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Leap card validaters on buses in Cork, which slows down bus journeys. It also means that people in Cork cannot avail of the 90-minute flat fare that they can get in Dublin. It is not acceptable that the people in Cork pay more for public transport than … Across the country, we need contactless, tap-on buses. We need to get people on and off public transport quicker to improve journey times and make it a more reliable service. There has not been urgency around this issue and that needs to change. There are also

rural Ireland. Children under the age of nine travel free on public service obligation, PSO, services but not on commercial bus routes, even though these routes are often the only public transport options in rural towns and villages such as those in north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny … jobs and contributes more than €600 million to the economy. It is already participating in the free travel scheme and the young adult card. Despite this track record, it was left out of the under-nines initiative without a clear rationale even though this should be low-hanging

service is not going out to public tender; it is being renewed. I want a guarantee from the Minister that SouthDoc in Blackpool will remain open and will not be shut down next month. Another out-of-hours service, a private one called NorthDoc, has opened. My wife … were in and out within 20 minutes after my daughter got what she needed. They were private patients. The service is not open to people with medical cards, who have to wait weeks to get an appointment with a doctor. They have to travel over to the Kinsale

working under the dental treatment services scheme in Louth dropped between 2019 and 2025. There is huge population growth but the level of service provision is declining. The number of children waiting for dental treatment under the primary school dental checks scheme can only be described as scandalous … restorative treatment is not provided to medical card holders and that no assistance is available to help meet the costs of private care. Parliamentary question responses provided to me in recent months have stated that the capacity of the service is based on available resources. There are limitations

that from January 2027, adult public transport fares are set to increase by an average of 15%. In Dublin, the 90-minute Leap card fare will rise from €2 to €2.30. There are a number of economically vulnerable areas in my constituency of Dublin North-West. These price … constituents are becoming more dependent on public transport. There has been an overhaul of the provision of public transport in my constituency, yet despite promises of better connectivity, there have been numerous complaints about the reliability of the new bus services. For example, in Dublin North-West, with

under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss the need to provide Leap cards to families experiencing homelessness outside of Dublin. Deputy Joe Cooney - To discuss the regular reporting of the defective concrete blocks appeals board. Deputy Michael … discuss the provision of bus connections to and from Charleville train station. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss the crisis in public dental and orthodontic services in south Tipperary. Deputy Shane Moynihan - To discuss the need for adequate classroom provision for Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin. Deputy Duncan Smith - To discuss

health cards. I do not think there is a Member of this House or the Seanad who has not been personally pushed by the Minister to make sure they have it downloaded to their phone. Second, the national shared care record is now a live national service across … view, supporting safer and more co-ordinated care. Third, the national electronic health record programme will provide a comprehensive longitudinal digital record across publicly funded hospitals and community services. Government approved the preliminary business case in February 2026 and procurement is progressing. The programme will be managed through

Laois. It is failing those in other counties as well but Laois is a particular black spot. The dental treatment services scheme is for medical card patients. I told the Taoiseach last year that the scheme has collapsed in Laois. It is still flat on the floor, being … border of Laois and Carlow. No other practice in the county is taking medical card patients under the dental treatment services scheme. It is an absolute scandal that medical cardholders are without a service in Laois. Meanwhile, eight dentists are doing it in Offaly and a further eight

would have been really helpful to those of us who were campaigning from Opposition for the amendment and to those members of the public who were genuinely puzzled and perplexed by the wording. It is also fair to say, of course, the Attorney General's advice could … Minister of State's trump card at the end was to say that it would not be efficient and would undermine the work of Government and Opposition to pass this Bill, particularly on those two points of public interest and publication of Attorney General's advice

invested exponentially now in our health services. In respect of GP and primary care, we have now had the biggest expansion of access to free GP care in the history of the State. If we take medical cards and GP visit cards, about 2.3 million people are eligible … free GP care, including those with medical cards and GP visit cards. We have reduced the threshold for the drug payment scheme to €80 per month. We did this progressively over the past number of years. We have funded diagnostic scans now for patients. We have introduced free

compliance with road traffic legislation. Deputy Shane Moynihan - To discuss enhancing public transport links between Lucan and the airport. Deputy Peter Roche - To discuss access to supports for people with an end of life medical card. Deputy Brian Brennan - To discuss access to resources for first responders … development of equine therapy facilities at the Toghermore Campus in Tuam, County Galway. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss core funding for Ballyfermot youth service. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss the Cork Events Centre project and the new tender process. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan - To discuss the misuse

rules to get dental care for their child. The last aspect I will bring to the Minister of State's attention are medical card patients. They are really struggling. A constituent told me she had no option but to have a tooth extracted because she simply … planning. Sinn Féin has consistently called for more training places, a workforce strategy that retains graduates here and investment directly into our public dental service, rather than continuing to rely on crisis management. It is an absolute shame that this Government stands over a system where half

good idea. They also said it would give them a stronger pipeline into the public system. We cannot build dental services without making public dentistry a supported and attractive career path. A lot of my friends who studied dentistry have emigrated. That is a truth that we must … pure neglect of dental services, which places enormous pressure on families. I wish to briefly mention the dental treatment services scheme. We all know it was designed to ensure access for adults with medical cards, but no dentists are participating in it in many counties. That leaves vulnerable

There are brilliant people working in the public health service who do their work very well but we can acknowledge, and I think the Minister acknowledges, that there are some hospitals in areas of the country where that productivity is not apparent. I will speak about … highest proportion of the population in receipt of disability payments and the highest proportion of the population in receipt of a full medical card. We have a situation where we cannot discharge patients from a level 4 hospital, namely, UHG because there are not any step-down beds

wish to discuss the ongoing decline in the dental scheme for medical card holders in County Clare. I have raised this issue time and again. The Irish Dental Association has also raised it and has made repeated calls for the scheme to be overhauled. The association states … scheme does not work either for dentists or patients and that a lot of lip service has been paid to it but nothing is happening. In November 2021, as a county councillor in Clare, I tabled a motion calling for the then Minister for Health to engage with

quicker free appointment for medical card holders. This agreement makes it cheaper for some but increases access for all for a prescription for a common condition. On digital integration, pharmacies will actively support national eHealth reforms, including the national e-prescription service and national electronic health record. There … easier for people to access care in their communities. It reflects our shared commitment to innovation, public health, and sustainable investment. It will further support community pharmacies in diversifying their health service offerings, business models and revenue streams. On phased dispensing, there is one important element

service but safety also needs to be a consideration. To keep delays to a minimum, we often hear of cases of bus drivers pulling away from bus stops five or ten seconds after passengers board but for individuals with mobility or balance issues, like those public transport users … seconds can be for someone with cerebral palsy or a balance issue and to increase awareness of the just a minute, JAM, card initiative, which signals that a person may need a little more time or understanding. I also ask him to intervene with the Minister for Transport

availability of vehicles and drivers in the remaining pilot areas and to ensure that additional services can commence as the pilot proceeds. We continue to roll out enhancements to technology and customer service. Improvements have been made to enhance the customer experience, particularly during peak summer months … transport application process. It is also intended to continue to pilot the use of Leap cards and technology in existing pilot areas and introduce Leap cards in some of the newer pilot areas for 2025–26. Therefore, a huge amount of work is happening to ensure we have

medicine safety and reduce avoidable pressure on GPs and acute hospitals. The community pharmacy agreement and the common condition service have been important steps. The common condition service is an important development in pharmacy care and one for which Sinn Féin has advocated. It allows pharmacists to prescribe … payment scheme threshold, adding more medicines to the reimbursement list and reforming the GP visit card so that it takes into account other elements of primary care, including pharmacy and dental services. The next step is to make greater use of community pharmacies in chronic disease management

need arise. The HSE also utilises the service provided by public health nurses and continence nurse advisers to assess individual patient needs to ensure the supply of incontinence wear products is appropriate. As part of the national service improvement programme for the community-funded schemes … distribution of incontinence wear products across all healthcare settings, including the home delivery service. The HSE advises that in circumstances where a person does not hold full eligibility, such as through a medical card or a long-term illness scheme card, reimbursement support for incontinence wear products

million passport books and cards in 2024. There were 16,792 adult passports and 12,474 child passports issued to residents of County Meath in 2024, bringing the total number of passports issued to Meath residents to 29,266. The passport service forecasts that more than … passport service continues to be in an excellent position to meet the demand forecast for 2025, with 855 staff officers currently assigned to it. Customers who need to have their passports renewed urgently can book an appointment at the public counter in Mount Street or in Cork

accommodation capacity, health services, educational services and community infrastructure. It does not serve local communities because the longer a system drags on, the more it fuels frustration, misinformation and fear, and it creates an environment in which bad actors can exploit legitimate public concerns. This is not good … applicant card. That is a sensible and necessary reform. It allows applicants to identify themselves to national authorities and to access their rights for the duration of the procedure. It brings order, clarity and structure, and it reduces the confusion that can arise in communities and services when

convinced now more than ever that politics, being in government and public administration in general are just one big game to so many members of the Government. Too many of them have no idea of the impact that their decisions make with the simple stroke … multi-annual funding for our health service or transport infrastructure if the Government is continuing to apply a scattergun approach to last-minute negotiations, deal-making and appeasing its friends? The Government has the cheek to tell the public sector unions, which represent hundreds of thousands of workers

time when people are suffering in many other walks of life. There are areas where less demand will lead to an improved service for others but there are people who live in places in my constituency, such as Adamstown, Clonburris and Seven Mills, where the trains are always … choice but to use public transport but they cannot rely on it because the buses do not turn up and if buses are cancelled, there is no real-time information. A tourist in Dublin trying to pay with a credit card cannot do so because we still

cards, delays in delivery, appointments not being filled, people on waiting lists waiting far beyond an acceptable time limit, complaints within the health service, the delivery of capital programmes and so on. As long as those questions are being asked, the Minister can be sure that the services … happening in regard to the delivery of those services. What is happening to those hours? The other theme that runs through health services is the ambulance service. You cannot talk about the health service without talking about the ambulance service. I have met some of the ambulance crews