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these skilled workers. It would be much better if we had a native workforce that could be here to continue with any infrastructure project we have. We have a lot of projects to do. On these skilled workers, it is important to mention that the system bottlenecks

sure the Minister is aware, Erasmus is a wonderful programme that has brought students from all over Europe together and allowed them to experience other cultures. It has increased our understanding of other European countries and, thus, has given Irish people ideas and knowledge that have enriched … success and is mostly a positive experience for those who partake in it. Are there plans to vary, expand or deepen the Erasmus programme for third level students

note the current Erasmus+ programme ambitions include fostering stronger participation in democratic life, common values and civic engagement. This is more important than ever, given the threat democracy is experiencing in the western world. The ambition to expand well beyond Europe's borders is also commendable. Promoting … natives and our legacy remains all over Europe. I urge the Minister to continue to support and develop this rich and positive programme that we call Erasmus

organisations and other stakeholders to share their experiences and consider further actions that would be appropriate. Following that engagement, the Department commenced a project focused on better supporting students with disabilities. This project is to examine transitions into further and higher education, to map out the supports

ensuring that students with disabilities can have full access and participation in further and higher education. It is separate from the demonstration project. It is a separate project also looking at how personal assistance can be best utilised within the system. Personal supports are primarily facilitated through

were unable to state with any certainty when the review would commence and finish. At this point it could be almost both those projects, but it is a timeline as to when that is dealt with in that we could support those people who are doing vital work … need to look at the third level sector across the board. That is vital. I ask the Minister to expand on the project, the review and then the timelines for completion

behalf of the Minister, as the Deputies know. This Government places great value on culture and the arts sector. As outlined in the programme for Government, we recognise that they are essential to a well-rounded society, providing opportunities for education, expression and community engagement. As the Deputies … them to provide additional capacity and availability of artist workspaces in their regions on a sustainable basis. Local authorities are invited to propose projects which can accommodate and address the demand for artist workspaces in their regions and produce workspaces that are fit for purpose, design-focused

level and in regional locations to ensure support for vibrant local cultural life with high-quality programming. The Department has an extensive grant programme as a contribution to maintaining and enhancing arts and culture. However, as Deputy Sherlock heard this morning, it does not provide funding … Minister strengthened funding for arts capital in the budget and a €6 million allocation has been made available for a new funding programme for arts and cultural centres that he plans to launch next year. As previously stated, the Minister is acutely aware of the pressure that artists

advocacy body. Funding is also made available each year to support capacity building in volunteer-involving organisations, and to carry out research and projects to support the implementation of actions in that strategy. Additional supports for volunteering were provided during the Covid-19 pandemic and additional funding … strategy comes to a close, and having engaged with the sector and met Volunteer Ireland, I note there is a commitment in the programme for Government to publishing a second national volunteering strategy. Our Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht is currently working to develop

cornerstone of our society. Volunteers play a critical role and we are the better for it. It is articulated and reflected in the programme for Government commitment in terms of the second national volunteering strategy being published. As the Minister of State with responsibility in this area … Deputy that we have a huge value in volunteering. We are very much committed to supporting volunteers and to putting in place a programme of consultation to ensure that in the second iteration of the strategy as many voices as possible are heard. In that way, we will

Balbriggan. As Minister of State with responsibility for community development, I will happily visit the organisation with her. It is delivering the UBU project from the Castlemill Education Centre. Everyone here, including the Ceann Comhairle, will pay tribute and testify to the importance of Foróige. In the case … opportunities young people deserve and need can be provided in order that they can grow, develop and flourish. The strength of the UBU project lies in having a place-based and needs-led approach. It is also about the tailoring of services, including in Balbriggan, to allow young

intimidation is a high priority for An Garda Síochána. Nominated Garda inspectors are available throughout the country through the drug-related intimidation reporting programme to assist victims of intimidation. In addition, the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, project, which launched earlier this year has established effective

heating systems by the end of this decade. The national retrofit plan sets out the Government's approach to achieving those targets. The programme for Government 2025 contains a number of commitments in relation to retrofitting. They include delivering more B2 equivalent home retrofits each year from … models for home owners, including older people who wish to retrofit, enhancing energy efficiency and reducing costs, as well as supporting group retrofitting projects. The warmer homes scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people at risk of energy poverty by providing

warmer homes contractor panel, which commenced in recent months. It is anticipated that it will attract additional capacity for the programme over the next four to five years. That tender carries an estimated value of €1.1 billion, representing a record programme of commitment for that five-year period

addiction and so on. The most fundamental way of assisting society to cope is through very good policies at an early age and programmes from a psychological level which increase the self esteem of children to withstand and be resilient in the face of whatever comes at them … focused approach to age verification and we are working to include age verification functionality in Ireland's digital wallet under the EU eIDAS project. That is about giving parents and young people a robust Government-backed mechanism to protect privacy. A large-scale pilot is planned for early

thank the Deputy. He has a point but the legislation is not in the current legislative programme. We will have a meeting in early January on the new legislative programme for the next session. We will talk to the relevant Minister as well and hopefully we can provide

European Medicines Agency back in 2022. The HSE received an application for reimbursement in 2023 but both the national cancer control programme, NCCP, and the drugs group in the HSE recommended that the drug not be reimbursed because of limited resources available to the HSE. A private patient … effect, get preferential treatment over public patients? Will the review of the reimbursement system be implemented, as committed to in the programme for Government

Department of Defence, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces and the National Cybersecurity Centre. The programme for Government, securing Ireland's future sets out a number of national security commitments, acknowledging that this is a time of upheaval, in particular … Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. This is an important element of the realignment of our national security infrastructure, and a project has been initiated to establish this new statutory national security authority, led by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Earlier this year

years ahead. Many of the capital works are due to get under way by 2030 and others thereafter. Having a pipeline of projects ready is vital because there is so much background work involved with them. I am particularly focused on the ones after 2030. We have seen … Ballincollig. It needs to continue in the background and get through the various background stages so that we have a pipeline of projects ready to roll as soon as possible

Navan to Dublin rail line is not included in the national development plan review as a project that will start to be built before 2030. It has no start date for construction at all at the moment. It is up to a future government to fund the construction … Navan to Dublin rail line. No money has been assigned or ring-fenced for that particular project, despite the fact there are 90,000 people commuting from Meath at the moment, 60,000 of whom travel by car and add to the M50 crisis. The M50 is currently

been risk assessed. In respect of the school curriculum, while the review of the anti-bullying policy in 2022, the current Bí Cineálta programme and all of those measures have been introduced to try to empower children to deal with what is online, we are putting the cart … horse. It should be the platforms and algorithms that are dealt with, rather than making our education system align with them. Those programmes have not been risk assessed, to the best of my knowledge. Going back to the policing of this, An Garda Síochána is under-resourced

which is what tax relief is. We have invested in the Irish Film Board and are today allowing it to expend more on projects. I do not think anybody has a problem with that purpose. Most of us have seen at least some of the fruits … truth and explained to us how the film industry works. That is why we supported the tax relief for the unscripted programmes and the additional funding for animation. I hope little things like those will continue to happen to address shortfalls or problems that emerge. The European copyright

someone takes on a Government contract tomorrow morning, built into that contract, if the project goes over due to inflation over a certain percentage, is the adding on to the contract once the engineers can prove the material has moved. I said this in the Dáil last week … solution. Why would the Minister charge tax on redress of 100%? Addressing this is within his remit. If I am pricing a project, it is based on a period of three months. How long is it going to take for the system to come into place

programme for Government states on page 68 that the Government will support the school building unit in the timely delivery of school building projects. Coláiste Íosagáin in Portarlington has been waiting for a decade and a half. Portarlington is the second-biggest town in County Laois

thank the Deputy. All schemes are constantly under review. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, who oversees the hot school meals programme can take into account any feedback the Deputy has relating to procurement. He can also take into account feedback on the nutritional value of the hot school meals … programme. I will ask him to provide a more specific answer to the Deputy's query

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement

Digitalisation to provide a breakdown of funding that has been allocated through the Climate And Nature Fund to date, broken down by project, in tabular form. [41409/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether participation in any proposed AI workforce transition or retraining programme would be linked to immigration or employment-permit status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40996/26

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding a home tuition grant programme payment for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40836/26

Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Youth the work her Department has been engaged in to advance the building project for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40972/26

provide a detailed breakdown, by county and primary/post primary of the number of schools have signed up to the school-based summer programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41085/26

Youth to detail the reasoning for the difference in pay for teachers and SNAs when providing the same work during home-based summer programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41087/26

asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will publish a non-technical methodology note explaining how school-place demand is projected using child benefit data, school enrolments, census data, residential development information and GIS analysis; and if she will make a statement on the matter

Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she plans to roll out the D15 pilot programme to other areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41096/26

Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on major ongoing school building projects in south Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41108/26

Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment to reduce class sizes in line with European averages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41113/26

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there is any reduction of funding for the July provision programme in national schools; if she will commit to restoring and safeguarding this funding to ensure adequate provision for summer 2026 and beyond

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within her remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made towards publishing guidelines for solar energy projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40853/26

John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made towards publishing guidelines for battery energy storage projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40854/26

Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projected additional refuge units required nationally to meet estimated demand over the next five years. [41175/26

Devlin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will provide a report on the progress made on implementing the programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement

Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within his remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a report on the progress made implementing the Programme for Government commitments within her remit and on the achievements since the formation of the Government; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Health further to recent comments (details supplied), to provide details of the Strategic Infrastructure Programme to plan for the replacement and expansion at public radiation oncology services currently under development. [40967/26