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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“Carrick-on-Suir is choked with thousands of vehicles, including all HGVs and vans passing along the Clonmel Road and O'Mahony Avenue and on to the Waterford road, all of which are built-up areas. This project has been suspended twice and is currently stalled due to a lack of funding. The road is essential for road safety reasons as well. It represents about 1% of the road network but 24% of deaths. I ask that funding be continued for the N24 Cahir to Limerick Junction-Oola section in 2026 and that funding be provided in 2026 to resume the design of the N24 Cahir to Waterford project.”
“Thankfully, this section has progressed, with design commencing eventually in 2019. Phase 3 of that development - final design and evaluation - is due for completion early next year. Tipperary County Council, the lead authority on this section, needs funding in 2026 to take this project to oral hearing and adjudication with a view to commencing construction in late 2027. Unfortunately, the eastern section from Cahir from Waterford has not progressed. It is crucial for the two Tipperary towns of Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. The Clonmel inner relief road, or the Frank Drohan Road as it is known, is effectively a car park for large parts of the day, forcing huge volumes of traffic to use an ad hoc southern route through the hugely built-up area of the old bridge.”
“The N24 national primary road is a vital economic and social corridor across south Tipperary. It is also of strategic regional importance, running as it does from Limerick to south Tipperary and on to Kilkenny, Waterford and the port of Rosslare. An upgrade to motorway status is essential and urgent. Tipperary town, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir are choked with traffic and are crying out for bypasses along this route. This road project is in two sections, consisting of a western section from Cahir to Limerick Junction-Oola and an eastern section from Cahir to Waterford. My first meeting with the Ministers and officials on the Tipperary town bypass and the eastern route was over 20 years ago in the offices of Tipperary Urban District Council at Dan Breen House.”
“The public, as usual, are way ahead of the politicians on this issue. They support a ban on fox hunting and I call on all the political parties to allow a free vote for their Members this evening. It is outrageous that the Whip should be applied on this issue. I again call on all parties to allow a free vote on this issue tonight and pass this humane and reasonable piece of legislation.”
“By the way, the water diviner with the hazel stick on the front of this brochure is surely a colleague of the man who divined my water supply over 50 years ago. The other thing that jumps out of this glossy brochure is that, apparently, Tony Blair regrets bringing in a ban on fox hunting. I will tell the Minister that I will take no lectures from Tony Blair - a British imperialist war monger who is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians, men women and children. I have not heard him regret that. I have not heard him regret the British genocide in Ireland in the 1840s and 1850s, called an Gorta Mór - the Famine. I have not heard him regret the burning to the ground of Cork city 100 years ago by the Black and Tans. I have not heard him regret the deaths of ten hunger strikers in the Six Counties in 1981.”
“Farmers I talk to hate to see the hunt arrive because these people - wealthy elites on horseback - think they have a God given right to trespass on farmer's lands, to leave gates open, to break fences, to damage crops and to scatter livestock. By the way, there is not a single item in this Bill that prevents a farmer from protecting his or her livestock. Fox hunting is a barbaric activity and animal cruelty by wealthy, well heeled elites on horseback is a bridge too far. This Bill is a reasonable, common sense and humane one and I believe it should be supported. Last Friday we all received a glossy brochure in our pigeon holes. They were a clear indication of the wealth and power that is behind the fox hunting lobby.”
“We had: five acres; two cows for milking; a couple of calves; two pigs; a flock of hens for eggs; a flock of turkeys for the Christmas market; a small orchard with apples, gooseberry bushes and blackcurrant bushes for apple tarts and jam; and a kitchen garden for potatoes and vegetables. It could not be much more rural than that. I trekked across the Comeragh and Knockmealdown mountains since childhood, spending many a summer's day with the local postman, the late George Conway. During that time, I learned to love and respect animals in their natural environments. My late uncle was a small farmer. One of my siblings is a small farmer. I do not claim to be an expert on rural affairs but I do know a little bit about them.”
“I welcome and support this Bill. I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing it forward. The supporters of fox hunting like to present this issue as a rural versus urban one. Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. This issue actually unites urban and rural communities. Every poll and survey shows a significant majority of the public, both urban and rural, are opposed to fox hunting and want a ban to be introduced. I live in the countryside in a small townland called Scrothea West in the foothills of the Comeragh mountains, just on the edge of Clonmel. I was born there in a house that had no running water and no flush toilet.”
“If that is not done, I would be very much afraid the Government will go down the same road as its predecessor in regard to blood test charges and we will end up with blister pack charges of €10, €20, €30, €40 or €50 per month. I ask the Minister of State to do the right and compassionate thing by ruling out these charges, full stop.”
“The former Minister based his budget on a rate of 2% before taking off to the World Bank. We now have a situation where people who were already under pressure are being hit with an inflation rate 50% higher than was budgeted for in a context where not a single energy credit was put in place. Food costs are also hammering all the people who may be subject to a blister pack charge. The same survey recently showed that food prices are up by 6%. Over the past few years, the average family paid an additional €3,000 per year in food costs. People who are vulnerable, including the disabled, the ill and the elderly, are now facing the prospect of an additional charge. I ask the Minister of State to rule this charge out for once and for all. I am asking that it not be deferred for two months, six months or whatever but ruled out now and for good.”
“Unfortunately, the Government made a choice in that regard in the budget when it supported developers, burger barons and landlords and failed to support the vulnerable people in society who needed energy credits and supports and who have already been hit by huge energy cost increases. Almost all the major energy companies, all of which are making obscene profits, have increased their charges in recent months. Department officials recommended to the Government that there be energy credits in the budget, noting that, without them, the average family will pay an additional €321 per year. The Government took no notice of that. Vulnerable people were not the choice. The Government chose the developers, landlords and burger barons. The budget was framed on the basis of a 2% inflation rate but a recent survey shows the rate is at 3.2%.”
“In my home town of Clonmel, patients pay anything from €10 to €30 for a blood test, regardless of whether they have a medical card. That should not happen in this case but I am very much afraid that the attitude of the Department and the Minister means it might well happen. I am putting them on notice tonight that the blister pack issue must be dealt with now and any charge to patients in this regard should be ruled out completely. Anything short of that will show again that the Government is out of touch with the public. The whole question of the cost of living arises with this issue. The very people it is proposed to charge for the blister packs, namely, the elderly, the vulnerable, the sick and the disabled, are already being hammered by increased costs.”
“The custom and practice is the reality and the fact that there is no charge for blister packs. Whatever the ins and outs of this issue, the Minister and her Government are now placing the individual patients as pawns between the Department, the Government and the pharmacies. The buck stops with the Minister. I am asking that the Minister does the right thing, the compassionate thing and stops any question of charging for blister packs either now or into the future. This issue reminds me of the blood test charge debacle. First, GPs started charging medical cardholders for the taking of bloods. After being told it was illegal, we were then told it was not so illegal and would be covered under the contract. Political football was played with the issue for years and the outcome was that every medical cardholder now pays for blood tests.”
“The Government's response to the Bill is to kick it down the road for at least another year and probably for an awful lot longer. This is not good enough. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider this unacceptable response.”
“We recall the light-touch regulation in the building industry over the years. There is effectively no enforcement of current licensing or microchipping regulations. There is a complete under-resourcing in this area with little or no staff or infrastructure including pounds. This is resulting in a large-scale cohort of unlicensed and unmicrochipped dogs. These dogs often run in packs and are a danger to the public, especially children and the elderly. Of course, it also involves a lot of significant income to local authorities. Immediate and significant steps must be taken to address this issue and it is an area that should be included in this legislation as it proceeds through the Oireachtas. The current dog breeding situation is not humane. It is effectively cruelty behind closed doors.”
“Staffing, or more correctly the lack of staffing, is a significant issue in these establishments. Our poor, almost non-existent regulatory system has resulted in a €200 million industry and this country becoming the puppy farm capital of Europe, exporting a significant number of puppies to more regulated countries. Apart from welfare issues, other concerns include tax avoidance, environmental concerns, disease spread and fraudulent practices. The Bill is a reasonable, common sense and fair attempt to properly regulate these dog breeding establishments. An issue that does not appear to be covered in the Bill and is not implemented under current legislation is the whole area of enforcement. There is little point in having legislation and regulations if they are not being enforced.”
“I welcome and support this Dog Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2025. I thank the Social Democrats for bringing this forward. We need to stop cruelty to dogs and there is no doubt that the area of dog welfare needs to be more formally regulated, especially in the area of dog breeding establishments like puppy farms. In August 2023, the then Department of Rural and Community Development released statistics that showed that 7,352 dogs entered Irish pounds. That was a massive 77% increase over 2021. Twice as many dogs were euthanised in 2022 over 2021. The Dogs Trust recorded the highest number of surrender requests - 3,968 - since it opened in 2009. The number of dogs rescued by the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals rose by 47% last year over 2022.”
“Children are being failed not only on assessment of need but also in these disability network teams. It is time for this Government to either uphold the law or to go.”
“I raised this issue as far back as January 2017, almost nine years ago, with the then Minister for Health and current Tánaiste. Successive Governments have simply done nothing to make circumstances better. In fact, they have disimproved considerably since. If the Government is not going to uphold the law, it should resign. A related scandal is the decimation of the children's disability network services. The object of the interdisciplinary teams is to support child development and well-being and participation in family and community life on the basis of an individual family support plan. All these services are essential. However, for children in south Tipperary, this is pie in the sky. The team based in Clonmel is almost non-existent. There is no occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist or dietitian.”
“I commend and congratulate the teenage disability rights campaigner Cara Darmody, from Ardfinnan in my constituency, for the outstanding work she continues to do in the area of disabilities. Is it not a scandal and disgrace that the Government is breaking the law every single day, knowingly and deliberately? When the Ministers accepted their seals of office, they promised to uphold the Constitution and laws of this State; however, they are not doing that. Every child with a disability is entitled to an assessment of need within six months of referral. A reply to a parliamentary question I tabled shows that, on 30 September, 18,097 children were waiting for an assessment. That figure will be over 22,000 by the end of the year. The Government is breaking the law and is well aware of the fact.”
“There is precedence for such a declaration in law, such as the financial emergency measures in the public interests facilitating the bailout of banks, etc. The declaration in law of a housing emergency would make sure that the State and all its agencies - Departments of State, local authorities, approved housing bodies and utilities like Irish Water, ESB Networks and the Land Development Agency - would be required to take emergency action to solve the housing crisis. This approach is consistent with and faithful to the spirit and the terms of Bunreacht na hÉireann Articles 43.2.1° and 43.2.2°. We urgently need large-scale building of social and affordable housing on public land. We need to stop evictions, we need to freeze rents and we need a massive plan for the purchase of vacant homes by local authorities to refurbish for letting.”
“In the limited time available to me, I want to call again for the declaration in law of a housing emergency. Housing is a human right enshrined in Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A housing emergency exists in this State. The Government's own Housing Commission asserts that "Only a radical ... reset of housing policy will work". It further asserts that "It is critical that this housing deficit is addressed through emergency action." Successive Governments have failed to solve this housing emergency. Housing plan after rebaked housing plan has failed dismally, and this one is no different. The Minister's own Department stated that it would take 15 to 20 years to address the housing situation, and this if - it is a big if - Government targets are met, which, of course, has never happened.”
“On top of that, the energy companies have announced increases recently: SSE Airtricity, a 9.5% increase, an extra €150; Bord Gáis Energy, a 13.5% increase, an extra €218; Pinergy, an increase of 9.8%, an extra €199; Energia, an increase of 12.1%, up €200; and Flogas Electricity up 7%, an increase of €126. We have over 300,000 households in arrears on their electricity bills, which is an increase of over 85,000 on the same period last year, and 176,000 households are in arrears on their gas bills, which is also an increase on last year. People with disabilities are particularly badly hit by this cost-of-living crisis, having lost out on about €1,400 in the recent budget. The measure of any society is how it treats its most vulnerable. Thousands of families will face the coming Christmas with difficulty and it is very worrisome.”
“In the short time available to me, I want to call for the payments of an emergency winter energy credit of at least €500. Households, especially those with children, are under huge pressure from the cost-of-living crisis, which is pushing more and more families into poverty. There are already 630,000 people living below the poverty line and 190,000 of those are children. We have almost 17,000 homeless, with almost 5,500 of these being children. Yesterday, figures showed that the inflation rate here is now at 3.2% as against 2.1% in the eurozone, so we are 50% higher than the eurozone. This inflation is driven by higher energy prices and higher food prices. Food prices are up by 6% and food prices for family over the year are now costing over €3,000 more than they did a few years ago. Our energy costs are among the highest in Europe.”
“The talks have now broken down and schools up and down the country face further strike action and, indeed, closure. We have heard statement after statement from the Government, and from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Deputies, in support of school caretakers and secretaries but talk is cheap. I ask the Tánaiste today to instruct the negotiators to honour the commitments given and grant the comparable public service pensions to school secretaries and caretakers.”
“School secretaries and caretakers are at the heart of all school communities up and down the country. In September, 2,600 secretaries and caretakers were forced to take industrial action to deal with long-standing inequities, whereby they are excluded from pension parity with other school-based public service staff, including teachers and special needs assistants. They have shown extraordinary patience. They agreed to suspend their strike action and enter talks at the Workplace Relations Commission on the basis of assurances that they would receive pensions comparable to other public sector workers. The Departments of public expenditure and education have now reneged on these assurances and have failed to engage in any meaningful way with the workers' union, Fórsa.”
“Civil protection orders are a common-sense and reasonable provision to protect victims and survivors and prevent assailants from communicating with or about complainants or approaching their place of residence, education or employment on their release from prison. I urge the Minister to bring forward this legislation urgently.”
“Victims and survivors have said that this is extremely invasive and traumatic. As far back as 2021, the citizens' assembly called for the exclusion of these notes from evidence. Other jurisdictions have done so. I know the Minister is bringing forward legislation in this area but it needs to be absolute privilege - not ifs or buts and no grey areas. The difficulty for victims and survivors does not end with the end of a court case even where there is a conviction and a term of imprisonment. As assailants' prison sentences end, many victims of rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse are stressed, anxious and fearful. They fear meeting the perpetrators as they go about their daily lives.”
“I welcome and support this Bill and I do so as a long-standing director of the south Tipperary domestic violence service. This is a quality support and refuge service operated by the amazing staff at Cuan Saor in Clonmel for over 30 years. It operates across the country. The area of gender-based violence is an appalling vista - really worrying and deeply depressing. It is of epidemic proportions. We need urgent and immediate action by Government. The legal and court system is of particular difficulty. It re-traumatises victims and feeds into a situation where only 5% of sexual violence is reported to An Garda Síochána and only 14% of that makes it to trial. Access to counselling notes is of particular concern. The accused and their legal teams have the ability to access counselling notes.”
“We know 2023 was the worst year of settler violence, even before 7 October, with 1,096 settler attacks on Palestinians. Israel Defense Forces and settlers have killed over 1,000 people in the West Bank since October 2023. The State of Israel must be held accountable for genocide and for the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands. Ireland, because of its colonial occupation, our genocidal famine and settler occupation, is uniquely placed to lead that accountability. Almost eight years after the introduction of the Bill, now supported by the Attorney General, the Oireachtas joint committee, by promises in the general election campaign and by the introduction of similar bills in other European countries, it is time that this country introduced and passed the Bill. We are sick of waiting. The Bill should be passed now.”
“In February 2024, the Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced plans for 3,426 new Israeli homes to be built in the West Bank making a record of over 18,500 homes. In July 2024, Israel announced the biggest seizure of Palestinian land in three decades declaring 12.7 sq. km in the Jordan Valley to be state property. Settler violence is an ongoing threat to Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Campaigns of harassment continue daily. In 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council reported that more that more than 400 incidents of violence had occurred. The Israel Defense Forces and outsourced private security companies stand by and take no action to prevent violence. Instead, they respond to settler violence by ordering Palestinians to leave the area and even actively supporting the settlers.”
“Under international law, Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal. That is the basis of this. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice confirmed that and delivered an advisory opinion, which confirmed that under international law member states are under an obligation to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the occupied Palestinian territories and to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. There are about 250 illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and this number is expanding on a daily basis. In February 2023 there were over 500,000 settlers. That figure now grown to over 700,000.”
“He points out that any proposed safeguards to suspend trade, if it results in a negative impact on certain sectors, cannot be taken seriously when the EU has not done likewise despite a genocide going on. He is referring, of course, to the Israeli war in Gaza. I want the Minister to confirm that he and this Government are opposed to this deal and will fight it tooth and nail. We have not heard this yet. I have heard lately that it would appear the Minister for agriculture links the nitrates derogation currently available to Irish farmers with the Mercosur deal. That is a very dangerous road to go down and I warn him not to go in that direction.”
“Francie Gorman, the IFA president, has said: Regrettably it is very difficult to see how this so-called safeguard will be of any help. It requires there to be a threat of 'serious injury' to the sector before an investigation is even launched. He also said this is "a very high bar" and went on to say: This safeguard clause allows for the gradual destruction of the EU beef and poultry markets as this deal is phased in. It is just a political fig leaf. The MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan draws attention to another difficulty. He says trust in European institutions and in their ability to manage trade partnerships has been damaged by the war in Gaza.”
“The deal, in my view, trades off the future of Irish agriculture and rural communities for the benefit of the export of cars, machinery, chemicals and steel to the Mercosur countries by big European economies. This is further confirmation and indication of the erosion of Irish sovereignty. The Irish Farmers Association says it cannot countenance a deal that refuses to recognise the gap in standards between the EU and Brazil and is concerned about lower standards of traceability of Brazilian beef production and the use of hormones. In a recent concession to attempt to offset these concerns, the Commission has proposed a mechanism whereby preferential Mercosur access for farm produce could be suspended if the imported market share or volume rose by 10% or prices fell by a similar figure. Mr.”
“Of course, we in this country know where self-certification and light-touch regulations have got us - buildings and apartments non-compliant with fire regulations and the scandal of defective concrete. The bilateral safeguard proposed by the EU only applies for a transitional period of 12 years and the weakness of the system, when it comes to protecting Irish farmers, is very clear. The triggering mechanism for the bilateral safeguard does not apply to situations of risk to public health, environmental destruction or indigenous dispossession. The Mercosur trade agreement would also undermine our food security objectives and threaten generational renewal.”
“The importation of 99,000 tonnes of beef and 180,000 tonnes of poultry into the EU will have serious detrimental effects on Irish agriculture and these figures are surely only the thin end of the wedge. This is also at odds with EU and domestic climate legislation. To aid the ratification of the deal, the EU has also delayed the implementation of the deforestation Regulation 2023/1115. Imported agricultural products from Mercosur countries are also often produced using chemicals that have been banned in the EU. An EU audit of 2024 showed that Brazil, for example, cannot reliably trace or guarantee hormone-free beef, yet the agreement will allow exporters to self-certify compliance with EU regulations.”
“I welcome this Private Members' motion brought forward by Sinn Féin and confirm my support for it. The Mercosur deal threatens the future of Irish agriculture and family farms and harms rural communities. The European Commission concluded negotiations with the four Mercosur countries, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, in December 2024. The deal was to be subject to approval by national parliaments and unanimity at EU level but in a political stroke, the deal was split into two separate parts, meaning that national parliaments will now have no say in the ratification of the agreement and only a qualified majority will be needed at EU level.”
“Throughout a very successful career, she performed in all major opera houses in Europe but she never lost touch with her home town of Clonmel and her beloved St. Mary's Choral Society. She performed professionally with the society and officially opened the South Tipperary Arts Centre in Clonmel. Monica was a wonderful ambassador for Clonmel, Tipperary and Ireland. Ar dheis lámh Dé go raibh a hanam uasal.”
“On Monday last, Clonmel lost one of its most distinguished daughters, Monica del Bigio, née Cullen, from Albert Street in Clonmel. She was an exceptional talent, a soprano of the highest rank who passed away in Italy. On behalf of the people of Clonmel and on my own behalf, I extend sympathies to Monica's family, her daughter Paola, son Patrick, extended family, relations and friends both here in Ireland and in Italy. Monica made her operatic debut with St. Mary's Choral Society in 1953, taking the leading role of Serpolette in a production of The Bells of Corneville . She trained professionally with the Abbey Theatre, continued her vocal studies in New York and completed her training in Italy, where she won numerous awards.”
“These include areas like Oldbridge, Redmondstown, Powerstown, Kilsheelan, Lisronagh and Ballyclerahan. The Local Link service should also be rolled out to Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel and Tipperary town. On the insurance issue referred to in the Private Members’ motion, reforms, including personal injury guidelines, new data from the Central Bank’s national claims information database, changes in duty of care law and initiatives on insurance fraud, were introduced in recent years. Insurers demanded these changes, claiming they were needed for premiums to fall, but of course premiums have not fallen. Claim volumes have fallen by 40% and median awards are down by 33% but premiums have increased by 17% and profits at 13% are double the international norm. The insurance companies must be tackled and tackled urgently.”
“The current service is infrequent and slow. The track requires upgrading to take faster speeds and carriages need to be modernised. The connection times to the main rail lines at Limerick Junction and Waterford need to be synchronised. Clonmel is the main population centre and the railway station building there needs to be upgraded and fully reopened to provide a modern facility for the travelling public. These measures would provide a speedy, modern and comfortable service for customers and take large numbers of private cars off the road. The recent introduction of the Local Link bus service in the town of Clonmel has been a huge success and it is used extensively. We must build on that success and extend the service to areas in the town not covered, as well as surrounding areas.”
“He made this commitment at our meeting with him earlier this year and even stated he hoped to be in a position to allocate funding before the end of this year. I look forward to the Minister honouring that commitment, as I am sure he will. While modern, safe roadways and motorways will always be essential for social and economic life, if the Government is serious about climate change, then we must consider free public bus and train services and implement a comprehensive bus and rail network across the whole country. This must be done, not just in large towns and cities, but in rural areas, many of which are almost bereft of any form of public transport. In south Tipperary, we need the urgent upgrading of the Limerick-Waterford railway service. This line serves Limerick Junction, Tipperary town, Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir.”
“I support this Private Members' motion. In the few minutes available to me, I will address a number of issues affecting south Tipperary. The N24 national primary road running from Limerick and the west through south Tipperary to Waterford and on to Rosslare is a major social and economic corridor. It serves all our major towns, including Tipperary town, Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir. Thousands of existing jobs are dependent on this roadway, as is our ability to attract new industry and jobs to south Tipperary. This national primary roadway is congested, the carriageway is substandard and many life-limiting and fatal road traffic accidents occur annually. This road requires urgent upgrading and I remind the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, of his commitment to provide funding for this roadway in 2026.”
“Another promise made by all parties in the run-up to the last general election was the payment of a weekly cost-of-disability payment. Research by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice showed it costs a family caring for a disabled person an additional €244 per week. That has not been acknowledged in this Bill or in the recent budget. There are also serious barriers to employment for people with disabilities, including the loss of secondary benefits like travel, household benefits and the fuel allowance. The income disregard of €165 is too low. Many European countries have a full disregard. The question of child poverty is also one that comes up in relation to this Bill and the budget. Again, we see no reference to a second tier of child benefit, which is urgently needed.”
“It was understood the means test would be abolished in the first 100 days of the Government or, at the very least, in the most recent budget, but neither happened. Carers play a vital role as front-line healthcare workers supporting older people, people with disabilities and those with high care needs in their own homes. They provide 19 million hours of unpaid care each week, saving the State almost €20 billion a year. The abolition of the means test should be done immediately. Family Carers Ireland stated: Despite being described as the backbone of Ireland’s health and social care system, family carers continue to shoulder the consequences of underinvestment in home care supports, outdated policies, eligibility criteria that no longer reflect the realities of modern-day caring ...”
“While the social welfare increases in the budget are welcome, they go nowhere near providing a minimum standard of living. Social Justice Ireland has said that core social welfare rates must increase by €25 per week for there to be any impact on reducing poverty. During the general election, all parties committed to abolishing the means test for carers. That is not in this Bill, nor was it in the budget. The acid test of the bona fides of this Government on carers and caring is the immediate abolition of the means test for the carer's allowance. That should be done now and included as an amendment to this Bill. This has been a demand of Family Carers Ireland for years and was promised by all parties in the run-up to the last general election.”
“This Bill proves again that the Government is completely out of touch with ordinary people. The Government obviously lives in a bubble in this House. Is it that it does not know or does not care that there is a cost-of-living crisis? Families are struggling to make ends meet, grocery prices are through the roof and we have some of the highest energy prices in Europe, yet there is not a single cost-of-living support in this Bill or in the budget. Families are falling behind with rent, mortgages and energy bills. We should always remember that the measure of a nation is how it looks after its most vulnerable. We are wealthier than at any time in our history, yet we have 630,000 people living below the poverty line and of those, 190,000 are children. There are also over 16,000 people homeless, including almost 5,500 children.”
“I am asking the Taoiseach to intervene with the task force to ensure that we see the re-establishment of borough and town councils and, indeed, the creation of new councils for towns that have grown and expanded in the past number of years.”
“I appreciate the response. I acknowledge and fully accept the Taoiseach’s personal support for the re-establishment of town and borough councils. He has outlined that to me previously in response to a parliamentary question. He also expanded on that in a feature in the Irish Examiner shortly afterwards. However, there are very serious concerns that the whole task force process is being controlled by insiders in the Department and in local government and that we will end up with a proposal that will tinker around the edges and that will involve no real reform and no re-establishment of the borough and town councils.”