Sorca Clarke
Longford-Westmeath · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“Online platforms that promote and facilitate suicide need to be stopped. I commend the team of The Journal Investigates for its work in exposing these sinister forums, which are banned in other jurisdictions but accessible here. They prey on vulnerable people and they encourage them into irreversible decisions.”
“I agree with the Minister on the issue of consistency. I do not believe anybody in this House would argue against schools with the greatest need having the greatest level of support.”
“This is about fairness and equity. The Minister mentioned the HP deprivation index. In the HP index, Granard scores higher than seven out of the ten areas that have been chosen in Longford. This does not make sense. Sacred Heart has been a DEIS band 1 school for 20 years. Since then, the demand on the school has increased dramatically.”
“Are there some learnings the Minister and her Department can take from this situation so that no other school is left in this position? If Sacred Heart meets that threshold for DEIS plus, can the Minister ensure it receives that designation without any further unnecessary delay?”
“When DEIS plus schools were announced in May, St. Joseph's and St. Michael's in Longford town were rightly included. However, Sacred Heart school in Granard, despite sharing the same DEIS history and facing significant educational disadvantage, was excluded and is now awaiting the outcome of an appeal.”
“The additional supports that would come with DEIS plus, the extra leadership, enhanced family supports and the additional educational resources would make a real and tangible difference to the children that this school educates.”
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“Passing responsibility from one organisation to another is simply not acceptable in this regard. These delays are having real consequences. People have lost their lives after engaging with these forums. I implore the Tánaiste to intervene in this regard. The forums should not be accessible in this State, as they are not accessible in others.”
“Online platforms that promote and facilitate suicide need to be stopped. I commend the team of The Journal Investigates for its work in exposing these sinister forums, which are banned in other jurisdictions but accessible here. They prey on vulnerable people and they encourage them into irreversible decisions. The problem is not a lack of legal or regulatory powers. We have the Digital Services Act, the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, and the Criminal Law (Suicide) Act. What is missing here is co-ordinated enforcement and urgency. Will the Tánaiste outline what immediate action the Government will take alongside Coimisiún na Meán, An Garda Síochána and the Internet service providers to block access to these sites? It is the Government's responsibility to ensure that every State body with a role is acting with urgency.”
“Are there some learnings the Minister and her Department can take from this situation so that no other school is left in this position? If Sacred Heart meets that threshold for DEIS plus, can the Minister ensure it receives that designation without any further unnecessary delay? This is causing profound concern across not just the town of Granard but across the towns this school in very rural north Longford serves and for the parents of the kids they know need those additional supports and could benefit from those additional supports.”
“I agree with the Minister on the issue of consistency. I do not believe anybody in this House would argue against schools with the greatest need having the greatest level of support. However, the issue in Granard is that this school has faced the same challenges as every other school in Longford that has been chosen as a DEIS school for the past 20 years, yet it is not being considered as part of the scheme. There is a lack of consistency and fairness. This school has been left waiting while the other schools have moved ahead, despite facing the same, if not more and greater challenges than those which have progressed to DEIS plus. I know the Minister is going to say "No" when I ask her this but I am going to ask her. Will the Minister personally have a look at this file?”
“The additional supports that would come with DEIS plus, the extra leadership, enhanced family supports and the additional educational resources would make a real and tangible difference to the children that this school educates. Could the Minister confirm that the criteria that are being applied to this appeal includes both the current circumstances of the school alongside the historical data?”
“This is about fairness and equity. The Minister mentioned the HP deprivation index. In the HP index, Granard scores higher than seven out of the ten areas that have been chosen in Longford. This does not make sense. Sacred Heart has been a DEIS band 1 school for 20 years. Since then, the demand on the school has increased dramatically. There are now 255 pupils, three autism classes, an early intervention class, a large number of pupils learning English as an additional language and many families experiencing significant disadvantage, as reflected in the HP deprivation index. The principal, Francis Gray, and the staff do extraordinary work but they are truly stretched to the limit.”
“When DEIS plus schools were announced in May, St. Joseph's and St. Michael's in Longford town were rightly included. However, Sacred Heart school in Granard, despite sharing the same DEIS history and facing significant educational disadvantage, was excluded and is now awaiting the outcome of an appeal. Could the Minister please outline how the appeal is being considered and when Sacred Heart school, Granard can expect a decision?”
“While we support the legislation I challenge the Minister of State, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and the Government to go further and expand the free contraception scheme beyond the current age limits, ensure that hormone therapies are affordable and accessible to women who need them and embed women's health properly across primary and community care instead of relying on isolated initiatives. The women who fall outside of the current scheme, those aged over 35, those living with conditions that requiring hormone therapies, those navigating perimenopause and menopause and those who continue to face financial barriers deserve more than this small step, no matter how welcome it may be. They deserve a healthcare system that sees them and supports them throughout their life cycle and values them at each stage of all of them.”
“We have proposed a structured women's health scheme delivered through primary care to bring together those GPs, pharmacists, practice nurses and allied health professionals in a co-ordinated model centred on women's needs throughout every stage of their lives. That would mean earlier intervention, better continuity of care, less duplication and ultimately better outcomes. It would also recognise what women have been saying for years. Our healthcare is not a niche issue. It is not an optional extra. It is not a specialist add-on. It is fundamental to our overall well-being and healthcare.”
“This tells us that among some of those women who technically qualify, the system is still falling short. The Bill also provides the rest of the House an opportunity to ask a much bigger question of Government. Why do we continue to treat women's health as a collection of separate initiatives instead of building a comprehensive service? Women's health does not begin at 17 and it does not end at 35. It begins in adolescence. It continues through the reproductive years, pregnancy, postnatal care, potential fertility challenges, perimenopause, menopause and into older age. Yet, women are too often expected to navigate a fragmented system paying for consultation after consultation and moving between different professionals without a structured co-ordinated approach. Sinn Féin believes there is a better way.”
“Others use hormonal medication not only for contraception but to manage heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and a range of other medical conditions, yet these women are excluded. Women experiencing perimenopause and menopause are in the same situation. In some situations, they are paying significant costs for hormone treatments that are essential to their health, their quality of life and, most importantly, that work for them and have been recommended by their doctor. Women's healthcare cannot continue to be designated around arbitrary age limits. It should be based on clinical need. Research published earlier this year found that almost one in three women still experience barriers to accessing the free contraception scheme. Those barriers include eligibility restrictions, awareness, availability and access.”
“While this Bill is welcome, it also exposes limits that exist in the Government's ambition for women's healthcare. Time and again we see individual announcements presented as major reforms while broader inequalities remain untouched. The clearest example of this is the free contraception scheme itself. Today if you are 35 years of age you qualify. Tomorrow when you turn 36 you do not. Nothing has changed about your healthcare needs overnight, yet suddenly you are expected to pay the full cost yourself. To me that makes absolutely no sense. Women do not stop needing contraception because they have reached an arbitrary birthday. Nor is every form of contraception solely used to prevent pregnancy anymore. Many women continue to rely on contraception throughout their late 30s and into their 40s.”
“This Bill, which is overdue, is a small step in the expansion of community pharmacy and women's healthcare services. Sinn Féin will support the Bill. It is a sensible measure that recognises the expertise of community pharmacists and reduces unnecessary barriers for women who need repeat prescriptions for contraception. Community pharmacists are among the most accessible healthcare professionals in the country. They are embedded in each of our communities. They are trusted and are often more accessible than a GP. Allowing appropriately trained pharmacists to prescribe repeat contraception following the initial GP consultation will make life easier for women. It will reduce unnecessary GP appointments and ease pressure on primary care.”
“One day if my grandson asks me, as we, as a generation, had the chance to prepare for tomorrow, whether we had the courage to seize the opportunity, I want my answer to be "Yes", that we did not wait and that we did not hesitate because I want the Ireland that he and every child inherits to be determined by what we do today. We have the opportunity to take such a step forward. Let us be the ones who move forward with courage to prepare. Let us be the ones who choose action over hesitation. Let us be the ones who believed Ireland's future was worth preparing for and that we chose to do it in hope and leadership and we built it together one decision at a time.”
“The Good Friday Agreement did not ask anyone to abandon their beliefs or aspirations. All of us accepted that our future will be decided through consent, dialogue and democracy. That is one of the greatest achievements of the agreement and this Bill is firmly rooted in those principles, that no one should be asked to leave their identity at the door. Every generation inherits an Ireland shaped by those who came before. My grandparents inherited a divided Ireland. My mother's generation lived through conflict. One of my first ever votes was in favour of the Good Friday Agreement. Today, another responsibility lies with us, not to decide the outcomes of future referendums but to ensure people are ready for when that question is asked of them. That is not radical; that is good governance.”
“Every time my constituents speak to me about what matters most to them, they talk about their children. They ask whether they will be able to buy a house with the pressures they are facing as a family. Essentially, what they are asking is whether tomorrow can be better than today. Every one of those conversations leaves me with the same thought. People are looking for hope. They are looking for leadership. Politics asks us to solve today's problems but leadership asks us to prepare for tomorrow. Constitutional change is a democratic opportunity of the Good Friday Agreement and the Government has a duty to prepare responsibly, openly and inclusively. That means publishing a Green Paper, convening a citizens' assembly and listening to communities across the island and giving everyone the opportunity to be part of those conversations.”
“Today, the ESRI warned that food prices will go up again this autumn. Ordinary families are under real pressure. They are working hard but are still struggling to pay their bills. They are getting crucified by rent, childcare and insurance. Now they read that the basics in their presses are going to go up. It will not just be them. The ESRI also said that those on fixed incomes, such as pensioners, those on disability payments and low-paid workers will be hit the hardest. It is chipping away at people's quality of life. Does the Tánaiste accept that the delays and half-measures from the Government on fuel prices have made the situation worse? What action will he take to protect working families from another cost-of-living shock and ensure that there is real accountability and transparency in supermarket pricing and profits?”
“Let them see what happened. Let them see the truth and how it is that this came about because otherwise the Tánaiste cannot say that this will never happen again. They want this to never happen again. It is not too late to do the right thing. This is one issue where the Tánaiste needs to hold to his promises.”
“What I find striking is the letter from the spina bifida and hydrocephalus paediatric advocacy group that states clearly, "We feel we have no other option but to withdraw from this scoping exercise". I find that deeply concerning. Trust is not built on promises; it is built on keeping them. These families were promised a child-centred, codesigned inquiry. Today, they say very clearly that promise has been broken. If the Government has nothing to hide, then let it hide nothing, honour the commitments that were made to these families and publish every unpublished report. Every document and every unanswered letter sends the same message to these families that protection of the system matters more than uncovering the truth. Give families access to all the Children's Health Ireland, CHI, reports so that they can at least engage effectively.”
“Will he act on their concerns and make sure they can trust that this inquiry will not just become another broken promise?”
“There should be no hiding places, no fear of what may come out and no resistance to working with families and advocates. This inquiry must be about truth, accountability and transparency. Any fit-for-purpose inquiry must also fully include families. It must have their faith and confidence. We can have that child-centred inquiry. It is not beyond us to get this right but it means the Government must listen to these advocates who have campaigned tirelessly for over a decade for their children and shown us the way forward. The only way to build trust is to work genuinely and in collaboration, with full openness and no attempt to limit, conceal or control access to information. The only motive should be to support these families and their children to establish the facts. My question today is simple: will the Tánaiste listen to these families?”
“A group representing over 900 families affected by the scandals at CHI has raised serious concerns about the scoping exercise to determine the terms of reference. Despite promises from the Government that the truth and their children would be put first, advocates now say the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has not remained true to her word and the process thus far has been anything but child centred or based on the needs of the families involved. They say documents are being hidden from them and unpublished reports are to be excluded. They say they are being stonewalled by a Minister who has not responded to their concerns. Families and advocates want one thing: to uncover the truth of what happened to their children and make sure it never happens again. That is something we should all want.”
“Broken promises have led to preventable deaths, lifelong harm, injury and disability. Trust between families, advocates and the system could not be lower. It is completely shattered. The Tánaiste’s own broken promise that no child would be left waiting more than four months for scoliosis surgery is a very painful memory for these families. There are still 30 children waiting longer than six months for surgery, and the waiting lists are just as long as they were a year ago. It is because of those litanies of failures that families and advocates demanded an independent statutory inquiry, something the Government agreed to. We hoped it would be child centred, that families would be equal partners and there would be no hiding place for wrongdoing. This is what families and advocates say they were promised by the Minister and the Tánaiste.”
“The Tánaiste knows only too well the saga of Children’s Health Ireland, CHI. Children with scoliosis and spina bifida were left waiting years for care. In many cases, they never received it. There were unapproved, non-medical springs implanted in children’s backs, hundreds of unnecessary hip operations and mismanaged waiting lists. These are the so-called Crumlin orphans, children with complex needs who were ignored by the system and left with poor care. Promises were broken time and time again. There has been report after report showing mismanagement, a lack of transparency and our most vulnerable children being failed. Some reports have been published, some have been leaked but more are hidden or buried. Too often, families were the last to know, finding out through the media instead of from CHI.”
“These are the findings of a report from a national umbrella body representing almost 40 neurological organisations and more than 860,000 people living with neurological conditions. The evidence exists, the need is highlighted and the recommendations are outlined. When will the people of Longford-Westmeath get a dedicated neurology service in Mullingar Regional Hospital, which they were promised a decade ago?”
“The Neurological Alliance briefing note says that more than 160 people are currently on a waiting list for neurology services in Mullingar alone. The fourth fact, which we know from various other areas outside health, is that regional inequality is a national problem. People living in regions and rural areas face greater travel burdens, longer waits, and poorer access to specialist expertise than those living in centres. That is a system where access to care is being determined by geography rather than need. The Neurological Alliance found that consultant neurology staffing remains below recommended levels nationally. Specialist nursing numbers remain significantly below recommended levels. Major gaps exist in multi-disciplinary supports and neurorehabilitation services. These are not my figures or Opposition speaking points.”
“I want to return to the evidence, because the facts contained in the Neurological Alliance report are stark. Mullingar hospital is a model 3 hospital. The national model of care says that it should have a dedicated service. The first fact is that one in six people in Ireland are living with a neurological condition and it is now the leading cause of disability worldwide. Yet, despite the growing demand, Mullingar hospital still does not have a dedicated service. The second fact is that the Neurological Alliance report specifically highlights concerns that Mullingar remains dependent on an outreach service and does not have a dedicated service as outlined in that model of care. The third fact is that demand has outstripped capacity.”
“It is not simply about staffing numbers and waiting lists. This should and must be about equity. A person's access to neurological care should not depend on their address and their ability to travel to Dublin. People across Longford and Westmeath deserve the same access to specialist neurological services as people living elsewhere in the State. I ask the Minister of State to first acknowledge the reality that there is no dedicated neurological service in the Regional Hospital Mullingar and to commit to delivering one because ten years after the report, my constituents deserve it.”
“One woman I met, a patient, summed up the problem perfectly when she said that Ireland is policy rich but implementation poor. That phrase stuck with me because, in this instance, we have policies, reports and models of care but what we do not have is delivery. The national model of care clearly states that every model 3 hospital should have a dedicated neurology service. The programme for Government commits to improving neurological care. Yet in the midlands, people are being left behind. Added to that concern is the fact that Ireland still does not have a national brain health strategy. This is a time when neurological conditions are increasing, our population is ageing and demand is rising. The absence of that coherent national strategy is becoming increasingly difficult for the Government to justify.”
“For many patients, particularly those with progressive neurological conditions, these journeys are not a minor inconvenience. They need time off work, suffer a loss of income, incur transport and parking costs, must arrange carers and family support and endure lengthy travel times, while dealing with what can be debilitating symptoms. There have been reports and press releases about healthcare being delivered closer to home. Neurological patients have every right to ask where that care is for them in Longford-Westmeath. The Neurological Alliance of Ireland, NAI, has highlighted significant regional inequalities in access to neurological care. A recent report found that people living in regional and rural areas face longer waits, greater travel burdens and poorer access to specialist services than those living in major urban centres.”
“People are living with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, acquired brain injury, motor neurone disease and numerous other conditions that require specialist assessment, diagnosis, treatment and long-term management. The consequences of failing to provide local services are felt every day by my constituents and their families in Longford-Westmeath. People are being forced to travel to Dublin for appointments that should be available closer to home. They are being forced to travel to Tullamore for appointments that should be available closer to home. We know there are thousands of outpatient appointments in St. James's Hospital every year for people in my area, based solely on the addresses they provide to that hospital.”
“The service delivers three 90-minute telephone clinics per week and one in-person clinic every second Thursday. For a catchment population of over 200,000 people across Longford, Westmeath, Offaly and surrounding counties, are we really expected to believe that this constitutes an acceptable neurology service? Does the Minister of State believe that this is safe? Does he believe it is sustainable? Does he believe it is a clinically appropriate level of care given the demand? Neurological conditions are now the leading cause of disabilities worldwide. In Ireland, one in six people is now living with a neurological condition.”
“Go raibh míle maith agat. I welcome the opportunity to raise the issue of the lack of a dedicated neurological service at the Regional Hospital Mullingar. It is not that we have an under-resourced service or a service that needs expansion; we simply do not have any dedicated neurology service at all. Instead, there is a limited outreach arrangement with another hospital in another county. For perspective, it will take one of my constituents from Moyne 90 minutes, each way, to travel to Tullamore. It is 105 km. The national model of care for neurology services, published in 2016, clearly states that all model 3 hospitals should have a dedicated neurology service. A decade later, the people of Longford-Westmeath are still waiting for their service. The consultant neurologist in Tullamore Hospital is not on a full-time basis.”
“Sinn Féin has consistently called for more training places, a workforce strategy that retains graduates here and investment directly into our public dental service, rather than continuing to rely on crisis management. It is an absolute shame that this Government stands over a system where half of primary school children leave school without ever having received a screening appointment. At the health committee we heard of children who, when they were finally called for that screening programme, drove themselves to their dental appointment. Where is that in the Government's two-year action plan? Is that going to be covered by the initiatives the Government will consider in surgical hubs that do not yet exist? That is why change is needed and needed now.”
“Parents should not have to navigate contradictory and inconsistent rules to get dental care for their child. The last aspect I will bring to the Minister of State's attention are medical card patients. They are really struggling. A constituent told me she had no option but to have a tooth extracted because she simply did not have the cash to stretch as far as a filling. They are what the Minister of State is calling "access issues". They are not access issues. That is an abject failure of this scheme. The Minister of State cannot continue to ignore a shortage of dentists while failing to adequately address workforce planning.”
“The Minister of State mentioned access issues nine individual times in her opening address. I am going to tell her what these so-called access issues really involve. A mother told me she had spent three weeks trying to contact the school-age dental team and when she finally got through this morning she was told nothing could be done, not even in an emergency, until that child's school was called, despite the case being referred to as "urgent" by a private dentist. The mother of a young girl with autism spectrum disorder, hypoplastic teeth and a severe 8.5 mm overjet was provided with documentation indicating that the girl would qualify under national criteria while simultaneously being told that she did not qualify under the modified regional criteria.”
“That is not what repeal intended to do. It is certainly not what I campaigned or voted for. To be clear, there will always be the option for a woman to wait. It will always be there but it will be her choice whether it is one day, two days or three days; it will not be mandatory and will not be set down arbitrarily in legislation. This Bill recognises every woman's situation is different, and that decisions about healthcare are best made by the women themselves, supported by their doctors and not dictated to. If we want to get to a compassionate healthcare system, we must remove barriers, not reinforce and create them. Removing this three-day waiting period brings us that little step closer to a healthcare system that respects dignity, autonomy and access to timely care.”
“For women living with intimate partner abuse and domestic violence, those three days, each and every one of them, is another barrier to healthcare. For survivors of rape or sexual assault, being forced to navigate an unnecessary delay adds further trauma to an already devastating experience. The Minister of State spoke of a 14-year-old, and I agree with him. We never need to see another case like we have in the past. We also know there still remains, to some degree, limited levels of services, and obtaining a GP appointment can be very difficult in some areas. For those women who discover their pregnancy later than expected, these three days can mean the difference between accessing healthcare here or being forced to travel abroad, and that causes distress. It has pushed women beyond the legal time limits for care in their own country.”
“When the Irish people voted to repeal the eighth amendment, they voted to trust women and to trust the decisions they made about their own healthcare, their own bodies and their own lives. However, they also trusted legislators. They trusted them to listen to that O'Shea review when it came through and to act on the decisions or recommendations that came out of it. Ultimately, when repeal happened, it put the ball firmly in the court of this House. It is now up to us to do what is right, and it is right to remove the three-day limit. I did not agree with it at the time and I certainly do not agree with it now because we know this is more than just an inconvenience. For some women, this has some very real consequences.”
“We are being asked to accept that a state accused of engaging in apartheid, whose actions are subject to an ICJ proceeding, can arrive on Irish soil, have its flag raised, its anthem played and be welcomed as if everything is normal. There is nothing normal about what is happening in Gaza. There is nothing normal about sportswashing or pretending that sport exists separate from international law and human rights. The suggestion to move these games to a neutral venue is not a solution. It is moral cowardice dressed up as compromise. The Irish people have already taken a position. They have stood up and spoken out loudly in solidarity with the Palestinian people. This game should not go ahead on legal and moral grounds. It is time to stop the games.”
“For almost three years, we have witnessed horrific destruction in Gaza and the suffering of the Palestinian people. Children have been killed, families buried under rubble, hospitals attacked and entire communities wiped from the map. We have seen starvation, displacement and collective punishment inflicted on a civilian population. When apartheid existed in South Africa and when war engulfed the former Yugoslavia, boycotts and sanctions followed. When Russia invaded Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA acted within days. Yet, despite all of this, there remains a dangerous and pervasive attitude that treats the Israeli state with kid gloves. If international law matters, it matters all of the time. If human rights matter, they matter for all people. If there are consequences for breaching international law, then there can be no exceptions.”
“I implore the Minister to address this. Nobody should be left in this situation. There is a solution. The medical professionals in St. James's Hospital are aware of the man's situation. Tullamore hospital is aware of his situation. Things need to line up at this point because he cannot continue. It is having a profound impact on his mental health.”
“I want to raise the case of a 54-year-old man in Athlone, a constituent of mine who has now spent six and a half months in Tullamore hospital without access to the treatment he requires. He was told he would be transferred to St. James's Hospital for specialist care but it has since transpired that there is no pathway or any arrangement in place for that to happen. His treatment in Tullamore is complete. He is simply getting his wounds dressed. That is the only reason he is in the hospital six and a half months after first going in, despite repeated representations and efforts from the medical staff in Tullamore. My office contacted the HSE, the Minister and the hospitals but has received no response. It is grossly unfair on the man. He is sitting in a hospital where somebody else is waiting for the bed he is in.”
“I have read some statements on this issue which are quite frankly very concerning such as "It will reopen if staff can be recruited". That is literally the job of the Minister of State and her senior Minister. I do not think it is reasonable to expect anybody whose child needs a CAMHS bed to accept that the Ministers may have woken up and suddenly realised they are in government. This is actually their job. Families across the State have endured scandal after scandal when it comes to CAMHS. The Psychiatric Nurses Association described the proposal as inconceivable and I agree. I ask the Minister of State to please to look at this. There is something fundamentally wrong when the State is reliant on beds in a hospital that is not even completed.”
“Instead of genuinely expanding services, the Department is effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul. I know the Minister of State will tell me about the new children's hospital but there is no timeframe for that, and nor have the 20 beds been budgeted for. The Fairview unit is operational, staffed and delivering care. The families know it and they trust the service there. Yet, there seems to be an intention to redeploy staff from Fairview to Linn Dara. I am informed that so far only two members of staff have agreed to this. We must also remember that St Vincent's Hospital is a section 38 hospital, while Linn Dara is directly managed by the HSE, and those workers cannot be compelled to move. At a time when recruitment and retention is already at crisis point, this approach is reckless.”
“There is a deeply concerning and worrying direction of travel here. We have around 50% of the recommended beds nationally for CAMHS. That recommendation is contained in the Department's own mental health strategy. We know that CAMHS is already operating at half the capacity that experts said was needed almost 20 years ago. Against that backdrop, the proposed closure of the CAMHS unit in St. Vincent's Hospital in Fairview makes absolutely no sense. Quite frankly, it is alarming. That the CAMHS unit in Linn Dara is due to reopen after four years being closed due to staff shortages is of course welcome. The problem, however, is that the proposed closure of the function of CAMHS in St. Vincent's Hospital in Fairview is being done to staff Linn Dara.”
“Forget about the car. They just want a roof. They just want to be able to afford the rent and put food on the table for their families, and lord knows they work hard enough to be able to afford those very basic things. Then the Minister has the audacity to tell people his housing policy is working. He should stand in any local authority building and look at the people presenting as homeless. They are countless and they come from all sectors of society. This Government has failed each and every one of them and the Minister should be ashamed for standing in here and trying to tell us his broken policy is working and he should be ashamed for every person who is standing in a homeless queue.”
“Perhaps the most disgraceful part of it is the attempt to downplay the soaring evictions by claiming the trend is moderating. I ask the Minister to come to my constituency and talk to the 84-year-old man, talk to the new mother with a two-week-old baby who is in emergency accommodation and talk to the woman who is effectively overholding in a domestic violence refuge with her two kids with additional needs. They were meant to be out yesterday but there is nowhere for her to go. Literally nothing is available to her. The Minister is completely detached from the reality facing ordinary people. He measures success as investor confidence and market activity but ordinary people measure success by having a roof over their heads and food on the table. That is the level of pressure families are under. Forget about the holiday.”
“I am going to call this out for what it is, which is an abject failure of renters the length and breadth of this State. The Government's amendment is absolutely tone-deaf. It is the most layered piece of political spin I have ever seen put on paper. There have been 7,000 eviction notices in just three months, which is the highest number ever recorded. Thousands of families are living in fear and panic as they wonder where exactly they are going to go. What does the Minister do? He comes in with an amendment that reads like it was written by the investment funds rather than a Government presiding over record rents, record evictions and record homelessness and an entire generation locked out of the hope of ever owning their own home. The Government congratulates itself on rent controls while rent in Westmeath has soared by over 11%.”
“That is not a point of order. If Deputy Healy-Rae has a complaint, there is a format for making it. This is not it and that is not a point of order. Please respect the Chair. If Deputy Healy-Rae has an issue with the Minister, there is a pathway for him to take it up. This is not it.”