The EU should not be acquiring military capabilities or competences - it is not a military organisation and neutral member states such as Ireland should not be expected to support in any way a military infrastructure that is incompatible with the peaceful resolution of international disputes. Ireland should continue its tradition of peacekeeping within UN-mandated operations only and should refuse to participate in or support increasingly militaristic EU operations as well as ever growing military expenditure.

Homeless people suffer more ill health than the housed population and therefore have a higher need for prescription medication. Many homeless people cannot afford the €2.50 prescription charge payable on every item. Homeless health services repeatedly come across homeless patients who cannot afford their medication and so may not complete a course of antibiotics or take heparin for a clot. They often end up in hospital because of this. Homeless people are registered with local authorities and therefore it is possible to identify individuals so they are exempt from this charge.

Freedom of speech is vital.

Syrian refugees are coming to Ireland in increasing numbers. There is a need for reception centres to provide accommodation and services to help refugees settle successfully in Ireland. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/hotel-owner-blocks-plan-to-house-syrian-refugees-qbltd8c8n

Galway City Council is planning to evict 10 families from Cúl Trá halting site in Lower Salthill, Galway leaving them homeless and with no alternative culturally appropriate accommodation.[1] This eviction would make over 42 people homeless including 22 children aged between 4 months and 10 years, some with medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis. The families were issued a notice to vacate by June 5th and Galway City Council has said it will consider court action if the ten families do not leave the site. Galway City Council has been well aware of overcrowding on Cúl Trá site for over a decade and yet no alternative halting site accommodation has been developed.[2] The Cúl Trá site was built 21 years ago to accommodate 6 families. No new halting site has been built in the city since. The 10 families that were served notices to vacate are the children of the 6 original families and have spent their whole lives living on the site. The families are part of the Salthill community with children attending local schools. One resident said that the children are the “heart and soul” of the community. If families are evicted they will be forced to leave their community and live on the side of the road without basic amenities. Kathleen Ward, one of the residents said; “The site is a fire and safety issue but isn’t it a fire and safety issue to put us out on the side of the road? We have nowhere to go”.[3] Galway City Council has proposed 3 pieces of land for temporary halting sites to address the Traveller accommodation crisis. Areas identified for the proposed sites are Ballymoneen Road, Headford Road and Westside. However, at a public council meeting, some local councillors have objected to these proposed halting sites. We are calling on Brendan McGrath to stop the Cúl Trá evictions and to use his executive powers to develop the proposed halting sites in Galway city. Notes 1. Galway City Council has a legal obligation to provide culturally appropriate accommodation under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998. 2. The need for additional halting sites to provide accommodation for the families at risk of eviction has been included in successive Traveller Accommodation Programmes however no new halting site has been built. 3. In 2016, in the wake of the Carrickmines tragedy, a fire safety audit of Traveller specific accommodation was conducted by The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management and a report was compiled with recommendations to address fire safety issues. This report recommended that measures to address fire safety should not be used to address overcrowding or other broader site management issues.

Micháel Martin is calling for the bigger parties on the Dáil to be given more speaking time than smaller parties. This is undemocratic and unfairly targets parties with less TD's, and those they represent.

Secretaries employed under the DES 1978/79 scheme enjoy Civil Service salaries and terms of employment while secretaries employed after this time are paid through a grant given to individual schools where their salary, terms etc. are decided by the Board of Managements. In spite of all School Secretaries performing similar duties there is a vast discrepancy between pay and terms. Perhaps most importantly, secretaries paid directly by their schools have absolutely no pension to look forward to (even after 20 years plus loyal service) while those employed by the Dept. can look forward to a full Civil Service pension. The result of this arrangement is extremely unjust and we are asking to have it rectified with all School Secretaries being treated as Civil Servants and receiving remuneration and pension rights in line with their years of service.

The misuse of the mental health act as a means to deny women and young girls the medical care they need is not acceptable. It's time for real choice, it's time for a referendum on the eighth amendment that offers real choice to the Irish public.

DUP MPs with extremist views on abortion must not be allowed to threaten an area of healthcare that one in three women will need in their lifetime. They must not be allowed to block the progress women deserve. It’s 50 years since the Abortion Act was passed and it needs to be extended not rowed back on

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Indicate how it proposes to implement all the recommendations of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and indicate the time frame for doing so; (b) Institute prompt, independent and thorough investigations into all cases of abuse as found by the report and, if appropriate, prosecute and punish perpetrators; (c) Ensure that all victims of abuse obtain redress and have an enforceable right to compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. Call to action : please show your support by commenting via change.org also uplift.ie and sharing this cause via social media Thank you to you and your supporters X p.s. no abusive language

One day in 1948 Billy Fox, grandfather of U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning bid farewell to Rathmines Dublin and set off seeking work abroad. He settled in Haverfordwest, South Wales. On May 17th Billy’s granddaughter Chelsea Manning will be released from Fort Leavenworth high-security prison, having spent almost a quarter of her life in jail. Following former US President Barack Obama’s pardon, twenty-nine-year-old Chelsea will walk free having served seven years of the 35-year sentence imposed on her for telling the world the truth about US Army activities in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Nothing would be more fitting than for Dublin City Council to celebrate truth and moral courage by granting the Freedom of the City to Chelsea Manning. Her Welsh/Irish mother Susan, as well as her aunts and uncles, have been to Dublin several times, and Dublin musicians, performers and supporters have been to South Wales to express solidarity with the relatives of a true hero. It is a golden opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Dublin’s global diaspora, and to honour a very special granddaughter of Dublin City in an age when the role of the whistleblower is more crucial than ever. .......... On Saturday May 20th members of the Manning family will participate in the 30th annual Afri famine walk in Doolough, Co. Mayo. On Sunday from 5.30pm-8.30pm they will be guests of honour at the Celebrating Resistance event at the Teacher’s Club in Dublin.

Deliveroo operates on a commission based mobile app which runs on zero hours contract. Drivers are paid much less than minimum wage (on average €8.50 an hour) and rely solely on there being enough drops/deliveries available. They are not covered by insurance, must pay €200 for equipment and also extra running costs such as ringing customers /paying for mobile data from their own earnings. Drivers are not covered by employment laws or insurance . We need to send a message loud and clear to management that workers keep the business coming in and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Please sign this petition.