Darren O'Rourke

7. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [50085/25]

In the audiovisual room this afternoon, a briefing organised by Deputy Guirke was addressed by Ciaran Staunton and Kelly Fincham on barriers faced by Irish citizens returning from abroad. They raised a range of barriers, such as access to driving licences and planning permission, but the issue I want to raise that relates to the economy and trade is the dearth of teachers, occupational therapists …

18. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [50086/25]

23. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will next meet. [53071/25]

8. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the measures he is taking to increase the amount of affordable housing in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52989/25]

Affordability is the biggest issue in County Meath. The county has met its housing targets. Those targets are too low. They are being increased, but there is a track record of delivering housing without affordable housing. The schemes the Minister of State is talking about do not deliver affordable housing either. We have huge numbers of adult children living at home with their parents - I would s…

I will speak on behalf of every single one of them and tell the Minister of State that the Government is crucifying them for years to come. These properties are not affordable. The Government is crucifying them, and probably their children after them, with a level of mortgage and financial burden that is completely unsustainable. That will impact every decision they make in their lives, from how m…

They want houses.

Three-bedroom houses for €500,000.

This is a budget in excess of €9 million that has, incredibly, left people worse off. It contains broken election promise after broken election promise. I will focus my comments on the education and youth sector. People can rightly see through Government spin and that was well captured on the "Prime Time" programme last night. We heard a grandparent from Coolock talking about his grandkids who wer…

85. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health for an update on the investigation into unnecessary hip surgeries at CHI; the supports available to those affected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51162/25]

I thank the Minister for that update. I have a few follow-up questions. On the initial cohort of 196, does the Minister have an indicative timeline on when that full cohort might be completed? It was a significant number and in excess of 196. Is the Minister close to appointing a lead for the membership of the external review? We are only at the start of the month but there is keen interest in tha…

I welcome that the Minister outlined a series of dates for engagement, including today. There is some emerging and serious concern about the scope and potential terms of reference for the external review. One area is how it will specifically relate to Crumlin hospital and surgeons operating there, as well as at Cork, Galway and elsewhere across the State and, related to that, how it will apply to …

The situation in Gaza is not just a tragedy; it is a moral catastrophe. Over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, entire districts have been reduced to rubble and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee under relentless bombardment. Starving children are murdered while they wait for food. We have genocide and we have man-made famine. I say "man-made", but they are not men; they a…

There is a group of elderly people outside the Dáil at the minute on hunger strike. They are survivors of institutional abuse and have very modest requests regarding access to a HAA medical card and a pension. These requests were refused by Government during the discussions on the recent legislation. There are concerns for this vulnerable group across the political divide but also by the Special A…

17. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy will next meet. [50084/25]

There is a major issue with the retrofitting schemes that are in place. On the one hand, as the Climate Change Advisory Council states, the funding supports for heat pumps are not sufficient and this locks many people out of access to a heat pump. On the other hand, a heat pump is not a practical or feasible solution for many homes, in particular one-off rural homes. Very many people are locked ou…

There are widespread concerns in relation to this new set of guidelines for the review of SNA allocations, specifically, the narrowed criteria and rigid timelines. The application window now for school-led reviews is limited for a six-week period from 15 September to 24 October and excludes mid-year needs, and there is the issue of unification and redeployment risks. SNA allocations are now unifie…

I have the guidelines in my hand. They need to be withdrawn, because what the Minister of State has said and what we heard at the committee yesterday from the Department are directly contradicted by what is in the guidelines. The guidelines give rise to real concern because they state: NCSE reviews are conducted on a whole school needs-based analysis, To be clear, this can include mainstream and …

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make provision whereby the Minister for Education shall make regulations governing the implementation of an affordable school uniform policy in schools; and for this purpose, to amend the Education Act 1998. I welcome the opportunity to introduce the Education (Affordable School Uniforms) Bill 2025 along with Deputies Ó Laoghai…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important subject. This year is not just another episode in a long-running saga of Government failure on school transport. This year represents a new low. In addition to the usual annual debacle, never before have we had the situation on such a scale where tickets were issued and routes confirmed but, at the eleventh hour, in some cases the day before sch…

For too long Government policy on migration has been a story of reaction, crisis and abdication of duty. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have allowed our system to be dictated by profiteers and unchecked market forces, utterly failing communities and those seeking protection alike. Our international protection system, for example, is not fit for purpose. Decisions and appeals still take far too long, en…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — the right to education is a fundamental right for every child, as enshrined in the Irish Constitution and international conventions; — despite two Dáil motions in 2025 calling for the provision of appropriate school places for every child with additional needs in their locality, the Government has rejected these calls; — the Minister for Education has,…

I want to start my concluding remarks by saying that some of the utterances from Deputy Danny Healy-Rae were ignorant, ill-informed, insensitive, offensive and disgusting. He should withdraw them. They represent the height of ignorance. The debate, otherwise, was important. It is incredibly frustrating. I say that on my behalf and on behalf of anyone with an interest in this matter. The term "gas…