Sarah O'Reilly
Agricultural Panel · Aontú · Ireland
“I support Senator Harmon in everything she has said. I want to raise the ongoing crisis in assessments of need and the impact this is having on families in Cavan and Monaghan. Earlier this year, I was helping a mother whose young son had been offered a place in an early intervention preschool.”
“In Cavan and Monaghan alone there are 578 overdue assessments. I commend Cara Darmody on continuing to shine a light on this issue. She is absolutely right when she says children are missing the window for early intervention. We all know that the earlier a child gets support, the better the outcome. These early years are precious.”
“Parents should not have to pay out of their own pocket because the State has failed to meet its own legal obligations. Disability teams continue to be short-staffed while many newly qualified therapists and psychologists cannot get the supervised placements and recognised experience they need to practise.”
“She has already had two near misses, as she calls them, that left her badly shaken. She describes Cavan's footpaths as being like a racetrack and says she dreads leaving her home now. That should not be the case. This is not just about an inconvenience.”
“I also welcome the delegation from Canada. They are very welcome. I have three sons living and working in Manitoba, Souris and Brandon. I bring up the issue of e-scooters. Imagine being afraid every time you step outside your own front door. That is a daily occurrence for a visually impaired woman living in Cavan town.”
“People had to take long detours just to get to school. The Department said that inspections carried out in March 26 found around 130 roads needed complete reconstruction, 440 had significant damage and several bridges could no longer be used. I believe those figures cover the entire country. My question is simple.”
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“To quote the former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, this is a "vampire tax in that it drives a stake through the heart of home ownership ... and sucks the life blood of people who want to own their own home". Families already pay income tax, USC, VAT, motor tax, tolls, fuel tax and carbon tax - the list goes on. Families are being squeezed from every direction and yet the State still has the gall to send a bill to the doorstep of the family home. Government TDs might dismiss this as a few euro a week, but the cost of living is out of control. In 2022, 1 kg of chicken breasts cost €4.99. Today, that same 1 kg of chicken breasts costs €11. This is a 120% increase. The market value of someone's home does not reflect their ability to pay a tax. It is crazy.”
“Last night, the Dáil debated the Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill. It was presented as providing for a fair and proportional increase in property tax ahead of the November revaluation. We have to be honest that the tax is fundamentally unjust. It punishes working families, older people and rural homeowners simply for having a roof over their heads. Under this proposal, every home in the country will be paying more. When first introduced during austerity, local property tax was billed as a temporary measure and just another step to stabilise the economy. Like so many temporary taxes in Ireland's history, however, it is now a permanent feature of our system. Instead of questioning its legitimacy, this Bill seeks to entrench it further.”
“There is a concern that even with the drug approval being fast-tracked within the EU, it could take up to two years for Irish patients to be able to avail of it. Children with DMD cannot wait. Their disease is a progressive one and needs to be treated quickly. We must ensure timely access to givinostat for children with muscular dystrophy. It is a priority.”
“We cannot stand idly by when we know there is treatment available that could dramatically improve their quality of life. When we look at the details of this, it makes zero sense. A child who starts treatment at age 17 can continue to receive it after they turn 18, but an individual who is aged 19 cannot receive the same treatment and this needs to change. I ask the Minister to consult the HSE to remove the restrictions that see people with SMA locked out of the healthcare system. We also need to ensure there is timely access to givinostat once it is rolled out within the EU. This drug is a game-changer for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, DMD, as it slows down the progression of the disease.”
“I recently had the privilege of meeting representatives of SMA Ireland in the audiovisual room. Spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, is a rare condition that causes weakness throughout the body. People living with SMA can experience difficulties swallowing, breathing and performing basic day-to-day activities. In recent years, the HSE has approved three treatments that can halt the progression of this condition and significantly improve an individual's quality of life. Unfortunately, these treatments are unavailable to those who are over the age of 18. During the general election, one woman reached out to our south Kildare representative, Melissa Byrne, to share her brother's experience with spinal muscular atrophy, SMA. She described the difficulty people with the condition face as they find themselves unable to access essential healthcare.”
“The Government is aware of this discourse and, thankfully, dropped the idea of letting those under 16 medically transition from the programme for Government. We need the Government and the Department to lead the way on ensuring education is based solely on factual evidence rather than biased agendas. The Bí Cineálta programme has to be stopped. Every child deserves support and respect, and that must come through evidence-based age-appropriate policies. A world-class education system should not turn a blind eye to what is factually true.”
“Paul Moran has stated, "the Department of Health should reconsider some of the overly affirmative educational and training materials it is sending to schools" and has questioned the prominent role that has been given to activist organisations over clinical advice in respect of policy development and teacher training. After the Cass report was published, the North of Ireland, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Hungary, Poland and Italy immediately removed gender ideology from their curricula because they took the advice of experts not activists. They listened. We also seem to be behind the curve on issues like this all the time. When other countries became aware of the harm this could do to children, they acted immediately to protect them.”
“It tells children that if they do not like dolls or football, they are outside the norm. We have a duty to ensure that what we teach children is grounded in best practice and appropriate for their age and stage of development. We must also respect the constitutional role of parents in guiding their children's education. When more than 4,000 submissions from concerned parents are dismissed without meaningful engagement, something is very wrong. Bí Cineálta will be embedded throughout the school curriculum, so parents who do not wish for their children to be taught gender ideology will have to remove them from school altogether. There is no ability for parents to have their children opt out of learning factually incorrect information because this policy will be mandatory. Psychiatrist and member of the Cass review clinical expert group Dr.”
“This is particularly true when it comes to the roll-out of the Bí Cineálta programme. While we all support efforts to tackle bullying and promote kindness in schools, this programme introduces complex ideas about gender identity in ways that many parents and professionals feel are not developmentally appropriate. Bí Cineálta was originally developed to emphasise the importance of integrating people with disabilities and autism and children from impoverished backgrounds, many of whom are most of risk of bullying. However, it now focuses primarily on bringing gender ideology into the classroom. It forces children to accept gender ideology as fact. Gender ideology goes against progressive politics. It tells children that if they do not conform to the rigid notions of femininity or masculinity, they are really the opposite sex inside.”
“At the outset, I commend the good work of many in the education system. We all want a world-class education system that allows every child to real his or her full potential. However, too many people feel that the Department of Education and Youth is ignoring the voices of those who matter most, namely students, parents and teachers, many of whom have contacted me. There are hundreds of children with special educational needs who do not have school places. There is chronic absenteeism. Teachers are warning us that leaving certificate reform is being rushed and that standards are being diluted. Parents across the country are feeling shut out of decisions about their children's education. We are seeing a system that is no longer listening to professional experts or parents and that is not dealing which reality.”
“On a point of clarity, it was announced on 13 May, yet all Oireachtas Members in Cavan received a letter from the housing authority in Cavan on 28 May. That was after the announcement. Applications are in and so when the application-----”
“Other countries invest in models that allow people to age with dignity, surrounded by family and with proper support. We instead commodify care and treat people as profit margins.”
“Five years on from the start of the Covid pandemic, we are still waiting for adult safeguarding legislation to be enacted. I have received confirmation that the older persons grant fund in County Cavan is now exhausted. The letter said it is temporarily paused but the problem, in fact, is that the fund is exhausted. This has happened because the Government has failed once again to allocate sufficient funding to help keep older people in their homes and in the communities they have built. What is most galling is that there is action only after scandals break. The approach is all reactionary, with no prevention. It is 20 years since the Leas Cross scandal and we have learned nothing. Ireland is becoming an outlier in elder care.”
“The recent RTÉ exposé on nursing homes in Dublin and Laois was heartbreaking to watch. Vulnerable elderly people - our mothers, fathers, grandparents and neighbours - were left without dignity and proper care. Yet, the Government continues to outsource elder care to private corporations, many of which put the bottom line before people. It was shocking to watch an elderly man ask repeatedly to be taken to the toilet, only to be told to stay in bed and pee in his pad. Elderly people who paid tax and contributed to the State now find themselves victims of abuse. The provider at the centre of this scandal, now rebranded as Emeis Ireland, is due to open a new facility in Cavan later this year. The company was already in controversy in France. How in the name of God was a red flag not seen? Why did HIQA not undertake due diligence?”
“I call for a proper debate in this Chamber on child protection. I commend the group, MECPATHS, on its work to raise awareness about trafficking. Aontú has worked closely with MECPATHS and I know they also appreciate the proposal by Senator Flynn. I ask the Government not to oppose this very basic but timely legislation.”
“Aontú has exposed a number of alarming facts in recent weeks and some of these statistics are as follows: there are currently 37 children missing from Tusla's care, and 32 of them were refugees or seeking international protection in Ireland; since 2021, Tusla has made referrals to the Garda regarding 161 children who were suspected of being victims of child sexual exploitation, which is a form of child trafficking, with 115 of these children being in care and 46 "known to Tusla"; since 2014, a total of 235 children either in State care or known to Tusla have died, with ten murdered and 51 having died either by suicide or drug overdose; and Tusla has admitted to us that it accommodated 66 children in hotels over the past six months, which are unregulated placements with third party providers.”
“I thank Senator Flynn and the Civil Engagement Group for their work on this issue. I agree with all the amendments and fully support their proposals. It is beyond time that our laws be updated so that images of child abuse are referred to as what they are. We have a very serious problem of child trafficking and child sexual exploitation in this country.”
“It is the very least they deserve for their contributions to Irish agriculture and for their continued perseverance in the face of persistent inaction.”
“The online survey is a first step after 17 years but there is still no sense of urgency. Many of these farmers have been campaigning for over a decade. They are ageing, disillusioned and weary of promises that have never been fulfilled. The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated. We do not need another prolonged consultation or an extended review process. We need action. I call on the Minister for agriculture to ensure that this survey is assessed without delay and that the results are published before the summer recess. The eligibility criteria must be finalised quickly, and payments should begin as early as possible, namely this year. Anything less will be a continuation of the injustice these farmers have endured for too long.”
“Two weeks ago, an online survey commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on providing supports for the forgotten farmers closed. Like many others, I welcomed the allocation of €5 million in the 2025 budget to support the men and women who, due to restrictions in agricultural policy and administrative delays at the time and through no fault of their own, were denied access to crucial support and entitlements. The survey to establish the number of farmers who missed out on agriculture supports was a positive step but it must be implemented with a sense of urgency. The Government needs to address farmers who set up in farming before 2008. That is 17 years of hard-working farmers trying to make a living but being unable to access key CAP supports.”
“They are turning to their Ministers for help and for someone to stand up and fight for them. Tea and sympathy are not what they are looking for. Is the Government taking the necessary legislative steps to close the loophole that allows this to happen?”
“The Minister of State did not answer any of my questions with concrete solutions. She has a lot of hope and talks a lot about hope. The Government said it was well aware of what was happening. If it was well aware, why did it continue pumping taxpayers' money into a business it knew was going into examinership? These workers are supporting families. They poured years of their lives and dedication into the Wellman company. Thoughts and prayers are a nice platitude but they mean nothing to families who are wondering how they will pay for their weekly shopping. Instead of the Government offering sympathies, it needs to look at how it can intervene, either by finding a new investor or by ensuring redundancy packages are offered to workers. The Government has to get out and fight for these people.”
“Will the Minister of State answer these questions and outline the steps she is going to take to support the employees and workers in Mullagh?”
“Will the Minister of State tell us why employees of the Indorama Ventures group received redundancy packages in other countries but not here? How can a multimillion euro corporation plead insufficient finances and only offer statutory redundancy to Irish workers? Why has the loophole in the law that allows this to happen not been closed? The company went into examinership at the High Court last Tuesday at 2.45 p.m. At 5 p.m., an investor appeared out of thin air. This has created real concern among workers. They are wondering whether this is a genuine investor or a speculator or asset stripper. They do not know. How can we be sure the company has not choreographed the situation with this investor all along? Does the Minister of State have further insight into the investor? Can the employees trust him or her?”
“If the Government was well aware that this company was headed for disaster, why did it continue to pump taxpayers' money into it without oversight as to how it was being run, without contingency plans for the workers who have been affected, and without ensuring workers' rights to redundancy packages? The company knew it was not profitable for the past two years and yet there was no attempt to rightsize or scale it back from a 24-7 operation. This company is supported by the IDA and therefore by the Irish taxpayer. There should be some level of Government oversight. There is an onus on the State to ensure the assets derived from taxpayers' money are not simply sold to speculators or stripped for God knows what. Do we know anything about the new investor and his or her intentions?”
“Many people went to Wellman’s as craft apprentices and have stayed with the company since. Some employees have been with it for more than 45 years. Those employees will only be offered statutory redundancy. How can this be? I was surprised by the statement the Minister of State issued in which she indicated that her thoughts were with the workers. Is offering thoughts and prayers all the Government can do? She is a local, and she is also Minister of State at the Department of enterprise. She needs to start throwing her weight around in the Department and deliver something for the workers of Cavan. She also said that the Government is well aware of the challenges.”
“I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this important issue. She is aware that Wellman International, based in Mullagh, County Cavan, recently went into examinership. Serious concerns have been raised regarding the future of the company and the rights of its employees. There are more than 200 jobs at risk. The company has been an established employer in the area for more than 50 years, and many employees have worked for it for decades. The potential loss of these good-quality jobs would be a devastating blow to the community and the local economy. Some 215 people will be out of work if a new, well-intentioned owner is not found. That is 215 people who will be worrying about their mortgages, household bills and how to put food on the table.”
“With a bit of imagination, these grants could be a good bit better and a sustainable way for people to get on the property ladder.”
“It defines dereliction more clearly, it strengthens enforcement and introduces the town centre first process to make it easier to bring disused buildings, especially above shops, back into residential use. It is great to see this Bill emphasise over-the-shop accommodation. We in Aontú have stressed the need to ease planning regulations for these properties to allow for empty commercial units to be used as accommodation. The Government's vacant property refurbishment grant has been painfully slow and often inaccessible. While in excess of 7,700 applications were submitted, fewer than 1,500 grants were actually paid out. Funding needs to be granted incrementally as many people cannot afford to pay for the works up front.”
“I am happy to support this Bill today. I am disappointed it is not going any further for another 18 months. Implementing a Bill like this would be a necessary and long overdue intervention in the fight against the decay and neglect that is eating away at the heart of our towns and villages. Throughout the country more than 100,000 homes lie vacant or derelict while families queue for housing and young people are forced to emigrate. In Dublin city alone more than 14,500 properties are vacant. One fifth of these properties are left empty for more than four years. That is not just bad policy, it is a moral failure. The Bill gives local authorities the teeth they need to act.”
“Funding should be directed through the local authorities to enable them to buy land and develop fully serviced sites to give local businesses the space to develop and grow. There are major hurdles at the moment in the areas of water, sewerage, electricity and planning. If local authorities are able to provide serviced sites for local businesses, we will see a massive uptake. Businesses want to build and expand but there is nowhere for them to go. We are incredibly innovative people who can easily compete with the rest of the world but we are bound by so much red tape and bureaucracy. We must collectively look for a way through on this issue.”
“We now see the same with CAP funding. If Ursula von der Leyen gets her way, CAP will be moved to a single-stream funding model and will no longer be ring-fenced. This is a direct threat to the livelihood of thousands of farmers and to the rural economy. Mercosur is also a threat to Irish farmers. Any attempt to remove ring fencing of CAP funding would put a knife through the very heart of the policy. I plead with the Minister to act to prevent the decimation of our rural economy. With looming threats of tariffs, we need economic resilience. Now would be an opportune time for the Government to invest more in indigenous businesses. In my area, there is no funding for local enterprise parks.”
“I thank the Minister for coming to the House. Ireland risks fines of between €8 billion and €26 billion if we fail to meet the EU climate targets. I believe we were set up for a sure fail on unreachable targets and our Government obediently and knowingly signed us up for inevitable failure. In 2008, when the economic crash came, the Government incentivised farmers to produce more so we could export more. Farmers were encouraged to invest and turn out more produce. In many ways, farmers helped to get Ireland on the road to financial recovery. Now, after heavily investing, they are being told to reduce and restrict herds. Farmers and Irish citizens cannot be scapegoated for the Government's failure to meet EU climate targets. People warned at the time that this would negatively impact on the Irish economy but no one would listen.”
“One of the reasons cited for the failed referendum last year was to acknowledge different family structures and yet, when there is an opportunity to provide concrete support to these families, the Government simply turns a blind eye. Capital acquisition tax has not been reviewed since 1991. I ask that the Government specifically looks at inheritance tax for childless couples. In its current form, it is clearly discriminatory.”
“More than 1 million people in this country are childless, which is 18.4% of the population. The principle of equality before the law is enshrined in our Constitution. The Government has a duty to ensure that all people are treated equally, regardless of whether they have children. This tax discriminates against almost 20% of the population and it is totally and completely wrong. The real kicker is that if I want to leave my assets to a charity, I can do this tax-free, but if I want to pass them on to my granddaughter, she will have to pay through the nose at over €40,000. The Government has acknowledged in various debates that it does not want to see anyone unfairly penalised, yet it has taken no action on this.”
“I was at a very informative presentation yesterday given by EDIT in the audiovisual room. One of the women speaking spoke about her issues with the current inheritance tax system. She does not have any children, and she has a sister with a disability. She wants to make sure that her sister is set up for life if, God forbid, she should pass. She cannot leave more than €40,000 to her nieces and nephews tax-free. They are the people who will be looking after her sister and responsible for managing her finances, and are not viewed as direct relations under inheritance tax. This system for capital acquisition tax is incredibly discriminatory against childless couples and needs to be reviewed. It discriminates against single people, people who do not have children and families with an alternative structure.”
“Much to the disbelief and surprise of many of us, it voted against letting us go on JPCs, ETBs and university panels. We need to preserve and increase autonomy for councillors in the local authority system. Remuneration for councillors needs to be looked at again. The Moorhead report, which I read, does not consider that a councillor’s job is a full-time job. It is a full-time job. It is 24-7, weekends, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. It is all days. There needs to be a mechanism for local authorities to be able to raise revenue powers locally. A good functioning democracy is a good functioning local authority. The Minister of State mentioned the area committee. What are these, and will they be elected? Chief executives are very powerful in councils and they are not elected. Would this be another group of unelected people?”
“Local government is the closest form of government to the people. Its finger is on the pulse of what people need. The Minister of State is aware it is under-resourced, underappreciated and overburdened. He should be aware of the previous report that stated that Ireland has one of the most centralised governments in Europe. It is time to reverse the dominance of central government over local government and the dominance of chief executives over councillors. Councillors are crying out for more powers and councils are crying out for more devolved powers. Councillors should be entitled to decent pensions. The maximum gratuity needs to be increased from 20 years to 30 years, and Departments are micromanaging from Dublin. This House voted in the past to reduce the powers of councillors.”
“However, apologies are all well and good, but accountability is what is needed. We need a public inquiry into Shane O'Farrell's death. This is the only way to bring peace to his family and at last get a meaningful sense of justice for Shane and his family.”
“He consistently broke the law and yet remained free through years of incompetence, negligence and ineptitude by the State agencies. The Courts Service has admitted that, in error, it filed away the appeal papers and the appeal was never heard. Shane's killer never served his sentence. Had this error not taken place, he would have been in custody on the day he killed Shane. It is truly heartbreaking for any parent to have to bury their child. It is a pain many of us would be incapable of understanding. Shane O'Farrell was failed by the courts, the Probation Service, the Garda and the Department of Justice. Those same State agencies are failing this family to this day. The State has been no help. If anything, it has heaped trauma on top of trauma on this family. I welcome the apology today.”
“I commend the O'Farrell family on the constant and dignified efforts they have made to ensure there is justice for Shane O'Farrell as well as reform in our judicial system. To think that 14 years on the family is only now getting an apology from the Government is heartbreaking. Their son's killer had 40 previous convictions and he should have been in jail when Shane was killed. The Courts Service of Ireland stated that his prison sentences were never served because of administrative error. Shane's killer had 12 convictions from Lithuania but nobody checked his criminal record before he came into Ireland in 2004. This is something that is still a huge issue in this country today. He ran amok for two years, walking in and out of District and Circuit Courts.”
“You have to get three quotes for Tommy Tiernan, even though Tommy Tiernan is the only person who can quote for Tommy Tiernan, if the Minister of State knows what I mean. It is a little bit ridiculous in places. People in local government, especially those working on the ground like municipal district managers, are in the process every day of trying to find solutions to problems and their hands are tied by the very strict guidelines they have to work around. We should come up with some ideas on how to help people on the ground resolve situations and get solutions in a fast and timely manner. It is well known that to win contracts, people or organisations put forward keen prices, but it is the add-ons you have to watch out for. Lessons need to be learned from the national children's hospital and the ventilator and PPE scandals.”
“The national organising body for the school put out a public procurement process to get tenders for maintenance of the lift, and a new provider won the contract. The new provider could not fix the lift that was easily fixable at €30 but the school could not buy this part itself or get somebody in to fit it because insurance would not stand over it and the new providers would not stand over it either. A new lift had to be put in for the sake of a €30 part. That is unfortunate and it should not really be happening. I have another ridiculous example on the three quotes issue. If you have a theatre or Government organisation that is putting on a show or hiring a band or comedian, you have to get three quotes. Let us say you are getting Tommy Tiernan.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming here today. I was not really prepared to talk about this but I felt I had to because it is a very important subject. The public procurement process excludes local shops and small businesses and indigenous local businesses. I have sat on five or six school board meetings where this has always been an issue. The school cannot go locally to purchase things that are needed. The school may wish to go locally, so it has been a huge bone of contention on many of the school boards. Going through the public procurement process is not always going to give good value to the taxpayer. For example, I was in a school where a lift broke down. It was serviced and needed a wearing part every year that cost about €30.”
“I want confirmation from the Minister of State on the proposed new driving instructors. What is the timeline for when they are expected to be in place and actually doing tests?”
“I am seeing in the newspapers the exact same thing about the 75 additional driving instructors. Are these new driving instructors or are they old driving instructors? Are they driving instructors who were recruited in 2023 or are they only starting out now to actually test? Two years later in Cavan, our waiting list is 26 weeks to sit a driving test. Since 2022, there has been a 60% increase in the country in the number of people waiting to sit their tests. The issue here is supply and demand. We do not have the number of permanent driving instructors to address the backlog. People in rural areas have no public transport. They need permits, they need to be driving, and they need to be independent. We need a direct response from the Road Safety Authority as to what measures they are putting in place to address this serious situation.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I raised this issue in 2023 on Cavan County Council. The driving test wait times in Cavan were shocking. A huge number of young people in rural parts of the country rely on private transport to get to and from college, training, football and jobs. I myself have a big lump of a lad who is 22 years of age and his mammy is dropping him off to rugby training. They are well fit and well capable but they still have to wait a huge amount of time to get their licence. When I raised this back in February 2023, the wait time in Cavan was 18 weeks. In April 2023, we received a reply from the Road Safety Authority to say there were 75 additional new instructors hired and this would help to clear the backlog and reduce the waiting times.”
“At the minute, I do not see the will on the part of our Government and I would like to see more. Senators are inviting the Minister, Deputy Harris, to the House for a debate.”
“I was to speak on something else today but I would like to lend my support to Senator Patricia Stephenson's call for a proper debate in this Chamber on Gaza and the atrocities happening there. It is time the Minister, Deputy Harris, came in here to debate the issue with all those who speak with passionate voices on this issue every day. They deserve no less and the people in Gaza deserve no less. The Government is being disingenuous about Senator Frances Black's Bill. There is a lot of hand-wringing, shoulder-shrugging and things other than trying to do something to pass the Bill going on. We all saw during Covid how governments across the EU and the world could implement emergency legislation, ban things worldwide or nationwide and impose restrictions and shutdowns. Things are possible but the will has to be there.”
“If we want to increase the number of child psychologists in the country, we need to have a more streamlined approach to qualifying. Currently, many undergraduates abandon their desire to pursue graduate programmes as they are applying year on year with no success. The Government can fix the mental health crisis, but without the staff to provide services, children will be left waiting. Loneliness is a huge issue for young men and farmers, in particular. I mention SOSAD in Cavan. Any money it receives goes directly to front-line services. It is not caught up in bureaucracy. There was to be a service level agreement with the HSE but that is still not in place. I ask for an update on that from the Minister of State.”