Results 21-40 of 3,019 for speaker:Séamus Healy

Financial Resolutions 2025 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (8 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: This is a budget of broken promises. In the run-up to the general election, all parties promised the abolition of the means test for the carer's allowance. The public believed this would be done in the first 100 days of the new Government or, at the very least, in its first budget. That was a promise reneged on in this budget. This means that thousands of carers are locked out of getting...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: I thank the witnesses for coming before us this morning and they are welcome to the committee. I support Deputy Quaide on the question of suspensions. It is something I am concerned about and I raised it at the meeting last week. I will follow his questions on assessments of need. While I have serious concern about outsourcing and privatisation, I want to focus more on the actual...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: I am surprised the Government has not asked the National Disability Authority about this. It is an independent statutory authority. I would have expected the Government to have asked it. Also, as an independent statutory authority, I would have expected the authority to take the initiative itself on advising the Government on this issue. This is not an issue that arose yesterday or the...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: I do not want to be difficult but I do not accept this. This is a fundamental issue in the area and I do not accept that resourcing in the authority tells us why this has not happened. It should have happened before now. I will leave that matter there. My final question relates to how the authority engages with families. Every day, most of us around this table meet family members who tell...

Financial Resolutions 2025 - Budget Statement 2026 (7 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: This is a budget for the rich and powerful in our society, namely developers, vulture funds, big landlords and millionaires. It is certainly not a budget for PAYE workers, the homeless, housing applicants, families, children, the disabled or even social welfare recipients. This Government is completely out of touch with ordinary people. Those in government live in a bubble here in Leinster...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (2 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: For almost two years, we have seen the Israeli state deliberately attempting to exterminate the Palestinian people by bomb, bullet and starvation. Gaza is now one big concentration camp and 2.3 million people are facing annihilation and starvation. Some 65,000 people have been murdered, included 25,000 children. Every international agency of note has condemned Israel, including the...

Situation in Gaza: Statements (1 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: What is happening in Gaza is the ultimate appalling vista with 65,000 people murdered, including 25,000 children. Every day, on our television screens we are witnessing the deliberate destruction of the Palestinian people by bomb, bullet and starvation. Gaza is now one big concentration camp and 2.3 million Palestinians are facing obliteration and starvation. In January 2024, the...

Abolition of Carer's Allowance Means Test: Motion [Private Members] (1 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: The acid test of the bona fides of this Government on carers and caring is the immediate abolition of the means test for the carer's allowance. This has been the demand of carers and Family Carers Ireland for years and was promised by all political parties during the course of the last general election. It was understood by the public that the means test would be abolished within the first...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)

Séamus Healy: I was here earlier but had to leave to speak in the Chamber, for which I apologise. I thank all of our guests for coming and for their opening statements. A number of my questions have already been asked. The issue of the assessment of needs was dealt with earlier and the issue of recruitment and retention was dealt with by a number of speakers. I ask our guests to talk some more about...

Insurance Costs: Motion [Private Members] (30 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: The Government must stop the insurance rip-off. Insurance companies are still ripping off the public despite the fact that claims and awards are significantly reduced. Claims statistics show a fall of 40% in the claims between 2019 and 2023 and awards are down over a third. The Central Bank has pointed out that premiums increased by 17% between 2020 and 2023. At the same time, insurance...

Child Poverty and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (24 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: The child poverty and child homelessness statistics are absolutely shocking. They are an utter scandal. We as a nation should be ashamed of ourselves. There are 104,780 children living in consistent poverty, up 45,000 in a year. There are 225,000 children living in families below the poverty line, and 5,014 homeless children in emergency accommodation, up 14% on last year. These are not...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: I thank the Cathaoirleach, and the witnesses for the various presentations. It was particularly informative to hear the schools' presentations. This issue is something we come across almost every day of the week, particularly in relation to assessments of need, access to the school transport system and the availability of staff. One issue that all the witnesses have raised this morning is...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for Persons with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: Could someone say a few words about the new SNA guidelines?

Energy Costs: Motion [Private Members] (23 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: I welcome this motion being brought forward by Sinn Féin. It is a timely motion due to the time of the year and the upcoming budget. It is important to continue to focus on the cost-of-living crisis, a crisis that is pushing more and more families towards poverty. I want to share with the Minister of State a very sad and disturbing story of a family in particular difficulty...

School Transport: Statements (23 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: A fit-for-purpose school transport service is absolutely essential. The current system operates about 8,200 vehicles on 10,600 routes. This year, it distributed 142,000 tickets and aims to cater for another 100,000 students by 2030. However, there are recurring difficulties with the scheme every year. This year, some parents were told at the last minute that no service was in place even...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: There has been no public eyecare service in south Tipperary for more than 12 months. The former permanent consultant, Dr. Hillery, retired last September. She provided a wonderful service for a long number of years. She gave more than adequate notice. Unfortunately, the HSE has failed to fill the vacancy and provide a vital service. There is now a huge waiting list, running into...

Antisocial Behaviour: Motion [Private Members] (18 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: The prevention of antisocial behaviour requires a wide range of social, economic and community actions. These include education, training, employment, income, social inclusion, community activities and policing. Garda policing is one of the most essential elements in tackling antisocial behaviour. For a start, we must be open, upfront and honest about the number of gardaí available...

Special Education School Places: Motion [Private Members] (17 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: The right to education is a fundamental right for all children. It is enshrined in our Constitution and in international conventions. Many children with additional needs are denied that right today. There are still children awaiting school places for the 2025-26 school year. That is absolutely shameful. There are a further 168 children with allocated school places who cannot take them up...

National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030: Statements (17 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: Disabled people are entitled to live life to the full. They must have an opportunity to take full part in society, education, healthcare, housing, employment, justice, transport, entertainment and so on. This strategy fails to outline an urgent concrete implementation plan, and such a plan is needed if Ireland is to comply with its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Séamus Healy: I thank the Chair and apologise for the lateness. The traffic out there is a nightmare. I am not sure there is a need for the extensive road closures we have. I have a question for the Minister of State on assessment of need. Is there a plan? We all know there are almost 17,000 children on the waiting list. We are told that may go to 20,000 by the end of the year. Is there a targeted,...