Emer Currie

I appreciate that. The Minister of State has made the town and village renewal scheme sound even more attractive with how she described it. However, we are not eligible for it. She also referenced the urban regeneration and development fund. Again, we are too small for those projects. We are, as a suburban area, falling between those gaps. I acknowledge what she said about the THRIVE scheme and th…

It is not my area.

The M50 toll is going up again. Since 2018, eFlow's annual revenue has increased by about 37%. Total revenue up to August was roughly €1.3 billion. It is a staggering sum. It highlights a system that is extracting more and more from motorists year after year. A single fixed toll point at the West-Link Bridge means drivers pay the same charge whether they travel 2 km or 20 km or whether they drive…

5. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the progress to date under national strategic outcome 10 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60155/25]

33. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the progress to date under national strategic outcome 4 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60154/25]

What is the progress to date under national strategic outcomes 10 and 4 of the NDP? I think I get some additional time for my supplementaries.

I thank the Minister for his update. I agree with him that a lot of delivery has taken place. I want to speak specifically about childcare, early learning and school-age care. I believe €795 million has been ring-fenced until 2030 for capital funding for the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. Over the last two years, €45 million was allocated to expand childcare capacity, which is p…

I accept that the Minister and the Department are working on the action plan for childcare. I am trying to ensure that the big thinking that is required to deliver childcare at the scale that we need is reflected in the NDP and will be ready to be activated to deliver the spaces that we desperately need. We need systemic change and a new model of childcare. I am looking for reassurance that there …

6. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the survey of primary school parents and guardians and parents and guardians of children not yet in school on their preferences on important aspects of school provision and choice in their community, as committed to in the programme for Government. [59853/25]

I am looking for an update on the survey for primary school parents and guardians on their preferences for school provision and choice in their community that was launched today. I thank the Minister for that. Will she include in her response what happens if a need is established through the survey? What impact will this have on secondary school choice? Will there be a follow-on survey for seconda…

I thank the Minister. I also thank her for launching the survey. It is an issue that impacts the Dublin City Council part of Dublin West at primary and secondary school level. The area is not served well enough in terms of access to or choice of secondary schools. Pelletstown has a Dublin 15 postcode but is not in the catchment area for Dublin 15 schools. People there live in the Cabra-Glasnevin e…

I would also like to give a voice to those parents in terms of post-primary choice. I take the opportunity to mention funding resources for special schools. I thank the Minister for the increase in the capitation grant in the budget. It is something that we had discussed at the education committee and I know it was on her agenda. I am always pushing for more resources. As I have mentioned previou…

Learner drivers never have to sit a driver test to roll over their learner permits. They just have to show they have booked or joined a waiting list for a test. Some have permits for years, contributing to a culture where learner permits are treated like full licences. The Road Safety Authority has had more than a decade to prepare for the closure of this loophole. The Minister of State, Deputy Ca…

The RSA is saying they are not.

Budget 2026 has come at a time of global uncertainty with risks of tariffs and instability on the European Continent. This is a budget that seeks to invest in our future while securing the jobs, prosperity and stability that families and businesses depend on today. I also recognise that the programme for Government outlines progress on issues such as reducing childcare costs and college fees and r…

I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Health that there will be an inquiry into the spina bifida and complex scoliosis service at Children's Health Ireland and that it will form part of a wider reflection on paediatric services. The Government must confront these failures openly and honestly, and is doing so. Peadar Tóibín said he would use the presidential election as a referendum on Sim…

It is not even about Simon Harris; it is all about Peadar Tóibín, who demands democratic accountability while trying to convince the country that Ireland's democracy is broken because his preferred candidate for the Presidency could not convince enough Independent Oireachtas Members to help her to secure a nomination. The fact is that Ireland's democracy works because of its citizens. Irish voters…

11. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [50176/25]

I raise the deemed disposal rule for exchange traded funds, ETF. I welcome the reduction in the exit tax rate announced in the budget, but the rule itself remains the difficulty. Under the deemed disposal rule, investors are taxed every eight years on gains they have not realised. This creates an opportunity cost for savers. To pay the tax, investors may need to liquidate part of their ETF holding…

12. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on his Department's efforts to fulfil the programme for Government commitment to provide the nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52247/25]

I welcome the Government's ongoing commitment to continue to provide the nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities. As the Minister knows very well, it is not simply about delivering post; it is increasingly about connections and access to the world through a local service. My constituency is one of the larg…

The level of the communication I have received on this shows that people appreciate their postal delivery service. I am fully aware of the period of transformation that An Post has been undergoing in recent years, which is a positive transformation, and the areas of potential growth. Nevertheless, we have to keep the basics working. When issues have been directly raised with An Post and people are…

The trading online voucher was previously available to businesses of up to ten employees to help them move online, boost sales and access new markets. The Grow Digital voucher was then launched in September 2024 to be available to more businesses for more services, with more funding. In the 12 months since, there were only 150 applications across Ireland, with 139 approvals, so something is not wo…

9. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Health will next meet. [50175/25]

Approximately 10,000 people in Ireland develop shingles every year, two thirds of them over the age of 50. One in three of us who had chickenpox as children will develop shingles in our lifetime. The national immunisation advisory committee recommends five vaccines for older adults - flu, pneumococcal, Covid, shingles and RSV - yet only three are publicly funded. The shingles vaccine is available …