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State. The threshold for first-year refunds in the research and development tax credit scheme will increase to €87,000 for smaller projects. I know the Minister, Deputy Lawless's commitment to the concept of our higher level educational establishments, linking with industry to create the technology … equally, recognises the value of rural innovation and sees science not only as something distant or elite, but as a shared national project. My message today is simple: science is not a spectator sport. It requires investment, participation and public engagement. It requires us to inspire young people

stage feared they might have to call the fire services. The memories of Friday practical sessions in pharmaceutical chemistry with projects, as well as Ms Esmond’s mixed-bag interrogations, haunt me to this day. When I entered the world of community pharmacy after graduation, the curiosity continued … category. Again, this is science-based and it must be questioned and followed up on. In accordance with the objectives of the programme for Government, Ireland aims to be a centre of excellence in research and development, particularly in the areas of healthcare and technology. In these endeavours

powerful, earn-as-you-learn model, combining real world experience with qualifications that are nationally recognised. Ireland now has over 77 apprenticeship programmes, from traditional roles to cutting edge and emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biopharma, robotics and data analysis. These programmes are shaping careers. They

with young people, whether in youth work or other areas. I was fortunate in a previous life to work in the Trinity access programme, developing leadership programmes in transition year schools all across Dublin. When I went to schools, I talked to young people about leadership

well that many people keep these animals and care for them very well. They abide by the laws and engage with urban horse projects. There is no escaping that many young people in Limerick and beyond love their horses and, given the appropriate training, would make very caring … horse owners. Urban horse projects give them an opportunity. A recent article in Changing Ireland magazine quoted a number of young kids, including Wesley Joyce, who is not a kid anymore, "If you invest your money into Moyross Youth Academy, you might win it back on a jockey

subsidy scheme to €7.50 per hour, which is a vital measure for employers when recruiting, and now retaining, people with disabilities. In the programme for Government, we have set out an ambitious goal to abolish the means test for carers over the life of the Government. In budget … Department of Social Protection that have a dual mandate. These schemes help those on welfare by helping them to help their communities. Programmes such as community employment, Tús, and the rural social scheme are hugely important, not only in giving people a sense of purpose and a direction

children continues to grow up in poverty, the Government is giving a €10.4 million tax cut to millionaires under the special assignee relief programme, narrowing the fiscal base, squeezing those who are in the middle and working people, and refusing to tax the booming economic growth progressively … goal? It strikes me that we are going backwards. I also want to ask the Minister about some aspects of the auto-enrolment programme because we have a chance to discuss that today. There are some gaps in My Future Fund. The presentations are good, the flyers have

cost of disability payment is the major thing that was missing from that budget. However, the Minister knows that the work and access programme needs a hell of a lot of work. On the wage subsidy scheme, there are huge issues for those who employ a number … look at the wider issue. The likes of Intreo workers could probably play a vital role if we are talking about WorkAbility-type projects to ensure there is a route map for those with disabilities into good employment. We need to look at all of this. Mr. Eddie

week in our first budget. We were the only major party to suggest increasing funding for the hot school meals programme to make it more nutritious. We committed to eliminating consistent child poverty by 2030 in our manifesto - eliminate it, not reduce it. This Government, however … first year. Notably, we have proposed a fully funded abolition of the means test for carers. We honoured a commitment in the programme for Government that the Minister did not deliver. It is my view and the view of my party that a society will and should

year contract from the Government, is a company that is deeply implicated with the Israeli military, the genocide and Project Nimbus, a surveillance project that assists the US military in the brutal occupation of Palestine and in all the genocidal horrors that have taken place over the last

scheme, which is €200 more than jobseekers' payments. I recognise that many Deputies raised the cost of disability. We are committed in the programme for Government to introducing a permanent and annual cost-of-disability support payment. We have started the work on that not only within … Department but through the Taoiseach's Department, the disability programme office and the Cabinet committee on disability. We have set up within our Department a strategic, focused network on the cost of disability and have begun our engagements with the disability groups as to what a cost

roll-out of new public transport initiatives. For example, in the context of the launch of phase 7 of the BusConnects programme a few weeks ago, many of the new routes serve my constituency of Dublin South-West. I have been inundated with complaints from constituents regarding … public transport. In the long term, we want to see the MetroLink being built. We welcome the fact that planning permission for that project has been granted. We want to see MetroLink extended to Dublin South-West. For now, however, we are dependent on buses that

discussion in the media regarding private operators, public entities versus private entities and how private operators are much more efficient and can deliver projects quicker and at less expense. This is the narrative that is coming from large corporate owners who are indicating that this … think about public good or about any of those other issues that public entities have to consider when rolling out road projects. The State should be delivering specific and fundamental pieces of infrastructure, and we should not be relying on public operators to do so. Ultimately, private sector

Tanya Ward, the CEO of the Children's Rights Alliance. I can confirm to Deputy Farrelly that phase 1 of the project is under way and that a number of steps have been taken. The membership of the steering group is now finalised and includes representatives from … recently known to a relevant State service or State-funded service. A national lead has been appointed and a well-being check project team manager has also been appointed. A digital case management system is in place to support the work of the teams

deliver on-the-ground services for the community. People may be aware that the funding equalisation scheme for the family resource centre programme was initiated in 2024. This ensures that all programme members received minimum core funding of at least €160,000 from 2025 onwards. Core funding principally

quite honest with the Deputy, I am not sure where the two years is coming out of. I am speaking on the programme for Government for this Government. The Deputy is aware it was this Government that put into the programme for Government the commitment to deliver State

That expands on the funding of €2.85 million which was made available in 2025 for children’s services. Also, the programme for Government commits to a doubling of the number of college places for speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians, psychologists and social workers. In June … will provide up to 361 additional student places by 2028, with the majority of those commencing this year. We have a student sponsorship programme that was advertised by the HSE in April. That will support health and social care professional graduates to take up a job in CDNTs

routes operated by Dublin Bus. Deputy Catherine Ardagh - To discuss the introduction of a national lung cancer screening programme using low dose CT scanning. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan - To discuss wandering and malnourished horses in urban areas of Limerick. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae - To discuss … Burke - To discuss increasing the percentage of dentistry places for Irish students in UCC. Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss the new school building project proposed for Ringaskiddy and Shanbally national schools, County Cork. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss health, safety and welfare concerns arising at a school. Deputy

when they move to Casa Caterina, they lose their DEIS supports. They lose the home school community liaison officer, access to school completion programmes and the essential wraparound services that are proven to keep children engaged and safe. If the Minister of State can imagine for a second … complex are the needs of the children who are in Casa Caterina that they are not suitable for a DEIS programme school. Their vulnerabilities are so complex and their needs so great that they are not suitable for the DEIS environment but they are placed in a school

increasing costs of running our special schools. Securing funding on both issues was a key focus in the recent budget discussions. The programme for Government 2025 commits to the introduction of an education therapy support service. This service will begin in special schools and gradually extend to special … children and young people with special educational needs. Initiatives, including new post-primary curriculum pathways, transition supports and new further education and training programmes in development, will help with this

schemes, there are EU schemes supported through Ireland's CAP strategic plan. In 2025 there are two such schemes: the suckler carbon efficiency programme and the sheep improvement scheme. Returning to the national schemes, the 2025 national beef welfare scheme has a budget allocation of €28 million … same farmer will receive €1,675. That is 34% higher than in 2024. The national sheep welfare scheme has also proved popular beyond projections. The budget allocation in 2025 is €22 million, all of which will be spent. This is a significant increase on the €15 million

said. The replacement of the flagship LÉ Eithne with a multi-role vessel is what is provided for in the equipment development programme. It is also what is provided for in the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces. That is the plan. The equipment development plan … their strategic equipment and infrastructural priorities to align with the revised capital allocation they have received. The Naval Service vessel renewal and replacement programme will be progressed in accordance with this. The Naval Service currently has a fleet of eight vessels. Four of the vessels are regularly deployed

consolidate a number of current operations and provide the necessary high-end infrastructure requirements to support future operations in the cyber domain. The project is at design stage. The design team was appointed in June. The project will cost around €1.9 million. It is proposed to procure

have detailed some of the initial supports, which are targeted at households that need them. The retrofit programme is critical in helping us to decarbonise and making permanent savings for households and businesses. That programme will ratchet up even further. We established a task force in June this

glad to hear the Minister will be publishing it. His predecessor as Minister for the environment described it as the most important project in the previous programme for Government. It is vital that it be released. I am not quite sure why the Minister is holding

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the projected taxpayer cost of modular accommodation units for international protection applicants in 2026 and 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38955/26

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the mechanisms in place in his Department to ensure delivery on the commitments in the Programme for Government; the civil servant specifically responsible for overseeing such delivery; the measures that are used to assess progress; and if he will make

Migration if he will outline the value-for-money assessment carried out before allocating funds to non-governmental organisations involved in migrant integration programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38962/26

analysis into the recidivism rate for Irish prisoners, specifically a comparative analysis into reoffending rates for those former prisoners that participate in rehabilitation programmes compared to those that do not; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40000/26

asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding any assessment carried out into the benefits of investing in rehabilitation programmes for prisoners in the Irish prison system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40003/26

asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the total number of prisoners that participate in rehabilitation and education programmes within the Irish prison system, broken down as a percentage of the total prison population; and if he will make a statement

Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on whether overcrowding has any impact on access to rehabilitation programmes within the Irish prison system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40007/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total cost of funding rehabilitation programmes within the Irish Prison System for 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40010/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total cost of funding rehabilitation programmes within the Irish Prison System for 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40011/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total cost of funding rehabilitation programmes within the Irish Prison System for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40012/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total cost of funding rehabilitation programmes within the Irish Prison System for 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40013/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the total cost of funding rehabilitation programmes within the Irish Prison System for 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40014/26

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the mechanisms in place in his Department to ensure delivery on the commitments in the Programme for Government; the civil servant specifically responsible for overseeing such delivery; the measures that are used to assess progress; and if he will make

asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the mechanisms in place in her Department to ensure delivery on the commitments in the Programme for Government; the civil servant specifically responsible for overseeing such delivery; the measures that are used to assess progress; and if she will make

Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a child (details supplied) can have an extra year on the ECCE programme before starting primary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39955/26

asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the planned bed capacity at the Ballyhooley dwelling children's respite centre in Cork; the projected opening date for the service; the organisation that will be responsible for its operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter

asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the planned bed capacity at the Kilcully dwelling children's respite centre in Cork; the projected opening date for the service; the organisation that will be responsible for its operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the planned bed capacity at Soulac dwelling in Cork; the projected opening date for the service; the organisation that will be responsible for its operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the planned bed capacity at Greencloyne dwelling in Cork; the projected opening date for the service; the organisation that will be responsible for its operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter

Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of people who have commenced the special care training programme, the number of these who have completed the three months in-classroom; and the number who have completed the three month supervised work placement

Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the list of degrees held by persons who have commenced the Special Care Training Programme; the number of these people who came from overseas; the degrees the held, and the way in which these degrees are substantiated. [40235/26

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of eight-week underattendance notifications Pobal has issued since the national childcare scheme commenced, by programme year, in tabular form. [40296/26

number of families that have had their subsidy reduced or withdrawn under the underattendance rules of the national childcare scheme, broken down by programme year, in tabular form. [40297/26

Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Health the cost of establishing each integrated healthcare area; and the projected annual cost of operating each integrated healthcare area compared to community healthcare organisations. [38801/26

Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Health the mechanisms in place in her Department to ensure delivery on the commitments in the Programme for Government; the civil servant specifically responsible for overseeing such delivery; the measures that are used to assess progress; and if she will make