Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish the staff in the complex a happy new year. I thank all the essential workers who worked over the Christmas period and got us this far. We will talk about the mother and baby homes report later so I will reserve my comments on that until the Minister is in the House.I will briefly address three issues. First, I support the call for the acceleration of citizenship approval for all the front-line workers. In my constituency, Dublin Central, we have a high percentage of front-line workers and many of them are awaiting citizenship. I would appreciate if the Leader would take the issue up with the Minister. I believe it is the least we can do to repay them for the invaluable service they have provided.

An issue I have mentioned many times in the House since being appointed last year is homelessness. Sadly, we finished last year with 60 homeless people having died in our capital city. Each time I have raised the issue, the number has increased. The documentary last night was not news to anybody who is familiar with the challenge of homelessness in the city. The Minister made it categoric that there was to be no homeless person denied a bed in our capital city and he could not have spelled it out in plainer language. I would appreciate if the Leader would write on behalf of the House to the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, and ask them to practise that instruction. There is no excuse for the number of homeless beds that are remaining vacant.

Finally, there is the issue of the leaving certificate and education. We are all struggling in the pandemic but the leaving cert class of 2021 has a greater challenge even than the 2020 class had. We are ten or 11 months into a pandemic and they have been four months without classroom learning. Their families have been impacted. They have had to help their parents and siblings. They need certainty. Their anxiety and stress levels are at a greater height at this point than those of any other leaving cert students. They deserve certainty and the leaving cert advisory group needs to meet promptly and make a determination that is fair and will give the best outcomes for the leaving cert students of 2021.