Search the record

opportunity for people, since the publication of the final report of the expert task force to support the expansion of the role of pharmacy, my Department has been engaging with a range of stakeholders to implement the recommended common conditions service. This service will enable community pharmacists … establish the common conditions service from late 2025. Pharmacies will be entitled to charge their patients a consultation fee. However, medicines will be reimbursed by the State in accordance with a person’s eligibility under the community drugs schemes. Patients, including medical card holders, who choose to access

young adult card, free travel for under-nines and a 90-minute fare. For most of the year, I have been taking questions from Deputies, all of whom want additional services, be that additional bus or train services, better facilities and so on. We have to have … sustainable basis for funding extensive enhancement and expansion of public transport into the future. That is the balance that has to be struck in this case

transportation networks and infrastructure development and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, under budget 2025 the Department of Transport secured €658.442 million of funding for PSO and TFI Local Link services. This represents an increase from €613.813 million … card and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2025. Funding has also been provided to extend free child fares on PSO services to include those aged five to eight years old and to support the roll-out of new and enhanced bus and rail services under

while ensuring public transport remains reliable, accessible and affordable. The proposed fare adjustments are necessary to underpin these objectives and support the long-term sustainability of the network. Maintaining affordable fares must be balanced with ensuring a financially sustainable transport system capable of funding service improvements, network expansion … alongside targeted affordability measures, including the young adult card, free travel for children up to nine years old and the 90-minute fare. In line with international best practice and to bolster the State's capacity to invest in service expansion, network improvements and operational resilience

suitable expert; and fighting for access to scans, therapies, medicines, educational supports, home supports, disability services, mental health supports and, at times, medical cards. Parents and families become case managers, counsellors, researchers, advocates and campaigners because the State has not put the right supports in place for these … face that on top of the same capacity problems, waiting lists and delays in physical and mental health services that we know exist right across the board. The publication of the rare disease strategy was, therefore, a very important and welcome step. It is a long overdue strategy

stay prudent and cautious, maintain buffers, deliver value for money and protect our fiscal credibility while we invest, but the public must also see real improvements in services and infrastructure and investment that is badly needed and appropriate. Turning to the measures, the Bill raises … time worker on the new minimum wage stays out of the top USC rates. It also extends the reduced USC for full medical card holders with income below €60,000 to the end of 2027. These are sensible, broad-based steps and both are welcome. From 1 July

medicines experts, but their role goes way beyond that now and we would like it to go further. They deliver prevention and public health every day. This extends to flu vaccines, Covid vaccines and school-based programmes. Of the 26% of children who got vaccinated last winter … delighted to say that, from May, pharmacies will provide pneumococcal vaccination for eligible healthy adults over 65 who have a medical card. Pharmacies deliver services like health checks, blood pressure management, weight management, and smoking and vaping cessation programmes and help people to live with long-term conditions

Minister's role is to provide a framework in which services can reliably and efficiently be delivered and to adequately fund these services. As I see it, the Minister is utterly failing. Of the 200,000 schoolchildren eligible for dental screening appointments, only half received what they were … backlog and not to make excuses for it. Despite the increase in population, the Irish Dental Association tells us we have 23% fewer public dentists than we had 15 years ago. What have Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael done that they have overseen the collapse in the school

requirement for blood tests. He can avail of a blood test with his GP but he only has a GP card, so it would cost him €40 every time he has one done. He is struggling with the cost of living and he cannot afford to pay this … Swords, of whom 10% are aged over 65 years. There should be a free blood testing service in place for people in Swords. The Government should ensure the new public primary healthcare centre in the town, which will be accessible to people in the wider Fingal East area

Killarney Community Hospital. Deputy Tom Brabazon - To discuss the disruption to DART services in north Dublin. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss actions to address growing road safety risks associated with horse-drawn vehicles on public roads. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú - To discuss supports for those with frontotemporal dementia … transparency of the CODA process for Ladies Gaelic Football Association clubs and players. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the loss of medical card access due to age-based insurance restrictions on general practitioners. Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss provision of an additional special needs class in Ballyduff

practitioner or nurse. The Minister wants to amend this so that the entitlement to public home help service would arise only where an assessment of need is made on behalf of the Health Service Executive. What does that mean and how will this be implemented? It seems … that this Bill is already a huge breach of trust because it ignores entirely the survivors' repeatedly stated need for the full HAA card. Instead, under the Bill, people will receive little more than the regular medical card. We know from the special advocate, Patricia Carey, that survivors

wanted to get from Castlebar to Knock to get a flight from Knock Airport. I wanted to use public transport. Just trying to find out about the bus service that connects Castlebar to Knock proved to be an onerous task in trying to do that. I went … communities more sustainable places to live and work in. These communities that welcome visitors must receive the infrastructure and services necessary to support increased tourism activity, such as public toilets, parking facilities and broadband connectivity. So many local community groups are doing really good work in developing tourist

plan. Of course, the three Ministers here will be putting forward our best foot in terms of projects within transport, be it roads, public transport or whatever. It is important the Deputies understand that we will be putting in plenty of projects that need to be done which … across the country. On Deputy O'Gorman's question about identity cards, I am not so sure we need to be using identity cards. Discretion is there to be used. Nobody should be not allowed onto public transport but, of course, there has to be a limit. Fair

action. Professor Maggie Cusack and the then chairperson, Jimmy Deenihan, welcomed us to the facility. The university is providing world-class services. If students do want to leave Kerry, however, there are course options available to them. I know it is expensive, and I talked earlier about … cost of travel, in terms of excise cuts and many other measures. There is also the student Leap card and the young adult Leap card to use on public transport and, of course, there are the €500 cut to student fees, which is permanent

work and access Dublin city using a service like the 120 that finishes at 11 p.m. or 11.30 p.m on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This route is also completely fractured. The Minister might look at whether we could extend the service on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to allow … next budget consider putting €100 on the Leap card for anyone on a waiting list for a driving test for more than ten or 12 weeks? This would give people an incentive to use whatever public transport is available, be it rail or Local Link

young people benefited from the reduced fares across both subsidised and participating commercial services. Perhaps there is some hope for the Deputy in the fact that this has happened from a young adult card perspective. It may bolster his case to put forward a proposal that would mirror … gets into the hands of the Minister for Transport, who has asked me to reaffirm that the Government remains committed to making public transport as accessible and affordable as possible, while also ensuring that our system remains financially sustainable in the long term

people information on eight free services they can go to, be it the Samaritans, Pieta House, Woman's Aid, Men's Aid, Childline, Alone, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, homeless emergency accommodation and all these great organisations. Giving people that little card with all the information … aspire to. She does not have an off switch. Now, we see that for young people in Ireland mistakes and rejection are made public. People only show the good side of their lives on social media. Statistics show that young people are experiencing mental health issues

absolutely no lessons because at the weekend, it emerged that the bike shed scandal part 2 is on the cards. Astonishingly, Government is allowing €100,000 of public money to be spent on a new bike shed at the national maternity hospital. When I first heard this … Government e-tenders website. Is this really the best use of taxpayers' money when there are so many demands on the health service, for example, where accident and emergency services do not have enough chairs and trolleys, not to mind beds, and where people regularly

Minister shall publish all contracts, subcontracts, financial schedules, performance reports and compliance assessments relating to accommodation or services provided to international protection applicants. It also states that publication should take place no later than 30 days after the signing of any relevant document and that information … notion of commercial sensitivity is a veil behind which the Government hides its huge level of squandering of public money. We see this across public services. There is nobody seeking accommodation for international protection other than the Department of justice

expanding free child fares and maintaining the young adult student leap card at 50% off, and there is also a 90-minute fare. These are initiatives to try to incentivise people to use public transport, which is happening. However, we also have to ensure that the frequency … typical example, we are putting in a passing loop to make sure we can get additional trains in and out and make the service more frequent. We are trying to do that across the country and there is huge investment happening in Dublin. Improvements are happening

respect of these conversations as to any additional measures he is bringing forward that will ensure that we have proper oversight and public oversight in respect of these contracts. Amendment No. 19 provides for a cap on the daily expenditure for international protection accommodation. The Minister's responses … people seeking international protection growing very quickly in a very short space of time, putting pressure on services? The providers will once again hold all of the cards in the negotiations and, because the Government has rejected any semblance of oversight or transparency, the Department will be doing

staff in place to do that. It is a real failure by the State that we are not providing those services to children. Equally, the medical card scheme is not working. Dentists are leaving it. The number of dentists in the scheme has halved over a decade, which … extractions. There needs to be engagement with the Irish Dental Association to develop a scheme that works for patients, dentists and the public purse

more people coming into that scheme and I would like it to be available for medical card holders. It is important to recognise the orthodontic team that works within the orthodontic service and not just dentists. The Minister mentioned the role of hygienists as well. I am very … work together collectively to ensure there is a robust orthodontic service for the people of Cork and Cork North-West going forward. It is critical that people look after dental health. It is publicly available here. It is important to avail of that service

Post is one of our core public services, one that has many fantastic people working within it. Over the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to engage with two groups of people who have concerns about our post service. The first group relates to post delivery … constituency have had significant disruption to their post services as a result of issues around recruitment, rosters and so on. As the Tánaiste knows, people rely on their post services. I have had examples of bank cards arriving late and people missing oncology appointments as a result

statutory body responsible for regulating fares across services operated under the PSO contracts the National Transport Authority is central to shaping a public transport system that is fair, efficient and accessible. Through its management of fare strategies, it helps to ensure pricing structures support social inclusion and modal … services can catch any bus in the city and transfer between buses in Cork city as often as needed within 90 minutes, all for a single fare of €1.70. The new on-board ticket validators complement this by allowing passengers to tap their Leap card. This reduces boarding