Louise O'Reilly

There has to be a change.

The Taoiseach has failed those children.

I want to welcome Cara Darmody and her dad, Mark, to the Gallery. It is unfortunate they are here. I would draw their attention to the fact that the Government has circulated its response to this debate already so no matter what is said here on the floor of the Dáil, its script is already written. It has already decided what it is going to say. It has made it very clear it has no intention of list…

Good luck with that.

I will illustrate the point I wish to make to the Minister of State by using an example from my constituency. I will talk to him about a lady who I will call her Janet because I do not want to say her name. In 2010, Janet joined the Dublin City Council housing list. She was eligible for social housing at that stage. I will not get all political about the reason we have a housing crisis. The Minist…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. He referred to zero tolerance, but it does not look like zero tolerance because this man can live wherever he bloody well likes and Janet is stuck. I wish the Minister of State could meet this woman because all she has done is work hard. Through no fault of her own, she finds herself in a situation where she could be waiting 30 years to get permanent…

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 21 May 2025.

I will start by thanking the Deputies for bringing forward this motion. I also genuinely commend the Minister of State for delivering that script with a straight face. I was quite shocked by what I heard. You would honestly think that it was worth celebrating that the Government had promised ten days' paid statutory sick leave and is now cutting that in half. You would think workers would be on th…

I was the first person in my family to go to university and this is something I am incredibly proud of. Being able to access third level education had a transformative impact on my life. I am the living proof of the impact third level education can have. The transformative potential of third level education should be available to every single person. Every young person should have the chance I had…

I thank the Social Democrat Deputies for tabling the motion this afternoon and giving us a chance to have this discussion. Similar to Deputy O'Rourke, as well as being a parliamentarian I am a parent. It is a long time since I had a child in primary school but in order for her to be able to attend an Educate Together school I had to fight very hard simply to get her a place. This is the experience…

I commend my colleague, Deputy Claire Kerrane, on the motion this evening and on all the work she has done inasmuch as has been outlined. We were the only party that went to the electorate with a credible, well-thought-out, well-constructed plan to deliver affordable public childcare. At the last election, both of the parties of Government, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael - I am not sure what the opinio…

81. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of concerns raised about the nutritional value of school meals; if he has considered utilising non-profit groups like an organisation (details supplied) for this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21757/25]

My question is fairly straightforward. I am aware the Minister is doing a review. I have corresponded with him with regard to taking the profit motive out of school meal provision to the greatest extent possible. Has the Minister examined that or is he open to further discussion or consideration of it? My question cites the meals on wheels service but there are obviously others that would fulfil s…

I thank the Minister for his response. The reason I raised this issue is that I have a concern about the nutritional quality. Parents cannot control the quality of the food, although they can select from the menu of options. Concerns have been raised about the traceability of food and labelling such as "pasta sauce". At the end of the day, the companies that are involved in this have a loyalty to …

On Tuesday this week, I attended a presentation on the meals on wheels network. There was a representative from the Minister's office there as well. The network is absolutely fantastic. Day in and day out, the volunteers do a really good job. It is not just a food delivery service but they are really conscious about the quality of the food. They have a more hands-on approach. They are local. They …

83. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that there is a disparity in the assessment of child maintenance across different forms of supports; if he will give consideration to standardising this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21758/25]

While I am aware the Department does not use child maintenance as a criterion by which to assess, it is alone in that regard. It is incredibly hit and miss across local authorities. Some count it whereas others do not. Does the Minister agree that child maintenance is for children and should not be considered as part of means tests for essential supports for adults and families? I hope the Departm…

There are 190,000 children in Ireland today classified as at risk of poverty. Child maintenance is essential. I find it incongruous that although child maintenance is absolutely essential, it is included in assessments for some necessary supports. I welcome the Minister’s words. I hope he will work with me across party lines on this matter. No one will disagree with the idea that child maintenanc…

We will consider this as part of the work programme if I have anything to do with it. The Minister rightly highlighted that it is confusing when different methods of assessment are used. While he said there are sometimes valid reasons for this, there are actually no valid reasons for including child maintenance in assessments. The louder we say that and the more people we say that to, the more lik…

On a point of order, there was a lot of consternation and an awful lot of Dáil time was given over to Deputies in the Lowry group who insisted on having recognition. They got it and now they have a question on the Order Paper but they have not turned up to take it. I want that to be recorded because there was a lot of chat and consternation in the House, as the Minister knows. At the end of it, we…

Certain groups of people, including seasonal workers and school caretakers, in particular, are excluded from pay-related jobseeker's benefits and allowances. Seasonal workers are every bit as unemployed when they are not working; it is just that they are unemployed for a specific period. Will the Minister give some consideration to including those people, who we rely on and lean on in the seasons …

On carers.

Hear, hear.

I am a bit disappointed but not a little bit surprised that the senior Minister did not stay for the full duration of the debate. He rarely does when it has anything to do with workers' rights. I wish everyone here a very happy May Day, especially those people who work here in the Oireachtas, the people who cook and clean for us, the ones who keep this place running. On May Day we celebrate worker…

I would like to make a brief comment. I would like Deputy Lahart to correct the record. He stated that the minimum wage had consistently gone up. Of course, it has gone up many times, as recommended by the Low Pay Commission, but it was the Deputy's party, Fianna Fáil, that cut it. It is not true to say that the minimum wage has always gone up. It was cut by the Deputy's party in government. I do …