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thank my family, supporters and the good people of Dublin Bay North for putting an engineer in the Dáil to represent them. The programme for Government outlines an ambitious plan for delivery and decisive action for the coming years but none more so than in the area … ageing building that houses Coolock Garda station. I attended a recent meeting of my local joint policing committee. I understand that this project has progressed significantly in recent months and that plans for the transfer of a site for the station from Dublin City Council

community spaces and emergency response hubs provided are facilities funded by Government through CLÁR, the community investment fund, LEADER and the local enhancement programme. Imagine if we did not have that money to put into infrastructure in our communities. The last week has demonstrated the importance … SICAP programme, which supports the most vulnerable people and their families in our country. SICAP is a flexible programme where funding is targeted to those most in need in their communities. The various groups implementing SICAP have contributed to the State response to the storm. Some 380 hubs

thank Deputy O'Meara and congratulate him on his election representing the people of Tipperary North. I wish him very well. The programme for Government contains a number of commitments in relation to this. The Deputy is right that housing is the biggest challenge that our country faces … that we will be allocating shortly. What we need to see in return is a willingness from Uisce Éireann to make sure that projects that are crucial to housing get the go ahead and that projects that might be seen as smaller in scale are also addressed

colleague from Limerick, Deputy Conor Sheehan. We will take seven and a half minutes each. I will commence my discussion of the programme for Government by focusing on how it will be implemented. I will not go through everything in it but I will look at some issues … sufficient level. First, there is a lot of good stuff in the programme for Government. There is much where there can be mutual agreement on the issues involved. There is also loads of stuff which we would totally disagree with and there is also stuff where we believe

wish the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, the very best in her role. I will focus on two aspects of the programme for Government, namely, children and young people. Government parties and some Independents have celebrated the publication of this document as though it heralds some sort … consider young people to be a problem for the future, we ignore the reality. They are of intrinsic importance today. This programme for Government lacks ambition and detail when it comes to young people. I highlight the commitment in the programme for Government to a new youth services

women of talent. Either way, there is a problem within this Government and that is writ very large all over the programme for Government. Fine Gael leads the way with the greatest number of women councillors elected. You would think that was satire, would you not? You genuinely … lads promoted by the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Lowry Government, it will come as a surprise to nobody to see that the programme for Government falls well short of what we might expect from a progressive or even a halfway decent Government. There is no timeline

will focus on health in the short time I have. I read the programme for Government document with interest. As the area of health is obviously extremely important, I want to focus on that. The programme for Government references a universal healthcare mission but from reading the pages … Rathdowney and Graiguecullen need new or upgraded health centres. Physical infrastructure is needed, as are GPs. We do not have the GPs. The programme for Government references increasing the number of GP places, but we must recruit some directly employed GPs to staff primary care centres. Private

when others were withdrawing theirs. It also includes contributions to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Programme and others. Ireland has been a long-standing supporter of UNRWA and we will continue to support its vital mandate. I hope this Dáil … high-level week. This includes close co-operation with Arab and Gulf partners, including Saudi Arabia. As set out in the programme for Government, the situation in the Middle East remains a central foreign policy priority. Notably, the programme advocates for a sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine

family on his election as Taoiseach today. Independent Ireland has very serious concerns for our country and looking at the new programme for Government, which is more or less cut and pasted from the last one, leads us to believe that little will change for the next five … full rejection of the Mercosur deal and a decrease in the VAT rate to 9%, which has now been promised in the programme for Government, the detail is still very vague. For the many hospitality businesses that have closed their doors, it is too little too late

convenience store in Thurles. I had hoped that might happen a little bit later but this is far from a visionary programme for government document. It is an insipid artificial vanilla programme for paralysis that is devoid of any roadmap or tangible targets. Tá sé gan fuinneamh … promised delivery of hormone replacement therapy products; making our streets safer; introducing legislation to ensure real consequences for violent assaults; processing school building projects in rapidly growing areas; tackling overcrowded or non-existent trains and buses; dealing with an asylum system that is clearly not fit for purpose

active voice for the values of peace, co-operation and development. We will follow the profoundly welcome ceasefire in Gaza with a sustained programme of humanitarian and reconstruction aid. We will do this through co-operation with the World Food Programme and UNRWA. Protecting and renewing Ireland … achieve more. The new Government will push forward on the historic task of building a lasting reconciliation. We will implement the largest ever programme of North-South research and investment, opening critical links and building both engagement and understanding through a further strengthened shared island initiative. Too many

five years. We have much to do. It is clear to me from the very detailed and thorough negotiations we undertook on the programme for Government that we have a very strong, shared understanding of the scale of work we must do and the scale of delivery … coming days for a round of official meetings. We are putting effort into our relationship, but we are also putting money into projects and infrastructure that matter through the shared island fund the Taoiseach referenced. Our bridge-building will be both physical and philosophical. Ireland will host

because they are being treated so unfairly and unequally. Yet the Government wants more time off. Why will we not be discussing the programme for Government next week? There is no reason questions could not be answered on the programme for Government that has been negotiated for weeks … Gael. They are Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in disguise and, in reality, want to be in the Government, supporting it, endorsing the programme for Government. They are writers of the programme for Government while they are then pretending to be in the Opposition. They are undermining

that will transform lives, will be able to relieve poverty and can give hope. In the general election, we campaigned for a constructive programme to build a sustainable Ireland that protects and restores our environment through urgent and ambitious State action. We campaigned for a fairer Ireland where … deliver the services that people need. Children need care, people need public transport and people need the roll-out of a massive retrofitting programme. We need to see the State enabling ambition at all stages of life. We need it to invest in offshore wind development

example, you could be a civil servant who has developed a huge expertise in the area of transport - and we know major transport projects that we really want to deliver - yet, in terms of promotion, your only option, really, is to move outside of that Department … expertise? Do we have sufficient specialist models within key policy areas to retain that corporate knowledge that is very much needed to deliver projects like the metro, DART+ North and the various other DART+ projects that we need to deliver as well as BusConnects? We have the issue

this scheme delivered. As the Deputy has said, it has been going on for a long time but it is a very technical project. A lot of environmental issues are involved when moving water, particularly from turloughs. A great deal of work is going into delivering this scheme … scheme forward. I know that a lot of residents, landowners and other people in the area have been waiting some time for this project. I will work with the Deputy, as I work with everyone in the House, to ensure that we meet the timelines for the delivery

came up either from the Lee or, in Ballingeary's case, from the Bunsheelin. There is a need for the longer and wider programme to be done. On top of the flood pressure, there is also the anxiety that people and the council feel whereby if they … interim works, it might in some way or another deprioritise the bigger project or that it would slip down the radar. Can we get reassurance that this will not happen and that Ballingeary and Inchigeelagh will be a priority project for tranche 2 of the works

construction of the scheme will commence in early 2028. The scheme is expected to be completed in mid-2030. The scheme’s total project budget is €8.5 million and to date, €1.4 million has been spent. To progress the scheme and management of overall risk in Kilkee … efficiently as possible, the project steering group decided to advance the project in two phases. The first phase will address the most significant flood risk to properties arising from the fluvial flooding from the Victoria, Well and Atlantic streams. The second phase will address the coastal flood risk

done. I am happy to advise that officials in the Department, in conjunction with the NCSE, are currently finalising a pilot programme to test whether additional supports to mainstream teachers could be provided effectively by teachers who have completed an existing postgraduate programme in DCU’s institute … education. The literacy associates pilot programme will support up to 40 schools initially. Furthermore, I am pleased to say that we have secured additional funding for teacher training as part of budget 2027. A new accredited course in inclusive education will be rolled out across

thank the Minister of State for the update on the project. This school is based in temporary accommodation at Herons Wood in Carrigaline. It is across two buildings, so it is a separated campus in that sense. The school opened its doors in 2020 and was in other … second temporary accommodation at this stage. The parents, teachers and pupils desperately need some line of sight as to when this school building project will take place. I visited the school recently and it is really crammed in terms of space. It is unsuitable. The school - this

appreciate if the Minister of State could go back to the Department and inject some urgency in closing out stage 1 of this project. I visited the school, and while the conditions there are unsuitable in terms of the space available, it provides outstanding educational services, particularly … area of special education. All involved deserve some degree of certainty as to where this project is going. A very suitable site has been identified in the Janeville housing estate in Carrigaline. We really need to progress this project. Unfortunately, enrolment numbers in the school have been suffering

compliment the work of Ken McDonald and the Irish Heart Foundation who have tried to drive awareness about this. We have a programme called Her Heart Matters which tries to identify that this is very different. That is a different example but another example of how medical presentation … seven people. It affects one in seven women and it is so important because this is so impactful. We introduced a programme to try to fund emergency surgeries abroad because it is a shame on me and everybody else that a doctor in our health system used

integrated design team for a 300-bed block project for University Hospital Galway was appointed and approved last May. Ward blocks A and B, each comprising of 150 beds, are the first two phases of the capital programme for University Hospital Galway, which will be followed … initially block A, under the Critical Infrastructure Act 2026 or are we at an advanced enough stage to designate the project if another designation list goes to Cabinet this year

Minister about the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, programme, which is funded by her Department. We all recognise that drug-related intimidation is endemic the length and breadth of Ireland at the moment. We have seen the horrors of that in its full force last week … Last year, the DRIVE programme received annual funding of €280,000 from the Department of Health. That was increased in September with an extra €65,000. What funding has been allocated to the DRIVE programme in this year's budget

taken seriously by Government. The discussion about breast density notification is important because it relates directly to women's confidence in the screening programme and access to information about their health. At the same time, the Minister for Health has a responsibility to ensure that any changes … national screening programme are informed by robust clinical evidence and supported by the appropriate clinical pathways. The Deputy will be aware that the health technology assessment under way will examine the potential introduction of a standardised breast density notification as part of the wider review of the BreastCheck

Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if a central register or database of all active and completed Public-Private Partnership projects exists; and if so, to provide a link or reference to this register, including project name, sponsoring Department, value, start/end dates and any annual cost

Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide a breakdown of the annual expenditure on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects for each of the past ten years, in tabular form; and to indicate the projected liabilities and repayment schedules due over the lifetime

Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to confirm if value-for-money reviews, audits, or post-project evaluations are required for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects; and if so, to provide a list of all PPPs reviewed in the past five

Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if projects in Castlebar (details supplied) have moved beyond the detailed project briefs and procurement strategies stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40250/25

asked the Minister for Social Protection his Department's total expenditure under the community employment scheme, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence; and the number of participating employees under the scheme by county, in each year of the programme’s existence, in tabular form

Minister for Social Protection his Department's total expenditure under the Tús community work placement initiative, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence; and the number of participating employees under the initiative, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence, in tabular form

asked the Minister for Social Protection his Department's total expenditure under the wage subsidy scheme, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence; and the number of participating employees under the scheme, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence, in tabular form

asked the Minister for Social Protection his Department's expenditure under the back-to-education allowance, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence; and the number of participants receiving the allowance, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence, in tabular form. [40657/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of organisations funded under the WorkAbility programme, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence; and the total funding allocated to each county in the corresponding period, in tabular form. [40659/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual average grant per organisation under the WorkAbility programme, by county, in each year of the programme’s existence, in tabular form. [40662/25

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of new organisations funded under the WorkAbility programme in each county in each year of the programme’s existence; and the corresponding new funding allocated, in tabular form. [40665/25

Justice, Home Affairs and Migration further to Parliamentary Question No. 292 of 10 July 2025, the total budget for the Digital Contact Centre project; if the project was subject to any cost overruns or delays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40563/25

Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health the status of the new Lifford Community Hospital project; the timeframe for the delivery of the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40362/25

current position regarding funding for the construction of phase 2 (second new wing) for St. Vincent’s Hospital, Mountmellick, County Laois; and the projected timeframe for works on the project to begin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40678/25

Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the progress to date on the commitment in the Programme for Government to “Build on the pilot schemes and develop a mechanism to allow private homes in social housing estates to opt into retrofitting projects

Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the position as of July 2025 on the programme for Programme for Government to increase penalties to deter littering and illegal dumping, ensuring those who harm our environment face significant consequences; and if he will make

Deputy Mark Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for a breakdown of the initial estimated costs of each project listed in the Defence Forces Infrastructure Plan 2022-2027, and the actual cost of each completed project to date, in tabular form; and if he will make

Transport the current status of plans for a new Coast Guard building in Howth; the next steps in the delivery of this project; the amount spent by his Department on the project to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38919/25

Minister for Transport if there is any arts fund or other community fund to be created as part of the M28 motorway project, given it is such a large infrastructure project. [39059/25

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the capital works projects her Department funded at a school (details supplied) in 2024 and to date in 2025; to list out capital works funding projects applications that are being considered by the Department

Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she has taken to deliver on the commitment in the Programme for Government to establish a new national small schools project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38808/25

Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to ensure Uisce Éireann expedites and expands the small towns and villages growth programme in order to deliver wastewater services to rural towns and villages

Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update as of July 2025 on the Programme for Government commitment to develop and promote projects which build links and understanding with other EU capitals and regions in the fields of culture

Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update as of July 2025 on the Programme for Government commitment to ensure that distinct funding programmes for research in the humanities and social sciences are maintained; and if he will make

Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht for an update as of July 2025 on the Programme for Government commitment to establish a rural communities initiative, similar in style to the previous RAPID programme; and if he will make a statement