I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss this matter despite the relevant Minister or Minister of State not being here. I ask that anything we discuss be relayed to the Minister and the NCSE. This is incredibly important to all concerned, to the school community, staff, parents and most of all to the children who will not be able to avail of SNA support because a review has indicated that they were not successful. I will run through some of the timeline and give context and emphasise some of the frustrations on everyone's behalf in relation to the process. This is a thriving school in a rural area in Meath. It was unsuccessful in an initial SNA exceptional review, which took place in February 2025. The school considered an appeal and subsequently decided to apply for a focused review as it was aware, as we would have been ourselves, of significant needs in the incoming junior infants class in September 2025. Parents and staff identified this additional need. They were told in May that the NCSE was no longer accepting applications for reviews as guidance was changing and that is the piece we all would have been aware of. In August they were told they could reapply for an interim review for the incoming students who were not considered in the review back in February. The deadline for that application was 31 August and the school put in a very comprehensive application. Despite the guidelines stating that it would hear back within two weeks - this was at the end of August - it still had no word as recently as a couple of days ago. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, a constituency colleague of mine, visited this school on 10 October. The school staff pursued it. I also pursued it and I am sure other elected representatives from across the political spectrum pursued it on behalf of the school. Just yesterday or the day before, two months on from the initial application, it received the letter from the NCSE saying that the review was unsuccessful. This was a devastating and demoralising. As I said, I met staff and parents and many parents have contacted me in relation to this. Under any measure, this school is going above and beyond. It is doing everything it can to provide an inclusive education for children. Staff are stretching themselves at every measure and they have been hit with this. It is devastating for the whole school community, for the principal and for the special education co-ordinator. It factors in additional SNA support and it looks at the potential and the opportunity to work with that and then it is given this news. To add insult to injury, after waiting more than two months, the school is given three days to appeal. That is simply not good enough. There needs to be greater connection and greater understanding in relation to this.

I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this Topical Issue in the Chamber. Like the Deputy, I share the same ambition on the delivery of inclusive education in our communities and I commend him on raising this important matter. The Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. Special needs assistants, SNAs, play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools by helping to ensure that these students can access an education that enables them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. By the end of this year, there will be over 23,000 SNAs working in our education system, committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs. The number of SNAs available for allocation has continued to increase annually, resulting in a significant increase in the number of SNAs employed by schools. Budget 2026 provides for a further 1,717 SNA posts, which will bring the total number of SNAs to close to 25,000 by the end of 2026. The NCSE manages the allocation of the SNAs to schools and it is its responsibility to ensure these resources are allocated to children with the greatest level of need. The NCSE advised each school in June of its allocation for the 2025-2026 school year. Each year, schools are advised of their SNA supports, which indicates the NCSE will undertake reviews to ensure SNAs are allocated to the children with the greatest level of need. Such reviews can see an increase or reduction in the level of support or no change in allocation. This has always been part of the work of the NCSE and is necessary in order to ensure resources are allocated in line with the level of need. I can confirm to the Deputy that in relation to the school referred to by him, Scoil Cholmcille, Skryne, the NCSE has advised that it has been communicating with the school on the deployment of its SNA allocation within the school. The school has also requested the NCSE adviser support in the area of behaviour, on the recommendation of the NCSE’s special educational needs organiser, SENO. The NCSE has confirmed this support was provided to the school in October. The NCSE has further advised that the school submitted a further request for an SNA review in recent days and this will be progressed by the NCSE. The Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system of the highest quality, where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I hope we can take this as a point for raising this case and for follow-through. I know there is a plan to submit for a focused review. The timeline is very short in relation to that. I hope when it goes in that it will be considered favourably. Regarding the interim review, which I mentioned earlier, it is deeply concerning. As I said, this school made a really comprehensive submission in relation to it and only received a written response a couple of days ago. Nobody called out to the school. There was no visit - not to a classroom, to a child or to a staff member. That is totally unacceptable. As a constituency TD and as my party's education and youth spokesperson, I say there is widespread frustration about how the NCSE and the SENOs go about their business in conducting these assessments and communicating with schools and about the level of responsiveness. I raised this before when we talked about the EPSEN Act review and this is another case in point. I know many of the people involved and can say with hand on heart they are dedicated professionals and want to provide the best for these kids. That is what we all want for the children in our education system but people have their hands tied behind their back because of this bureaucracy. I acknowledge there are increasing numbers of SNAs, but there are nowhere the number we need. There is a challenge in that but in this case it is inexcusable that additional resources have not been made available. I ask that whatever additional review goes in be considered favourably.

Again, I thank Deputy O'Rourke for giving me an opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister for education and her Department. I appreciate the frustration the Deputy has expressed about the alignment of the NCSE, the SENO and the school. It should not have to be the case that the Deputy has to come in here and express his dissatisfaction with the fact the school has been put in this position. It is incumbent on us all to ensure the system becomes more streamlined, more agile and more responsive. It should be the case that the NCSE, which is in the position of advising and co-ordinating the education provision for children with special educational needs, and any school can discuss these matters in an orderly fashion. I will take the matters the Deputy has raised and relay them to the Minister. As the Deputy mentioned, the school has requested an SNA review in recent days. That is very welcome. I hope that is responded to and advanced as quickly as possible. In any case, it is very important at this time of year that schools are supported and SNA resources are allocated in a timely manner to support students who require care. I again thank the Deputy for bringing this matter to the Chamber.

This time last year we were in the middle of the campaign to be elected to this House. The primary issue in Kildare was the lack of critical infrastructure, including social infrastructure, especially in the north of the county. During the housing crisis throughout the country, Kildare has taken a lot of the housing, particularly as a result of the pressures on Dublin. I welcome a lot of that housing. I am living in a house that was built in recent years. I welcome more housing in my constituency. We saw a 12.8% increase in the population of Kildare North between 2016 and 2022. I have no doubt the population has become a lot higher since then given the amount of housing that has been built. Despite this, we are struggling when it comes to core infrastructure. On the situation with regard to schools, I will refer to the three-school campus in Celbridge. St. Patrick’s Primary School has been in prefabs since its inception and these structures are falling apart. St. Raphael’s Special School still has not got its new school building. Celbridge Community School is still in temporary accommodation as well. On water infrastructure and outages, I think of Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth and especially the issues at Primrose Hill and Hazelhatch in Celbridge earlier this year. There is no full-time Garda station in Maynooth, Celbridge, Kilcock or Clane. Maynooth has a population of over 17,500 people and an additional 17,000 students but no full-time Garda station. You would not get it in other parts of the country but for some reason Kildare needs to put up with it time and time again. On childcare infrastructure, it is impossible for young parents to find a crèche. There is no primary care centre in Maynooth or in Leixlip even though both towns are bulging. There is no community centre in my home town of Maynooth. If a rural town had no community centre there would be uproar but we in the north east of Kildare in particular have to put up with it time and time again. On playgrounds and recreational spaces, we have been promised a new playground in Maynooth. We have received a new playground in Kilcock, which is welcome, but it has been left in a terrible state since it was finished. Clane’s playground is outdated. An upgrade was pledged for the one in Celbridge by Kildare County Council but still has not been delivered. There is no public swimming pool in the north east of Kildare. There is no public swimming pool for families in Maynooth, Leixlip, Celbridge, Clane and throughout the north west of the county, even though there has been commitment after commitment. There are issues with energy and water, and outages of both, time and time again, as I have said. If we are expecting communities to take on more housing, which Kildare has done for the past 20 years, we should be building the social infrastructure to match it. Children should be guaranteed a crèche to go to, a school to go to, a doctor to care for them when they are sick and gardaí to look out for the community when there are issues, but these things are not happening. Older people should have a general practitioner they can rely on, but we are not seeing it. My job as a newly elected TD is to ensure the best not only for the people of Kildare but also for the people of the country as a whole, as we all do. However, I suggest that because we are seen as a wealthy county we are not seeing the investment we should.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I compliment him on his passion and advocacy for key infrastructure projects in his constituency and for raising the requirement for investment in infrastructure, and its delivery, to become key priorities for the Government. He earlier raised the issues with large-scale renewable energy projects so this very much follows from that. As highlighted in the programme for Government, delivery of essential infrastructure is a key driver in ensuring our economy’s competitiveness and resilience. In the past five years more than €65 billion has been invested in capital infrastructure projects across the country to improve people’s lives, including through the national development plan. It is estimated that total capital investment in 2025 will be close to €17 billion by the end of the year. This represents the highest annual spend to date in the country and this level of investment is going to increase even further. The revised NDP published in July sets out over €275 billion in public capital investment out to 2035. It is the largest and most significant capital injection in our economy in the history of the State. The Government has prioritised investment towards critical growth-enabling sectors, mainly housing, energy, water and transport, in line with the ambitions in the review to enable the delivery of over 300,000 new homes and to boost our economic competitiveness. As well as the core housing and competitive objectives, the Government recognises that the delivery of essential infrastructure is a key driver for enabling and fostering balanced regional development. The NDP investment aligns with the national planning framework, Ireland’s planning and spatial strategy, to form Project Ireland 2040, which is an overarching national strategy for social, economic and cultural development. Since Project Ireland 2040 was first launched in 2018, the Government has overseen the delivery of many impactful NDP projects across the country. This includes projects in Kildare North such as the widening of the M7 between Naas and Newbridge; the Sallins bypass; the Maynooth University technology, society and innovation building; a new 1,000-pupil post-primary school in Naas Community College; and Naas library. Numerous small projects have also been delivered or are planned for north Kildare in the housing, education and cultural sectors, including the delivery of hundreds of new housing units over recent years across towns such as Naas, Maynooth and Kilcock. The budget published in October lays out an Exchequer capital expenditure allocation of €19.1 billion, which is an increase of €2 billion on 2025, for increased infrastructure projects and programmes right across the country. This includes investment in projects in north Kildare such as the development of student accommodation at Maynooth University; the protection and renewal of the heavy rail network and fleet renewal; the development of the DART+ programme; the progression of the Grand Canal greenway; investment in the eastern and midlands region water supply project; the progression of Uisce Éireann's Enfield to Kilcock trunk main project and Leixlip water treatment plant upgrade; and the development of smaller projects in north Kildare across sectors including schools, housing and cultural areas. Further to the announcement of the 2026 capital priorities on budget day, Ministers will publish their sectoral capital plans this month. They will outline the projects to be prioritised for delivery over the next five years from the increased NDP investment, and will provide further detail to the Deputy on the capital programme and projects to be delivered right across the country, including in Kildare North.

I appreciate the response. One of the key things the Minister of State said was that this is to boost the delivery of new homes. The investments in Kildare North are primarily to accommodate new homes being built. My point is that investment is not being made in the social infrastructure that is required for the existing population, notwithstanding the future population. DART+ and improvements to water infrastructure are welcome but let us be real here. This is about allowing more homes to be built in Kildare. As I have said, I welcome new homes in Kildare. We need as many new homes as possible. However, what I am speaking about here is primary care centres, Garda stations and community centres. These are core elements if a society is to run properly. I have been contacted by families who cannot get a GP. There are new mums who cannot get a GP for themselves or for their children. There are serious issues in towns and villages in rural areas around Kildare but the call-out times for gardaí, through no fault of the Garda division in Kildare, are not good enough. I look at schools that are crumbling and housed in temporary accommodation. This is not good enough for the existing population, notwithstanding all these additional homes we are going to build in Kildare. We need those new homes. That is fine but if we want social cohesion and for people to live a good and normal life, we need to ensure they have the basic services they need and deserve.

The Deputy raises some very important points. I assure him that investment to improve our infrastructure and accelerate infrastructure delivery is a key priority of this Government. As I said earlier, over the coming weeks Ministers will publish their capital investment plans for the next five years. As the Deputy has said, it is critically important that Kildare North features heavily in many of these plans. The Deputy mentioned Garda stations, primary care centres and community centres. We need developments with that type of orientation. It is critically important. The national planning framework has been published. I am sure extensive work has been done on commuter bands and on areas where there is a requirement for additional health services, schools and public amenities. I look forward to seeing these investment plans. It is really important that they are detailed and that they include reference to Kildare North in many sectors, including transport. As the Deputy said earlier, if large-scale developments are being built, that development should be transport-oriented and support public transport, including rail and roads. It is also important that these announcements are not just published in isolation but as part of a collective plan. As a Government, we are very focused on increasing capital development and accelerating delivery. It is important that, through the newly established infrastructure development unit, we see these projects not only being announced but being progressed through the planning and procurement stages and delivered at pace. It is incumbent on us all to continue to raise the level of ambition and to ensure that the revised national development plan, to which over €275 billion has been assigned out to 2035, is delivered in full right across the country.

I raise an issue I dealt with when I was Minister of State at the Department of Health. It is about having an integrated homeless health hub in Cork city. In October 2024, I arranged a meeting between the Department of Health, the Department of housing, the HSE in Cork and Cork City Council. It was agreed that we would all work together to establish a day centre where people who were homeless could go. At the present time, there is accommodation available to these people at night. The vast majority avail of that accommodation although some do not. However, during the day, there is no place for anyone to go. The accident and emergency department at Mercy University Hospital is under severe pressure. People tend to use that. Businesses are also under pressure because people need someplace to go, particularly in wet or cold weather. We have identified a site, a building, but the building's owners are getting concerned that, 12 or 14 months on, there is still nothing signed on the dotted line in relation to this development. Even if it were signed in the morning, it would still take anything up to 12 months before the facility came on stream while 600 people still have no place to go during the day. There is also a huge advantage from the HSE point of view. It is currently paying out over €2 million in staff costs but these staff are in different locations, providing a range of services to people who are homeless. If there was one hub for all of this work, it would make it far easier for the health service, the city council and all of the support people within social services. This issue really needs to be prioritised. I certainly do not want further delay. There is another risk. There is a property identified in a very good location. It is important that we step up to the mark and progress the project now and that I am not back here again in 12 months' time making the same plea. I know the Department of Health is not the Minister of State's area but I ask that this be brought to the attention of all of the Ministers. We need to prioritise this issue. We also need to take the pressure off Mercy University Hospital. It is providing an excellent service but it is restricted in the support it can give people who are homeless who are not necessarily looking for medical care but who need someplace to go. We really need to prioritise this project now. Cork is the second biggest city in the country. It is amazing that we do not have such a health hub in the city available for people who are homeless during the day. Obviously, our priority is to reduce the number of people who are homeless. This hub can help with that as well. It can help people to access housing that is suitable for them. At the moment, people who are homeless feel there is no one supporting them. They feel that they are on their own and that there is no dedicated service available to them. I ask that this now be given priority and that it not be delayed further.

I thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter. I know how passionate he is about this integrated homeless health hub. I have heard him speak about it on many occasions, as he has again today. I welcome the opportunity to take this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health and to inform the House of the current position relating to the provision of an integrated homeless health hub in Cork city. Cork city has a huge population. The Minister recognises that the health needs of people experiencing homelessness are complex and multifaceted. The Department of Health is committed to strengthening integrated care pathways for people who are, unfortunately, homeless and who have chronic health needs, based on an inclusion health model to achieve better health outcomes and reduce the incidence of premature death. The Department provided almost €50 million to the HSE for the provision of healthcare services for people who are homeless in 2025. This is an increase of €14 million since 2020. The HSE national strategic plan to improve the health of people experiencing homelessness in Ireland out to 2027 prioritises integrated care and case management, assertive outreach supports and mental health and addiction supports in its provision of health services to people who are homeless. The HSE capital plan for 2025 provides €1.3 billion for healthcare buildings and equipment that are delivering benefits all over the country. This significant investment in health infrastructure underlines the Government’s commitment to providing quality healthcare in an equitable way to all those who need it. The plan commits to providing funding to expand addiction care facilities for people experiencing homelessness, under section 7 on cross-care services. The integrated inclusion health hub in Cork City is a joint initiative between Cork City Council and HSE south west aimed at addressing the health and social needs of the growing number of people experiencing homelessness in Cork. As the Deputy is aware, this facility is designed to align with international best practice and to offer a comprehensive range of health and social services tailored to meet the unique needs of homeless families and individuals and those at risk of homelessness. This hub will provide a service centred around the basic needs of the clients presenting, but with a focus on homelessness, housing and migration, and it will be aligned with health. The provision of the service shall reduce the need for emergency department presentations. The integrated inclusion health hub would centralise all services for people who are homeless in one location, remove barriers and increase accessibility and engagement with healthcare services. It will also help to mitigate premature deaths among people who are homeless, with 20 such deaths recorded in the Cork region since 2020. HSE south west has engaged with HSE Estates to assess the business case, with a view to securing funds in the capital plan. I am advised that HSE south west is working with Cork City Council to agree on a shared stakeholder funding model for the hub, with a view to ensuring optimal value for money. A revised proposal will be prepared once the funding model has been agreed by Cork City Council and HSE south west.

I am a little concerned that we are 14 months on and we still do not have a shared funding model. People who are homeless are in the same position they were in this time last year; the question now is whether they will be in the same position this time next year. The issue needs to be prioritised. I met with the building owners recently. They are becoming concerned that this issue seems to be dragging on ad infinitum. They will not wait forever. This has been identified as the ideal location. In fairness to the HSE at local level and Cork City Council, they have worked hard together and the people in both organisations have put time and effort into identifying what is best for the people who need the support. We already have the staff in place so no additional staff will be required. The issue is about providing the funding for work to be done on the building to make sure it is adequate for the services that will be provided there. It is important the Department makes sure the HSE, the city council and the Department of housing deliver this within the next three to four months, which means prioritising the funding and then prioritising getting the work done. Quite a bit of work needs to be done on the premises but it could be delivered within a short enough period provided we make the decision now and not in six, nine or 12 months. I ask that this be conveyed back to the Department of Health and that the Department convey it back to the HSE and the city council.

I acknowledge the Deputy's advocacy for this important health hub. We all recognise the need to respond on a nationwide basis to the health needs of people who are homeless. That includes areas outside Dublin and, to the Deputy's point, including Cork city will be a critical investment for the HSE. I will reiterate to all the Ministers in the Department of Health the need for support for this proposal. The engagement with HSE south west and Cork City Council is ongoing in terms of preparing a funding model. We will in the coming weeks understand the provisions within the new HSE capital plan and these decisions will be made. In budget 2026, over €1.5 million has been provided to improve access to health services for people living in emergency accommodation. That is not taking away from the importance of this capital infrastructure required for HSE south west. Securing funding under the capital plan will be critical to the decision-making process for this to proceed. I will take that back and I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter.

Táim anseo today to speak about an issue related to disability services in my constituency but which affects the wider Dublin area and the country. I will speak about St. Michael's House and about a constituent whose issue I have raised and want to raise again today. St. Michael's House on the Ballymun Road provides a range of services and supports for people with disabilities and their families, from residential supports and independent living to clinical support, day supports and respite. St. Michael's House is also a lead agency for the Dublin CDNT, which supports thousands of children and also has a waiting list for day services. I want to talk about residential services for older service users. There is currently a residential waiting list for 55 individuals: eight are aged 66 and over, 22 are aged 46 to 65, 15 are aged 31 to 45 and ten are aged 18 to 30. Forty of these individuals are classified as high risk, highlighting the urgent need for placements and increased resources to provide care for them. Unfortunately, due to resource constraints, St. Michael's House placed a pause on new additions to the residential waiting list from 14 March this year. An issue facing families across the country and my constituency concerns children who are now adults and who have disabilities. Their families are deeply concerned about what will happen when the parents pass away. Who will care for their children? There are also those who do not have the capacity to provide care for their children any more because they have got too old or the needs have increased to the point that it is not sustainable for them to continue to provide care in the home. As I have outlined, there are significant waiting lists. I have been contacted by the parents of a woman - their youngest child - who is 32 years of age. She has Down’s syndrome and associated medical and health issues. As well as Down’s syndrome, she has a visual impairment, mobility and balance issues, sleep apnoea, for which she uses a machine, and speech and language difficulties. She attends a St. Michael’s House day service from 9.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. She really enjoys going and participating in the various activities but there are no respite or social supports outside of this for her parents, who are now in their 70s. They are physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted. Their enduring worry is what will happen to her when they die. There are no residential places available for her. The Minister of State can think about that emotional and mental exhaustion of parents in that situation, who are concerned about what will happen to their child when they pass on. Where will she be minded? Who will look after her? Services like St. Michael’s House are struggling to keep up with demand for respite and residential care, which is leaving families in unimaginable and unsustainable situations as they worry about what will happen to their adult children. Between hospital staffing costs, operation costs and, crucially, the lack of multi-annual funding, they are projecting a funding deficit for 2025. If the Minister of State can give me a response to these questions, I would appreciate it.

I thank Deputy Hearne for raising this important issue and for offering me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who is not here today. Increasing the provision of disability residential services is a key priority for the Government and the HSE. All Deputies across the House will have specific cases relating to the many families who are finding challenges in this regard. There has been significant investment in residential services throughout the tenure of this Government. We are very aware of the need for increased service provision within the disability sector. In acknowledgement of this, the programme for Government commits to tackling waiting lists for specialist disability services by progressively implementing the action plan for disability services out to 2026 and resourcing and delivering on its targets. In budget 2026, the Government has allocated a record €3.8 billion to disability services, reflecting our commitment to the expansion of services to meet the needs of people with disabilities. This represents an increase of almost 20% year on year and an overall increase of €1.8 billion since 2020. Approximately €2.21 billion of the funding secured will enable the Department to deliver residential services for over 9,000 disabled people, enabling them to live as independently as possible in their local communities. In 2026, this means continued support for people currently accessing residential services and an additional €65 million to support the delivery of additional residential responses and supports for adults and children with disabilities. Residential service delivery expectations will be confirmed in the coming weeks in the forthcoming HSE national service plan for 2026. The Deputy raised a specific case in St. Michael's House. It is a pivotal provider of disability support, particularly much-needed residential supports. I am informed by the HSE that the organisation provides residential supports to 410 adults and a small number of children with disabilities across 79 centres, mostly in Dublin and the wider Leinster area. It is the intention of this Government to continue to support organisations such as St. Michael's House to provide specialist disability supports to those who require them and to continue to support people with disabilities to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, with a person-centred approach across all services provided. The Deputy will be aware that the significant demand for specialist disability services across all regional health areas nationally exceeds what can currently be provided. This is reflective of the additional 20% budget that has been provided. While the Department is working alongside the HSE to move towards more planned provision in residential services, the nature and level of demand is such that the placements delivered tend to be in response to shorter term priority needs. It is important to recognise that the HSE faces significant challenges with regard to increasing the provision of residential placements, namely, the availability of suitable housing, staffing, the increasing cost of providing residential care, the changing needs of service users and regulation. In order to address these challenges, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality continues to engage with the Department of housing, as well as the HSE, to explore various ways of responding to demand to provide suitable living solutions that give people with disabilities greater independence and choice in their daily lives.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit but that is an inadequate response. He acknowledged that the HSE is facing significant challenges in the provision of residential placements and in the availability of suitable housing and staffing, as well as the increasing costs of providing residential care and the changing needs of service users. He has outlined the challenge, but we need to see solutions. While there is an increase in funding, it is clearly not enough and that is the issue. What about families like the one in the case I raised, where the parents of a child of 32 years of age with Down’s syndrome, who are in their 70s, are absolutely terrified about her future and where she will go? We have a significant waiting list for people, eight of them, as I said, over 66 years, and 22 aged between 46 and 65 years. These are high-risk situations. We need a much more considered and significant funding response that addresses these challenges. We cannot just let them go on. People who have disabilities have every right to a decent standard of living, an independent life and supported housing and to be able to live a quality life like anybody else, but as disabled people explain over and over, along with their carers and families, that is not the situation. Yes, the Government is dealing with and responding to decades and decades - indeed, since the foundation of the State - of inadequate support for people with disabilities, but we have to get it right now. We have to provide that republic of equality, particularly for disabled people. We need extra effort for cases like these and services like St. Michael’s House to ensure people with disabilities have that quality of life, and so their families do too. I ask the Government to do more on that.

Again, I agree with the Deputy. I think we are all in agreement that we do need to commit to tackling the waiting lists. That is why we have a dedicated Minister of State with responsibility for disability at the Cabinet, working within the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, as part of the wider Government response to increase the number of residential places and improve capacity within the sector as a whole. The action plan for disability services out to 2026 is designed to provide additional funding but also to help build capacity within the services and meet the future needs around residential placements through the provision of over 900 residential care places to tackle not just the current need but also the unmet need, and also to ensure that supply keeps pace with demand because while one bed may be filled this week, another bed may be required next week. We have seen progress in 2024. Last year, over 220 new additional residential places were delivered. As of August this year, we had over 142 new residential places. In the most recent budget, an allocation of over €65 million in additional funding was secured for additional disability residential responses. That will be set out in the HSE’s national service plan for 2026. We want to continue to support the likes of St. Michael’s House. Over 1,200 services are being funded by HSE Dublin north county and Dublin city and west, including many in the Deputy’s constituency. I assure him that the Department is working alongside service providers such as St. Michael’s House and the HSE to address these challenges and to support providers right across the country to carry out the vital work they do in the delivery of services to those with a disability.