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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“They cannot wait for next year's budget. They are in trouble now and they need help now. We need an emergency budget and a range of supports for families and people with disabilities. That must include a lump sum of at least €500. The money is available. The Minister knows that. The budget surplus this year will be €9.2 billion. Two or three weeks ago, the Government stated that the surplus will increase from €5 billion to €9.2 billion. I ask the Government to bring in an emergency budget and to do the right thing.”
“It is literally a case of heating or eating or charging an electric wheelchair or eating. The cost of home heating oil has gone through the roof, with no reduction whatsoever on offer. A significant number of people with disabilities are among the 317,000 families who in arrears on their electricity bills and the 185,000 families who are in arrears on their gas bills. The cost of food has spiralled out of control in recent years. Over the past five years, milk is up 43%, butter is up 42%, cheese is up 28%, diced beef is up 48%, chicken is up 33%, beef is up 32% and lamb is up 52%. On top of all that, the Government withdrew all cost-of-living supports in budget 2026, hitting workers, families and people with disabilities very hard. Families are being put to the pin of their collar to make ends meet.”
“Persons applying for allowance are often means-tested against their spouse's or partner's income, which is very problematic. Thousands of applicants are refused on initial application, with 43% of cases, or almost one in every two, overturned on appeal. The cost of means testing should be assessed, and consideration must be given to a move to universal payments. Housing is another cause of huge difficulty for people with disabilities. Many continue to live at home with their parents. Parents often are carers and care into their 70s, 80s and 90s. There are 2,065 adults with disabilities who are living with parents who are over the age of 70. Five hundred of these people live with parents who are over 80 years of age. Of course, the cost-of-living crisis has severely impacted people with disabilities.”
“Those losses could include the loss of a medical card, the loss of the fuel allowance, the complete loss of or a reduction in a person's disability payment or the loss of the free travel card. In other EU countries, disabled people do not lose disability entitlements when they work. The biggest fear about and barrier to working is the loss of the medical card. Medical need should decide an entitlement to a medical card as opposed to someone's income. Because of the limited nature of income disregards, people with disabilities, if they work at all, tend to do so in low-paid or part-time employment. In relation to approval for disability allowance, the strict means testing and cliff-edge nature of the limits exclude many persons who would otherwise qualify for payment.”
“The at-risk-of-poverty rate for persons with disabilities is 24%, more than two and half times the rate for the rest of the population. As the Minister knows well, the cost of disability is between 52% and 57% of a household's disposable income. The additional cost is estimated to be anything from €488 to €555 per week. On top of that, Ireland has one of the lowest rates of disability employment in Europe. There are huge barriers to employment for people with disabilities, including a lack of personal assistants, a lack of equipment such as electric wheelchairs and a lack of personalised budgets. The fear of the loss of benefits is another huge barrier to employment.”
“We are exhausted by the number of reports, reviews and investigations into the cost of disabilities for individuals. We had the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities in 1996. We had Indecon's Report on the Cost of Disability in Ireland, which was published in 2021. We had a Green Paper on the cost of disability in 2023. We had an ESRI joint report with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in 2025, and we had another consultation in February of this year. We have been waiting over 30 years for a decision. I wonder whether a decision will ever be made or whether there will ever be a cost-of-disability payment for persons with disabilities. This extraordinary delay has left disabled persons with a totally inadequate standard of living.”
“Vulnerable people and families are now being charged up to €15 for blister packs. Medical cardholders, people on fixed incomes, sick people and people with disabilities must now pay this additional charge. As the Minister knows, there is a cost-of-living crisis and these groups are already under severe financial pressure, being hammered by increases across the board. Food costs over the past five years have spiralled out of control. Butter is up 42%, milk 43%, cheese 28%, chicken 33% and diced beef 48%, not to mention huge increases in gas and electricity prices as well as petrol, diesel and home heating oil. For low- and middle-income families, this charge is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. This service should and must be State-funded. It is a small ask in the bigger scheme of things.”
“It goes back to Article 29.2 of Bunreacht na hÉireann - Éamon de Valera's Constitution - in which "Ireland affirms its adherence to the principle of the pacific settlement of international disputes by international arbitration or judicial determination." The triple lock itself was endorsed by the sovereign Irish people in two referendums: the second Nice treaty referendum and the second Lisbon treaty referendum. The triple lock was included in solemn national declarations in those treaties. Any question of changing the triple lock will require a referendum of the Irish people. What is the Government afraid of in putting this to a referendum? The Irish people have spoken twice on this issue and have supported the triple lock. Any change will require a referendum, so this should be put to the people.”
“Is it going to abandon people like Éamon Ó Cuív and Willie O'Dea who are on record as opposing the abolition of the triple lock? The Minister has said that there is no connection between the triple lock and Irish neutrality but as we very well know, the current Taoiseach told us previously that the triple lock is the core of Irish neutrality. These are huge questions for Fianna Fáil, and for its future. Will they abandon their history? Irish neutrality goes back hundreds of years. It is part of what we are as a nation and as a people. It goes back to Wolfe Tone. It goes back to James Connolly when he erected the banner on Liberty Hall which said "We serve neither king nor kaiser, but Ireland!". It goes back to huge protests against conscription during the First World War.”
“I welcome and support this motion and thank Deputy Stanley for bringing it forward. I want to address some remarks to Fianna Fáil TDs, Fianna Fáil Senators and the wider Fianna Fáil membership. Is Fianna Fáil going to abandon its history? Is Fianna Fáil going to abandon Bunreacht na hÉireann, Éamon de Valera's Constitution? Is Fianna Fáil going to abandon Éamon de Valera's declaration of neutrality? Is Fianna Fáil going to abandon the solemn national declaration given by a Taoiseach from that party, Bertie Ahern, during the second referendum on the Nice treaty? Is it going to abandon the solemn national declaration given by another Fianna Fáil Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, during the second referendum on the Lisbon treaty?”
“Emergency legislation, as the Minister of State will know, is provided for in Bunreacht na hÉireann and by precedent, which was in the Financial Emergency measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009 enacted by Fianna Fáil when it crashed the economy. Such an emergency act must also provide for a massive construction programme for affordable and social housing on public land by local authorities, and local authorities must be funded to carry out this programme.”
“The rents are huge now, with average rents in new properties being €1,744 per month nationally, while existing rents are €1,503 per month nationally. Of course, in Dublin, the figures are much higher, with €2,232 per month for newer rents. Families with children and on lower incomes will experience lifelong negative effects. As family life is impacted, schooling and health are disrupted. These homelessness figures, eviction notices and rent increases are a direct result of Government policies, including the newer rent regulations introduced by the Minister. We need emergency legislation to ban evictions and introduce a rent freeze to reduce rents, stop local authority rent increases and exclude carer's benefits from rent determination. We also need to legislate for the right of tenants to remain in situ during house sales.”
“The homeless figures for the end of March 2026 are a damning indictment of this Government and the previous Government's effort to address of the housing emergency. A record 17,517 people were living in homeless emergency accommodation, including 5,571 children, which is another shocking record. The record shows that evictions result in direct, immediate increases in homelessness figures. Quarter 4 of 2025 showed an increase of 41% in evictions, while quarter 1 of 2026 showed 7,062 eviction notices, up 51% from 6,693 in the same quarter last year. This suggests a tsunami of homelessness figures in the coming months. Eviction notices throw tenants into a highly competitive rental market, where they cannot afford to compete. The rental market is defined by enormous rents and little or no supply.”
“The current income limits for council housing are completely outdated. They are too low and must be increased urgently. These low income limits have the effect of locking large numbers of low- and middle-income families out of public housing and indeed private home ownership as well. The families do not qualify for council housing or the housing assistance payment, nor will they qualify for a mortgage. They are condemned to private renting at enormous rents for ever more. They cannot save for a deposit. Some of these families have been on council lists for years, only to be removed when the list is removed. I know the Taoiseach will tell me about schemes like help to buy, affordable housing and rent to buy. Large numbers of these families simply cannot avail of these schemes. They live from week to week and cannot save for a deposit.”
“I thank the Tánaiste. Good road conditions are vital for County Tipperary. It has limited public transport and is largely a rural county. People who work in any of our towns such as Clonmel, Tipperary town, Cashel, Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir, Thurles, Roscrea or Nenagh must drive to work and people who go to third level institutions in Clonmel or Thurles must drive. People who shop in any of those towns or go there for entertainment must drive. Poor quality road surfaces contribute to road traffic accidents causing injury and death. As I already said, road conditions have deteriorated in the past five years because of static Government grants and inflation. The war in Iran has increased costs significantly. Will the Tánaiste confirm whether Tipperary County Council will be compensated for those unexpected costs, which it has no control over?”
“Bitumen prices have similarly soared, costing the roads department an additional €410,000 in 2026. The price of stone, concrete and Macadam have also soared sharply. A further significant cost has arisen from the damage done to the road network during the severe winter, which cost the council more than €600,000. The council has lodged a submission with the Department of Transport seeking funding to cover this. Tipperary County Council roads department is urgently seeking funds to cover these unexpected costs of close to €1 million arising from the war in Iran and €600,000 for costs related to the severe winter weather.”
“The Department of Transport discretionary road grant has remained static since 2020 and the Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, grant has also plateaued. In the same period, from 2020 to 2025, costs have increased dramatically with road construction and road maintenance inflation of more 30%. The result is that the roads output has reduced by more than 20%. It also means that in a county with limited public transport where people need cars to go to school and work, roads have potholes and are substandard, with many stretches bordering on being unsafe. On top of this bad situation, things have become significantly worse due to the illegal US war on Iran. As the Tánaiste will be aware, fuel prices have gone through the roof and this will cost Tipperary County Council roads department a further €400,000 in 2026.”
“County Tipperary has more than 5,900 km of road and, based on the current pavement surface condition index ratings, it would cost more than €300 million to bring all the road network to a good standard, that is to the Department's rating of at least seven. According to Department of Transport guidelines, Tipperary County Council should treat 5% of the road network or 295 km under the road improvement programme annually and another 5% under the road maintenance programme. That is a total of 590 km. In the past five years, the council has only been able to treat an average of 300 km each year, or 5.1%, only 50% of the Department's target. To achieve the 10% target, a doubling of the Government allocation from €23 million to €46 million would be required.”
“Can the Taoiseach establish for the people of Tipperary town when a safe water supply will be restored to the town and what plans Uisce Éireann has to do this?”
“I should not have to ask this question but, of course, Irish Water has no respect for customers, so I do not have a choice. Tipperary town, with a population of more than 5,000 people, has been on a boil water notice since 12 February. There is an information blackout from Irish Water. Despite the efforts of the public, local radio and local and national public representatives, we still do not know when Uisce Éireann will be able to provide a safe water supply for the town. For ten weeks, the only information that could be extracted from Irish Water was the initial post on its website about the boil water notice. Eventually, on 1 May, it confirmed that new wells would have to be drilled. There were no further details and there has been silence since. All the time, families and businesses are buying bottled water.”
“We know - and if the Minister of State read the Sunday Business Post on 3 May, he would know - that the Government has €39 billion in State cash reserves held by the National Treasury Management Agency. They are liquid assets. Two weeks ago, the Government announced an increased budget surplus for 2026, up from €5 billion to €9.2 billion. There was a budget surplus in 2023 and 2024 of €30.9 billion and there are rainy day funds, the Future Ireland Fund and infrastructure funds of another €20 billion. The truth is that the Government is awash with money. Before the 2024 general election, the Government found €2.2 billion for a package straight from the back of a couch to help it win and buy that election. It is time to now reintroduce credits. Families are at breaking point.”
“The average amount now owed by families is €492.72, an increase of €64.94 on last year. Families now owe electricity suppliers €156 million. On gas, 179,500 families are in arrears on gas bills, up 8,000 on the same period last year. In fact, a quarter of all gas customers are in arrears. It is now a question of heat or eat for these families. Many families are at or beyond breaking point. The level of disconnections indicates that is the case, as they are up 64% on the same time last year. That is an outrage, and it outrageous that the Government refuses to introduce energy credits in this situation. Do not tell us that these credits are unsustainable or that the Government does not have the money or needs to be prudent.”
“That tax can be used to offset the huge cost to ordinary workers and families. This whole area is flooding into the most horrendous cost-of-living crisis we have ever seen. The Government's withdrawal of energy credits in the 2026 budget and its refusal now to reintroduce energy credits means that record numbers of households are in arrears. In fact, approximately 500,000 families are in arrears on their gas and electricity bills. Some 317,000 families were in arrears on their electricity bills in February. This is an increase of 58,500 compared to the same month last year, a rise of 23%. Furthermore, 191,000 families are in arrears for over 90 days, up 36,000 or an increase of 23% on the same time last year. The level of debt has also reached new heights.”
“Households in Ireland are now paying €480 more in electricity that in other countries, with overall energy costs costing households an additional €2,000 a year each. Families are being fleeced and energy companies are taking advantage of the illegal US war on Iran to make families pay through the nose while making huge, unearned war profits. Statistics on profits are horrendous. The oil companies are making $30 million per hour in unearned war profits. In March alone, these companies made an extra $23 billion in unearned war profits. It means they will have an additional $234 billion in unearned war profits in 2026. These profits are coming straight out of the pockets of the public who are paying higher prices. These are windfall, unearned war profits. They must be subject to a significant windfall tax.”
“I welcome this Bill. I support it and thank Sinn Féin for introducing it. The Bill gives the Commission for Regulation of Utilities the power to monitor wholesale and retail prices in the energy market; to increase the frequency and level of reporting; to monitor and regulate hedging practices; to strengthen its powers to monitor anti-competitive behaviour of gas and electricity suppliers; to give an expanded role in consumer protection; and to strengthen its powers to address energy affordability. The Bill is definitely going in the right direction but we must go further and more must be done. The Bill raises the whole issue of Ireland's soaring energy costs, which are the highest in Europe.”
“Gerry Rooney, a former secretary general of the PDFORRA, which represents about 7,000 members of the Defence Forces, is also on record as saying that maintaining the triple lock and strengthening the engagement of the United Nations would be a more effective path for sustaining Ireland's peacekeeping role and neutrality. I believe that abolition of the triple lock undermines our peacekeeping role in the world.”
“Irish peacekeepers who have served throughout the world for decades know the value of the triple lock. Neutrality has been an invaluable component of Ireland's foreign policy. This country's involvement in and reputation for peacekeeping gives moral legitimacy to our voice for the international rule of law and peaceful resolution of conflicts. Former Defence Force members with first-hand experience of peacekeeping and conflict have spoken in defence of the triple lock. These people include Senator Tom Clonan who stated that it gives international status as an impartial voice for peace and de-escalation of armed conflict.”
“The triple lock itself has been endorsed by the sovereign Irish people in two referendums, the second referendum on the Nice treaty and the second referendum on the Lisbon treaty. Solemn national declarations have been added to those treaties. Successive polls have shown support for the retention of neutrality, the core of which is the triple lock. I believe it is now time to abandon this proposal. Of course peace missions can be authorised by the UN General Assembly as well as the Security Council.”
“Neutrality and a triple lock have served his country well. The current Taoiseach is on record as saying that the triple lock is the core of Irish neutrality. Of course, that neutrality goes back over 100 years to when James Connolly erected a banner on Liberty Hall declaring that, "We serve neither King nor Kaiser, but Ireland". It also goes back to hugely successful protests against conscription in Ireland during the First World War. It goes back to Article 29 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, Éamon de Valera's Constitution, which speaks of "adherence to the principle of the pacific settlement of international disputes by international arbitration or judicial determination." It goes back to Éamon de Valera's declaration of neutrality in 1939.”
“Is it the Government's intention to proceed with the proposed defence (amendment) Bill to provide for the abolition of the triple lock, which is against the expressed wish of the Irish people as expressed in two referendums on the Nice and Lisbon treaties?”
“The Government needs to significantly increase funding to local authorities on this scheme, with a target of completing all council houses in a four- to five-year period.”
“An applicant in receipt of one-parent family payment who is working part time and in receipt of the working family payment is deemed to be over the limit. These applicants are condemned to long-term renting at exorbitant levels, with no hope of a council house or a mortgage. The income limits for housing applicants for local authorities must be increased by at least €10,000. To address the country's dependence on fossil fuels, the retrofitting of council houses must be hugely increased. The illegal US-Israeli war on Iran shows how important this is. Tipperary County Council has a social housing stock of 5,210 units, but works on just 71 of those houses were completed under the energy retrofit programme in 2024. This is a snail's pace and is totally unacceptable but it is the best that could be done with the funds available to the council.”
“The new law must provide for a massive construction programme for social and affordable houses on public land by local authorities. Local authorities must be funded to carry out this programme, which includes building houses as well as retrofitting and upgrading existing houses. Tipperary County Council must be commended on delivering 180 social houses in 2024. Despite this, and due to the failure to provide capital funding to the council, the council's waiting list is, at best, static with 3,400 on the list. This waiting list significantly underestimates the real demand because large numbers of households are being excluded from the waiting list on income grounds. I will give an example.”
“Over 140,000 households are on council waiting lists and thousands more are being locked out of the housing market because they are earning slightly over the council housing income limit but not enough to secure a mortgage while they cannot save for a deposit. This housing emergency has broken the social contract between the State and its citizens. Successive Governments have paid lip service to this situation by calling it a priority, a crisis and even an emergency while failing to take any housing emergency action. To deal with this housing emergency, the Government must enact a housing emergency measure in the public interest law. Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish Constitution, provides for such an emergency action in Article 43.2.2°.”
“Decent housing is enshrined as a human right in Article 25 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It should also be enshrined in Bunreacht na hÉireann, the Irish Constitution. A referendum to that effect should be called immediately. The policy of successive Governments has been and continues to be an abysmal failure. Target after target has been missed. There are well over 17,000 families who are now homeless, including well over 5,500 children. Thousands more are living in substandard council houses and flats all over the country. Housing rents, including council rents, have skyrocketed and are being further substantially increased by the new rents regime introduced by the Minister. Billions of euro every year are being paid to landlords in respect of HAP payments.”
“The Government decision to row back on commitments to increase statutory sick pay and to delay the introduction of the living wage until 2029 is shameful and should be reversed immediately. The ask now is to introduce legislation to provide for a legal right to collective bargaining by trade unions, to provide legal access to workplaces by trade unions, to increase statutory sick pay, and to introduce the living wage immediately.”
“One of the reasons is that many employers, including hugely profitable multinational companies, refuse to negotiate with trade unions and cannot be forced to do so under current legislation. Urgent legislative change is needed to provide for a legal right to collective bargaining by trade unions. These companies put every obstacle in the way of trade unions recruiting members, including refusing access by trade unions to workplaces. Some even resort to harassment of leafleteers handing out union information on public thoroughfares near their companies. Trade union membership and collective bargaining have been shown to increase pay, productivity and employee retention, and benefits to the community generally.”
“The working class and their trade unions have always been at the forefront of the fight for workers' rights and for national independence and self-determination. We need only remember the 1913 Lockout, the 1916 Easter Rising and the role played by the Irish Citizen Army led by James Connolly. We remember the banner hanging from Liberty Hall, the HQ of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union at the time which said, "We serve neither King nor Kaiser but Ireland". Is it not shameful that, more than 100 years since independence, Irish workers do not have the legal right to collective bargaining through a union? The work in Ireland survey 2026 found that the 44% of workers in Ireland who are not currently in a trade union would like to join.”
“I welcome this motion and support it. It is appropriate that we debate this motion on workers' rights in the lead up to May Day. May Day and May Day demonstrations resulted from the adoption of a resolution for a great international demonstration at the International Workers' Congress in Paris in 1889. That demonstration was in support of workers' rights and the demand for an eight-hour working day, and 1 May was chosen to commemorate a general strike in the United States which had begun on 1 May 1886. In Ireland, May Day was first celebrated in 1890, organised by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions. The key demand from the platform speakers on the day of course was the eight-hour working day.”
“I must say that seeing on RTÉ news recently a successful Garda beat in Dublin city centre was very difficult to take, seeing as we have been looking for this type of operation for quite some time. Transport is another issue.”
“Tipperary County Council is submitting a significant town centre upgrading project this week, under the towns and cities regeneration investment fund. Approval of this project is of vital importance for the consolidation and development of the town. It is a shovel-ready project, with Part 8 consultation complete. The town has an excellent record of completing schemes such as this on time and under budget. These include schemes such as Kickham Plaza and the sports hub. Early approval of this project is essential. Other very serious issues affecting rural Ireland include security and the level of policing. Throughout Tipperary, Garda numbers are completely inadequate. Gardaí on the beat are almost non-existent now.”
“Half of the town of Clonmel was out of water on Friday and Saturday with no notice. There were homes without water and businesses had to close. The town of Fethard was similarly without water at the weekend. The town of Carrick-on-Suir and west Waterford have ongoing outages and boil water notices. That is completely unacceptable. Vacancy and dereliction in the main streets of our towns are very serious issues. I hope towns will be supported by means of the regeneration programmes for towns with populations under and over 10,000 people. In particular, Clonmel town centre requires consider refurbishment, having been hit by changes in retail trends and a resulting closure of businesses, including long-standing family businesses.”
“The Government has failed rural Ireland. What we have is a lot of talk and not enough delivery. There is a housing crisis, a cost-of-living crisis and a disability crisis in rural Ireland. There are other issues that people in rural Ireland face on a daily basis, such as those relating to a lack of water due to burst water mains, outages, treatment plant malfunctions and boil water notices. Irish Water has contempt for customers. It should never have been established and should be abolished. Tipperary town public water supply has been on a boil water notice since 12 February 2026. The supply serves a town of more than 5,000 people. The only and most recent information on the Irish Water website is dated 12 February 2026. There has been no further information. It is absolutely outrageous.”
“Local government is the beating heart of democracy. In July of last year, when replying to a question of mine, the Taoiseach confirmed that the abolition of town councils was a big mistake and that he was a great believer in restoring town councils. He said that many town councils had great visionary district councils in the past. In November of last year, the Taoiseach confirmed that it was an issue that was close to his heart, that he opposed the abolition of town and borough councils and that as a democrat, he believed in fundamental layers of democracy. Has the local government task force reported? Has the report been seen by the Minister? Will the report be published? Has the report gone to Cabinet? Will the Taoiseach confirm that, in line with his previous statements, borough and town councils will be re-established?”
“I want to raise again the fact the people of south Tipperary have no consultant ophthalmology service. There has been no eye service for almost two years now. The HSE has failed in its duty to provide that vital service. We have no consultant-led service, no optometry clinics and no nurse-led clinics. As a result there is a huge backlog of 3,000 people, with hundreds of children who have never been seen. There are hundreds of people with glaucoma who either have never been seen or need follow-up and some may be facing blindness. I know the ophthalmology department at the county clinic in Clomnel has been reallocated to other services, so what is going on? Is there a plan to downgrade or transfer the services out of south Tipperary? When will we have and see a consultant-staffed service in operation again in the county, please?”
“The Government will fail dismally to meet the retrofitting targets of 500,000 home retrofits and 400,000 heat pumps by 2030. These schemes must be ramped up considerably and delays under the warmer home scheme - a very good scheme - are unacceptable. Two years is not simply good enough. The retrofitting of local authority houses must also be put in place. It is currently moving at a snail's pace and is almost non-existent. The projected budget surplus of an additional €4 billion must be used to do that.”
“If you work in south Tipperary in somewhere like Clonmel and work in any of the local industries like Abbott; Boston Scientific; Merck, Sharp and Dohme; Medite of Europe; Tipperary County Council; or Tipperary University Hospital, you must drive to work. Low-cost or free public transport must be put in place. The town bus service in Clonmel has been an outstanding success and this service should be rolled out to other areas in the town, like Old Bridge, Powerstown, Redmondstown and Clerihan. Crucially, it should be extended to other towns in the county, like Carrick-on-Suir, Cahir, Cashel, Tipperary town and Fethard. This would be hugely advantageous from a climate point of view and also from a societal point of view.”
“Offshore wind and wave power should be the priority and funds from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund should be used for that. The energy crisis and climate change disproportionately impact the most marginalised. Efforts to address climate change, like carbon tax, the cost of retrofitting and electric cars, also affect PAYE workers, one-parent families, carers, the disabled and older people the most. A total of 29% of households are in energy poverty, 300,000 families are in arrears with their electricity bills and 180,000 are in arrears with gas bills. As a result, the just transition measures are absolutely vital. Low-cost, even free, public transport is a key issue in climate policy, particularly in constituencies like Tipperary South where public transport is limited, to say the least.”
“The programme for Government commits to intensifying the transition to lower cost renewables and electricity generation and to transitioning away from imported fossil fuels. We can see just how expensive fossil fuels can be since the illegal US war on Iran, just how dependent we are on them and how vulnerable that makes us to price shocks. Successive Governments have been too slow to move away from expensive, imported fossil fuels and worse still, are now reversing the existing policy. The Government must expedite investment in our renewable energy infrastructure to insulate us from the worst impacts of the turmoil of a world oil supply shock. In the long run, the only way to prepare for future energy shocks is to invest substantially in our energy infrastructure.”
“In my experience, children are travelling up to 25 miles to school. A special school in my constituency had 38 applications for eight places, meaning 30 disappointed children and 30 very frustrated and distressed parents. We must do better. The recent announcement of inclusive special classes is not the answer and is another display of arrogance by the Government. There was no consultation with parents, children, disability organisations, teachers or unions. Inclusive Ireland and AsIAm have very serious misgivings about the proposal. It increases class sizes for children with additional needs without adequate or, indeed, any provision for additional special education teachers, SNAs or support and should be stopped. It must be subject to full consultation, consideration and evaluation by and with all stakeholders.”