Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It was also brought to my attention that five tenants in the Birr area of south Offaly have been issued with repossession orders by a bank, and some of those tenants have young families. That is not just confined to urban areas. It is happening in rural areas as well.

I have been contacted by a constituent to advise me that she received notification that respite care services in Birr have been cancelled at very short notice for the next two weeks, allegedly due to staff shortages, leaving an exhausted carer who is trying to take care of her elderly mother with a harsh choice either to cancel her much-needed break or leave her mother with no care other than two short daily toilet calls by a nurse. That is disgraceful. It is beyond belief that this is happening in 2016 yet Deputies here marked the centenary and marched to glorify 1916. It is shameful that this is taking place, and it shows us that all the children of this nation are not being cherished equally.

Children with disabilities in counties Laois and Offaly are now facing a three-year backlog in services. As a special needs teacher, that is an area I am passionate about and there is no justification for that backlog. These are vulnerable children. They need the supports and I appeal to the Minister in charge of that area now to get his act together and ensure the therapists are put in place in Laois and Offaly as soon as possible. Apparently, the problem is due to a lack of recruitment of psychologists for these children, while the school age team is not yet in operation either. It is disgraceful.

These are the stories about real families and real communities who have been left to suffer while this farce has dragged on for 70 days. I am not in here to play any game other than to represent my constituency.

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