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propose to take Questions No. 1 to 18, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee oversees implementation of the programme for Government commitments in relation to health, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas, and considers health reforms, including Sláintecare, the reform of public health and health system preparedness … future health threats. It also receives reports in relation to programme for Government commitments in the areas of mental health and drugs policy. It is attended by the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and the Minister for Health

thank the Deputy for his comments. Confidence is growing within the sector. The Lí Ban project was the only project across Europe that was awarded last year. We are ramping up our investment, from the State's perspective, to try to ensure the key enablers are in place … While many of these projects are currently in planning, we hope many will go to construction before the end of the decade. Our responsibility is to guide and support many of these companies. Each phase 1 project is responsible itself for the construction of its own offshore transmission

sectoral investment plan for the period 2026 to 2030, which involves a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. From the total of €7.55 billion being invested via this plan, it is envisaged that approximately €5 billion … will be used for project roll-out to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings across the large-scale, additional accommodation, modular and annual September accommodation needs programmes. Over the course of this year and next, there will be construction work on some 10% of the school

reiterate that €193 million in capital funding was provided between 2020 and 2025 in Dublin 24. There are seven school projects under construction in Dublin 24. Some 23 schools have been upgraded, either through the provision of new school buildings or large-scale extensions. That … matter, however, because this is a rolling programme out to 2030. My Department will continue to engage with patrons and schools across the country, including in Deputy Murphy's constituency and in Dublin, to inform targeted and prioritised capital investment. That will include the identification of any urgent

pleased to inform the Deputy that a project comprising two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and one special education needs base has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. This project was approved in 2022 and my Department has been engaging with the school … support it through stage 1 of the architectural design process to advance a design solution that is consistent with the approved project brief and in line with the Department’s technical standards. My Department has recently issued advice to the school and is currently awaiting submission

Government each week, we want to know that our colleagues in Cabinet are making the national development plan a priority and that those projects within it are a priority. However, more importantly, we want to know that the mechanisms are put in place to ensure the timely delivery … alone in 2026. The way we will judge the performance of the people we support in here will be on the delivery of projects and the way we will be judged will be on the delivery of specific projects in each of our constituencies. I want to raise

expansion of existing schools rather than establishing new schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 for an increased emphasis and compact growth. It should be noted that the underlying demographic profile of preschools and school-aged children residing … schools have been upgraded either through provisions of new school buildings, large-scale extensions or modular accommodation. There are currently 64 school projects under construction in Dublin. Another 20 school projects will go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027, which form part of the first tranche

What I said in my response was that the current programme runs until 2028 and they are the projects that the council have put forward for the regeneration, which encompasses 121 units that have been completed, 165 units that are on site, and 127 units that … construction phase. We in the Department will always assess any application that comes in from local authorities, be they turnkey housing units, regeneration projects like this or Part 8 plans that the councils put forward. We are open to applications from every local authority in this State

thank the Deputy. As he will be aware, the humanitarian admissions programme prioritises at-risk individuals, human rights defenders, women's rights activists, LGBTQ+ individuals, judiciary and journalists for admission to Ireland as programme refugees. This is managed within the remit of the Irish refugee protection programme … Department. Over 700 people from Afghanistan have been admitted to Ireland under this programme since its inception in 2021. Under the terms of the scheme the number of admissions available under the 2025 programme was set at 50 and the number of applications received exceeded that

ground. Funding was announced three years ago for the provision of wastewater infrastructure in Clarinbridge and Craughwell in County Galway. Since then, these projects have been at a standstill. The costs have gone up. Before Christmas, we saw Government TDs welcoming an increase of funding for the project … However, the Government still has not addressed the main barrier to delivering these projects, which is a requirement that Galway County Council provides matched funding of several million euro. If the project goes over budget, the local authority would have to cover the costs. Galway County Council does

assure him there are no delays. We published the review of the national development plan and we set out very clearly what projects we are going to deliver. I will go through some of the specifics. I thank Deputy Ward for the question and I thank … These are the decisions that come with the responsibility of being in government but we will deliver and we want to deliver these projects. There has been much commentary since the publication of the national development plan about certain projects, and I will

this plan is dedicated to enterprise, innovation and commercialisation. That means sustained investment in disruptive technologies, technology centres, research partnerships and major European projects. Through these investments, we are clearly signalling our ambition to position Ireland as a global leader in advanced manufacturing, Al and space technologies … that every SME is aware of the benefits of Al use and the State supports available to them. These range from targeted funding programmes, expert guidance and consultancy to research and development grants. The Department is building on this momentum and recently announced a further €23 million

thank the Deputies for bringing forward this motion. It is an extremely important one. I will focus on the small towns and villages programme. On 6 November last, Uisce Éireann appeared before the Committee of Public Accounts and stated that, in revenue control 3, €98 million was allocated … that programme. This began 243 projects across the country, seven of them in Cork. Does the Minister of State know how many of these have been completed since 2022? Four have been completed. The fact it takes seven to ten years to deliver a wastewater treatment plant

meetings. The committee reviews the activities of Cabinet committees and the agenda of Government meetings, and discusses political priorities and implementation of the programme for Government. The Government has approved the spring legislation programme, which includes 30 Bills scheduled for publication and 33 for priority drafting, alongside … further pipeline of 79 Bills in preparation across Government Departments. The programme reflects the Government's determination to deliver on commitments that matter most to people - strengthening critical infrastructure, accelerating housing delivery, improving healthcare and modernising transport. It is an ambitious agenda for a short ten-week session

decline in primary demographics, the enrolment at the school had decreased from 151 in 2023. At a national level, primary school enrolments are projected to decline by about 100,000 over a ten-year period. In 2022, the school submitted an application for additional accommodation at Monksland National … strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project roll-out for large-scale projects and additional school accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity

thank the Deputy. I can certainly hear his passion for this project. As I have said, the Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available to all school pupils and will in the wider context outlined ensure each school project on the school building programme is subject … construction environment, as I said, and we are also required to ensure we are managing the timing, scope and cost of all these projects within the budgetary parameters that are set. The length of time projects take depends on a number of factors, including scale and complexity

behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, to outline to the Dáil the current position of the joint school project for St. John Bosco Junior Boys School, St. John Bosco Senior Boys School and Mary, Help of Christians Girls National School in Dublin … joint school building project the Deputy outlined the background of will deliver two new 16-classroom primary schools, with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs for the senior boys school and the girls school and a new 11-classroom primary school with additional classrooms for children

certainly will bring that back to the Department and to the Minister and the Deputy’s emphasis on the urgency of moving this project on. I know that whenever three schools are brought together for one project like this, it is a big commitment on behalf … three schools. It is not easy to keep everybody on the one page and it is important the project keeps moving. I will reflect back to the Department and the Minister the full content of what the Deputy has been saying. As I said in my previous response

have the Waterford figures but the Cavan LEADER programme for 2023 to 2027 has an allocation of €6.37 million. There is €5.985 million for Monaghan. To date, under the 2023 to 2027 programme, 45 projects have been approved, 25 in Cavan and 20 in Monaghan to the value … million in Cavan and €1.29 million in Monaghan. That funding continues but it is also in partnership with the other projects I mentioned. We have seen some of those projects in RSS, CCIF and RRDF. I will continue to work the Deputy and the Chair on delivering projects

which are extremely strong. The Deputies' efforts on their behalf, with the heart of Government, is most welcome. A number of new road projects, which are included in the current NDP, have already been delivered. These include the N22 Ballyvourney to Macroom project, the Dunkettle interchange upgrade … funding for national roads becomes available in the second half of the decade, this meant there was a constraint on funding available for projects in 2025. However, approximately €502 million of Exchequer capital funds have been provided to TII for national roads in 2025. In line with

thank the Deputy. As she may be aware, the family resource centre programme is expanding from 121 to 126 members this year. Funding for the expansion was secured by the Department in budget 2025 and I want to acknowledge in the Chamber the former Minister, Deputy Roderic … Gorman, in that respect. Regarding the expansion of the family resource centre programme, a comprehensive national application and assessment process was undertaken earlier this year, which was led by Tusla and independently chaired by a representative of the University of Limerick. All applications were reviewed and scored against

target of 5 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. That is not going to happen but we need to ensure those projects are in construction and that is down to planning. This target will be met in the early 2030s through a combination of projects from phase … from within the south coast DMAP. The five phase 1 projects with a combined capacity of 3.8 GW are in development off our east coast. Applications for planning consent for all five projects are with An Coimisiún Pleanála and are subject to planning consent. I anticipate that these

statements and strategies; how consents, licences and permissions for development are obtained; the timelines for these processes, engagement between the regulatory bodies and project developers; and consistency across regulatory bodies. The second heading is the planning and legal systems, including the increasing role that the courts play … infrastructure projects; the cascading consequences from these decisions through development cycles; and the impact that the uncertainty in planning and legal decisions are having on projects. The third heading is internal systems, such as how the Government allocates funding and develops a credible project pipeline; the rules applied

what I want to see, as does the Minister, as a firm, fair and effective way, in a rules-based system. The programme for Government provides a commitment to developing a new migration and integration strategy for Ireland detailing how we intend to meet the demands … enhanced co-operation with our EU partners. We are addressing our international obligations and the legitimate concerns of communities across the country. The programme for Government also contains strong commitments on consultation with communities about local services and integration, and to improved communications on migration and integration

welcome this opportunity to speak on men's health, which is a priority in the programme for Government. In 2009, Ireland was the first country in the world to develop a national men's health policy. The men's health policy sets out a comprehensive and, I hope … followed by two action plans. One was published in 2017, with a more recent one published in 2024. A clear commitment in the programme for Government, which I was proud to be involved in negotiating, is to increase literacy and raise awareness among men and boys about

Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport to provide a full breakdown of the projected overall cost including the projected carbon cost of the Galway-Athlone greenway project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2978/26

Deputy John Clendennen asked the Taoiseach to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original approved completion … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project. [2473/26

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by her Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2465/26

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide a list, for each of the past three years, of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies that were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original approved … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2459/26

Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Defence to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by her Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2461/26

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the total projected cost of the Luas tram procurement programme, including associated infrastructure and electrical upgrades; the way this investment is being funded within the capital programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73886/25

Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Transport to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2474/26

Clendennen asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2464/26

Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2470/26

asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2463/26

Clendennen asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by her Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2462/26

asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2460/26

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original approved … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2468/26

John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a list, for each of the past three years, of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies, which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2472/26

Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original approved … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2469/26

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original approved … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2457/26

asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by her Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2458/26

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Health based on the opportunistic case findings of chronic kidney disease under the Chronic Disease Management Programme, the percentage of those identified as having stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease that have been included in the CDM Treatment Programme … percentage of patients who have stages 1 to 3 chronic kidney disease that have been included in the CDM Prevention Programme; if any of these patients have not been provided with follow on kidney care; if a cost provision has been made for any legal actions these patients

Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Health to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by her Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2467/26

Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2466/26

Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to provide a list, for each of the past three years of the top ten projects per annum delivered by his Department or its agencies which were completed late and over the originally approved budget; the project name, location, original approved … actual completion date, original approved budget, final outturn cost, cost overrun expressed in euro and percentage terms, and the delivery body for each project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2471/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has prepared any projections or forecasts relating to future construction and delivery costs, per social and affordable housing unit under Housing for All or any successor programme; and if so, to outline … those projections and the assumptions on which they are based. [73647/25

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the efforts to date to “support group retrofitting projects” as outlined in the Programme For Government; the number of homes that have been retrofitted as part of “group retrofitting projects” to date in 2025; the motivation

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the number of category one RRDF projects which have been announced to date; the number of these projects which have been fully completed; the steps the Minister is taking to expedite delivery … large capital projects in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73099/25

Lawless asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if any breeder or breed society wishing to operate their own recognised breeding programme in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 is required, in practice, to enrol in an organisations - national breeding programme (details supplied) and to comply with … operational rules set by the organisation which are not contained in, nor approved as part of the stated rules of procedure and breeding programme of that breeder or breed society; and if so, whether this requirement is compatible with the autonomy of breeders and breed societies guaranteed under