Emer Higgins

I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, on whose behalf I am closing this debate, for outlining the detail of the road transporters support scheme to the House. This scheme is vital to support our overall economy and trade. It is vital to support the businesses that will receive support under the scheme. That is essential when it comes to ensuring continuity…

I thank Deputy O'Reilly very much. The Minister, Deputy Browne, passes on his apologies that he could not be here and asked me to take this on his behalf. Tenancy sustainment, which includes the purchase of private homes where a social housing tenant is in situ, is not a stand-alone programme or scheme. However, it is a priority category of the Department of housing’s social housing second-hand a…

I thank Deputy O'Reilly for raising her constituents' experience with us here today. It is really important that everybody remembers that behind the statistics we read out in here are families. They are families exactly like that. It is for this exact reason the Government is allocating funding. According to the Department of housing, last year the Department funded a total of 68 second-hand acqui…

I thank Deputy Lawlor for raising this important issue on behalf of St. Aidan's school community in Enniscorthy, and not just on behalf of the student or the students attending school in special classes, but indeed the entire school community, including teachers, parents, special education teachers and SNAs. I hear the Deputy's frustration. His frustration was mirrored earlier by one of the Deputy…

To be told that this is the correct way to be able to gain the information and then to be frustrated through the process and not get it, I can understand that this is not efficient for either the school or the NCSE. It does not set the school up for success in terms of being able to put forward a coherent and comprehensive appeal. I appreciate what the Deputy is saying in that this information sho…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving us this opportunity to discuss it on the floor of the House. The NCSE allocation and review processes are essential to ensure that SNA support is provided where it is most needed. An appropriate appeal mechanism is an important part of the review process, and this has always been the case. I fully appreciate that schools need to be given whateve…

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta. I congratulate Deputy Neville and the school communities. I know that he attended one of the schools. I am sure this is a big day for both he Deputy and the school communities. I thank him for raising this issue and for his strong and consistent advocacy on behalf of families in Leixlip. I know he worked very closely with the school community on this issue. H…

I thank the Deputy for outlining the steps he has taken and the positive and proactive engagement he has had with the Minister for Education and Youth and departmental officials and the collaborative way in which he has worked with the school community. That matters and doing that work matters. It is hard and tough work, but as the Deputy can see it gets results. It has got results in this instanc…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which provides an opportunity to outline the position of the Office of Public Works, OPW, in regard to the potential acquisition of the Martello tower at Sandymount Strand, although I would suggest that there are other State bodies, Departments and local authorities that will have an interest in this matter. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge the sign…

I thank the Deputy. I agree. The fact that this is a registered national monument that is located in a UNESCO biosphere on, as the Deputy put it, the oasis that is Dublin Bay, this does represent a unique opportunity now that it is for sale. To reiterate, the OPW does not have plans to acquire the tower, but it is standing ready to engage constructively with relevant stakeholders, where appropriat…

I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I can confirm the Government will not oppose the motion and will continue to keep the matter of extending the right to vote in presidential elections to citizens overseas outside the State under review. The story of emigration from our island is long and layered. For many years, the prevailing narrative rightly focused on the fact that eco…

When I was abroad, I had the opportunity to meet very active Irish communities in Sweden and Denmark. I am pleased Irish politicians get the opportunity to engage with so many Irish living across the world. Throughout 2025, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, led the most intensive consultation ever undertaken with the Irish abroad. The centrepiece of the process was a series of formal consult…

Deputy, I also spoke about votes for citizens in Northern Ireland.

We had a back and forth about this. On a point of order-----

I would just like to raise a point of order. Am I entitled-----

The Government recognises that conversations on issues like this lead to more specific discussion and engagement, North and South, about constitutional change more broadly, as provided for under the Good Friday Agreement. That is why we are not opposing this Bill and why we want to have this debate in this Chamber. However, I do not appreciate some of the comments the Deputy has made in his remark…

The Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities and ensuring they receive the right services at the right time. The HSE has been developing a single point of access, SPoA, referral model. As Deputy Quaide has said, this will ensure that children are referred to the appropriate healthcare service, whether that is primary care, disability services …

The Deputy is right that more complex cases will often require further clinical interventions or reviews to ensure the most appropriate pathway of care. Decisions on how this is managed will continue to be made at a local level. Once the work for a single point of access is complete, the outcome of the referral will be communicated to the referrer, and the child will then be assigned to the approp…

I thank the Deputy for saying he feels that the single point of access is a sound concept. It is something I am very much committed to and I know it is something the Ministers, Deputy Foley and Deputy Carroll-MacNeill, are very committed to also. The HSE has done a huge amount of work on this. Ultimately, the rollout of a single point of access will be supported by the HSE community connects ICT s…

The Government acknowledges the essential role voluntary organisations have in delivering a range of disability services. The Department has provided substantial additional funding to HSE specialist disability services since the transfer of functions in 2023. In this year's budget, €3.9 billion is provided for. In budget 2025, it amounted to €3.2 billion, so there was quite a substantial increase …

I respond by meeting them and listening to them. I have met with the Before We Die campaign twice now and the Minister, Deputy Foley, has too. The first time was at their request and I was absolutely happy to do that. The second time was at my request because I wanted to meet them, together with the HSE, to ensure that we had the right people around the table to be able to make progress. I would a…

On the Deputy's last point, the WRC pay agreement reached in 2025 between Government Departments and unions includes funding for a phased 9.25% pay increase that will benefit workers in section 39 voluntary organisations. The agreement also includes an automatic linkage to future public sector pay agreements for those workers to match all future pay increases. In delivering on the 9.25% pay increa…

I thank Deputy Heneghan. This question relates to the continuity of care and day services. The HSE advises that disability services integrated service area, Dublin North County, and integrated service area, Dublin North City and West, in the Dublin north-east region provides a range of supports for adults with disabilities, their families and carers, including home support, personal assistance se…

I would too. I have met members of the Before We Die campaign twice, as has the Minister, Deputy Foley, and, I believe, many other members of the Government. I first met them at their request and the second time was at my request because I wanted to have a follow-up meeting with senior officials from the HSE to sit down together and work out a plan of action. I also acknowledge parents whose adult…

I agree with the Deputy that we need timelines and we do have some timelines in place. This year's budget will fund the planned places that will happen this year. In terms of capacity building, we have targets and deadlines outlined in our disability capital plan, in which there was also an uplift this year. This year, we are hiring for six new additional roles within the HSE. Those postholders w…