Brian Brennan

I really welcome investment in Defence Forces. I will never forget when I was canvassing in Arklow and I went to the house of a young soldier who had come back from Lebanon after six months. I went there out of respect because I was called by community leads, who had a little function for him. He had come back from the Lebanon after six months, as I said, and I think he was in the 124th regiment. …

I commend Ailish McCarthy. I have met her on a number of occasions. She has left no stone unturned over years and years chasing this worthy cause. I acknowledge Deputy Ó Snodaigh for his work on it. We have discussed this privately. I am fully behind what the Deputy is trying to do, but I do not feel that the Bill goes far enough. I am putting my cards on the table. I simply cannot understand why …

I want to discuss the pending closure of the Merck site in Arklow, County Wicklow. This has come as a devastating blow to the 100 employees, their families and the people of south Wicklow. I am looking for assurances that the Government and IDA Ireland will leave no stone unturned in their search for a new operator for the site. When we consider that we have a highly skilled workforce and one of t…

The Minister is here and the Minister of State, Deputy Grealish, is also here. That is a huge statement. Since being elected, I have attended many debates where Ministers have not turned up. It shows the importance of the issue. We were both in Naas. We saw what went on. They were expecting 250 people but over 1,000 turned up. The people I was speaking to there felt it was the biggest meeting the…

I need an update on behalf of the people of Gorey on the new ambulance station and the primary healthcare centre. For too long, Gorey has waited on this issue. Gorey is one of the fastest-growing towns in Ireland. Come summertime, an extra 40,000 people move in between Courtown, Castletown, Ballymoney and these areas. We just do not have the medical infrastructure to cater for these people. We rea…

I thank the Deputy.

The Deputy's time is up.

Let us be very clear: the attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023 were simply barbaric. However, Israel's response has been called out for what it is, which is simply genocide. There has been the killing of journalists, medics, humanitarians and people of all ages, but the indiscriminate killing of children can only be described as the most horrific crime of our era. I am lucky enough to be on the for…

It is just too important. It will define us.

I welcome the cross-party motion. I welcome the families and I can only imagine the stress they are going through. I have a constituent, Caitríona Graham, whose mother has been down to me in Arklow and has been in touch regularly. I have been on to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade directly and I really feel it is totally on top of the situation, but I ask it to continue to be that way b…

I am here to speak about the latest situation with regard to the occupied territories Bill. I have the privilege of being on the foreign affairs committee. I commend all members of that committee on the work that has been done to date. We are a crucial stage. I am seeking an update on the Government's view on the matter. We have had hours of legal discussion. We have met legal teams from all ove…

They have no medical assistance. This is an important point. What is the future for them? In six years' time, they will be angry young men and women.

They are going to say that the world looked on as they starved to death.

I thank the Minister of State. I warmly welcome her response. Please God, we need to prepare now for life after the ceasefire. When this brutality stops, the key words of the NGOs are to the effect that we need a permanent solution. If we do not get one, we are going to be back here again in six months' time. We must watch closely the set-up in that regard, but, first, there must be a ceasefire. …

That is wrong.

I am looking for the Minister's support for a Bill that is currently working through Third Stage. The Protection of Accident Victims from Non-Consensual Recording of Images Bill is aimed at addressing the worrying trend of persons videoing the scenes of accidents and sharing them online. As recently as 3 May, a young man in Cork drowned. Following this, his family had to appear on national media t…

I am looking for an update on discussions relating to school secretaries and caretakers. In my time in office, I have gone out of my way to visit as many schools throughout Wicklow and Wexford, from Riverchapel as far as Carnew. A general concern from secretaries and caretakers is that they are simply not receiving fair treatment for their key role in ensuring the smooth functioning of our schools…

Hear, hear.

I raise the issue of the National Ambulance Service. I have heard from multiple constituents of prolonged waiting times, sometimes lasting hours, in cases of urgent need for medical attention. In my constituency, Arklow, County Wicklow, and Gorey, County Wexford, each have only one operating ambulance at any one time. This is to serve a population of more than 50,000 people. If these ambulances ar…

I represent the new constituency of Wicklow-Wexford, which straddles the border between south Wicklow and north Wexford. As with the rest of the country, in all areas of my constituency there are issues with housing supply and availability of rental properties that are impacting families and communities. However, depending on which side of the border they live on, my constituents will receive sign…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am dealing with two families, a brother and sister, one of whom lives in Arklow while the other lives just down the road in Coolgreany. There is a difference of €650 in the payment they receive. Since opening my constituency offices in Gorey and Arklow, the most prominent issue for people coming in the door has been housing. Day in, day out, I meet pe…

I welcome the report. It is imperative that there is no delay in the roll-out of the recommendations it contains. There are three key issues. The first is how we deal with parents. Since the more than 2,000 letters were sent out, I have spoken to many parents. Without exaggerating, I can say they simply have not slept. They are totally numb at the thought that their child was put through a procedu…

In regard to the hip dysplasia report due in the coming days, as previously stated in this House I was a parent who sat in front of the surgeon being investigated, with my wife and my child. I was a lucky parent. I did not proceed with the recommended procedure. When the report is published, among the many recommendations, I hope there is one where parents are very much involved in the process. Ev…

I raise the issue of dereliction in our cities, towns and villages. The blight of dereliction and long-term vacancy is prevalent throughout our country. According to the CSO figures for 2022, there are 163,000 derelict properties. I welcome the progress and the millions, if not billions, of euro invested nationwide clearly showing in the vacant property refurbishment grant statistics presented thi…

I thank the Minister of State and welcome his action plan, which is very much needed, and the further investment. I take the Minister of State's point about the involvement of the local authority, and how important that is. If we take Arklow, the town I am from and where I have spent all my working life of 25 years, it was a vibrant town, with a port and a buzzing main street. My wife, my two kids…