Students account for 20% of Ireland's population. Sending students to school in the current climate, while also considering that online learning was practiced successfully last year, is an unnecessary risk to public safety. Issues facing schools include confusion over the definition of a close contact, no guarantee of when a test result will be returned to a student, and no option for high-risk teachers to teach from home. An inadequate following of restrictions, including a lack of social distancing before and after school as well as at break times, masks not being used at break times and hand sanitizers being recalled because they were not safe are just some of the health concerns affecting schools. Finally, students are struggling massively with their mental health right now. The fear of contracting and possibly spreading Covid-19 to loved ones and high risk friends is leaving many students stressed and afraid to go to school.

All citizens have the right to buy clothing. This is particularly important for children. Clothing is a basic necessity and right. Parents expecting babies are entitled and should be able to buy the clothes they need for their children. Parents have the right and should be able to buy clothing and shoes for their growing children. Parents should be able to buy coats and weather appropriate items for their children.

In August 2020 it was announced that the Department of Justice is intending to set up a Direct Provision Centre for people who have fallen victim to the commercial sex trade which is to be run by DePaul and Ruhama. Victims of the commercial sex trade in this context means people who engaged in sex work or survivors of sex trafficking. We also believe other vulnerable people who have been victimised will be moved to this centre. While we welcome an end to human trafficking survivors being housed in Direct Provision, we would like to see everyone removed from Direct Provision and housed within communities. This step being a longer-term objective means we need to express our disapproval that Ruhama be placed in a position of responsibility within any new centre. Ruhama was founded by The Sisters of Charity and The Sisters of The Good Shephard. As of August 2020, Ruhama, while claiming to be secular, still had 3 members of the Sisters of The Good Shephard order on their board and pushes extreme ideology in relation to autonomy and sex work and sex trafficking. The Sisters of the Good Shephard and the Sisters of Charities claim to have a long history with “troubled women” from the 18th century until the eventual closure of the last laundry closing in the early 2000’s Magdalene Laundries were run by orders of nuns including the Sisters of the Good Shephard who both founded Ruhama and have current positions on their board. The Sisters of Charity too ran Magdalene Laundries. Both refused to meet their victims just a year ago. The orders trafficked women into commercial and domestic slavery and trafficked their children all around the world without consent, more sadly died. By the time the last Laundry closed the orders were involved in Ruhama. The abuses and inhumanity in the Magdalene Laundries run by The Sisters of Charity and The Sisters of the Good Shephard are finally coming into light in their full horror and in spite of attempts to seal the archives, the survivors and the public continue to fight to have them accessible for those they impacted. These two orders and those like them trafficked tens of thousands of vulnerable women and children. Putting an organisation which was founded and still claims members of an order who ran a human trafficking cartel in Ireland for decades, in a place of responsibility over vulnerable victims is absolutely irresponsible and completely ignores what we have learned from our own history. We must insist that Ruhama is taken out of the list of viable options for this role. Irish people continue to suffer at the hands of the Sisters of the Good Shephard and the Sisters of Charity and while we fight to ensure those victims still have the right to access their personal information, we must also ensure that we never allow institutions to be founded which we know have lead to abuse and degradation and damage to human life. Ruhama in its capacity as an anti sex trafficking organisation has derailed the anti- human trafficking efforts by focusing so much attention on sex trafficking while not acknowledging that labour trafficking has been the largest kind of trafficking in Ireland consistently until last year. We are unaware of any anti-labour trafficking organisation currently receiving any state funding. Child trafficking is also a serious issue on the ground when working in anti-human trafficking in Ireland, yet the only dedicated anti child trafficking organisation is not regularly funded by the Department of Justice. By conflating sex work and sex trafficking as similarly victimising Ruhama have inflated sex trafficking to be the largest nationwide trafficking phenomena which our work on the ground would discredit. We also find their attitude towards sex workers as “women in prostitution” and the lack of representation of sex workers and trafficking survivors within Ruhama to be massively problematic.

It is important for this to happen, because there are students in both Third Level and Future Education Colleges who are being looked down upon and made feel ashamed and embarrassed because of their mental health and the majority of us Students are being kicked out of their college for having a Mental Health Illness. You can't just stick a plaster over a Mental Health Illness, it's not the same as a broken arm or leg; were it it will heal in approximately 6 weeks. I think both students and teachers should be taught about Mental Health so they can understand it more and know exactly how to help someone with Mental Health; mental health isn't just an illness; it affects everyone differently and the majority of mental health goes unnoticed due to it been invisible. 1 in 5 people have Mental Illness, 5 in 5 people have Mental Health We want you Simon Harris to join us Students in stopping this Stigma of Mental Health in college, especially now in these difficult times.

Libraries can safely operate a click and collect service while maintaining adhering to the current guidelines. Under Level 5 , retailers which can provide a click and collect service to customers are allowed to continue to operate, this shows lack of consistency in Government policy. Public libraries provide an essential service to local communities. While we acknowledge that online services such as audio and ebook rentals are offered under Level 5, these services should not be considered equivalent to library book rental.

Did you learn to swim in Marian College Swimming Pool? Generations of local children and adults alike have been using this unique facility in the heart of Dublin 4 since the early 1960's. Marian has played a key role in helping our communities fitness and wellbeing. We believe that the time is now to maintain and build upon its importance and outreach. Securing a better society where community, social interaction, exercise and education are at the heart of our daily lives. We would like to be assured that there is a plan in place to re-open in the not too distant future. Our entire community is in danger of losing the swimming pool forever, if nothing is done. This petition serves to show how much support and goodwill exist to you the board of management, together with your dedicated staff. Who have the knowledge to plan a safe reopening of this much needed facility. Please show your support to Save Marian Swimming pool from closure , before it is gone forever.

The Irish Government should care because thousands of international students studying in Ireland are going to be going into debt for an education that might not be worth the amount of money universities are asking for. Students should get the chance to experience university life in full, with access to societies, clubs, opportunities, and chances to network and develop meaningful relationships face-to-face. Many benefits of attending University have been taken away by COVID-19. There is so much more to University than the academic side.

The former owner of this site should be commemorated as someone who triumphed over adversity, by dedicating this iconic viewing spot in Tramore to those who struggle due to exclusion. An accessible community garden with coffee shop would offer all in the town and beyond, a space and workplace for inclusion along with environmental appreciation.

It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to you in regards to the cuts in EWSS and PUP last Friday 18th September. Despite several thousand emails arriving into TD's inboxes last week on this matter, all we have received are unfulfilled promises from the current government. The news of these cuts came at the same time we were informed that the bars in Dublin and surrounding areas would be shut for a further 3 weeks! To say this is kicking us while we're down, is an understatement. I know a lot of local constituents facing hardship as a direct result of the lack of action, leadership, and support from the current government, during this pandemic. This includes volumes of bartenders, chefs, kitchen porters, managers, servers, reservations staff, security, HR departments, young performers and musicians! There is a deep rooted culture that is being neglected for public health reasons, and although that is justifiable, it does not in the slightest justify the lack of support we need to receive for our sacrifices. It has now reached a point in time where some are making the decision between the roof over their heads and the food on their tables. There is a terrible attitude towards live performers and the hospitality sector, as if our professions do not justify the money we receive. That is very much pandering to a division in class, and it totally undermines the lengths and efforts to develop and master the talents that we were given. As you are well aware, the amount of revenue the government receives from the Tourism, Hospitality, and Live entertainment industries through taxation is substantial! License fees, VAT, PAYE, the list goes on! We have paid our fair way just like any other fully employed person has done and we should continue to receive the PUP until our industry is open again. To say there is a feeling of no confidence in this government is an understatement. Change was demanded at the beginning of this year and when this Dail was formed. We were promised change by the same two parties that have promised it so many times and failed to deliver. We were promised change when the opposition stepped back on forming a left minority. We were promised change and the only change we have witnessed has been in the wrong direction for us. It has taken 8 months to come up with a less than adequate 5 level plan for this pandemic, an issue that requires emergency response times and clear concise rules, not guidelines! We understand that a pandemic of this nature is quite a challenge for any government to tackle and our advice to you as the owners and workers of the hospitality sector is to listen to your constituents, especially the experts of each respective sector. In our case, we have sacrificed our main source of income to help you tackle this public health crisis, the least you can do is to help us in return. We demand the immediate reinstatement of the EWSS and PUP payment at the full rate per week (350EUR) for the highly skilled staff and businesses of this valued sector, until the sector (which is fully closed by government under public health advice) is allowed to return to work. We will continue to do our part for the sake of this country and we hope you will hold your end of the bargain too. Go raibh maith agaibh,

Its important that we have these services set in place because after loosing a loved one to suicide it does effect everyones mental health that they were close to whether it was parent ,child ,partner ,spouse ,family relative , friend . Etc.. As after every suicide loss the people they were most closes with are at higher risk of being suicidal themselves . Its important young children and adults gets these services as they need somewhere they can turn to and connect with people who are walking the same path so they dont feel alone . We need changes , we need these changes now .

We believe it is inappropriate for a vulnerable young person (16-18) needing temporary or emergency accommodation to be placed in a B&B where adults are also placed. However, if the trust need to use these centres we want them to ensure that all employees have been previously accessNI checked prior to placing a young person within. Lisa Arthurs states, "My daughter Gabrielle was only 17 when she was placed in a B&B where she was sexually assaulted. No prior police checks were carried out on those working in the B&B. The sexual assault impacted Gabby massively and when Gabby sought counselling she was told she would have to wait months. Within this time period things began to spiral out of control for Gabby and she was subsequently placed in a number of centres which were miles away from the support of her family and friends. Tragically Gabby is no longer with us to fight for this change, however I have started this campaign #JusticeForGabby to ensure change happens within the care system. Firstly, we want to ensure that the Health and Social Care Trust carry out police checks on all staff working within these B&B's. I want to ensure that no other young person suffers the same fate as Gabby. Gabby was a loving, kind, warm hearted soul who was always looking out for her friends and family. We miss and love her so much everyday. Please support our campaign - change will happen!" FOI - Freedom Of Information Request (from the Belfast Trust) - 13th November 2020; Can you confirm that all staff/percentage of staff (not only owners/managers) working within the B&B or hotel have been access NI checked prior to placing a young person there? The Trust cannot confirm that all staff working in a B&B/ Hotel are access NI checked prior to a young person being placed there and this is outside the Trust’s remit Gabby recorded her story a few months before her death where she highlights the failings within the system. Please see video attached (www.vimeo.com/480947678). Please support our campaign by signing and sharing this petition. This is only the start of #JusticeForGabby.

We believe that the restrictions currently in place due to the Covid outbreak are not necessary, not based on scientific evidence, are disrespecting human rights and are not proportionate to achieve the objective of limiting the spread of the virus. We are concerned about Birth and Perinatal Trauma and the long term Mental Health issues that these restrictions are causing/will cause.