Search the record

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 communities. People living with rare diseases face … emergency care, paediatrics, adult services and community services. It also requires investment in genetics and genomics, which the Minster mentioned, genetic counselling, laboratory capacity, data systems and specialist workforce planning. We cannot promise earlier diagnosis without building the capacity to deliver it. Care networks are just as important

problem clearly. They own a second property and they want to gift it to their adult child, so that it will become their home. Before they can make the transfer, they face a capital gains tax bill which in their case is somewhere between … rent out the property for a minimum of five years. That protects the integrity of the scheme while still delivering meaningful help to families and communities. A similar safeguard can and should apply. It is entirely reasonable to require that the property becomes the child's principal private

cohesive approach to delivering the programme for Government. There are a range of areas on which the Government will focus its attention. The assistance and support provided by Ministers of State will be essential to achieve our ambitious targets: accelerating the number of homes available; implementing new programmes … costs; bringing together relevant stakeholders to address the needs around community development and policing; providing more focused leadership in management of immigration; and achieving climate and biodiversity goals by focusing on energy transformation while supporting our rural communities and the agrifood sector to prosper. In addition

villages and their communities. More broadly, they also currently work closely across the multidisciplinary technical teams in local authorities, such as capital delivery teams, which are also funded by my Department, vacant homes officers, broadband officers and night-time economy officers, and build linkages with town teams … office, local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to ensure the ongoing implementation of the policy and to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages. Importantly, the town centre first approach is also underpinned by a range of capital funding streams

hospitals. We must invest in community care. There is a shortage of GPs, step-down facilities and home care. Some 100,000 bed days were lost due to delayed discharges last year. There are solutions to be found in investing in community services and, ultimately, we must reorient … health service away from acute services into the community and deliver Sláintecare in full, focusing on prevention and early intervention. Will the Minister provide the beds? Will she provide the staff? Will she commit in full to Sláintecare

three buildings to provide new public amenities, community buildings and a reception area. This stunning site in an historic location will help deliver on its tourism potential for Wexford and bring tangible benefits to the local community. Likewise, over 1,500 projects have been allocated total funding … round of funding with €25 million under the community centre investment fund, CCIF, focusing on the refurbishment of community centres at the heart of lives in all of our communities, was opened on 26 March. This will build on the €110 million already allocated to date, ensuring that

risks being yet another exercise in performative consultation while rural Ireland continues to pay the price for the previous Government's failure to deliver. Launched in March 2021, the last rural development policy was full of grand promises of a thriving countryside, digital connectivity for all, revitalised towns … communities has been strangled by planning restrictions. Only last night I attended a cost-of-living meeting in Cloghan which took place after the fuel protests. We heard at that meeting of the case of a couple who had to abandon their hopes and dreams of building

build a home in the community they grew up in, then the State should support that. We need real investment in the basics in housing, connectivity, accessible public services and a planning system takes into account the needs of rural communities. A future in which rural communities thrive … regeneration funds and youth services are not luxuries, but the difference between vibrant communities and places drained of opportunity. This framework is silent on coastal and fishing communities. That silence is damning. These communities are being hammered by EU quotas, underinvestment and the loss of young people

supporting older people at a time in their lives when all they want to do is stay at home to live their best lives in their own communities. They actually go to the house to support people who might have an enduring mental health condition or who might … assessment of people experiencing suicidal crisis, with assessments often taking place in primary care or community settings. The SCAN service provides a short-term, specialist, community-based clinical response for individuals presenting with suicidal ideation or self-harm that does not require acute hospital admission

next five years, as committed to in the updated national development plan. This investment will be crucial, as many Deputies said, in modernising, building that resilience and reinforcing our electricity network infrastructure. It will also support the Government's key priorities in infrastructure, housing, competitiveness, investment growth … will deliver energy security into the future for Irish families and communities right across the country. It will significantly improve network resilience and future-proof it for generations to come. It will enable the connection of hundreds of thousands of new homes - as I said, we have

issue for the community. As he says, the services were delivered in clinics located in the corridor that was part of the designated centre, I believe, and the residents' environment. This necessitated restrictive, controlled access to the community nursing unit and resulted in restricted movement for the residents … part of the compliance plan for St. Joseph's, a commitment was given to HIQA supporting free access for residents to their home, which is the designated centre. To achieve this, alternative access to therapy services was required, apparently. Older persons' services worked with primary care services

professional time, staffing and facilities needed to deliver services safely. The second is workforce capacity. New services require trained people and time with patients. We have to support recruitment, retention and continuing professional development, including for pharmacies that serve rural communities like those I represent in east Galway … agree on is the need to move care out to the community in order to free up space, capacity and theatres within our hospitals such that people will get preventative care as close to home as possible and do not end up in emergency departments. I would like

ensures every child is supported to achieve their full potential. An education system that wraps around all children and young people in every community is essential if we are to achieve that. I want the outcome of my time as Minister to be greater equity and excellence … know there are children with huge levels of trauma who need additional support. I have established a design advisory group with principals, home school community liaison and school completion programme co-ordinators who work with children from areas of high intergenerational disadvantage every day. This student-centred design

sake of connection and community. To get rid of rural isolation, we need to make sure our elderly people can access this service as well. Another thing that needs to be considered is how we are delivering housing in rural Ireland and where there are blockages. A significant … build using shared entrances into national roads. That is a Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, problem and it is a roads problem but it is a priority for Our Rural Future because young people are being encouraged to go 6 km or 7 km down the road and build

permanent home and is building that new clubhouse, which will cater for not only the rugby club but many other groups too. The value of these bricks-and-mortar homes for our clubs cannot be understated. This really hit home for me when I attended an event celebrating … have infrastructure of that nature so we must carefully plan for it to ensure our sports communities are adequately resourced. The large-scale sport infrastructure fund has started to deliver for our communities. The multisport campus on the Tibradden Road, which Dundrum South Dublin Athletics Club enjoys

supports older people to live full and independent lives in their own homes and communities, with the appropriate wraparound supports. It is incumbent on all of us to work collaboratively to realise this vision. Home support is an essential service for thousands of people each day across … follow-up meetings with the nursing home sector to ensure it was reaching out to its members on the provision of safe care through nursing homes. I then met with representatives from the HSE and its community nursing home units and asked that they would do likewise

That home support is an absolutely essential service for people to be able to live longer in their own homes and live well in their own homes. At the moment, the State is supporting approximately 58,000 people to receive home support. The overall budget for home support … what we are trying to do in the community whether it is enhanced community care or the community interventions schemes. We try to keep people away from acute hospitals in the first instance and try to keep them at home rather than in hospitals for different types

proposal for the scheme. The needs of the children and young people drove the development work. The group includes school principals, home school community liaison officers, and school completion programme co-ordinators. These are professionals who work directly with children experiencing high intergenerational disadvantage. The Department has also … develop the DEIS plus scheme and aims to integrate and build on existing whole-of-government supports. The culmination of all this work will see the achievement of the programme for Government commitment to deliver a new DEIS plus scheme, to provide targeted support for schools with

community support teams have been on site at the two nursing homes in question. Additionally, local safeguarding and protection teams are actively reviewing all safeguarding concerns raised in relation to these facilities. I and Department of Health officials met with representative bodies and stakeholders from the nursing home … sector earlier today. The engagements were constructive, with an immediate focus on delivering the highest quality of care to residents of nursing homes in Ireland. On the safeguarding points the Deputy made and on adult safeguarding in the sector more generally, the Government is fully committed to strengthening

what is happening with their acute hospitals, their model 4, model 3 and model 2 hospitals and everything that is happening in the community and in their primary care centres. There has to be a complete synergy between the different model hospitals and primary care to use this … delivered differently, including in primary care centres. This really matters because we have opportunities between the outpatient toolkit and now the surgical hubs in respect of inpatient day-case procedures - or a certain proportion of those - and also freeing up the corresponding activity in the home hospital

Mountmellick. While I mention St. Vincent's community nursing home, I am delighted to see that the new 50-bed extension is nearing completion. I urge the HSE to proceed without delay with the remaining phases to deliver the full complement of beds. I must make it very … situation in Droimnín nursing home arose from regulatory failure but it now offers the State an opportunity to strengthen public nursing home provision in an area of growing need. This is a chance to secure long-term, high-quality, publicly delivered care for the older people in County

being told it is a priority. If we are to see that it is a priority, we have to actually see building work being delivered. I specifically ask the Minister of State to go back with this. I have raised it on a number of occasions, including … time its leadership gets up in the morning is "What are we doing to contribute to ensuring that people can live in homes in our communities

with around 6,500 private assessments funded to reduce delays. More than 150,000 hours of home support and personal assistance will help people to live independently in their own homes. Some 10,000 overnight and 15,000 day respite sessions will be provided. To drive reform … improve pay for educators and school-age childcare practitioners with the implementation of new employment regulation orders. The building blocks infrastructure programme will fund extensions of existing community centres and schools to deliver approximately 2,300 additional childcare places. Investment in our child welfare services is also

supports and targeted measures to back workers and families through continued investment in schools, hospitals and communities. We were given a mandate to govern. We are working hard every day to deliver on that responsibility. That mandate matters and should not be cast aside lightly, just for political … time for the Government to stop its work. Now is the time to continue delivering, especially on housing. Last year, we delivered 36,000 homes. That is real progress. We are determined to build on it and not abandon it for political theatre

home energy upgrades, including almost 74,000 B2s and over 29,500 fully funded upgrades for households under the warmer homes scheme. A record capital allocation has been made available through the budget of 2026. That is €558 million for SEAI residential and community energy upgrade schemes, including … district heat and decarbonisation of the building stock. In June 2025, a cross-government national energy affordability task force, which I chair, was established to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses, while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security