Opening remarks by Sinn Féin Leas Uachtarán Michelle O’Neill at tonight’s panel discussion on ‘Brexit and Irish Unity’ in the Carrickdale Hotel.
“Today marks German unity day marking 29 years since reunification.
“Next month marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in the night of 9-10 November 1989 which symbolised the end of the Cold War and set in motion a chain of events that would forever change the face of Europe.
“As the unification of Germany is being celebrated by its citizens, the unification of Ireland has now also entered to the fore of political discourse in Ireland and Europe.
“The vast number of people on the island of Ireland are against the artificial divisions which exist in our country – whether visible or invisible, partition has failed.
“A growing number of people on the island believe that Irish unity is the democratic alternative to the unwanted Brexit being foisted upon citizens here.
“The EU has declared that in the future, and in the event of Irish reunification the North would automatically re-join the EU.
“The declaration by the EU states, ‘The European Council acknowledges that, in accordance with international law, the entire territory of such a united Ireland would thus be part of the European Union in the event of Irish reunification.’
“Those of a British unionist identity are starting to assess what this means, not because they wish to become Irish nationalists, but simply remain Europeans.
“The people on the island of Ireland should have a choice between Brexit and independence.
“Everyone is being challenged to rethink their economic future.
“There is an onus on the Irish Government to engage in this debate and to begin such preparatory work now in parallel with the conversations which have started in civil society.
“Long-term policies and resilient economic calculations, potential savings and synergies of the cost of reunification need to be developed by the Taoiseach and by the Dublin government.
“At this point, their short-sightedness if not addressed will lead to serious future economic problems.
“We need a national dialogue about the constitutional future, and what the political administrative and symbolic expression a New Ireland will take, including our economic model.”
Sinn Féin Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty TD has called again for an immediate investigation by the Central Bank into the practice of dual pricing by the insurance industry. This comes after Aviva Ireland admitted in the Finance Committee that they used dual pricing to increase the premiums of existing customers on renewal.
Speaking at the Finance Committee, Deputy Doherty said this practice was designed to identify customers who are likely to renew and then punish their loyalty with higher premiums.
The Donegal TD said:
“Today at the Finance Committee Aviva admitted it employs dual pricing, or price discrimination, to target one third of loyal customers with higher premiums at renewal.
“This is the first time an insurance company in Ireland has admitted to using dual pricing, a practice which is known to harm vulnerable consumers.
“Insurance companies are using data analytics and complex algorithms to target customers who are viewed as being less ‘price-sensitive’ or more likely to renew, and then hiking their premiums on renewal.
“This practice is known to harm vulnerable customers, particularly those who are older or from lower-income households.
“Today at Committee, representatives from AIG admitted that dual pricing was about identifying customers who were more likely to renew their policies and then punishing them with higher premiums.
“This is a startling admission that the industry is employing pricing methods that target vulnerable consumers without them knowing it is even taking place.
“That is why I have asked the Finance Committee to begin an investigation into this issue.
“Today Aviva admitted to using price discrimination, but I have evidence that is a practice being carried out by several insurance companies in the State.
“I will be meeting with the Consumer and Competition Commission in the coming weeks to make the case for a market investigation into this aggressive pricing strategy that targets loyal and vulnerable customers.”
Sinn Féin Cllr Daithí Doolan has said that waste collection bills are a rip-off and the service should be brought back into public ownership.
Speaking at the launch of his party’s “Take Back the Bins” campaign in Dublin this afternoon, Cllr Doolan said:
“Bin collection was once a core service provided by local councils, but now it has been moulded into a lucrative industry run by private profiteers, with customers paying through the nose for it.
“Today we are launching our ‘Take Back the Bins’ campaign in which we propose to put waste collection back under the control of local authorities.
“We also want to end the side by side waste collection system which is clogging up our neighbourhoods, alongside increasing the number of recycling centres and the range of items accepted.
“We are the only state in Europe with a completely privatised waste collection service, and this has led to massive illegal dumping.
“The current service is expensive, bad for the environment and lacking in regulation – it is time to take bin services back into public ownership."
Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil this afternoon, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice and Equality Martin Kenny TD has said that Boris Johnson’s Brexit proposals are 'neither viable nor acceptable’.
He said that the so-called ‘workable alternative’ to the backstop presented by the British government amounts to a set of proposals that are “dangerous and reckless” and “play fast and loose with the Good Friday Agreement”.
Teachta Kenny said:
“Yesterday, Boris Johnson presented his so-called ‘workable alternative’ to the ‘backstop’, but the reality is that his proposals amount to a set of dangerous and reckless propositions that play fast and loose with the Good Friday Agreement.
“What we need on this island - north and south - is to ensure that there is no hard border, that our all-island economy is protected and that the Good Friday Agreement is defended.
"What’s now on the table does none of those things and there is cross-community, cross-party consensus on this matter across the island; with the exception of the DUP.
“The reality is that what Boris Johnson has presented is unworkable.
“These are time-limited arrangements that are subject to a DUP veto, which they will exercise. Make no doubt about that.
“It’s ironic that the British government would choose to use the phrase ‘renewable democratic consent’ to describe the role of the Assembly in these proposals, given that no part of Ireland has consented to Brexit. The people of the north voted to remain and that can’t be stressed enough.
“The proposal to give the Assembly the power to decide the type of arrangements that are put in place - and how long they will last - will afford the DUP a veto through abusing the mechanism of the Petition of Concern, as they have done on countless occasions previously. "This is entirely unacceptable and a flagrant abuse of the Good Friday Agreement.
“Any arrangement that can be vetoed, blocked or stalled by the DUP is a non-runner and Sinn Féin will never agree to this.
“I would challenge the Irish government to make it clear this afternoon that Boris Johnson’s proposals, as currently constituted, are neither viable nor acceptable.”
Sinn Féin TD for Waterford David Cullinane today welcomed the announcement that the Minister for Health expects that the full allocation of €4.8m for staff for the South East Palliative Care Centre in Waterford will be made in this year’s budget, with partial opening in February.
Deputy Cullinane said:
“Today I met with the Minister for Health, along with the other public representatives for Waterford, regarding funding for the South East Palliative Care Centre.
"This is a meeting I had called for, having spent the past year doggedly raising this issue both in the Dáil and with the Minister himself.
"The Minister was able to tell us that he expects that the full allocation of €4.8m in the budget for staff and costs to open and maintain the centre will be made in this year’s budget, with partial opening of the centre in February.
“This is to be welcomed if the Minister’s expectations are realised, but we must also make sure there are no more delays.
“The Waterford Hospice Movement and the South East CHO need certainty going forward, and this announcement should give it.
“It is therefore extremely important that the relevant staff are hired as a matter of urgency upon the official announcement and that the Centre is up and running as soon as possible.
“I will continue to keep up pressure on this and other health matters for Waterford and the South East, to ensure that the people I represent get the services they need and deserve."
Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD has said that the proposal being considered by Trinity College to reduce the places available for Irish based students by a quarter over the next 5 years is a cause for concern, and reflects the underfunding of the third level sector.
Speaking this morning, Teachta Ó Laoghaire said;
“I note with concern the proposal being considered by Trinity of reducing the numbers of students coming through the CAO system by 25% over the next couple of years.
“While I recognize it is a proposal at the minute in the context of drafting a 5 year strategic, i would urge trinity to reconsider this, and Government to consider what role it has.
“I and others including the USI, and the IUA have repeatedly expressed concern about the impact of underfunding would have on access to third level education. This is evidence of these concerns coming to fruition. If this is followed through less students will have access to trinity and the points for many courses will sky rocket.
“If sustained and significant investment in third level education does not happen, then this will be replicated elsewhere, and more and more students will have the door shut to third level shut on them.
“The issue at play for most colleges is that they are chronically underfunded, and that higher education in this state requires substantial investment.
“Access to education is already an issue for many, and a reduction in the number of college places will only impact future generations.
“I have also expressed concern at the sustainability and increasing reliance on international students as a source of revenue, and that this is a source of income that may not always be as available as international competition to attract students becomes more significant.
“Trinity are citing student teacher ratios as being the reason this needs to happen, but surely an increase in lecturers would address that issue? Again this comes down to resources and underfunding, Government is failing to act on the stark warnings contained in the cassells report
“I believe this would set a worrying precedent, and is something the management at Trinity needs to reconsider”.
“I would urge to Minister for Education to take note of this, and how Trinity have ended up in this position and reach out to the relevant people in the college, and discuss what he can do to assist them.”
ENDS//
Commenting on today's judgement in the High Court in Belfast in the case brought forward by Sarah Ewart Sinn Féin Leas Uachtarán Michelle O'Neill said:
“I firstly want to commend Sarah Ewart and her mummy Jane Christie for their bravery and determination in bringing this case. They should never have had to. Sarah has taken a very tragic time in her life and used her experience to try to ensure no woman has to go through the same experience as she did.
“I welcome today’s judgement on the case brought forward by Sarah to the High Court, which confirms that current legislation on abortion is incompatible with human rights requirements.
“There is now an urgent need for reform of the legislation to provide the option of abortion where a woman’s life, health or mental health is at risk and in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and without specific indication for a limited gestational period so that cases of sexual crime can be dealt with in a compassionate manner.
"Sinn Féin believes that this and all outstanding rights issues in the north of Ireland should properly be dealt with, not at Westminster, but by locally accountable politicians in the Assembly.
“Sinn Féin's focus remains to get the political institutions up and running on the basis of equality, rights and respect so that we can address all of these important issues. The DUP’s anti-equality agenda, the confidence and supply deal with the Tories and Brexit remain the obstacle to this.
“Sinn Fein is opposed to the extension of Britain’s 1967 Act to the north but British legislation which criminalises women who have an abortion should be repealed immediately.
“In the absence of functioning political institutions the ongoing denial of rights by the DUP is untenable and unacceptable.
“Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement it is the responsibility of the two governments, under the auspices of the British/Irish Intergovernmental Conference, to deliver equality and those rights that are routinely available everywhere else on these islands."
Sinn Fein Senator Paul Gavan has made an impassioned plea at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for immediate action to save lives in the Mediterranean Sea.
Speaking during a debate on the topic Senator Gavan said:
“Human Rights are universal. Democracies are founded on that very principle. And that principle is being undermined every day that the vulnerable and powerless are left to perish in the Mediterranean.
“Earlier this week we heard President Macron reject the term 'Fortress Europe', but what other words could you use to describe a situation where the European Union has allowed 20,000 people to perish in the Mediterranean over the last 6 years?
“What word other than 'fortress' could describe the disgraceful use of human beings as bargaining chips in a shameful deal with the authoritarian regime in Turkey designed to keep desperate asylum seekers out of sight.
“The annual military expenditure of EU member states is €200 Billion Euros, with official EU policy being to massively increase this figure.
"Imagine if even a portion of that funding was diverted towards a progressive settlement programme across member states?
"But instead of helping migrants, we are now committed to spend more than €30bn a year on border security to keep them out. European money funds a despot in Turkey and warlords in Libya.
"We export our migrant crisis and wash our hands of it, in the name of 'protecting our European way of life'.
“I welcome the call for a new EU rescue mission. But Such a mission must be different from Operation Sophia in that it should not engage in assisting gangsters and warlords masquerading as coastguard and financing the running of death and torture camps in Libya.
"So what is to be done? This resolution puts in very simply: 'it is the duty of states not to let people drown in the Mediterranean'.
"And this duty falls to all of us. And some countries have simply failed to show solidarity.
"My Country, Ireland, is one of those. Over a five year period we have taken a total of just 2555 people, this despite a pledge to take 4000 people.
"To put these two pitifully low figures in context this year alone, 77000 human beings have crossed the Mediterranean in a desperate journey seeking refuge and protection.
"These figures for my country are frankly abysmal and a stain on our record in the field of human rights.
"The Government of Ireland must now begin now to show true solidarity and significantly increase the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers that it is prepared to resettle.
"They must also immediately dismantle the direct provision system currently employed to receive asylum seekers.”
Sinn Féin Louth TD Gerry Adams speaking in the Dáil last evening during statements on Climate Action called on the Irish government to introduce a moratorium on all new oil and gas exploration. He described the Government’s own Climate Action Plan as lacking ambition.
Teachta Adams said:
“It does not address the substantive issues of pollution, over-consumption, or corporate responsibility and opposition to the use of fracking gas.
“Two weeks ago the Court House Square in Dundalk was alive with the chants of young people as they spoke out against climate change. They, and the millions more who took part in a global day of action, have demonstrated an energy and commitment that is inspirational.
"A few days later, speaking in New York at the UN climate change summit, Greta Thunberg berated the political leaders of the world for not honouring past agreements on climate change. Thunberg accused governments of failing humanity and warned of 'the beginning of a mass extinction'.
"The Swedish climate activist said: 'We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line'.
"The Science Advisory Group to the summit produced a report - United in Science. It brings together the most recent data from the world’s six leading environmental organisations. The report found that current plans to meet the 2015 Paris agreement are insufficient.
"Last October the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that we have only 12 years to limit climate change. If we fail the people of the world face extreme droughts, heat, floods, increased food insecurity and water supply, and increased poverty for hundreds of millions of citizens.
"It also means that Belfast, Dublin, Dundalk and other coastal towns and cities will face significant serious flood dangers. Without resolute action millions are at risk.
"Our future, the future for our children and grandchildren, depend on the decisions we take now as a society. Moreover, any strategies to tackle climate change must be rooted in the principles of social justice and equality.
"Governments, including the Irish government and the EU, need to significantly step up their climate change commitments and challenge the big polluters.
"In his speech to the UN the Taoiseach announced that oil exploration will end. He also announced that gas exploration will continue. Five months ago the government granted consent to a subsidiary of the Chinese National Offshore Oil Company for an exploratory oil and gas well in the Porcupine Basin.
"This new licence allows for drilling in an area where that company and ExxonMobil already hold licences to 2033 to explore for oil and gas.
"Will the government introduce a moratorium on any further, new exploration for fossils fuels in Ireland? And will the government remove its opposition to the Climate Emergency Measures Bill?
"Finally, An Taoiseach’s plamas at the UN that he wants Ireland to be known as a ‘green country’ is worthless rhetoric when set against the government’s policies on environmental issues. His own Climate Action Plan lacks ambition.
"It does not address the substantive issues of pollution, over-consumption, or corporate responsibility and opposition to the use of fracking gas. The reality is that this state will spectacularly fail to meet our 20% reduction target by 2020.
"Sinn Féin’s approach is clear. We want to see 80% of our energy produced by renewables by 2030. This has to be done in a manner that protects lower income families and ensures that ordinary people do not carry an unjust share of the burden. In the last two weeks young people in cities across the world have shown the way forward. Their example must guide us in the time ahead”.
Speaking in response to the Tory Brexit proposals Sinn Féin deputy Leader Michelle O'Neill MLA said:
“The proposals announced today drive a coach and horses through the Good Friday Agreement and despite the spin serve only to pave the way for a no deal in 29 days time.
“The British Government is offering an all-Ireland regulatory zone for all goods, yet makes these arrangements dependent on the consent of the Assembly, effectively giving the DUP a veto.
“This is entirely unacceptable.
“Sinn Féin will never concede this.
“The proposals go further by extending the need for such consent to the All-Ireland single electricity market, again giving a veto to the DUP on whether to keep the lights on or not.
“They are treating the Good Friday Agreement arrangements like a commodity.
“Sinn Féin rejects this.
“This is further evidence of Boris Johnson and his government’s attitude towards the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process.
“This is an act of political sabotage.
“The EU must not accept these proposals as a legally operable alternative solution as it fails to meet the objectives of the Irish backstop.
“While a no-deal Brexit was avoided in March and April, there is no optimism that this will be the case come 31st October.
“This is catastrophic for citizens and for business.
“I share the strong rejection of local business and industry leaders of these proposals as unworkable, impractical and worse than a no deal.
“Remaining aligned with the EU single market and customs union, safeguarding the progress of the 21 years, protecting business, jobs and the all-island economy remains paramount for the majority of the people of the North, and across Ireland.
“Sinn Féin will continue to oppose this unwanted DUP/Tory Brexit, any border in Ireland and defend the Good Friday Agreement.”
Speaking in response to the Tory Brexit proposals Sinn Féin deputy Leader Michelle O'Neill MLA says;
“The proposals announced today drive a coach and horses through the Good Friday Agreement and despite the spin serve only to pave the way for a no deal in 29 days time.
“The British Government is offering an all-Ireland regulatory zone for all goods, yet makes these arrangements dependent on the consent of the Assembly, effectively giving the DUP a veto.
“This is entirely unacceptable.
“Sinn Féin will never concede this.
“The proposals go further by extending the need for such consent to the All-Ireland single electricity market, again giving a veto to the DUP on whether to keep the lights on or not.
“They are treating the Good Friday Agreement arrangements like a commodity.
“Sinn Féin rejects this.
“This is further evidence of Boris Johnson and his government’s attitude towards the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process.
“This is an act of political sabotage.
“The EU must not accept these proposals as a legally operable alternative solution as it fails to meet the objectives of the Irish backstop.
“While a no-deal Brexit was avoided in March and April, there is no optimism that this will be the case come 31st October.
“This is catastrophic for citizens and for business.
“I share the strong rejection of local business and industry leaders of these proposals as unworkable, impractical and worse than a no deal.
“Remaining aligned with the EU single market and customs union, safeguarding the progress of the 21 years, protecting business, jobs and the all-island economy remains paramount for the majority of the people of the North, and across Ireland.
Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Bay North Denise Mitchell TD has accused the Government of failing to appreciate the need for an additional Garda station on the Northside. Teachta Mitchell was speaking during a debate on a Bill to address knife crime more seriously.
Teachta Mitchell said:
“Residents in the area recognise the pressure the Gardaí in Coolock are under. However, the response from Government has been lacklustre to put it mildly.
“In fact, the situation in the area has become a political football for some in the area.
“On the one hand, Fine Gael local representatives are shouting from the rooftops to constituents that a new Garda Station is on the way, while their own Minister for Justice won’t provide any resources to make that a reality.
“The Gardaí in my area are under increasing pressure, and part of that is down to the very rapid population growth and development of the Clongriffin and so-called ‘Northern Fringe’ area.
“While attempts to stem the growing levels of knife crime are welcome, it is a drop in the ocean as to what is required to allow people to feel safe and confident bringing up their families.
“I would call on the Government to ensure that capital funding is identified and prioritised for a new station, alongside more resources for the current Garda stations in the Dublin Bay North area.
“We need change in identified areas of serious crime, not just where some Cabinet Ministers see it as an election platform.”
British Government Brexit Border proposals “absolutely unacceptable” - Matt Carthy MEP
Sinn Féin MEP, Matt Carthy, joined the chorus of outrage this week to the British government’s suggestion of developing customs posts along the border as part of its effort to replace the 'backstop'. The Monaghan based representative described any such arrangements as “absolutely unacceptable”.
Speaking from Brussels on Tuesday the Monaghan based MEP said:
“This is a ludicrous proposition from the British Government that will be rejected by communities on both sides of the border. It vindicates those of us who argued that the issues pertaining to the border in Ireland needed to be addressed in the first part of the Brexit negotiations. While the British governments claimed that they could be trusted to protect the Good Friday Agreement this paper shows that, even at this late stage, they have either no understanding or no care for our peace process or the economy in any part of Ireland, including the north.
“It is incumbent on the EU and the Irish government to make it absolutely clear that any such proposal is absolutely out of the question. The partition of our country has been a disaster economically, socially and politically. It led to division and conflict and has stunted the potential of our entire country and especially the border region. The Good Friday Agreement and our joint membership of the EU single market were the twin ingredients that have allowed us to begin undoing some of the damage of partition over the past twenty-odd years. We cannot tolerate, from any quarter, the notion that there would be new controls on cross-border interactions.
“That is why it is also disconcerting to see reports that the Irish government may have invested in new customs vehicles for use in the border region”. (Photos circulating on social media this week showed a consignment of new customs vehicles arriving in Dundalk, Co. Louth).
Carthy said “To our community, having customs checks between Monaghan and Armagh is the equivalent of putting the same checks between Kerry and Cork. This approach would not be tolerated anywhere else and will not be tolerated by border communities.
“The Irish government must use all resources to avoid any hardening of the border in our country. That they appear to be investing in numerous customs vehicles without consulting with local communities is deeply worrying and will be unsettling to many.
“Now, is the time for all Irish political voices to remain steadfast in support of the backstop and in our determination to avoid any disruption to cross-border activity.
“What we need on this island, north and south, is to ensure there is no hard border, that our all-island economy is protected and that the Good Friday Agreement is protected.
“The British Government's proposals published this week fly in the face of all of that, and it is a vexatious suggestion that mustn’t be given succour by Irish government actions.”
EU role in Irish Unity?
Matt Carthy also reported that he and his colleague Sinn Féin MEP, Martina Anderson, would next week host the launch of an independent legal and academic report detailing how the EU can assist in facilitating Irish Unity. The document will be launched in the European Parliament on Wednesday next the 9th of October.
Carthy said: “This report, authored by Professor Colin Harvey of Queen’s University Belfast and Barrister Mark Bassett is the first of its kind, and will explore how the EU can assist with the transition to Irish Unity, drawing on the assistance that the EU provided during the unification of Germany. People across the island of Ireland have already begun a series of calm and considered conversations about our futures.
“It is clear, that should the British government proceed with their reckless Brexit agenda without consideration for the special arrangements that are required to protect Ireland, that the debate on Irish Unity will advance swiftly. The provision for a poll on Irish Unity is a key component within the Good Friday Agreement and it will be seen by many in the north as a pathway back to European Union membership.
“So we need to start preparing for it now. This report will be an important contribution to the debate and I look forward to engaging with colleagues from across Europe to ensure that we make a success of the journey towards a United Ireland that we are undoubtedly on”.
ENDS
Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin, has said that the new Land Development Agency (LDA) is “at risk of becoming another NAMA” and will “hamper the delivery of social and affordable housing”.
Deputy Ó Broin said:
“This morning the Housing Committee commenced pre-legislative scrutiny of the legislation underpinning the new Land Development Agency (LDA).
“The LDA and the Department of Housing went through the heads of bill with the committee and it soon became clear that the LDA is at risk of becoming another NAMA that will hamper the delivery of social and affordable homes.
“The LDA will be an independent commercial entity. It will not be subject to Freedom of Information requests and it will not subject to scrutiny by the Department of Housing on the delivery of housing projects.
“When inevitable conflicts of interest arise between the LDA’s commercial remit and Government housing policy, as was the case with NAMA, the commercial interest will triumph with workers and families in need of social and affordable housing left paying the price.
“In terms of the functions of the agency, astonishingly, the LDA will not have a statutory obligation to deliver social and affordable housing.
“Furthermore, it is the government’s intention that 60% of all houses delivered will be sold at open market prices, undermining the state’s ability to deliver large volumes of social and affordable homes on public lands.
“Sinn Féin strongly supports the creation of Active Land Management Agency. Such an agency would need strong CPO powers, something which is not contained in the current LDA legislation.
“Sinn Féin is of the view that residential development on public land should be done by local authorities.
“We cannot support a Bill that places commercial interest over the delivery of genuinely affordable homes for working people.”
Speaking after today’s meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality, Sinn Féin Justice Spokesperson Martin Kenny TD has said that there is need for regulation of internet service providers.
Deputy Kenny was speaking after hearing contributions from the Garda Siochána, the Rape Crisis Network’s legal department, ISPCC and Cybersafe Ireland on the issue of cyberbullying and harassment.
Deputy Kenny said:
“I believe that since self-regulation has failed in every other sector, that there are no signs to the contrary in the field of internet service providers. People are inclined to use the internet to abuse, insult and malign others on the basis that no one will know who they are. This anonymity has to be abolished.
“It just doesn’t wash that the internet companies, on the one hand, seem to know everything about its users, but on the other hand cannot identify those using the internet to spread hatred and incite violence. There is also the use of explicit sexual imagery being shared without consent.
“It is a runaway industry that has no regulation. This must change. The Joint Oireachtas Committee is working on a report and various pieces of legislation will be forthcoming.
“Sinn Féin will work to make the internet safer and to regulate those companies who must take responsibility for the actions of their users.”
Today in the Dáil the Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald challenged the Taoiseach to outline his plan to tackle chronic overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick.
Figures today showed 82 patients without a bed at the hospital.
Ms McDonald said:
“In the Dáil yesterday the Taoiseach apologised to the over 500 people who were left waiting on a bed in Limerick and at hospitals across the State.
“At this point an apology is not enough.
“The Taoiseach dismissed my proposal for investment in our hospitals and in our health service. He said that the overcrowding ‘is not a matter of beds’. That is patent nonsense. For the 82 people waiting in Limerick today it very much is a matter of beds. And with his statement today the Taoiseach offered those people no hope and no solutions to this ongoing crisis.
“We need to move on from apologies and take action. Today I challenged the Taoiseach to lay out his plan for University Hospital Limerick because the situation is unsustainable. The solutions are there, he just needs to start implementing them.”
Sinn Féin TD for Waterford David Cullinane today gave a cautious welcome to the Minister for Health’s announcement that we will make an allocation for staff for the South East Palliative Care Centre in Waterford, adding that it has to be the full allocation needed to open the unit.
Deputy Cullinane said:
“Today I questioned the Minister for Health on funding for the South East Palliative Care Centre and he was able to tell me that he will be making an allocation in the budget for staff costs to open the centre.
“This is to be welcomed, but at the same time we need to be sure that the funds will be enough to open the centre as a matter of urgency.
“When fully operational the unit will have 20 in-patient bedrooms with individual gardens for clients requiring the expertise of a specialist palliative care multi-disciplinary team, and the budget allocation must be enough to make this happen.
“This is cost €4.8m and the Minister needs to make that allocation in the estimates.
“The Waterford Hospice Movement and the South East CHO need certainty going forward, especially after so many hold-ups.
“I will be meeting the Minister tomorrow along with other public representatives for Waterford and I will press home the issue of funding and that he commits to €4.8m in order to allow the centre to be fully operational.”
