Jen Cummins

On International Women's Day, every day and every year, this House has statements on issues facing women. I feel a bit heavier this year because of the number of domestic violence services that have come into the audiovisual room here since I was elected in November. A motion tabled by Deputy Coppinger has been debated. The issue of gender-based violence in this country is not reducing; in fact, i…

Táim an-sásta cúpla focal a labhairt ar Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Tá mé ag foghlaim Gaeilge since July 2023. Bhí mé sa Ghaeltacht in Oideas Gael i nGleann Cholm Cille i gContae Dhún na nGall. Bhí an-craic againn. Níl mé ábalta a lán Ghaeilge a labhairt ach táim ábalta í a thuiscint. Nuair a bhí mé elected, rinne mé cúrsa Gaeilge online. Tá na ranganna go hiontach. Táim ag léamh an leabhar Beidh tú Al…

I wish the Minister the best of luck in his new role. I have been contacted by many constituents in Dublin South-Central since I was elected in November - in fact, when I was a councillor from June until November 2024, people were contacting me about this issue - about the lack of a Garda presence and the persistent antisocial behaviour around the Fatima Luas station in Rialto. It has been reporte…

That organisation and my own local GAA club, Kevin's Hurling and Camogie Club, have been fighting for decades for sporting facilities. We are looking for pitches. I know we are getting close to St. Teresa's Gardens having those pitches and the same is true of Marrowbone Lane, but many of the children who need that service now will be adults by the time those facilities come in. In fact, a lot of p…

I have not used that name since I was in school. Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as an tairiscint seo. Irish is a beautiful language with a cultural identity with which many people want to identify but do not because of the challenges they had in learning Irish in our education system. Our cultural identity with the Irish language is seeing a renaissance of l…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Coppinger as an tairiscint seo. While writing my speech, I found the words came with great difficulty. This was not because I did not know what to say, it was because I was afraid that once I started to speak I would not be able to stop and would get so annoyed that my words would go beyond what is allowable in this Chamber. Having listened to testimonies from peo…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach agus le Sinn Féin as an rún seo. Earlier today, I went onto the RSA website and input the location for my nearest test centre at Charlestown in Dublin. If I applied for my driving test today, I would be able to sit it in the week beginning 4 August. That is 23 weeks away. I did not clog up the system because I did my test in 1994. Many contributors…

I wish to raise two points on the issue of housing - the housing disaster - and how it affects the education system. First, students who wish to attend third level courses in institutions of their choice are curtailed because affordable student accommodation is not possible. For the ordinary student, it is unaffordable. Therefore, they may choose a course that is not their top priority in order to…

Families in Dublin South Central are contacting me because they are in fear of becoming homeless. This issue arose today a number times during the debate on our Private Members' motion. The home they are living in could be sold to Dublin City Council and the landlord is willing to do so. However, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has not allocated the funding for the tenant …

Several.

I congratulate the Minister and the Minister of State on their appointments and wish them the very best of luck. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion on special education. I fully support it. It is time now for the State to take urgent action to ensure that every child has access to the education they deserve and have a right to receive. I have heard so many stories across my constit…

I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment. Road safety is a major issue for communities in Dublin South-Central. The Calm Crumlin Road group has been campaigning and collecting data for a number of years. I wish to outline some of those data for the House. There is a straight stretch of road where there is a primary school, a secondary school and two sports clubs, one for football an…

Members spent the majority of 2024 knocking on doors, canvassing throughout their constituencies, looking for support in the local and general elections. One of the main topics of conversation every single time I went canvassing - and I am sure it was the same for others - was inappropriate, poor and unsuitable housing. All parties put forward different proposals to solve the ever increasing, comp…

Go raibh maith ag an Ceann Comhairle agus comhghairdeas léi. What a year of elections it has been for many people in this Chamber. I am delighted to be here with people from all over the country who are committing to making Ireland a better place to be for everyone. Let us work hard to ensure we remember all of those people who are relying on us and who have put their trust in us. Let us use our m…