Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh
Kildare South · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I do not question the Minister of State or the Minister's respect for the SNAs, but the Department needs to show that respect. The trust of the SNAs has been severely damaged following the scandal last February. It may have played a significant role in the ballot outcome, as well as years of being undervalued in the system.”
“I am very aware of and appreciate the work that has gone into this in recent years, but the local bargaining agreement being off the table now is a matter of serious concern and insult to SNAs. That pay increase should have been protected and maintained, irrespective of the ballot outcome on the new plan.”
“There are also concerns around redeployment, such as insecurity of fixed-term contracts following redeployment and the loss of seniority. SNAs receive no additional payment for State examinations, no extra personal vacation, EPV, days for the summer programme and no allowances for working in special schools, DEIS schools or Gaelscoileanna…”
“SNAs are very dedicated members of our school community who work very hard with our most vulnerable children. However, many have legitimate outstanding concerns following the publication of the new circular and the workforce development plan, WDP.”
“Gabhaim buíochas le mo chomrádaí, an Teachta Aengus Ó Snodaigh, as ucht an rúin seo anocht. An artist’s work is more than just a job An artist's work is more than just a job. It is a reflection of their creativity, their skill, and their unique perspective on the world.”
“This is not an abstract issue. Artists in Kildare and elsewhere across the State are already feeling the impact. A local photographer recently told me that she had lost work from organisations that once regularly hired her but now chose Al-generated images instead.”
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“In south Kildare, we have an ineffectual CDNT that is simply unable to meet the needs. Due to failed policy, families who are already put to the pin of their collars are forced to pay thousands of euro for private therapies that should be a given. In primary care, waiting times for psychology are staggering. Children will have grown up before they even get an appointment. Across the State, far too many children are still without an appropriate school place. The system is utterly broken, yet we are still operating as if it is business as usual. We are in a crisis. When will the Government start acting like it? Where is the emergency action? We have qualified therapists in the State today, people who are ready and willing to practice, but the Minister will not fast-track their entry into the system.”
“Yet again, we hear that the Government is not opposing the motion. We have heard it before. No matter how many times Sinn Féin and the combined Opposition bring forward motions, no matter how many days of school are missed by Cara Darmody, who is literally weathering a storm outside the gates of this House tonight, the Government still does not get the message and is still breaking the law. We are in a crisis in the disability services. In my own area of Kildare South, nearly 2,000 children are waiting, a figure that has risen 7% since the summer. No children in Kildare have their assessments of need completed on time. The average waiting time is a shameful 27 months, and the list is getting longer every quarter. We know that the AON is only the beginning. Once it is completed, the long and painful battle for therapy starts.”
“I will end with the words of a 14-year-old constituent of mine, Holly, from Newbridge in Kildare. Holly has written to me many times on Palestine, and she is an avid campaigner. I was delighted to receive a handwritten letter from Holly last week. I encourage her to continue in her activism. Holly writes: "Please consider calling Ireland’s business and economic ties with the UAE into question, this cannot be swept under the rug."”
“Let us not be complicit in these catastrophic war crimes either. We know the UAE is pouring arms into Sudan, to the RSF specifically. Smuggled via basis in Chad, these include sophisticated Chinese drones that can strike from hundreds of miles away; artillery; and Columbian mercenaries recruited and on the UAE payroll. The UAE is actively trying to back a winner in this war in allowing these horrific acts to unfold. Who is Ireland's new best pal and trading partner? None other than the UAE. Over the past decade, exports of goods to the UAE have grown by 127%, with imports increasing by 3,094%. The total bilateral trade is now valued at more than €2.25 billion annually. We are exponentially increasing trade ties with this country and there appears to be huge oversight when it comes to human-rights due diligence.”
“These statistics represent only a fraction of the reality. We cannot turn away from what is happening in Sudan. The ongoing humanitarian calamity, the scenes of horror worse than any movie, have become a reality for too many innocent people. We cannot become complacent in the face of war crimes so sinister. Part of the reason this conflict has been so protracted is that it has been eclipsed by the genocide in Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite the enormous complexity of the situation, a peaceful solution is still possible. With enough international attention, both sides can be pressured to accept a sustainable ceasefire agreement. Let this be a forgotten war no longer. I urge the Minister, as she continues in her new role, to dedicate diplomatic resources to this cause to keep it on top of the agenda.”
“There were killing sprees, summary executions, rapes, and civilians shot dead in the street. Some 460 people, including patients, healthcare workers and loved ones, were murdered in cold blood by the RSF fighters. At the main hospital in El Fasher, mere days after the city was captured, the medical facility turned into a human slaughterhouse. This particular tack by the RSF fits as part of a broader strategy of the group since the beginning of the war to target healthcare. Weaponising medicine as a terror tactic, 1,204 health workers and patients were killed and more than 400 were wounded. The affront on humanity in Sudan knows no bounds. UNICEF released figures in March this year recording 221 rape cases against children since 2024, many of whom were under the age of five and some as young as one year old.”
“I am glad to finally, a year in, have the opportunity to speak on the unbelievable atrocities happening in Sudan. The degree, scale and intensity of the violence taking place in the territory is unfathomable. Since the civil war broke out in 2023, over 12 million people have been displaced and, it is estimated, another 150,000 killed. Last month, satellite images showed blood-stained streets and bodies piled high after the city of El Fasher finally fell to the Rapid Support Forces after an 18-month siege. The siege created gruelling famine conditions for the innocent people living inside the earthen walls built around the city by the paramilitary forces. The violence unleashed by the RSF when they finally beat the Sudanese army and took the city, was even worse than anticipated.”
“South Kildare is clearly and seriously underserved when it comes to ASD provision. Will the Tánaiste ensure that these young people have appropriate school places for September and will he engage with the NCSE to urgently expand capacity in south Kildare? I find it very insulting to these parents that the NCSE is out there practically boasting about the number of free spaces it has when this does not match the reality on the ground.”
“I want to raise the crisis facing families seeking special class places in Kildare South. Cian attends St. Conleth's Infant School in Newbridge and ready to start primary school in a special class. His family applied everywhere - Newbridge, Kildare, Kilcullen and Naas - but were refused in all. Harry is 12 years old and despite his family applying to every available ASD class in the Newbridge-Kildare area, he has no suitable secondary school place. Last week, I heard the case of another young boy, 15 years of age, who has never been able to attend a secondary school. His family told KFM that they were heartbroken and felt that they had exhausted every option. The young boy himself has said he feels useless and wants to die. These children are simply asking for the right to education alongside their peers.”
“It offers them a fundamental sense of safety by ensuring the perpetrator cannot approach them, thereby restoring some control lost during the abuse. Sexual and gender-based violence is on the rise. Thousands of attacks are recorded every year and we know this type of violence is severely underreported. When victims come forward, they are being courageous. They are not only asserting their dignity but protecting the rest of society from future violence. They have done enough. Impím ar na Teachtaí ar fad vótáil i bhfabhar an Bhille seo. We owe it to the brave women who have stepped up and spoken out, some of whom are here tonight, and who should not have to live in fear. Caithfidh sábháilteacht na n-íospartach a bheith mar chéad fheidhm an chórais. This provision currently exists in harassment legislation.”
“Can we even imagine the terror of knowing they might cross paths with the person who inflicted unspeakable violence upon them? More often than not, the offender is known to the victim or is from the victim's community. This creates a real risk of being harmed again or, at the very least, being retraumatised. Victims and survivors who have already endured so much should not have to live in this perpetual state of fear. The Bill is a direct response to the powerful calls of those affected by sex crimes. It provides that a civil protection order may be granted at the time of sentencing. Victims do not want to be dragged back to the courts for a long adversarial ordeal. They want to focus on healing and rebuilding their lives. The Bill provides a mechanism for their peace of mind.”
“Táim sásta labhairt ar son an Bhille thábhachtaigh atá os ár gcomhair anocht. Céim chun cinn atá inti a chuirfidh le cumhachtú agus cosaint na n-íospartach foréigean gnéasach. The psychological and physical safety of victim survivors must be the first aim of our justice system. That is the fundamental principle the Bill addresses. While we have made progress in managing sex offenders, there are still clear and glaring gaps that need closing and it is our duty as legislators to fill those gaps. For every person who suffers at the hands of an abuser, the offender's release date is a day that looms large. The victims feel anxiety, stress and paralysing terror at the thought of unwanted contact with their assailant as they go about their daily lives.”
“This is significantly higher than the national average, which is five minutes and 31 seconds. When Monasterevin does not even have a fit-for-purpose station, those delays become even more dangerous. Will the Taoiseach ensure that the purchase of a newly identified site is fast-tracked, that funding is released immediately and that a new station is delivered within this term?”
“Ba mhaith liom ceist maidir le stáisiún dóiteáin i Mainistir Eimhín i gCill Dara Theas a chur ar an Taoiseach inniu. I want to raise the urgent need for a modern, fit-for-purpose fire station in Monasterevin. The current building is outdated and inadequate, and it no longer meets the needs of a growing town. The previously proposed site on the Dublin road has fallen through again, leaving the project stalled while the community waits. Other viable sites have been identified in the area, so this project is possible if we have the political will to back it up. It is not only a planning issue but a matter of public safety. The latest report by the National Oversight and Audit Commission, NOAC, shows that Kildare’s retained brigade takes an average of seven minutes and five seconds to mobilise after being notified of an emergency.”
“We can bring back foundation level at junior cycle, allow an oral-only option for students who struggle with reading and writing, give teachers time and resources to differentiate properly in class and address the reality that additional learning support classes are being timetabled at the same time as Gaeilge, which is another example of Gaeilge being less than. If the Department truly values Irish and inclusion, then I would love the opportunity, as would many Teachtaí here, to work with the Minister and Department on this.”
“It is nearly 60,000 in secondary school. What the Minister mentioned about primary school is great but the reality in schools does not match the picture she is painting. We need real leadership from the Minister. We need it from the top down. We cannot leave the decision up to principals on their own any more. The rate of exemptions depends entirely on where a child goes to school. In some places, they are granted almost automatically and in others hardly at all. There are simple practical fixes to this. The coiste Gaeilge in its last term produced a report with many recommendations.”
“The message that sends is that the language can be chipped away at bit by bit. Many exempted students, whether they have additional needs or have recently arrived in Ireland, can learn if we can adapt the curriculum to provide proper supports.”
“It is great to hear the Minister talk of revision but currently the system for these exemptions is not working. We must not forget they are meant to be exemptions for students with severe or complex learning difficulties who simply cannot learn a language. The figures tell us Gaeilge is essentially optional. The numbers have risen sharply, with more than 73,000 exemptions, and it is hard to see any urgency from the Department to get a handle on it. When the Minister's officials were os comhair an choiste Gaeilge the other week, they could not admit there was a problem. Tá sé sin dochreidte. The rise in exemptions does not show inclusion; it shows neglect. The same lack of respect for Gaeilge can be seen elsewhere. For example, the other week, 30 minutes of Gaeilge was removed from the primary school curriculum.”
“Is mian liom labhairt faoi cheist na ndíolúintí Gaeilge inniu. There has been an unprecedented spike in the number of exemptions from Irish granted in recent years, with one in seven young people in the State exempted from learning our national language. What is the Minister's position on the exemptions system for the Irish language as it stands? Does she believe it is fit for purpose and what are her plans to combat the increasing number of students seeking exemptions?”
“I see real opportunity under this Bill for the Government and schools to take leadership on this issue and allow schools to institute a sustainable model and a mini-circular economy and mindset at community level.”
“We also need to consider second-hand schemes and have centralised guidance and support for such initiatives, as provided for in this Bill. Ireland is the second-largest producer of textile waste in Europe after Belgium. We consume 53 kg of textiles per capita per annum, according to www.changeclothes.org , which is more than double the EU average. We have a serious problem with consumption patterns and waste management systems in this country, and there is no doubt that school uniforms represent a chunk of that problem. Anyone with children will know they often need a new uniform every year, sometimes twice in a year, which leads you to wonder what happens to the outgrown uniforms of children who do not have siblings to hand them down to or who simply cannot pass them down due to crests. Chances are they are not recycled.”
“Families increasingly have to pay out for digital devices. According to the Irish League of Credit Unions, back-to-school spending is €364 more expensive this year than last year for primary school and €169 for secondary school. Uniforms remain a huge cost for families. We know that certain schools still have uniform policies that require several crested and embroidered pieces, not only on the jumpers, pants and polo shirts but sometimes even on sports clothes and rain jackets. Frequently, a sole local provider has a monopoly over these, and this drives up the price. Schools also need to be directed not to change their uniform policies unnecessarily – a measure that would help to keep costs down over time.”
“Gabhaim buíochas le mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Darren O'Rourke, as an reachtaíocht thábhachtach seo a chur chun cinn. Families right across south Kildare are at the pin of their collar. Week after week, my office receives emails from people who have to choose between heating and food. Scores of working families across the county are at risk of homelessness from rising housing costs because of new Government legislation. Costs keep rising, yet the Government decided to make families even worse off in this year’s budget. On top of rip-off electricity, insurance, food shopping and medical costs, school-related costs represent just one more area where families are being fleeced. Eighty percent of schools ask for voluntary contributions. Many schools are forced to pass the cost of facilities on to parents due to inadequate capitation.”
“We have the worst standing in the entirety of the EU in terms of disability employment, according to the Disability Federation of Ireland. In essence, we have created a poverty trap with disability allowance and medical cards taken away once a disabled person enters employment, despite facing huge costs relative to the able-bodied population. Mary, a constituent of mine living with MS, told me disabled people are not looking for money for treats; they are looking for good quality shoes to help with walking, help with physiotherapy and acupuncture bills for pain management, diesel and car parking for regular medical appointments - rudaí bunúsacha, simple basic necessities for a decent quality of life, things that families with disabilities simply cannot afford.”
“This is another cold and callous slap in the face to the most vulnerable people in our society. These are people who face great added difficulty going about their daily lives because of medical conditions. They are people dealing with stigma and the emotional pain of living in a world that is not built to accommodate them. What we call for is not even to compensate for this latter difficulty but for the material burden that falls on disabled people, through no fault of their own, to be recognised and provided for. What is the point of a social safety net if not to support people who are not in a position to provide for themselves entirely? The State certainly does not empower people with disabilities to provide for themselves in the workforce.”
“Disabled constituents of mine feel absolutely forgotten about in this budget. They are not angered any more; they are absolutely heartbroken. Arís agus arís eile, tá an Taoiseach agus an Tánaiste tar éis seasamh sa Teach seo agus an dallamullóg a chur ar dhaoine a bhfuil míchumas orthu. D'inis siad don phobal go raibh cúrsaí míchumais mar thosaíocht dóibh i mbuiséad 2026, ach ag deireadh an lae rinneadh dearmad orthu agus theip ar an Rialtas an costas a bhaineann le míchumas a aithint. The Government knows how much it costs to live with a disability. It has known for five years and it has done nothing. Five years ago it cost more than €10,000 so no doubt it is much more expensive today. What has the Government done? It has chosen to make disabled people worse off by €1,400 this year.”
“Is léir go bhfuil neamhaird déanta ag an Rialtas den 25,000 Gael a bhailigh sa chathair seo roinnt seachtainí ó shin, leis an easpa measa atá á thaispeáint dár dteanga náisiúnta sa bhuiséad.”
“How many more children will be transported to school next year with the €69 million announced? Where is the action on childcare that was promised in the first 100 days? Families in Kildare agus fud fad an Stáit are still waiting as childcare remains either unaffordable or unavailable. Ó thaobh na Gaeilge de, níor luadh ach beartas nua de luach €11 milliún don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht sa bhuiséad. Ní raibh tagairt ar bith do ghéarchéim tithíochta na Gaeltachta sa bhuiséad seo ná tagairt ar bith don Ghaeilge sa chóras oideachais - dhá áit ina bhfuil infheistíocht ag teastáil go práinneach. Tar éis blianta fada d'easpa maoinithe, ní rachaidh €2.5 milliún d'Údarás na Gaeltachta agus €2 mhilliún d'Fhoras na Gaeilge i bhfad chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn.”
“This failure hits all children but especially those with additional needs. Reducing class sizes would help ensure children with more complex needs are not left behind in mainstream. However, as it stands, mainstream is not working for many and especially those with learning difficulties. Some children with additional needs still have not set foot inside a classroom this year, despite promises that no child would be left behind. The new investment means nothing to those families. I urge the Ministers to please do everything possible to get these kids to school. On school transport, the Government is again missing the mark. There has been no update on the promise of 100,000 extra seats by 2030 and no clarity on when nearest school rules will be scrapped or distance limits reduced.”
“This budget does little to resolve the crisis facing education today. The measures announced will not make a dent in the cost-of-living pressures on schools, in recruitment and retention in teaching or in the problem of oversized classes. We have 600 vacant teaching posts, 51,000 pupils in oversized classes and schools struggling to keep the lights on, yet this budget fails to meaningfully address any of it. It is scandalous that the Government is still failing to meet its own commitment to reduce class sizes. No child should be in a class of over 30. It is just unacceptable. Only 182 new mainstream teachers were promised when 400 are needed to reduce the student-teacher ratio by just one point. Across Europe, the standard is 19 pupils per class but we continue to trail behind.”
“The Opposition is screaming for justice and sanctions, and this Government, once again, does nothing. The Government is weak. It is failing to act in the face of genocide, and history will remember that silence, because silence is complicity.”
“The Government has not passed the occupied territories Bill. It has placed no sanctions - not one. It is always words, never action. Meanwhile, the Associated Press exposed harrowing stories of Palestinian women being exploited and offered food, water, work, or shelter in exchange for being raped. The perpetrators were reportedly linked to the aid organisations operating in the chaos created by Israel's total blockade and bombardment. This is not a side effect; this is a direct result of Israel's policy of total blockade and bombardment. This terrorist state has turned Gaza into a protracted humanitarian catastrophe. One million lives are being held hostage and there are 1 million realities of suffering. The Irish people are screaming for justice and sanctions.”
“The United States - built on stolen land through genocide and slavery - has launched hundreds of military interventions globally, yet it postures as a peace broker. Israel, another settler colony, has been committing genocide in Gaza, and Washington continues to arm and defend it. How dare they claim the right to speak on peace? It is the people of Palestine not warmongers and imperialists who have the right to decide their future. What about us here in Ireland? American warplanes pass through Shannon Airport without question, using our neutral soil as a military pit stop.”
“Time is measured in blood in Gaza. Those are the words of Bisan, a young Palestinian journalist whose people have endured nearly two years of bombardment, siege, starvation, and displacement, and still, the world watches and still, we do nothing. Now we hear talk of so-called peace plans - plans pushed by Trump, who shows no regard for international law, and by Tony Blair, an unconvicted war criminal with blood on his hands from the war in Iraq. These men, products of settler colonial states like the US and Britain, have no moral authority to dictate terms to the Palestinian people. Francesca Albanese called Trump's "deal of the century" exactly what it is: a trap of the century. It was never about peace; it was always about control.”
“I, too, raise the Global Sumud Flotilla because to be quite honest, the Minister's answers so far have been weak and inadequate. The flotilla was attacked in European waters last night. It is a humanitarian fleet of over 500 civillians, among them our colleague and my friend Deputy Chris Andrews, my friend and comrade Tadgh Hickey, and 20 more brave Irish citizens, who are doing the work that the world's governments should be doing by trying to deliver humanitarian aid to our brothers and sisters in Palestine. This is psychological warfare and distraction because the terror state of Israel knows it will get away with it. This is just the beginning. What usually happens when our flotillas are attacked is that the destruction and slaughter in Gaza and the West Bank increases. I do not want more words of condemnation or concern.”
“Many parents have contacted me regarding the lack of routes serving the Gaelcholáiste in Nás na Ríogh. Children from Monasterevin, Kildare town and Newbridge are all travelling together to Naas. As a result, these children are arriving up to 40 minutes late every day. Again, families are being punished for availing of their right to education through meán na Gaeilge. This could be solved by adding additional routes. The school transport scheme was designed to make family life manageable for ordinary working people. Right now, it is failing them. I recognise capacity challenges exist but it does not appear that the Government is exploring every possible solution.”
“Noelle and her husband are both engineers, but she is the one whose career has suffered in filling in the gaps, arriving late to work and having to hide the strain she is under in a male-dominated field. These stories are not isolated. Families describe years of chaos - tickets one year but gone the next, routes starting and then being abandoned. The uncertainty is crushing and the burden falls disproportionately on mothers. When the scheme works, it supports families and promotes gender equality but when it fails, it deepens inequality and puts children at risk. I ask the Minister to look urgently at the Rathangan to Kildare town route in particular, which is reportedly one of the busiest in the district. A second bus could be provided immediately if the Department gave the green light. Tá an t-éileamh ann.”
“Their only option is to walk to school. Their mother is a school principal who cannot step away from her own students to drive her children, while their father regularly works abroad. She is now considering a career break simply because there is no safe or reliable way to get her children to school. Tá pionós á chur ar na teaghlaigh seo de bharr go bhfuil siad ag seoladh a gcuid páistí chuig Gaelscoil. Noelle, another mother, also contacted me. She sends her children to the same school and her family are in a similar predicament. Her eldest, who is aged ten, walks the poorly adapted road to school. Her youngest, who has just started i naíonáin bheaga, is taking a lift on a bus three days a week.”
“The roll-out of the school transport scheme in Kildare this year was a complete shambles, as my colleague just said. On the first day of school, my phone and inbox were flooded with messages from parents who were informed at the very last minute that their child's bus route had been cancelled. We know that in some of these instances no bid was made on the route, yet parents were left completely in the dark. That kind of breakdown in co-ordination should never have happened. I hope the Department and Bus Éireann are taking measures to ensure that families are not left in the same position next year. One family just outside Kildare town has two young girls attending Gaelscoil Mhic Aodha. A third is due to start there next year. They are concessionary ticket holders but were left without seats this year.”
“One family in Kildare are choosing between a 120 km round-trip commute to a special class in Meath or an 80 km commute to Dublin, which is closer to their appointments. What the family want is for Caoimhe to go to school in her community. Labhair mé le han-chuid príomhoidí atá faoi bhrú ón Roinn spásanna neamhoiriúnacha a thiontú ina seomraí ranga. I am aware of many SENOs blocking special class placements recommended by educational psychologists. In all these cases, schools and families are wrangling with a system that is meant to help. Instead, it gatekeeps essential supports at every corner. Sinn Féin will not stand by while children with additional needs are treated as less than. We will fight with families until they are cherished and counted as much as every other child in this State.”
“The Minister reneged on a promise to tell the House precisely how many children have no choice but to stay at home. Being offered a place in an as yet non-existent classroom does not count as a proper place. Sadly, at this stage, families are all too familiar with the reality of delay, distraction and indifference. Is cinnte gurb é cur chuige easnamhach an Rialtais cúis leis an bpraiseach ina bhfuil muid faoi láthair. We know the Department is refusing to sanction places where there is a clear demand. In County Kildare, there is a distinct under-provision of mild and moderate special classes, disproportionately affecting children with disabilities like Down's syndrome. Effectively, we have a tiered system in operation, with some disabilities privileged over others. Families are constantly having to choose between bad or worse.”
“Ó toghadh mé, tá mé tar éis labhairt leis na scórtha teaghlach, teaghlaigh a bhfuil iachall orthu troid lá i ndiaidh lae ar son an rud is bunúsaí atá de dhíth orthu, oideachas ceart dá páistí. Parents are sick and tired of fighting. They are carers and workers, often raising other children too, and they are forced to become part-time activists and policy experts on top of that, just to secure the supports their children need. Is é seo an tríú seachtain ar ais ar scoil agus fós, fud fad an Stáit, tá páistí a bhfuil riachtanais bhreise acu ina suí sa bhaile fad is atá a gcuid deartháireacha agus deirfiúracha ar scoil sa seomra ranga. Tá oideachas cuí diúltaithe dóibh de bharr oibreacha a bheith curtha siar agus easpa áiteanna speisialta go háitiúil.”
“Shame on all of us. We need to do better. Tá stair na hÉireann lán le scéalta de ghrúpaí imeallaithe ar cuireadh ina dtost. Ná bíodh an deireadh céanna i ndán do phobal eile. Ireland's history is full of stories of a people silenced. Let us not repeat that history with another community.”
“There is solid evidence showing that reliable and open access to gender-affirming care is essential to improving outcomes for trans people. We are inflicting immeasurable and necessary trauma by denying trans people basic healthcare and security. We are forcing trans people to seek surgeries abroad and self-medicate, thereby putting their lives in danger. We need to take a step back, look at the National Gender Service and ask if it is fit for purpose if many trans people are coming out of there feeling worse off than when they went in. We need to listen to the trans community and have their voices at the centre of these conversations. At the moment, far-right ideology based on misinformation is steering this conversation on a serious human rights issue. The political establishment is without a peep on this matter. One would wonder why.”
“I cannot put into words how much I am upset by how badly we are failing our trans boys and girls and trans men and women. All they want is to be allowed to be themselves and to be recognised and loved for that. As the mother of four kids, I find this heartbreaking. I hope to be the kind of mother who listens without judgment, hugs without hesitation and stands by them without fear. I empathise with and commend all the proud mammies and daddies of trans kids who are fighting so hard for their kids to have decent lives. We would all do well to put ourselves in the shoes of those mammies and daddies. Perhaps then we would have a system that looks a whole lot different than the one we have today. In 2022, Transgender Europe found that Ireland had the worst transgender healthcare in all of Europe.”
“We can measure the success of any society's progress on welfare, well-being and inclusion by looking at how it treats its most marginalised groups. We are failing our most vulnerable miserably here in Ireland. Last night, we heard no shortage of horror stories about women suffering as a result of poor treatment for endometriosis in this State, with an average wait of nine years for a diagnosis. At the moment, transgender people are waiting ten years for a first appointment with the National Gender Service, the only clinic that serves gender non-conforming people in the entire State. This poses the question as to whose lives we value in this State and whose health matters. There is no doubt gender has a lot to do with the answer.”
“Women are told to put up and shut up by a system indifferent to their suffering. It is high time we started taking women’s pain and women’s health seriously. We have a horrifying track record in this respect, stretching back to the foundation of the State. It is a living history, with the recent collective trauma of the cervical check scandal hanging over mná na hÉireann, along with a litany of other injustices, including HRT shortages, lack of proper menopause care and ADHD misdiagnoses. There is a moral question that must be deeply considered. For just how long is this Government willing to let women suffer? Women with endometriosis are simply in too much pain to fight this fight alone. Tá sé in am infheistíocht cheart a dhéanamh i gcúram sláinte na mban in Éirinn. Ní féidir linn neamhaird a dhéanamh ar a bhfulaingt a thuilleadh.”
“Her experience was dismissed outright. After seeing four specialists and paying €3,000 out of pocket, she finally got a diagnosis. In that time, she had to leave work and on numerous occasions, her partner and children looked on helpless and sick with worry. She was left in the dark by doctors about a string of other related symptoms. The only insight and guidance she received was from women like herself in online forums. She counts herself as one of the lucky ones. Another constituent endured nine IVF procedures and two miscarriages before receiving treatment abroad. Yet another constituent emailed me just today to tell me she waited 20 years for her diagnosis. This is absolutely shameful. We need to take a long hard look at ourselves and the system of care we provide women in this State.”
“I thank the courageous women in the Gallery who have bravely shared their stories with us today and over recent months. Women have been forced to travel abroad due to the neglectful health system in this State. It is a system that has told young girls to get pregnant to stop their periods, allowed their mothers to go into debt seeking treatment abroad and referred our women to mental health services instead of gynaecological ones because it is "all in their head". It is a system that allows women to go into septic shock on the floor of a hospital waiting room, all while there are start-of-the-art facilities available across Europe. A constituent in south Kildare wrote to me recently. Like so many other women, when Sheena first made contact with our health system because of excruciating pain, she was told it was normal.”
“D'aithin an tAire, an Teachta O'Brien, an méid sin in 2015. Mar Sheanadóir, thug sé Bille chun cinn a chosnódh ceantar Shráid an Mhúraigh. The Bill of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to protect our cherished public heritage in the Moore Street area reached Committee Stage in 2015 but, strangely, never became part of his agenda when he took over the reins in the Department with a remit over housing and heritage in 2020. As usual, when the developers descend, Fianna Fáil steps aside and lets the vultures have at it. Where does Fianna Fáil draw the line? Clearly, nothing is off limits, not even the birthplace of our Republic of 1916. Sinn Féin will not let any English developer plunder our national heritage.”