Emer Currie

If we are going to have a debate about the diversion of young people from criminal activity, then we have to look at the whole picture of youth work and youth services. It is an entirely lopsided system if youth services only kick in for the vast majority of young people when something goes wrong and criminal behaviour is involved, especially when it has been well established that youth work is an…

Sinn Féin likes to talk up the new combined Opposition but what in fact we are getting is combined obstructionism, a calculated web of chaos to undermine the legitimacy of government, where even staff and clerks of the Dáil are fair game. However, what else would you expect from a party that for decades refused to recognise this House and opposed this State – experts at blame and shame and little …

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. This is a question that she raised today during Questions on Policy or Legislation. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, for being here, and I thank the Minister of State with responsibility for special education, who cannot be here, in advance for his written response. I hope that, based on this, he can meet us and other Deputies about this issue, si…

I want to acknowledge how significant that sentence in the written response is. I take the Minister of State's point that more reading classes for children with dyslexia would be a positive step to support their educational needs, because there has been a policy of not opening reading classes and reading schools. Parents are having to fight for those places and then have to travel very long distan…

Last week, An Taoiseach, in line with his elected mandate, admirably represented all of us in Ireland when he met President Trump, as did the Tánaiste in Philadelphia and New York. However, the future of Irish-US trade remains under a cloud. The threat of a spiralling transatlantic trade war is the latest in a series of significant challenges to global trade and supply chains. That is why the peop…

The Government has a responsibility to increase Garda numbers nationally. That commitment is reflected in the programme for Government but I have a duty to highlight the challenges in Dublin West and the K district, one of the most demanding policing districts in the country. There are significant and concerning differences in garda numbers in the K district versus neighbouring districts. It can b…

I note media reports yesterday that stated two thirds of the most recent recruit class from Templemore will be deployed to the streets of Dublin city. Like all Members of the House, I warmly welcome the deployment of additional gardaí to our capital's streets and communities. I sincerely thank those recruits for signing up, but if it is true that 98 out of 150 new Garda recruits are heading en mas…

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for being here and I wish them luck in their portfolios. I appreciate the opportunity to focus on the Housing Commission report and on housing today. I agree with the view of the commission that we cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach to housing delivery, and that we need a critical mass of social, affordable and cost-rental housing. I will put forwar…

Is the Taoiseach aware that women in Dublin are struggling to find childcare before they return to work? They are spending endless hours ringing around crèches and on childcare websites instead of spending quality time with their new babies. Some mothers delay their return to work not because it is the best option for their families but because it is the only option. There are 262 childcare servic…

I would like two words to guide the new Government and my work as a new TD over the term of the 34th Dáil, namely "reform" and "delivery". We have much to be optimistic about, such as full employment, budget surpluses and putting money aside for two long term funds to future-proof growth and investment. However, we would be foolish to take this position for granted. Brexit and Covid showed that ou…

-----towards it to make sure it works for everyone, regardless of whether you live in Castlecaulfield or Castleknock.

As this is my first time to speak in the House, I express my sincere gratitude to the people of Dublin West who have given me the honour of representing them - I will work every day to show them it was the right decision - to my supporters, who showed up for me day in and day out, and to my family: daddy, who is watching from his armchair in heaven surrounded by newspapers, my mum, the most tolera…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I believe I understand the parameters by which the fee adjustment has been operated but I still feel there is a difference between using the subsidies to mitigate fee increases and reducing the impact on individual families and the real cost of their childcare. A 25% reduction in childcare fees in the household …