Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also congratulate all of those who have been elected over the weekend on all our county councils throughout the country - those of all parties and none.One thing that really stuck out was the low turnout, which we must try to address. I came across an interesting quote, which stated: “Democracy isn’t like a Sunday suit to be brought out and worn only at parades, it’s the kind of a life a decent man leads, it’s something to live for and to die for.” When we see backsliding in democracy across Europe, it is important that we encourage all our citizens and all those who are over 18 and who can vote to go out and vote.

I want to thank our media services and our local radio stations right around the country, which did a tremendous job. In my area of Kildare South and Newbridge, a recount is ongoing as I speak. It has been a long few days for our local radio station, KFM, as well as for the candidates who are involved.

There was a high percentage of spoiled votes and some of these were because they were not stamped by the officials. That is a real concern. There has to be a better way - maybe having a barcode on each paper. I was in Montenegro doing election monitoring around this time last year. They used a scanner system which worked very effectively.

The last point I would like to make is that this is National Carers Week. We must give a shout-out to all the unsung heroes: the carers in their homes. Last year, the caucus brought forward a cross-party motion to improve the lives of family carers and those they care for. That focused on the renewal and review of the national carer strategy, which has not been done since 2018. It is beyond time for us to do that. We think particularly of the elderly carers who are providing informal care in the home and who need to be able to access support. We must either introduce a basic income for carers or abolish the means test. I would like to see the Minister coming into the Chamber for a debate on this.