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77. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the programme for Government commitment to provide in-house Irish Sign Language interpreters in deaf education settings; if not, the reason this commitment has not yet been implemented; if she will provide a clear timeline for delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12996/26]

78. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department recognises the distinction between ISL special class support, ISL SCS, posts and dedicated in-house ISL interpreter roles; if she will confirm that ISL SCS posts will not be treated as a substitute for interpreter provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12997/26]

79. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has assessed the impact on deaf teachers and school staff of the absence of in house ISL interpreters; if she accepts that reliance on ad hoc or external interpreters undermines equal staff participation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12998/26]

80. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Youth in light of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017, if the continued absence of in house ISL interpreter provision in deaf schools can be reconciled with the State’s obligations; the steps taken to fill these absences; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12999/26]

83. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has examined a centralised in-house Department staffing model for ISL interpreters; and if so, if she will provide the findings of any such analysis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13002/26]

199. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the supports that are available to someone in a private property who has a leaking roof they cannot afford to repair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12934/26]

200. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 620 of 27 January 2026, the threshold at which his Department is required to design bespoke plans for specific SAC sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13068/26]

201. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding allocated to NGOs by his Department in 2025; the funding allocated to NGOs by agencies and bodies under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13089/26]

202. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the provision that can be made for allowance in cost-rental applications which are deemed invalid because of a delay in the issuing of Irish residence permits. [13239/26]

203. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the guidelines for certified modular wastewater treatment systems will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13278/26]

204. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a breakdown of the numbers of properties by rural and urban area in every local authority that availed of the vacant property refurbishment grant in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13279/26]

205. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Defence the work being undertaken by her Department to improve housing conditions for members of the Defence Forces in the Curragh; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12382/26]

250. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she spoke with the US House of Representatives speaker during her recent visit to Washington DC. [11600/26]

288. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade given the increasing attention by her and her Department on the ongoing detention of a person (details supplied); the high-level engagement she personally has had or has instructed her officials to have with senior elected officials in the US House of Representatives; if she will release copy correspondence regarding any a…

383. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport whether his Department or the Road Safety Authority holds or has access to data on serious injuries and fatalities involving scrambler bikes and off-road vehicles in public places other than public roads, including parks, housing estates and green spaces; if not, whether he will direct that such data be collated; and if he will make a statem…

464. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether his Department has examined the introduction of a capped, tax advantaged long term savings or investment account, similar in structure to the Individual Savings Account used in the United Kingdom, as a practical way to help young people build up savings for housing deposits over time; and if he will make a statement on …

466. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance whether any analysis has been carried out on how capped, tax advantaged long-term savings vehicles could support first-time buyers, particularly younger households, to accumulate housing deposits in a sustainable way without increasing future pressure on the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11777/26]

756. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Report of the Interdepartmental Group on National Coastal Change Management Strategy of 26 October 2023; in particular, the actions that have taken place to monitor, mitigate, manage and prevent coastal erosion and con…

757. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to update on progress to transpose the energy performance of buildings into Irish law; if his Department will meet the deadline to transpose this into Irish law by 29 May 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12683/26]

758. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the requirements in place to ensure a portion of the target of 12,000 new social homes built on average a year as part of the national development plan are accessible, adaptable and suitable for people with disabilities, such as those in a wheelchair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12815/26]

759. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to publish the updated planning policy statement on short-term letting as its absence has caused significant levels of confusion and anxiety to owners of short-term lettings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12961/26]

761. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department provides grants to schools engaging in nature-based education for the purchase of necessary equipment such as waterproof clothing, gardening tools, storage equipment and materials for outdoor activities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11609/26]

762. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the new regulations in relation to developer-led wastewater infrastructure plants will be operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11624/26]

763. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider introducing a requirement that all new-build residential properties be fitted with solar panels as standard. [11645/26]

764. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the current stage of the Wind Turbine Regulation Bill 2025; the progress made to date; and the expected timeline for its next legislative steps. [11650/26]

I wish to raise my concerns about the future of Irish rivers, in particular in the context of a plan apparently being put forward by the Fianna Fáil housing Department to redesignate a large number of rivers as heavily modified water bodies. I refer to rivers like the Boyne, the Barrow, the Corrib, the Dodder, the Liffey, the Lee and the Shannon. Concerns have been raised by Friends of the Irish E…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Bill makes changes to the insolvency payments scheme. This scheme fulfils a vital function. It protects workers in the event of their employer's insolvency. It covers certain pay and pension-related entitlements that an employee may…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue of workers' rights. Over the past 40 years, I have long been involved in campaigns, with workers and as a worker myself on many occasions, trying to get basic rights. I broadly welcome the Bill. It makes the necessary changes to the insolvency payments scheme but it is coming late. I welcome that it will cater for the situation at present regarding…

I might as well address the so-called freedom fighters of Independent Ireland. A Deputy brought an outside person into this House with a tripod and camera. That person made appalling videos and denigrated the excellent staff of this House in the restaurant and the excellent cuisine on offer there.

I call on Deputy O'Flynn to apologise. He does not know anything about business. The restaurant here is a business and many people are employed there as well as in the bar. There are also the staff of the House, including the ushers. To denigrate this House, its staff, its workers and its cuisine-----

As a first-time Deputy, I welcome the Bill. The supports it provides are very much necessary. The original residential institutions redress scheme was very transactional and survivors had a really hard time applying for redress. As Deputy Heneghan mentioned, the Artane industrial school was in our constituency. I am acutely aware of the trauma endured by those who attended the school, both while …

I thank the Taoiseach. Ireland's economic success should not be taken for granted. It is critical that we continue to prioritise trade and competitiveness. With this in mind, the Taoiseach might indicate to the House when we intend to fully ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada. Trade and services between Ireland and Canada amount to €10 billion and it is a significant …

Last Wednesday, we had statements on the situation in Gaza and Palestine and since then there has been a continuation of indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians. Consideration is being given by the EU to the EU-Israel trade agreement and last week, the Taoiseach mentioned in the House that a memo would be brought to the Cabinet on the occupied territories Bill. Is the Taoiseach in a posi…

I want to begin by welcoming members of the O'Farrell family to the House. I am conscious that for Shane's parents, Lucia and Jim, and his for his four sisters, Hannah, Gemma, Aimee and Pia, this very far from your first time in this House, or in the environs of Government Buildings. I had the honour of meeting you when I served as Minister for Justice. I was in awe of you all. I was in awe of you…

The main thing I want to do is to pay tribute, as has been done by many others, to Lucia, Jim and Shane's sisters. For 14 years, you should have been able to grieve and live your lives. Instead, you had to fight for justice. We should remember that the family was not fighting for justice against nobody. The state was on the other side and was blocking the search for justice. The State apology is …

Today's apology by the Government is long overdue. While welcome, it cannot undo the deep pain and injustice endured by the O'Farrell family for more than a decade. Shane O'Farrell was a bright, compassionate young man whose life was stolen in the most avoidable of circumstances and the system utterly failed him. I salute the O'Farrell family who are here today for all the work they have done. Fr…

This is my tenth year speaking in the Dáil and representing my constituents. There have been tough days where I had to stand up and one of them related to the Maskey report on mental health. Today is another one of those days when we discuss unnecessary hip surgeries in Children's Health Ireland, CHI. The patients and families affected by the publication of the audit report are at the forefront o…

The Minister will agree that the cornerstone of our health service is trust. I am not a clinician, and I do not think she is one. Although some are clinicians, most Deputies in this House are not, but we depend on clinicians to guide us when we develop specialist services, for example, and when we get sick. That came into very sharp focus during Covid when people tried to sow mistrust about clinic…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House to deal with this issue. This is a really difficult time for children but, in particular, for parents because children place their trust in their parents. The parents in this case placed their trust in the consultants and took their advice in coming to a decision about the best way of managing the medical care required. Simon Thomas, who has been with …

I thank all the Deputies who contributed to the debate this evening with compassion and empathy. That is shared by Deputies on all sides of this House. All of us are appalled and horrified by what is happening in Gaza. I address the Dáil, fully aware of the deep sensitivity surrounding the plight of the Palestinian people. I strongly and utterly condemn the continuing Israeli military operations i…

I am delighted to take this question from Deputy Donnelly and I appreciate the constructive manner that it is placed and hopefully I will be able to reply in an equally constructive manner. I will skip over some of the introductory remarks, which he will receive to his place shortly - because the Deputy knows himself the Passport Office is working extremely hard on delivering overall, with 440,000…

I thank the Acting Chair for sitting so late. I also thank the Minister of State for her time here this evening. County Kildare is in desperate need of the Government's attention. Despite being the fifth most populated local authority area in the State, with a population four times larger than our neighbours in Carlow, we rarely receive the appropriate national attention required. Kildare's growt…

To answer the Deputy's second question, yes, I will commit to increasing funding in education. I have announced that already and brought this before Cabinet where I secured approval to do so. The National Training Fund is a €1.485 billion pot of moneys which is collected through employer levies to support training and educational needs. There is a need for legislation to unlock that fund because …

I am sure they will because this is an issue about which they have become incredibly exercised, and for good reason. I am using St. Senan's as an example because it was the club that was highlighted in the RTÉ report, but in the immediate surrounding areas 66% of the houses are holiday homes. When a house comes onto the market, young people who might want to stay in the area and are interested in …

We had a discussion on this with an Teachta McGuinness in our first question. We will work with the Minister, Deputy James Browne, on a range of initiatives on rural housing and increasing supply through local authorities, which have been asked to supply more land through the vacant homes scheme, which is opening up closed-up communities in many rural areas. In May 2024, my Department announced €1…

As the Minister knows, Ballincollig, which is in my constituency, won the Tidy Towns competition in 2024. It involved a huge contribution from the community over many years. A really strong community spirit has been created. The problem I now have in my constituency in places like Blarney and Glanmire which have had huge population increases is that we have not set aside facilities to be developed…

I acknowledge that Department officials work really hard and are getting good value for the money that is allocated. When money is allocated to a community group, it will raise a whole lot more money itself to develop and grow the facilities. My big concerns centres around the areas where there is a huge increase in housing. The Minister talked about the allocation in Blarney, which is very welcom…

In the overall context of any development such as the housing referred to by the Deputy, first it is a matter for the local authority to put the plans in place. It draws down development levies for all of that construction. It should put the plan in place to have that facility developed. My Department will then be more than happy to work with it to identify potential funding opportunities. Part of…

The continuing loss of young people from rural areas like Offaly is deeply worrying. The truth is that we are educating our children to live elsewhere. We equip them with the skills, ambition and drive but the jobs, housing and services they need to build a future in the locality are not in place. This trend is affecting everything - from school enrolments to local businesses and the fabric of ru…

I very much appreciate that events have overtaken us. First, I join with the Deputy in acknowledging that it is the tenth anniversary of marriage equality today. I acknowledge the pretty significant role the Deputy's party played in this. I enjoyed being in government with the Labour Party during that period when we put this referendum to the people of Ireland and became the first country in the w…