Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish everybody a happy new year. I wish to raise the disturbing report last night on homelessness, rough sleepers and the general treatment of those involved. The report showed these people being refused beds despite there being capacity in the city. That ran contrary to a ministerial order and decision. I ask that we invite the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to come to the House to respond to that report. How can we have a decision of Government that is openly defied to the point where someone was refused a bed, despite the fact that there were 75 beds available in the city on one night?

The Child Care Law Reporting Project published a report in recent days which contains grim accounts of neglect and child protection issues that are occurring in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Child protection does not have the usual opportunities to be flagged because children are not in school and the normal methods by means of which a child would be cared for, supervised and insight sought from are not available to us under the health guidelines. There is a strong case for social workers to be moved up the priority list for vaccination so that we can ensure face-to-face visits continue, particularly where children have already been flagged to the system. I ask that we would draw the attention of the Minister for Health to that and to seek to have a debate in this House on that matter.

I welcome the fact that there are ongoing discussions on the reopening of special needs primary schools. Yesterday, there was a briefing given to teachers and special needs assistants, SNAs, by health professionals during which it was highlighted that even in crèches, there is an extremely low risk. However, I appreciate that there are some valid concerns for teachers and SNAs who have family members with particular vulnerabilities. I am keen that we should move that process along and complete it in order that we can make sure that families with special needs children are assisted and that the schools for this cohort of children be reopened as soon as possible.