Pádraig O'Sullivan

I raise an issue which affects both the Taoiseach and me. It is Cork Educate Together Secondary School, which is currently located on Wellington Road in my constituency. When it was first founded in 2016 it was largely due to serve a catchment in the Taoiseach’s constituency, largely in the Douglas area. Since 2016 the school has had a number of homes. It is currently located on Wellington Road, a…

8. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs will meet next. [74327/25]

Ireland's upcoming EU Presidency represents an important opportunity to advance economic competitiveness. Can the Taoiseach advise if there are plans to host EU Presidency-related meetings or events in Cork and other regions across the country to ensure that the whole country can benefit in some small way from hosting such events? The EU Presidency also represents an opportunity to show policy le…

23. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on Government co-ordination will next meet. [74328/25]

Given the growing concerns about the misuse and manipulation of images on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter, does the Taoiseach believe it is appropriate that Ministers would continue to use this platform for official public messaging?

Pluvicto, a drug used for prostate cancer patients, was approved by the European Medicines Agency back in 2022. The HSE received an application for reimbursement in 2023 but both the national cancer control programme, NCCP, and the drugs group in the HSE recommended that the drug not be reimbursed because of limited resources available to the HSE. A private patient with private health insurance or…

We now move to the Social Democrats slot. I call Deputy Cummins.

Energy is not just a commodity; it is the lifeblood of every home and business in Ireland. While the worst of the global energy shock may have passed, its legacy remains deeply felt in Irish households. Rising bills have eroded disposable income, pushed more families into arrears and amplified the sense of insecurity that began during the pandemic and worsened with the war in Ukraine. It is not an…

I only have two and a half minutes so I will make two or three points, beginning with the planning system. As the Minister knows, most local authorities are reviewing their development plans, which I welcome. It is long overdue. There is one issue I want to raise with the Minister and it is something I only became aware of in the past couple of days. It is a document on housing densities entitled …

We have heard all the talk about a 12-month anniversary for many TDs but I would like to talk about a 64-year anniversary which was commemorated yesterday. A group of us met the Irish Thalidomide Association in Leinster House. It was a cross-party meeting with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and Independents all represented, and they universally acknowledg…

14. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the programme plan for his Department’s new disability unit for 2025-2027. [48526/25]

This is a topic the Taoiseach is very familiar with. He has visited the Rainbow Club on dozens of occasions at this stage and knows the great work that Jon, Karen and the board do. When Senator Rabbitte was the Minister of State, she was the first to allocate funding to the Rainbow Club under a service level agreement to provide respite care for children. As the Taoiseach will know, every week, ov…

Minister, time is up.

Deputy Ó Broin, through the Chair please. Minister, time is up.

We are moving on. Deputy Ó Broin, we are not going to have a conversation across the floor.

Respect the Chair, please.

Tá Ceist Uimh. 6, in ainm an Teachta Willie O'Dea á thogáil ag an Teachta Séamus McGrath.

Tá Ceist Uimh. 7, in ainm an Teachta Peter 'Chap' Cleere, á thogáil arís ag an Teachta Séamus McGrath.

On the Minister's last point, we have approached Cork County Council collectively at a local level and it is saying that without national guidelines, it will not amend its development plan in terms of governing regulations around the erection of solar farms. There is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation here. The council is saying it will not implement anything about solar development in its devel…

I support Deputy Dolan as well. I spoke about solar guidelines previously. It has to be said again that is taking an extreme amount of time to get these guidelines updated. I am here since 2020. I have spoken about this a dozen times at this stage. We have been led to believe that these guidelines are being updated or imminent. The Minister is giving us an update on the progress in relation to tha…

I was going to reference that at the start. I know it is an issue close to the Chair's heart and her father's heart. It is an issue I have raised here on five or six occasions, primarily through Topical Issues. I thank the Minister of State for being here. Unfortunately, to my mind, nothing has changed after those attempts to raise this issue here in the past. For people at home who are not famili…

Unfortunately, not much has changed in the response. As I said in my own piece, I firmly believe the solution to this is probably, unfortunately, going to be the private route through developer-led infrastructure. It is not ideal. Irish Water itself has resisted that process for a long time now. I hope that the Minister will make a fair fist of that and bring this to a head and not just for Carrig…

SMEs are the lifeblood of Ireland's economy. They account for 99.8% of all businesses and employ over two thirds of our workforce. They are primarily the family-owned firms, rural hauliers and local manufacturers that keep our communities alive. Today they are under unprecedented strain. One of the most pressing issues they face is the rising cost of haulage. Haulage is not a luxury; it is the bac…

In budget 2026, recognition was given, as the Minister just outlined, to the massive contribution that family carers make in Irish society. Progress has been made, albeit not as quickly as some may have liked. Nonetheless, I know that more needs to be done. I have listened to the Minister intently this morning and over recent months. I welcome the fact that the Minister has reiterated here once ag…

I know it might not be popular to say it with some people inside here, but the €600 million VAT exemption given to hospitality might have been better devoted to this area in the budget. To finish, I want to highlight a particular concern I have about people providing full-time care to more than one person in their homes. Will the Minister please outline how we are going to help these people in pa…