Seamus Healy
Tipperary South · Independent · Ireland
“Across Ireland, 624,000 people provide regular unpaid care to children and adults with additional needs. A recent 2026 report on care shows that 75% of carers never received respite, 49% cut back on essentials such as food and heating, and 48% experienced severe loneliness.”
“Respite and residential services for persons with intellectual disabilities are in crisis. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides the right to live independently in the community with choices equal to others.”
“It states, "Our campaign started with a simple question: 'Who will provide the care my daughter needs when I am no longer able to care for her?'" It continues, "It is not uncommon to hear parents say; I would hope my son or daughter goes before me. Then at least I know he or she is safe.”
“What is needed urgently and what is called for in that submission is, first, an emergency funded plan in budget 2027 to address the needs of parents in their 70s, 80s and 90s who cannot wait for systemic change.”
“Down the centuries, generations of Irish men and women espoused the desire for a 32-county independent sovereign republic. As far back as the 1790s, Theobald Wolfe Tone, the father of Irish republicanism, focused on a vision of complete separation from Britain, the elimination of sectarian divisions and the unity of Catholic, Protestant a…”
“He saw partition as a reactionary device to divide the Irish working class. Again, how right he was. This Bill requires the Government to prepare and publish a Green Paper on Irish unity, convene a citizens' assembly, engage with communities and provide regular updates to the Oireachtas.”
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“In south Tipperary, while we were obviously affected by the storm with a lot of trees down, electricity outages and road closures, we certainly were not affected as badly as our colleagues in the west and the north west. However, we have a lot of experience of events like this. Coming as I do from the town of Clonmel, we are well aware of them. Every five years we had massive floods in the town where businesses and families in the Old Bridge and the quay areas of the town, in particular, were flooded for days on end and affected on an ongoing basis over the years. Thankfully, the new flood relief scheme has solved that problem but we are well aware how families, individuals, businesses and communities are affected by these type of events.”
“I will be sharing time with Deputy Catherine Connolly. I congratulate the Minister on his appointment and wish him well in his ministerial role. I am sure his dad with whom I served in this House for nearly 16 years is absolutely delighted to see his son elevated to ministerial ranks. As I say, I wish him well. As everybody has done, we need to acknowledge and thank all those who were involved in dealing with the aftermath of this horrific storm. I mention county council staff, ESB staff, Civil Defence, Irish Water staff, fire brigade and ambulance services, mountain rescue teams, various committees including local committees, community organisations and centres, sport centres, GAA clubs, local shops and a whole host of individuals who helped out and showed real community spirit in the aftermath of what was a devastating storm.”
“It further goes on to say that all states are under an obligation not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel's illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories. We should pass the Bill immediately, without delay.”
“Ireland has the opportunity to lead the international community by passing the occupied territories Bill and it should do so immediately, without delay. In 1987, Ireland became the first country in the western world to legislate for a complete ban on the importation of South African goods following the bravery of the Dunnes Stores strikers. We can lead in the same way today by ensuring that Ireland is not complicit in the oppression of Palestinians by engaging in trade or investment with the occupied territories. The Bill itself is entirely in accordance with international law. The International Criminal Court has found that the State has a duty to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the occupied territories.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward the motion. I compliment and thank all those individuals and organisations throughout the country that are supporting the Palestinian cause, including Clonmel Friends of Palestine in my home town, who have been raising awareness, holding vigils and raising funds for the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, as well as other groups in the constituency in Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel and Tipperary town. The situation in the occupied Palestinian territories is unsustainable. It is an illegal occupation. Some 3.3 Palestinians are corralled into approximately 40% of the West Bank. Israel retains full control of the rest of the area, with approximately 700,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements, and with more to come.”
“These include giving local authorities additional specified, ring-fenced and multi-annual grants to enable them to spring into action immediately in situations like this. They cannot be looking over their shoulders to see from where money can be found to deal with such situations. There needs to be automatic payment of compensation to families who are without services, particularly where they are without those services for quite some time. Generators must be provided to community halls, community hubs, sports centres and, in particular, water treatment plants. The Government must instruct the ESB to cover the cost of repair of the electricity infrastructure out of its profits. It is a hugely profitable company, with a €868 million profit in 2023. Consumers must not be made to foot the bill for that work.”
“I acknowledge and thank all the staff involved in dealing with the storm and its aftermath, including in county councils, the ESB, the Civil Defence, Irish Water, the Garda, fire brigades, ambulance services, mountain rescue, local committees meeting in community halls and sports centres, local shops and the many individuals who helped out. The State was clearly unprepared for the storm and particularly for its aftermath. We still have some 18,000 ESB customers without electricity. To deal with events like this in the future, we need a task force that includes all stakeholders. It must be set up immediately and must report urgently. There are actions that need to be taken immediately in advance of any report.”
“Disability legislation obliges the State to provide assessments of need for children with disabilities within six months of referral. This early assessment is vital as children use it as a gateway to access therapy services such as psychology, speech and language, etc. It is universally accepted that early diagnosis, treatment and support give the best outcomes for health, welfare and quality of life for these children into adulthood. More than 11,000 children are now waiting for assessments of need over the six-month limit, many for two years or more. This Government is clearly and knowingly in breach of the law in this regard, as was the previous Government. When does the Government propose to implement the law to give these vulnerable children their legal entitlements?”
“There is no proposal to eliminate the huge waiting lists for therapy services. In fact, the programme foresees those backlogs continuing. It also continues the situation where the law is being broken by the Government by depriving children with additional needs of their legal entitlement to an assessment within six months of referral. On these issues and many more, this Government is not fit for purpose.”
“This programme for Government continues the failed policies of the previous Government. It lacks ambition. It is deliberately vague and has no costings and no timelines. That means a continuation of the housing and homelessness crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, hospital overcrowding, huge health waiting lists, a broken disability service and the health recruitment embargo, known as "pay and numbers". The housing and homelessness crisis is the most fundamental issue facing this country. This programme continues the failed policies of its predecessor. There is no new urgency, no emergency measures, no reset of housing policy as recommended by the Housing Commission, and the commitment to hold a right to housing referendum has been reneged on. The section on disability services is weak, vague and non-specific.”