Helen McEntee

We would not have a red cent of that if we followed the economic plans Sinn Féin has proposed.

Again, we all appreciate that we can all see the challenges people are facing at the moment. This has not happened overnight. We have had a series of events that have impacted inflation and our overall prices, from Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine and the most recent crisis in the Middle East where it is being said that if what happened in the seventies was coupled twice with the war in Ukraine, in …

-----the delivery of more homes, investment in healthcare and education that we are making permanent invests and permanent savings for people going forward.

In the past few weeks alone, the Government has introduced a support package of €750 million plus. If we were to add another budget, essentially, on top of that before we reach October, what will we trade off here? We fully appreciate we need to support people in the here and now. To say that nothing is happening and no one is benefiting is inaccurate when the reduction in overall costs for fuel …

In relation to what is happening in Gaza and specifically the West Bank, I am as appalled as the Deputy is. I think everyone in this House is equally appalled. We have what is supposed to be a ceasefire. Having visited the region and having been to Rafah only at the beginning of the year, it is clear to me that the terms of the ceasefire are not being adhered to in many instances. It is clear that…

The Deputy outlined the timeline but recently, particularly as this conflict has escalated and as more and more people have been brought into the conflict, we have acted in a way that many other countries have not. We have led in recognising Palestine. We led in advocating for more support, financial aid and assistance. We have led when it comes to the suspension of the association agreement, whic…

-----to make sure that we have an impact. As I said, I have received the advice. We are at the stage where I have received the advice. I have to finalise and assess that. I will then move forward after that. I have only received that advice in recent weeks. I will be able to make progress and move on it. Everything that we do has to make sure we are able to make an impact and a positive impact fo…

The Government has consistently been a strong voice for the rights of Palestinian people. Whether Deputy Coppinger would like to accept that or not, or whether she agrees with me or not, that has always been the case. With every opportunity, be it within the EU or the international community, we have advocated for the rights of the Palestinian people and for a two-state solution. We have not just …

I am very clear that we are committed to the Bill. I am very clear on that and I cannot stress that enough. In terms of the flotilla, this is the second flotilla. With the first flotilla, our representatives on the ground responded immediately to those who were in Israel. They were some of the first citizens who were brought home. With regard to this current flotilla, I condemned outright the acti…

The Deputy will appreciate he covered a lot of areas there, so I will try as best I can to touch on all of them. When it comes to our capital city, we all want to make sure we are investing in a vibrant and growing capital city. It is not just about tourism but that people are able to live and work here and that we are investing in our schools and infrastructure while at the same time making sure …

In terms of the solar programme, the Deputy should speak to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Everyone in government is open to a way in which we can ensure individual householders and home owners can reduce their bills. I mentioned figures earlier in terms of the investment that has already taken place. Some 250,000 homes have been retrofitted. Over 73,000 homes are targeted for this year. How can we…

I would again stress that the programme for Government is a five-year plan. We want to make sure that we can get to as many of our commitments as soon as possible. I appreciate that for many hospitals, it raises revenue. However, like the Deputy, I have constituents who have raised concerns with me, particularly when they have to attend hospital on a regular basis and the impact and the cost that …

I think the Deputy would agree that our budget year on year has increased. We had a budget last year of €105.4 billion. Within that, each Department is given a specific budget and within each Department, we are all expected to work within that overall budget. In terms of health, it is the case, and has to be the case, that if the HSE is given a particular budget, we work within that and where ther…

We need to understand fully what has happened when it comes to the Oliver Bond complex. I appreciate that there is a huge amount of frustration and anger when it comes to this specific project. We need to understand how we have got to this point and how the direction has suddenly changed and the project has not been approved. More broadly, in terms of social housing, between July 2020 and the end …

-----accommodation but also delivering new accommodation. A group has been established specifically to make sure the process by which local authorities can build and develop new homes is sped up and that authorities understand it and know how to use it. That forum has brought together all our local authorities to make sure that everybody is delivering more social housing as well as making sure we …

We have over the last number of years, in particular in previous Governments, invested hundreds of millions of euro in childcare and making sure we can provide early childhood care and education, ECCE, spaces for children to which every child has access. About 96% or 97% of children are accessing the ECCE programme, which is available to parents. Beyond that, we have set out a very clear commitmen…

The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality is setting out and working on a plan as to how we can achieve that overall.

It is the case that commercial early years providers have always paid rates. However, there is a long-standing agreement or exemption for community not-for-profit services, that is, those that solely offer early childhood care and the ECCE programme. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is aware of a small number that are now starting to be charged and where issues are emerging. She wants to respond, given…

I agree with the Deputy. Most of us are not from Galway, but we see the importance of the road and its approval recently. It is, however, important that any new project engage with families locally in a sensitive way. I will relay the Deputy's concern directly to the Minister and ask that the transport authority engage directly and as quickly as possible. I know people locally want to see the proj…

A core objective of BusConnects is to have a better network, with a more frequent service that reduces journey times and provides better service for people. My understanding is that under BusConnects, the 70 route will be replaced by other bus services, including the L64, which will provide an all-day frequent service to my constituency, in Dunboyne, Clonee and Blanchardstown, and the peak-hour P6…

I am really sorry to hear about the particular case. Where possible, where there are particular rare conditions, we need to support people insofar as we possibly can, with the HSE working closely with the companies as well. If the Deputy passes on the details of the specific case, if that has not already been done, I will certainly raise it again with the Minister for Health.

I will engage directly with them.

I commend and acknowledge the role of town councils. We had some in my constituency in Meath. I have worked with councillors since then who perhaps share the same view as the Deputy and would like to see things resumed as they were. I understand the local democracy task force is due to make recommendations or findings on this matter soon. When we are presented with those findings, I will be happy …

The Department's budget for this year has been set. The housing budget has been set. At the same time, we have a new budget coming up. All of these different matters have to be taken into consideration, to make sure funding can be most impactful and support people who need it most. I will certainly raise this issue with the Minister.

I will sound like I am taking on my previous role, but the deployment of An Garda Síochána is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. The most important thing is that we are starting to see, in all of the changes that have taken place in recent years, the numbers of recruits coming through at the high level that we need and, most importantly, that they are now flowing down to various parts of the cou…