Speeches

A Uachtaráin, after all the drama and the delays, the deal is done and we will have five more years of Ursula von der Leyen. President von der Leyen, you are unacceptable to us on the left, and you are unacceptable to the Irish people, as an enabler of an ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. What's more, your Commission is hell bent on passing the Mercosur Agreement – an agreement which is bad for farmers and for our environment. Your vision of the EU is one where workers rights and solidarity are just footnotes to your main agenda of militarisation and centralisation of powers in Brussels' hands. I want to speak directly to the Irish MEPs of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party. We see you and the Irish people are watching you very closely. It is not too late to do the right thing and vote against this Commission. The people of Ireland do not want this agenda – shame on any Irish MEP who supports it.

A Uachtaráin, last week in Ireland, it was revealed that EUR 158 million was left unspent in the mother and baby institution payment scheme. This was a redress scheme meant for survivors who suffered terribly at the hands of the State and religious institutions. And can I add that they were primarily women. I want to firstly pay tribute to all of those who are still fighting the cause for justice. This scheme was severely flawed. In fact, the commission of investigation process that investigated the situation was severely flawed as well. Over 40 % of survivors were left out of this scheme, and now, disgracefully, we see EUR 158 million left unspent. I want to reiterate my calls that the redress scheme needs to be far more comprehensive, far more inclusive, and it needs to ensure that all victims are included, and also that the religious institutions pay their fair share. They have been left to get away with a huge amount in our country.

A Uachtaráin, it is important that this Parliament recognises World Mental Health Day to raise awareness, reduce stigma and promote mental well-being throughout Europe. Issues around mental health reach us all. If we have not personally suffered, someone we know and love probably has and often in silence and solitude. There has been some improvement in tackling the stigma involved with mental health issues, which I welcome, but this is not enough. We need to see investment in the correct facilities and proper support for people suffering with mental health. In Ireland, we are facing a mental health emergency. The numbers on waiting lists for appointments are skyrocketing, particularly for children, thousands of whom are on waiting lists for first time appointments. Meanwhile, the government celebrates massive surpluses and budgets that do not provide the services people are crying out for. We in this House must send a clear and strong message that we need to do far better and we must make mental health a priority for this EU term.

A Uachtaráin, I warmly welcome the ECJ ruling that Apple must pay Ireland EUR 13 billion in unpaid taxes. The Irish Government wasted EUR 10 million of Irish taxpayers' money fighting a case, siding with one of the wealthiest corporations ever to exist. This should never have been the case. Money that would have been far better utilised in housing or health care or our disability sector was wasted defending the indefensible. Make no mistake, the money from the unpaid taxes wasn't spent on helping Apple workers or to improve their pay and conditions. It was not used to help them or their communities in any way. That is why it is vital now that the taxes due are paid immediately and that the funds need to be invested in our communities, in our urban and our rural communities, that for far too long have been left behind by successive governments.