Erin McGreehan

The Tánaiste might have heard that there is a bit of excitement in Louth at the moment. I do not know if anyone has missed it, but Louth is into its first All-Ireland football semi-final since 1957. This is not just one brilliant season for Louth GAA, however. Louth GAA is on the rise and, thankfully, so too is our stadium. We have a valid application under the large-scale infrastructure fund for …

It is great to have the Minister in the House this morning. I very much welcome the opportunity to have a discussion of a practical nature that will solve this issue and have really positive impacts on patients, staff and the wider health service across the north east. The minor injury unit in Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, is one of the best services in the country. It serves the people of Lout…

It is very rare one gets a really positive response like that in the House. This is great news for everyone in the entire north east. As I said, the minor injury clinic in Dundalk is an incredible resource for all families and people who live in the area. This is really positive news which shows that the work of the staff in Louth County Hospital in Dundalk has been seen to be successful. The HSE …

Does Deputy Gibney wish to press the amendment?

Amendments Nos. 2 to 10, inclusive, are related and will be discussed together.

The Deputy must indicate.

Through the Chair.

I ask that the Cabinet consider expanding eligibility for the septic tank grant scheme so that every household with a defective system can access support regardless of geography. If we do not take that step, we are asking people to protect water quality without giving them the means to do so. There are close to 500,000 septic tanks in use across the State. The recent grant of €12,000 is welcome bu…

32. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the recent UK-Ireland summit. [45333/26]

There is a significant opportunity to place research, innovation, higher education and collaboration at the centre of any future conversations we have with regard to any UK-Ireland summits. The UK’s return to Horizon Europe is an important and welcome development. Restoring those research links will benefit both our islands. It should also encourage us to think more ambitiously about what addition…

I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill. I commend the Minister of State on bringing forward such important legislation and congratulate her on all the work she does in her brief. I wish her continued success in this area. As we all know, artificial intelligence is transforming how we live, work, learn and access services. It offers enormous …

I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on rare diseases. An estimated 300,000 people in Ireland are living with rare diseases. For their families, the challenges are absolutely immense. Too many face long waits for diagnosis, fragmented care and difficulties accessing treatments that could significantly improve or extend their lives. While each rare disease may affect a small number of peopl…

I very much welcome the publication of the revised national digital and AI strategy. It recognises that AI and digital technologies are transforming how we do business and compete in the global economy. Will the Taoiseach outline how the strategy will support our SMEs in County Louth and across the country to adopt AI and digital technologies in a practical way? Skillnet is at the forefront of thi…

19. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on disability will next meet. [14283/26]

I appreciate the Taoiseach's Department's ongoing work on disability. One aspect that is often overlooked is funding to support local authorities to have disability access officers and funding to back up their work by making accessibility a default and improving the quality of life for many people, including their access to towns and villages. I would like to see dedicated funding for those people…

Before I move to the next item, I want to warmly welcome Emma Harte, Aidan Harte, Susan O'Reilly, Lynn Carr and Joanne Lynch to the House.

We have a problem. I am deeply concerned that our health service is falling behind when it comes to access to advanced cancer treatments, modern medicine and orphan drugs. Science innovation, as the Taoiseach knows, is moving at an extraordinary pace. New oncology medicines are helping people to live longer and survive cancer. In the context of diseases that once involved devastating outcomes, peo…

37. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [37321/26]

10. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the Government trade forum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37942/26]

3. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland will meet next. [7907/26]

There are a huge number of opportunities for all-island co-operation. This Government has led on the first all-island university in the partnership between DkIT and Queen's. We work together, study together and live together and all along the border it is seamless. However, when it comes to healthcare there are a lot of barriers. There are examples of where you can get dialysis in the North if you…

It is great to be here to acknowledge and mark National Biodiversity Week. It is clear in this House that there is huge interest in this as an environmental issue. It is all around us, in our hedgerows, boglands, rivers, coastlines and the native trees that have shaped the story of this island for centuries. Biodiversity is our national heritage, particularly our native Irish trees. That is not ju…

13. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the actions being taken to protect young people online; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32803/26]

I ask the Minister to outline the actions being taken by his Department to protect young people online.

I thank the Minister for that overview. As a parent, I am supremely worried about online technology harms. To a person on the street, it seems we have a wait-and-see approach. I feel child welfare is quite often dismissed due to our dependence on technology companies in the Irish economy, not by the Government but that is what it is seen as quite regularly. We see younger and younger children acce…