Ruairí Ó Murchú

96. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the engagement there has been with the Department of Education and Youth on the autism protocol to ensure that assessments of need are not required for school places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72980/25]

What engagement has there been with the Department of Education and Youth? There are proposals around the autism protocol. We spoke earlier about the very specific proposal to remove the requirement for an assessment of need in order for a child to find an appropriate school place, whether that is in a special class, in a mainstream setting with supports or in a special school. There has been huge…

Will the Minister of State give some detail on what that engagement has been? I get that it is the early stages but unfortunately it has led to some unease. We all accept there are huge issues in relation to those who have been on the assessment of need waiting list. None of it has been great for the families and children. People are looking for adequate and correct therapies and supports. I have …

If we are talking about the first quarter for the education piece, it could be as far away as March before we have clarity on it. It needs to happen as soon as possible. When will we see delivery on the single point of access? I think Bernard Gloster said that those who have the best things to say about the CDNTs are those who have a contact person they can engage with because then they know the …

I also take this opportunity to thank the Ceann Comhairle, her staff and the entire staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas. At this time, I usually apologise sometimes for the nuisance that I cause. Deputy Carthy has requested that I do that.

That is it. I am getting it out of the way early. Nollaig shona agus athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir. I hope it is an incredibly peaceful and safe time for everyone because we have seen far too much tragedy in the last while. Deputy Carthy dealt with a significant amount of the issues relating to this Bill. Some of those issues were brought up during pre-legislative scrutiny. Obviously, thi…

We have all seen the huge upsurge in the use of vapes. We have seen them normalised. An awful lot of us would have probably been happy in the initial period. At this stage, we know an awful lot of people who have used vaping as a means of getting off cigarettes and that is the piece that needs to be protected. However, anybody who has walked around any town or city will have seen the place absolu…

The Irish fishing industry and coastal communities are well-used to being the whipping boy over many years and much of this has been put on record. Taking the statement from the Seafood Ireland Alliance, it states that the EU Fisheries Council deal was "a betrayal of Ireland's fishing industry". One of the alliance members said that "the failure delivers a €94 million hit and threatens the surviva…

I support Deputy Mark Ward's amendment. He has already spoken about the legislation we proposed earlier. It is about ensuring that, for those communities that pay the greatest price for organised crime and all the chaos that comes with it, there is some sort of payback. We know none of that is going to be enough. What is needed is something far more comprehensive. I have spoken to the Minister abo…

I revisit the issue of catchment flood risk assessment management, CFRAM, and flooding, which I brought up earlier. I would be delighted if the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, could take the question. We have had significant flooding in County Louth. Many people will have seen the footage of Blackrock. We also had flooding at the quays in Dundalk and Drogheda and other areas, such as Fair Green. …

8. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will meet next. [69321/25]

We all know the issue that exists in relation to housing, whether it is homelessness, the lack of supply, those who cannot get houses, whether from a rental point of view or a purchase point of view, and those languishing on social housing lists. However, we also have to look at the issue of estate management. I do not believe the local authorities, like Louth County Council, have the necessary po…

It is about eviction.

It is easier for them to evict people.

It is difficult to believe that we are talking about rail services being cancelled. These are proposed new services that make complete sense because we want people to move to public transport. We know the advantages that exist in that regard. One of the new rail services that was being proposed between Clongriffin and Drogheda has been mothballed. This would have allowed for further express servic…

I get that. I was just wondering.

Obviously, this is a technical Bill. We have it every year and it is an absolute requirement. We will be supporting it on that basis but it gives us an opportunity to speak on capital projects. To follow on from the previous Deputy, it is fair to say there is a considerable amount of anger in the Cooley Peninsula. I was at the meeting in Cooley Hall. The fact is there is absolute fear that people'…

-----but there needs to be movement from Government and the Department. The problem is there are too many people responsible for this, so no one is responsible. We need to see delivery on this. It is not good enough.

111. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Defence if she will outline any recent progress made in all the investigations into the death of a Defence Forces member who was killed on duty in the Lebanon, details supplied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71889/25]

My question relates to the investigations into the tragedy of the loss of Private Seán Rooney, who was killed on 14 December 2022 while on active service in Lebanon. Trooper Shane Kearney and a number of others were injured in the incident. This shows us the reality of peacekeeping. It is absolutely vital that we engage with the Lebanese authorities on this matter. None of us could be happy with t…

I really appreciate the Minister's answer. It is absolutely vital that we follow through on the promise that was made that no stone will be left unturned in delivering justice for Private Seán Rooney. It is essential that we look after the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I understand the Tánaiste briefed the Minister on the issue, of which she may already have been aware, …

I ask that the Minister also get back to me on the timeline for the report by Mr. Micheal Delaney SC. It was intended to be published in quarter four of this year, which is now.

The previous Minister, Deputy Foley, put out the following statement: "The Department of Education and Youth will shortly agree a new process to remove the requirement for professional reports such as assessment of need reports from entry requirements for special schools and special classes." We have all been inundated with queries from people who are very worried about this. We have no clarity an…

We know there is a particular issue in relation to planning for school builds. There is a lack of flexibility in the system and there needs to be a greater level of agility. I brought this issue up previously with regard to Ardee Educate Together National School. It is a national school and a great build but the problem is there are 21 parking spaces and double that number are needed. There are on…

213. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide an outline of the engagement there has been with his Department, Dundalk IT and Queen's University Belfast about their recent partnership to create Dundalk university college; the plans for the future development and enhancement of the partnership; and if he will mak…