Results 1-20 of 696 for speaker:Mark Ward in 'Dáil debates'

Confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government: Motion [Private Members] (3 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: I am proud and humbled to stand and speak in Leinster House tonight. The housing crisis was the number one issue that came up at the doors right across the Dublin Mid-West in the recent by-election campaign. As we have heard, homeless figures have increased again. The normalisation of this housing crisis is not normal. It is not normal for our family, friends, neighbours and fellow...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (4 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: Page 133 of the programme for Government commits to improving school completion rates, particularly in disadvantaged areas. The Get Ahead club in north Clondalkin meets the needs of many young people, some from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in my area, in helping them to complete school. Due to an increase in costs relating to how this much-needed and vital service is delivered, it is...

Waste Management (Amendment) (Regulator) Bill 2019: First Stage (5 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: I am delighted to co-sponsor this Bill which is a continuation of a campaign that I started during my time on South Dublin County Council. In June 2016, I reported the waste management companies to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission when waste management companies raised their prices in unison after the proposed pay-by-weight scheme. A conservative estimate saw customers...

Housing Solutions: Statements (5 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: I wish to speak about one issue that arises for people affected by the housing crisis, namely, the draconian practice of self-accommodation. The recent report from the Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs on the impact of homelessness found that families who are self-accommodating have to find their own emergency accommodation. They are not able to access vital supports such as a...

Rent Freeze (Fair Rent) Bill 2019: Second Stage [Private Members] (10 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: I spoke last week in support of the motion of no confidence in the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and nothing I have heard this week has made me change my mind. The Government's housing policy is a failure. It has failed the 4,000 children who will wake up on Christmas morning in emergency accommodation. More and more families are entering homelessness due to...

Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage [Private Members] (11 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: I welcome the opportunity to discuss Ireland's approach to drugs both publicly and politically and how that it is reflected in policy. I have worked in addiction centres across Dublin for many years, including in my area of Clondalkin, where I worked for the Clondalkin Addiction Support Programme. I have years of real-life experience working with people across the spectrum of addiction,...

Domestic Violence: Statements (11 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: Yes. Ireland's ratification of the Istanbul Convention was a landmark for victims of domestic and gender-based violence and abuse. Ratification is a commitment by this State to protect and support victims in the first instance, and to work towards the eradication of this horrific and insidious crime. Domestic abuse remains rife in Irish society. Worse still, it continues to be shrouded in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services Provision (18 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: Jigsaw in Clondalkin offers a free and confidential mental health support service for people in Clondalkin, Lucan, Newcastle and the surrounding areas in Dublin Mid-West. The service, with which I am personally familiar, was born out of necessity following a spate of youth suicides, not least in north Clondalkin. I have been accused in the past of taking the issue personally, which I do....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Mental Health Services Provision (18 Dec 2019)

Mark Ward: The reality is that it is not business as usual. When Jigsaw was providing a comprehensive service to the people of Clondalkin, Lucan, Palmerstown and Newcastle, it was business as usual. That comprehensive service is being ripped away. The hole in the youth mental health service provided to the people of this area will not be filled unless there is intervention. I urge the Minister of...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (30 Apr 2020)

Mark Ward: I take the opportunity to thank the people of Dublin West for not just electing me once but twice in the space of three months. This is my first time addressing the House since returning. Because of the limited time, as the previous Deputy alluded to, I ask the Minister to respond to my questions in writing to allow my colleague to come in immediately after me. The Minister's big...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Mark Ward: I am going to speak for two minutes and then leave two minutes for the Minister to respond. We all saw the generous support of the Irish public for Pieta House last weekend, with the big fundraiser on "The Late Late Show". Like many others in the House, I supported that charity last week. I was concerned to discover, however, that Pieta House had introduced redundancies for clinical...

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Mark Ward: The Minister replied to me on the other two issues, but as regards Jigsaw.

Covid-19 (Health) - Statements (14 May 2020)

Mark Ward: I thank the Minister.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (21 May 2020)

Mark Ward: I will ask a brief question and the Minister's response will allow me to ask any further questions I may need to. Last week we had a brief discussion about Pieta House and the additional services that will be provided during and post Covid-19. Will the Minister clarify whether the 300 hours that he stated will be provided for therapy for high-risk clients are per month or per quarter?

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (21 May 2020)

Mark Ward: Last week the Minister stated there was additional funding of more than €343,000 to provide 300 hours of therapy per quarter for high-risk clients. I also have a written response from the Minister that reiterates that. This works out at €1,146 per hour for therapy sessions. The average cost of a psychotherapy session is in the region of €70 to €120 per hour....

Covid-19 (Defence): Statements (3 Jun 2020)

Mark Ward: I will ask a couple of questions on two separate items. At 5.25 p.m. on 21 May, the rear door of an Air Corps helicopter detached and fell more than 250 m onto the grounds of Moyle Park College in Clondalkin, which is in my constituency. The aircraft had successfully completed a lifesaving mission to a Dublin hospital and was on its way back to the aerodrome at Baldonnel to refuel when the...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed) (10 Jun 2020)

Mark Ward: During the housing crisis, one of the most tragic sights we see is a vacant home. In my constituency of Dublin Mid-West numerous homes have been vacant for many years and the only reason they remain vacant is the failure of the Government's plan on housing and homelessness. For example, on Station Road in Clondalkin, there is a ghost estate with six houses that were built in 2006, which...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed) (10 Jun 2020)

Mark Ward: They are private houses. I tried to get South Dublin County Council to compulsorily purchase these houses when I was a member of the council but it did not have the authority to do so. Councils powers in this area need to be strengthened as well. Across the country the effect vacant homes have on communities is clear. Vacant homes are a disgrace in themselves but they also attract...

Vote 38 - Health (Revised) (30 Jun 2020)

Mark Ward: After constantly calling for the previous Minister for Health to release Sharing the Vision: A Mental Health Policy for Everyone, I cautiously welcomed the fact that it was finally published just before the previous Government ended. A Vision for Change was a bold document and one of its time. Due to lack of proper investment from previous Governments, however, it was never even close to...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (8 Jul 2020)

Mark Ward: I want to bring the Taoiseach's attention to page 56 of the programme of Government, which references a commitment to resource harm reduction and education campaigns in regard to drug misuse. That is around nitrous oxide, or laughing gas as it is commonly known, in particular. One only has to walk around my area of Dublin Mid-West to see discarded silver canisters and silver bullets in our...