Peadar Tóibín

It is in terms of asylum seekers. There is a question-----

So, will there be a change in the approach?

I welcome the fact that there is going to be an investigation into the handling of child sexual abuse in schools over many years. Many lives have been destroyed as a result of the abuse people suffered in schools in this State. I have a number of issues with the terms of reference of the commission. The definition of "child sexual abuse" provided is problematic. How that wording is used is unacce…

7. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to outline the number of times he has met with the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland since he took office. [37514/25]

The slaughter in Gaza is one of the biggest stains on the international community. The killing of 57,700 people in Gaza is a war crime of massive proportions. It is happening in large part because it is underwritten by the West. It is underwritten by the US and many countries in the European Union. The approach of the West to the war in Ukraine and the war in Palestine could not be more different.…

I am critical of that.

I agree there should be rules and checks. Nobody has said that more in this Chamber than me probably in recent years. However, I have also said it needs to be compassionate. That is something the Tánaiste has said too and that there should be a strict system and compassionate response. There are dozens of children unaccompanied coming to this country annually at the moment anyway. That is the stat…

While the Tánaiste has been stronger than many of his European counterparts in standing up for the people of Palestine, and I grant that is the case, the European Union is still very cold in how it is dealing with Gaza. Ursula von der Leyen strode the world’s stage stating that she would underwrite the IDF’s actions at the start of this process. I believe she distorted the foreign policy of this c…

Catherine Sherry was 42 years old when she died of lymphoma cancer. She lived with her husband and young children just across the Border, in Newry. The special treatment she needed was not available in the North of Ireland but was available just one hour away in Dublin. Her heartbroken husband, Fergal, said she was forced to travel to London for that treatment and that travel significantly weakene…

Ireland is becoming a more violent place. The rates of domestic violence, sexual violence and rape are all increasing. The society we have created over the past number of decades has led to Ireland becoming more violent for women. Day in, day out, lives are being destroyed. In 2011,1,958 sexual offences were recorded. In 2021, this figure had increased by 75%, to 3,433. In 2011, 447 rapes were rec…

It is more violent.

I wish to raise a serious issue on the floor of the House. It is a complex issue, so I hope the Minister of State will be able to give it his attention, if possible. The case involves a seven-year-old child, who I am going to call "Patrick" for the purpose of this discussion. Patrick disclosed physical and sexual abuse by his father. These allegations were brought to the attention of Tusla by the …

I have already written to the former Minister for children, Deputy O'Gorman, the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, the Minister for children, Deputy Foley, and Tusla in respect of this case. I understand that the Minister of State does not know the background to the case and, in many ways, I am throwing at him the details of a case that is hard to get one's head around in a short time. It…

I will email my transcript to the Minister of State as well.

Ireland is the second-most expensive country in Europe. It is quite incredible we have a situation where parents are lying awake at night not knowing how they are going to pay certain bills. I know parents who, as soon as their monthly wages drop in, go into another overdraft to keep them going until the wages next come in. The Barnardos report yesterday was absolutely shocking. For some reason we…

Where one lives in Ireland is a significant determinant of whether one will survive cancer or die from it. In Ireland today counties and postcodes should have Government health warnings. When a cancer diagnosis happens in a family, a dark cloud descends. While there obviously is hope in terms of treatment, there is no doubt that for serious cancers, every moment of the day is consumed with whether…

We do not have centres of excellence in many places; we have centres of waiting lists. Today, the Irish Cancer Society said that we have centres of bare adequacy. Those are the words it used. The Taoiseach mentioned extra resources but these do not keep up with inflation, with population increases or with the ageing population of the country and, in many areas of the HSE, they are not getting to t…

People are dying as a result of that geographic difference.

So has the number of patients.

Some 13,000 nurses have left.

What about Letterkenny?

Less than a year ago the Government made a U-turn on hate speech. The Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, overruled the former Minister for justice and made a pragmatic decision. Unlike this House, the majority of Irish people oppose any censorship laws. There was some sniggering in the Chamber a little while ago when a speaker suggested that hate speech could be turned against political parties in this Hous…

It is really important that the Government gives a strong answer. The European Union has given the Government just until Monday to comply with European law when it comes to hate speech. That is only four or five days away.

What is the Government's answer to the European Union in terms of complying with that law?

What is the point of having the CSO provide figures and details regarding the population across the country if the Government keeps ignoring those figures when it comes to the delivery of key services? The CSO tells us how many older people we have, but we are not providing enough nursing home beds for them. The CSO tells us the number of younger people, but we are not providing enough school plac…