Darren O'Rourke

The Minister will appreciate two significant considerations. One is the lapsing of the planning permission and having to go back. I met Meath County Council about this. There is a new county development plan. Significant work will have to be redone in terms of submissions and there is concern that will delay the project further. I appreciate what the Minister said about pre-works and so on, but ca…

21. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth in light of the cost-of-living crisis and cost-of-doing-business crisis, if she will reverse the reintroduction of leaving certificate and junior certificate fees, and increases in school transport fees; and if she will engage with school transport operators to ensure that they are adequately supported with the increased cost of…

We cannot separate these increases in cost. To that repeated line about the review of school transport fees, there are already fees. It is not the case that there were not fees. The issue is that they are being increased significantly, by up to 100% in some cases. The Minister might say they are modest increases or a reintroduction of leaving certificate and junior certificate fees that were there…

I think I speak on behalf of every TD in the Chamber in saying that come the middle of August, we will be in contact with the Department about children who have not got access to the school transport system. The Minister can take that as read - unfortunately. I want to ask the Minister about a related point. My contention is that all of this happens in the same households on which there are deman…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue for discussion. Every child is innocent and should have the opportunity to reach his or her full potential but the education system and the State are failing Traveller children. We have statistics showing that only 27% of young Travellers complete post-primary education compared to 97% of the wider population and less than 1% of Travelle…

This is really important. I welcome a number of recent announcements by the Government related to DEIS plus and the DEIS plan. I will contest every inch of it but the principle of the transformational power of education and a specific focus on educational inequality is hugely important. Within that, there needs to be a particular focus on the Traveller population because the figures are absolutel…

I welcome this Bill. Sinn Féin supports it and I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing it forward and outlining how personal it is to him. No child or member of staff should die or come to serious harm in a school because those around them did not have the training, equipment or permission to act. Every day, parents across Ireland drop their children to school trusting that they will be safe but the har…

We have an incredible opportunity here for energy security and independence because of our massive wind resource, offshore wind in particular. We have the opportunity to democratise our energy system, give people cheaper bills and, more importantly, give them ownership of the energy system. We have the opportunity to deliver warmer homes, retrofitted homes, a public transport system that is access…

12. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [26810/26]

15. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [28393/26]

23. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach for an overview of the Budget 2026: Spotlight on Disability report recently published by his Department. [28394/26]

I move: That Dáil Éireann: recognises that: — the State is systematically failing children with additional educational needs, their families, and the professionals who support them; — there is a chronic and worsening shortage of appropriate school places, denying children access and forcing other children to travel excessively long distances, often outside their own communities; — special sch…

Hear, hear.

I thank those who contributed to the debate. The Government is not opposing the motion but this is only welcome if it actually acts on the proposals contained in it. The reason we brought forward this motion is because of a failure to predict and respond to the demand for special education. There are ample examples of Government failure. This year, it was a case of establish a portal, close a port…

128. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health her plans to invest in Navan hospital in view of the recent HIQA report, details supplied, and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28366/26]

Will the Minister to outline her plans to invest in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan in view of the recent HIQA report and will she make a statement on the matter?

I welcome every euro invested in Navan hospital, as does the entire community in the county. The national standard 3.1 states that service providers protect service users from the risk of harm associated with the design and delivery of healthcare services, and the hospital was non-compliant in that regard in June 2024 and November 2025. Essentially, what management said at a follow-up inspection w…

I am certainly open to that. It would be welcome. It is an argument we have made. The starting point is that we have to protect our emergency department at Navan hospital. There has been a significant increase in population in the region. If there is an opportunity in terms of a surgical hub, the population base, infrastructure and potential are there for enhanced services at Navan hospital. That …

91. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he is considering building nuclear power plants in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26919/26]

It is clear from the last priority question, and from the comments from TDs, MEPs and the Taoiseach himself, that Fianna Fáil has gone nuclear, probably in more ways than one, in the past 24 hours. I wonder if the Government is going nuclear.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I appreciate his response. I wonder about this new focus on nuclear energy. There has been a lot of commentary and priority questions in respect of it. I mentioned the newspaper headlines which state that the Cabinet is considering it. I am deeply concerned about this matter from a number of perspectives. The Minister of State touched on it when he referred to …

On the opportunity to innovate, I had correspondence this week on how we are further developing and innovating in our existing offshore projects, and how they are coming back and refining their proposals in a really innovative, progressive and environmentally considerate way. Of course, we need to think of the potential implications of nuclear energy, particularly in terms of waste but also in the…

Not with nuclear power plants.

Not if you put a nuclear power plant beside one.

The Government committed to 400 new special classes for September. Over 300 have been sanctioned at this stage, and that is welcome, although very few of them are ready. The related major concern is that 400 new special classes will be far too few. By how many, the Government knows but will not tell us. It is reported that we could be 200 classes or 1,200 places short. It is simply unconscionable …