Claire Kerrane

I come to speak to this amendment in a slightly different way in terms of my own experience in my home town of Ballaghaderreen. When I was elected to the House in 2020, it was before the war in Ukraine but we had already experienced the arrival of Syrian refugees to begin with. Ballaghaderreen was actually one of the few towns that very much gave the céad míle fáilte and I was very proud that it d…

A number of weeks ago, I was contacted by a mother in Loughglinn whose son had an asthma attack over the Christmas period. The rapid response vehicle arrived from Roscommon town within 17 minutes and saved his life. If that call had come in on a Monday night, the rapid response vehicle would not be available because it is parked up for 12 hours. The overtime the National Ambulance Service has been…

I am very glad to have the opportunity to speak to this Bill this evening and I welcome many aspects of it. I hope the many amendments to the Act as outlined will be positive and that they will provide greater supports for children who need them when they need those supports. I hope there will also be greater oversight of child protection, particularly in relation to the interagency committee. All…

12. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health the reason the rapid response vehicle at Roscommon ambulance base is no longer available on a 24-7 basis as promised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4433/26]

104. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health when the rapid response vehicle at Roscommon ambulance base in County Roscommon will be restored on a 24/7 basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4432/26]

A commitment was made in 2011 when the accident and emergency department in Roscommon town was closed that because of the much greater distance to the nearest such department, we would have 24-7 advanced paramedic cover from the rapid response vehicle. In the last number of months, the overtime that was being used, initially on a Thursday night and now on a Monday night, has been pulled so the rap…

I thank the Minister. The advanced paramedic roster, which includes four advanced paramedics, has been in difficultly for some time. I have been raising this issue for about a year and a half and I met the director of the National Ambulance Service last year on the matter. For the last year and a half or so, paramedics have been put on the advanced paramedic roster. The overtime was in place for t…

That is a line the director has given to me as well. However, Roscommon, Nenagh and Ennis all lost their accident and emergency departments and were all given a commitment to a 24-7 rapid response. Nenagh and Ennis had an action card that was put out there by the National Ambulance Service to protect the rapid response vehicle. Nenagh and Ennis got it but Roscommon did not. I am confident that if …

I am really glad to have the opportunity to speak on this very important legislation. In reading through the Bill, I was reminded of the very damning HIQA report that was published at the time, which called for a complete overhaul of home care services. That report raised concerns around the fact that there are no minimum standards of care when it comes to home care services. I recall raising thi…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue. During the Christmas period, a young person in my constituency had an asthma attack. The rapid response vehicle, RRV, arrived and the advanced paramedic on the RRV saved his life, and of that there is no doubt. I say that because we have had a continuing issue in County Roscommon. I think…

I want to be clear on the issue of the rapid response vehicle being parked up. This was done on Thursdays but I now understand it is done on Monday nights for 12 hours. The RRV is not being parked up because efforts to get an advanced paramedic have not been successful, whatever those efforts may be. That is not the reason because a paramedic is provided on the RRV every other day and night of the…

This is the third motion brought forward by Sinn Féin in relation to the Mercosur deal. The Government's position was not clear here in Ireland. On Wednesday, the Taoiseach said a lot of progress had been made, and then, on Thursday, he said we were not backing Mercosur. We had our motion last month in this Chamber, when the Minister for agriculture refused to categorically state the Government’s …

1. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will carry out a review of the regulations for childminders in Q1 of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71885/25]

I raise again the regulations put in place for some time now for childminders and the many issues they are facing. We know about 150 childminders out of 14,000 or 15,000 have registered with Tusla, which is a small amount. Will the review of the regulations take place early in the new year?

I am sure the Minister will agree that the fact that just 150 childminders to date have registered with Tusla should be causing concern. It is a tiny number compared with the overall number of childminders out there. Childminding Ireland has been excellent in its engagement on issues with the regulations. One such issue I have mentioned to the Minister before is the regulation regarding having a c…

We have to be clear; I have not met a childminder who has an issue with regulations. Most of them have first aid training, insurance and Garda vetting. They have much of it in place for so many years already. That is not the issue. Rather, the issue lies with the inspections. Inspections will form part of the regulations – we all know that – but it is about what those inspections will look like an…

15. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will respond to a HIQA report published following an inspection of Tusla services in Dublin north city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71909/25]

I want to give the Minister the opportunity to respond to the HIQA report that has been published recently in relation to Tusla services in Dublin north city.

I am glad to hear, and obviously the Minister has had it confirmed, that progress has been made in relation to the very serious findings not only in the initial inspection in April 2024 but also when HIQA went in well over a year later in June 2025 and things were not much improved at all. One example HIQA gave was a child with a disability who was non-verbal awaiting completion of a preliminary i…

When the word "allocated" is used, the figures look like a child is allocated to a social worker and therefore getting support but we also know from the HIQA report that some children were allocated to staff on extended statutory leave and had received no contact. We need to be careful in relation to what "allocated" actually means and that it is not just that a case is allocated but the case and …

18. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a report by the special rapporteur on child protection will be published; if part of the annual report has been furnished to her; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71911/25]

I want to ask the Minister about the awaited annual reports from the special rapporteur on child protection and when they will be published. The special rapporteur was appointed in February 2023; it is now almost 2026. It is actually coming to the end of her term and we have not seen any report whatsoever unless the Minister has. I would appreciate an update on this.

Unless I am missing something, the Minister should have received by now an annual report from somebody who was appointed in February 2023 and who is almost at the end of her three-year term. I would have expected the reports to have been annual. I take the Minister’s point entirely that the role is extremely important. It is about our child protection system in Ireland. There are few things more …

I thank the Minister. I appreciate that the special rapporteur is considering the year before she took up her role. It would be great to see the reports from her term in the first instance, but I welcome that the reports are imminent, if that is the case. I find it bizarre that, despite someone being appointed to the role in February 2023, we are now almost at the end of her term and still have no…

32. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the timeframe for implementation for each of the recommendations made by the national review panel following its examination of the case of a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71912/25]