Jerry Buttimer

I again emphasise that I hear Deputy Cahill. Sceilg Mhichíl is a site of extraordinary significance and the OPW is seeking to carefully manage the built and natural heritage of the site for the enjoyment of current and future generations. The OPW recognises the significance of the Skelligs with regard to tourism and the economic activity of Kerry, as articulated by Deputy Cahill, and in particular…

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. I congratulate Deputy Ward on his appointment as Chair of the European affairs committee and wish him well in the role. He has raised a very important matter regarding women's health and the healthcare provided to them. The urogynaecological transvaginal mesh is used in the surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic o…

I thank Deputy Burke for raising this matter in the House this evening. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, who shares Deputy Burke's concerns in relation to the current cost of shingles vaccination in Ireland. Varicella is a common, highly infectious disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. The virus is associated with two distinct clinical syndromes, varicella, know…

Deputy Burke made some very valid points. He is right about the long-term effects of shingles and the ageing population. I thank him again for raising this important matter. He is right that we should be forward thinking. Vaccination is regarded as one of the most effective, cost-effective and successful public health interventions that exist, saving many lives every year. As has been highlighted,…

I thank Deputies O'Hara and McGrath for raising these important matters tonight and for allowing me, as Deputy McGrath said, to respond on behalf of the Minister. I say to Deputy O’Hara that the Department recently announced that 98 beds for families seeking international protection will be provided at the Merriman Hotel in Kinvara. The property was previously used to house people who were benefi…

To Deputy O'Hara, I repeat that those people from Ukraine who remain in the property will stay at the Merriman Hotel and will be accommodated under new arrangements. That is fairly black and white. I take on board the comments of both Deputies and will bring them back to the Minister. The Department has been working with communities all over Ireland to source and provide accommodation for people …

I thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising the matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister. The Deputy is right that we are not immune to extreme events and he rightly illustrated and highlighted our vulnerability in terms of 2.5 times our usage having gone in five seconds. He is bang on. It is important to note that we do not yet know the causes of yesterday’s event. This kind of cascading event …

I again thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising the matter, which is of critical importance. The Deputy is right that there must be learnings from what happened yesterday, whatever the cause of the Iberian blackout is, and that has not been confirmed yet. The authorities in Portugal and Spain are continuing to assess the cause and it may take time. The point the Deputy makes is that we must take learning…

I thank Deputy Geoghegan for raising this very important matter, which I am taking for the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Deputy Geoghegan has raised this matter before. There is huge merit in what he has proposed, and I commend his contribution because it is about joined-up thinking and ensuring we are ready for the next phase of the area he mentioned. As the Deputy knows, improving public transport …

I thank Deputy Geoghegan for his contribution and ongoing interest in this very important issue. The Deputy is correct. As a member of Dublin City Council, he championed the 15-minute city concept. I fully subscribe to what he said about capital investment in infrastructure, housing and transport, as does the Government. On the current developments, the National Transport Authority has instructed…

Chuala muid an díospóireacht. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis na Baill a thug páirt sa díospóireacht iontach sin agus gabhaim buíochas leo. Go mórmhór, gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as an rún a chur os comhair na Dála. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis na hoifigigh agus leis na baill den phobal a thug cuairteanna agus tacaíocht dá gcomharsana tar éis na stoirme agus gabhaim buíochas leo. I begin by congratul…

I thank Deputy Wall for the question and congratulate him on his election. I look forward to working with him again as we did in Seanad Éireann. He has always been a champion of transport and the Kildare-Dublin axis, and I look forward to working with him in that regard. Our Rural Future, Ireland's national rural development policy, was launched in 2021 following an extensive period of consultati…

I will come back to the Deputy on the Indecon report. I do not have that information to hand. He is right about the M7 and the N40 in Cork. There is a need for all stakeholders to engage properly to see how we can make that a better thoroughfare for motorists and all road users. As the Deputy said, supporting rural Ireland is a priority for Government. Over the last number of years, we have seen 3…

I will respond to Deputy Wall first. As he know, Connecting Ireland's rural mobility plan has been a huge success, with 145 new or enhanced services since it began. A total of 240 towns and villages have been connected with, for example, 61 connections to healthcare facilities, 41 higher education facilities and 71 rail services. A total of 600,000 people have access to new and enhanced bus servic…

I thank Deputy Ward for his question. As members are aware, the LIS is an important support for rural communities in improving non-public rural roads and laneways not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its establishment in 2017, almost €170 million has been provided by the Government to local authorities under the scheme. In April of last year, some €40 million in funding was announce…

I agree with the Deputy that it is important we ensure people have accessibility and it is about giving them comfort. Donegal has been very good at spending the money allocated to it and has been very successful, with 224 roads completed. It is about ensuring there is flexibility in certain areas where there are pressure points. I will engage with the Deputy and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, in t…

As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I are very committed to this scheme. It is a very important one and at the heart of what we do about rural Ireland. It is about connectivity and it goes back to the question raised by Deputy Wall. It goes back to Deputy Ward's point about people who live way off the road and are trying to-----

-----end social isolation and enhance connectivity. There are different factors when it comes to roads, such as geography, the condition of roads and the amount of road area to be covered. I will communicate the Deputy's point to Donegal County Council. It is a vast and beautiful county. To be fair, the road network has been improved. There may be some areas that need to be enhanced. We have seen …

I congratulate Deputy Clendennen on his election. The local enhancement programme is targeted towards enhancing facilities in disadvantaged communities identified in local economic and community plans. The programme seeks to provide small grants to a wide and diverse range of local community groups, to assist with the purchase of equipment and improvements or repairs to their facilities. Deputy C…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an mhéid a dúirt sé mar gheall ar an Roinn. My Department provides guidance to the local community development committees on the eligibility criteria. The guidelines require projects to be in keeping with the ethos of the programme. The Government is very much aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary groups and we are very much committed to s…

Pobal has, as the Deputy knows, independently assessed the community centre investment fund. Information will be given back to the community centres in question and I will talk to the Deputy further after that. As regards Deputy Clendennen's point, the idea of the portal is a good idea. He is right that people move on and there is a lacuna then and a burden of administration placed on the volunta…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar seo a ardú. I thank Deputy McGrath for raising the matter. Like the Deputy I want to pay tribute to the staff in the Passport Office and to acknowledge the work that they do. The passport service is currently experiencing a high level of demand for passports, as citizens prepare for upcoming summer travel. The Department of Foreign Affairs has operation…

I thank the Deputy again for raising this important issue. As we all know in this Chamber, passports are an important topic for us in our offices, especially as we approach the Easter and summer holidays. I assure Members of the commitment of the passport service and which I think we all agree is an excellent service. It is in an excellent position to deliver the demand forecasted for the rest of …

Tá an tAire sa Seanad ag plé le Commencement Matters.

Déanaim comhghairdeas le gach aon duine a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht iontach seo. Cosúil le gach duine eile, níl mórán Gaeilge agam, ach tá beagáinín agam. Táim ag foghlaim na teanga agus tá an teanga an-tábhachtach do gach duine, go mór mór sa Dáil agus sa Seanad. Mar a dúirt an tAire, an Teachta Calleary, is teanga bheo í an Ghaeilge, beo de bharr go bhfuil pobal teanga againn sna ceantair Gh…