Results 3,601-3,611 of 3,611 for speaker:Mark Ward

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

Mark Ward: I thank the Minister.

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...

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...

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....

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...