Darren O'Rourke

I would be interested to know the numbers. I recognise they have been increasing year on year. My understanding from replies to parliamentary question that I have received from the Department is that the budget has increased but it has not increased in the past two years and has been static. I know there were 1,800 schools and 71,000 children last year. How many schools and children are there this…

Go raibh maith agat. I thank an Teachta.

Payment of the TV licence fee has collapsed. Fewer than 300,000 licences have been sold so far this year. It is a significant drop on last year. It is no surprise that far fewer people are willing to pay the licence fee. People are turned off by the financial scandals at RTÉ, the waste of public money, the culture of arrogance and the lack of accountability. We need vibrant, diverse and financia…

We have set it out in policy.

What about the report of the Future of Media Commission?

We can look at taxation.

The Taoiseach asked me a question.

19. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the most recent EU leaders' meeting or Council. [45453/26]

37. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the revised national digital and AI strategy. [45454/26]

13. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment for an update offshore wind projects; the amount of offshore wind that is expected to be connected by 2030, 2032 and 2035, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43821/26]

The Minister pointed on some of the issues that I want to raise. The first is what has been identified as a substantial delay in the planning system. This was reported on and accounted in the Oireachtas committee at the back end of last year. There were examples there, which he touched on, in terms of entering into the planning system in 2024, an expectation that people would have a decision in 20…

That is something that we need to keep a continued emphasis on to ensure that these applications are processed in a timely manner and that all of the necessary scrutiny is conducted from all aspects. One of the key enabling infrastructures around offshore wind is our ports infrastructure. In terms of the development of our ports infrastructure, will we be ready to take advantage of the opportunit…

75. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide an update on TV licence sales for each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43818/26]

I ask the Minister of State to provide an update on TV licence sales for each of the years 2024, 2025 and to date 2026. I ask him to make a statement on the matter.

It is clear, based on the figures the Minister of State has outlined, that the TV licence funding model is completely broken. People are voting with their feet. The Minister of State has outlined a number of contributing factors. The single biggest contributing factor is scandal after scandal in RTÉ. In 2019, over 1 million TV licences were sold. The Minister of State is saying that in the first h…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I absolutely agree and that is why it is important to raise these issues. At the heart of this is the question of the funding model for good-quality public service broadcasting. I will give another example on this. I welcome the Ashbourne Women's Shed who are visiting today. There were a number of posts for local democracy journalism funded across the State but…

I raise the issue of givinostat. I know it has been raised repeatedly but there was a packed audiovisual room briefing. There was welcome news on it yesterday. This is givinostat for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It was recommended for reimbursement by the HSE drugs group and it is with the senior leadership team now. There are two specific asks I wish to raise with the Minister. First, this proces…

We will go to a Sinn Féin slot. The first speaker is an Teachta Ó Laoghaire.

There is no legal or moral excuse for what this Government has done to the occupied territories Bill. For eight long years, it stalled and delayed. Now, it has cynically gutted the legislation by excluding services. Almost 70% of our trade with the occupied territories is in services. If we exclude services, this Bill will fall far short of its potential and what is necessary, appropriate and righ…

13. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [42077/26]

The Taoiseach has acknowledged the fact that we need service sites to deliver housing. In many parts of the country, our water network is absolutely creaking. This weekend, for practically the whole weekend, Duleek and Stamullen in County Meath were without water due to unscheduled outages and failed repairs. These outages are all too regular. There is a plan for investment in the network. I am as…

28. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on disability will next meet. [42078/26]

Children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Ireland are still denied access to givinostat, a transformative drug. I understand that the HSE drugs group is to meet tomorrow, 10 June, to consider givinostat for reimbursement. This is after more than a year since it was licensed at European level. A number of serious criteria need to be met in relation to it, principal among these is that the eligi…

This is a question of Ireland's obligations under international law, our commitment to human rights and our responsibility to act consistently when serious allegations of violations of international law are before us. The Irish football community, campaigners, trade unionists, community organisations and ordinary people rightly say that proceeding with this game risks normalising a situation that …

80. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of applications made to date to the National Council for Special Education from parents seeking a special class or special school placement for their child; the number of applications made since the deadline of 1 October passed; the status of the roll-out of new special class and special school places to meet th…