Search the record

thank the Deputy for his kind comments and also for his engagement on education. The opening of St. Michael's House Special National School was a wonderful day. I congratulate that community for the day and also for the work they do and the atmosphere that was within … that school. We do not acknowledge enough the commitment to the work that school leadership and school teams do within special schools and right across schools. I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has been approved for accommodation to facilitate special class

transitioning to who they really are. We need to situate this in the broader context of how discourse around gender issues and trans rights has developed in the last number of years. We are in a very concerning place. Hate directed towards members of the LGBTQ+ community … level of vitriol towards trans people is particularly vicious, enabled and encouraged by influential and powerful figures globally. Certain Members of this House also have a lot to answer for as they seek to engage in imported culture wars

owners of animals may be payable if a cull of those animals is directed. It is specific. It has clear criteria, and rightly so. If a flock owner or farmer is being asked to remove their entire herd or flock for broader national reasons in the best interests … spread of disease, that is the most important thing. We do all of that as well as a mandatory biodiversity measures and housing measures to get ourselves back to a disease-free status as soon as possible. The 3 km restriction zone and 10 km surveillance zone remain

residential units, help address the viability gap, accelerate the delivery of affordable homes and encourage more stock and higher quality stock into the housing market. We are currently refreshing our national digital and AI strategy to ensure we accelerate and maximise the return from the digital … invest to make Ireland a European Union centre of expertise for digital and data regulation. It is critical that we get the balance right between stimulating innovation and regulation to ensure the European Union is open for innovation and AI business. We will continue to be a very

what he is saying and we will convey his views to the Garda Commissioner. To reiterate, a number of years ago, this House passed a major Bill, which means the entire operational side of An Garda Síochána is in the gift of the Garda Commissioner and his office … team who decide upon the allocation of manpower within each Garda division and the number of gardaí to be allocated right across the country. That is something into which we do not have direct input. As a public representative, the Deputy is entitled to, and is right

only built for horses and carts. We need hospitals properly staffed and we need the new community hospital in Killarney to be open right away. We need to value farmers and not be blaming them. We need to do something to encourage farmers' sons or daughters … because they are not doing it at present. They are going to avoid it. On planning, so many people would build their own houses in Kerry if they could get planning permission but they cannot - even on their own land. If it is not a farm, they will

many children will struggle to secure places appropriate to their needs in their local community; and calls on the Government to: — ensure the right of every child to an appropriate school place in their general locality is fulfilled in September 2025; — introduce a central application system for special … amendment, whether the Department realises or understands the extent of the concerns raised daily by genuine families. Since being elected to the House in December, one of the biggest issues brought to my attention has been that of school places, or the lack thereof, and special educational needs

abolish fees for public services, including college, childcare, health, and general practitioner care; and, finally, to freeze and cap rents and build public housing. We will be on the streets for the first time, as Seamus mentioned, with a focus on the call for an emergency payment … this unless we force them to act. The launch of the affordable Ireland campaign recognises the fact that this right-wing Government will only take action on the cost-of-living crisis if it is forced to do so. Left to their own devices, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael

transformation. It is a budget of bare minimums. The Government had record resources at its disposal. It had the opportunity to fundamentally address housing, rural decline, farm viability and the cost pressures facing carers and ordinary families. Instead, the Government has largely opted for a series of incremental … million is allocated to overseas development and international co-operation programmes. Some of the countries included in that aid have records of human rights abuses. I am very concerned about that. The overseas aid should be cut, especially when ordinary families and business are finding it difficult

invite the House to think about An Garda Síochána and the unique monopoly services it provides to the Irish people. Its ability to deliver those services affects us all on a daily basis. I commend our local An Garda Síochána. Since 2008 when I entered public life … great disciplinarian. There is a world of difference between being a good disciplinary, which requires impartiality, objectivity, proportionality and respect for human rights and what we truly got, which was an autocrat, oppressor and petty peevish management style. The public inquiry that is occurring in respect

amendment) Bill 2026 will introduce changes to make the AON process more efficient, consistent, fair and transparent while maintaining a person's statutory right to an assessment. As the Deputy mentioned, this will come at us quite quickly because so much preparatory work has been done in this … standardised guidelines that will underpin it but also through the work of the Deputy's JOC. We hope to have this in the House on Second Stage next week. I look forward to being able to discuss it with the Deputy more at that point

process point of view in here, that for people watching this is their real lived experience. I know there are people across this House, including Deputy McDonald, who have engaged with patients and families on this drug. I fully understand that it is a worrying and anxious time … colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, met with Muscular Dystrophy Ireland. As the Deputy can imagine, this was an issue it quite rightly highlighted as well. I think there might have been officials from the Department there as well. I accept that this is frustrating for people

homes have been built in a decade. More than 2,000 were built in just the last three years. What came with the houses? There is no community centre and no public crèche places. Families are on waiting lists for a long time across the area. There … couple of parks and playgrounds provided for tens of thousands of people are working overtime. Residents say they feel forgotten. They are absolutely right. This is just classic developer-led planning. It is about throwing up homes without providing facilities to allow people to integrate and build

unprecedented funding to Irish Water for the development of water infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country. The urgency and imperative right now is to fundamentally improve the water supply infrastructure. It is a key utility, and the State is investing unprecedented amounts of taxpayers' money … wastewater treatment plants through. These include the eastern and midlands project. It will be interesting to see if the House will support that very important public infrastructure. If it does not happen within a decade or so, the midlands, Dublin and other areas on the east coast will

Deputy knows. He is not questioning that. The Department passes them on to the Housing Agency. The appeals board is separate from the Housing Agency and the Department and is chaired by a senior counsel. The error should not have happened, particularly in the context of about … scheme to date. Good progress has been made to date, with approximately 500 homes already fully remediated and approximately 750 having works done right now. It is a large scheme but that in itself does not excuse what occurred. The authorities concerned need to focus on how decisions

helped immediately. Multiple studies have showed that, in conjunction with small scale batteries, solar panels can help people who are struggling with costs right now. I welcome the work done by the SEAI and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. Local authorities can also access support for energy upgrades … area, I have found there is sometimes a delay. We need to investigate how tenants can avail of cheaper solar panels for terraced houses. If work was done at one time, that would reduce the installation fee. People have also raised concerns with me regarding installation quotes, which

proposal will see DkIT, while becoming a college of Queen's University, remain an autonomous, self-governing university college and retain its rights. It is part of a new model within the Irish higher education landscape. It is a slightly different model from other technological universities … will require legislation. I hope the Deputy and his party will support that, as I imagine they will, and that others in the House will support it too. There is a very exciting and ambitious timetable for it, which I certainly intend to do my best to work

this, if required, including, for example, the use of a bespoke appeals panel website. However, for now I understand the panel is quite rightly concerned about improving the speed at which it can issue decisions to homeowners and is concentrating its efforts on this issue for now. Amendment … amendment to mandate the production of an annual report that summarises technical data that may be held by designated local authorities or the Housing Agency. Information of this nature does not relate to the operation of the grant scheme under the principal Act and for this reason

Galway County Council, Liam Conneally, who outlined the ambition for County Galway. If I remember correctly from my days in the Custom House, his is the second biggest local authority in Ireland and has a huge amount of opportunity. The area has grid capacity and power, which … areas of the country. Galway has a lot of good cards and hopefully it will get to play them right over the next number of weeks

richest countries in the world, has seen a significant rise in children living in consistent poverty. According to the Children's Rights Alliance, one in 12 children, or more than 100,000, is in this situation. Obviously, inflation has risen. There are various reasons for this, including … related issues, the fact that we live on an island, etc., but Ireland is still one of the richest countries in the world. Housing costs have risen as well. The big issue relates to children who have no housing at all. If you are in that type

Dundalk and north Louth, Drogheda and south Louth, and Ardee and mid-Louth. We need to tackle those issues from organised crime right down into chaos and so on. I welcome what was said earlier about the Criminal Assets Bureau. We all know the world we live … look at the very particular issue we have at this point in time with organised crime and drugs. When certain people have had houses taken off them, they just regard it as the cost of doing business and they are back in operation again. We need a harm

thank the Deputy for his ongoing engagement on this issue more broadly. He is right that the drug has been approved by the EMA. The next stage is that the drug company must make an application to the HSE. I checked this morning to see if that … happened. It has not happened yet. Perhaps it has happened in the period I have been in the House, but it had not happened when I checked. I will be watching it very closely. I have already spoken to the Secretary General of my Department

throughout Ireland are in huge fear as they await flood relief schemes. Many of these communities just need simple river cleaning before their houses are flooded again. The bottom line is that we need a debate. I have been promised it might happen soon but I have been … past number of weeks. We need an urgent debate. We never know when a flood will strike. The sun is shining right now but it might not continue. People are in living in terror that their homes will be flooded again

needs, by parents, mainly mothers. It seems that the assessments of need rule really bothers the Government because it gives parents the right to have it done within six months. We all know that 90% of these assessments are not done within six months, leaving the Government looking … parents are paying for them. They have also fled the country because they cannot afford to live here because of the chronic housing crisis that this Government and previous governments have not dealt with. They cannot afford to have a decent life here. Until that is addressed

United Arab Emirates and Canada who want to come home but cannot. There has been lots of talk on this side of the House about nurses coming home and that we must bring our nurses home, but what would they be coming home to? They are coming home … country. I do not believe that this State is truly interested in bringing back those people who we have educated and done everything right for because it is saying to forget about them. We are not making it viable to come back into this country with