Rose Conway-Walsh
Mayo · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“The very open nature of the Irish economy and over-reliance on FDI and a small number of large US firms exposes an economic vulnerability that covers an underlying deficit of €13 billion. With an all-island approach, we can tackle that properly.”
“An all-island development agency is critical to this prosperity. Competing for investment from multinational companies, based on five interlinked pillars of growth, transformational regions, sustainability and impact as promoted by the IDA is necessary to compete on a global stage.”
“I would need much longer than three minutes to discuss the fiscal implications of a united Ireland, such is the depth and breadth of the work already done. I commend all of those who have done it. Leaving all politics aside, the economic benefits of reunification present unprecedented opportunities for sustainable growth.”
“This morning, workers at Aer Lingus woke up to the devastating news that up to 500 jobs will be cut at the airline, impacting both staff at head office and flight crews. By all measures, Aer Lingus is a profitable company, reporting operating profits of €282 million in 2025. Its parent company, IAG, has operating profits of €5 billion.”
“We need to encourage student mobility across the island. I ask the shared island unit to intervene to provide funding for students from here going to Queen's University and Ulster University. Regarding the data, the NI Executive should work with the ONS, HMRC and the NISRA to improve the data on tax receipts in the North.”
“Will the Government meet representatives of the unions, the Irish Air Line Pilots Association, IALPA, Fórsa and other unions, to ensure that impacted workers receive full and fair redundancy packages and that we have full transparency, while also committing to wider statutory redundancy reforms?”
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“I also draw the Minister's attention to the current unbalanced economic development that the Government has presided over, which has resulted in the EU regional competitiveness index ranking the east and midland region, 24th, the southern region, 19th, and the north-western region, 113th, out of 234 EU regions. This must be urgently addressed by Government, particularly in the western region, which is now classed as a lagging region. Ireland West Airport Knock strategic development zone, the western rail corridor, roads, water, renewable energy and telecommunications are critical to our competitiveness and sustainable growth. Ireland failed to enact the necessary legislation to transpose the EU network and information security directive by the deadline of 19 October 2024.”
“More broadly, and in addition to dealing with this current crisis, this is a time to increase investment in our domestic economy, which accounts for 90% of the employment in the State. The truth is our indigenous businesses have not received the necessary supports and attention they deserve nor have our start-ups been facilitated and supported to scale up in the way that they need to do. Now is the time to change this. Supply chains to multinational companies need to be developed and cultivated across the island and within the EU so the economy can withstand global external shocks. Sinn Féin believes that establishing a new enterprise agency, Mol Gnó, which could provide financial support and expertise to non-export based start-ups and established companies, could be a game-changer for our home-based businesses as well.”
“Potential tariffs coupled with currency fluctuations brought about by two currencies operating in our small island will most harshly hit businesses along the Border area. We have seen on many occasions the micro-cycles of boom and bust in the Border region where neighbouring towns are pitted against each other depending on where the currency advantage exists. This is most unfair and it makes it even more difficult to navigate this business space. I urge the Minister to work with his counterpart in the Executive, Dr. Caoimhe Archibald, to consider hosting an all-island summit to meet with the business sectors to hear their views on these impending tariffs and the possible mitigations which need to be put in place.”
“What is clear is that the climate of uncertainty is challenging and that Government policy must reflect the perilous situation we are in. The Department of enterprise will be monitoring developments but investment decisions in infrastructure must be ramped up to improve our competitiveness and to ensure that jobs are protected. Funding for export development programmes must be escalated. The situation in Ireland is further complicated by the British jurisdiction over part of our island. In the event of counter-tariffs being imposed by the EU and differing arrangements between the US and Britain, we could have a situation where businesses in the same sector are disadvantaged because of what side of the Border they happen to be on.”
“Drinks Ireland has estimated the current value of Irish drinks exports to the US at more than €800 million per year. Over half of this is made up of whiskey exports. The imposition of a 200% tariff would spell ruin for the small whiskey distilleries that have blossomed in the past number of years, many of them providing valuable employment in rural areas. Business is vital to my own local economy, for instance, the Achill Island Distillery and the Connacht Distillery in Ballina. Senator Conor Murphy and I continue to meet with industry stakeholders regarding the likely impact of these proposed tariffs on decision-making in their global businesses and it is important that we have a unity of purpose across this House in tackling the threats that are there at this time.”
“We are rightly proud of the Irish goods and services that are traded across the world and of our indigenous companies and entrepreneurs who have taken risks and successfully navigated world markets. I recognise the immense contribution to the national economy of our export trade and the role that FDI has played and the truth is that in this time of global political and economic uncertainty and volatility in our trading partners, significant threats are becoming apparent in many sectors. I am concerned at the trade tariffs that President Trump has indicated he will impose on the pharmaceutical industry, technology, software companies and Irish products such as whiskey and the impact that these could have for companies based in Ireland and for their workers.”
“Not all households have insurance. For most of the householders I speak to, their insurance involves an initial amount that they must pay out of pocket before the insurance coverage begins to contribute. It should be sufficient for householders to confirm that they are not double claiming from an insurance provider, and that they sign for that. We have to get this sorted because we cannot promise something, on the one hand, and then find out we have a scheme that does not assist or does not apply to someone, on the other.”
“I wish to raise a similar issue. It is the very same in County Mayo. We are two months on but we do not have phone lines, which has very serious consequences. To add further insult to injury, bills are being sent out. People are being asked to pay bills for a service they do not have. I have written to the consumer protection commission on that because I am sure that is not allowed. This is an issue that has to be addressed. I also wish to ask about the humanitarian assistance scheme, which is inconsistent and deeply unfair. Some people are getting assistance while others are not. People are being asked for receipts, which they were not told about at the time. They are now being told that loss of food is not covered under the scheme and that people should claim through home insurance. This is completely unfair.”
“We can contrast the overspending and waste of money with people being scrutinised to within an inch of their lives and sometimes being scrutinised beyond the grave in trying to get every cent back from them. There is an inherent unfairness within the system and it has to be put right.”
“That is one Department. What is the total cost? What is going on in our Civil Service and our public service and who is in charge? I thought the Department of public expenditure had a grip on this. I was previously Sinn Féin spokesperson on public and expenditure and reform. Deputy Farrell now holds that portfolio. I was absolutely shocked at the lack of oversight, and I remain shocked by it. Deputy Farrell has put forward a number of solutions, as Sinn Féin has done continuously, for how all of this can be tackled. In the few seconds I have remaining, I want to talk about contracting out and consultancy. This country is being run by consultants. That is how Government policy is made - by consultants. That has to stop. We have to bring that expertise into Government to make it properly accountable.”
“Is it any wonder that what we hear most from people is that this Government is a shower of wasters? I do not say that in a derogatory way but the waste of taxpayers’ hard-earned money is absolutely disgraceful. I refer to the lack of transparency and the hiding behind commercial sensitivity. Going back to JobPath, we spent years trying to find out about the original contracts that were given. We were told we would not be allowed to see them because they were commercially sensitive. That is not good enough and it has to stop. Looking at that instance, there was also the displacement of the services that were already there. The local employment services were displaced by JobPath. It makes no sense whatsoever. People are not stupid. We heard the Department of Social Protection was spending €1.4 million per week on IT consultancy.”
“I thank Independent Ireland for bringing forward this very important motion. The staggering list of financial mismanagement across multiple Government Departments and agencies is downright disgraceful. I think the Minister of State will agree with me on this. We can give him all kinds of examples. People are really angry. They know the cases being made public are only the tiniest tip of the iceberg. We all know of the other cases. The cases that have been made public include: the €9 million mobile phone pouch project; the €360,000 bike rack; the OPW wall; relentless overspending on the national children’s hospital; modular homes with a price tag of €442,000; and the scanner from the National Gallery that cost €125,000. They are only a tiny portion of the absolute waste of public money.”
“Tá costais do mhná tí ag ardú, cosúil le praghas an bhia sa siopaí, billí leictreachais, an teas, árachas agus an teastas ó hinnealtóir chun deontas a fháil. Tá costas wear and tear sa teach freisin. Má tá na costais ag ardú, ba chóir go n-ardófaí an liúntas do lóistín dá réir. Tá deontas €6,000 ann do mhná tí nua, ach cad faoi na mná tí atá ann le 30 bliain? Gan obair na gcapall a bheith déanta ag na mná tí seo, ní bheadh coláistí samhraidh ann, ní bheadh deis ag daltaí ar fud fad na tíre am a chaitheamh sa Ghaeltacht agus ní bhainfeadh siad tairbhe ó shaibhreas Gaeilge na mná tí. I gContae Mhaigh Eo, tuigeann muid go maith luach na mban tí in áiteanna cosúil le Ceathrú Thaidhg, Port Durlainne agus Acaill.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh agus Eoghan Finn for tonight. Ar dtús, caithfidh an Rialtas tacú le Scoil Náisiúnta Thuar Mhic Eadaigh, Gaelcholáiste Chomáin agus leis na bunscoileanna go léir i gContae Mhaigh Eo. Anois, le teacht an earraigh agus an lá ag dul chun síneadh, fós níl meánscoil lán-Ghaeilge i lár Chontae Mhaigh Eo, san áit ar chónaigh Raifteirí an file. Teastaíonn Gaelcholáistí i gContae Mhaigh Eo le freastal ar an 700 dalta Gaelscoile i gCathair na Mart, i gClár Chlainne Mhuiris, i mBéal an Átha agus i gCaisleán an Bharraigh, atá ina baile seirbhíse Gaeltachta. Tacaíonn an rún seo atá ag Sinn Féin leo. Aithníonn an rún freisin ról mhná tí na Gaeltachta. Tá 30% de mhná tí na Gaeltachta tar éis imeacht ó 2017. Is léir go bhfuil géarchéim ann.”
“It is essential schools are allocated hours to provide specialised teaching for those accessing L2LP and L1LP within the mainstream classes. Will the Cabinet committee address those issues?”
“I have met with special needs co-ordinators in Mayo and they have raised two serious issues with me. The first concerns students in mainstream classes with mild to moderate learning difficulties accessing the junior cycle level 2 learning programmes. These students required specialised special education needs teaching. However, the National Council for Special Education, under the auspices of the Department of Education, does not provide training in the level 2 learning programme to all mainstream teachers. Will the committee examine this? Furthermore, the Department does not allocate specific teaching hours to school management to provide resources to enable these students to access their curriculum within the mainstream classes. These are and should be separate from or added to SEN hours under level 2 learning programme teaching.”
“The unit within the Taoiseach's Department must deliver tangible results, not least for scoliosis patients who have been let down. Sixteen-year-old Mikey Henry is a scoliosis patient. I have approached the previous Taoiseach, the previous Minister for Health and the current Minister for Health and there is no response. All I am asking for, and all Mikey Henry's parents are asking for, is an opinion from a spinal specialist who deals with specific complex care along with having respiratory expertise, either in Ireland or abroad. Will the Taoiseach facilitate that for this child, who has been failed by the system? He is a scoliosis patient who was ready for an operation but, due to the delays, he has been let down time and again.”
“As was said in the audiovisual room today, it is eclipsing the issue of the lack of beds to say the community teams are in place. Psychiatrists who do not have an expertise in eating disorders cannot deliver the care needed and that can be delivered in the treatment centres that do exist, like Lois Bridges. Something, then, must be done, and done urgently. Ciara spoke about the mental torment that has led to her physical destruction and may destroy her choice to ever be able to have her own child. We talked about natal care earlier. This is how serious the situation is. We are failing these people. If there is one thing I would ask the Minister to do, it would be to please sort it out so we can have treatment beds to allow us to treat people with eating disorders.”
“In the meantime, however, we have to facilitate people in such bad health to get private help. It will cost €77,200 to have an admission to Lois Bridges centre, where she can be treated. It is not fair that somebody who does not have the money or health insurance is excluded from vital treatment. This is a matter of life and death. A woman, Paula Crotty, spoke in the presentation today about her own daughter who had died. The way she was treated and the lengths to which she went to try to help her daughter to stay alive would make the hair stand up on your head. She was then told by a Minister's adviser she was lucky to have what she had. The way these families and individuals are being treated is grotesque. It is not right to say they can be treated in the community.”
“I congratulate the Minister and the Minister of State on their new roles. I wish them well. We all want them to succeed and we all need them to succeed in the area of health. I wish to concentrate my contribution on eating disorders. Some Members may have attended when Cared Ireland presented in the audiovisual room. The reason I went in there was I am desperately seeking help for a constituent whose BMI is at 14.8 and she weighs 39.9 kg, as it is. I have been looking for help for her for the past six to eight months. I know she is only one person, but every door is being shut in my face. Obviously, she needs a bed for treatment. We do not have the 23 beds that were promised. It really concerns me that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, says we do not need those beds. We absolutely do need them.”
“I have been working in this area for more than 20 years and I do not see the progress that is needed and that is talked about over and over again. I agree that we need more refuge places, but we must stop people doing it in the first place. We must call them out - men and women - to stop them doing it. I commend the organisation, Beyond Surviving. I met Ciara last weekend in Castlebar. The organisation is hugely important. Why are we not bringing in Clare's law and Jennie's law? The Government has the support of the entire House to enable it to do that. If there is a will there to do it, we would do it as a matter of urgency.”
“If we had zero tolerance for domestic violence, we would not be doing what we are doing and we would certainly have a proper justice situation. We do not have that. Day after day, we are putting children in very serious and dangerous situations by making them spend time with perpetrators. I know of cases where judges have made children go to see the perpetrators and spend time with them after they have threatened to kill them. That is our law. These are the laws that are there to protect people. We make it impossible for women to leave, not least because of the housing situation and the difficulty of bringing their children with them. There are so many issues. I am fed up with all the talk about it and the failure to do what needs to be done to prevent violence against women and domestic violence.”
“I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this motion, but I do so with a heavy heart. The truth is we do not take this issue seriously. Let us face it, if we were serious about tackling violence against women - sexual, financial, coercive control and all these aspects - we would be doing something about it. We are not. I looked at the aid granted and the total is twice as much as what the scanner in the National Gallery of Ireland cost. We do not take this issue seriously. We do not have the sanctions in place first of all. Why do perpetrators do it? They do it because they get away with it and they are allowed to get away with it over and over again. How many women could be alive today if we took this issue seriously? We talk about zero tolerance.”
“I know our spokesperson and the rest of us will work with him to have an all-island approach to agriculture which can be very successful. The uncertainty regarding farm funding in the North and the back-to-back systems with different regulatory and financial frameworks makes life very challenging for farmers on both sides of the Border. We believe decisions which affect our agri industry should be made on the island of Ireland and not by governments in Westminster. All the challenges we have outlined can be met on an all-island basis. Will the Minister pay particular heed to small family farms and take up our suggestion for a commission for family farms?”
“I am glad the Minister referred to ACRES again today. The debacle continues. We should never set up a scheme within the Department unless the computer system there lends itself to payments being made in a timely way. This has not been done with ACRES. An awful lot of damage has been done to the relationship between farmers and the Department and the Government in terms of getting them on board with climate change. I also ask the Minister to work on an all-island basis and develop a relationship with his counterpart in the North. It is very important to tackle agriculture in that way. The Taoiseach has specifically tasked each Department with doing North-South pieces of work that will be measured. What are the Minister's intentions on that? I encourage him to do that.”
“Comhghairdeas, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. You will be sadly missed as Cathaoirleach of the finance committee. I wish you well in your new role. I welcome the opportunity to talk about the agrifood industry. It is a sector that is vital to sustaining rural communities. I again ask the Minister about the damage suffered by farmers during Storm Éowyn, particularly to their infrastructure such as sheds, and by fishermen who did not have insurance. I spoke to the Minister about the seafood sector and the oyster farmers, including one in my constituency who had a loss of €160,000. No fishing business can sustain that scale of loss. I ask the Minister to put those supports in place as quickly as possible. Some of the damage done cannot be just alleviated by TAMS or an existing scheme. We need to ensure agriculture is supported in that way.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the debate yesterday as well. Specifically, how many AI experts are employed in Government now? What efforts are being made in this regard on an all-island basis? We must very much have congruence between North and South in terms of regulation and how we go about maximising the potential of AI technology and where we are now.”
“It is important that people's expectations are not raised. Before elections, there are nonsensical announcements and all that. It is a ten-year period before this will be done with utilities and all of that which needs to be done to develop this zone. Things can be done in the meantime but people's expectations need to be managed. There is a critical opportunity here. In 2021, Sinn Féin wrote to the European Commission seeking a total exemption from state aid rules for regional airports such as Ireland West Airport Knock due to the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19. Will the Minister of State consider pursuing this objective to enable Ireland West Airport SDZ to reach its full potential? There is no western rail corridor and the all-island strategic rail review was grim reading for the north west.”
“I want to see that it will be measured along the way to ascertain exactly who is responsible for moving it along and how and when that will be done.”
“Comhghairdeas to the Minister of State on his new role. We share an interest in Knock Airport and its development. We have talked about it for decades since Monsignor Horan was brave enough, against all the odds, to build the airport. It is obvious that it has not fulfilled its potential. In 2022, the EU downgraded the north and west as a lagging region with a GDP of only 71% of the EU average. Last year, the Northern and Western Regional Assembly published research showing that since 2016, the north and west region has received just 5.7% of investment in infrastructure projects worth more than €20 million. The facts speak for themselves. We have a unique opportunity but it is not going to happen unless we all work together. That is why I want to see this roadmap.”
“I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to develop strategic development zones, SDZs. What will this look like for Ireland West Airport Knock? What timescales will be on that? There is huge untapped potential in our region, which has 95,000 sq. m of commercial enterprise space that can be used for economic development. I welcome the appointment of a manager specifically for this, but we need to know what it will look like. Will the Minister drive it and make it a priority?”
“Perhaps the Minister would look at that area in order that none of these projects are falling between the stools because the people they are presenting to may not fully realise the potential of the things they are coming forward with. We need to nurture this talent, but we also need the start-ups and to ensure these businesses can scale up and stay in this country.”
“I thank the Minister and I agree with a lot of what he said. Within these strategies, it is always in the implementation and how quickly the implementation can be done. There are opportunities there for self-employment as well. When people find themselves in a situation where they lose their jobs, we should be coming in there to support them. What I am finding in some areas is that when the brightest and best young people are coming up with ideas, whether it be the development of apps or whatever, and I spoke to a person last Saturday in Mayo about this, they are falling between the agencies, for example, Údarás na Gaeltachta, the LEOs and Enterprise Ireland.”
“I would also like to see, after such job losses, a measuring of how long it takes individual workers to find alternative work so that we can stay ahead of the game.”
“Last month we learned that Meta is to cut 5% of its staff globally and last year Intel and TikTok notified staff of impending job losses. As the Minister rightly said, there is a significant contraction and it is very important we have a plan in place as this is likely to happen again in the future. Last night we talked with the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, about AI and the implications for the Irish economy. While there are many positive applications of AI and it will continue to be growth area, significant layoffs can also result from AI. I want to see an action plan in that context. I also want to see, as we discussed last night, the building up of expertise within Government. We need to be looking at the existing skill sets and what is necessary for Government to be able to tap into these.”
“We now know that 142 staff are to be laid off by the Irish branch of the global HR and payroll processing company, Workday. When was the Department notified of these job losses? What contact has the Department had with the company and the workers? What is being done for those workers? Has IDA Ireland been involved and how can these workers be helped to find alternative employment and supported? This morning I want to send solidarity from this House to those workers and their families.”
“I want to get clarity on this. Will a scheme be put in place for businesses? I welcome what the Minister has said about horticulture. As he knows, the land in Mayo and the west in general does not lend itself to that. Will we have a scheme similar to the one we had for Storm Babet? It is important that is done sooner rather than later because people and businesses want certainty. There are many people who are self-employed, including farmers and fishermen. Last week, I spoke to either the Minister or the Taoiseach about an instance relating to oyster farming. About €160,000 has been lost and they do not have insurance. They will not be able to operate again unless they are compensated for that. We need clarity on it. I understand what is stated in the programme for Government but the vagueness around it is causing concern for businesses.”
“Will the Minister clarify the extent of the conversations he has had with them and when those people will be reconnected because it is really impacting their businesses?”
“The Minister might clarify if he got agreement from the insurance companies that the amount they pay will not be impacted. Businesses have two concerns about insurance. The first relates to the excess. If the excess is a couple of thousand euro and their loss is less than that, obviously they will not be able to claim. They are also afraid that their premiums will go up, meaning that over a three- or five-year period, they end up paying back more than they got in the first instance. The Minister said he has been in contact with the water, electricity and communications companies. There are still hundreds of businesses and homes in Mayo and other counties that do not have proper communications. There have been no proper responses from Eir, Vodafone and the other communications companies.”
“It is almost four weeks since Storm Éowyn battered the country. I wrote to the Minister early in February to ask that a scheme be put in place urgently to assist businesses affected by the storm. Last week Sinn Féin used its Private Members' business time to call for Government support to businesses. Why has no scheme been put in place to date? Businesses need to know today what help they can expect from the Government in the aftermath of the worst storm in history.”
“Let us do this to enable all of our island to prosper regardless of whatever tradition one is - IBEC operates on an all-island basis as does Tourism Ireland - to enhance prosperity and equality of opportunity across the island. I have a lot more to say on AI but my time is up.”
“We need to very much enable that when we talk about the geopolitical situation and the threats to businesses. We must be able to facilitate business to be able to access things and we must be mindful of smaller businesses that do not have time. I have just met with the Small Firms Association. Let us not make it complicated, let us get rid of bureaucracy and let us make it accessible to businesses that are already time-poor and are struggling to survive. AI also enables more precise decision-making through data analysis and helping organisations to spot trends, forecast demand and optimise inventory management. There are significant possibilities. AI has significant potential to transform businesses and drive economic growth and it is awfully important that this be done on an all-island basis.”
“I also have a question about access to the national training fund and the great mystery of where this fund is - I think it is about €1.5 billion - and how we can tap into that. Will the Minister of State find out whether the national training fund can be used because I can think of no better area than this one to make a major investment into AI so that we are ahead of the curve? Will she come back to us on that because it seems to have eluded us all for many years? I do not think it is fair that businesses are contributing to the national training fund and building it up when they cannot get access to it. It is important that it be made accessible to businesses and for training. AI technologies such as automation, predictive analytics and machine learning can streamline business operations and reduce costs.”
“It is imperative that this Government builds up in-house expertise on AI. Otherwise we will be exposed to external influences, sometimes with contrary agendas. We talk all the time about the damage that has been done in contracting out. The Minister of State has probably read The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies , which is about how we have contracted out so much decision-making and expertise that used to be within Government but no longer is there. AI is an area where we really need to build up expertise. Have we initiated a recruitment drive to get the brightest and the best to work for Government in maximising opportunities and mitigating risks involved with AI? That is really important.”
“If our technology prevents us from doing that, this is a barrier. It is incumbent on the Government to explore strategies for maximising the potential of artificial intelligence to benefit businesses, the economy and society at large, as the Minister of State has said. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has recommended that Ireland should establish an advisory forum consisting of civil society organisations with fundamental rights and expertise in trade unions, as well as people who are often at the receiving end of AI deployment, such as teachers, artists and actors. Has the Government taken this on board? AI has transformative potential but to truly harness it for the greater good, its integration must be thoughtfully managed, equitably distributed and aligned with broader social goals.”
“Comhghairdeas to the Minister of State. I wish her the best of luck in her new role. I also congratulate the Minister, Deputy Calleary, for the work he has done in this area. I know the Minister of State will acknowledge that we are still behind the curve. I welcome some of the initiatives she has put forward and made us aware of today. I would also like a copy of her speech. It is very important that we all work together on this. It is a huge challenge but also a huge opportunity for us. In respect of the Oireachtas and how we could use AI ourselves, can the Minister of State ensure we are not blocked from using it in any way? Can this be facilitated? We all need to be up to speed on how it works, what it can do and how we can access training courses online if we need to do so.”
“I welcome the programme for Government's commitment to implementing the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts. Obviously that includes provision for a referendum on Irish unity. I welcome the enhancement of the shared island unit and wish to say how important it is, in light of the geopolitical turbulence we have seen, that the investment in the initiatives and projects must be to secure or increase our competitiveness and productivity. I welcome the departmental targets. How will those targets pan out and be measured? Will they feed back to the Taoiseach? Will we get an update on progress every quarter, for example?”
“There is cross-party agreement in this House on the necessity to repeal the legacy Act. The Taoiseach will be representing us all when he ensures that happens. The issue I wish to raise with the Taoiseach relates to Frank Stagg. The 50th anniversary of his death will be marked in 2026. The Taoiseach will be aware that Frank Stagg was a hunger striker from Mayo. An academic work on his case is under way, but it transpires that the British have locked away his files in Kew until 2089. I raised this issue with Hilary Benn previously. I ask the Taoiseach to raise it with the British Prime Minister. There is no reason whatsoever the files on Frank Stagg, the hunger striker, should be locked away until 2089.”
“This week, I spoke to a disabled woman who was trying to work out how she could cut back on groceries just to able to afford her exorbitant rent. How can this be acceptable in one of the richest countries in the world? Is it acceptable to the Taoiseach? Is he really of the opinion that renters need to pay higher rents to guarantee the profits of institutional landlords? When will the Taoiseach declare a housing emergency?”
“Alas, there are roads in Mayo that have been waiting for 30 years. Renters in Mayo are deeply concerned about the rising cost of rents and the continued increase in homelessness in the county. The county of Michael Davitt, the founder of the Land League in 1879, is now one in which so many families are petrified of not having a home to call their own. However, the Taoiseach and his Government see no cause to implement a no-fault eviction ban. The great, improper declaration that 40,000 new homes would be built last year was very cruel and deliberate. Now, we have an increasing number of older people worried sick about being made homeless. Too many people with disabilities are living in precarious conditions.”