Terry Dignan

Alan Kelly's argument can be applied equally to children's social care in Ireland. What is being called a crisis for in our care system could also be called a national emergency, and needs to be treated as such by the government #childrenincare

@caulmick Every second civil servant in France has onr

Celebrating Political Failure 😞 Leo Varadkar is to be formally bestowed with France’s highest honour in Dublin today. The former Fine Gael taoiseach is to be inducted into the Legion d’Honneur. #HowFranceWorks independent.ie/irish-news/leo…

@KildareCoCo What is the purpose of bus shelters that don't actually provide shelter?

@DarraghOBrienTD Now two have arrived together!?😂👏

Dia dhaoibh go léir from Brazil 🇧🇷 A busy week ahead in São Paulo, Rio & Brasília strengthening Ireland–Brazil business links, meeting our community for St Patrick’s celebrations and working with our embassy team. Looking forward to sharing updates over the week ☘️

@DarraghOBrienTD Now waiting an hour at Connolly station, Friday rush hour for a bus - crazy!?

@DarraghOBrienTD Can any politician ever make a statement without including how busy they are?

Saturday evening - mad scramble for seats on the Heuston - Portlaoise train. People standing in all carriages - when is the lack of capacity on public transport going to be addressed? @DarraghOBrien @IrishRail

@AllianceBirth This brings to five, the number of formal apologies the Irish State has issued for failing women and children.  And yet, little meaningful action has been taken to address these failures. The perma-crisis in our child protection system is just one obvious example.

𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟓𝟏 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐚, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐔𝐂𝐃 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 🧵 1/2 Yesterday the Dáil heard yet another apology for the state abuse of children which was witnessed from the public gallery by some of the survivors of Ireland’s industrial and reformatory schools. Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD reiterated the apology first made in 1999 and outlined a further package of supports for survivors. His words had a very hollow ring given that it took a 51 day hunger strike by the four survivors, Mary Donovan, Mary Dunlevy Greene, Miriam Moriarty Owens and Maurice Patton O’Connell outside the gates of Leinster before Taoiseach Martin finally caved in and agreed to their meagre demands for medical cards, a non-means tested pension, housing support and assurances that those sent to reform schools have no criminal record. There was cross party acknowledgement of the cruelty inflicted on children placed in State institutions, of the lifelong trauma endured by survivors, and of the failure of the State to intervene, protect or listen. There was also an unequivocal clarification that children detained in industrial schools never committed a crime and never carried a criminal record, a reassurance that has taken decades to be formally stated. Responding to the apology, @SocDems leader, @HollyCairnsTD focused on what it took to secure the apology, alleged disrespect in consultation and factual errors about survivors’ time in institutions, and criticised narrow eligibility approaches in redress schemes, particularly for boarded out people and those excluded by thresholds including babies who spent less than six months in an orphanage. And yet, listening to the debate, it was impossible to ignore the most uncomfortable truth of all. The reason these apologies continue to haunt Irish public life is not because we have failed to understand the past, but because we have failed to stop repeating it. The opening statement by the Taoiseach is as relevant to the current state abuse of mothers and children by Tusla and the family courts as it is the get historic abuse he was apologising for: “They were not raised as part of a family or given the opportunities they should have been in relation to their care and education. We know that some were physically, emotionally and sexually abused. I am very sorry for what was done to you. I apologise on behalf of the State for the abuse and neglect that you suffered. What happened to you was wrong, shocking and should never have happened. The Government recognises the suffering and damage that this abuse has caused, and we will continue to support you as much as possible.” Is the irony lost on the Taoiseach of apologising for past wrongs while at the same time his cabinet is failing to respond to multiple official reports of the current state abuse of children in the care of Tusla, including the 2023 UCD report on the trafficking of children out of residential homes into the sex trade?

The parental panic caused by the SNA provision fiasco is palpable. Let’s not forget that our SNA’s are the only vital care support a child may be able to access in the absence of other vital needs like speech and language, occupational therapy, psychology, physio. The contempt for children among our policy makers is really something.

LATEST | No cuts to SNA teachers next school year, Government agrees In January the govt gives semi state bosses big salary increases and in February tries to cut SNAs?! #bettergovernment

Ireland’s remote working law is ‘an act of fraud against commuters’, Labour TD tells Dáil – The Irish Times Our public transport system does not have the capacity to meet current demand. God help us if more people return to the office! share.google/V8oozcKtFCfiTF…

@GarNob @rte If this approach was taken by government, combined with proper planning and investment, perhaps we wouldn't have so many avoidable crises in so many sectors?

Maybe government should just start trusting and listening to parents, SNA’s and schools and there wouldn’t be so many policy errors and mistakes made. Review of SNA allocations paused, says Minister rte.ie/news/education… via @rte

Councillors tried to zone 288 flood-prone sites for development in past six years The state urgently needs to move from purely economic lens to one that balances this with social improvement and quality of life for citizens #bettergovernment

@DarraghOBrienTD @Heidi_Labour Could we first get some rail connectivity in our own country!?

Great to meet with Secretary of State for Transport, @Heidi_Labour . We discussed the vital importance of air, sea, and rail connectivity between our two countries, and the valuable lessons we can share from delivering major transport infrastructure projects.

@ReginaDo @UKRinIRL @FineGael @EPPGroup A lot like you then Regina?

Sinn Féin side with the far left and far right to block €90bn for Ukraine. They pose for photos and talk solidarity at home, then vote the opposite in the European Parliament. Shameful. Hypocritical. Completely out of touch.

"Ministers sign off on further five-figure pay rises for semi-state bosses" When you have crises in public transport, health, social care, housing, homelessness and many other public services, five figure pay rises make perfect sense! #bettergovernment

@SeanKellyMEP @IFAmedia @Enterprise @UKMisBrussels @medtecheurope Yes, we all have meetings, big and small and very busy weeks trying to make a living. Most of us just don't take to social media to shout about it?

I'm en route for a big week of meetings and committee work in Brussels! I hope to build on the productive meetings I had last week in Strasbourg, with @IFAmedia about Mercosur, @Enterprise about EV charging, @UKMisBrussels on improving energy grid interconnection, and @medtecheurope @medtechireland discussing the Medical Devices Regulation. All in the name of improving European competitiveness and jobs!

@ReginaDo Aren't you only marvellous!

A busy Monday in Brussels as the European Commission launches a formal investigation into X over serious concerns linked to Grok AI. I raised these concerns directly with the Commission in early January, as soon as the reports emerged. Glad to see action now being taken.

Two bedrooms for young people in our care system. The room on the left—bleak and bare—costs more than the one on the right. Let that sink in. This is our care system.