Marie Sherlock

I genuinely wish the Minister of State well on her reappointment. We all need her to succeed in her role. To many of us, the decline in the mental health of our young people in this country is one of the biggest health, social and economic challenges of our time. The research states that approximately 50% of us will experience mental health difficulties at a particular point in our lives, but for…

When will the Government publish its response to the Dublin city task force report? Last October, the Tánaiste said that the interdepartmental working group would report back before the end of the year and would provide timelines for the plan's recommendations. What is that timeline? Is the Government committed to all ten of the big ideas, as the previous Government was? Recommendation No. 6 calle…

How is it in 21st-century Ireland, when we are into our ninth year of eye-watering budget surpluses with, of course, the exception of the pandemic, that securing an affordable and sustainable home for so many people is largely down to luck? It is down to luck in terms of the family one is born into and whether the bank of Mam and Dad will be able to help with a deposit. More than one third of peop…

Hear, hear.

I start by offering my support to all those providing an early years service in this country. I pay tribute to all those staff and providers who go in day in, day out to do their very best for the families they look after. I am conscious that there are huge frustrations in the sector about core funding, wages and bureaucracy. Many service providers tell me they are running unviable services. Despi…

I thank the Minister of State for that reply. I had not intended going into the details of the particular situation I raised with the Department last week, but just to be clear, the management is meeting with parents tonight. The meeting is not with staff. In fact, that takes a whole other week. It is perhaps a reflection of the disrespect to staff in this particular matter. The other crucial poin…

I will start by saying it is a great honour to be able to stand in the Dáil for the first time as a TD for Dublin Central and be able to contribute to this very important debate today. Before I speak directly to the motion, a Cheann Comhairle, I want to say that I know we are two months on from the election and it is very much in the rear-view mirror for many of us now. Many of us, though, are ele…

It is absolutely unacceptable that the Central Bank would take that position.