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Government's approach. This budget again fails the necessary work of bringing home ownership back within the reach of working people, building the affordable and social homes needed, banning rent increases for three years, delivering the investment needed to end the housing emergency and to restore the hope … this Government when it comes to the delivery of healthcare. However, in this budget, it knowingly underfunds the health service. It delivers a recipe for deepening catastrophe that sees our hospitals overcrowded, accident and emergency departments under huge pressure every day, a year-round trolley crisis and hundreds

will do something about homelessness. The only thing the Government did in respect of homelessness in the budget was to increase the amount of money going to emergency accommodation. It did so to cover the fact that so many people are being made homeless in this country every … Tánaiste headed off to wherever he was going and did not hang around to listen to the debate. He said that the budget allocation for the Department of housing will see significant increases for the delivery of starter and social homes. What are those significant increases? Ten thousand

discretionary basis by the HSE for the region. Hospitals there were given a budget to provide limited transport for patients to attend other acute services. The cost of providing the non-emergency patient transport service has increased year on year. The cost for providing this service has grown … eligibility for the non-emergency patient transport service is determined by the local HSE service, which aims to provide for those most in need of access to this valuable service. The Government has invested significantly in Tipperary University Hospital and the budget for the hospital has increased from

there was bed capacity and management of the hospital in the round. The considerable extra staff meant there was good management of the emergency department. Something happened in June, however, and the figures were the complete opposite. This is the nuance of hospital-by-hospital level experience … model 4 hospital to me, it has had a 35% increase in staff and a 59% increase in budget. Yet, it has an inconsistent performance in its accident and emergency department and its management of delayed transfers of care. All of these particular local nuances matter. The Mater

time of the most recent budget, we in the Social Democrats put forward an alternative budget that included targeted measures but the Government ignored us. We put forward a proposal for an emergency cost-of-disability payment in March which was ignored by the Government. We put forward … costed and the money is available to do them. Why is the Government not doing it? A targeted energy credit and an emergency cost-of-disability payment are two things the Government could do. I have racked my brain to understand why the Government is not doing

reviewed. There has been an increase in the number of public-only consultants in emergency medicine and more senior staff are rostered in emergency departments during weekends and public holidays for better decision-making. The workforce will continue to grow through the recruitment of key roles, retention measures … increase core staffing, reduce waiting lists and expand CAMHS hubs to improve crisis cover for services. In budget 2026, funding has been allocated to develop a new CAMHS emergency liaison service, increase out-of-hours on-call, and to establish a new CAMHS eating disorder team

people with disabilities and the real need for a cost of living emergency payment. The motion is about listening to people. The Minister's tone deaf amendment makes no reference to the fact that the budget left people with disabilities €1,400 worse off. He should acknowledge … mine in Balrothery spoke about the statement from the Taoiseach that an emergency payment is not fiscally sustainable and that people with disabilities must wait for a permanent cost of disability payment in budget 2027. She said she is writing to tell the Minister that asking disabled people

originally planned may not be prudent. Again, the judgment should be made in the round, through the budget. Turning to the Bill itself, Sinn Féin promises an emergency period during which the mineral oil tax on kerosene used for home heating would be set to zero. The Minister … rising strongly. This is the contradiction at the heart of Sinn Féin's position; it consistently opposes the carbon tax but its alternative budgets have repeatedly relied on the revenue it generates. It cannot credibly promise to abolish the source of funding while continuing to count the same

there is additional, discrete ring-fenced funding for emergency housing but also to deal with those on the emergency housing lists and provide them with homes. In the budget, the Minister secured ring-fenced funding to enable him to do that. We will continue our work on supply

that? The elderly, children and people with disabilities have repeatedly called on the Government to implement an emergency winter payment to offset the effects of the austerity budget of last year. It is time for the Government and the regulator to tackle this issue head on. The Government

University Hospital Limerick, with 64 in my local hospital in Galway. I am sure many of us have been in accident and emergency departments recently and we have seen what it is like. Many of those people are lying in corridors that are bright, cramped and noisy. They … copied and pasted the mental health section from last year’s budget and changed seven words. No one in crisis should be turned away or told to wait until the morning for access to emergency mental healthcare. Mental health is 24-7; it is not just from nine

does not affect Laois. There is further investment this year as a result of the budget, with €34 million for renewal and expansion of the fleet. This is €34 million for emergency ambulances and other response vehicles. The investment is continuing. We are looking at about €291 million

fair, is developing further approaches, particularly to child homelessness. He received in the budget a further €100 million additionally to focus exclusively on children and families with children to get them out of emergency accommodation as quickly as possible. In the last two to three years, the numbers … local authorities that they must prioritise families with children who are in emergency accommodation. You will begin to see the impacts from the initiatives that the Minister has taken, particularly because of the additional budget he has received. That is the way to try to address the issue

payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment"; — the Government has failed to deliver any such permanent payment, and instead delivered a Budget which cut the incomes of disabled people and left them worse off; and — as a result of the Government cutting their incomes, disabled people … disabled people of falling into poverty and deprivation; and — an emergency €400 winter payment is affordable and fiscally sustainable, given the cost of the measure, €124 million, amounts to a small portion of the budget surplus last year, which was even larger than the Government forecasted; and calls

particularly significant for mental health where, as we have noted, emergency department and hospital-based services are often not the most appropriate setting for people in distress. Building on this progress to date, in budget 2026, we are making real practical investments to help people in crisis when … emergency departments or hospital wards in need of both physical and mental help, including individuals experiencing eating disorders, self-harm or suicidal thoughts. These services play a crucial role in ensuring people receive the right mental health support when they need it most. As part of budget

Local authorities will continue to work with households to identify appropriate pathways out of emergency accommodation, including through social housing, HAP and Homeless HAP. Significant resources are being provided to support this response. Budget 2026 provided a total allocation of €563.5 million to address homelessness. This included

disabled people who were hit by the Government with €1,400 of cruel cuts in the budget. They have been on the streets demanding again and again an emergency disability payment, not the full cost-of-disability payment which they were promised, not even getting back … know there are over 300,000 people in arrears on their energy bills right now. We know that the Government's budget made all of that worse. Despite the misinformation that is put out there by the Taoiseach, we know and the ESRI, the Parliamentary Budget Office

will continue with that increase. The overall target for home support has increased to 26.7 million hours, with a budget of around €914 million, excluding complex home support. This is more home support hours than ever. It is nearly double the number provided in 2018. We want … voluntary sector, with total funding of €3.3 million. Family Carers Ireland gets €3.14 million to deliver the emergency respite scheme and supports across five services. In this year's budget, I gave it as a defined line of funding. It is something that will be funded

that that service is underfunded. I ask the Minister tonight to consider through the budget proposals, through her Department and in her cross-departmental conversations tomorrow to look at that emergency care and look at additional funding for Family Carers Ireland to ensure that when a family needs

independent investigation delivers accountability and protect staff who come forward; the measures she is taking through budget 2027 to address significant workforce shortages, increase ambulance capacity and improve emergency response times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72942/26

patient transport service was set up in 2013 on a discretionary basis by the HSE and provides non-emergency patient transport in south-east region hospitals. There is a budget there. I understand the Deputy's concerns. I will go back to the HSE and see whether

Minister the two questions that I initially asked. Will the Government introduce an emergency winter disability payment? Will it finally introduce a permanent cost-of-disability payment? The last budget before this one recognised the cost of disability. Now, the Government has abandoned

Taoiseach should be defending it. He should withdraw it and apologise for it. The Taoiseach has not even once acknowledged that the budget has cut the incomes of disabled people by €1,400 and he has not once acknowledged the very real hardship that causes for disabled people … been calling for once-off measures; we have said we need permanent solutions. This emergency winter payment is because the Government did not bring in a permanent solution in the budget. Will the Taoiseach acknowledge the hardship the Government has caused? Will he admit it was wrong

example just one dental practice currently takes clients under this scheme; — the budget for the scheme in the current year is €73 million, a reduction of €6 million from 2010; — the HSE emergency dental service is almost impossible to access; — the Treatment Benefit Scheme based on Pay Related … budget for the current scheme is €73 million this year. That is a reduction of €6 million on the allocation in 2010. There has been a reduction of almost 50% in the number of dental practices taking clients under the scheme. The HSE's emergency dental health service

sort of perceptions about the level of the staffing. I am advocating for more staff, just in a strategic way and within budget. There are genuine demand pressures in all of the areas the Deputy has raised. We presumed for demographic growth of 2.1% but activity growth, which … broadly in line with the demographic growth assumptions underpinning budget 2026. In the four regions currently subject to enhanced financial control, inpatient activity ranged from a decrease of 1.2% to an increase of 2.6%. By comparison, emergency Department admissions increased by 5.3% nationally, with growth in the four