Peter Roche

16. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures being taken to ensure school bus tickets are issued in advance of the commencement of the 2026-27 school year; the steps being taken to avoid a recurrence of the delays and capacity issues experienced last year, which resulted in eligible children being left without transport or unable to access existing routes; and if …

Like the Minister, I want to wish our gallant Galway hurlers everything that is good on Sunday, but that is not why I stood up to speak. I am anxious, given the spate of correspondence coming into my office, about the school transport scheme and how some families find themselves ineligible or refused transport for the next year.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I get the whole cost of providing transport, but access to education begins with access to transport. For any parent who finds themselves in receipt of a refusal for a bus ticket for next year, it is the most compelling and difficult thing they have to deal with. It is stressful enough without them being told that do not qualify. In most cases, the p…

As the Minister of State mentioned, there are instances where students and families have benefited from school transport tickets. There are also many instances where they are not utilised. If there was a formula or mechanism to make sure that only those who need them apply, it would help the situation. I do not know if anyone would be in position to say that they do not want it and will give it ba…

I want to put the spotlight on the primary medical certificate and the very rigid rules there are with regard to eligibility. It is fine if a person has a very physical disability; they will qualify. Those who lose eyesight, for example, would not be eligible. The appeals process is also quite complex. Is there any prospect of a review of the scheme? On the backlog of appeals, is there anything to…

As the Tánaiste is aware, this is Men's Health Week. Government policy acknowledges or recognises that improving men's health has clear benefits for families, partners and children right across society. A key part of that is the experience of early parenthood. I refer to paternity leave in particular in this regard. A report this week titled Extra Time with Dad shows that Ireland is falling way be…

The Courts Service owns a building in the heart of Tuam that has been derelict for the past 15 years. As part of the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027, reference was made to the possibility of it being refurbished at the end of that period. We are in the middle of 2026 and there is no sign of that. Dereliction should not be encouraged. In particular, State-owned buildings should not be left i…

I follow on the same subject. I thank the Tánaiste for his continued engagement when I raised the issue of the summer programme, what was known as the July provision. In my constituency, I had one advocate who was representing ten families that were blocked out of the scheme. The stress, strain and torment that parents had to endure for the last few weeks were unbearable. A window of opportunity o…

I want to raise once again the question of wind energy guidelines. Last year when I entered this Chamber, I was anxious to understand when the planning guidelines would be updated both for wind energy, the towering tall 185 m high turbines and of course for solar energy. There was a promise or commitment given that the planning guidelines would be updated and published in the spring of this year.…

I thank the Minister for this debate on TB eradication, which I welcome. In an earlier response, he mentioned that new TB measures came into place in April. I am anxious to understand the status of the new rules and their implementation.

I get it and I absolutely understand the compassion the Minister has for the emotion, distress and anxiety an outbreak brings to farmers. Sometimes it could be dairy herd. In particular I would like to understand vaccination schemes and programmes. I know we have a vaccination programme for the badger. Are we looking at, or are we anywhere near, a vaccination programme for herds, particularly dair…

The €6 million fund for preventative measures is most welcome. The compensation ceiling for someone with a pedigree in-calf cow, which we know the value of, is €3,000. Are we revisiting that because they are taking a huge financial loss, as well as the emotional loss and the upset caused as a consequence of the outbreak on that prize animal? I would like to understand whether that is something the…

I will raise the issue of the provision of public footpaths, and their maintenance, repair and infill. There is no dedicated funding for such within the local authorities. There is active travel funding, roads funding and all of the other streams, which are very often criteria-driven. For example, any engineer who is requested to have a look at the provision of new footpaths, maintenance or repair…

I am glad to have the opportunity to add my voice of thanks to the many nurses around our country. I also give a shout-out to those in the ambulance services who are striking today and want us to do more for them. Strangely, my first job at 16 years of age was in a nursing home during the summer holidays. I never forgot the impact that had on me because I saw the outstanding work the nurses did. I…

I welcome the debate we are having today and look forward to two or three years' time when we can say what benefits accrued from it. The real measure will be in the action. Like previous speakers, before I came into the Chamber, I was listening to a lot of the contributions. They were almost identical right across the line. Rural planning was one area raised, housing was another and funding for c…

I want to raise the issue of TB testing, the new guidelines and the action plan. There is considerable confusion about the testing and the movement rules. Constituents are a little bit confused about the categories their livestock fall into in this regard. They are asking that the rules be simplified. The compensation cap of €3,000 is fundamentally important, as a pedigree in-calf cow would exceed…

6. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has considered introducing additional protections or supports for people living with rare diseases, given the unique financial and social challenges they face; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15529/26]

Rare diseases collectively affect of thousands of people across our State. What makes the situation different is that the State's systems were never designed around lifelong, complex conditions that do not fit neat diagnostic or disability categories. Parents are becoming full-time carers, care co-ordinators and medical advocates, often overnight and, indeed, permanently, while simultaneously expe…

Many people living with rare diseases fall between multiple systems - health, disability and social protection. Approximately one in 17 people will live with a rare disease during their lifetime and, in many cases, these conditions are lifelong, disabling and involve frequent hospitalisations with one parent or carer leaving their employment entirely, yet many of these individuals struggle to qual…

I appreciate the Minister’s honesty and his response. Most of us get representations into our constituency offices in that regard. I would have thought before arriving to this House that that would not be the norm but it is beginning to become the norm where we encounter people who have those very conditions, those rare diseases. It is imperative we find a model they can fit into and that their li…

I want to put the spotlight on the primary certificate criteria. I understand there have to be criteria but they are very rigid. There are people with profound autism issues and sensory processing difficulties and people who are visually impaired. I dealt with a young gentleman recently who lost his arm as a consequence of a cancer diagnosis. To be refused the primary certificate is quite insultin…

Rather than adding to the contributions that have been made thus far, I will take the opportunity to read a letter from a child to an SNA: I wanted to say thank you. When I walk into school in the morning, I look for you first. When I see you, I feel calm. I know I am okay. Sometimes school feels very loud in my head. The classroom can be busy. The bell is noisy. People talk fast. Sometimes I do…

In the past hour I came away from a meeting of the committee on social protection and rural affairs. There was a considerable, interesting discussion on Citizens Information and Money Advice and Budgeting services. One of the things that struck me was 20% of people cannot get access to those services. There are 89 centres nationally and about 140 information officers. That equates to about 1.5 sta…

Tomorrow will being a dignified and respectful protest to University College Hospital in Galway, where people will be campaigning for a dual-pathway system in our emergency department. People who present in emergency departments with acute mental health issues need a different environment in which they can be triaged separately and given a moment to become calm and to have their concerns heard by …

91. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has examined the impact of the current means-testing arrangements for the SUSI grant on adult and mature applicants who, due to the lack of available or affordable housing, continue to reside in the family home and are therefore assessed on parental income; his plans to review the SUS…