Barry Heneghan

Gabhaim buíochas le Deputy Stanley as an motion seo a chur chun cinn. This motion reflects a shared understanding. The Minister of State has heard multiple Members across this House speak about public dental services, in particular for children, that are under significant pressures. Young parents are in urgent need of our support. I urge the Minister of State not to oppose the motion. When I was …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Ar dtús, is mian liom míle buíochas a rá leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Butler, for the passionate way in which she spoke. It has been a good debate about the pride that our Government shows. Pride is not just a celebration. It is a call to action. As we mark it here, we must be clear that there is no room for complacency in Ireland. I am really prou…

25. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [34302/25]

I am delighted to see the new private wires policy announced by the Government today. Will this be just for large-scale energy users like Amazon and the big data centres or will it be able to take eco-villages and small, eco- and sustainable projects away from the grid? We risk having a parallel grid that reduces costs for large corporations but does not really help the Irish people. Does the Taoi…

Mar is eol don Taoiseach, there are hugely critical recruitment and retention problems for public service workers, go háirithe i mBaile Átha Cliath, i gCorcaigh agus i nGaillimh. These workers include nurses, teachers, gardaí, social workers and paramedics. All of them our key in keeping our public systems functioning. The reality is they are being paid the same whether they are living in Longford…

7. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [32402/25]

An tseachtain seo caite bhí Deputy Brabazon ag caint faoi Belgrove girls' school. Since then a decision was made by the diocese not to allow the addition of a privately sourced teacher for the school. I do not understand how religious entities can dictate public schools' resourcing of their teachers. Is there anything that can be done for Belgrove girls' school?

It is looking to privately resource one.

23. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will next meet. [34303/25]

The Dublin Bay area has the coastline. In this regard, I commend Deputy Bacik on introducing the Dublin Bay Bill. At present, there are fortnightly tests of water quality with no real-time information. The coastline does not have bacterial sensors. I acknowledge that a lot will be done through legislation but one thing I want to know is whether the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will consider…

I welcome the Bill. It makes good, necessary adjustments. It reflects some of the responsiveness to what has been a frustrating planning environment but we need to be clear that the issue is not primarily judicial review. I have been listening to every Member. There are so many good ideas in the House but we need the planning law that we are making now to drive delivery, not only manage delay. I …

Bhíomar ag caint leis an Aire faoi seo an tseachtain seo caite. I hope the comments that caused real concern for young people and parents throughout the country were a blip. We need to be clear: we came together to put a Government together and we created a programme for Government. I remember us all discussing student fees in the course of the formation of the Government. We all decided on the co…

110. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will explain the rationale for the reported decision not to proceed with further reductions in the student contribution fee, in light of the commitment made in the programme for Government to reduce these fees over the lifetime of the Government; and if he will make a statement on…

I reiterate the worry and terror that the Minister's words have spread. I know he has mentioned the great stuff he is doing, but for these parents who are struggling and the students who are struggling to pay their own way through college, is there reassurance he can give to them? I understand that he is tied by the budget of the Government, and he does not want to speak too soon. As Deputy O'Hara…

I understand the constraints the Minister is under when it comes to the budget, and he is not 100% aware of what will be in his Department. I go back to my other question. I was wondering if he would clarify his opinion. He will obviously be looking at students in this. The huge burden they have at the moment is accommodation, especially students who are coming to visit and to live in Dublin. The …

84. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a breakdown of funding uptake and participation levels by scheme under Ireland's Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan to date; how these supports are being geographically distributed and monitored for environmental impact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36636/25]

I welcome the publication of this report. I thank the Minister of State for the fast engagement with the issues I raised with him concerning north Dublin. I have one issue I would like to raise with a simple solution. One of the greatest obstacles we are facing in the delivery of inclusive education is the shortage of therapists. One of the solvable bottlenecks is the delay in recognising foreign …

Tá Ard-Oifig an Phoist ar cheann de na foirgnimh is cáiliúla in Éirinn. Tá a fhios ag gach duine sa Teach seo cén fáth. Deirim i gcónaí le turasóirí chun dul chuig Músaem Ard-Oifig an Phoist i mBaile Átha Cliath. Foghlaimíonn siad faoi stair na hÉireann, ón Éirí Amach go dtí an lá atá inniu ann. Cloisim na rudaí sa nuacht faoi láthair. Céard faoi réiteach cruthaitheach? Caithfear an stair a choime…

I will reiterate what Deputy Ó Muirí said. Belgrove infant girls' school, located beside the school I went to as a young boy, is being forced to merge two classes together. Hundreds of parents and children who are really stressed by this have approached me as I walk the streets of my local community . I do not understand how the fact that the school's current enrolment numbers for next year are ab…

I reiterate what Deputy Ó Muirí said. We need to get a temporary solution for this. There was clearly an error with the appeals. Is there any way to find an alternative solution for these parents and the children who will be put into a class size such as this? It will affect their learning and their experience. These are young girls who are already under enough stress. There has to be something he…

Ba mhaith liom caint inniu faoi rud éigin atá i mbéal an phobail faoi láthair, an issue that is really crucial to Ireland's climate ambitions and something I have really championed, that is, private wire legislation. It is stated in the programme for Government that such legislation will be expedited. We all support that programme for Government but this is not being done fast enough. Countries li…

I agree 100%, especially if you look at how the public view any other government waste. We now have a chance at the start of this Government term to bring this in as fast as possible and save us hundreds of millions. I refer especially to projects like the North-South interconnector. We may be hit with EU fines. The recent Spanish grid failure should be a wake-up call for us. We need resilience. T…

Sorry. I am only new.

102. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on the roll-out of contactless fare payments across public transport services, including buses and trains; the expected timeline for full implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34183/25]

91. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on the progress made by his Department in exploring the introduction of a targeted second-tier child benefit payment for low-income families in light of recent reports highlighting a significant rise in child poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33150/25]