Colm Burke

I very much welcome the reply. The changes that are coming into effect on 1 July are very good. There are a huge number of people who provide a good standard of care in the home rather than people having to go into full-time residential care in nursing homes. They are providing an invaluable service. It is important that we make sure that we tick all the boxes and that they are discouraged from co…

12. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm whether an examination of improvements to key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support older and vulnerable groups has occurred as per the programme for Government; if not, when this examination will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […

I very much welcome that over €28.9 billion is being provided in range of areas via budget 2026. There is a concern, however - and this was outlined this morning on "Morning Ireland" - that we may soon have an inflation rate of 5%. That is on the upper end of the scale. Because the cost of fuel and hearing are both increasing, we need to take action to keep pace with that in order to ensure that w…

I fully understand that. As was stated earlier, I have a number of people who are living in rural areas - the position would be the same in the Minister's constituency - in circumstances where there are two old-age pensions coming into the household. If one of the parties dies, there is a sudden drop in income. However, the cost of heating and travel for those individuals remain substantial. This …

Fourteen years ago in June 2012, the first meeting was held with the then Minister for Health, James Reilly, in Farmleigh House, when a whole lot of people involved in the area of rare diseases, including parents and different lobby groups, were brought together. That was the first that a serious effort was made to get everyone together in order to see how we could plan forward to deal with the ma…

On Monday, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, opened a new, 50-bed rehabilitation unit in Tower and Blarney in my constituency. A total of 30 beds are geriatric rehabilitation beds, while there are 20 neurosurgery rehabilitation beds. The whole idea behind the geriatric rehabilitation beds is that the person will be in unit for between 30 and 35 days going through rehabilitation, rather than b…

Currently in Ireland, we have 23 linear accelerators in Galway, Dublin and Cork. Of those 14 linear accelerators in Dublin, 12 are more than ten years old and eight are more than 15 years old. It is clearly established that any machine that is more than ten years old is going to cause delays and breakdowns are far more frequent and as a result, the service cannot be delivered. In fact, the figures…

In 2016 access to radiation therapy within 15 days was 86.4% and in 2019 it was 86.5%. Last year it was 78.7%. It has dropped. In fact, in 2024 it was down to 64.7%. Part of the problem is machines breaking down. There is a need for a national radiotherapy equipment replacement programme. I know the programme is starting but it is about whether we can do it faster over the next four years. We will…

I very much welcome the publication of this Bill and the fact that it is proceeding through the House. In dealing with this issue, it is important that we bring other countries with us. I have experience of dealing with this issue. I was in Gaza in 2009 after the changeover of the American President. During the period of that changeover, on 27 December 2008, Israeli forces went into Gaza, bombing …

61. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the work the Government has undertaken to improve the speed of delivery of vitally needed infrastructure projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40746/26]

I was in Croke Park this morning for the All-Island Cancer Summit 2026. It had organisations from the Irish Cancer Society and medical consultants to researchers, people from the hospitals and everyone involved in cancer care in the country. The big concern they all have is about the future ten-year cancer plan. The strategy is a ten-year plan from 2016 to 2026. Has a team been established to plan…

The South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital presented a proposal for the opening of theatre 5, which is vacant because the two new ophthalmology theatres opened were for orthopaedic treatment. There are currently 11 orthopaedic consultant whole-time-equivalents in the hospital, with two more coming in January. The proposal was that this theatre would open and work 12 hours a day and up to 10.…

5. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm that consideration will be given to an automatic entitlement to the fuel allowance where a member of the household is over 70 years of age; the cost of implementing this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31303/26]

Where I am coming from is the context of people who are living on their own. One of the big problems that we have where a person is living on their own is that there are additional costs. The cost of heating a house and normal maintenance is the same as it would be if there were two or three people living in the house. If we look at the allowance that the Department is paying out and the cost to t…

The cost of running a house for one person is the same as the cost of running it for two people, especially in relation to heating and maintenance. That is where I am coming from in relation to the fuel allowance for the over-70s. There is that huge additional cost. I recall dealing with one man whose basic allowance was the old age pension. His wife died. The income was cut in half but the cost o…

The Government provides funding to the FAI. A memorandum of agreement was signed in December 2024 with €6 million a year paid to it. Back in 2011 and 2012 Cork County Council engaged with the FAI with a view to providing land to it. Eventually in 2017 it leased 30 acres in Brooklodge in Glanmire. This land has lain idle since, even though a sport complex was to be built there. My understanding is …

16. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress made to date in relation to the introduction of e-ticketing as part of the school transport scheme; if there are plans to expand e-ticketing to other schools for the 2026-27 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28771/26]

I welcome the Minister of State's reply. The e-ticketing pilot data is extremely important in respect of the use of school transport. Every week we all get complaints about seats being vacant on school buses, while the children who would use them do not have access to the buses. E-ticketing is extremely important in making sure that there is full utilisation and that the people who have been unfor…

Will the Minister of State clarify if there is a target date for e-ticketing to be available across the board in all school transport systems?

Will the Department provide the necessary funding to Cork City Council to enable building work to be carried out on Mayfield library and community centre in view of the fact the council has submitted an application for funding for this project? Will the Minister of State make a statement? Mayfield has a large population on the north-east side of Cork city. It has many retired people but the popula…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. The issue is the new development that is going on. That was not part of the submission made in 2023 because it had not even gone through the planning process. There has been a huge growth in population. It is an area that needs to be prioritised. The library facility in Mayfield, which has very good staff, is not adequate for the demand that is there no…

I welcome this Bill, which is to protect public health. Regulating access to e-cigarettes and nicotine products is essential. There is evidence on the risk of nicotine pouches - nicotine addiction, gum problems, mouth ulcers, dry mouth and hiccups, nausea and stomach problems, and nicotine poisoning. When we look at the growth in the market, the sales of nicotine pouches by P.J. Carroll and Co. g…

I indicated that I wanted to ask a supplementary question, which I am entitled to do.

19. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the status of progress on the Blackpool River Bride flood relief scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27643/26]

My question is in relation to the Blackpool flood relief scheme. It has been going on for 13 years, going into 14 years. The OPW sent the report in to the Minister of State's Department nine or ten months ago. I do not understand why we still do not have a decision on this matter. Why is it taking so long? On the previous occasion, the Department sat on the report. By the time it came to a decisio…