Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Taoiseach to the Chamber. One of the most powerful speeches I heard this morning was by Senator Ruane. I had tears rolling down my cheeks because I know first-hand about the children who suffer from poverty and I have dealt with them for the past 12 to 13 years of my life. How we treat the children of this nation is really important to me. How we are treating the refugees who are coming here is equally important to me. I witnessed some of the awful conditions in which Ukrainian refugees are living in Stradbally, County Laois. I am disappointed that the Government thinks that is acceptable accommodation for anybody in this day and age, and I have been particularly disappointed in recent days. I was sent videos yesterday after the storm and I did not put them up because they were so harrowing that I was embarrassed to put them up. Some of the Portaloo toilets are locked because they have not been cleaned out in days, and they do not have changing rooms to change in beside the showers. It is unacceptable. If we do not have room for refugees, we should say that we just do not have room at this time. Let us get our house in order and put in proper accommodation for those we have here, look after the people we have here and then, when we have proper accommodation going forward, we can open the doors again. I ask the Taoiseach not to bring people into this country in these circumstances and not to set the bar that low. We are better than that.