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were able to build housing at affordable levels for working people in this country. How can we not do it now with record budget surplus? We can but the Government is having its policies dictated to it by the people who are profiteering from the housing misery … understand the Government is simply doing what the speculators and profiteers want and has no interest whatsoever in the people rotting in emergency accommodation or in the lives, hopes and aspirations of young people and working people in this country who have been completely locked

highly trained healthcare professionals and they should be allowed to operate at the top of their licence. Community pharmacists have been providing emergency contraception prescription-free since 2011 and real consideration should be given to extending this to oral contraception. This would make the process faster and easier … that one as well. Also on the topic of contraceptives, there is a need to expand the free contraception scheme in the upcoming budget. The scheme is currently available to women aged 17 to 35 but we know from the National Women's Council and others that

programme for Government are "teacher shortage". The Government does not seem to realise this is a problem. It is an emergency and a crisis. I do not have time to develop that statement, but it is incredible that it is not mentioned or dealt with. We have … well. It seems to me this task force will diagnose the problem but has no medicine to treat it. It has no budget, no money and that will not, unfortunately, lead to places. Two parents have contacted me. One has 13 refusal letters from the universal application system

engineering, even to the extent of tunnelling and creating every new round of the Large Hadron Collider. For example, we see new partnerships emerging. I was at Munster Technological University last week, at the Tralee campus. I spoke with some of the team of engineers who are working … have the power to change the landscape of research and science, over half of my Department's €4.5 billion national development plan capital budget will now be earmarked for research and innovation initiatives. This allocation recognises my Department for what it is, namely, an economic Ministry with levers

presentation of our national cultural heritage, as well as deepening cultural connections across the island of Ireland. It also builds on the emerging consensus in the Oireachtas for an enhanced focus on regional balance and opportunities for participation by all. It must be understood that this … grants under the arts centre funding scheme totalling €440,000 to the Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda and An Táin in Dundalk. In budget 2026, my Department was allocated €6 million for a new programme of capital funding for the arts and cultural organisations across the country

support to 57,000 people in receipt of home support services. Funding for Meals on Wheels and daycare services has been maintained for budget 2025, allowing more than 300 Meals on Wheels organisations and almost 300 HSE-funded daycare centres to operate throughout the country. Respite care … overnights and 48,099 day respite sessions to be accessed by 6,640 people with disabilities last year. Since 2021, the home support emergency respite scheme has been in operation, providing emergency respite services either by placement of an in-home care worker or the temporary placement

latest price hikes arrived. They were struggling because Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael removed vital cost-of-living supports in the most recent budget and actually left working people and families worse off this year than they were last year even before the recent hike spikes. The Government … premature or have they finally realised that, for many families, the cost-of-living situation has moved beyond a crisis and become an emergency? Of course, one of the reasons that the Government refuses to act is simple. Higher fuel costs are not an accident. They are Government

greater precision and foresight. It will strengthen our skills response, so that it is agile and able to pivot, enabling us to address emerging and pressing needs. I am looking forward to receiving the National Skills Council’s second set of advice which is anticipated next month. Ireland … money for a landmark INSPIRE research infrastructure programme, focusing on research equipment across the higher education sector; and in parallel an increased budget for Research Ireland to support the implementation of its inaugural five-year strategy, Curiosity, Capability and Competitiveness. The three pillars of the Research Ireland strategy

Many Members, including Deputy Carthy, raised the issue of our response to organised crime. The record budgetary resources of over €2.74 billion in budget 2025 allocated to An Garda Síochána have enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime … there any sunset clause providing that the court only last any particular time. The Offences Against the State Acts are not emergency laws. They are complementary to our general criminal law and apply only in the most serious of cases. In relation to a point raised by Deputy

development of acute hospital infrastructure, and since 2020 significant resources have been invested in Beaumont to meet the need of patients. The hospital budget for 2024 was €504 million, a 29% increase in just four years. Staffing at the hospital has grown by 13% since January 2020. This … between 2023 and 2024. In addition to this planned care, our hospitals also treated approximately 1.8 million patients during this same period in emergency care, which represents a 9% increase on the full year 2023 and reflects the continuing demands on our hospitals. With increased investment across

epidemic, in Dublin 15, up the road from the Minister. The Minister knows it well. It relates to the decisions taken in the budget to give huge VAT cuts to developers rather than finance local authorities to build. There is a document from Fingal County Council about section … pregnant with her third child and has been searching for alternative accommodation for a year without success. Another person has already been in emergency homeless accommodation for three years and has to cross the M50 every day with their children. They do not have space. They are depressed

pray they have the capability to bring people with them to get the adequate staff that hospital needs. There is one accident and emergency department for 45,000 people. Hospitals were downgraded without thinking of the impact of an increasing population. That is recklessness. People are dying needlessly … will give him praise for what he does. He has listened to us talking about delivery of public versus private, and looking at budgets for delivery of public buildings that are privately built and then taken over by the public. We are looking at delivery of infrastructure that

Ukrainians. It is called "temporary" for a reason. A plan is needed for when that directive ends in March that moves beyond emergency measures for a medium-term and long-term approach that recognises all of the realities. There is also a need to rethink how information about … important, communities. As we are dealing with Revised Estimates for the Department, I also raise with the Minister an urgent matter related to budget allocations. I raised this issue with him during questions last week. As we speak, domestic violence survivors are being denied access to justice because

eating disorder association Bodywhys, which I want to acknowledge. I am very happy to be able to support Bodywhys through the mental health budget. It does a lot of really important work on the interaction between Christmas and eating disorders. The Deputy mentioned Bodywhys Coping at Christmas guide … open over the festive period with the exception of public holidays. If support is needed on these days, yourmentalhealth.ie has full information on emergency and out of hours supports available, including crisis phone and text support. I also direct people, particularly young people, to our new Navigator mental

shop or the factory or who logged on at home for work this morning, what message has the Taoiseach for them? The budget last October delivered no relief for working people. Energy credits and one-off payments were withdrawn. The Government gave tax breaks to developers and fast … they are going to manage. The only relief the Government has given is a few cent off petrol and diesel. Over two emergency packages now, we have seen special supports for those that shouted loudest but nothing to relieve the real pressure on PAYE workers and families. They

Dublin City Council has told her that when she is evicted and needs emergency accommodation in the coming months, there will be no emergency accommodation available in Dublin. It is full. She will have to go to Meath, Kildare or Louth. How is her child going … equally and to guarantee the welfare of all children. There are 5,000 children homeless and 225,000 children living in poverty. This budget must invest in housing and in supporting those who are in poverty. We can end homelessness and child poverty. It is a question

ensure equitable and appropriate access to educational provision. The Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, and I have secured a record budget of €3.8 billion for 2027 to build on the good work already happening in the system. I hear from families, parents and schools … arrangements for special education placements. The work referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of development. Any proposals that may emerge will be informed by intensive engagement with education stakeholders, including school leaders, teachers and their representative bodies, as well as advocacy organisations and disabled

means services can plan and deliver around the specific needs of people in each area. Each of the health regions has its own budget, leadership team and responsibility for local decision-making and continuing to work towards the Sláintecare objectives. Each of the six health regions and each … lack of delivery. She is right; there is a need to urgently expedite the whole issue of primary care in many of our emerging towns and the area she has mentioned

that cannot be relied on to turn up on time. Public transport projects, where they exist, have often been delivered late and over budget, or else scaled back to get them across the line. For many parts of rural Ireland, public transport is totally non-existent. The result … quite simple. When people cannot live near schools, work or transport, every other system is strained: water networks, roads and emergency services all absorb the cost of that failure. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the electricity grid or in water and wastewater infrastructure. Capacity

delivery of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, which will enable it to deliver on its remit as a regulator for the maritime area. Budget 2026 includes significant investment in offshore renewable energy data mapping. Resources are also provided for Inland Fisheries Ireland to protect, manage and conserve Ireland … work with all the other agencies involved in water monitoring to put in place an appropriate protocol to deal with an emergency situation such as we have seen. No time must be lost in attempting to trace the source of the effluents that get into our watercourses

cost of energy at a time of very high inflation, including €1,500 in electricity credits to all households through four Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Schemes, at a cost of €3.3 billion, this is in addition to one-off payments to support certain social protection payment recipients … work is the development of an interim plan, including measures for consideration to support customers in Winter 2025/26, in order to inform Budget 2026 discussions; — the wider package of energy efficiency supports, available from Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, make it easier and more affordable for homeowners

million in 2026; and support the implementation of Government’s action plan on market diversification. Provision has been made in the overall budget ceiling for the requirements of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Specific funding allocations on this will be made available … scheme, which assists over 17,000 farmers; and €35 million will be provided to the World Food Programme, to support people affected by emergencies, conflict and climate change internationally

retained. Priorities varied, but member states highlighted the importance of agricultural, cohesion, defence and security, research, innovation and competitiveness for the next EU budget. Debate has also continued on sources of revenue under the next MFF, which are known as own resources. Discussion focused primarily on five European … balance between member states and put forward workable solutions to areas of disagreement that are capable of addressing the Union’s current and emerging needs for the next decade. We are doing all we can to balance the views of member states, and we are counting

European Union but also on a member state basis. Ireland was one of two EU member states to increase its development budget last year. I hope and look forward to the ability to do that again next year. In the face of cuts by a number … Africa and other parts of the world; lead to extreme hardship for those most at risk from the impact of the climate emergency; lead to food insecurity; and lead to energy security. All of this has a massive consequence for the people of Europe. In that further regard

leasing. Every year, some €1.5 billion goes to the private sector. It does not deliver homes but takes money out of the public budget. We have put forward very clear solutions today. One is to develop a new State savings scheme that would provide additional finance – we have … health system, we do not say to people that we are restricting the funding and restricting their access to accident and emergency or to maternity care because the State has decided the private sector has to deliver them and if the private sector does not deliver the accident