Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I extend my congratulations to the Cathaoirleach on his election as Cathaoirleach of the House and to Seanadóir Seán Kyne on his appointment as Leader.

I will begin my first speech in this Chamber by thanking those who voted for me. I remember in a special way Councillor Anthony Waldron who passed away recently. He was a gentleman and we held a lot of the same political values. I extend my sympathies to his friends and family.

My home county, Cavan, was badly affected by Storm Éowyn. The people are extremely angry and older and vulnerable people in particular felt abandoned. The lack of practical, tangible support from the Government was badly exposed and it was unacceptable. People who were classed as vulnerable by the ESB were not reconnected for 15 or 16 days.I am talking about people with dementia who are in their 80s, and people with children with autism who need devices to help to regulate them. By the end of it, I had people calling me to tell me that their father was dying and had no oxygen, yet all the Government had to offer were open libraries for charging devices. If something like this happens in the future, we will need a more organised response. Therefore, I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for local government to the Seanad in order that we can ask about future storm responses.