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straight with the Deputy: that is a nonsense statement. There will be a substantial provision in the budget and the Estimates next week for public service pay. How can anybody credibly say we are not prepared to discuss pay? Come on. Everybody knows that is not true

should be building on those investments, not undermining them by pushing people away from public transport. For every 10% increase in public transport fares, ridership is estimated to fall by 3%. Instead, the Government has decided to place another financial burden on individuals and families who are already

reduced the fees to €2,500 permanently. The Minister for higher education is in discussions with the Minister for public expenditure in respect of his Estimates and he is anxious, in particular, to try to help larger families who might have two or three students in third level

reliability for passengers and commuters. This investment will also form part of the Department's engagements with the Department of public expenditure as part of the annual Estimates process, which has not yet concluded, for next year. On an overall basis, fare revenue only covers approximately … costs funded by the Exchequer. It is, therefore, imperative that there is a rebalancing of the critical equation in how we fund PSO public transport nationally, ensuring that fare revenue continues to make a sustainable contribution alongside significant levels of subsidy, while maintaining the affordability and accessibility

take into account the extra money people are paying in network charges. This report by Dr. Seán Fearon estimates that, in total, between 2015 and 2023, the public paid €715 million extra because of the Government's policy of prioritising data centres. That is just what happened

budget submission to the Department of Transport, taking account of competing funding demands and wider public transport priorities. They remain subject to the outcome of the annual Estimates process and, if approved, will represent the biggest year-on-year enhancement of services in many measures

Government has pursued a focus on immigration, part of the reasoning for that has been, in my estimation, that we must have a fair, firm system the public believes in. There is a narrative against our immigration system that suggests we have an open-door policy and that

move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (without debate) - Motion re Sittings and Business of the Dáil (without debate) - Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 (Second Stage) (to conclude at the end of the first speaking … Second Stage of the Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following in the ordinary routine of business; 2. the proceedings on the Motion re Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission shall be taken

question. The application of the €18 million expenditure levy is currently forming part of the 2027 Estimates negotiations process under way with our colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. It is fair to say that it will be challenging to absorb

also forms a key part of the Department's engagement. In the budget process, I will be seeking additional funding to further expand public transport services. The NTA continuously monitors punctuality, reliability and demand. The Deputies opposite are right to raise specific issues on certain routes … part of it, and through public service obligations. When I became Minister for Transport, I said I wanted to put the PSO process on a sustainable footing such that we do not have to go back every single year looking for Supplementary Estimates. A bus or rail network

thank Deputy Quaide. I am aware the HSE has commissioned a national disability services needs analysis and the publication of this report is a matter for the HSE. The focus on my Department to identify the scale of unmet need is the work that is currently under … size and age structure of the future disability population out to 2032 and estimates of the scale of unmet need. The updated review will extend the horizon to 2040 and work is ongoing. The publication of that report will follow once it is completed. Using updated methodology

consideration of specialist disability services and funding requirements occurs annually as part of the Estimates process. Engagement is currently ongoing between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in respect of funding for 2027. Further

road deaths from 134 in 2018 to 185 in 2025. The Garda figures report 190 deaths in 2025 as they include deaths in public places such as car parks and private roads. The Bill does not address this but we also need to clarify which are the more … been heading in for some time now here. The Welsh Government has also estimated that the introduction of 20 miles per hour limits could prevent deaths and serious injuries while delivering wider economic and public health benefits. We can also look to Spain. They introduced a nationwide urban

sustainability needed to expand and improve public transport services. The NTA has identified approximately 140 new service initiatives and capacity enhancements as part of its 2027 budget submission to the Department of Transport. Subject to the outcome of the annual Estimates process, this represents the biggest in-year … published in 2023. The Government and the Department of Transport, in partnership with the NTA and operators, remain fully committed to delivering a public transport system that is reliable, accessible, affordable, and capable of meeting the growing needs of communities across the country. It is, therefore, essential that

public transport in this State are very clear. While we struggle to build significant capital projects, what the Minister has before him is a portfolio that offers real potential. I also noted from the Minister's opening remarks the idea of stabilising the PSO with Supplementary Estimates … know that a Supplementary Estimate was required only because it was not budgeted for properly in the first instance. Is that not a fair assessment? That is what the PSO costs year on year. In recent weeks, I have heard the Minister and many others emphasise that

June of this year, over 147,000 carers perceived the grant. The grant is not means-tested and is non-taxable. The estimated investment in the grant in 2026 was over €364 million. We are continuing to accept applications for the grant so anyone who may have … local office or through mywelfare.ie. In the context of budget 2027, we are continuing to negotiate our budget with the Department of public expenditure. We will have a package for carers within that programme but we have not finalised our discussions yet. They will be announced on budget

mainly for cooling purposes, but a much greater factor is the water used in producing electricity for them. The authors of the report estimate that this is equivalent to the water consumption of 340,600 homes, or 18.5% of Irish households. I have already made the point about … over the course of five years. I want to talk a little about the KPMG report. Over €110,000 was paid by the public to produce a junk science report on the supposed economic benefits of data centres. First drafts were not junk science enough, so the Department

aware, on 2 June 2026 the new standard, IS 465:2026, was published. This standard replaced the previous standard, IS 465:2018. This publication requires a review of the operation of the Act, which has now been commenced. It is being carried out by my Department with … also be brought to the social homes scheme in the future. In February 2026, the County and City Management Association produced a revised estimate of the number of affected dwellings for private and social homes, and the Irish Council for Social Housing has also provided an estimate

been alluded to throughout the debate, is with the actual scheme itself. We know that more than 2,400 social homes are estimated to have been affected by defective concrete blocks. This is an important step, but the issue I have is with the scheme itself, because … local authority to rebuild or repair a social home on top of a potentially defective, cracked foundation and transferring all that risk onto public infrastructure makes absolutely no sense. In the long term, that represents poor value and something that could potentially come back to haunt the State

jobs in these data centres. That is the reality. If you look at the usage of electricity, almost a quarter of our electricity publicly available on the grid is now going to supply data centres. That is due to rise to over 30% in the coming four … double what the data centres are paying. They are paying a grid improvement levy as well. A recent Friends of the Earth report estimates that households forked out an additional €263 from 2021 to 2023 to pay for the additional costs of the load being

water infrastructure, from €300 million in 2014 to €1.4 billion as part of budget 2026. This investment will deliver significant improvements in our public water and wastewater services, support improved water supplies right across Ireland, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality … upgrade of Ballyhaunis Wastewater Treatment Plant will provide capacity increase from 4,000 population equivalent, PE, to 6,600 PE. The total estimated cost of that project is €15 miIlion and Uisce Éireann plans to commence its construction next year. Two of the largest drinking water infrastructure projects

provide for related matters. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this. The purpose of this Bill is to amend the Public Health (Tobacco) Acts 2002 to 2024 to introduce smoke-free generation measures, whereby the sale and supply of tobacco products, nicotine products and nicotine … hospitalised every week. The major causes, as we know, are cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, and heart disease. The RCSI in estimating the costs of smoking has calculated that in Ireland there are about 5 million years in shorter lives as a result of smoking, 2.5 million

electricity credit for households with people in receipt of Illness Benefit, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or carer’s payments would cost an estimated €250 million per year; — data centres pay approximately €0.20 per KWh for electricity, half the €0.40 average price paid by households; and — an electricity consumption … many aspects to the cost-of-living crisis. There is the cost of accommodation and housing, the cost of childcare, the cost of public transport and the cost of groceries and food but a critical issue for hundreds of thousands of people, and for everybody really

Minister will know that I have raised this on many occasions and in parliamentary questions. A proper online booking system available at every public services centre is necessary. My constituents in Dún Laoghaire and those around the country should be able to book a slot online … Airtricity's increase adds an average of €310 a year for 296,000 customers, and Bord Gáis Energy's increase will add an estimated €317 to the average household bill from 9 October. Gas prices are already around 90% higher than they were four or five years

this is. It intersects with the environment, military technology, the cost of living, which this motion focuses on, and many other issues. An estimated cumulative average of about €360 in ordinary people's energy bills has been laid at the door of data centres. With households already paying … seriously suggesting it could not pay a levy? It is well able to pay. Further than that, the ESB, which once was a public utility, should be brought back into State ownership and run for profit to get bills down in the first place. Bord Gáis announced

million in funding under the EU Social Climate Fund; and the subheading, programme and vote this allocation fell under in the Revised Estimates for Public Services 2026. [68681/26

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Health the estimated reduction in income to public hospitals arising from the removal of private practice from public hospitals in each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 to date; the projected reduction for 2027 and 2028; and the basis

competition by the Office of Government Procurement; whether a revised tender has been published; if so, the date of publication, tender reference number and estimated value of the contract; and the changes made following the concerns raised by an interested party. [68567/26

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport to estimate the cost of eliminating public transport fares for student Leap Card holders and for under-25 Leap Card holders; and the cost of eliminating fares for both together. [64963/26

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the estimated annual and long-term cost, broken down by service, of extending the Occupational Supplementary Pension to existing members of An Garda Síochána, the Prison Service, Fire Service and Defence Forces

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Transport the amount the National Transport Authority has estimated would be required in 2027 to maintain public service obligation fares at 2026 levels; whether the Department has sought that amount in the Budget 2027 Estimates process; and if the Minister

Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the estimated completion date for the Whitechurch stream flood alleviation scheme; if temporary flood barriers will be erected ahead of the winter months should the permanent barriers not be completed in time

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the estimated payback period for the retrofit of Áras an tSáile, Renmore, Galway, by the number of years over which projected energy savings are expected to recover the capital cost

Flynn asked the Minister for Transport if alternatives to the January 2027 fare increase were considered, including the estimated cost to the Exchequer of maintaining Public Service Obligation fares at 2026 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64823/26

Science if supplementary funding will be provided in 2026 to address recognised legacy shortfalls in funding for public sector pay awards in the higher education sector; the estimated value of any such outstanding shortfall; and the measures planned to address these costs on a recurring basis through core

Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide respectively the Departmental gross voted capital allocations for 2026 following the Revised Estimates; the cause of the divergence from the allocations in the revised NDP or in Budget

Minister for Transport further to reports (details supplied), that the National Transport Authority does not currently have sufficient funding to provide new public transport services in 2026 and that discussions are under way regarding its funding allocation for 2027, whether he will ensure that sufficient funding is provided … allow the next phase of the Towns Programme to proceed, including the provision of a town bus service for Tullamore; the estimated additional annual funding required to introduce such a service in Tullamore; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64103/26