John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support Deputy Murnane O'Connor in her efforts on behalf of women and the supports they need in County Carlow. I also wish all women best wishes on this International Women's Day and encourage as many as possible to consider a life in politics, whether it be local or national.

I want to reflect on the State itself. What record can we point to in the context of the State - Ireland versus the people? Let us look at the Grace case. We debated it at length in the House and it was said by the Ceann Comhairle that, because of its importance, we should have a further debate and monitor the action being taken. Disgracefully, the Government and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, have given a further 12 months to the Farrelly commission. This is ongoing in terms of what has been done since 2016. There have been many interim reports but there are those within the services beyond the HSE who stand accused of neglect in the case of Grace and the 47 others.

Treating Grace, who has no voice, and those who were with her in care in this way is a disgrace, and that is a reflection on the Government.

On this day, I remember Lucia O'Farrell, whose son – a young man with his future in front of him – was murdered on the road. She was promised all sorts of support in terms of an inquiry. The report is yet to be presented in full to the Cabinet or to be made public. I ask the Minister to make it public and to ensure the public inquiry that was voted for and committed to by the majority of Members of this House is put in place. It is harrowing for Lucia O'Farrell to hear this case being mentioned time and again. It is harrowing for all women to look on and see the Grace case not being dealt with either just because there is no voice on her behalf.

I refer to Finola Cassidy, who has campaigned long and hard on behalf of thalidomide victims. She has been misled by the State and poorly treated by successive governments.

The late Vicky Phelan, a wonderful person, has been mentioned. All sorts of commitments were made that what happened to her would never happen again, but has anyone in the Department of Health tried to find out how many women, and indeed men, are involved in the latest scandal where the lab at University Hospital Waterford has not processed what the consultants estimate to be 6,000 cases? They have been waiting since the middle of last year for the outcome of biopsies. Is this the way the State will treat women? Is this the way the State will live up to its promise to the late Vicky Phelan that this would never happen again?

What about the mothers of all those who are trying to access disability services and child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS? The length of time their children have to wait is an utter disgrace. There are few if any services being made available to them. They have to queue for services that may be delivered in years to come, and there is no understanding of the devastation this is causing families and the individuals who need those supports. This is another group of women being badly treated by the State.

The eviction ban should not have been lifted. Certain modifications should be made to it and it should be put back in place. Today, the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach heard that seven out of every ten mortgages that were in difficulty were held by vulture funds. Everything the banks are doing in this regard has a major impact on families, for example, missed opportunities and arguments about the home and the future. It is reprehensible we would not have sought the input of the Money Advice & Budgeting Service, MABS, and Free Legal Advice Centres, FLAC, to inform our understanding of what the eviction ban meant.

If we want to pay tribute to women in Irish society for what they do, let us fund without question the Amber refuge service in Kilkenny. Fund MABS so that it does not have to worry about its contract ending at the end of 2023. Take MABS off the waiting list and do something positive for it. The same could be said of FLAC. Pay tribute to all of the work it does and give it all of the funding and recognition it deserves. Words mean nothing. Action is required. In the cases I have mentioned, though, I am afraid that the Government has fallen well short of the action that is required to address them. Shame on it.

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