Aidan Farrelly

2. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on the commitment in Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028 to produce a workforce development strategy; if an advisory group has, or is intended to be, set up; the terms of reference for the group; if pay and conditions are to be considered as part of…

I ask the Minister to provide the House with an update on the commitment with regards to Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024-2028.

I thank the Minister. If she will indulge me, it is very rare I get the opportunity to speak about my life experience prior to being in here but I have been a youth worker for about 16 years or the guts of three Dáil terms. The day before the general election I submitted my PhD thesis, which was on professional youth work. It asked youth workers many of the same questions that were asked afterward…

It is acceptable that data will be shared with the task force in September but I ask that it be shared more widely once the terms of reference have been agreed. It would be really useful for the academic sector and for those who are in the market of training and professionally qualifying youth workers in the field. I have been around long enough to have seen youth work move from Department to Dep…

In the past year, the number of children admitted to Temple Street with brain injuries from accidents on e-scooters has increased by 50%. I think we have agreement across the House that this is an ever-worsening public health crisis at this point. It is clear that the ban on under-16s using e-scooters has been a monumental failure. We need a new approach. As the Tánaiste has just said, instead of …

I thank the Minister of State for being here. Like my friends, I commend Deputy Quaide on his sincere work on this over recent months. I also welcome most warmly those who are here in the Gallery who for some warped reason have had to tirelessly work and campaign for so long for what is such a basic entitlement. I am really disappointed because today was not a day for either the Minister of State…

Neither should we be saying that the course that is set out and laid out will meet the needs because it will not. It is as simple as that. I believe today could have been an opportunity for us to come together, but it is actually a day that will empower the Before We Die campaign to work even harder, grow in momentum and somehow find even further resolve and determination. I do not think that it w…

Is my time up? I apologise.

The utilities regulator recently imposed a €31 million negative revenue adjustment on Uisce Éireann for underperformance and failures relating to its leakage performance target. Meanwhile, Uisce Éireann is giving out performance-related bonuses to its management teams. Its annual report for 2025 shows €18 million worth of bonuses have been paid. How can I explain to people in Kildare, who are so o…

It has already been said by others, but I am also struck by the pace at which this legislation has progressed and is progressing through the House to a point where it will reach completion this evening. It is fair to say that for the first 18 months of the lifetime of this Government, we have seen very little by way of legislation come through the House. Suddenly, however, we are under dramatic pr…

-----and now we are looking to do the same thing by bypassing local authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála, which are the bodies responsible for making very important planning decisions. They will never be perfect and neither will this House. However, their being bypassed is a matter of concern that I want to emphasise on the record of the House. We are speaking about this in a context where the W…

I will finish on this. What we are faced with in the context of this legislation is the potential for future Ministers to end up in court as a result of the State's duties under the climate Act not being fulfilled. I look forward to the Minister's comment on that. It is unlawful that what we are trying to do is not only bypass the statutory bodies, but also not fulfil our obligations under domest…

I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive response to the many points made. As Deputy O'Gorman said, we have to be accurate in what we say. This legislation is exempt from section 15 of the climate action Act. It is of critical importance to acknowledge that in the first instance. Otherwise, we are beating around the bush and being quite disingenuous. Speaking of being disingenuous, we shoul…

It is my first opportunity to speak with the Minister since becoming the Social Democrats spokesperson on transport and I put on record that I am looking forward to working with him for the duration of this term.

The Minister does not need me to inform him just how important Dublin Airport is to this island. Directly, thousands of people work between both terminals every day and indirectly we have seen very impressive figures of the impact of the airport on hundreds of thousands of jobs. In 2025 alone, 36 million passengers went through Dublin Airport, a 5% increase year on year and a 46% increase since 20…

2. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to publish a detailed timeframe, including milestones and key performance indicators, for the provision of €200-per-month childcare, as set out in the commitments in the programme for Government. [47642/26]

The results of a survey of parents in Kildare have been published, the majority of whom do not have access to childcare in September. What those results mean is that a number of parents are not able to go back to work. They are having to reduce their hours or give up their jobs because they simply cannot access a fairly basic service in a very fast-growing county. We are seeing significant issues …

Amendments Nos. 7 and 12 are related. Amendment No. 12 is consequential on amendment No. 7. Amendments Nos. 7 and 12 may be discussed together.

Does Deputy Carthy want to address amendment No. 12 now? If not, I can let other Members in.

Do any other Members wish to speak?

Amendments Nos. 8 and 9 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

We must conclude.

As the time has expired, I am now required to put the following question in accordance with an order of the Dáil of 16 June 2026: "That in respect of each of the sections undisposed of, the section is hereby agreed to in Committee, the Title is hereby agreed to in Committee, the Bill is accordingly reported to the House without amendment, Fourth Stage is hereby completed and the Bill is hereby pas…

The Select Committee on Health has completed its consideration of the Health (Amendment) Bill 2025 and has made amendments thereto.

It looks like the Government is hell-bent on introducing a social media ban for young people under the age of 16, despite the research and experience from other countries telling us it simply will not work. I am asking for speaking time on this really important issue so the Taoiseach and Tánaiste, instead of speaking on podcasts and in media interviews, can come to this House to debate it.