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immediately, not fix this in six months and not announce something for them in the budget. We must do it now. I commend the Minister, Deputy Burke, who yesterday brought in some emergency measures but they do not go far enough by any means. We need

budget considerations are determining the allocation of SNAs, not the professionally assessed need. Otherwise the assessment of need of those needs is futile. The money must chase the need, not the other way around. This is the equivalent of saying that the emergency department in our local hospital

that terrible situation. This morning more than 4,600 children in one of the richest countries in the world woke up in emergency accommodation. For most of the past ten years, the Government parties have insisted that housing is its top priority. I do not know how they … than the Government is dragging its feet, presumably in an effort to cut the cost of the scheme. We know that the new budget will buy a lot fewer homes than the old one and that the point of the restrictions and prioritisation being imposed is to make

child poverty and well-being co-ordinated through the programme office. The second budget report captures a wide range of initiatives in budget 2025 which reflect the cross-government ambition to reduce child poverty. I was delighted recently to publish the programme office's first progress report, Child … Adapting to Accelerate Change in Children's Lives. The report presents progress updates for the six focus areas while acknowledging challenges and highlighting emerging lessons and priorities. The impact of the programme office is also outlined. I am encouraged that the report shows the programme office has genuinely

potential throughout the rest of their lives. Across many disciplines and areas, that does happen. Since 2020, the Children’s Health Ireland operational budget has increased by 52% to €586 million in 2024. CHI has also grown its permanent staffing cohort from 3,545 whole-time equivalents … Street. It also funds the current activity being provided by CHI. The scale of activity in CHI is significant, with over 80,000 emergency visits each year, 50,000 urgent care centre visits, 50,000 inpatient or day cases and 140,000 outpatient appointments. However, behind every number

their child had been refused support, despite expressing suicidal ideation. Another father told me that their child had been admitted to accident and emergency six times - three times for suicide attempts - before support was put in place. Another child was discharged from hospital without there being any follow … These families expressed utter shock and, in certain cases, revulsion about the fact that the State spends so little on the mental health budget. What is being spent is well below both what was recommended in the Sláintecare report and what is spent

aware, this Government has a consistent track record of investment in the National Ambulance Service, NAS, with significant increases in funding since 2019. Budget 2025 confirmed this Government’s commitment to continued investment in NAS, with an additional allocation of €8 million for new service developments … there are 18 active community first responder, CFR, groups in County Galway. CFRs are volunteers who are trained to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. Galway also benefits from the emergency aeromedical service provided by NAS in conjunction with

dedicated restorative justice programmes. In Budget 2025, the Probation Service received an additional €4 million aimed at expanding crime diversion programmes. Its total budget is now over €60 million. This money supports step-down facilities, restorative justice and community-based alternatives to imprisonment. These are all part … vision of youth justice. The Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 provides a framework to address key ongoing challenges as well as new and emerging issues in the youth justice area. The focus of the strategy is very much on children in contact with the justice system

delivery further in the short term and secure a sustainable level of supply that will help us to meet fully unmet and emerging demand. Indeed, the past three years have seen an average of 31,000 homes delivered annually. The Government is fully committed to delivering social, affordable … homelessness remains a priority of the Government, and the programme for Government reaffirms Ireland's commitment to working to eradicate homelessness by 2030. Budget 2025 allocated more than €300 million to this end, up €61 million on 2024. The motion calls on the Government to fund local authorities

scale-up' delivery further in the short-term and secure a sustainable level of supply that will help us meet fully unmet and emerging demand; — the Government's revised housing targets, informed by expert, peer-reviewed research by the Economic and Social Research Institute, and targeting a minimum … Termination; — support a targeted second-hand social housing acquisitions programme, which responds to the needs of the most vulnerable by increasing the 2025 budget for the second-hand social housing acquisitions programme, from the €60 million available under Housing for All, to €325 million; — support local authorities

into increasing danger of poverty, cost-of-living measures have to be considered in the coming months in the run-up to the budget. The economic emphasis of the country also has to be addressed. I refer to the surplus we have seen over the last number … must ensure we do not use them as a mask to once again pursue austerity measures. It is sinister to see that potentially emerging in recent days in the context of employment rights and other issues. This seems to be an attempt not to waste a good crisis

these will not be a part of this year's budgetary package. In the current context, they have to be part of the budget because people who are already living close to poverty or in poverty are now facing increasing prices, which we must take into account … Government Efficiency, DOGE, and the many other ways at a domestic level that Trump is causing havoc, as well as the legal challenges emerging as a result. We saw a huge mobilisation at the weekend and we can expect that to continue. I will remark on Deputy Malcolm

will do. I will look at the Galway situation because those figures are quite high. The objective is to get people out of emergency accommodation as quickly as we can. There were about 8,500 more social houses built last year and, on top of that, a couple … wish him well. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of child poverty, as did others, including Deputy McGreehan. I would hope that the budget becomes the focal point for dealing with child poverty and children with special needs in terms of income-related decisions. That will mean