Johnny Mythen

As stated by my colleagues, the Mercosur deal is a deal with consequential pitfalls that far outweigh the notion that, somehow, Irish farmers and poultry farmers will be better off. Let us face it, in that the trade-off for cars and pharmaceuticals is at the core of this anti-farmer deal. Make no mistake about it. The Government's handling of Mercosur was feeble and weak. It only decided to vote a…

We can all agree that the decision to vote against Ireland on the Hague preferences by the so-called EU member states is a statement of intent. With a stroke of a pen, they have devastated the Irish fishing industry. Off the coast of my own County Wexford, Irish vessels are left with 28 tonnes of sole, while Belgium has 450 tonnes. In fact, in one week, the Norwegian fleet caught 40,000 tonnes of …

The first statement that funding for blister packs was being withdrawn sent shock waves into the hearts of the most vulnerable section of people in society, their families, carers and close relations. The second statement, that the Minister is pausing them until 2026, has added further to the confusion for thousands of people who mostly subsist on disability pensions and occupational injury pensio…

Online safety must be a priority for us all. Self-regulation is not a deterring factor in addressing online safety. The competition alone between high-tech companies will drive these companies and platforms to use their lobbyists and power to comply with as little regulation a possible and the dilution of the same. We have witnessed the very destructive nature of the so-called recommender algorith…

I thank Deputies Cullinane and McGuinness for bringing forward this motion. In 2024, the Coast Guard and rescue service responded to 2,554 incidents and 752 missions by helicopter. It provided critical assistance to 537 citizens and 134 air ambulance flights to offshore island communities, including some off the Wexford coast. I am sure this year's statistics when completed will tell a similar sto…

I raise with the Minister the urgent need for an immediate intervention to avoid an imminent serious disruption to Caredoc services over the Christmas and new year periods, particularly in Wexford and the south-east region. Up to as recently as 2022, Caradoc’s doctors were paid as public servants. However, since then, Caredoc nurses have missed out on 14 pay rises between public sector and sector …

We do not control the fiscal policies in Northern Ireland.

I welcome all the farmers who are here tonight. If the Mercosur deal is ratified by the European Union, it will sound the death knell for thousands of farmers in Ireland and across the European Union. The European Union's mission statement is to promote the well-being of its citizens by providing freedom, security and justice. This deal is contrary to these principles. Freedom is democracy. Democr…

This Bill has been proposed by my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, and by Sinn Féin at a time when the cost of living is on everyone's lips. It is a very aptly called the Education (Affordable School Uniforms) Bill 2025. During the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the cost of school uniforms has become a huge financial burden on families. The average cost of a full school kit, including gym gear, can be …

The Irish fishing industry is in a state of flux and is on course for a full-scale collapse if the proposed 2026 quotas are accepted and implemented. These crippling quotas represent a 70% cut in mackerel, a 41% in blue whiting and a 22% cut in boarfish. These quotas will financially sink every fishing boat in Ireland, whereas on the other side we have non-EU fleets from the likes of Russia, the F…

The history of our country is one of partition, division, imperial dominance and military occupation. For centuries, Irish people have borne the yoke of oppression - oppression of our language, our culture and our own birthright. That said, the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 was agreed to by all parties, to provide through peaceful democratic means a referendum on Irish unity. It is incumbent on th…

I have received hundreds of emails from parents, teachers and SNAs complaining that the new NCSE guidelines for the review of SNA allocations for 2025-26 are unsatisfactory. These mainly consist of four demands. Those who sent them are calling for: a suspension of the guidelines until proper consultation with schools, SNAs and parents is carried out; fair criteria for defining level 3 complex care…

In the programme for Government, it states that the Government is committed to the abolition of the carer's means test. We in Sinn Féin have been calling for this for a very long time. The Government declares itself to recognise the enormous contribution that family carers make to Irish society, yet applying the means test to careers is an unfair and regressive policy. Over 70% of carers are curre…

Looking at the energy markets today, it is hard not to see the amount of profiteering and rip-off prices that are fleecing ordinary people in this country. It is not hard to figure out who is doing it. Bord Gáis Energy is increasing its rate by 13.5%, SSE Airtricity by 9.5% with a 12% surcharge, Flogas by 7%, Energia by 12.1% and Pinergy by 9.83%. The ESB made profits of €700 million last year. En…

I thank the Independent and Parties Technical Group for tabling this motion. Access to the DTSS has worsened every year under the Government's watch. Since 2020, I have raised this issue here, along with many other Deputies from across the country. Data in 2020 showed us the extent of the serious and erroneous condition of dental services. Thousands of people are left in pain, some for over a year…

The original reduction of student fees was introduced in 2022. The reason the Government did that was to alleviate the cost of living, which was the right thing to do. To go on that premise and bring it to its logical conclusion, the cost of living today has now increased by at least another third since then. According to Barnardos, one third of parents have gone into arrears on energy bills alone…

I thank the Labour Party for bringing this important motion to the floor. The statistics alone tell the true story of long-term residential care in our country. More than 80% of nursing homes are now owned by private bodies, with Emeis Ireland being by far the largest operator, owning more than 27 premises in total. When private companies are driven solely by profit, whose solidarity and loyalty o…

I am delighted the Government is not opposing this motion. I thank my party for bringing this motion to extend voting rights in presidential elections to all citizens on the island of Ireland and to progress that same right to our diaspora, often aptly referred to as the children of the far-flung, as in the book by Geraldine O'Connell. I believe citizenship should have no borders. Once a person ho…

As the Tánaiste will be aware, the basic necessities such as food, housing, energy, healthcare, rents and transportation have risen in price much faster than the average household income. This is placing enormous pressure on schools, teachers and parents to meet their very basic demands in our schools, particularly in my county of Wexford. The programme for Government states that the Government wi…

The Taoiseach recently made a speech at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice. He said: [In] ... supporting sustainable fishing, we will not only protect our marine environment but also preserve and strengthen all the special communities along our shores that call the coast their home. These are fine words. However, in reality, our fishing industry is dying a slow death. Sinn Féin's recent nationwide…

As I mentioned previously, we have 2,749 council houses boarded up and left idle. Some 800 of these have been so for more than 12 months. Another shocking figure is the 15,580 homeless citizens in emergency accommodation - not including those on the streets - including 4,775 children. Why is the Government allowing this to continue? I spoke to a young man in Wexford town only yesterday. He is 34 …

What is happening in Gaza and the West Bank is, by definition, genocide, which is defined as an unimaginable horror during which millions of innocent people are targeted based on their race, religion, nationality or other factors. Within the last few days, we have heard surgeons documenting their stories about the horrific attacks and bombardment of innocent children across Palestine. One such doc…

I add my voice to the many voices in this House and the thousands of the voices around the world condemning the Israeli Government on what is legitimately described as a calculated, ethnically-cleansing slaughter of the Palestinian people. Israel is demolishing their homelands and denying them their true birth rights. Before the eyes of the world, Israel is systematically demolishing Gaza zone by …

I want to bring to the Taoiseach's attention the serious situation concerning Women's Collective Ireland - Wexford. Through the Reach grant, the body held 131 courses and facilitated 1,180 disadvantaged and vulnerable women in Wexford. I was also contacted by Acquired Brain Injury Ireland Wexford and Waterford branch. Both organisations have been told by senior managers that it will take weeks bef…

Please do. It is serious.