Results 1-20 of 4,013 for speaker:Mark Ward

Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: Sinn Féin will not oppose the Bill but I believe the Government has missed an opportunity with the Bill to include the introduction of compensation for expenses in court by those who undertake jury duty. Deputy Carthy has raised this with the Minister on numerous occasions. The absence of such a payment impacts on people already struggling with the cost of living, as well as those with...

Paediatric Spinal Surgery Waiting Lists: Statements (19 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: I wish the Minister well as she tackles this issue. There is no one on any side of the House who does not want to see children get timely access to the care they need. I commend the advocates who have long been calling for a statutory public inquiry into spina bifida and complex scoliosis services. I cautiously welcome the fact the Government has agreed to this. The reason I say I...

Post-European Council Meeting: Statements (19 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: I was going through the minutes of the European Council meeting. They state, "The European Council welcomes the agreement reached on the first phase of the Comprehensive Plan to end the Gaza Conflict put forward by President Trump". The minutes went on to call on "all parties to fully commit to implementing all phases and to refrain from any actions that jeopardise the agreement". The...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: I thank the Minister for his opening statement. I want to ask him about subhead A4 of Vote 21, which relates to prisoner care and rehabilitation. It is stated that there is €9.2 million in additional funding for this service in the budget. Going on basis of the Minister's opening statement, am I right in saying that out of the €9.2 million, there is €5.2 million for...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: Basically, that would leave an additional €2.5 million for rehabilitation services? Does the Minister think that will address the issues the prison population is facing? For example, the progression unit in Mountjoy is still closed. It has not yet reopened. That has created a huge gap in prison services. Almost 2,000 prisoners are waiting for psychology appointments and mental...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: Okay. Are there any plans to reopen the progression unit? That has caused a huge gap in the prison services. I know there has been an increase in the prison population for prisoners in Arbour Hill for sexual offences and they have moved into parts of the progression unit. That has caused huge upheaval in Mountjoy in relation to people accessing the care they need. These are prisoners who...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: I will follow up with the Minister on that one. I raised something last week with the Garda Commissioner when he was before the justice committee about the increase in criminal activity, intimidation and violence in my area in Balgaddy. The Commissioner informed me of a special Dublin crime task force made up of 50 specialised trained gardaí that can be deployed into areas that are...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: If that force was deployed in an area that was going through an awful lot of trauma as happens every so often - it could be my area this week or another person's area the following week, especially in and around Dublin - that increased visibility would allow areas to be able to breathe and get on with their everyday routine. In relation to this and to the youth justice programmes, this week,...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: The Minister will not hear any arguments from me because I used to work in that line of work. When I was first elected to South Dublin County Council in 2019, I was calling for additional funding for youth diversion in this particular area that I was talking about. It has taken until 2025 for that to come in. It is not just me calling for it; it is cross-party and residents are calling for...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: I agree with the Minister. We are not just going to police our way out of these situations. We need a holistic approach. In the last couple of minutes I have, I want to touch on Saggart. I do not want to conflate the location of an IPAS centre in any way whatsoever with an increase in criminality in an area. That is not where I am coming from. Common sense, however, says that anywhere...

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: Can I be honest with the Minister? We can talk about a new Garda station but we cannot even man the Garda stations that we have at the moment.

Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prison Service (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Supplementary) (18 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: These are some of the criticisms and I have raised them with the Minister in relation to the community engagement team. The engagement team is engaging with the community and feeding that back to the Minister and the Department and are not getting the answers back on the additional Garda resources. I know it is not the Minister's business to tell the Garda Commissioner, but he can also feed...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Childcare Services (13 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: 414. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the schemes available to an organisation (details supplied) to fund the building of their early childhood and family centre; how they can apply for this; if she will engage with the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62356/25]

Cost of Motoring: Motion [Private Members] (12 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: As we speak, Irish drivers who are going about their business and driving home from work are paying more for their petrol and diesel than drivers in other European countries. The Government will point to geopolitical factors as the reason for these high petrol and diesel prices, but people should not let the Government fool them. It is Government policy that is driving up the cost of...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (12 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: I was at a public meeting last Monday in Neilstown hosted by parents of children with disabilities. They raised a multitude of areas and how their children are being failed. There are long waiting lists for assessment of need, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. There is no access to appropriate school places. There are limited SNA allocations. They also talked about...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (12 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: 25. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on disability will next meet. [56980/25]

Ceisteanna - Questions (12 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: I want to raise concerns over the violent and persistent intimidation being experienced by residents in Balgaddy in my area. This has been going on for months. Residents in Balgaddy fear for their safety and that of their children. In recent weeks, a gang has engaged in repeated violent acts of intimidation and criminal damage. I have received countless emails and phone calls, and many...

Ceisteanna - Questions (12 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: 12. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on justice, migration and social affairs will next meet. [56981/25]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disabilities Assessments (12 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: 94. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average waiting time for assessment of needs in the Dublin Midwest constituency; the steps which are being taken to reduce waiting times in the Dublin Midwest area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61910/25]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Disability and Equality: Disability Services (12 Nov 2025)

Mark Ward: 134. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the Clondalkin CDNT will move to the new primary health care centre on the Boot Road, from a location (details supplied); the reasons for the delay; when she expects it to be operational; to provide a breakdown of the staff that will be in the new location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61909/25]