Mary Butler

I move: Notwithstanding anything in Standing Order 217, in relation to the Financial Motion by the Minister for Finance [2026], the following arrangements shall apply: 1. the proceedings on the motion shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes: Provided that where any amendments are not disposed of within the 60 minutes, the question put on the motion shall a…

I have heard the contributions from the Members opposite. Every single Member of this House agreed to the recess. There was not one person who objected to it, just for the record of the Dáil and so people listening will know. To be clear, we are here today to ensure excise increases on petrol and diesel do not go ahead next week or in October. There is a single financial resolution before the Hou…

I thank the Deputy for his support for CAST. I am extremely proud of this pilot project, which we started working on in 2022. I compliment Superintendent Andrew Lacey, who has done phenomenal work on this for many years. At our initial conference in UL, we heard from police forces from Canada, elsewhere in North America, Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The pilot has been really impressive. As …

Deputy Cairns took 30 seconds.

This is so unfair.

It is completely unfair.

I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Appointment of Ordinary Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (without debate and any division claimed shall be taken immediately) - Motion re Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection (without debate and any division claimed shall be taken immediately) - Motion re Report of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Re…

As Deputies know, at the Business Committee last Thursday morning at 11 a.m., which the Ceann Comhairle chaired, two requests were made. One related to statements on the fiscal implications of a united Ireland. A request was made for additional time, and that was facilitated. Requests were also made for statements on Bessborough. I checked with the Minister. She is away on Government duty and it i…

As part of budget 2026, €15 million in additional funding was provided for a crisis response. We are starting with ten hospitals, namely nine model 4 hospitals and one model 3 hospital. The model 3 hospital is the Mercy hospital in Cork, which had 1,200 presentations last year. Teams of nurses will be put in place to help non-consultant hospital doctors during out-of-hours periods. What I hope to …

I move: That Dáil Éireann, in accordance with section 8(3)(a) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003, as amended, appoints Deputy Ged Nash to be an ordinary member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in place of Deputy Jennifer Whitmore who has resigned her office in accordance with the aforementioned section 8.

I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to Standing Order 33, and with effect from 15th July, 2026, approves the Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection, copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 9th July, 2026.

I move: That, in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform pursuant to Standing Order 128(2)(b), a Special Committee on Preventing and Responding to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is hereby established, with Orders of Reference as contained in the report of the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform entitled "Establishing Special Comm…

To the survivors of Bill Kenneally’s horrific abuse, to your families and your loved ones, and to those joining us in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery and the Gallery upstairs, I want to begin by acknowledging your courage. For decades, you carried a burden that should never have been yours to bear. Today is about you, about your experiences and about the failures that allowed you to be so griev…

Like every Deputy in this House, I want every child and young person with an intellectual disability to get timely and appropriate mental health supports. I launched the new CAMHS mental health with intellectual disability model of care in 2022, and I am fully committed to the phased roll-out of CAMHS-ID teams to provide nationwide access to dedicated services for young people. Supporting children…

I find the Deputy's negative narrative so disappointing. He called it abysmal. There are 77.6 clinicians working with the most vulnerable children in the country. Is that abysmal? The recommendation is that we would have 16 teams. Since 2023, we have put ten teams in place. They are not fully staffed according to the full definition, but we all know that with a child with a mental health intellect…

I am sure the ten teams working today with the most vulnerable children in the country and their parents will welcome the Deputy's negative narrative in relation to those 77.6 posts that are in place. There are more posts funded. Recruitment is under way in relation to those, as I secured the funding for 11 additional staff for budget 2026. We will do more next year. How the Deputy can say that fu…

Excuse me, Deputy. You will get your opportunity to respond. A total of €190 million has been provided from the mental health budget this year for CAMHS across all definitions. Is the Deputy trying to tell me that he does not want to see a roll-out of ADHD teams, perinatal mental health services or eating disorders services in order to fund mental health services for people with intellectual disab…

Every day in Ireland, 30 new cases of dementia are diagnosed. Yesterday, there were 30 new cases of dementia and tomorrow there will be a further 30 new cases of dementia. That initial diagnosis is absolutely devastating for every family. Having one person with that diagnosis impacts the whole family. That shows the importance of having dementia advisers in place. Between 2016 and 2020, I co-chair…

I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this very important matter and for his continued engagement on urgency and emergency care capacity in Galway and the wider west and north west. I have answered many questions from Deputy Connolly on healthcare and I appreciate the focus he places on it. I will take this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. Ensuring that p…

I reiterate that the HSE West and North West regional executive officer, Mr. Canavan, is currently working on the development of an investment package, including targeted supports for both the Galway and Roscommon areas. This includes enhancements to acute, community and diagnostic capacity across the region. While this work is at an early stage, consideration is being given to the feasibility of …

She is.

I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Act 2022 Section 10 Order 2026 (without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Motion re Referral to Select Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the (Taxes on Income and on Capital) (the Principality of Liechtenstein) Order 2026 and the…

There have been five different requests from the Opposition Whips. If we were to take them, we would not be able to bring forward the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Bill 2026, the Postal and Telecommunications Services (Amendment) Bill 2026 to support postmasters, the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026, the Planning and Development (Am…

He just left.

I add my thanks to those of the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and recognise all Members who have spoken in this debate. No one who sits in this House can be indifferent to the question of our constitutional future or the aspiration in Bunreacht na hÉireann to unite all the people who share this island, recognising the diversity of identities and traditions. The Government is committed to the …