Aidan Farrelly

Sit down, Deputy.

Deputy, sit down. I call Deputy Gogarty.

We have seen the media reporting today that there is yet another delay in the delivery of the national paediatric hospital. This is the 16th delay. Over 2,100 bedrooms are currently not compliant. There are 63,000 issues on the snag list. When does the Government envisage that the keys of the paediatric hospital will be given over? What impact will yet another delay have in terms of workforce plan…

We have heard that housing is a priority, disability is a priority, child poverty is a priority and climate is a priority. They are all priorities until they are not. For this Government today, we have seen that, in fact, big business and protecting its profits are the Government's priority. The headlines in the run-up to this budget were consistent: an end to successive giveaway budgets. There is…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú - To discuss the failure to provide an SNA for a primary school child. Deputy Matt Carthy - To discuss the impact of delays of SNA allocations on pupils and families in Cavan-Monaghan. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss…

Thank you, Deputy.

You can come back, Deputy.

I note that no amendments to this motion have been tabled. I call Deputy Hearne.

I thank the Minister for being here and for his contribution. We are starting to see a trend across the House in the words we are using about carer's allowance. It comes down to choices. The Minister has spoken about the idea that he cannot abolish the means test now. I take issue with that. The Government can do it but it chooses not do. As he will agree, family carers make an invaluable contribu…

I often stand up here to debate the challenges facing Government Ministers. I am on the record in conversation with the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, and I again commend him and previous Governments on their investment in sports facilities. I know of a number of pockets of County Kildare where the population has doubled in 20 years. The county has one of the youngest populations in the co…

I mean this with the greatest of respect to the Minister of State, but this is the fourth Topical Issue raised with no relevant line Minister or Minister of State here to debate it and to engage in the conversation on it. I am not directing this at the Minister of State. He is here and I appreciate the opportunity to speak to him about this issue, but I cannot expect he will know anything about th…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I appreciate the update with regard to the review by the NCSE and that it is being taken as a priority. We will feed that back to the school immediately. It has potential but the worry is the criteria for the review. We do not know what the criteria are and if the same criteria are maintained from the first review, it would be unreasonable to expect …

This week the Government supported calls for the implementation of curfews on children and young people, for fines for parents and for a mini criminal assets bureau to be established to confiscate PlayStations, Xboxes and mobile phones. It was in a motion in the name of Deputy Gogarty. The Government allowed it through with no amendment. Tonight, RTÉ has a “Prime Time” show about antisocial behavi…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the delays businesses and potential employees experience while applying for work permits. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore - To discuss issues with public transport in Wicklow. Deputy Frankie Feighan - To di…

As we have finished Topical Issues, we will suspend the House.

What does it say about our State that it cannot ensure every child has an equal, just, flourishing and fun childhood? What does it say about our Government that it refuses to ensure every child has a bed to call their own? What does it say about our Cabinet that it is doubling down on its so-called attention to the issue of child poverty, rather than facing up to the facts before our eyes? Ireland…

I look forward to supporting the campaign of Deputy Catherine Connolly, who did get the required signatures. I have spoken to many parents in Kildare about a lack of childcare facilities. I have a question. In many new housing developments in Kildare, we are seeing empty-shell units of childcare facilities. It is no problem if the Minister does not have an answer now because I can follow up later…

Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I will go first if that is okay.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. There is probably very little I can say that is going to be news to the Minister of State at this point. Many Members have covered, quite comprehensively, the structural flaws facing the transport scheme as it stands. It is probably difficult to comprehend any sort of acknowledgement that the scheme is getting better when it is a problem that the M…

There are some children who have tickets for buses while their siblings do not. There is a real issue with school places. If children cannot get into their closest schools, they might have to travel 10 km, 15 km or 20 km to get a place in another school. However, they are not eligible for school transport. If we can join matters up, the scheme has the potential to work. Right now, however, it is q…

I will pick up where Deputy Gannon has left off. For nearly 20 years, I was a professional youth worker and a hoodie was my uniform. I thought today would be a very important day to don that uniform again. In the same way that I have tried to defend and advocate on behalf of young people who are all too often on the receiving end of negative stereotyping and rhetoric, it feels right that I wear th…

That is not true.

The Deputy should speak the truth.

I read the whole-----

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. We have record levels of child poverty and child and youth homelessness. We have really worrying waiting lists for children who require life-changing and life-saving medical procedures. We now also have 40,000 children on child waiting lists for crèches and early years education. Despite the Social Democrats offering constructive proposals, we are seeing an ignorance o…