Ruairí Ó Murchú

I would like to ask the Minister of State if she will provide updated figures from the CDNT workforce report carried out in October 2024. Will she outline the strategy - some of this has been dealt with - regarding the current vacancy rate in the CDNTs and what can be done to rectify that, assuming we can provide the best result across the board to the children and families who are in need?

Go raibh maith agat. I would appreciate if we could get that full report as soon as possible when the Minister of State has an actual deadline. My last parliamentary question contains the same detail in relation to this issue. My understanding is that almost 530 whole-time equivalent positions were still missing or not filled at October last year in the children’s disability network teams. I would…

Obviously everything that can be done from a recruitment and retention point of view should be done. On workforce planning, we must ensure that have not only the best possible work conditions and pay but that we have enough students training. That all needs to be done. I am going back to two particular issues. I would be grateful for an update on how many whole-time equivalent positions are still …

We had an extensive conversation concerning the obvious dangers of AI but more so the positives, the innovation and productivity of the technology and its absolute necessity from an enterprise point of view. We also spoke about the fact that digital literacy is an issue. I agree with the last two speakers. It is very important that the advisory council is fit for purpose and the Government has in-…

We are way over time. Quickly.

Questions Nos. 72 and 73 are grouped, but I thought there used to be a protection on priority questions.

Outside the initial 30 seconds to ask a question, you are all given the same amount of added time. It is 18.5 minutes altogether.

It has happened a couple of times in the past while but did not previously.

87. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will outline the engagement there has been with ESB Networks and other relevant State agencies on the issue of building resilience into the electricity grid, post Storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6004/25]

Unfortunately, it sounds like we have the correct weather for the sort of question I am going to ask. A huge number of people were impacted by the recent Storm Éowyn. Huge damage was done. I get that the Minister could not mitigate against all of that but we were all talking about resilience. What engagement has there been between by the Minister, the Department and the Government - I know it is b…

I think everyone would welcome engagement, and some would wish this engagement had happened previously, particularly on issues relating to forestry, corridors and the very infrastructure. We know the other failures regarding the grid. I would like to think those engagements were also happening with Uisce Éireann and other bodies. We have seen the issues caused for a huge number of people. Some con…

I also wish the best to the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Ministers of State, Deputies Grealish and Michael Healy-Rae. As Deputy Fitzmaurice said, they have a stay of execution but it will be a short one. We spoke previously on some of the issues. Everyone gets the idea of the importance of the agrifood sector and the agricultural sector to Irish society, especially rural Ireland. We know that…

I might have been better had I used ChatGPT or something else to write a speech for me. I did not and I will go for a more traditional method of dealing with this. In fairness, and I might never say this again over the next four years, I agree with the previous speaker from the opposite bench, especially on the need to look at holding special hearings. We definitely need to look at having a speci…

We all know about issues like violent crime, organised crime or chaotic crime. We know about the estate management failures that exist. We all deal at times with the Garda, Tusla, the council and intervention services, which have insufficient tools to deal with the cases in front of them. The Drogheda implementation board did good work but could not deal with the issues in front of it. We will wai…

15. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will report on any recent discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. [5940/25]

16. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the 42nd British-Irish Council in Edinburgh, in December 2024. [5941/25]

I would like to agree with all that has been said on the legacy Act. I imagine there is agreement across this House and beyond that it is utterly unacceptable and some of this relates to the fact that Britain does not want to deal with its particular role in the dirty war that it conducted in Ireland. In my own constituency, in my own town of Dundalk, we are looking at the 50th anniversary in Dece…

22. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach for an update on the work being done by the shared island unit in his Department. [4795/25]

If we are to move anything regarding the constitutional question and unity, there is obviously a huge body of preparatory work that needs to be done. I accept that some work on modelling and comparison has been done by the shared island unit. More needs to be done on that. The Taoiseach gave his answer about the citizens' assembly. I do not care what it is called once it is a forum that allows fo…

This is the Taoiseach's proposal. Obviously, he is against tax relief for students-----

-----in the North. It is the Government's tax relief.

It is an anomaly that could be dealt with.

Will it come in on budget?

Appropriate school places, particularly for those children with special needs, has to be a priority. I agree with the Minister on that, but the fact is we are now dealing with what has been an abject failure for children and families. It has been stated by many already that we have all been contacted over many years by frustrated parents who cannot get their kids into school places. I have dealt w…

It is Question No. 67 but it is grouped with Question No. 107. Both are in the name of Deputy Ward.