Louise O'Reilly

That concludes our debate for this evening. I thank everyone for their contributions.

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 8 July 2026.

I thank Deputies for bringing forward the motion. My constituents pay some of the highest energy costs in Europe. They would love to be able to re-register their households as data centres in order to avail of some of the Government's cheap electricity, but they cannot do so. As a result, they get screwed every single day of the week for the crime of wanting some hot water and a hot or warm home. …

I thank an Teachta Kerrane not just for this motion but for all the work she has done because while the Government completely lacks a roadmap, an Teachta Kerrane has showed it how it can be done in terms of delivering for parents and children. Access to affordable childcare allowed me to finish college, to work part-time and then to move on to full-time employment. Affordable childcare was a game…

I thank Deputy Charles Ward for bringing forward this motion and for giving us the opportunity to co-sign it, which, as my colleague said, we were more than pleased to do. I have been dealing with the legacy of the Government’s soft touch or, indeed, non-existent regulation since I was elected. The core point here, and this is the thing that is very often lost, most especially on Fianna Fáil Mini…

I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution this afternoon. I thank Deputies Daly and O'Hara for their work on this legislation and for their continued work in this area. I also commend the residents' groups, including the St. Margaret’s The Ward group and other groups that represent the people who are living in the environs of Dublin Airport. I wish to address two issues the Minister raised…

I commend my colleague, an Teachta David Cullinane, for bringing forward this motion, for his work on this issue and for the well-crafted solutions he has brought to the floor of the Dáil. I strongly encourage the Minister of State to engage with the solutions and proposals brought here this evening by Sinn Féin because it is very clear that what the Government is doing is not working. There are …

1. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans to address the high rates of domiciliary care allowance, DCA, appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46280/26]

This is a fairly straightforward question and one I have asked before, because it is an issue I like to keep track of. It has to do with the high rate of people who are unsuccessful the first time but successful the second time, often in circumstances where there has been no change. I know that the Minister will say this is not the case, but I can tell him that my constituents do believe that ther…

I know that the Minister is very aware that in order to apply for DCA, a parent has to fill out a very long form, be it online or done with a biro. It is a very long form and they must describe their child on their worst day. They must talk about all of the things about their child that are negative for their family. It is soul destroying and exhausting. I can say this because I conducted a survey…

Some of this stuff is very easy to understand. If someone has a child who has a condition or a disability and that child is doubly incontinent, there you go and that should be enough without a parent having to go into a narrative about what that means. We know what that means. That means restrictions on where people can go. That means they have to be with their child constantly. All of these thing…

3. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to address barriers - administrative, financial and others - to accessing social welfare payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46287/26]

The Minister and I discussed this at committee. I received a response from the Minister for Health advising that the general medical services, GMS, contract does not cover the filling out of forms. As the Minister for Social Protection knows, a lot of people require medical information in order to apply for social welfare and other things. Given that filling out forms is not covered, my question i…

Excellent, and I hope that the Minister will confirm to me that people can apply for supplementary welfare allowance in order to pay for the GP. If this is not covered on the medical card and someone does not have the means to pay €80 but absolutely does need to apply for whatever reason, it strikes me that it should be available on the supplementary welfare allowance. I am hoping that the Ministe…

That is very welcome to hear and I am more than happy to work with the Minister. I can provide him with practical examples of where this has happened. I can also say, as I used to represent nurses and I do not hold a massive candle for doctors, that many GPs do this. The problem usually arises when a person goes in to get a form filled and they find out that maybe there is a new GP or they have mo…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for being very fair. I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Teachta Rose Conway-Walsh. It is to ask the Minister for Social Protection if he has plans to improve turnaround times on decisions regarding applications for supplementary welfare allowance to cover transport costs for going to hospital appointments for patients who may receive an appoint…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Topical Issue. It relates to the national child poverty target. Social Justice Ireland tells us that there are 211,150 children at risk of poverty. Crucially, this figure does not take account of the household spend on accommodation. Two adults working on a low income or the minimum wage do not earn enough to live decently, and neither can …

I do not want to seem ungrateful for the Minister of State's reply but he has said things like, as a relatively high-income country, some households assessed as experiencing poverty in Ireland might not be considered so in other EU countries. They are not paying rent or buying groceries in any other EU country, are they? They are doing all that there. If they are in relative poverty, they are in r…

I also add my congratulations and thanks to the committee. It is a great committee and does fantastic work. I call Deputy Toole.

The Deputy's time is up.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Health Act 1970 and to provide for related matters. I will share my time. The Bill amends the Health Act 1970 to ensure the effectiveness of the provision without charge of drugs, medicines or medical or surgical appliances to persons suffering from the precise disease or disability of a permanent or long-term nature …

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Very slowly.

Applications for the very much-needed special school that is due to open in Balbriggan closed on 29 May. It is very likely to be oversubscribed. As the Taoiseach can imagine, there is quite a number of anxious parents wanting confirmation that this school is going to open. I am concerned at the fact that I have now been contacted by SNAs who cannot find any information about the recruitment proce…