2026-06-09

Friedreich’s ataxia is a progressive and degenerative disease for which there is no cure. Until recently there was no effective treatment either but now there is. It is called Skyclarys and it is available elsewhere in Europe but not here in Ireland. People with Friedreich’s ataxia have been waiting since 1 August 2024, 677 days, for the HSE to make this drug available. Why is Skyclarys not on the agenda for the HSE drugs group meeting that will happen tomorrow? Further delay is intolerable and cruel because there is no pause in this disease. Every day lost has consequences. Emily Felix told me that delay so far has cost her permanent damage - loss of swallow, loss of speech - and she is not prepared to suffer any more. I would like the Taoiseach to tell Emily Felix, Oisín Pollard, Jodie Donovan, Emily Kerrigan and Niamh Herbert, all in the Public Gallery, all waiting and waiting for this drug.

Thank you, Deputy. Your time is up.

I would like the Taoiseach confirm for them that the HSE drugs group will deal with this matter-----

I call the Taoiseach to respond. Deputy McDonald, you know you are way over time.

-----and that these fine people will have access to the treatment they need.

Co-operate, please. I call the Taoiseach to respond.

I have discussed this with the Minister for Health. We want all those living with Friedreich's ataxia to have access to Skyclarys as fast as we possibly can. The company made its commercial proposal on 28 May-----

No, 21 May.

Please, Deputy.

On 28 May last-----

On 21 May.

Please, Deputy.

I have documentation.

I am interested in getting this drug over the line.

The Taoiseach cannot mislead the House.

I am not interesting in playing games with this. The Deputy asked me a question. I ask her at least to allow me to answer because there are lots of families and people very dependent-----

They are here-----

Deputy, please.

-----on our getting this over the line. I have discussed this. I had an official with me yesterday when I met one individual who is living with Friedreich's ataxia and with his parent. The commercial proposal came in on 28 May.

No.

The Deputy is referring to the original proposal in terms of 2024.

No.

There have been engagements between the HSE and the company, Biogen Idec. It will not be tomorrow-----

Why not?

-----but what we are endeavouring to do is to get this on-----

Thank you, Taoiseach. There may be further engagement on both sides.

I will just make the point because things have been said here and there are lots of families-----

But your time is up.

But they need to know the information.

This is Questions on Policy or Legislation, Taoiseach. Your time is up. The next speaker is-----

Basically, we want to get it as quickly as possible from the July meeting.

I call Deputy Gibney.

The Taoiseach needs to give them a date.

That is shocking.

Please, Deputy McDonald. I call Deputy Gibney.

They are in the Public Gallery.

I call Deputy Gibney. Would you please-----

Stop playing games.

I am not playing games.

Deputy Gibney is on her feet.

They want an answer.

The rules are the rules, Deputy. Please co-operate.

Shocking.

What is shocking about it is that they do not have access.

Deputy Gibney is on her feet.

Earlier, when the Taoiseach spoke about Stop the Game, I think he implied, basically, that sport is not political. I would have a litany of examples to show him that there are many ways in which sports and politics interact and have traditionally done so. What is political is boycott, and we have a proud tradition of boycotting in this country. It is a way of expressing our solidarity with a people who are being inflicted by a brutal regime with a genocide in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon right now. Multiple of the Taoiseach's Ministers have said they would not attend the game, which I find highly hypocritical when the Taoiseach then says he will not support the FAI in changing its decision to UEFA not to hold the game. Will the Taoiseach allow a free vote on the motion from Sinn Féin this evening and from us in the Social Democrats tomorrow, where we propose that the Government advocate for exclusion of Israel in all international sporting fixtures? Will he allow his TDs to vote freely on our motion tomorrow?

The exclusion of Israel from international competition has to be, by definition, a decision taken by the people who own, control and organise those competitions, namely-----

We are asking you to advocate-----

Deputy, please.

-----FIFA and UEFA. There is an issue here - of course there is - and the Government has taken a stand on a whole range of issues in respect of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and much more in terms of the international positions we have taken. There is an issue for the Irish football team in that it could be the main loser in all this, not anybody else - not FIFA and not UEFA. They continue on because those organisations have not, if we are honest, shown themselves to be very politically focused or conscious in what they do-----

Will the Taoiseach allow a free vote?

-----and that is another side of the coin. I have to weigh that up in respect of-----

Has the Taoiseach offered a free vote?

-----the Irish football team as well.

I call Deputy Ivana Bacik.

It is welcome that the impasse with the Rotunda Hospital has come to an end, and it is important that the principles underlying Sláintecare are upheld. I was concerned, however, by some of the language used by commentators in the debate, with men on social media and in national newspapers using derogatory terms like the "posh push", which is belittling of women and not helpful, especially given the shameful history in this country of women being failed by our reproductive health and maternity care systems. As my colleague Deputy Sherlock pointed out, the national maternity strategy is now ten years old, and almost all of the ambition within it has not been realised: no new midwife-led unit in ten years, less access now to home births, and Domino, the early transfer scheme, not available in every county. To ensure that women have decent choices and a decent maternity care system, we need to see progress on delivering a world-class, midwife-led maternity care model, as envisaged in the maternity strategy. What steps is the Government taking now to ensure that is the case?

I think the Minister is taking a strategic approach to the development of maternity services. There is a lot in what the Deputy says, although it needs to be discussed in more depth. As a former Minister, I have been through the home birth situation. It is not easy. There are a lot a complications, difficulties and challenges. Modern obstetrics has become far more complex and complicated but we need to strive for safety wherever a baby is and in whatever context a baby is delivered. Safety and a quality outcome have to be the number one priority for mother and child. The Minister is feeding into a new strategic direction. It seems to me that one of the issues this recent controversy has shown up again is that in health the institution seems to take precedence over the patient. I know I do not have the time to do so in this one-minute exchange, but we do need to reflect on that.

The Taoiseach's time is up. I call Deputy Paul Murphy.

Patients should never be put into the situations they were put into in the last number of weeks.

The Taoiseach's time is up. He knows that we must co-operate. I call Deputy Murphy.

I will take the Deputy's point on board. She knows what I am saying.

Family, friends and supporters of justice for Terence Wheelock were on the streets on Saturday. Terence was a young man who left his home 21 years ago. He was arrested by the Garda and brought to Store Street Garda station where he received fatal injuries from which he never recovered, and he never came home again. After that, his cell was completely renovated and repainted instead of being preserved for investigation. The photos show substantial bruising and cuts that were not on Terence's body when he was arrested. His clothes were heavily bloodstained. Changes were made to his custody record and there were significant problems with the timeframe between the supposed incident and an ambulance being called. The question for the Taoiseach is whether the Government will finally concede to the family's request to have an independent inquiry into the death of Terence Wheelock. Will the Taoiseach also indicate when his Minister is going to implement the regulations to allow the renaming of Diamond Park to the Terence Wheelock Memorial Park, as wanted by the community?

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will discuss the issues he has raised with the Minister for justice. He called for an independent inquiry but, again, we would have to discuss that in terms of the type of inquiry. We have had many inquiries. They take an inordinate length of time. I will talk to the Minister and see if we can get answers. That is a more important point for the family concerned here. It has been a long period of time. I will talk to the Minister and come back to the Deputy.

The Taoiseach has answered a question on this already. Perhaps he would give us a timeline. Will he urgently intervene to ensure that the drug, Skyclarys, is included in the HSE's drugs group agenda for tomorrow, 10 June? I raised this issue in the Dáil a number of months ago. I have also written directly to the Minister for health about it, yet here we are again with no progress and families left in limbo. I am speaking on behalf of Emma O'Shea from Bantry who was first diagnosed at ten years of age, and others who are living with Friedreich's ataxia, a cruel and relentlessly progressive disease where every single month lost means a permanent loss of mobility and quality of life. Skyclarys is the first treatment proven to slow the condition. It is already approved and being provided in countries across Europe and the United States, yet Ireland's patients are once again left behind because of delays in the system. Will the Taoiseach intervene today with the Minister and the HSE to ensure Skyclarys is considered immediately? Does he accept that families cannot continue to wait while time and their health slip away because of bureaucracy?

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will very quickly go through it because I think he is looking for clarification. Basically, the HSE received an application for pricing and reimbursement on 1 August 2024 for Skyclarys, for adults and adolescents aged 16 years and older. On foot of a rapid review of the application by the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, the HSE commissioned a full health technology assessment, HTA, on 25 September 2024. Necessary materials were submitted by Biogen Idec on 2 July 2025, ten months after the HTA was commissioned by the HSE. The agency met with Biogen Idec on 12 February. However, despite several requests, a commercial proposal from the applicant was not received until 28 May. This is the information that I have available. That said, we need to get this decided upon as quickly as we possibly can. My understanding is it would be on the agenda for the July meeting of the HSE's drugs group, but if we can bring it forward, we will, although I do not want to make any commitments on that. However, there are many families out there who are very worried and stressed. I acknowledge that.

Antisocial behaviour in some local authority estates and approved housing body, AHB, estates is becoming a growing concern. Constituents regularly contact me regarding intimidation, harassment, bullying and serious criminal activity. In some cases, affected residents will not contact the Garda for fear of reprisals. I have zero tolerance for this behaviour. Too often, the same individuals are given chance after chance while innocent neighbours are left living in fear in their own homes. In many cases, it is the victims who are forced to seek transfers, often waiting months or years to escape the situation while those causing the problems remain in place without consequences. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister for housing to examine the current legislation and consider giving local authorities stronger powers to deal with antisocial behaviour and put more pressure on AHBs to deal with these types of issues quickly. The people causing these problems should be moved on, not the families who are simply trying to live peacefully in their own homes.

I agree with what the Deputy is saying. This has been an issue that has been raised on a number of occasions. I will talk to the Minister for housing to see if additional legislation or regulation is required. Very often, it is the enforcement of existing regulations and laws that is the issue. There is a great reluctance to move in relation to people who are behaving in a significantly antisocial way and who are making life almost impossible for all the other residents. I have always been of the view that a firmer position has to be taken by the councils and approved housing bodies in respect of tenants who are not upholding the tenancy agreement in terms of proper social behaviour and cohesion within a residential estate. I will discuss the matter with the Minister for housing.

The summer programme or July provision scheme has proven an invaluable resource to families and provides a vital service over the course of the summer months. Since the turn of the decade, those numbers have quadrupled from 13,000 to almost 70,000. However, I have received a number of queries from principals in the past 24 hours whose special needs assistant, SNA, allocation for this summer scheme has been cut. One particular example is Ballinamere National School, which had nine SNAs last year. It has been allocated six by the Department. We have had many debates in relation to SNAs in this Chamber. I would like reassurance from the Government that there will be no cut to SNAs in relation to the summer programme and that it will ensure that this vital service can be provided from 24 June. It is only a matter of weeks away. I would like that reassurance from the Government today to ensure that it can prevail so that activities can be booked and families can be accommodated.

The Deputy kind of answered it himself when he said that the scheme has quadrupled. The Government is investing in this scheme and expanding it. We have to have some balance and perspective here too. We do not allocate individually to each scheme. The scheme has increased again this year and funding has increased quite significantly. I do not know whether the scheme has expanded beyond the original parameters. We should always be targeting our resources to those who need the resources the most. However, I will alert the Minister to the fact that the Deputy has raised this.

I want to raise the case of St. Francis Junior School in Priorswood. It is a school that is at the heart of the community and a source of great pride to the area, yet it is losing a mainstream teacher for being one pupil under the quota back in September 2025. The school has had more pupils enrolled since then but its appeal has been rejected. There is huge anger in the community. This is a DEIS plus school. It serves a very disadvantaged area and 40% of the pupils come from a Traveller background. The Minister said that the appeals board is independent and that she has no ability to intervene. Back in 2020, however, the school was facing an identical situation and the then Minister for education intervened and the school saved its teacher. On one hand, this school is DEIS plus, so it can receive the increased supports while on the other hand, the Government is removing a mainstream teacher.

That is a very difficult situation if it is just one pupil short. The Deputy knows there are basic frameworks and rules governing the pupil-teacher ratio in terms of enrolment numbers. The previous September governs how many teachers we have in the subsequent September. Some schools gain teachers; other schools lose teachers. There is a clause there, in terms of developing school status if numbers are potentially going to increase in a given location, that can be used as a basis for upholding an appeal or suggesting that the school would retain its teacher. Again, the appeals process is independent but I will make the case to the Minister in respect of the school.

It is a mainstream teacher.

To be fair to the Minister, there is an independent appeals process.

However, it is DEIS plus. We are getting it on one hand and losing it on the other.

The Deputy knows she will have to engage further at another time.

They are getting a lot more than one teacher now in DEIS plus.

The State continues to fund an international protection accommodation services, IPAS, centre on the site of the former historic Dundrum House Hotel despite repeated concerns raised by me around due diligence, transparency, planning compliance and the protection of our built heritage. On the issue of planning compliance, a decision of An Bord Pleanála is imminent. In recent days, however, further evidence has emerged of the serious and accelerating deterioration of a protected structure on the site, that is, the manor house. What was once an important historic building is now being used as a dumping and storage area for the operation of the IPAS centre. There are broken and missing windows and stripped out interiors. It is a building left vacant, unsecured and exposed to the elements. Does the Government accept that public funds should never be used in a manner that facilitates the neglect of our architectural heritage? What immediate action will it take to ensure this protected structure is secure and preserved?

Is this the house itself?

Yes.

It has been providing accommodation under contract to the Department of justice since 2022 for people fleeing the war in Ukraine and people applying for international protection. A new contract commenced in April 2025 at this property to provide accommodation to people and families seeking international protection in Ireland. Then, a proper template must be completed and sent to the Department of justice. That requires details of accommodation services offered and regulatory matters like planning, building regulations, valid fire certification, insurance and staffing details. Once all that documentation is received, a contract may be offered. Confirmation of the required planning exemption for the local authority was provided to the Department of justice as part of agreeing this new contract. Valid insurance details were also reviewed as part of this process. Tipperary County Council acknowledged in court proceedings during 2025 that the granting of a pending exemption to the property in January 2025 had an administrative flaw in the process.

I thank the Taoiseach.

I wish to raise the issue of community safety in Kildare South. My constituents have reported serious concerns in both Kildare town and Newbridge, including violent incidents involving teenagers in public spaces as well as persistent antisocial behaviour, such as vandalism, intimidation and retail crime. While I welcome recent increased Garda presence on the back of public outcry, the visibility of gardaí is not yet sufficient and policing alone will not resolve these issues. It is important to acknowledge the lack of dedicated facilities and services for young people in these growing towns. Community infrastructure has not kept up with our growing population in Kildare. We cannot be surprised by these problems when young people are left without adequate supports or positive outlets. We need a plan for Kildare town and Newbridge for residents to feel safe in their communities again. Will the Taoiseach commit to a co-ordinated plan based on community consultation that combines effective policing with youth diversion and community services in rapidly growing towns like Newbridge and Cill Dara?

Both towns are rapidly growing and we do, at all levels and in a co-ordinated way, have to deal with antisocial behaviour. A lot of investment has gone into sporting organisations. A lot of investment is going into community-based organisations with a view to providing alternative activities, services and opportunities for people and young people, in particular. Then, along with that, we are getting increased throughput in Templemore, so we need more gardaí on the streets and we need greater visibility of gardaí on the streets. That is occurring but maybe not yet at the levels required in Newbridge and Kildare town. Hopefully, with the increased numbers coming through and out of Templemore, we will be in a position to increase the number of gardaí in the locations the Deputy has identified.

I understand that Cabinet today approved the domestic violence judgment register, or Jennie's law. It was only a matter of months after Jennifer Poole's death that Jason came to the House and discussed with me, the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, and Senator O'Loughlin the shock of their family when they heard in court that the person who murdered their sister had previous convictions for domestic violence. They were not aware of that and nor was Jennifer. The legislation hopes to give families and partners access to previous domestic violence judgments. I appreciate the progress we have made on this. I ask the Taoiseach to do everything in his power to ensure the legislation is passed through the House as quickly as possible. I hope the Chief Whip will be of assistance and I also hope that across the House and the justice committee, where there is a lot of agreement on this Bill, we will all work together to ensure that Jennifer Poole and her family will be the last to not know about previous domestic violence judgments against partners.

I thank the Deputy and pay tribute to him for the role he played in advancing this issue and the work he has done with the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. This is an issue the Deputy has championed for quite some time, with Jason Poole and others. The Government approved the Domestic Violence (Judgments) Register Bill 2026 today. The Minister brought it to Cabinet. It will provide for judgments in respect of those convicted of domestic violence against a former partner or partner to be included on a public register. We will seek to get the Bill through the House as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Chief Whip is very much focused on doing that. It shows that Members of the House and backbenchers generally can play a significant role in getting legislation through. This is one that matters to many families.

The Courts Service owns a building in the heart of Tuam that has been derelict for the past 15 years. As part of the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027, reference was made to the possibility of it being refurbished at the end of that period. We are in the middle of 2026 and there is no sign of that. Dereliction should not be encouraged. In particular, State-owned buildings should not be left in that state right in the heart of the town of Tuam in east Galway.

I will talk to the Minister for justice. Obviously, there is a capital programme for the refurbishment of courts. The Deputy is saying this is a derelict building and I presume it is still owned by the Department. Therefore, it, along with the local authority, should work to get this resolved.

The K district is one of the busiest policing districts in the State, covering Blanchardstown, Cabra and Finglas. Unfortunately, we were short-changed with regard to the number of Garda recruits we received until the last batch, when we got 20 new gardaí, which was very welcome. However, I am informed that 18 gardaí are being transferred to the city centre for the next six months for the EU Presidency. This is a shocking decision for the people of Dublin West. We have had a decade in which we lacked gardaí and just when we thought the numbers were being resolved, 18 gardaí are to be pulled out of Dublin West for six months. Does the Taoiseach not agree that this is a disproportionate number to be pulled from such a busy district and that it will compromise community safety in our area for the next six months?

The allocation of 20 new gardaí to the area is very good news and a manifestation of the progress we are making in recruiting more and more gardaí. The numbers applying to go into Templemore are in or around 200 now per term, so that is good news. I will engage with the Minister. It is primarily an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner but I will seek clarity on the background to what is happening here.

I again raise the boil water notice in place in Tipperary town, which affects over 5,000 people. It was implemented originally on 12 February 2026. For about ten weeks, the only information available to anybody was the initial post on the Irish Water website. I raised the issue with the Taoiseach and, through his intervention, an email was secured within a couple of days telling us that a new well was to be installed. There has been no further information, however. We are now four months into the boil water notice and the people of Tipperary town have no idea when a safe water supply will be back, whether it will be done by an existing contract, whether it will be open to a process of tendering or how long the work will take place. That is simply unacceptable. During all this time, sick people, families and businesses have been paying for bottled water. I know I should not be asking the Taoiseach this question and nor should he be involved in answering it, but this company is an absolute disaster and we need his intervention on this again.

I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue for the people of Tipperary town and the surrounding district. I will again engage with Irish Water on the question. There has to be clarity of information for the people. At least if people know what is happening, there is some solace. Even if it means it is going to take some time to install a particular well or whatever is required, at least people know something is happening and there light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. I will pursue the matter with Irish Water.

Last week, when the Committee of Public Accounts met with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, I raised the issue of dynamic pricing online and how it impacts the consumer. I highlighted how people go online with the intention of buying at one price but when dynamic pricing kicks in, consumers are quickly in the impulse buying position at a significantly higher price than that originally viewed. Over the weekend, we learned of the liquidation of the country's second biggest selling platform, Tickets.ie. This has dramatically impacted the people running these events, with potentially devastating financial losses, and the full knock-on impact of this liquidation is as yet unknown. Serious questions remain over the online ticketing industry and what safeguards we can put in place for promoters and consumers. It seems online ticketing is now the wild west of retailing. Will the Government examine what steps we can take to protect the consumer and local event organisers?

This is a very important issue to many people. People individually have to behave responsibly as well but this is the role of the CCPC. We have funded the organisation so this is something it needs to pursue to protect the consumer. We create bodies and authorities to regulate and to make sure things are done properly and the consumer is protected. The Deputy is raising this again with me. I will revert to the Minister with responsibility for the CCPC and also with the body directly.