Irish Neutrality
Irish neutrality has served us well since the foundation of this State and continues to do so.
Irish neutrality has served us well since the foundation of this State and continues to do so.
I questioned the Minister for Health on the timing of the announcement of the HIQA review into a second A&E in the Mid West and whether it was determined by the upcoming elections. He confirmed the terms of reference had not even been finalised.
Ireland South needs a representative in Europe to call out the disparity between what is being said and what is being done on the environment and sustainable energy.
This government, on the recent referendum, on immigration and how they have labelled the response of communities, and throughout this Dáil term, have been the greatest purveyors of misinformation in this state.
The proposed Shannon to Dublin water pipeline will result in farmers being hit on the double if it proceeds as planned, according to Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara.
Read MoreI was asked by Newstalk why I am seeking to be elected to the European Parliament.
Deputy Michael McNamara has accused the HSE and Department of Health of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” over plans to outsource the newly built St. Conlon’s Community Nursing Unit in Nenagh as a step-down facility for patients from University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
Read MoreThe Minister for Health’s announcement of a review of the case for a second Emergency Department for the Mid-West Region must proceed without delay and its conclusions followed up speedily, according to Deputy Michael McNamara.
Read MoreRestriction of Imports (States in violation of obligations under the Genocide Convention and Occupied Territories) Bill 2024 – introduced by Michael McNamara.
Read MoreOn 22 March, the High Court delivered a judgment raising “serious concerns” about the Department of Justice’s handling of information that should have led to somebody being registered on the sex offenders register. It did nothing until until it was raised in the media last week and only then sought a review.
Vulnerable people in precarious situations are being exploited by people traffickers. It’s becoming clear this State is also being exploited by those traffickers.
Following criticism by the High Court of the failure to include a person on the sex offenders register after being informed by UK authorities of a relevant conviction there, I asked the Tánaiste if he had confidence in the Department of Justice and its stewardship.
The EU Migration Pact is comprised of several different pieces of legislation on which the European Parliament voted separately. Lumping them all together into one vote, which will remove the opt-out that Irish people voted for in the Lisbon Treaty, is profoundly undemocratic.
Following the shocking inquest into the death of Aoife Johnston at University Hospital Limerick, I asked for time to be set aside in Dáil Éireann to discuss the ongoing crisis there.
The proposed Nature Restoration Law’s lack of a funding mechanism for farmers required to reduce or abandon farming activities in affected areas is its biggest flaw. In the Burren & Hen Harrier SPA, farmers had funding cancelled after engaging with agri-environment schemes.
There’s a disconnect between what the Government does and what it says on immigration. There’s also a lack of transparency on key data.
Thank you to Ireland AM for their public service in broadcasting live from Limerick this morning on the state of healthcare in the Mid-West.
Independent TD Michael McNamara has called on Dáil Éireann to set aside time for a discussion on the purchase of vast tracts of farmland in South Tipperary by John Magnier and called for measures to combat further concentration of ownership.
Read MoreMy opinion piece in The Sunday Independent on April 14th, 2024.
I outlined to the Dáil why I voted against the nomination of Simon Harris as Taoiseach.
My opinion piece in The Sunday Independent on 31st March, 2024.
I explained to RTÉ Drivetime why I am voting No in the upcoming Referendum on the Family.
Farmers in the Burren and Slieve Aughty areas of County Clare are financially worse off under the agricultural scheme that replaced the Hen Harrier Project and The Burren Life Programme, according to Michael McNamara T.D.
Read MoreIndependent Clare TD Michael McNamara has criticised the Department of Agriculture for failing to definitively confirm when it will issue reimbursements to 9,200 farmers making investments under the Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) option of the ACRES Co-operation (CP) stream.
Read MoreFarmers in co-operation areas of ACRES making investments, such as fencing, solar pumps, culverts, hedgerow planting and rejuvenation, gates and drinking troughs, are entitled to reimbursements of a portion of their cost. In the latest blow to farmers in the Acres Scheme, however, the Minister has refused to give a commitment that approved investments carried out in 2024 will be reimbursed this year.
Despite regularly citing EU and international legal obligations, the Government fails to clarify how many in direct provision are not entitled to accommodation under EU/international law and says it may not even be able to ascertain the figure.
That figure is likely to be several thousand as it includes the vast majority of those who’re waiting months and years for the Justice Minister to decide on their Leave to Remain applications (after their asylum claims is refused).
Micheal Martin offers more support – but still no money – to farmers in the Burren and Slieve Aughty.
Two years on, the absence of a government plan to accommodate refugees is unacceptable, as is the lack of oversight of accommodation providers.
The Taoiseach has confirmed that even if the Government referendum proposal is passed it will still be possible to discriminate in favour of married couples.
Small businesses in Clare need a break as input costs are rising and footfall in hospitality is down. The Government is adding to the pressure on them instead of helping…
The Government has spent over €800,000 on Ukrainian pets brought to Ireland. I asked why.
The Government is throwing money at providers of accommodation for asylum seekers (€1.88m/day), and Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection (€3.3m/day), but has little, if any, oversight of how many persons are ever actually in the accommodation centres for which it’s paying.
Anyone earning €35k-55k has no hope of securing a home on their income alone even though a large number of public and private sector workers are in this pay bracket.
My opinion piece in The Sunday Independent on 31st January 2024.
3,285 people arrived to Dublin Airport without a valid identity document in 2023, down from 4,968 people in 2022.
Read MoreThe Minister has “dug many a hole to bury large animals in the past” he told the Dáil, advising farmers to get digging in response to the renderers strike. The Dept has issued a notice that Councils will have to approve proposed burial sites in advance. This is simply unworkable.
Has the Department of Agriculture run out of money to pay farmers in ACRES cooperation areas, I asked the Tánaiste.
I outlined my reservations about some aspects of the proposed Digital Services Bill in the Dáil today.
There has been a lot of talk in Ireland about developing renewables. There has been a lot less action from the Government in actually developing renewables.
I questioned the Government about the ACRES payments delay and highlighted how it is putting farmers under financial pressure to pay bills.
The new Planning Bill, designed to hinder access to justice to challenge bad planning and environmental decisions, is problematic.
Read MoreClare Independent TD Michael McNamara has described Senator Garret Ahearn’s criticism of Independent TDs who yesterday voted No Confidence in Justice Minister Helen McEntee as “facetious” and “surprising”.
Read MoreA statutory inquiry is needed into the circumstances surrounding the death of Caitriona Lucas and the investigation into her death.
I raised the need for greater community policing with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, especially in Ennis given the recent increase in anti-social behaviour in the town.
The Justice Minister says there’s no link between the failure to adequately police the streets of inner city Dublin and last week’s rioting and looting. I disagree. One leads to the other. I pointed out the growth in anti-social activity in Ennis of late and called for it to be tackled by Gardaí.
I raised the issue of ongoing overcrowding at UHL and the need to make greater use of Ennis, St. Johns and Nenagh Hospitals.
Despite all the promises, there’s still no announcement of funding for Broadford, Cooraclare or any of the many other unsewered settlements across the country to install a sewerage scheme.
The hypocrisy of the European Council position on the Middle East and the war in Ukraine undermines its influence on the world and its founding principles.
The failure to provide any certainty to owners of Ash dieback affected forests or to process afforestation permits highlight the gulf between what’s promised and delivered by the Government.
Clare TD Michael McNamara has called on the Government to shift its focus to keeping elderly people out of nursing homes and ensuring that the necessary supports are provided to assist the provision of appropriate care in the home setting.
Read MoreCycle lanes make for better photo-ops than sewerage pipes but Ireland’s sewerage infrastructure deficit needs to be addressed with far greater urgency. Unsewered settlements are not even mentioned in the latest EPA report.
Again, surgeries cancelled in Ennis. Again, A+E in UHL dangerously overcrowded. When will this government ensure Ennis is resourced and utilised to alleviate pressure on Limerick?, I asked the Taoiseach.
This government does not respect neutrality. To train belligerents in a war is not the act of a neutral state nor is the language used to condemn Russian actions in Ukraine when it declines to condemn similar actions by the IDF in Palestine in similar terms.
People are afraid to go to University Hospital Limerick (UHL). Lives will be lost because of the fear but, equally, lives will be lost because that fear is justified. While celebrating being republicans this government has perpetuated huge disparity in healthcare across Ireland.
When I asked what would be done to reduce overcrowding this winter at UHL, the most overcrowded hospital in the country, the Taoiseach told me how much would be spent nationally.
My response to Budget 2024 with a particular focus on agriculture, childcare, disability and education.
Clare TD Michael McNamara is urging government to introduce legislation that combats “unscrupulous” landlords who rent out homes unfit for purpose as well as unscrupulous tenants who do not pay rent and “game the system.”
Read MoreThe ability of unscrupulous landlords to rent out homes unfit for purpose, as well as unscrupulous tenants to not pay rent and game the system, needs to be addressed with legislation not platitudes.
At today’s Oireachtas Health Committee, I tried to bring some clarity to the issues around spinal surgery at Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin.
It’s becoming clear, even to the Minister for Agriculture, that the office of the Agri-Food Regulator he has established will not provide the transparency promised.
The number of passengers carried on rail services between Ennis and Limerick during the first six months of 2023 is up 21% on the total figure for 2019.
Read MoreIn light of the relentless bad weather and excessive rain, Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara has urgently called upon the Minister for Agriculture to extend the slurry spreading deadline to the middle of October.
Read MoreThe destruction of the fabric of historical Limerick by local government has been shameful. The new, elected Mayor needs more than ceremonial powers to address the planning, housing, and commercial needs of the city. The Mid-West needs a thriving Limerick City.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2023-09-20/speech/192/
There is a lot of discussion of the requirement of farmers to address the deterioration in water quality, and they must, but focus is needed on measures required of the forestry sector in which the State, Coillte, is the main actor.
A planning application has been submitted by the UL Hospitals Group for the development of a new €9.95m theatre complex at Ennis Hospital.
Read MoreThe number of diabetes patients on the waiting list for Community Podiatry Services in County Clare has dropped by 79% since the beginning of the year.
Read MoreIndependent TD Michael McNamara has echoed calls by the tourism and hospitality industry in County Clare for the Government to ensure that accommodation provided to refugees and asylum seekers is more evenly dispersed across the State.
Read MoreClare Independent TD Michael McNamara has received confirmation from Iarnród Éireann of its plans to enhance capacity on rail services between Ennis and Limerick.
Read MoreIndependent TD Michael McNamara has received confirmation from the HSE that it has sought expressions of interest from third parties in the provision of a new Primary Healthcare Centre in Sixmilebridge and that a Priced Offer process will be undertaken in the third quarter of this year.
Read MoreThe proposed Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023 does nothing to add to the existing prohibition on obstructing somebody from accessing a healthcare facility or harassing somebody. The provisions around communications and conduct “likely to influence the decision of another person” are unimplementable.
The Nature Restoration Law will significantly impact agricultural and maritime communities areas but it’s not clear the Government will introduce the necessary measures to ensure they can remain viable.
97 on trolleys today at UHL in the middle of summer but the government offers no new solution when I raised issue with the Tánaiste today.
Although there’s strong support for it, there’s no agreement on what constitutes public service broadcasting, whether it’s provided by RTÉ, exclusively or at all, and the role of local radio stations.
Political policing cannot be allowed. It has happened before and, under this new policing bill, will happen again.
I wish to express my condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of former Minister, Clare TD and Senator Brendan Daly on his passing.
An Bord Pleanála delays as interest rates rise mean homeowners will pay higher mortgages.
An editorial I wrote for yesterday’s Sunday Independent.
The Minister for Agriculture continues to blame the European Commission’s failure to give State Aid approval to the Government’s forestry plans for what will be the lowest annual afforestation rate in decades, if not ever in this State’s history.
RTÉ has paid Revenue €1.2 million to date in settlements related to bogus self-employment contracts and has made provision for “significantly more” for ongoing cases, I was told in response to my questions to members of the Board and senior management today.
Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara has called for ongoing consultation with communities hosting refugees and asylum seekers, in particular for the Government to outline its plans to address the increased strain placed on GP services as a result of the arrival of Ukrainian refugees and international protection applicants, citing his hometown in East Clare as an example.
Read MoreIndependent Clare TD Michael McNamara says the Government must urgently update the medical criteria for persons wishing to secure a primary medical certificate in order to benefit from the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme (DDDPS).
Read MoreIndependent Clare TD Michael McNamara has said the Government must speed up the introduction of legislation which would ban online gambling advertising and severely restrict the broadcast of gambling advertising on TV and radio.
Read More2.8 litre diesel landcruisers while telling us to go electric…cutting farmers’ funds in environmentally designated areas while talking up the Nature Restoration Law…claiming to be personally putting money in farmers’ pockets when administering taxpayers’ funds…shameless.
The days when young people were merely working for pocket money are, sadly, no more. Young people need to be fairly paid for the work they do.
Clare’s first All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship title in 26 years following a 2-22 to 4-11 win over Galway has been lauded by Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara.
Read MoreThe LGMA, comprised of local authority management, seems more powerful that the Minister. He gives assurances and makes policies regarding retained fire fighters and water workers which the LGMA refuses to implement.
Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara has warned Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue that the treatment of farmers in the Burren Life Scheme and Hen Harrier Project is undermining confidence in the Nature Restoration Law proposals.
Read MoreIndependent TD Michael McNamara has secured a commitment from the Minister for Public Expenditure to explore the continuation and expansion of a pilot scheme that delivers essential wastewater infrastructure in coastal communities that are presently unsewered.
Read MoreTreatment of farmers in the Burren Life Scheme and Hen Harrier Project belie Nature Restoration Law proposals. Farmers are promised compensation, as were farmers in the Burren and Hen Harrier Areas, but that promise was abandoned by this government.
The Chair of a review of Ireland’s abortion laws told me she thought it was acceptable to lessen the employment prospects of medics who conscientiously object to the carrying out of abortion and answered other questions I put to her at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health.
Local authority water workers were promised there would be no change to the terms and conditions of their employment whether they transferred to Irish Water or remained as Council employees. Now, they’re being told that this will not be the case if they do not transfer to Irish Water, and strike action is imminent. I asked if the Government would intervene to ensure the promises made are kept.
An amendment to the Agri-Food Regulator Bill to enable to regulator to go the High Court for an Order compelling the provision of data sought in the event that it wasn’t being provided was not accepted by the Minister for Agriculture.
The continued absence of essential wastewater infrastructure in coastal communities such as Carrigaholt, Doolin and Spanish Point and across the State has been raised with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar by Independent TD Michael McNamara.
Read MoreDeveloping wastewater infrastructure in unsewered settlements is neither the responsibility of local authorities nor Irish Water. Therefore, despite the environmental and economic necessity and a budget surplus, communities all over Ireland have little prospect of a resolution.
In the Dáil today, I raised the plight of Clare coastal communities such as Carrigaholt, Doolin, Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay and Quilty.
The Government consults with some communities but not others on accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees but refuses to explain why.
The Government today accepted my Private Members Motion seeking the implementation of a range of measures aimed at reducing pressure on overcrowded Emergency Departments across the country.
Read MoreClare TD Michael McNamara has called on the Government to ensure that accommodation provided to refugees and asylum seekers is more evenly dispersed across the State.
Read MoreThat Dáil Éireann:
recognises that:
– University Hospital Limerick was the most overcrowded hospital in the country (18,028) followed by Cork University Hospital (12,439), University Hospital Galway (10,150), Sligo University Hospital (8,136) and St Vincent’s University Hospital (7,513); and
– 67,000 patients waited at least a day in their Emergency Departments before being admitted during 2022.
– 584,600 patients were waiting at the end of 222 to be seen at an outpatient clinic for the first time by a consultant; and
– Waiting list numbers reduced by 4% in 2022, significantly lower than the government’s waiting list reduction target of 18% for the year.
– Ireland remains a laggard in Europe for digitisation in the health system and the introduction of electronic health records
– the use of such technology could significantly reduce triage times in emergency departments
– There remains a lack of a specific national structure or control for clinical oversight of the care of people admitted to nursing homes and they have difficulty accessing treatment by primary care teams
– the lack of such oversight and care can result in unnecessary presentations at Emergency Departments
acknowledges:
calls on the Government to:
The power that the Agri-Food Regulator will have to bring transparency to the food chain was debated and disputed last night in the Dáil when my suggested amendments were discussed.
Discrimination in planning decisions based on farm size or “viability” of a farm holding by An Bord Pleanála, and recently enshrined in the Clare County Development Plan, must be tackled and eradicate