Ruth Coppinger
Dublin West · People Before Profit-Solidarity · Ireland
“Next Wednesday, the trial continues of the Ulm five, including the Irish citizen, Daniel Tatlow-Devally. A delegation of TDs and Senators, including me, will attend the trial in Stuttgart next week.”
“This man said of one woman that he would attach her to a concrete block. He said of another that he would set fire to her. Should this person be getting a pay off from the Army? No, of course, he should not. He should have been put on trial.”
“I have very little time left, but I want to put on record that the woman in question was abused by an Army officer using military equipment and surveillance technology, which is extremely scary. She made a complaint, which has never been pursued.”
“When is the victims of crime Act 2017 going to apply the Army? The Women of Honour have pushed for change so that if there is abuse within the Army there will, we hope, be mechanisms to deal with that, but what about women who are abused by Army personnel who are not in the Army?”
“This officer was involved in a GoFundMe campaign, where rapists' names were used as a joke by the various men who contributed to it. I do not think rape is funny and the Army should not either. That GoFundMe campaign was left up for a long time. Why is the Army a law unto itself in relation to gender-based violence?”
“The victim's belief is that the military prosecutor has evidence of a very dangerous man but for some reason, the Army does not seem to be concerned because it has not prosecuted him on those charges. Why would the Army not want to prosecute somebody? Are we at war or something? Why is it so secretive?”
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“Today, people have gathered here who have succeeded in getting a trial. What are they telling us? One survivor, Sarah, said that after a violation of her bodily integrity, our courts allow a second violation to be carried out on persons who are already in such a vulnerable state. She went on to say that the cruel irony is that the greatest blow often comes, not at the hands of our attacker, but from a system designed to protect the victims of crime. Is the Minister listening to what people are actually saying? They go to the trouble of reporting the most personal injury to themselves, and find the second trauma is the court and legal system. I ask him to take that on board and listen to what people are saying.”
“It is recognised by the World Health Organization, WHO, that the biggest danger to a girl or woman in this world is violence against them. Every ten minutes, a girl or woman is murdered by a male relative, partner or family member. That is an incredible statistic. All of the statistics relating to this State are provided in the motion; I will not go through them again. Suffice it to say, there has been a record number of calls to Women's Aid and a shocking increase in the number of calls to the Garda, something that emerged in replies to parliamentary questions to the Minister. There have been 65,000 disclosures. This crime is practically unpunished and unreported. Only 5% of adults ever disclose or report to the Garda if they are an adult victim of sexual violence and only 14% of that 5% ever get to prosecution.”
“I want to begin by welcoming the survivors of gender-based violence and the families of victims who are in the Gallery. The fact that there are so many people here is testament to the urgent action needed on this. The Minister spoke recently about knife crime and asked whether the streets of Dublin are safe. Women are safe nowhere in this country. Women are not safe on the streets, in their homes, at work or even when they sleep, as we know from so many examples. This morning we wake to find yet another woman, at 82 years of age, seems to have been a victim of murder and a man has been charged. Six women have been murdered at the hands of a man in this country within an eight-week period. We have an epidemic of gender-based violence globally.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that gender-based violence is a global pandemic and the greatest threat to the health of women and girls worldwide, a woman or girl is killed by a partner or family member every 10 minutes; in this State: — since 1996, 274 women have died violently, up to 7th February, 2025; — 52 per cent of women have experienced sexual violence in childhood or adulthood; — 35 per cent of women, have experienced psychological, physical and/or sexual abuse from an intimate partner; — in 2023 Women's Aid recorded 40,048 disclosures of abuse; — Gardaí responded to over 65,000 domestic abuse incidents in 2024, of those 1,600 reports occurred over Christmas week; — the LGBTQ+ community reported an increase in queerphobia; a person's sexual orientation was the motive in one in six hate incidents reported to Gardaí; and — 28 per cent of men have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime; further notes that: — only 5 per cent of those who experience sexual violence as an adult reported it to Gardaí, of these it is estimated that just 14 per cent make it to trial; — victims/survivors of sexual violence have spoken publicly about how harrowing their experience of the legal system is, many characterise it as a second attack or even worse than the original attack; — despite the Government's claim to have a trauma-informed and survivor-centred approach, complainants face traumatising legal impediments, such as: — the use of character references in support of those convicted of gender-based violence which can grossly re-traumatise victims and are especially inappropriate considering the dynamics of gender-based violence, recent legal changes requiring sworn testimony with references does not reduce that trauma and can actually compound it; — the accused has the ability to request access to counselling records of complainants, this has been highlighted by victims/survivors as being extremely invasive and traumatic; — the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality in 2021 called for the exclusion of counselling/medical records from evidence; — the knowledge that counselling records can potentially be accessed results in many victims/survivors postponing essential treatment, dropping cases, not reporting offences; it therefore represents a gross invasion of privacy, an attack on the right to timely treatment, and on the ability to seek justice; — counselling records have no credible evidential value, but serve to intimidate or discredit complainants; and — other jurisdictions afford privilege to therapist-client consultations; and — the use of rape myths about clothing, sexual history, mental health, alcohol, or drug use, in court to discredit victims; every time a victim is blamed, or their experiences undermined, all those who have experienced gender and sexual violence are damaged and the culture that enables abuse is fostered; and calls on Government to treat gender-based violence as the epidemic it is and immediately act to: — end the practice of character references before sentencing for those convicted in cases of gender- based violence; — protect confidentiality, the right to privacy and therapeutic healthcare for victims and immediately legislate to prevent access to counselling records by the accused and their defence team; — provide advocacy and representation for complainants in the court process; — ensure that there is compulsory training of the judiciary and juries regarding sexual and gender-based violence and end the ability of rape myths and victim blaming being put by defence legal teams in court cases; — invest and recruit court personnel, so nobody has to wait more than a year for a sexual assault, rape or gender violence case; — introduce educational programmes in schools, colleges and the wider society to challenge misogyny and gender violence; — introduce mechanisms to recall and make accountable judges who make misogynistic and insensitive rulings; — move to implement "Valerie's Law", to remove any guardianship rights for those who kill the other parent of their children; — femicide and intimate partner violence training for Gardaí; and — introduce a domestic violence register "Jennie's Law", to make available information about anyone with a conviction for domestic violence.”
“Laws are being broken continually when it comes to people who have a disability. Will the Government learn the lesson from last year and do something for disabled people?”
“Disabled people are twice as likely to be homeless, twice as likely to leave school early and very likely to be unemployed because of our very high unemployment rate. Something disabled people discovered during the pandemic was that an able-bodied working person was thought to need €350 per week to live. That was the pandemic payment. Yet, disabled people were getting and still get €240 per week. Actually people who are disabled need much more money because of all the additional costs in their lives, such as transport, heating and many other things. Will the Government please do something about the housing situation for disabled people as well? I have had to help to pay for occupational therapy assessments to be done to help people to get onto the housing waiting lists. That is illegal. Councils should be doing that.”
“I am tempted to talk about child school places, but I want to talk about adult disabled people because it has been almost one year since the care referendum this Government lost because disabled people got organised online and actively and defeated the care referendum whether we like it or not. They then went on to defeat the Green Paper which was another Thatcherite plan of the previous Government to force people into work. Can the Minister of State name anything that has been positive for disabled people that happened in the past year since they sent that message to the rest of society about their plight? I do not have much time. This is likely to be the worst country in Europe to be a disabled person.”
“They have applied for family reunification status but it has got clogged up in the system for a number of years, or if could be a number of years unless there is some help from officials from the relevant Departments. Will the Taoiseach look at that situation?”
“I am very concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people, as I am sure we all are, but I am also specifically concerned about Irish citizens who the Taoiseach's Department helped to get out of Gaza. In particular, he may recall Ibrahim Alagha, whose family I am sure the Taoiseach and his Department officials played a role in assisting in November 2023. One of the family members got left behind. He was only 18. He is now 19 and he is marooned and alone in Egypt, in a strange country. He is the brother of Ibrahim and the brother-in-law of Ibrahim's wife. If I can pass this information to his Department, will the Taoiseach assist them in any way? I know he met with them after they returned to Ireland. They are extremely concerned and cannot sleep while worrying about this young person every night.”
“The National Gender Service is the only way to access healthcare for trans people. It asks very invasive questions and does not use an informed consent model which is best practice worldwide. Will the Taoiseach please tell us what he intends to do about the situation facing trans people waiting over ten years for healthcare in this State?”
“I would like to raise with the Taoiseach one very important and particular aspect of healthcare and that is for trans people. I am sure that he, like me, is concerned about the demonisation and erasure of trans people that is going on worldwide. I am sure the Taoiseach would also agree that trans people have a human right to healthcare. The waiting list is a decade long in this State right now. It has increased by a year. We have the worst trans healthcare in the whole of Europe and it is also getting worse since the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust shutdown. Trans people are being forced to go abroad, go private, or online to access illegal hormones or, rather, the way the they are accessing them is illegal, as well as crowd funding and raising money on Facebook, Instagram and so on.”
“Nothing has happened in the past four years despite an explosion in the number of cases, particularly during the pandemic. Is this because, yet again, it is mainly women who suffer?”
“This is Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Tomorrow, a briefing will be held by relatives about this matter. Over the past 20 years there has been an absolute explosion in this most deadly, fatal mental illness. Yet, we still only have three beds for people with eating disorders. Some 200,000 people suffer with such disorders. Eight beds were to be opened at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown. Nothing has happened. We need beds because this is such a complex mental health issue. Psychiatric hospitals are not able to deal with it. An all-round approach is needed. Outpatient clinics are also needed. When is the Government going to do something about this? For so many years, parents and sufferers have been in contact with me about the situation relating to the three beds. The Minister of State is sitting behind the Taoiseach.”
“Why is this okay? Pigs are also gassed. They make it look like they are asleep and it is peaceful but it is not. A study done in Australia in 2023 showed pigs writhing, gasping for breath, etc. How often are pig farms inspected? How many fines have they been given relating to animal welfare? What are we doing to help farmers transition out of these bad practices? We should be for climate and welfare reasons moving away from this industry. We should be moving towards a more plant-based food sector in any case. We need to give farmers ways to transition out of pig farming. It is not a good industry. It should be shut down. For more information, Deputies can check out naracampaigns.org/pigs and see for themselves. This really needs to be acted upon. It is time for this cruelty to end and sow stalls, in particular, to be banned in Ireland.”
“Tail docking is banned in the EU but is still widely practised if the farmer feels it is necessary - it is not necessary but it is more economical. The National Animal Rights Association, NARA, did a study of a number of randomly selected farms in January 2024. They were shocked by what they saw: the sow stalls, farrowing crates and fattening pens, but also dead and dying pigs, pigs biting their bars and pigs living in faeces, urine and decay. They gave the information to the Department of agriculture. I ask the Minister what will become of that information. If dogs or cats were kept in those conditions, there would be outrage, but because it is farm animals it seems to be okay. The most maligned animal in the world is the pig. They are the most intelligent animals as well. We often talk about pigs in a derogatory fashion.”
“There are 270 commercial pig farms and 3.5 million pigs slaughtered annually. Ireland still uses sow stalls, despite them being banned in many EU countries and the UK. For people who do not know, there is a gestation crate in which the pregnant sow is placed. Then they are placed in a farrowing crate in the pen just before the birth and kept there for another four weeks. The mother is allowed to move forward slightly but not to turn in any way. There is a creep area where the piglet can reach the teats but that is it. It saves money and space. The piglets are taken away from their mothers well before the weaning time of three months and put in fattening pens. Pigs in Ireland are generally kept indoors and see very little light. They are meant to have enrichment but the only enrichment is often a chain around their necks.”
“Some Deputies have said they are not from rural areas but we all eat food so we are all entitled to speak on the topic. Also, the animals which provide the food are everybody's concern. No special privilege is afforded if you are a rural dweller or a farmer. We talk about the food economy but what about the welfare of the animals in that food economy? Nobody wants to eat food that is based on cruelty but that is happening in our agrifood sector. I want to talk in particular about the pig industry. When I was participating in attempts to ban fur farming, a vet commented to me that the next thing I should focus on was pigs. This person regularly visited farms and was extremely concerned at what they saw. I will provide a bit of information on the pig industry in Ireland.”
“Connolly Hospital serves a massive catchment area of about 331,000 people in Dublin west, north and mid-west and counties Kildare and Meath. These are areas where the population of this country has increased so enormously. The hospital also takes all the road traffic accident cases from the M50. Connolly Hospital has one CT scanner. It broke down last Thursday, so for six days patients were being ferried and shuffled all around the city-----”
“I am sure the Minister of State will join me in sending solidarity to those workers who are making a huge sacrifice for their jobs, pay and conditions, and in calling on Veolia to clean up its act and recognise the union. I hope this State will not have contracts with Veolia. It is important to put that on the Dáil record, so this does not happen in this State.”
“I am asking the Minister of State to give a commitment regarding companies like Veolia, which are union-busting and will not recognise a major trade union like Unite, whose workers are having to go on strike for six months, an unbelievable sacrifice, to assert their rights. I think there will be a protest at 12 o'clock outside the Department of enterprise and of communications and energy in respect of this, to bring it to the Minister of State's attention.”
“Veolia is a very large French multinational that specialises in extracting money from public services in various countries. In Sheffield and in the UK, 78 workers have been laid off for their right to join a trade union and to have their union, Unite, recognised by their employer. I am hoping this means we will have no such relationship with Veolia into the future, although this State has not had a good record of checking what companies do. We had the Gama situation, the anniversary of which is this year. We have had many others. All of the bin companies have had union recognition issues as well.”
“What are the minimum standards expected of the Minister's Department and the agencies connected to it in respect of workers' rights, union rights and the right to join a union? Government policy is now to outsource in relation to energy, waste and water. A number of union-busting companies, such as Veolia, are looking to get contracts with this State and other states. It is engaged right now in a strike in Sheffield in the UK. Workers are visiting Dublin today in relation to this.”
“We have a major land bank in Dublin West where the council has told us it could build 7,000 homes with schools, facilities and parks. It is sitting idle. What is this Government going to do about other local authorities with similar land banks included in their long-term strategy? Is it going to leave the councils off the hook, or is it going to push them and fund them to see those homes get built? What it has done today is an absolute insult to young people in the private rented sector and to anybody like teachers, nurses and therapists who we cannot get. The whole crisis is affecting every single thing seeping into society and the Government does not care.”
“People who are profiting from the housing crisis are coming in to answer about it. It is unbelievable. Not everyone had a chance to buy a gaff when they were 20, like the Minister of State. He said he was not a person of privilege, but he is. I want to go back to the Government itself. It wants to pivot to the private sector. IRES REIT profits have increased 3% since the statement by the Taoiseach on Monday. Landlords got tax breaks of €160 million. The Government is feeding the beast and landlords are not interested until rents go up even more. I want to finish by speaking about the public sector. It has been said it cannot resolve the housing crisis but of course it can resolve the housing crisis. It has done it before. Please do not kowtow to the idea that the private sector has an interest.”
“Half a million young people are living with their parents, including two thirds of under-35s. The Government has said today that people can go from the back bedroom to the back garden or alternatively to Boston, Berlin or wherever. Young people in my constituency told me when we were out canvassing that we would not see anyone over 23 in the area and that young Blanchardstown is in Australia. I will be parliamentary here. This Government has just given a massive "F you" to young people on housing. The Government has the brass neck to not have the Minister here and then to send the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, somebody who had to admit that he did not declare his own property interests, is a major landlord and has profited off the housing misery and housing crisis by selling homes to local authorities and not declaring them.”
“Those students will not be in school this year. There is no way that building is going to suddenly appear unless the Minister pulls the finger out. We also need a second special school in Dublin West. The task force also set up a centralised system, so parents are now being told children are not getting into any of the 13 schools in the centralised system. Did the Minister’s party set up that task force - her party had that Ministry - just to get parents off its back for the general election or did it actually mean it? I ask because it has no budget. It is identifying problems but then it does not have any budget to bring forward the extra spaces and the solutions. If that is not to be a talking shop it needs a budget.”
“Schools have agreed to have autism and special education classes but they cannot get the funding from the Minister’s Government. It is the biggest barrier. There is no need to investigate this any further. I will give an example. Danu Community Special School is the only special school in all of Dublin West. It promised places students for last September, but those kids are still sitting at home because the Minister’s Government has not sanctioned the funds for the buildings that school needs. Why is that school not getting the buildings it needs? A whole class, who were to be taken in last September, is sitting at home. These are children who are autistic and who have intellectual disabilities. Can the Minister imagine how cruel that is? The mothers who have been on to me are at their wits’ end. When will that building happen?”
“It is more profitable for them to do so. They cannot afford to live here. I will speak about the Dublin 15 task force the Minister mentioned in her introduction. Parents had to go around printing large photographs of their children and putting them on election-size posters in our area prior to the local and general elections. They had to do that because they could not get places for their children. The previous Government decided to set up a task force in this area. The Minister says the task force will report in the next few months. We need school places right now and what has been identified is 104 applications. The Minister mentioned the task force is going to look at the barriers, but she and her Department are the biggest barrier.”
“I have been campaigning for special education resources since about 2010. People have been looking for this for years. I am not going to waste too much time on the programme for Government but it is lily-livered and vague on this issue considering what a massive issue this was in all the elections last year. It talks about how we must find teachers and we must have more classrooms. There were no quotas or targets. There was nothing. I have a bunch of letters here from sixth class in Castaheany Educate Together National School in Dublin 15. The school kids are writing about the teacher shortage. They see the impact it is having on them. Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School has a picture asking parents whether they can provide lodgings for teachers. We all know why teachers are going to Australia, Dubai and the UK.”
“I am wondering why the NCSE is to spend up €100,000, reportedly, not on extra help for schoolchildren or on research but on researching why there is an exceptional increase in the demand for special education. It is quite incredible the council is going to outsource finding that out to a consultant. I will give the Minister some of the reasons now without her wasting the money. The reason for the increase in demand is massively increased awareness of neurodiversity, additional needs, disability, people asserting their rights and parents not being willing to put up with what previous generations had to, namely, having their children just dropping out or staying in school and therefore causing significant harm to themselves and potentially other people. This is not new.”
“Does the Taoiseach accept that he made an error of judgment when he went to Israel in the very early days of the genocide and pointed to a ceiling and a roof while Gaza was being flattened? Does he agree that if he goes again, greets Trump, smiles and hands over a bowl of shamrock, he will be making a another error of judgment and that history will judge him on that basis?”
“The Taoiseach did not answer the central question I asked. Does he agree that Trump's plan for Gaza is ethnic cleansing? Yes or no. Can he answer that question? I do not agree that we should have an economic policy that is dependent on staying silent on genocide. An economic policy which requires that is a flawed one. When the Taoiseach refers to consolidating the ceasefire, what Trump has announced does not consolidate a ceasefire. Rather, it makes it much more likely that the right-wing Zionists will not keep to a ceasefire because Trump has opened up the prospect of taking over Gaza, which something they have always wished for. The diaspora is very important. I never mentioned once that we should not meet the diaspora worldwide. I said that we should make links and show solidarity.”
“The Taoiseach could go to the US, build links and show solidarity with those who are facing Trump's terror, namely the trans community that is being erased, the undocumented who are being deported in handcuffs - the brown ones, for starters – and the workers and students having their jobs and education slashed by the unelected oligarch Musk. The Taoiseach knows the famous poem "First They Came". I have not heard him utter any condemnation or show solidarity. I ask him to take a leaf out of the book of Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, who called out Trump publicly to his face.”
“For grubby profit, for real estate, for himself and for the people he represents who will tread over the blood and bones of the children and people of Gaza. Trump has declared war on the Palestinian people, and I have yet to hear the Taoiseach or the Cabinet make any condemnation of that whatsoever. When President Trump, the most powerful leader of the most powerful capitalist country in the world, announces a policy based on debased morals, that is war on human rights and democracy. It is not the normal business as usual. Is this an era when the Taoiseach can turn a blind eye? Is it an era when he can ignore the plight of the Palestinian people and the holocaust they are facing?”
“President Trump actually announced his intention to unleash hell on Gaza over the weekend. Ireland does not have a lot of power globally. However, we do have the power not to give President Trump a photo op on an important day for Ireland globally and not to normalise what he is doing. Does the Taoiseach agree that what President Trump is proposing for Gaza is ethnic cleansing and that it would amount to a war crime? If he does agree and if he goes on St. Patrick's Day for a business-as-usual, traditional trip, he will be normalising President Trump and what he is doing. He is has demonstrated the preparedness of the oligarchs that he has put into power to sacrifice the world and the people in it for profit and to take away the right of the Palestinian people to their traditional homeland. For what?”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle. What are the Taoiseach's intentions in relation to the traditional St. Patrick's Day visit to the White House? This morning, we read that the Taoiseach intends to send a high-powered delegation, particularly focused on business. Is there anything that President Trump can do that will change that and prevent the Taoiseach from going? Is there any fresh hell President Trump can actually unleash in order for the Taoiseach to decide-----”
“Another thing the Government could do is make union recognition absolutely mandatory. For many people who are in a union, their employer, such as the one we are discussing, does not really negotiate with them. I appeal to the Minister not to play Pontius Pilate but to look for ways he can help these workers and the students.”
“In his reply the Minister said that TUD has engaged with BIMM on a number of courses but quality assurance, blah, blah, blah, is all interlinked. How can there be quality assurance if people's pay and conditions are driven down? This is the Minister's responsibility. TUD could employ the staff at BIMM if the Minister gave that direction and made it happen. He could make that happen. A lot of the Minister's answer seemed to be trying to find ways that would prevent him from getting involved. The Minister needs to be looking for ways that he can get involved. A very strong statement from the Minster for higher education in Ireland in opposition to what BIMM is doing would carry a lot of weight as well. It would certainly offer a lot of strength and solidarity to these workers. Would the Minister even agree to issue that?”
“It is critical that the Minister intervenes here to tell TUD and BIMM to stop and drop this disgraceful plan to drive down these workers.”
“They apply to TUD and they get a publicly funded SUSI grant if they qualify but they are in a private college. This is because TUD took the decision in 2010 to outsource this course to BIMM. The Minister has the power to look into taking over this college tomorrow if he likes, running it in the same way as all the other colleges in the country are run, with equal pay and conditions for the workers, unless, that is, the Minister supports the outsourcing, underfunding and driving down of pay and conditions in colleges. There is also a need for solidarity from other workers. For example, the workers told me yesterday that while they were on the picket line the classes were being provided online by people who have chosen to scab on them. That is a lesson for teachers and others.”
“I welcome the workers here tonight. It is not easy to come here after being on a picket line for two days in the cold. BIMM is exploiting the talent and creativity of these musicians and lecturers. The BIMM website boasts about unrivalled industry connections, experienced tutors and how the institute opens doors into the music industry. The restructuring that is happening is classic race to the bottom, Uber-isation of skilled workers, to drive their wages and conditions down and make more money for the college. It is to replace the existing lecturers with lesser pay and conditions. As it is, the BIMM staff are paid less than other lecturers. This falls very much within the Minister's brief. When we look at how this college is set up, we see that students who want to study music apply through the CAO, as was said.”
“Even if the amendment had been carried out whereby people have to testify, she would have had to listen to 35 people, including a Garda superintendent and other gardaí, testifying against her. It is absolutely outrageous.”
“It is unfortunate the Minister for Justice had to leave because I wanted to ask him and the Government what laws they will bring in to stop the relentless parade of misogyny we see in the courts. Yesterday, a woman said she was broken twice after she watched a garda who carried out multiple sexual assaults against her and falsely imprisoned her on the job in a Garda station when she was seeking help. She had to listen as his wife testified and 35 character references were pasted up in defence of him. We have had counselling notes, character references and God knows what being used to undermine victims and beef up defendants. When will we see character references completely obliterated?”
“Not only do we need to hear answers from the Government about when the building will start for the people who were promised places for 2024-25, another 30 are waiting for places for the next school year. It seems to me that education is provided on a shoestring in this country but parents are not willing to put up with it any more. Teachers are not willing to stay in it any more. They are leaving in droves. This has to be addressed.”
“Somebody could be number one on the waiting list and find himself or herself knocked off it. Apparently, the SENOs' phones were not contactable for a week after these letters were sent to parents. I will also mention special schools in Dublin West. It is an area the size of most cities in Ireland and has one special school that is not properly resourced. The mother of a 13-year-old young fella has contacted me. She is in terrible distress. He was promised a school place in Danu special school last September. He was given bus provision as well. That young boy is still sitting at home. Does the Minister of State think that is acceptable in 2025? That young boy will not be in school this year because not only does he not have a teacher or an SNA; he does not have a building to go into. The building work has not started on that school.”
“The Government of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil was forced to set up a task force in Dublin 15 on the issue of special education because parents embarrassed it into doing so through the protests I was involved in helping to organise. The problem is that the schools taking part in this have identified 104 applications, but 111 children have been identified in mainstream education who need help as well. It seems to me this task force will diagnose the problem but has no medicine to treat it. It has no budget, no money and that will not, unfortunately, lead to places. Two parents have contacted me. One has 13 refusal letters from the universal application system that was set up. Places are going to children who are already in the schools that people are applying to.”
“I will stick to one topic, namely, the issue of special education and its provision generally. Two words not in the programme for Government are "teacher shortage". The Government does not seem to realise this is a problem. It is an emergency and a crisis. I do not have time to develop that statement, but it is incredible that it is not mentioned or dealt with. We have a phenomenon in Ireland, which does not arise in any other EU country, where people have to go out and campaign for a school place and a school building. It is incredible. It afflicts Dublin West in particular because it has such a young population.”
“There is absolutely no place for cowardice or for thinking President Trump does not mean what he says and that it will not actually be as bad. We have heard of the reported love-bombing that was the initial Government strategy to deal with him. He is a war criminal. He should not be dealt with.”
“It is not being called out either through spinelessness or through people waiting to see what the response of the people is. I think they have declared a war on human rights and democracy. Three things are clear: we need to pass the occupied territories Bill; nobody whatsoever from this Dáil should go to the White House; and nobody should greenwash Trump and give him any flag or cover to hide what he stands for. Our Government and all political parties should make that clear. It is critical that we increase the opposition movement and the protest movement that has been the only saving grace on behalf of the Palestinian people, and I know the Palestinian people themselves will also resist. We must stop the use of Shannon by US troops and soldiers who are walking through there every day while genocide is being planned.”
“I think everybody found it surreal and, I am sure, bloodcurdling - anybody with a humanitarian bone in their body - to hear the President of the US sitting beside his open fire, announcing his intention to carry out the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and announcing the intention of the US to get a slice of the action in Gaza for his real estate profiteering, with Netanyahu, the wanted war criminal, sitting beside him. It is critical that we do not allow the normalising of genocide, ethnic cleansing and increased oppression. This is the leader of the biggest capitalist nation in the world blithely saying these things. They have announced the preparedness of the oligarchs to ravage the world for profit and to walk over the globe as they see fit.”