Patrick O'Donovan

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. She raised it in a different way from her colleague in the Labour Party. She will understand that there are only two ways properties could typically come into the State's ownership. One is through the local authorities and the other is through the Office of Public Works. The OPW manages all the State's portfolio on behalf of Government Departments, inclu…

The Deputy knows I cannot give grants for the purchase of properties, in the same way as I cannot do it for sports facilities.

I have raised the Deputy's question with the Minister of State, Deputy Moran. The OPW is probably the best vehicle to get this done, so I will raise the matter with him again.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the Minister for Education is not around. Regardless of that, I agree. The concept of school secretaries and caretakers and other ancillary staff who are integral to the operation of our schools being on picket lines was, to be quite honest, very difficult. The industrial machinery of the State is the vehicle through which this issue needs to be progressed. I hope th…

The Deputy is right that in a previous life I was a chemist. Lithium does not fall from the sky. It is dug out of a huge hole in the ground and anybody who says there are no environmental consequences from an electric car is not telling the truth. In some far flung place in the world somebody is driving a gigantic Volvo BM, spewing thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to try t…

I thank Deputy Daly for the question. I know the school well. John B. Keane used to say that if you fell out of bed in north Kerry you would wake up in west Limerick. I know the town very well and the school in question. I do not know about the issue the Deputy raises and I do not know how much plaster has fallen down but I will ask the Minister for education and her officials to revert to the Dep…

I will go back to a comment I made earlier about Deputy Healy-Rae. We agree on most things but we do not agree on this. Support for Ukraine is something that we have to do, to be honest about it. We cannot have a situation where a country's territorial sovereignty is illegally invaded by a state like Russia and we do not support it. Most people would agree and I know that deep down, Deputy Healy-R…

I already answered a question from Deputy Moynihan on DART south-west and the Government's commitment to it, as well as to DART+. I do not disagree with Deputy Ahern at all and that is why Deputy Darragh O'Brien, when he was Minister for housing, brought forward legislation in relation to objections. It is also why the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste speak so frequently with regard to the abuse, as I s…

I know what a blister pack is and do not need to be shown it. I have used one in my own house and I have had to use-----

Please.

If the Deputy is going to ask me a question and then shout at me-----

I know what a blister pack is and have had to use one myself as have other loved ones in my family. I answered a question on this earlier in response to Deputy Carthy. The Taoiseach outlined yesterday the steps he believes are available to the HSE and the Irish Pharmacy Union to discuss this matter and I am sure those discussions will happen in due course.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Massive investment has already been made in primary and post-primary schools across County Offaly by the Department of education under both this Government and the previous Government. That will continue. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, will respond to the Deputy on the specific issue she has raised regarding Birr when she returns.

I thank Deputy Neville for raising this issue. We discussed this previously at a meeting held in the Department. The Deputy is right; Swim Ireland published a gap analysis with regard to swimming pools in the last week. There are huge gaps in relation to the number of swimming pools available across the country, particularly in large urban centres. What were once small villages are now massive tow…

The Deputy raises a very important issue. Some local authorities are very good at dealing with voids. Some local authorities have no issue in returning voids to their stock.

They do it out of their own resources and by connecting directly with-----

Will the Deputy let me answer?

If the Deputy does not want to hear the answer, I will sit down. Does he want to hear the answer? Some local authorities are very good at this.

With the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's indulgence, as Minister with responsibility for the sector, I will join with him and with the House in extending the sympathies of my Department and of the Government to the family on their loss. It is not just a loss to the family but the loss of a great cultural icon here in Ireland.

Táim sásta a bheith anseo chun an cheist thar a bheith tábhachtach seo a phlé. Mar Aire Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt, is í an tsábháilteacht ar líne, go háirithe do leanaí agus daoine óga, an chloch is mó ar mo phaidrín. Dála go leor eile sa Teach seo, is tuismitheoir mé mar aon le polaiteoir. Mar sin, tá sábháilteacht ar líne tábhachtach domsa mar athair. I am pleased to be here this afternoo…

Does the Deputy want to tax the television?

I will remind Pearse of that in the morning.

There is an awful lot to respond to. I have had the opportunity in private to welcome him back but I want to sincerely welcome back Deputy Boyd Barrett.

I have not had the opportunity to do so in the House since he returned. It is great to see him back. We never agreed on anything. I would hate to break the habit of a lifetime.

It is great to see him back and I hope he is recovering well. Best of luck to him. It is important to point out that the aggregate relates to the amount of money expended since 1980, a 45-year term. It is not that we are hoping to spend this money into the future; it is an aggregate. It is an issue that comes up with a lot of State agencies. It is clunky that they have to keep coming back to the M…