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mainstream schools, which occurred following the Covid years. I am not sure if the Minister of State has the figures but I estimate that tens of thousands of children are currently participating in July provision across the country. Schools have the discretion to extend participation, not only … hope to see this programme grow and that more schools will become involved in the scheme in the coming years. I welcome the publication of the review of the EPSEN Act. I commend, in particular, how thorough the data-collection process was as part of the review

laws on these products has already been discussed at EU level in the context of a revised tobacco product directive. An EU-wide public consultation was carried out in 2023 to obtain views on the regulation of novel products such as nicotine pouches. I understand people's concerns … types of support that will be safe, effective and clinically sound for vaping. The request will be considered as part of the broader Estimates process relating to budget 2026. For adults, the HSE provides safe, effective and clinically sound services for those who want to stop smoking. These

cases even longer to do their driving test. This is completely unacceptable. Navan has the longest waiting list in the country, with an estimated waiting time of 35 weeks for a driving test, with some people waiting even longer. We now have 72,414 people trapped in limbo … work only to be held back by an inefficient system. Students are left stranded and unable to get to college due to a public transport system that cannot meet their needs. How many potential workers are we losing when they are eager to contribute but simply cannot drive

awarded, it must be paid within two months. Second, the Bill establishes the right to an advance payment. Up to 90% of estimated or agreed compensation will be paid up front. This helps landowners plan and move to a new property if required. Uncertainty about whether a payment … codifies far clearer modern principles. It also ensures land values are not inflated simply because the State intends to develop nearby. The public should benefit financially from public investment, not a landowner who has already been fairly compensated. Last of all, the Bill greatly enhances transparency. Advance payments

just an issue for Dublin; it is for everyone, and Deputy O'Flynn spoke of the situation in Cork. This is a public risk. It means leaks, people getting sick and burst pipes, and it will continue to increase maintenance costs. A recent article suggested that we lose … honest. This is a multi-decade project and it is going to cost billions of euro. I saw in a recent estimate from Uisce Éireann that it is going to cost over €60 billion in the next 25 years to modernise our national water infrastructure but it needs

projects in the OPW, at all stages. The OPW is obliged to adhere to the robust guidance in place to treat public funds with due care and always ensure we pursue optimal value for money. I assure the Deputy that we take our responsibility and obligations very seriously … manner, and meet the needs of Government and our clients across the system. In addition, new guidance on capital works projects with an estimated value of less than €500,000 was fully implemented earlier this year. This guidance covers the approval and oversight for smaller capital works projects

fewer jobs would be created. This will have a massive impact in rural areas as well. Davy stockbrokers estimate that tariffs are expected to slow down the economy, in particular in the pharmaceutical and food and drink sectors. The main threat is expected to be internal challenges such … have Third World disability services in many cases. Children with scoliosis have been suffering continuously for years. We do not have a decent public transport system. When we go to any other country in Europe we are embarrassed by the public transport system that we have. The idea

directly impacts Ireland's climate targets, as the significant emissions associated with the Cap Repeal will significantly constrain the margin of discretion of public authorities to make strategic decisions about future infrastructure." In short, this Bill is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Any disapplication will push climate costs … expansion of Heathrow Airport found that the positive gains were outweighed by the social and environmental impact, which for that airport was estimated at between £58 billion and £82 billion. An independent cost-benefit analysis of the impact of this expansion is necessary, and that should have been

this conflict. Every day we delay, lives are lost in a conflict that has already claimed 150,000 victims. That is a conservative estimate. A ceasefire is essential to help create humanitarian corridors to allow agencies to reach those who are starving and to provide civilians with … crimes have taken place. How many times will we allow the perpetrator of war crimes to escape the consequences? Fourth, we must raise public awareness. The Sudanese community in Ireland is demonstrating on O'Connell Street and on the streets of other cities and towns where they live

policy. For the period of the policy statement, this will involve the prioritisation of multifaceted programmes around leakage detection and repair, network improvements, public awareness campaigns and funding to fix customers' side leaks. Every day we currently lose about 37% of the treated water through leaks before … external supply pipe. The scheme aims to help to reduce the amount of water wasted through leaks on customers’ properties. Uisce Éireann estimates that more than 208 million litres of water per day have been saved as a result of this scheme

hours spent commuting benefits rural workers who can often live at a greater distance from their place of work. The State has estimated that remote working, largely due to the reduction in the amount of time spent in cars, can save 164,407 tonnes of CO2 per year … Luas. We have been told that a railway order application is expected to be lodged, yet we do not have an assured route, public consultation or timelines. These are just meaningful words, while Cork continues to battle commuter chaos. In conclusion, I suggest to the Minister of State

investor courts when an attempt is made to enforce it in another court. I would also make the point that in our estimation the Bill does not do even the minimum required by the Supreme Court and, potentially, we have concerns, which we address in a later amendment … social good. They talk about the manner in which private property ultimately must be balanced with the need to recognise the public good. The ambition in this recognises the fact that the State has to be able to intervene, make policy and make decisions to ensure the good

with scoliosis and spinal bifida. While we look at this area again in its own right, I reiterate my support for a full public inquiry on the whole scandal regarding the treatment of children awaiting scoliosis operations and related treatments, covering the entire lifespan of Children's Health … recent ESRI report. However, as the Disability Federation of Ireland, DFI, has pointed out, with inflation over the past couple of years, the estimates in some of these reports could be up to €15,000, depending on different costs, which is more than the payment itself

colleagues from the Psychiatric Nurses Association of Ireland, the INMO and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, NMBI, formerly Bord Altranais, in the Public Gallery. Tá céad míle fáilte romhaibh, a cháirde. International Nurses Day was first celebrated 65 years ago on the anniversary of the birth … trouble. It is shaken to the core by the rapid and steady exit of medical professions to perceived greener pastures. An estimated 25,000 Irish qualified nurses and midwives left the healthcare system in the past two decades. The significant long-term trend of emigration deepens the nursing

times and, in many cases, well before their due date. More than 580,000 passports have been issued this year to date. The public offices in Dublin and Cork operate an urgent appointment service for renewal applications. The Dublin office offers one-day and four-day turnaround services … Mount Street. The printing and dispatching of passports are a highly automated process in what is an industrial production system. The passport service estimates the initial capital cost of purchasing and installing a new printer and mailing machine to be approximately €5.3 million. In addition to this

Sirius. The flotilla is now on high alert as it is close to the high-risk zone where the Israeli Government has publicly stated it will stop the flotilla. The flotilla is being escorted by one Spanish and two Italian navy vessels, but those Governments have clarified that … journalists and media workers, 120 academics and over 224 humanitarian aid workers, a number that includes 179 employees of UNRWA. Independent sources have estimated that 80% of Palestinians killed are civilians. These are all war crimes. This State, I am proud to say, is on the right side

required to ask those pertinent questions when the Minister goes about the work of trying to fill those gaps. In the last estimate, my CHO had a vacancy rate of between 50% and 60%, which is intolerable. My second point is on service level agreements. In the majority … children and adolescents were on the waiting list in 2020. We had 1,905 in 2024. We can attend all the public meetings we want, we can deal with parents at our clinics and we can deal with the special schools in particular, but fundamentally we are clearly

contribution – that it is deeply unjust to have a deadline of 29 March. I can guess what the rationale for it was: the publication of the SCSI report. We should remember that the first scheme was discredited and replaced by a second, which I believe was also discredited … deeply unjust, to have the deadline. What does it mean? I agree with my colleague Deputy Ward on this. He estimates that dozens of families are affected. It is not huge money in the overall scheme of things but it is devastating for those families to be punished

borrowed from family or friends. The Zurich cost of education 2025 survey, based on information from 1,900 respondents, put the estimated cost of sending a child to primary school at €1,442, an increase of €30 on last year's report, and a lifetime cost … transport and school lunches. These are all what we would consider basic and part and parcel of free education. Every year, parents contact public representatives about the costs associated with going back to school. One parent told me in August that they would not pay gas or electricity

from 4% of the State's budget to approximately one fifth. To put that in further context, given that Revenue has estimated that half of our corporate taxes are attributable to about ten companies, at the stroke of a pen in one foreign boardroom the State's coffers … Will he tell the House what the Government is planning to do to mitigate or manage this incredible concentration of risk in the public finances

Department of housing. I will now proceed to deal with the capital funding for the purchase of the Citywest accommodation. This Estimate also makes substantial provision for additional capital funding in respect of international protection accommodation. I am pleased that €113.25 million is being provided in line with … site and will mean that we will save more than €1 billion over a 25-year period. It will increase the value for public moneys now and for the future. The payback period on the purchase price is approximately four years due to the reduced running costs

community nursing units were completed. Seventeen are currently under construction; seven of those, including the unit at Midleton, are being delivered through public-private partnership, PPP. The remaining 21 are at various stages of appraisal, review, design or tender. The community nursing unit in Midleton is anticipated … staff disciplines to ensure the required complement and skill mix of staff is in place to facilitate the operational schedule. It is estimated that, pending successful registration and recruitment, the new community nursing unit will be fully resourced and operational during quarter

What strikes me reading through the Estimate is how little ambition the Government is showing when it come to targeting vulnerable young people, tackling domestic violence and living up to our obligations on prisons and immigration. Once again, we are presented with tables that look busy … Minister really believe that 307 men in programmes is an adequate response in a country of 5 million people? Perpetrator accountability is a public safety work. At this scale, the allocation barely scratches the surface. Where is the recognition that violence is moving online? Survivors are stalked, tracked

North-South interconnector is now delayed until 2031. By Government estimates, it will cost up to €100 million. To tie back into what I was saying earlier, the semi-State company's own decarbonising strategy is dependent on 80% of renewables. The Taoiseach is aware of CIÉ … different method, politicians need to give the real impact of that to their communities. At the end of the day, it is the public and those local households that are going to be paying higher energy costs by these projects being delayed

deepfake sexual images of adults is illegal. This must be remedied immediately. We witnessed the Grok controversy in December and January. Researchers estimated that 6,700 sexually suggestive nudified images were created hourly. These mainly depicted women, children and young girls and represent a violation of sacrosanct human … deterrent but needs strengthening. A review of the Act in 2024 stated that 100 cases were prosecuted by the Director of Public Prosecutions between 2021 and 2023. However, more than 1,500 victim reports were made in the same period. This is why we are asking that