Naoise Ó Muirí

It is not really fair to have to follow Deputy Boyd Barrett, but I will kick the ball that is in front of me, which is Science Week. This week, we celebrate Science Week, a national event that for 30 years has brought communities, schools and researchers together to explore and celebrate the power and potential of science in shaping our society. The theme for this year, "Then. Today. Tomorrow.”, i…

Ba mhaith liom ceist Ghaelcholáiste Reachrann a ardú. This is a fabulous school community of students, parents and teachers who have been waiting a quarter of a century now for a new school building which they really badly need. That community was buoyed up by a visit from the Minister for education, Deputy McEntee. It was a very positive and productive visit earlier this year and built up a good …

3. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation when he expects the mission critical communications system to be fully operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60174/25]

My question today is about how we can strengthen our national resilience against future storms in the wake of Storm Éowyn and how new technologies can be used to better protect our communities. I want to ask the Minister of State when she expects the mission critical communications system to be fully operation and will she make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State. It is good to hear that it has been trialled and it is getting up and running. This system will build greater resilience in our emergency communications. As the Minister of State said, it is kind of a system of systems so it gives us a last resort in terms of response. I referred to Storm Éowyn. We all know that storms are getting worse. All the weather records show…

It is positive that we can have an influence on that while we hold the Presidency of the Council. It is good to hear about Westport. Storm Éowyn was a west of Ireland problem in the main and testing the system off the west coast in Westport was a positive development. It would be great to keep the plan moving. We will no doubt hear more about it in due course in the context of the EU Presidency un…

I welcome the Bill. The Minister of State will be familiar with the impact of Storm Éowyn and how it hit the west of Ireland in particular. Any investment in ESB Networks that helps to build resilience for the future is to be welcomed. I am fully supportive of it. Over the coming years, the ESB's investment plan will see the delivery of more than 500 capital projects - a huge number - including 18…

Thankfully, the issue of men's health has received a lot more attention in recent years, as the statistics are pretty stark. According to the Movember report, 42% of all male deaths in 2022 were premature, with the male death rate higher across all five leading causes of death. These are members of our families dying prematurely and leaving behind an irreplaceable hole in their communities. The im…

My question is about a growing but unseen issue in our communities, which is online fraud. I will give one example from a constituent this morning. The lady went on booking.com looking to book a holiday apartment. She responded to an ad and entered her contact details. She got a phone call back from somebody with an Irish accent who directed her to another site. She put in her details and got scam…

I echo Deputy O'Callaghan's comments. The five Dublin Bay North Deputies are here together. The Minister of State has worked with us before on Belmayne Educate Together. This underlines the importance of the issue for the community. There is a very committed community of students, parents and teachers who have been waiting for 25 years for that building. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, visited earli…

It is a bit frustrating. We are all fully committed to this project and are waiting for officials to make what should be a no-brainer of a decision, given where the project is, what the community is at and where we need to go. I urge the Minister of State to keep pressure on departmental officials and get the decision made quickly so we can get through this gate and the community can move on and s…

11. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the plans his Department has to increase prison capacity in line with the country’s rising population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54032/25]

I represent many working-class communities on the northside, so I do not accept the Deputy’s analysis at all.

I do not accept the Deputy’s analysis. I am happy to go with him to working-class communities on the northside any time he wants.

I appreciate that. I am just not going to let the comment go unchallenged. I welcome the additional money allocated to the SEAI this year. It has a huge part to play in getting our housing stock retrofitted from a climate perspective, but there is something of an issue with heat pumps. Heat pumps appear to be the nirvana when it comes to retrofitting. For older citizens in particular, they are ex…

I had just been elected and I had national school principals from Coolock on to me straight away about DEIS Plus, and fair play to them. They were determined to make sure DEIS Plus got off the ground and got funding and support. I was more than happy to raise it in the parliamentary party and directly with the Minister, to work with like-minded colleagues to make sure those working-class areas, wi…

23. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when a decision is expected on plans to extend the basic income for artists scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52174/25]

97. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Health for an update on the development of the national framework for endometriosis care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52187/25]

I thank the Minister for the update. Just to add to what my colleague Deputy Boland said, the patient voice forum is a really good step forward. It is incredible that it has not happened before now. Well done to the Minister for putting it in place. It is a model that should work in many different areas of the health service and I really welcome it. I want to mention the area of diagnosis. As has…

The Minister put it really well herself when she said that women are the best narrators of their own lived experience and their own pain. As long as she can keep that in the centre of all of the work that will be done around endometriosis, she will make progress and she will have the support of this House.

Sport is essential to Irish life. It would be hard to find a household that was not tuned in to watch Tipperary lash Cork in the all-Ireland or to see Shane Lowry make that final hole last weekend. That spirit and such huge excitement and interest brings a real sense of belonging and identity to communities. It is so important. The previous Government recognised that with its funding paths in term…

95. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of reducing the minimum required hours under the wage subsidy scheme from 21 hours to 15 hours in April 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50438/25]

My question concerns supporting people with a disability to find substantial, sustainable and meaningful employment and implementing the recommendations of the review of the wage subsidy scheme. I would like to know the cost of reducing the minimum required hours under the wage subsidy scheme from 21 to 15 hours in April 2024 and if the Minister will make a statement on the matter.

The programme for Government recognised that people with a disability face significant additional costs in their daily lives and seeks to improve supports and ensure the welfare system is progressive and empowers people to live full and independent lives. It is welcome to see that the stakeholder review was taken on board by the Department. As the Minister mentioned, the cost of €889,000 associate…

I thank the Minister. I think we still have a way to go here in terms of making progress. I welcome the ongoing review of the subsidy itself and the entry points and levels. According to the Disability Federation of Ireland, just over 30% of people with disabilities here are in employment. The EU average is around 50%, so we need to focus on building skills. I also suggest we need to promote the s…