Michael Murphy

I thank the Minister of State for his reply, which alluded to a 21-month waiting time. Correspondence sent to me directly by the SEAI confirmed that the waiting time is somewhere between 24 and 26 months. People came into my office in quarter 3 of 2024 and as of now, 14 months later, the SEAI cannot tell me when these homes will be surveyed. I have people in their 90s who applied in quarter 3 of 2…

76. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will provide an update on the urgent discussions referenced in his written reply of 22 October 2025 regarding the planned discontinuation of coronial post mortems at University Hospital Waterford from 1 January 2026; the interim arrangements that have now been agreed for counties Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny…

We are little more than 40 days from a cliff edge that the Minister has just described as a "critical juncture". From 1 January post mortems will no longer be carried out at UHW, a service that carries out 700 cases every year, which are often the most tragic and traumatic of deaths. Behind every one of these cases is a family in shock waiting for answers and waiting simply to lay a loved one to r…

This is not an abstract policy issue; this is a human one. There are 700 cases every year. Every day that a family waits for a post mortem is a day they cannot hold a funeral, cannot begin the grieving process and cannot find closure. That is the reality that awaits hundreds of families across the south east if this service collapses on 1 January. Coroners, funeral directors and front-line respond…

The N24 upgrade, particularly the Cahir to Waterford section, is a critical piece of national infrastructure yet throughout all of 2025, the project has remained stalled at the preferred route stage with no movement towards detailed design. At the same time, the Cahir to Limerick section has advanced, creating what is a clear imbalance along a single strategic corridor. In my role as Chair of the…

The message is very straightforward. The N24 is essential national infrastructure and the imbalance in its progression cannot continue. I have engaged with both the Minister and TII. I thank them for that but we now need delivery. The Cahir to Limerick section is moving at pace and will be subject to a significant announcement today. Unfortunately, the Cahir to Waterford section remains stalled. I…

I notified the Ceann Comhairle's office on Tuesday that I would take this question, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Is that in order?

On Monday of this week the High Court quashed a section 5 declaration applying to Dundrum House Hotel. This site is no longer planning compliant, yet we maintain a multimillion-euro IPAS contract with a company whose shady business dealings are before the High Court. There is no accountability, no transparency and no due diligence. This is not about IPAS; this is about the taxpayer and the people …

25. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in quantifying the economic and social dimensions of greater North-South integration (details supplied). [62809/25]

The question of greater North-South integration and any future constitutional change carries profound economic implications. It is really important that we approach this debate with honesty and clarity. Further integration will require significant investment, aligning public services, connecting infrastructure, integrating health and education and ensuring social welfare compatibility. If we are t…

It will be a very positive day in Templemore tomorrow when 194 new recruits will be passing out. Unfortunately, many of these new recruits will be allocated to the metropolitan cities while in my constituency the key towns of Tipperary, Cashel, Cahir, Fethard, Carrick-on-Suir and my hometown of Clonmel will be left behind. I am sure the Tánaiste will agree that maintaining law and order is not jus…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this important Topical Issue. I raise this issue today because there is an urgent need to finally close the loophole that allows drivers to continue renewing learner permits indefinitely without ever sitting a driving test. Of course, this is not a new problem. It was identified more than a decade ago in the RSA's Road Safety Strategy 2013-2020. Action 33 o…

I thank the Minister of State. I have a reply in front of me and perhaps he could give clarification. It says that the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, signed a regulation yesterday. If that is the case, I welcome that. I also welcome the reply the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, has just given and again acknowledge the Department's efforts to improve driving tests overall. As the Minister of…

In the week of COP30, I call out the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, for its utter failure to deliver the warmer homes scheme in a timely manner. This week I got confirmation from the SEAI that the average waiting time for initial assessment is 14 months, and a minimum of 26 months from application to completion. What really concerns me is the lack of urgency from the SEAI and the l…

Over recent months, the situation in Dundrum, south Tipperary, has become a test case for how we as a State balance urgent humanitarian obligations with proper process, transparency and respect for local communities. From the outset, I raised serious concerns about the lack of due diligence and transparency surrounding this decision, which regrettably have proven well founded. A substantial publi…

As the Tánaiste knows, since I was first elected, the expansion of the Scoil Aonghusa special school in Cashel has been a priority of mine. I pay tribute to everybody involved in this centre of educational excellence. The school is under huge pressure as it caters for 150 children with complex special needs. Thankfully, the 15-room modular expansion was approved in February this year. It is my und…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter, which relates to the ongoing and serious difficulties people are encountering when trying to make contact with the patient transport service for the south east, which is based in Wexford. This is a service which, as the Minister of State will know, is a vital lifeline for patients and families across community health organisation, CHO, 5, inclu…

I thank the Minister of State for the response, but I emphasise again that this issue is not theoretical. It is happening daily. When people are sick, anxious or dependent on transport to receive treatment, the ability to get through on the phone is not a luxury; it is a necessity. This service must be accessible, responsive and properly resourced. I urge that the HSE be directed to carry out an i…

How much are student fees in Northern Ireland?

I refer to the commitment in the programme for Government to launch a new town and city infrastructure investment fund to replace the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. Regional towns such as Clonmel cannot access the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, or the town and village renewal scheme, so this new fund is crucial. Clonmel has a shovel-ready project. Matched funding ha…

I raise the national challenge of vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages. In my own constituency of Tipperary South we see it clearly. Towns like Clonmel, Tipperary town and Carrick-on-Suir are three of our key towns and all have prime retail streets with empty or derelict properties. Unfortunately, this is replicated right across the country. These are proud places with strong employm…

I thank the Minister for his reply but the reality is that despite these existing schemes vacancy and dereliction remains stubbornly high. Failure to act now will mean that these empty buildings continue to blight our main streets year after year while a housing crisis deepens. I am calling for a specific ring-fenced approach, reform of the existing regulatory and grant system, and a targeted reli…

I speak today as a proud voice for Clonmel, a town with a borough charter dating back to 1608 and a place of deep history and extraordinary community spirit. Clonmel has felt the loss of its borough council profoundly since its abolition in 2014. Decision-making drifted from the people. Civic pride diminished. The unique identity of our town, forged over centuries, was quietly eroded. Does the Tán…

I mentioned that there were five borough councils, one of which is Kilkenny.

93. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether he intends to provide additional funding in 2025 for the local improvement scheme, LIS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36845/25]