Results 61-80 of 1,065,289 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Jack Chambers OR speaker:Réada Cronin OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Róisín Shortall OR speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Verona Murphy)

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Martin Browne: I commend Deputies Kerrane and Funchion on putting this motion together and bringing it to the House. Despite the lack of a coherent message or plan from the Government parties about the structure of childcare going forward, Sinn Féin’s policy and its plans are clear and costed and are designed to address the immediate needs of parents and the sector. The system, as it is...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Réada Cronin: I was amused on the first day of the new term to see the words "public good" in the Government amendment. Between the lot of you, you would not know public good from public bad if it jumped up and bit you. There is the overpriced daylight-robbery bike shed or the abuse of Irish airspace to commit genocide in Gaza. All of a sudden when Sinn Féin publishes its childcare plan, the...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Dessie Ellis: Working parents who are trying to hold down a job and at the same time care for young children find it difficult and stressful to do both. This is particularly acute when there is no family member who can act as a caregiver to the child or if the job has no flexibility in working hours. These days few parents can afford to stay at home because of the ever-increasing cost of living, the...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Paul Donnelly: Childcare should be a public service. Adequate childcare should be a help to parents, not be a financial burden. It is often said that childcare is akin to having a second mortgage, with the average cost running from €800 per month and with many parents in Dublin West paying far more than that. The current system is a deterrent for parents, in particular single parents, to take up...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes that: — the present Government has implemented the most significant reform agenda to early learning and childcare in the history of the State; — total Government investment in early learning and childcare has almost doubled since 2020, rising to €1.1...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: I commend an Teachta Clare Kerrane on bringing forward this policy and Kathleen Funchion for the work she has done in this area. Access to affordable childcare is a game-changer. I hope the Minister knows that. He certainly has not delivered but an Teachta Kerrane has the plan and the ideas - €10 per day per child. That is exactly what parents need. They need certainty and they...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Deputy Kerrane for bringing forward this motion. The Sinn Féin plan to deliver childcare at €10 per day or €200 per month is visionary and ambitious but it is also realistic and achievable. In that regard, all we have to do is look to the likes of Denmark and Sweden for examples. In Meath, on the basis of CSO figures, almost 10,300 children would benefit from...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The plan that has been unveiled by Deputy Kerrane is visionary. It is a really exciting policy that can be a game-changer. Delivering childcare for €10 per child per day is essential and I would emphasise that. This is not a policy that the Minister should implement because it is a good or sensible policy. It is a necessary policy. It has to happen. It is a strategic imperative...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Pauline Tully: I commend Deputy Kerrane on bringing forward this motion and on the work she has done on the policy and commend her predecessor, the former Deputy Kathleen Funchion, on all the work she did in this area as well. Childcare needs to be affordable, accessible and reliable but it is not any of those things at the moment. An average cost of €800 per month is not affordable. Many...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: The Deputy will be in possession when the debate resumes tomorrow.

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Debate adjourned.

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Claire Kerrane: I move: That Dáil Éireann: recognises: — the importance of affordable, accessible and reliable childcare or childminding arrangements for working families, society and the wider economy; — the crucial role that childcare professionals play in shaping the future of our children; and — that childcare is an essential service and it is time it was given the...

Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I commend Deputy Kerrane not only on bringing the motion to the Dáil tonight and allowing us to debate this important issue but also on bringing this policy forward in the short time that she has been spokesperson on childcare for our party. The Deputy mentioned that this is a game-changer and that is exactly what it is. Talking to parents in my constituency over the weekend, that is...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Michael Collins: It is envisaged the new Mental Health Bill will replace, reform and overhaul the Mental Health Act 2001. The Bill contains over 140 sections and introduces, for the first time, a robust system of registration, regulation and inspection of all mental health services, including community CAMHS. Will this happen, however? Every week, I hold clinics all over west Cork. I know from families,...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Danny Healy-Rae: This is the most serious issue we have to deal with on the island of Ireland. CAMHS has a waiting list of over two years for appointments. As therapeutic supports are extremely hard to get, many doctors feel the only option available to them is to prescribe antidepressants. That is not fair on young children. Imagine a little girl of 13 years who is harming herself and whose parents have...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I want to clarify something. The Rural Independent Group has this slot and 12 minutes are left. The debate adjourns at 8.21 p.m. It is between Deputy Healy-Rae and his colleague to decide, if his colleague wants to speak.

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Danny Healy-Rae: I have to say this because it has been in my head for so long. Some years ago, a doctor and a family member could get someone in danger of harming themselves into residential care where they would be minded one to one all day and night until the person got better. We cannot do that anymore. It is not happening anymore, but it has to happen because so much of this is happening across the...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: How can we help people who suffer from mental health problems? Like everything else, we have to start at the start with early intervention. The biggest problem we have with early intervention is that services for early intervention are not available. Where they are available, people will wait for 18 months or two years. Some of the people who have come to us looking for help move into the...

Mental Health Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Sep 2024)

Peter Fitzpatrick: The public interest in this Bill has been overwhelming, and it is no wonder. For too long, our mental health legislation has been outdated and people with mental health issues have faced delayed treatment, limited access to services and a lack of clarity surrounding their rights. It is in this context that the amendments to the Mental Health Bill 2024 come into play. They are critical to...