffs is premature and not in Ireland's interest at this stage?”
“We are all waiting to see what will happen tomorrow with US tariffs. However, we know there are no winners in a trade war and that we should not see a knee-jerk reaction from the EU. At this point, we need cool heads. I was taken aback by what Paschal Donohoe had to say at the weekend when he asserted on RTÉ that Europe has to respond. We will not face down an erratic US Administration by copying it. We cannot, on the one hand, say that what Trump is doing is act of self-harm and then do the same in kind. The ESRI was very clear about tariffs and EU counter-tariffs: they both hurt the economy and both impact on jobs. Just as Trump's tariffs will be a tax on American people, EU tariffs would be a tax on Irish and EU people. We should not cut off our nose to spite our face.”
“Surely to God the Minister understands the pressure ordinary people are under. He needs to revisit the idea of bringing forward a cost-of-living package to address the crippling costs people the length and breadth of this State are facing.”
“Government members talk relentlessly about price hikes like they are commenting on the weather. It drives people spare to see the Government doing nothing as they get fleeced every day. Banks are posting €5 billion profits from squeezing homeowners and short-changing savers. We have double-digit rent increases, crippling childcare costs and four consecutive months of petrol and diesel increases. Next Tuesday, eight different providers will raise their charges. Insurance and energy bills are rising. Mobile, broadband and television service providers are all hiking their prices mid-contract. It is absolutely relentless. The Taoiseach has said there will be no cost-of-living package in this year's budget. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has said he supports him in that.”
“That is what is happening to the children of Ireland. There is not enough urgency in government which is allowing this to happen. It happens over and over. When will parents know whether their child was one of the children operated on wrongly?”
“They thought something was wrong and got a private second opinion. They were told not only did she not need the surgery, but the child did not even have the condition. Let that sink in.”
“When my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, raised these questions with the Minister for Health a number of weeks ago, she said she had not seen or read the report. It is only through The Ditch releasing the report that we can now all see it. That tells a story of the lack of urgency being placed on this issue by the Government that alarm bells are not ringing about something that was raised as far back as April last year and in the media as far back as July last year. We now know from the report published by The Ditch - the independent audit - that 79% of the operations in Cappagh did not meet the threshold and 60% in Temple Street. Potentially hundreds of children were operated on unnecessarily. A second family came to us and told us a consultant told them their young girl needed an operation on both hips.”
“Have all of those parents been contacted? The crucial question they are asking is when they will know if their children were operated on unnecessarily.”
“The allegations and the news of this audit were first put in train and entered into the public domain in July of last year. Surely, given the already established concern regarding practices at CHI, these allegations should have set off alarm bells in Government Buildings, in the Taoiseach's office and in the Department of Health. These allegations should have compelled the Government to step in directly to investigate and demand answers. It raises big questions for the Government. The families who have been in touch with us want those answers. What actions did the Government take when these shocking allegations first came to light in July? Has the Government established if the allegations are true? Was some of this motivated by profit? There are hundreds of parents out there who are living a nightmare of worry.”
“My daughter was born premature and endured lots of challenges in her first few weeks of life. This was followed by treatment for hip dysplasia and now possibly resulting in a surgery that may not have needed to happen. This comes less than two years after it came to light that unlicensed springs were implanted into several children at Temple Street children's hospital. That scandal is still ongoing. External reviews and HIQA reviews have been ongoing for 18 months now and we still have no answers. There is no sign of the interim report that was promised at the time. This all raises some questions. When is this going to stop? What is going on at Children's Health Ireland? Why is the Government incapable of getting to grips with it when we hear of scandal after scandal affecting the children of this State?”
“The report recommends that all of these children be recalled and independently assessed. Will the Minister imagine for a second that he was the parent of one of these children who were operated on? Can he imagine the absolute horror of thinking that your child was put through the trauma of surgery when they did not need it? The daughter of one of the parents who made contact with us was only four years of age when she went through this operation. The parent received a letter from the hospital at Cappagh to inform her of the clinical audit into these surgeries just a couple of weeks ago. She is devastated. She says she is sick to her stomach that her daughter might have been operated on unnecessarily. She continues: This is a horrifying situation to be in as a parent.”
“It would be disgraceful for any medical professional to decide to put a child through the pain and trauma of surgery if it was not necessary. Following whistleblower claims and a protected disclosure, an audit into paediatric hip surgeries at the three CHI hospitals was ordered in April of last year. The report has now been published in full on The Ditch website and can be read by everyone. It claims that hundreds of children on whom surgery was carried out did not meet the threshold for that surgery. They were subject to unnecessary surgery. According to that audit, 561 children went through these hip surgeries since 2021. The audit has found that 79% of those operated on at Cappagh and 60% of those at Temple Street did not meet the threshold for surgery. They were unnecessary.”
“Tá scannal eile ó thaobh cúraim shláinte do pháistí inár dtír. Chímid ó thuarascáil neamhspleách atá foilsithe in The Ditch go raibh obráidí déanta ar na céadta páistí sa tír seo agus é ráite anois nach raibh na hobráidí sin ag teastáil uathu. Tá sé seo scannalach agus cuireann sé isteach go mór ar thuismitheoirí na bpáistí seo. There are serious findings that unnecessary hip surgeries were carried out on hundreds of children in the CHI hospitals at Cappagh and Temple Street. These allegations were originally made by a whistleblower and were reported in the media at the time. It was further alleged that these surgeries were conducted purely for financial gain. If true, that is absolutely shocking and a great scandal. We are talking about children between the ages of one and seven.”
“Tá seans maith againn gurb iad na daoine cearta a bheidh sna baill sin a bheidh ceaptha ag an bpobal agus go mbeidh siad ábalta díriú isteach ar an obair sin go lánaimseartha má tá an tuarastal mar is ceart ansin dóibh.”
“Mar a dúirt an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, ba chóir go mbeadh pá mar is ceart ag dul leis an bpost seo fosta. Sílim gur chóir glacadh leis an leasú seo agus ní shílim go bhfuil mórán comhairleoirí contae ar fud na tíre ar mire má ghlacann an tAire leis seo. Tá cuid acu, b'fhéidir, a bheidh ag iarraidh a bheith ar bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta agus tá sé sin ceart go leor ach tá go leor daoine ansin sa phobal ba chóir go mbeadh deis acu dul sa toghchán seo ach tá a fhios acu, b’fhéidir, go mbeadh siad ag dul in éadan duine a bhíodh ar an gcomhairle contae le 15 bliana nó 20 bliain agus níl an páirc imeartha cothrom dóibh. Is é seo deis mhaith agus muid ag tabhairt daonlathais ar ais isteach go dtí bord Údarás na Gaeltachta.”
“Ar an drochuair, mura nglacann an tAire leis an leasú seo, i ndáiríre seachas go bhfuilimid ag caint faoi thoghchán, agus ceantair thoghcháin i gceantair Ghaeltachta scaipthe; sa mhórchuid de na toghcháin sin, is iad sin a bhfuil aithne acu ar an gceantar, go raibh siad ar chomhairle contae agus go raibh siad tofa cheana féin a bheidh ann agus beidh sé iontach deacair do dhuine nach raibh ansin i mbun toghchánaíochta, nó nach raibh ina chomhairleoir contae nó ina comhairleoir contae, seasamh agus a bheith tofa go dtí bord Údarás na Gaeltachta. Tá deis againn anseo a dhéanamh cinnte de go bhfuilimid ag díriú isteach ar dhaoine ar mhaith leo a bheith ar an mbord, daoine ba chóir dóibh a bheith ar an mbord agus ansin, fosta, daoine gurb é seo an phríomhaidhm agus an phríomhobair atá idir lámha acu.”
“Nuair a théann an reachtaíocht seo trí na Tithe, cibé iad na rialacha atá ann, is iad sin na rialacha a mbeidh daoine ag obair faoi. Má táthar ag iarraidh, ámh, tús maith a thabhairt do bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta, ba chóir dúinn an leasú seo a ghlacadh agus éisteacht leis an méid atá ráite ag an Teachta Ó Snodaigh. Tá ról faoi leith ag bord Údarás na Gaeltachta agus tá deis againn anseo bord a bheith againn do dhaoine nach bhfuil ar an gcomhairle contae, nach bhfuil ag déanamh jab lánaimseartha agus nach bhfuil ag smaoineamh lá amháin ar chúrsaí uisce nó ar phoill sa bhaile mór, nó ar strategic policy committees, SPCs, a chaithfidh siad a bheith orthu mar go bhfuil siad dírithe go huile is go hiomlán ar bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta.”
“Ba mhaith liom cur leis an méid atá ráite ag an Teachta Ó Snodaigh ó thaobh bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta. Fearaim fáilte fosta go bhfuilimid ar an Chéim seo ó thaobh na reachtaíochta seo. Is blianta ó shin a d'fhoilsíomar i Sinn Féin an reachtaíocht seo le toghcháin a thabhairt ar ais go dtí bord Údarás na Gaeltachta. Cé nach bhfuil sé sin bainte amach go fóill, agus ar an drochuair táimid ag feiceáil go bhfuil cúlú á dhéanamh ar an mhéid ba chóir a bheith ag tarlú anseo, tá céim bheag chun tosaigh déanta ó thaobh cuid de na baill a bheidh ar an mbord sin. Sílim gur ceist iontach tábhachtach atá anseo; sé sin ar chóir go mbeadh cead ag duine a bheith ar an gcomhairle contae agus ar bhord Údarás na Gaeltachta ag an am céanna.”
“This is a legal issue in terms of a piece of legislation that will pass. Will you seek legal advice as to whether the legislation will have standing or not, given that you did not allow the division which was clearly heard?”
“Can I ask for clarification? Is the Ceann Comhairle looking at the Oireachtas transcript, which is an abridged version of what happened, or the audio, which is what would be relied on in any court of law-----”
“I put it to the Ceann Comhairle that I am asking for a direction and determination, maybe on the basis of legal advice as well, because I have now reviewed the audio of what transpired yesterday. The Ceann Comhairle clearly put the question. The Chief Whip agreed the question. The Ceann Comhairle declared the question carried and there was a clear call for a vótáil. Under Standing Order 85(2), when a division is called, a division has to be carried out. I question whether the Ceann Comhairle has failed to fulfil her independent and impartial duty to allow that division to take place, which is now clearly on the Oireachtas website. The word “vótáil” stands out. Therefore, what is the legal basis for legislation that may be passed in this House later today, never mind what happened yesterday?”
“A Cheann Comhairle, just before we move to Government business, can I raise a point of order? I attempted under Salient Ruling 51 to raise a point of order on numerous occasions yesterday, which allows me as a Member of the Dáil to raise it before a question is put. I would like it to be heard now. The concern I have is that as Members of this House, one of the most important functions we have is the passage of legislation. We have a crucial legislation that will take a step forward later on, namely, the Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Bill. It will allow for democratic elections across the State. I have serious concerns about whether the Order of Business was actually passed yesterday.”
“Did the Chief Whip mislead the Dáil when she sided with you, a Cheann Comhairle, with the acceptance of the Opposition? Could the Ceann Comhairle rule on that? Did the Chief Whip deliberately mislead the Dáil-----”
“It is pocketing massive profits and making triple what they expected to make and this do-nothing Government is sitting by and allowing this to happen. The victims here are the organisations in the street. I have heard Government representatives talk about insurance over and over, but it is black and white here that they are fleecing their customers. These are bonanza profits. What is the Minister going to do because the Government has done nothing about this for the past number of years?”
“The National Claims Information Database was published today by the Central Bank of Ireland. It shows eye-watering profits by the insurance industry again. This is on the backs of ordinary people, community groups, sports organisations and small businesses the length and breadth. They have seen their premiums go up every single year. It is in the claims database that premiums are rising at a huge level. We have seen them go up in the past ten years by 56%. It is unrelenting but the most galling fact is the profit margins the industry is making. Industry representatives told the finance committee when we were passing claims reform in this House that it targets a 5% profit margin. That is the norm. They are now recording 13%. It was 14% last year and double digits the year before. The reality is that this industry is fleecing its customers.”
“I will finish on this point. Jack has not had any physiotherapy or speech and language therapy from the HSE for a year and a half even though the Department made a promise in front of that child that he would get the services. It is scandalous. Where is the accountability? How did this happen under the Tánaiste's watch? When is this money going to be released to these families from these organisations?”
“This parent feels her child was used as a prop. How could a Minister of State announce funding to organisations when the money did not exist? This has been going on for 17 months. The Tánaiste was Taoiseach for the majority of that and he tells me today when I raise it in the Dáil that he will look into it and make sure the money is released. This has been going on for a year and a half. This is only happening because the HSE is not providing the services.”
“Imagine having a child with special needs, the love you would have for them, the fact you would run through a brick wall for them. Imagine having to fight every single day to get the services they need, to live with the stress and anxiety, the worry of developmental delays and the possible impact on their life and future. Imagine being told by the Government - a Minister of State, no less - that help was on the way. Imagine the incredible relief and melting away of some of the stress you had felt for years. Imagine then having that hope that your child was going to get the service ripped away from you and being told the help was never actually coming at all. That is what the Government did. I asked the Tánaiste a question. This is not just a case of saying we will fix it now. What was done was cruel.”
“How did that happen? What is the Tánaiste going to do to make sure the money is released to the organisations so that families such as Jack's can benefit from it?”
“None of this money has been released, not one red cent, not in Donegal or anywhere else in the country. I sought answers on behalf of these families and have now been told by the Department that not only is there no money, but this money was never there at all. This is scandalous. I spoke to Denise yesterday. She is devastated. She feels betrayed. She feels that her son Jack was used by the Government as a prop in a photo opportunity during an election campaign. I imagine that parents of children with special needs all over Ireland feel the same: let down, betrayed again. The Tánaiste was Taoiseach at the time. How on Earth did a Minister of State in his Government travel to Donegal to make an announcement of emergency funding to be released within weeks to desperate families when the money was never cleared and did not exist?”
“Months later, though, nothing had happened. In June 2024, two days before the local elections, the then Minister of State, Senator Rabbitte, travelled with Charlie McConalogue to Letterkenny to announce the immediate allocation of €3.6 million in funding to provide essential therapies to four organisations in Donegal. Denise was contacted. She was asked if she and her son Jack would attend the announcement. They were included in the photos with the Minister of State. They listened to Anne Rabbitte when she told the media the money would be "an absolute game-changer" for children in Donegal and the surrounding area. They could finally see a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. Seventeen months since the Minister of State's first announcement, that light has vanished.”
“They are crying out to the Government to get its act together and ramp up service provision for these children. In October 2023, they thought their pleas were heard. The then Minister of State, Anne Rabbitte, announced the children's disability service grant, supposedly an emergency stopgap Government fund to urgently provide services and therapies for children with special needs throughout the State. One parent who was delighted with the news was Denise McGahern. Her nine-year-old son, Jack Donaghey, has cerebral palsy and is permanently in a wheelchair. Denise has been fighting for physiotherapy and speech and language therapy that he so desperately needs. This money was to be allocated within weeks of the Minister of State's announcement of the fund being set up. Some 52 organisations across the State were to benefit from it.”
“Táimid anois 17 mí ón gcéad fhógairt a rinne an iarAire Stáit, ach níl pingin rua amháin tugtha d’aon cheann de na heagraíochtaí seo. Tá sé anois ráite ag an Roinn liom ní hamháin nach bhfuil airgead ar bith ann, ach nach raibh an t-airgead ann ar chor ar bith. Tá sé seo scannalach. For too long, children with special needs and their parents have been left behind by this Government. We now have another scandal where money to fund therapies for children, promised by the Government 17 months ago, was never released. The parents of children with special needs must battle the State every single day for vital services that their children need. It is a battle they should not have to fight. My own county of Donegal has become a black spot for supports for children with special needs. For years, parents have been forced to go it alone.”
“I welcome the UN special rapporteur to the occupied Palestinian territories, Ms Francesca Albanese, to the Chamber. Some 250 UN staff have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. Ms Albanese's presence in the Dáil is especially important as Israel continues its genocidal war on the men, women and children of Gaza. We wish her well in continuing to speak bravely against this atrocity and standing up for the human rights of Palestinians. Tá dearmad déanta ag an Rialtas ar leanaí a bhfuil riachtanais speisialta acu agus ar a dtuismitheoirí. Dhá lá roimh an toghchán áitiúil, thaistil an iarAire Stáit, Anne Rabbitte, in éineacht le Charlie McConalogue go Leitir Ceanainn chun €3.6 milliún de dheontaisí d’eagraíochtaí i gContae Dhún na nGall a fhógairt le teiripe a chur ar fáil do pháistí a bhfuil riachtanais speisialta acu.”
“It is now dearer to pay rent than ever before. That is the only thing that is changing under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. We now need the Government to be honest with regard to the big lie it told in the general election but also to be honest that it is out of ideas on housing and that it needs to listen to the plan that we in Sinn Féin, through Deputy Eoin Ó Broin, have to turn this disaster into delivering not only the houses we need at scale but also to ensure that they are affordable for ordinary working families across the State.”
“Two days later he went on the national airwaves and he told mistruths to the Irish people. The week after that he did it again and again. The Taoiseach did it, the Tánaiste did it, and the Minister for housing at the time, Darragh O'Brien, did it. Countless others told the same big lie that was told to the public, which was that the delivery of 40,000 houses was achievable when everybody knew it was not. That is important because the Government's plan is based on dishonesty. It continues to argue that its plan is working, that it has turned the corner and that things are now changing in housing. The only thing that is changing in housing is that it is getting more expensive to own your home. There are more children in emergency accommodation and more families have had their lives ripped up in our emergency accommodation.”
“We now know from documents released under freedom of information requests that the Minister for Finance was fully aware. After analysing all of the data available to the Department of Finance at the time, it concluded that the 40,000 figure that was being articulated here on the floor of the Dáil, where the Minister of State is now sitting, was not achievable. The Minister for Finance got up two days before he received that document and said that 40,000 houses would be delivered by the end of the year. The experts in his Department give him a document stating that 40,000 houses was not achievable and indeed that the Government might actually deliver fewer homes than the previous year, which is exactly what happened. What did the Minister for Finance do?”