Results 141-160 of 4,585 for speaker:Dessie Ellis

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Accessing Justice: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I thank Ms McCaffrey for the introduction and all that she has said. I agree with a lot of the aims and how the service is going about things. Mental health issues in the prison population are reckoned to be approximately four times the national average, which is very worrying. Much of it is increased by alcohol, drugs, or otherwise, and dealing with that is difficult. What is the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Accessing Justice: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Dessie Ellis: That is good, yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Accessing Justice: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I have seen them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Accessing Justice: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Dessie Ellis: Yes, I wanted to ask two questions, the first of which relates to the mention of phones in the cells and the connections with the Samaritans. Are those phones now open for people to make phone calls? The way the prison system works is that prisoners will get three phone calls per week, etc. Is that opening the door and, if so, what are the security implications of that? I am just curious...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Accessing Justice: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Dessie Ellis: That would not mean every cell, would it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Accessing Justice: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Dessie Ellis: That is okay. I agree with it.

Housing and Evictions: Motion [Private Members] (21 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: In this housing crisis, no one should be made homeless or be put under that threat. If the eviction ban ends in the coming months and if it is not extended, this threat of homelessness will become a reality for many families. Renters are stressed, anxious and fearful for their future and parents are fearful for the future of their families. It is just not sustainable that people should...

Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use: Motion (21 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: The establishment of a Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use is long overdue. Hopefully, this April we will have in position the necessary 100 people to look at this and to consider all aspects of drug use, including recovery facilities, legal and policing issues and the roles of task forces and policing committees. I am a long-time member of the Finglas-Cabra drugs task force. Drugs task forces...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Disability Proofing and Data: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I thank everyone for their inputs. Disability-proofing and data in this regard are extremely important. Our goal must be to ensure this type of data collection happens. There are huge challenges in this regard. I refer to population growth. The ageing population, especially, is a big challenge for us. It is generally accepted that the cost-of-living crisis has affected people with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Disability Proofing and Data: Discussion (16 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I know the CSO does not gather individual information. However, there are so many different forms and some people with disabilities cannot fill them out, whether it is because of a mental health issue or schizoaffective disorder. They cannot even get a bank statement, if it came to that. There is such a big gap. Someone needs to sit over what these forms are asking people to do. It seems...

Cost-of-Living Supports: Motion [Private Members] (14 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: My constituency, Dublin North-West, has a varied socioeconomic demographic. Those areas of the constituency that are more economically disadvantaged are vulnerable at the moment to the escalating costs of energy and basic foodstuffs. People are justifiably fearful and anxious about their future. There has been a deluge of rising costs across the board, from increased mortgage rates and...

Emergency Housing Measures: Motion [Private Members] (9 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this timely motion and I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this important issue. Many renters now find themselves in a precarious position as the deadline for the end of the eviction ban is fast approaching. It is set to end on 1 April 2023. People are feeling fearful and vulnerable and for many the uncertainty as to whether they will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Raising Awareness of the Lived Experience of Congregated Settings: Discussion (9 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I thank everyone for their contribution. Without people like them advocating as they do for people with disabilities, I shudder to think of where we would be. Article 19 of the UNCRPD gives equal rights for people with disabilities to live in communities with choice equal to others. That is a principle that we all stand by. The commitment in the programme for Government to eliminating the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Living with a Disability: Discussion (2 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I thank Ms Johnstone and Family Carers Ireland for the presentation. The job of carers is a very demanding one. I have dealt with people seeking carers in my area and I am aware of the numbers involved in the context of the constant battle to get carers. An awful lot is left to the family members. Most of them do a marvellous job. The State should be doing more in that regard rather than...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Living with a Disability: Discussion (2 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I understand about transport. We are constantly being lobbied about transport. I could go into many cases in that regard. Housing for people with disabilities is also an absolute disaster area. Efforts in that regard really need to be stepped up. The Minister and the Department need to do an awful lot more when it comes to housing, particularly as it is very difficult when someone goes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Living with a Disability: Discussion (2 Feb 2023)

Dessie Ellis: Ms Gallagher went to college. What were the main challenges faced? Accessing education for people with disabilities can be difficult. Going to college is a fantastic achievement for anyone but even more so for someone with a disability I do not know whether she drives or uses the bus but I am sure she will be aware that many bus services now are wheelchair accessible but there is often...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Motion [Private Members] (31 Jan 2023)

Dessie Ellis: My constituency of Dublin North-West is unfortunately an area with a very high suicide rate. According to statistics provided to the Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs in 2019, one third of young people were struggling with mental health issues. This is a very high figure, particularly as the services are severely underfunded. In the last few years, not much has improved. In...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Family-Centred Practice and Parent Training Interventions: Discussion (26 Jan 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. It was really good to hear from the parents Niamh and Wayne because they give a real living feeling of what people are facing. For me, early intervention is obviously the most important thing, and parents are the real experts. There are many families who in some cases are dysfunctional and I am curious how they are dealt with that. Some...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Family-Centred Practice and Parent Training Interventions: Discussion (26 Jan 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. One of the biggest issues I have come across is people waiting on assessments. In CHO 9 we have had a major problem for a long time. I believe it has slightly improved and perhaps the witnesses can elaborate on this. On several occasions I met a large number of parents in the constituency of Dublin North-West in this regard. During lockdown,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Family-Centred Practice and Parent Training Interventions: Discussion (26 Jan 2023)

Dessie Ellis: I accept that, but it is still disability.