Search the record

about strengthening crisis supports, investing in prevention and ensuring help is available when and where the people need it most. The national clinical programme on self-harm and suicide-related ideation works in our hospitals to make sure that anyone who comes to an emergency department after self … written safety plan that is also shared with their GP. Staff also help link each person with the right follow-up care. The programme is run by teams of specialist mental health nurses and it is now in place in all 26 emergency departments across the country, including

political manifesto. Those expert stakeholders will also make their views known to other parties and in this case, they form part of a programme for Government. It is a bottom-up process where ordinary people may express their views on the law, gaps in the law and concerns … some laws that are not actually in place at all and need to be put in place. They become part of a programme for Government. In the case of justice, it is the role and responsibility of the Minister for justice to do their best to implement those

exemptions. If acted on, this would result in 3,429 new homes across the country. A compulsory purchase order, CPO, activation programme was also launched by the Department of housing in April 2023. The programme supports a proactive and systematic approach by local authorities to the reuse … Derelict Sites Act, to acquire vacant and derelict properties and to use CPO powers where engagement with owners has been unsuccessful. The activation programme works in tandem with URDF call 3. Under the CPO activation programme, targets are set, with local authorities required to identify vacant and derelict

city. Central to this will be a special purpose vehicle to drive delivery and to support the specific capital developments relevant to the project. The council is currently working on the establishment of this new legal entity. A ten-year integrated area strategy for Dublin city centre will … optimise funding and investment and tackle vacancy and dereliction. There will be accelerated delivery of landmark capital projects in the city centre through additional funding in the URDF under the NDP review. Redevelopment of the GPO complex as an ambitious and historic flagship project will be managed

There are two capital funding programmes for sport, namely, the community sports facilities fund, CSFF, and the large scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. In total, over €1.5 million was allocated to swimming under the 2023 community sports facilities fund round as part of an overall CSFF investment … over €3.7 million in the last ten years. Swimming may also have benefited from allocations to multisport projects under the community sports facilities fund. Applications for the refurbishment of pools, installation of pop-up pools, improvements to the energy efficiencies of pools as well as improvements

thank the Deputy for raising this. The programme for Government commits to supporting local authorities in the acquisition of new lands for parks and playing pitches to help build liveable communities. While neither of my Department's sports capital funding programmes - the community sport facilities fund, CSFF … Department of housing and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and I intend to engage with him regarding the programme for Government commitment to ensure we can move it forward. Once lands are acquired for sporting purposes, applications for capital investment, including equipment, on those lands

confirm straight off that my Department is working with the National Transport Authority and Iarnród Éireann to progress a number of rail projects in Galway, including double-tracking the line between Athenry and Galway. In order to progress this project, Iarnród Éireann has appointed a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy … expected to be identified later this year. Separately, and related, as the Deputy said, works commenced at Oranmore Station last October. This project will provide an additional platform and a passing loop. This will increase capacity on the Galway to Athenry line. The project is scheduled

artificial intelligence of all countries around the world. I have just come from Amazon Web Services where they had a hackathon. Their programmers and others worked with charities such as Vision Ireland, Rehab and GOAL to see how AI and technology can improve delivery of their services … sure the Minister of State was at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition and was amazed by the number of projects about AI and in which students used AI. I draw her attention to one she will be interested in, a project from Bunclody Community College

reaches Dublin from the commuter belt it will be full and there will not even be standing room. Likewise, BusConnects, an important project for the redesign of bus networks in Dublin, was blind to and continues to play catch up with the strategic development zones. When Eamon Ryan … Minister for Transport, he gave a commitment that the crucial DART+ South West project to electrify the line through my constituency - from Clondalkin, Kishoge and Adamstown to Hazelhatch - would commence in 2025 and be completed in 2030. The Minister of State can imagine the shock of people living

future. Investments in water infrastructure, the energy grid and housing have all been announced in the context of the national development plan. Big projects like MetroLink have been green-lighted and are on their way. The planning has come through. Projects like the Shannon eastern and midlands water … plan are big projects. No doubt Deputy McDonald will come at us objecting to some of them but these are very big projects for the future of this country. In research investment, we have the INSPIRE programme. I have never heard Deputy McDonald mention the word "research

people on a range of income supports as well as providing additional support for families and people on illness, disability and carer programmes. Funding in 2025 delivered increases in core weekly social welfare rates, which increased the income of an estimated 1.45 million recipients, increases to the child … abolition of inpatient charges for public patients. Housing has seen a strong ramp-up in delivery on both the social and affordable programmes. In 2024, 10,500 new social homes were delivered and there is a continued delivery pipeline for 2025 and future years. A total

absolute requirement. We will be supporting it on that basis but it gives us an opportunity to speak on capital projects. To follow on from the previous Deputy, it is fair to say there is a considerable amount of anger in the Cooley Peninsula … think there is anyone who believes that is, in any way, justified, particularly when we are talking about such a project. Like many others, I am absolutely aghast at what I heard yesterday on rail prioritisation and the fact it looks like it will not be prioritised where

capability to ensure that Ireland can maintain a complete recognised air picture. As I said, I brought this to Government this morning. A project team comprising senior civil and military personnel is continuing to progress the radar programme. This programme of work is ongoing and good progress … capability to detect all aircraft traversing our airspace, including any that may be operating with their transponders turned off. Full delivery of the programme will be complex. The timeline at the moment is out to 2028 but I have brought forward the counter drone elements of it, which

thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge the commitment in the programme for Government, which is very welcome. In order for public procurement to be effective, it needs to have the confidence of the people. The transparency committed to in the programme for Government is really important … that regard. Unfortunately, we are all aware of a number of projects that appeared to have lacked that transparency. I will not mention any projects on the Leinster House campus but even in my local authority area, there has recently been a bit of controversy around steps

thank Deputy McCormack for his question. Last week, the Government published the accelerating infrastructure report and action plan. This is a comprehensive programme of actions designed to speed up the delivery of critical infrastructure across the State. This action plan responds to well-documented challenges of lengthy development … supporting Ireland’s economic growth, climate commitments and Delivering Homes, Building Communities. This will benefit every county and region of Ireland, as infrastructure projects play an essential role in supporting Ireland’s balanced economic growth and meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding population. There are considerable infrastructure

national development plan, NDP, sectoral transport plan published some days ago has a lot of very welcome initiatives and projects in it, which I think will transform infrastructure up and down the country. Today, however, I want to zero attention in on the importance of the DART+ programme … particular the DART+ South West programme. This is pivotal not only in providing the necessary infrastructure that people in my constituency of Dublin Mid-West, Kildare and the greater Dublin area require for rapid and frequent public transport, but is also key to unlocking housing supply

hope the Deputy will agree that value for money is a key component of every State-sponsored project or use of State funds. UCC is an autonomous institution. It manages its own projects and capital and it is responsible for the oversight, planning and management of its capital … construction costs and materials in recent years has been well ventilated and that has an impact on provision and delivery of various projects. On completion of that review which is currently under way, UCC will submit its capital plan to the governing authority in the coming months

They are being closely monitored, not least by me. I keep a programme for Government tracker to make sure we make our targets and, as far as possible, get ahead of target in delivering all the items I signed up to deliver at the start of this year … agreement. In terms of the wider development of the technological universities, there have been a number of funding commitments and programmes rolled out in the past year. For example, €90 million over three years has been recently committed to in the transformation fund. The technological university advancement fund

increase the number of apprentices. Sometimes, we have to change people's minds before we do anything else. Certainly, a lot the programmes the Department is progressing are attempting to do that. I mentioned the Facts, Faces, Futures and Building Heroes programmes. We also have the Build Back … Home programme, which is an international programme aimed at skilled Irish construction workers living abroad to try to entice them back, specifically from Canada and Australia. The Department is making real efforts to, first of all, entice workers back to Ireland but, equally, to get more and more

advocacy. The Government is committed to increasing healthcare training places more broadly, but very much including dentistry, in line with commitments in the programme for Government. I like to think I made some good inroads into that in the first ten months of the term. At present, University … College Cork admits around 50 students annually to its dentistry programme, split evenly between Irish or EU students and non-EU students. In consultation with the Department of Health, which has advised that dentistry is an area requiring an additional supply of graduates, we are working to expand

cervical screening laboratory, and then to update cancer infrastructure and chemotherapy wards and lab facilities. In the past six years, the radiology training programme has grown by 32% and more than 20 additional radiology specialty training posts have been established in the last three years. New radiology posts … including cancer care. Budget 2025 included funding for five additional training specialist registrar posts along with four additional training posts. On the replacement programme, the demand is increasing in line with expectations identified by the National Cancer Registry and the National Cancer Control Programme. We have five public

point. Hopefully, with this national development plan and the allocation of ten years, we will avoid this stop-start where we get a project from A to B but C is not provided for at all. We had that over the last two decades, I suppose. I recall … done. I will work on that particular stretch the Deputy has referenced. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the flood damage, CFRAM and the five projects in Louth. Deputy Barry Heneghan had a similar point. In general, flood protection schemes take a long time. Some of that

would like to see a rail link built to the airport in the future. However, he failed to give any certainty about the project. When asked about the timelines for the project, he was vague and unconvincing. Given the Minister's interest, it was notable that the project … absent from the national development plan review. This project is essential and would greatly boost the future of Shannon Airport, County Clare and the entire region. I welcome the Minister's interest in it but vague aspirations and intentions are no substitute for plans and implementation. We need

LEADER programme has played a crucial role in rural development, especially in addressing and developing the rural community. It has, therefore, been a regressive move that LEADER has faced cuts in every programme for nearly 20 years. Prior to the financial crisis, the annualised budget for the LEADER … programme between 2007 to 2013 was €57 million per year, reducing to €54 million post the crash. The annual allocation for the 2014 to 2020 programme was slashed by one third to €35 million. The Government signed off on a transition programme of €35 million to €36 million

cannot talk about LEADER cuts without also talking about the fact that a whole range of new programmes have been invested in, including RRDF, TVRS, RSS and CCIF. They are now in place but were not in place over many years of the LEADER programme. They fulfil many … duties LEADER did. LEADER funding is not cut for next year. We will spend the full allocation during the programme. The remaining €180 million has been allocated for 2023 to 2027. That maintains the funding with the previous programme. I am confident we will spend that full

Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all capital projects including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all capital projects including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed

Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all capital projects including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all capital projects including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have

funding paid to ICBF, disaggregated by source and type, including annual operating grants, capital or infrastructure grants under the Cattle/Sheep Breeding Infrastructure Programme or its predecessors, and project specific or research and development grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34882/26

funding paid to Sheep Ireland, disaggregated by source and type, including annual operating grants, capital or infrastructure grants under the Cattle/Sheep Breeding Infrastructure Programme or its predecessors, and project specific or research and development grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34883/26

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of all capital projects including fishery harbour, forestry, agri-food and other infrastructure projects delivered under the remit of his Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed

Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including early years, childcare and disability infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including early years, childcare and disability infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time

Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including early years, childcare and disability infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including early years, childcare and disability infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including early years, childcare and disability infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Department, and bodies under its aegis, which have been completed on time

Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health to outline the progress on the commitment to fund mental health supports across all Integrated Care Programme for Older People teams, as per the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34822/26

Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a list of all capital projects, including further and higher education campus, ETB and research infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time

Grace Boland asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a list of all capital projects, including further and higher education campus, ETB and research infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time

Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a list of all capital projects, including further and higher education campus, ETB and research infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time

Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the policy rationale for excluding certain QQI validated undergraduate programmes delivered by private higher education institutions from eligibility under the free fees initiative and from SUSI grant support; whether he is aware that … Hons) in Psychology at Carlow College is currently the only undergraduate programme at that institution not approved for State funding despite its QQI validation; whether this policy position has been reviewed in light of the objectives of the National Access Plan for Higher Education 2022-2028, particularly commitments

Shea asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a list of all capital projects, including further and higher education campus, ETB and research infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time

Neville asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will provide a list of all capital projects, including further and higher education campus, ETB and research infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of his Department which have been completed on time

Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a list of all capital projects - including those delivered under LEADER, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, CLÁR, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme … Údarás na Gaeltachta programmes which have been completed on time and within budget in Kildare in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35017/26

Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a list of all capital projects, including those delivered under LEADER, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, CLÁR, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme … Údarás na Gaeltachta programmes which have been completed on time and within budget in the Wicklow Wexford constituency in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33966/26

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a list of all capital projects including those delivered under LEADER, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, CLÁR, the town and village renewal scheme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme … Údarás na Gaeltachta programmes which have been completed on time and within budget in Fingal in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34056/26

Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a list of all capital projects including those delivered under LEADER, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, CLÁR, the Town and village renewal scheme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme … Údarás na Gaeltachta programmes which have been completed on time and within budget in Longford in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34086/26

Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will provide a list of all capital projects including those delivered under LEADER, the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, CLÁR, the town and village renewal scheme, the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme … Údarás na Gaeltachta programmes which have been completed on time and within budget in Cork North-West in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34731/26

Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will provide a list of all capital projects, including Defence Forces infrastructure projects, delivered under the remit of her Departments which have been completed on time and within budget in Louth in each