I helped to write it.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I admire the Deputy's passion, but I question his accuracy. For the people listening in and the-----
Sentiment score: 0.23
I will tell you now.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I am about to. There is information on page 52, page 53, page 54, page 55, page 56-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
-----page 56, page 57 and then a nice summary on page 58. Please do not mislead the people of Ireland.
Sentiment score: 0.37
Please give me a chance to speak. Deputy Gould is right in relation to dereliction and vacancy. It is also factually correct to say that we are making substantive factual, statistical progress on that. It is also that we have now appointed and funded vacant housing officers in each local authority. It is also that we are planning in this plan-----
Sentiment score: 0.20
Then I am sure you welcome it.
Sentiment score: 0.65
For the Deputy from Cork specifically, we have a commitment in relation to a Cork city centre task force, which will also make a real difference in looking at issues like vacancy, dereliction, over-the-shop living and the regeneration of the beautiful city that he represents.
Sentiment score: 0.84
I thank Deputy Kenny. I agree with him on the importance of community infrastructure. We talk frequently about building homes, which is vital, but having community infrastructure in place is also vital, as the Deputy will know as a public representative and teacher. I am pleased to hear that Mayfield Sports Complex received some funding from the Community Recognition Fund, but I hear the Deputy loudly and clearly that this is not enough, given the scale of the challenges it faces. I will ask Deputy O’Donovan, as Minister for sport, and Deputy McEntee, as Minister for education, to engage with the Deputy on this matter. I am aware of the significant funding we have committed for sports under the national development plan. There will be new sports calls opening early in 2026, but I will ask both Ministers to determine how they can support the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.51
No, I am not. I have three points. First, I agree with the Deputy on this issue and I am quite alarmed in terms of online media, including social media. We talk a lot about the positive impacts, but not about the negative and detrimental impacts in many areas, most particularly child safety. To use parliamentary language, I am irked – this is a very weak word – by some of the advertisements I see from social media companies in national media telling us they are doing this, that and the other. That is not what we want. I do not wish to speak for the Deputy but it is not what I want. It is not what we are talking about here; we are talking about a minimum age below which children do not go on social media. Not anything else, not any sop. I just wanted to say that.
Sentiment score: -0.02
I am not disagreeing with the Deputy on that, so just let me finish. Third, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Deputy O’Donovan, is engaging with the Attorney General and others across government to examine what is possible within domestic law to take further action. I expect he will have proposals on that very shortly, and I hope within this calendar year. Fourth, since entering this House in 2011, I have never called for a debate on any issue, but I actually think having one on this is something we would really welcome. We should have it. The Government will support the Deputy at the Business Committee in trying to find time to tease through what our practical proposals would be in this area.
Sentiment score: 0.31
I thank Deputy O'Gorman. The Climate Change Advisory Council has acknowledged today that progress has been made, particularly on the roll-out of retrofitting and the use of renewable energy and solar in our homes, but it is also crystal clear that the progress being made is not enough and that we need to do much more. It is important that we not be fatalistic about climate change. The Deputy is certainly not fatalistic about what we can do. There has been significant progress. Ireland's emissions have fallen for the past three years. We now have the lowest level of emissions in 35 years, despite our population having grown by 50% over that period. That is quite a startling statistic. However, the Climate Change Advisory Council's annual review highlights the scale of challenge to remain within the carbon budget envelope. We are taking steps to implement the renewable energy directive. It is complex and wide-ranging, but it is a really important element. Meeting our targets will be very challenging and that is why we are now strengthening governance arrangements. The climate action plan programme board has already met three times, involving senior officials from all the main sectors, including energy, transport and agriculture. Its remit now is to focus on the delivery of the action required to accelerate delivery and close the emissions gap. We will be taking very seriously and, of course, reflecting on today’s report of the Climate Change Advisory Council.
Sentiment score: 0.23
I am not going to comment on our President, because we do not do that in this House, other than to congratulate her on her election and wish her well. I also thank all of those involved in the inauguration this week. It was a moment of immense pride in our country. We have had only ten Presidents. The inauguration was done very well. We have our elections, we have our ruaille buaille and then we pull together as a country. We all send every best wish for strength, resilience and joy to our President. I thank the Defence Forces, the Garda, the ushers and everybody involved in making the inauguration such a memorable occasion for our country. I reject out of hand the diktat comment but I do not have time to get into it now. I wish we had the overall majorities on local authorities that the Deputy thinks we have. There are six Fine Gael councillors out of over 30 on Kerry County Council, for example. Our councillors decided, through our democratic structures, how they wished to engage. The Deputy is not wrong, however, on the issue of spoiled votes. Just to be clear, I do not ignore that. People got in their cars, got on their bikes or walked to turn up at their polling stations - they did not sit on the couch - and they took a decision to spoil their votes, which is a democratic act that they had every right to do. I do not think there is one homogenous reason people did it, but people found the field narrower than they expected. Quite frankly, it was narrower than I expected. We are happy to reflect and engage on that. We will not have another presidential election for another seven years. Aontú has put forward some proposals. If anything were to be done in this space, it would require Government and Opposition support. Some of Aontú's suggestions are interesting and I am happy to constructively engage in that regard.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I will certainly do those things on behalf of both the Deputy and his constituents. I will make contact, via the Minister, with An Post regarding the local postal service disruptions that people are experiencing. When I think back to the Covid period, which was a difficult period of time in our country, some of the unsung heroes I think of are the postmen and postwomen. I remember that we did not even have to ask them. They contacted the Government to say that they knew where the vulnerable people lived in their communities because they went to their houses every day. They offered to do things and they did them. There was no talk of terms and conditions. They just rolled up their sleeves and got involved. They represent the very best of our community spirit. The Deputy is also right, in that it is important when we have these conversations that they do not neatly divide between urban and rural. I am proud that we are in a Government that has a good track record in supporting the postal network. I will certainly raise the specific issues the Deputy has raised with the Minister for communications, Deputy O'Donovan, and ask that he raise them with An Post.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I thank Deputy Burke for raising this matter and his work on promoting vaccination during his time in the Department of Health. I know it is an issue on which he worked very hard. I am told that we generally have one of the highest flu vaccine uptake rates for older adults in Europe. That is positive. I join the Deputy in reiterating to everyone the importance of getting that vaccine. Based on the trends he has referenced, we could very well have an intense flu season. Vaccination provides people with important protection, as does the Covid vaccine. I am also pleased to say that we now have the children's flu vaccine. I know the HSE is seeking to expand the provision of the children's flu vaccine into schools. I am told the HSE has launched an extensive communication campaign, which will continue throughout the winter season across national and local media, targeting people who are eligible to receive the flu and Covid-19 vaccines. In fact, I think I heard one of those ads this morning. The specific issue in relation to healthcare professionals and others is an important one. It is an issue that the Minister for Health is focusing on, as is the Chief Medical Officer. I understand the Minister recently wrote to a number of training bodies to request their support in the promotion of flu vaccination among their trainees, members, fellows and staff. There is work under way through the HSE national immunisation office in terms of peer-to-peer champions in our hospitals and community healthcare settings. I will follow this up with the Minister of Health on foot of the Deputy raising it here today.
Sentiment score: 0.12
We fundamentally agree with the Deputy that turning around vacant homes in a quicker manner, particularly turning around council stock in a quicker manner, is really important. It is one of the specific items we bring up each time we meet with local authority chief executives. We had four meetings in the past couple of weeks. We will meet with the Deputy's local authority very shortly. I am happy to have a conversation if there are funding issues we can assist with, but I would make the point that the figure of €11,000 does not include, obviously, additional money that is available through retrofitting, for example, which a lot of the voids might require. There is a significant discrepancy, both around cost and time, across the country. In a country as small as our island, we are seeing some councils taking over one year to turn around a void, while some - I take the Deputy's point that his council is very good in this regard – have it done in less than 16 weeks. I will specifically engage with the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, with regard to Limerick on foot of the Deputy raising it and I will come back to him.
Sentiment score: 0.26
I agree with that. Let me first say that none of my comments is in relation to anyone in an IPAS centre. Everyone who comes to our country deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to be safe. We all condemn some of the callous, disgusting and despicable criminal acts we have seen in recent times. It is legitimate, though, and, indeed, important that we debate some of the issues the Deputy is talking about, particularly when taxpayers' money is being expended in this area. We scrutinise the spending of taxpayers' money right across our public services and we should also scrutinise the spending of public money in relation to migration policy. It is an entirely appropriate and perfectly legitimate area of debate and I think the Deputy's suggestion is a good one. In fairness to successive Governments, particularly the past Government and, indeed, the start of this Government, we have obviously been dealing with a variety of emergency situations and trying to respond in real time to a significant increase in the numbers. We need to move now from an emergency footing to a more planned, organised system. That includes the issue of accommodation and having greater clarity around it. Deputy Neville's suggestion is a constructive one in that regard. I intend to discuss it with both the Minister for public expenditure and reform and the Minister for justice. This is an area we would expect to be dealt with like any other area of public money. It should be like that in this area too.
Sentiment score: 0.23
The Deputy is entirely right. It is an enormous stressor. Verification is really important. The Deputy has made that point and it is absolutely correct. Child protection and all those aspects are really important and no one in this House would ever do anything to weaken that. We can move on from wondering if somebody will ever answer the telephone in a rural Garda station. Gardaí are very busy people. They are doing a great job getting out and about, and we want them out and about. By the way, I am really proud of the passport service and of its turnaround times. It is a great example of public sector reform. I am very interested in working with the Minister for justice to try to develop a better protocol that will move us towards the 21st century in terms of how this is done. In fact, I think we could further enhance the protection of a child through the use of technology in relation to this. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, and we will be back on this matter.
Sentiment score: 0.16
I have had the honour of meeting a number of people in Drogheda in terms of the Drogheda city campaign but also regarding this idea of making sure the town is adequately resourced and supported from a local authority point of view, the whole tug between the two counties and the likes of that.
Sentiment score: 0.91
I am aware of all that too. On the specifics relating to the train station, I ask the Deputy to allow me to ask the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, to take a look at this issue and to come back to the Deputy directly and see what can be done.
Sentiment score: 0.11
Yes.
Sentiment score: 0.40
No.
Sentiment score: -0.30
I thank Deputy Cummins for raising this issue. She is right. I have heard from people in relation to this issue too and I am pursuing it through my office. I will absolutely do as the Deputy has asked. The Minister and the Minister of State brought in a welcome reform, which I know the Deputy welcomed too, to try to get ahead of this and be able to properly plan earlier each year for the next September to reduce the stress, anxiety and worry of parents and their children with additional needs. I take the point, however, that if they are logging onto a website, seeing the portal is closed and finding the system too complex and too difficult to navigate, this is not where it should be. I will ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to speak with the head of the NCSE and get back to the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: -0.04
I thank Deputy Sheehan for raising this matter and highlighting the issue Limerick Chamber has also raised with the Government. I thank the Deputy for the useful description he has given me of the issue not just in terms of the congestion and the traffic issues and the environmental issues they cause but also the dangers in terms of cars coming to a sudden halt. On foot of the Deputy raising this issue, I will speak with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and ask that he examine how the Government can assist and respond to the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank Deputy Murphy very much for raising this issue. Garda attestations are one of the most joyous occasions I have attended in a variety of roles. Putting on the uniform of An Garda Síochána is an ultimate act of public service and I join with the Deputy in wishing everybody well tomorrow. I presume the Minister for justice will be in the Deputy's county tomorrow. I will ensure the Deputy has an opportunity to raise this matter with the Minister directly. In the first instance, the distribution of gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner. I will ensure the Deputy’s views are conveyed directly to him. I do, however, take the point the Deputy made. We have gone through several challenging years in terms of Covid, the college being shut down and the likes. We are now back with a very steady pipeline, for want of a better phrase, of gardaí going in and out of Templemore. I know the Minister has plans to further increase the capacity in Templemore as well. The programme for Government also commits to exploring other opportunities to recruit and train more gardaí. Making sure that every part of Ireland gets a fair provision based on the needs of the community, including Clonmel, Cahir and other towns, is important. I will certainly support the Deputy in making sure south Tipperary is adequately resourced, and I will speak to the Minister.
Sentiment score: 0.47
I thank Deputy Cahill for raising this issue and for the comprehensive list of towns and townlands in County Kerry where there are challenges in relation to mobile phone coverage. I know the Minister for communications has a blackspot task force operating in his Department to identify these. It is quite peculiar how this happens. There are areas very much in the heart of urban and rural Ireland that are experiencing these issues. I will ask that the list the Deputy has read into the record of the Dáil be given directly to the Minister for communications and that he raise that with the relevant authorities under his remit and come back to the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.16
The Deputy always makes a very efficient use of his time. There are two important issues there. On the John McNeela case, it will require legislation. I have asked my officials to explore the most expeditious vehicle with which to take that forward. I will ask that a written update be sent to the Deputy very shortly on that. On the issue of school places, the Minister for education, Deputy McEntee, is doing what the Deputy suggested by putting in place that kind of common application system - I think that is the phrase. It is rolled out in a number of areas to test it. This year, it is hoped that it may be rolled out more broadly in the time ahead. We are also trying to bring forward dates for enrolment and the like. I take the point the Deputy made. I will ask the Minister to specifically look at the issues in relation to Louth and come back to him directly.
Sentiment score: 0.14
I will ask the Minister to look at that too.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I wish to extend the sympathies of everybody, including my colleague, Deputy Michael Murphy, with Deputy Healy in relation to the people of Clonmel and the family of Monica del Bigio. It sounds like a remarkable life and contribution. May she rest in peace.
Sentiment score: 0.60
This sounds like an extremely difficult and concerning case. I cannot, because I do not have information, make commitments on the floor of the Dáil in relation to people having medical procedures. I cannot do that but what I can do is ask that the transcript of what the Deputy has outlined be sent to the Minister for Health and that she would ask that the NTPF consider the Deputy's request and come back to him directly on behalf of Sarah. We are thinking of her at this difficult time.
Sentiment score: -0.10