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following the water outage in recent weeks. On the particular matter in respect of the Staleen water treatment plant to Windmill Hill reservoir project, the Deputy has acknowledged that the project is under way and he has put forward a proposal with regard to a phased approach. Once

programme for Government commits to assessing the basic income for artists pilot research scheme to maximise its impact. The basic income for the arts pilot research scheme will conclude in August this year and the data from the pilot will be fed into the Government's consideration … million for the basic income for the arts scheme in 2025. It is important to note that the pilot is a research programme and that no decision has been taken as to its continuation. The research evaluating the impact of the pilot scheme is ongoing

strong election result. I wish him well in his term of office. I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 11 together. The programme for Government, in which the Deputy had a role in negotiations, commits to supporting the sporting ecosystem so that more people can participate … than the original assessor. All appellants have now been informed of the outcome of their appeals. In line with previous rounds of the programme, a review of the current funding round will now be undertaken. That review will be used to inform the timing of the next round

trying to pre-empt its findings, at the end of the day, the Minister himself just mentioned that, in April 2021, the project was "tracking red" or flagged. Somebody, somewhere did not inform the Minister. Who was responsible? Who was liaising with the Arts Council … reached or when, in 2021 and before, it was indicated there was a need to increase the funding to deliver the project. This is what seemed to be indicated at that stage. Who is responsible at this stage

next round of LSSIF, the date of which we have not decided yet, that there is engagement at local level about how that project can step forward, working with Galway County Council. It is not currently open. What we are doing is compiling a reserve list … being compiled for those and, unlike the position with the sports capital grants, there is a reserve list for the large-scale projects. It is important that at local level, working with Galway County Council and Swim Ireland where appropriate, the preparatory steps are put in place

pace to match the demand that is there. The HSE states in one of its replies to me that there is an apprenticeship programme for social workers. Can there be apprenticeship programmes for other disciplines? Maybe that cannot be done but that is possibly one area that could

have many bills coming in but I assure the Deputy we will do our best on this issue. Second, regarding the two programmes we jointly fund with USAID in Zambia and Malawi, and I have been in Malawi itself and know how much it needs this support … looking at what options or decisions we can take to support those projects

amount of work to do - not just looking at affordability, which I know is the main focus of this Government looking at the programme for Government - on expanding the number of places. In the constituency I represent, affordability is an issue but the far bigger issue is that … that time. It is wrong that we have so few refuge places. The ambition and target of 240 places set out in the programme for Government is still woefully inadequate. Will the Minister take on responsibility for ensuring we have a far higher number of refuge places

money. How do I know this? I know because I look at business plans across Europe and see other international companies delivering projects for half the price charged by Uisce Éireann. That is not accountability. That is a waste of funds. I look at Askeaton in County Limerick … already bursting at the seams. The Government is going to counties like Limerick looking for water to come to Dublin. It is projecting that it will cost €400 million to bring water to Dublin. I talked to representatives of Uisce Éireann recently. They said I should visit

reference, for example, the sports capital programme and many other areas of capital investment that are valued by the Deputies in areas for which they advocate. The motion is not balanced in the context of the significant investment and impact that is being made in public services … code of practice of the governance of State bodies; public financial procedures; public procurement guidelines; arrangements for oversight of digital and IT projects and initiatives; and internal and external audit processes that provide validation of public expenditure. It is the legal responsibility of Departments to ensure that they

should be a Minister of State for Accountability, nominated and located within the Department of the Taoiseach, to track live procurement and infrastructural projects to ensure they do not go over budget and are delivered on time, to report to the Taoiseach on a weekly basis in terms … being incinerated by the Government in terms of waste. The other aspect of Government incompetency and uselessness is how so many infrastructural projects are grinding to a halt. The National Children’s Hospital was meant to be open in 2020 at a cost of €700 million, save

have seen other examples, such as the never-ending amount of money being spent on the children’s hospital. How can a project go €1 billion over budget? There will have to be a tribunal on this in future. There was €336,000 spent on a bike shed … areas. In my own area there are local services on their knees. I was at a meeting last night with a local horse project that is on its knees trying to keep its operation going. This money could be spent on something like that. My community knows

responsibility lies squarely with the Government. It is about much more than a waste of taxpayer’s money. It is about all the projects not progressed because there was not enough money in the pot. Think of all the schools that could have been built or the Garda … taxpayers' money. We have called for new legislation for transparency and procurement and to regulate tenders to stop massive cost overruns in capital projects. The scandalous waste of public money must stop. I therefore urge the Government to support and adopt Sinn Féin's proposals. I thank

Courtown and Riverchapel are included, but at the moment it is almost impossible to register with the GP or dentist. I welcome the programme for Government which clearly states this Government will open more primary care centres. However, the current operating lease model proposal on the table … care centre is simply not viable to any developer or construction company. I ask that the HSE take direct control and deliver this project for the people of north Wexford

extended roll-out of the hot meals programme to schools has been welcomed, I think, by all schools. There might be questions about the quality on occasions but that is for another day. Baineann an cheist atá á cur os comhair na Dála agam inniu leis na costais … there has been no move yet to deal with the matter. I know that the Government's policy is to roll out this programme so that all schools have it, but I do not think it was envisaged that island schools would incur extra costs in order

safety partnerships up and running. I spoke to the Minister regarding the necessity for interventions at family and community level and youth diversion programmes, such as what we have in Muirhevnamor and being run out of the house in Cox's Demesne. We also need … likes of the Greentown project and real diversion for those who are becoming involved in criminality. We know the lack of addiction services across the board and the chaotic outworking of serious organised crime. It is not only drug debt and intimidation; there are also chaotic cases, sales

Fingal West, which is one of the youngest areas in the country and is rapidly growing. Supporting the childcare sector to plan and project numbers is key to meeting future demands. The programme for Government references resourcing and transforming the supply management unit within the Department of children

dimensions to the well-being framework. My party would have liked to see stronger commitments on workers' rights in the programme for Government. I want to raise a number of concerns around workers' rights with the Taoiseach. We introduced a Labour Party Bill to provide for reproductive healthcare … Government to develop its own proposals. Can the Taoiseach advise what the position is now? There is no commitment on this in the programme for Government but the previous Minister, Roderic O'Gorman, had commissioned research from the Department of equality to see if there was an evidence

raise the research published today or yesterday by the ESRI, which shows the crucial role of the school completion programme in supporting student attendance and engagement and highlights staffing and funding challenges. Among the major issues highlighted is the lack of referral pathways into therapies. Will that … based therapies? Second, there is the issue of funding. They are not yet back at pre-2008 levels. This is a hugely important programme and service. How will Government invest

they have been allowed go to rack and ruin. Every community group I speak to, every youth group and youth diversion project all say the same thing: that people’s sense of safety is gone largely because of a lack of Garda visibility and presence, and that … needs to get its act together. We need more gardaí on our streets, and more investment in community and youth services, youth diversion programmes, rehabilitation and in our probation service. We need a response from the Government that matches the scale of the problem and we need

Minister for the proactive work he has done in his brief, which I have no doubt will continue as we deliver on our programme for Government commitments. There is little doubt this Government and our Fianna Fáil Party are putting law and order at the centre … significant preventative effect on crime and, if done correctly, can resolve conflicts within communities much more quickly. I know the programme for Government sets out ambitious targets for Garda recruitment and this is to be welcomed and should be coupled with a national strategy to enhance the Garda

single charge, which will meet most people's daily driving needs. The public charging network has grown in recent years and the new programme for Government includes further significant expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network in order that drivers can use EVs with confidence and certainty … leading on the delivery of charging infrastructure along our motorways and national primary and secondary routes. We have launched three grant aid programmes for the delivery of significant, high-powered charging infrastructure on these roads. These are all for delivery in the next 12 months. Last week

increase in services between Wexford and Rosslare to at least one train every two hours by 2030. As part of the DART+ programme, specifically the DART+ coastal south project, it is planned to increase service frequency between the Bray and Greystones portion of the Rosslare line from approximately

need to get it going. We have a huge problem with traffic in Galway city. We need to push on with the projects we need in the city, which will affect the county in its entirety. At the moment, we are developing Ceannt Station, bringing in four platforms … more people and fewer cars coming in. I agree with the Deputy that the pace at which we are carrying out these infrastructure projects leaves a lot to be desired. I will be taking it up with them

agree with the Minister on the transformative nature of the north quays project, which we all want to see progressed as quickly as possible. I will raise the issue of upgrading the N24, which is the Waterford to Limerick road. I spoke to the Minister privately on this … received a letter from the three CEOs of the local authorities in Carlow-Kilkenny, Waterford and Tipperary. He will know that the project was funded up to phase 1. We now need phases 2, 3 and 4 to be fully funded. My understanding is that there

Youth the future planning that has been carried out by her Department with regard to school places in Arklow, County Wicklow, given the projected growth in population in the town. [25049/26

date list of additional accommodation applications; the current status of each; the length of time it is currently taking to approve each project, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25244/26

date list of emergency works applications; the current status of each; the length of time it is currently taking to approve each project, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25245/26

date list of summer works scheme applications the current status of each; the length of time it is currently taking to approve each project, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25246/26

school (details supplied) for home school community liaison services which was extended to 130 additional schools, including those outside the traditional DEIS programme, widening the safety net for vulnerable children and young people. [25556/26

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the date of sanction of each of the following additional accommodation projects (details supplied); the dates that they completed the various stages of the process; the timeline for their completion; the reason those builds were not included

Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth the details of the funding for school completion programmes by the Shared Island Unit in the North of Ireland. [25872/26

Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans to increase funding for a School Completion Programme for 2026/2027 (details supplied). [26002/26

Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount of funding for a School Completion Programme from 2010 to 2025 (details supplied), in tabular form. [26003/26

Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the criteria for the allocation of funding to each School Completion Programme in the State. [26004/26

Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current and projected provision of early intervention and special class places in the Cork east constituency, including for children with mild general learning disability; the number of children awaiting an appropriate school place; and the steps being

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which the School Completion Programmes are organised around the country; if they are organised in clusters; the numbers including their name, location and number of students per school from 2016 to 2026. [26579/26

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a breakdown of the School Completion Programme (SCP) funding in total, and by cluster, from 2016 to 2026. [26581/26

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if annual returns as part of the School Completion Programme are considered when evaluating DEIS needs. [26585/26

asked the Minister for Education and Youth the process for increasing resources for schools that are included in the DEIS and School Completion Programme. [26586/26

Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a DEIS school (details supplied) was not included in a recently published programme of expanded home school community liaison allocations, retaining a very low allocation of HSCL roles despite the school's student population rising significantly since

asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason for the delay in progressing to phases two, three and four of a planned project (details supplied); when such works are likely to commence in whatever revised format; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27102/26

Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider adding a special class to a school extension project per request of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27160/26

Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding a small school's pilot project application for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27170/26

Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the ASA scheme application lodged by a school (details supplied); if the project can be prioritised based on the need for SEN places in the school's catchment area; and if she will make a statement

Communications and Sport the reasons for the continued delay in approving the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund grant for the Sallins Amenity Lands project in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24262/26

Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to confirm the current status of the Sallins Amenity Lands project application under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24263/26

Collins asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to outline the specific issues or concerns that are causing delay in progressing the project to Gateway 2 Tender Stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24265/26

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to confirm the expected timeline for a decision on Gateway 1 approval and to indicate when the project will be in a position to proceed to tender and subsequent submission of the Final Business Case under Gateway 3; and if he will

Communications and Sport whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of the adequacy of current grant thresholds for large-scale urban sports infrastructure projects in cities such as Cork; and whether consideration is being given to alternative funding models to address such needs. [24674/26