Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where an opt-out system is not yet in place. It's wrong that people and children's lives are at risk because of the DUP boycott at Stormont. The Secretary of State must use his powers to put this law in place now.

It is important that the level of anger, frustration and concern from teachers across Ireland about these changes is shared with the Minister and Department of Education so that they understand why these requirements are making it increasingly difficult for teachers to upskill, train and qualify for their EPV days entitlements and CPD certification.

Trees are essential to our existence. They provide us with oxygen, reduce carbon and give life to the world's wildlife. Saving our trees will reduce greenhouse gases, protect our wildlife and bees, and make sure our environment and communities can be enjoyed by future generations.

We could make a positive and impactful difference to the community of Killester and surrounding areas if the Legion Hall was brought into public ownership, refurbished and reopened once again as a community centre which for decades was a focal and central hub for the community of thr Killester Garden Village and surrounding areas.

For the safety and benefits of ALL residents : kids, working families, pensioners. In order to reduce car emissions and meet Ireland' green targets, we need to reduce our car use. But if its not safe to walk your kids from home to school, If you risk your live cycling from Mornington to Laytown station, to avoid using your car, that is not right.

The Mount Keefe Chalice is one of Ireland's oldest artefacts. It is currently on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. What's disappointing about this is that this artefact is an object that belonged to monks of the late 17th Century in Ireland. It is presumed to have been used to celebrate mass when Penal Laws were very strict in Ireland. The Mount Keefe Chalice was said to have disappeared after the murder of two monks in the region of Newmarket, Co. Cork. The chalice appeared again, 200 years later! Eventually, in 1929 it was sold by an heiress of a large estate in Co. Cork to the value of £400 (approx. €25,000) to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. [1] I would like us, the people of Ireland, to reevaluate it's placement in the UK. Why is it displayed in a museum in the UK? Can we reclaim this Chalice and any other artifacts like it, bring it back to it's cultural land of origin. The heritage that this chalice, and artefacts like it could be brought back to Ireland in an appropriate context that can be shared and valued by all. Photograph: Public Domain Pictures | Pixabay [1] https://lovin.ie/news/calls-for-stolen-irish-artefacts-to-be-returned-from-british-museums

Homework for younger children can cause unnecessary stress just before bedtime and eat into what little leisure time families have during during the week. In a typical household with working parents, by the time children are collected from childcare, have eaten dinner and completed their homework, its already time to being bedtime routines. Instead, parents could spend valuable time playing with their children or engaging in physical activities with them that would allow them to sleep better and have a more positive and fun time with their parents. Take Finland as an example. Finland regularly tops international polls for their high educational standards and Finnish schools do not have homework. For the wellbeing of families and educational outcomes - homework in primary school children should be banned now. Homework can be very important for developing independent learning skills in older children but research shows that it has little impact on the learning development of younger children and can actually increase the gap in attainment for disadvantaged students. https://theconversation.com/primary-school-children-get-little-academic-benefit-from-homework-181652 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1501844

Because until members of Dail Eireann are insulated from the horrors of the public health service there will be no impetus to tackle a problem that has existed for many years well before the arrival of COVID and computer glitches. This problem existed when the country was awash with money.

In the last 100 years, Ireland has made great progress and made some mistakes. Meanwhile, in the last 100 years, three generations have not all been able to live here with their needs being met. Mass emigration is a trend in the country that tears families and communities apart. People look for a better future elsewhere because they can't see a good future here. Doctors and nurses emigrating because they don't feel valued. Their pay doesn't allow them to buy a house or save. Teachers are not able to afford rent and health insurance simultaneously. Couples living separately with their parents because they can't afford a house, can't afford a home to rent together, or buy a home together. People in their 20s and 30s think they need to emigrate to progress in these stages of life development. Having children and a home in Ireland is seemingly getting more and more difficult. A best who emigrates effects relationship ties and general happiness. Brothers who emigrate and subsequently put pressure on other siblings to take care of aging parents. These are two more examples of how this affects our communities and social health of the collective of people in Ireland. Generations have left Ireland before in hopes of a better life, higher paying jobs and opportunities that can't be found here in Ireland. Unfortunately, this is the reality for a high number of people in their 20s and 30s. How can they afford a house as an artist, or a teacher in Ireland? Our doctors and nurses being prepped and advised not to stay in Ireland, making the people of Ireland doubt the security of the needed care of our loved ones. Without the possibility of being able to confidently progress through life stages as individuals, our health and wellbeing will suffer. When our people emigrate, family structures and communities weaken. These effects ripple through our country, negatively effecting our physical, social, emotional and mental health. Add your name to my petition if you agree.

Rural Ireland needs balanced afforestation that protects communities, farmers and biodiversity. Large scale corporate owned plantations will accelerate the destruction of livable communities and nature.

Our hospitals are more overcrowded than ever before. There are almost 1,000 patients without beds in Irish hospitals today as the trolley crisis hits a new record high. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said this is the largest number of patients left without a hospital bed since the union started counting trolley figures in 2006. Hospitals are now dangerously overcrowded. The Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO) has advised the worst-hit hospitals to enact emergency protocols. In 2020, in anticipation of possible surges in hospitals, the Irish government reached an agreement with private hospitals to access their capacity for three months to alleviate pressure on the public system, as part of its comprehensive response to the pandemic. The overcrowing situation in Irish hospitals is now critical and so we're asking the government to respond to this crisis in the same way they did the Covid-19 crisis when they reached agreements with private hospitals to ease capacity in public hospitals. Allowing public patients to use private hospitals is the fastest way to alleviate the current dangers facing patients and staff in overcrowded public hospitals.

There is nothing more important to us as a nation than to care for, nurture, protect and preserve the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren. A very close second is the need to protect and preserve our natural environment for those generations that follow us, who will depend upon it. A recent submission to the Citizens Assembly examining Bio-Diversity Loss in Ireland confirmed that our natural freshwaters are being deliberately, unlawfully polluted by 5000 defective (leaking) slurry/effluent storage tanks that were built on NI farms, thousands of which were built in the border counties of Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Armagh. * Updated to: https://citizensassembly.ie/wp-content/uploads/396_Redacted.pdf The toxic contents leaking from those defective tanks pollute/poison local streams rivers and lakes that flow across the 310mile border and pollute/poison the freshwaters in the border counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and the counties beyond them, killing the marine life and flora and fauna that exist in those freshwaters and causing/contributing to the pollution recorded by the EPA in their reports. RTE reported the EPA Studies that confirm the levels of pollution in our natural freshwaters. https://www.rte.ie/news/environment/2022/1014/1329164-epa-water-quality/ https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/1020/1330259-epa-sewage-report/ Those streams, rivers and lakes are the source of the water that we all use/drink every day. Think of this when you pour your next cup of tea/coffee or hand your child a glass of tap-water to drink. *Update: On 26-01-23 the European Commission referred Ireland to the European Court over its failures to protect its freshwaters from pollution and maintain acceptable standards of drinking water.* Please sign this petition and forward it to your elected representative and please also share it with your friends and family and ask them to do the same.