Darren O'Rourke

191. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an update on the Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018; the date on which the Bill will brought before the Dáil; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27335/25]

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue. I have put it in for a number of days now. I thank the junior Minister, Deputy Moynihan, for being here. It is prompted by a frustration I hear in my constituency and from colleagues across the State in relation to the minor works and ICT grants. They were announced in April 2024. There was an expectation we would see them in April 202…

There is no doubt they are essential and welcome when they come but they are not enough. That is the reality. I need the Minister of State, the Minister and Department to hear that. Schools are screaming from the rooftops. All you need to do is look at the Dáil record and see the number of times school funding has been raised by Deputies across the House. I think there is a former school principal…

I do not have an issue with the technical amendments the Minister has brought forward. However, I have a significant issue with the overall hue of the Bill and some of the technical amendments give rise to some of that. It is still the case that many people have been unfairly and unjustly excluded from the scheme and supports. For example, those who are eligible for the initial scheme but were not…

On a similar point - and I hope the Minister can clarify this - my understanding from reading the transcript of the Committee Stage debate was that the then Minister had indicated she would bring forward an amendment on Report Stage that would broaden this out to provide that it would not restrict those carrying out assessments to a GP or a nurse, for example. We know from dealing with constituent…

The Israeli war bond Bill is underpinned by the ICJ advisory opinion delivered in July 2024. That opinion stated not only that we should act but that we have a legal obligation to act to do absolutely everything that we can. It demands that every state look at every possible lever to exert pressure on Israel. Israel, like apartheid South Africa before it, should be made a pariah state, isolated an…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the statements on education. Education is the great equaliser: it has the power to break down barriers, lift communities and, most importantly, to give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential. However, for too long, our education system has been held back by chronic underfunding, inequality and a lack of ambition or vision for schools. …

School secretaries and caretakers play a vital role. They are the glue that holds our schools together. Despite this, they are denied pension parity and, in the case of caretakers, pay justice. Teresa Cassidy is one such example. Teresa has been the school secretary in Gaelscoil na Rithe in Dunshaughlin, County Meath for 27 years. When she spoke to the Meath Chronicle in recent weeks she said scho…

Right-thinking people are horrified at what they are seeing in Gaza. It is difficult to comprehend the barbarity. It is even more difficult to see it on your TV screen. Right-thinking people are ashamed of their leaders, many of whom are standing idly by as we see the intentional destruction of healthcare by Israel, the obstruction of medical supplies and humanitarian aid, the slaughter of childre…

We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis, one which threatens ecosystems, food security and our way of life. The facts are stark. Ireland ranks as one of the worst countries in Europe for biodiversity loss. More than 30% of our bee species are at risk of extinction. Wetlands, which are vital for carbon storage and flood prevention, have declined by 90% in the past century. Despite these alarmi…

To follow on from that point, in respect of my county, Meath, and the lack of capacity in the system, in CDNT 2 covering the Kells area, and CDNT 5 covering the Navan and Slane area, one in four posts is vacant. Those are the best figures. In CDNT 4, covering the Ashbourne and Dunshaughlin area, one in three posts is vacant. In CDNT 6, covering the Trim area, which Deputy Dempsey represents, almos…

129. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Justice his plans to increase funding for and expand youth diversion programmes in County Meath and more generally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23598/25]

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013 to give the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) the legislative remit to develop a code of practice for water service outages and to amend the Water Services Act 2014 to establish a dispute resolution mechanism for customer complaints regarding service interruptions and outa…

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

The RSA has a statutory maximum target of ten weeks from the time a learner driver books their test until they are given a date to sit the test. The last time that target was reached was in July 2022, almost three years ago. Since then, as is evident across the State, things have got much worse. There are extended waiting times, a shortage of testers and a system that is failing both those it is m…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. I commend the work of Dunboyne College of Further Education and the Youthreaches in County Meath. I am familiar with a number of them, including in Kells and Ashbourne. Along with Deputy Mary Lou McDonald and Councillor Maria White, I visited Laytown-Bettystown Youthreach last Friday and saw the really important work it does to provide al…

I am a TD for the Meath East constituency. As long as I have been there, which is my whole life, a permanent feature has been Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government here and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in government in Meath County Council. We have seen nothing but failure in terms of forward planning for critical infrastructure. For as long as I was a county councillor, and since I have been in th…

117. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the number of people issued with a home care package but unable to fulfil it due to staffing shortages, or other reasons, in 2024 and to date in 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23593/25]

I wish to ask the Minister the number of people issued with a home care package but unable to fulfil it due to staffing shortages or other reasons in 2024 and to date in 2025 and if she will make a statement on the matter.

It is significant. It is acknowledged that the figures are always very high. We are talking about millions of hours of home care packages and these are real services and important ones. We must always think about these things, though, in terms of unmet need. The system does not work if these services are not in place. Is there an analysis of whether there are specific geographical challenges and-o…

Yes, I am.

Some things are coming through these figures consistently. There is a pattern within them. I expect this would be the case if we were to look at the geographic variation. I know much of the challenge in CHO 8 concerns the fact that it is very difficult to get staff because it is exceptionally expensive to live in Dublin or the greater Dublin area. There is then a variation across the State in the…

99. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the initiatives he is implementing to promote tourism in Kells, County Meath, to enhance the town’s appeal as a destination for visitors. [22820/25]

111. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the initiatives he is implementing to promote tourism in Meath and enhance the region’s appeal as a destination for visitors. [22819/25]

What initiatives are being implemented by the Minister to promote tourism in Kelly, County Meath, to enhance the town's appeal as a destination for visitors?