Dessie Ellis

St. Luke's community centre was built decades ago. At the time, the community of Kilmore and surrounding areas fought tooth and nail to get this badly needed facility. For the best part of a year and a half, it has been closed by Dublin City Council. With little or no consultation with the community, the building was blocked up and closed and access refused. The building itself is in good conditio…

It seems there was no application whatsoever made on behalf of the Kilmore community centre, which is so disappointing. No attempt was made to get funding. However, there is funding in Dublin City Council, as well as from the Oscar Traynor development which has a €7 million fund which could be used to the tune of €150,000 in this case. It seems as though Kilmore has not been given a second thought…

The President of Ireland is largely a ceremonial position which acts as the representative of the Irish State both at home and abroad. The President holds some limited legislative powers and is one part of the checks and balances on the Legislature. Our current President has not been afraid to expand the role of the President and has been outspoken on a number of issues, most recently the genocide…

That is not true.

I thank all those who took part in the cross-party Raise the Roof motion on the housing crisis. I also thank all those who took part in the Raise the Roof protest at the Dáil tonight. There will also be a Raise the Roof rally in Cork city on 21 June at 2 p.m. and CATU will have a national housing demonstration on 5 July in Dublin. We urge people to come out and support them. Having listened to th…

We all want the best for our elderly relatives when it comes to their care in the latter part of their lives. They have paid their taxes and contributed to the growth and prosperity of the country. The least they deserve is to have a life without worry or stress in their twilight years. Some parents are cared for by family members in their own homes or in the homes of their adult children, but whe…

This man-made housing crisis continues to spiral out of control. We have once again, to the shame of this and previous Governments Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been members of, reached record homeless figures. Over 15,500 people are now officially considered homeless, of whom over 4,600 are children. Bad as they are, these numbers do not take account of those affected by what is described as hi…

We are in a housing crisis. Over 2,700 vacant council properties are boarded up and lying vacant across the State. Of those, more than 800 have been vacant for over a year. It is estimated that Dublin alone accounts for 27% of such vacant properties. Dublin has a growing senior population and along with it an increase in the demand for senior citizen accommodation. There are a number of senior ci…

In my constituency of Dublin North-West, there are a great number of children and young people with autism and other special needs and disabilities who have been waiting for assessment and support services for a long time. I have had many parents come into my constituency office who are frustrated at the long waiting times for their children and who cannot progress or get the service they require …

An Saol Foundation is a charity that supports individuals who are unlikely to recover fully from their traumatic injuries and will therefore require life-long support. It also supports families affected by severe acquired brain injuries, SABIs. It is a strong advocate for those affected by severe brain injuries, ensuring respect and dignity for those suffering from this condition. It works with so…

It is clear that the site is identified and that money, €1.3 million, is supposed to be allocated. However, there is real urgency here. People with severe acquired brain injuries are often left behind and end up in nursing homes with little or no supports or even therapy resulting in unimaginable misery, loneliness and despair. An Saol offers them and their families hope and a way forward. I visit…

It is exactly a year since I raised the issue of the persistent delays in the redevelopment of Scoil Chiaráin in Glasnevin, which is a school for students with mild to moderate educational needs. A report commissioned by the school deemed the school building not fit for purpose. With everything effectively in place, the parents and the school authorities are at a loss to know when construction wil…

Proper healthcare for children is crucial as it lays the foundation for their future well-being, development and success. It enables them to grow into healthy and productive adults. Good healthcare supports their physical, mental and emotional development. Proper investment in children’s health also benefits society by reducing future healthcare costs and promoting healthy lifestyles from a young …

As a consequence of what happened to our children, the board of CHI should step down and be relieved of its responsibility for the provision of services at CHI-----

-----before more children are put at risk.

In the lifetime of this Government.

The aim of this Bill is to scrap water charges once and for all and to give people-----

-----certainty that the prospect of such charges being introduced will never arise again.

Eight years after the legislation to introduce water charges was passed, efforts have been made in recent days to reintroduce the charges, which were described as a high-level priority by the Department of housing. Uisce Éireann’s water charges plan 2024 describes in full how excess water charges for domestic users will work. In order to implement these water charges, Uisce Éireann would have to w…

Car insurance hikes are hitting the ordinary motorist, particularly loyal customers. Despite certain reforms that lowered legal costs and claims, these savings are not being passed on to the customer. The Government has given a commitment in the programme for Government to publish a new action plan for insurance reform. When will this plan be published and its recommended reforms implemented?

Táim an-bhuíoch den Aire as an seans labhairt faoi Ghaelscoil Cholmcille, a bunaíodh in 1996. Gaelscoil Cholmcille was founded in 1996. Its first years were spent in the upstairs rooms of the football club St. Kevin’s in Santry, Dublin 9. It is a very successful Gaelscoil and has a great academic reputation. It is a very popular choice for parents in the area. More than 80% of its pupils live wit…

I thank the Minister of State. I am delighted that the land swap has been agreed, there but I am worried about the Minister of State's comment to the effect that there are a lot of surveys to be done. The Oscar Traynor Woods complex is right beside the school. Some 895 apartments and houses are being built there. In nearby Whitehall, Santry and Coolock, vast numbers of apartments are also being bu…

The most recent homelessness figures issued in January show a significant rise in the number of people and families who are homeless. Homelessness figures have reached record levels and stand at an overall total of 15,286, of which 4,603 are children. Over recent years, a large number of landlords have been leaving the rental sector. Estimates show that between 2021 and 2023, roughly 40% of landl…

Rinne an athbheochan Ghaelach ag tús an 20ú haois iarracht stop a chur le meath na teanga agus an cultúr Gaelach bhí ar riocht neamhbhuan de thoradh na dlíthe daingean a chur cosc ar na teanga agus ar chultúr dúchasach na nGael, agus - ina dhiadh sin - an gorta, an imirce agus an meath. Bhí an dearcadh ann san am a chuaigh thart go raibh an Ghaeilge ina bac ar dul chun cinn agus rathúlacht. D'éiri…

Dúirt Pádraig Mac Piarais uair amháin, “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam”. De bharr stair an chultúir Ghaelaigh, agus gur cuireadh an Ghaeilge faoi chos, tá sé de dhualgas orainn go léir, go háirithe ar an Rialtas, a chinntiú tar éis na gcéadta bliain d’ionsaithe ar an teanga nach mbeidh sí ina teanga mharbh. Tógann sé go leor oibre agus tiomantais an Ghaeilge a choinneáil mar theanga bheo. Bhí Sinn …