There is a process there that hopefully we can bring to a conclusion. I can talk to the Deputy if he wishes and bring him up to speed on it.
TDs / Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin
Taoiseach
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197
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Debates they spoke in most
Plus 6,426 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Cork South-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Taoiseach 23 January 2025 to now
I thank Deputy Aird for raising this issue. Deputy Collins raised a similar issue relating to financial services earlier. The Central Bank has issued a new consumer protection code relating to technology more generally. Technology and financial literacy are two very important programmes that are under way to try to educate people in order that they do not fall foul of these scammers and those who want to defraud peop…
The Deputy knows well that the new procedures and protocols governing protected disclosures have been processed under the policy in place to handle such matters. I have been assured that the independent investigation by GSOC, which is investigating this matter, will be completed in due course, notwithstanding the time already lapsed since the protected disclosure was first made. Obviously, the various bodies - the Di…
I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue of safety in the context of the safe routes to school scheme. I take on board what he has said. I will ask the Ministers responsible to look at the scheme. The Deputy has said it is taking too long. He mentioned that 421 schools are involved.
We will see what we can do to expedite that.
The new school in Carrignavar will be open. It may not be ready for September - it has been announced already that there will be a contingency plan for students who will be in a temporary building in Fermoy - but the works are progressing on Carrignavar. The site is an old primary school, as the Deputy knows.
That is agreed and is progressing. Again, the number of special classes provided in the past four years has doubled and the number of students attending special classes has gone from-----
-----9,000 to 19,000. The population is increasing, as are the numbers identifying with special needs. Our job and obligation is to provide every child with a place and that is the objective. I am now informed - as of the latest this morning - that up to 4,000 additional places will be provided this year from the beginning of September. The aim is for every child in the coming weeks to know their place. That is the o…
What is the name of the school?
I will bring this to the attention of the Minister of State for special education, Deputy Moynihan. He is working flat out with schools, as is Minister McEntee, with a view to getting solutions on the ground in given locations where the need is greatest. If the Deputy sends me the details, I will forward them to the Minister of State to pursue the case. If there is a blockage, we will see if we can unblock it.
Every…
This is no consolation to any parent or child seeking a place now but there has been an exponential growth in the number of special classes in the country over the past four years. Over a five year period we now have 19,000 children attending special classes. Five years ago that number was 9,000. There has been constant expansion of the provision of special classes. In the past four years 11 new special schools have …
The Ministers is not here. However, I will raise this issue with him. I can well recall there was a determined attempt nearly two decades ago to create a financial services presence, hub and footprint in the south east, in particular in Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny. State Street opened in Kilkenny. To a certain extent that got traction. It is disappointing that BNY has made the decision it has made. I was not invo…
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 16, inclusive, together.
We are retaining the child poverty and well-being programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach because we know we need to continue to build on the work to break down silos between Departments and drive delivery. We will not be able to make a decisive impact on child poverty without a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response.
From Poverty…
There are a number of questions there. Deputy McAuliffe started on the model that has been developed in the north east, and there is something similar in Ballymun. I have asked my officials to look at broadening that model out to certain areas, as we had before. In previous times, under the former Minister, Pat Carey, or Noel Ahern and others, going back to Pat Rabbitte’s time, the drug task forces were established i…
There was a need to target that too because it was being used by some local authorities as a catch-all and maybe not targeted at those who were about to become homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.
It was never meant to be a scheme to just buy second-hand properties. The Minister is engaged in refining and targeting that. I will talk to the Minister in respect of that case. It is not that the person was not two years on HAP but that the house was not in HAP for two years----
Again, the idea of being in HAP means you are within the social housing provision and the prospects of homelessness are higher there, so the idea is to target the resources there. I will talk to the Minister in respect of that case and come back to the Deputy.
In response to Deputy Ó Fearghaíl, in fairness, "a lot done, more to do" is correct. There needs to be more focus on what the Deputy described as dysfunctiona…
Whatever, we should do so. They regularly do refer people to London.
In response to Deputy Coppinger, I have dealt with the public inquiry. I have views on that. I think there might be better ways of getting to it. Again, we will assess it fully when we have the other two reports - the one on dysplasia and the Nayagam report, which is the overarching report. When we have both of those with this report, we can progress it.
I have answered Deputy Cian O'Callaghan's question.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 36, inclusive, together.
The first meeting of the new Cabinet committee on infrastructure took place on Monday, 24 March, and the next one will take place on Monday, 28 April. Membership of the Cabinet committee consists of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence, Minister for Finance, Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Minist…
How high?
Quite a number of issues have been raised. Deputy Ó Murchú started with housing, Uisce Éireann and the medical device sector. In the past week, I have spoken to a number of CEOs in the medical device sector as well as in the pharmaceutical sector about the challenges that are arising. The discussion was more on the medium-term and longer term impacts of the tariffs and other non-tariff initiatives that might yet be t…
With fossil fuels 20 to 25 years ago, there was no Carnsore Point for fossil fuels.
That was a different kettle of fish.
It is an interesting point. It ends up that fossil fuels are one of the reasons we are where we are with climate change. Anyway, that is a philosophical point but that is where we are.
Deputy Shay Brennan is revisiting the great work his dad did, and he now wants to bring the metro to Sandyford, with his dad having done the initial work. Fair play. It is at the design stage and there is a lot of work yet to be done …