I thank the Minister for taking this critical issue. As he knows, we all live in a digital world. It is one where computing in general has made our lives better and easier and we are far more interconnected. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other technologies have the potential to deliver ever more effective and efficient public services. However, as cyberspace becomes more critical to all of our lives, the risks and threats are also increasing exponentially. Our society depends on a free, open and secure cyberspace. Ireland should do everything to support those values at a global level. In our engagement in multilateral efforts, we need to ensure international law applies in cyberspace as much as it does on the ground. In that regard, we have to support the work of the United Nations, the European Union and others in this field. Like other countries, there are challenges to Ireland in the cyberattacks we face, including those from other states or malign actors aligned to those states, as well as those who want to hack State infrastructure systems for financial, political or ideological reasons. I commend the work of the National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC. As the Minister knows, it needs to continue to expand. In one of its most recent reports, it talked about 2023 as being its busiest year. At that time, it received 5,200 cyber reports and while many were minor, it identified 721 cyber incidents that represented a threat to a network and required a response. The National Cyber Security Centre has now found there is enough evidence and information in a number of those cases to attribute activity to specific foreign intelligence and security agencies. We know that businesses are regularly hit by cyberattacks, but I want to talk about the potential impact on critical State infrastructure. Everyone will remember May 2021, when the HSE faced a major ransomware attack. We know that the costs to date have been more than €150 million, not to mention the many lives that were undoubtedly lost as a result of the attack, as well as delayed appointments and the impact on people's health outcomes. For security reasons, we often cannot discuss cyberattacks. When I put a question to every Department as to how many cyberattacks they faced in recent years and how much they were spending on cybersecurity, a lot of them replied that they could not answer for security reasons. Interestingly, some of them were able to provide details on how much they were spending on cybersecurity. Given the amounts involved, it shows most are taking it quite seriously. It is important that we know the State has a plan in place to combat any major cyberattack we face in the future and to address situations where critical infrastructure may be brought down. This could be in health, transport, financial services, Government payments or energy. We need to have an all hands on deck approach if this is to happen, similar to what we have seen with major weather events. I hope we have learned from the experiences of the HSE attack and that we are constantly learning from efforts to attack critical State infrastructure. The Minister will also be aware of the risk of destabilisation to the State when there is a malicious cyberattack. The spread of misinformation and disinformation represents a threat to democracy. Trust in Government and our provision of services can also be damaged when critical infrastructure is brought down. Our sense of freedom to enjoy certain rights can also be under threat. This issue needs to be taken seriously and I am glad the Minister is here today to take the question.

I thank Deputy Byrne for raising this important issue. The reason I am here is because of the importance of it. Deputy Byrne is well aware that cybersecurity threats pose a major risk to essential services and critical sectors in Ireland and throughout the world. One of the consequences of being a modern, successful economy is that this is the type of threat to which the country is exposed, I regret to say. I therefore welcome that Deputy Byrne has raised this issue. It is important for me to outline, not just to Deputy Byrne, but to the House, the measures taken by my Department to ensure the State’s cybersecurity resilience and preparedness are where they should be. Deputy Byrne referred to the 2021 ransomware attack on the HSE. That was a very significant event from the point of view of the country and our preparedness for such cyberattacks. Since then, the National Cyber Security Centre has had a significant increase in its resources. It is essential that those resources have increased very significantly. Back in 2011, the NCSC only had four staff. At the end of 2024, it had 75 staff and an annual budget of €12 million. There is also a commitment in budget 2025 that the number of staff will increase by a further 30, bring it to more than 100 people working in the NCSC. The continued growth of the NCSC reflects the constantly evolving threat landscape and the importance of a resilient national network. It is appropriate, and I welcome the fact, that the NCSC has come within the jurisdictional control of the Department of justice. Considering the threat posed to the country, it is appropriate that the Department of justice should have departmental and ministerial responsibility for issues concerning cyber threat attacks. Deputy Byrne will also be aware that the European NIS2 directive also provides a major step forward for overall European cybersecurity and resilience. It will enhance cyber risk management in Ireland, including generating significant improvements in our capacity to protect against and respond to major incidents. Last July, the Government gave its approval to the priority drafting of the national cybersecurity Bill, which is currently being undertaken by my Department. That Bill will transpose the NIS2 directive into Irish law. It will also enhance the role of the NCSC, which will include national cybersecurity monitoring, resilience building, information sharing and the national incident response. It will give the NCSC specific powers to engage in a range of scanning-type activities to identify systems vulnerable to specific exploits. The national cyber emergency plan was published in May 2024, and it sets out the national approach for responding to serious cybersecurity incidents that affect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of nationally important information technology and operational technology systems and networks. The NCSC is currently working on the national cyber risk assessment for 2025, which will take into account the changing international threat landscape. As Deputy Byrne mentioned, it is regrettably the case that some of the attacks taking place on national cybersecurity networks are emanating from malign state actors. It is important that we be prepared in order to respond to and deter that. Deputy Byrne referred to a number of international agreements. I am pleased to say that Ireland is an active participant in a number of UN and other international processes where issues of cybersecurity arise. Among these is the UN open-ended working group on security of and in the use of information and communication technologies, which was established to develop norms, rules, and principles for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. Ireland also participates in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in particular as regards cybersecurity, conflict prevention and crisis management. It is important to emphasise that we are prepared, but this is a constant risk and it is inevitable that we will be subject to further attacks in the future.

Like the Minister, I welcome the fact that the NCSC is now within the remit of the Department of justice. I welcome the fact that he is giving priority to the cybersecurity Bill, but he might provide an outline as to when he envisages it coming before the House. While I welcome the fact that the NCSC regularly carries out assessments of cyber risk, I wonder if an assessment has been carried out as to exactly how vulnerable some of our critical infrastructure happens to be. For instance, how easy might it be for a malign actor to knock out the traffic lights in Dublin, with the ensuing chaos that would result, or stop all bank payments to public servants or social welfare recipients? What systems do we have in place to seek assistance from or offer assistance to like-minded states if a cyberattack were to happen here? We need to co-operate, particularly with our EU partners. Similar to Storm Éowyn, where we sought assistance from overseas, I believe we will need to seek and offer assistance where like-minded countries are attacked. This is a global issue and, therefore, when it comes to overseas aid, we should be offering to help developing countries to build their cyber resilience, given the expertise in this country. They are often subject to attacks by some of the rogue states in this area. We need at an international level to start demanding accountability, particularly from the four states most responsible for cyberattacks around the world: Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. They are engaged in or sponsor cyberterrorism, cyberespionage and the spreading of misinformation and disinformation, which represent threats not just to this State, but to others that share our values. In the same way we rightly hold countries to account for actions in wars on the ground, we need to hold them to account where they act in a malign way in cyberspace.

I have had frequent meetings with the Garda Commissioner and the head of the NCSC in respect of the threats to which this country is exposed as a result of malign actors seeking to attack our cyber technology. It is important that I am updated on a continuing basis. I regret to say that the Deputy is correct, in that the threat does exist. It is a threat not just to our national State-owned infrastructure, as he has indicated, but also to private enterprise within the country. The NCSC is to the forefront in this matter, as am I. There is an obligation on State agencies to ensure that each State agency has measures in place to ensure that it can withstand whatever form of cyberattack is forthcoming. I know it will be impossible for all cyberattacks to be withstood, but if we have preparedness and measures in place in State agencies, that at least will increase and strengthen our resilience. The Deputy also indicated issues in respect of private sector companies. They all have an obligation to ensure, particularly if they are providing services to the public at large, that they have measures and protections in place so that, be they banks, communications providers or other agencies, their customers are protected in this respect. One of the reasons Ireland is an attractive location for malign State actors or persons who are involved in trying to extract data from private and public enterprises via ransomware is the important link between Europe and the United States. That is a very significant role, one that is now more apparent because of the success of the Irish economy, and we really need to defend it. The cybersecurity Bill was approved for priority drafting and I hope it will be introduced in the not-too-distant future, but I will get back to the Deputy specifically on that.

I am glad to get the opportunity to raise this matter in the Chamber. First, I have to explain the present setup. The national primary road coming into Killarney from the Cork side is a very busy road as it is. It goes through what we know locally as Daly's roundabout and then carries on to the old bypass, which has been built for over 50 years, to Tralee, Killorglin, all of mid-Kerry and wherever you want to go after that. Approximately 40,000 vehicles go through that roundabout each day, maybe 18,000 or 19,000 into Killarney town and 21,000 on to the other places I mentioned. The roundabout itself works perfectly. Most times when people reach it, they may have to queue to get from one side to the other. Then they get relief when they go through the bypass. It works perfectly. I never see it clogged or blocked. Even at that, the queues can be 3 miles or 4 miles backed up on either side coming in from the Cork Road or coming in from the Tralee Road into Killarney, or indeed coming up to Dr. Hans Liebherr Road if people are coming from Killorglin. Now, under active travel, which the previous Government had in place, the present Government proposes to take away the roundabout and instead put five or six sets of traffic lights there on either side of the road and down to the Ballycasheen junction, where people come in from the Cork side. Two sets of cycleways and footpaths are also proposed - there are footpaths there already - and it is proposed to narrow the carriageway to 6 m, which I contend is not wide enough for the vehicles we have today. A suggested €3 million, TII locally and the council say, is to be spent on it. I suggest it will cost a lot more. It is premature. What we need now is to build an outer bypass, which we have been campaigning for for 24 or 25 years. We have been promised €3 million for this year to progress that and to bypass the town, starting outside at Lissivigeen, going northwards west through Kilcummin and coming out in Farranfore, bypassing the whole lot. All of what is proposed now would be fine if that were done first, but it must be remembered that the roundabout to be taken away is on the N22, the national primary road into Killarney and the rest of Kerry. Before this project goes ahead, I ask that temporary traffic lights be placed at every point where it is suggested there will be traffic lights, and at the roundabout especially. Temporary traffic lights should be put there for a week or two - it should be two weeks - to ensure that they will work and we will not have a complete disaster. We are bad enough with traffic in Killarney as it is. A similar project has been carried out in Fossa, where they narrowed the road. Two large vehicles when they meet there cannot pass each other without stopping up altogether and trying to inch their way past each other, what with mirrors and everything sticking out. It is not right to do that. That is the N72, the national secondary road. What we are talking about here is the national primary road, and to do this is very serious. Maura Healy-Rae has asked for the temporary lights to be placed before the work is undertaken. I am asking the Department of Transport go down, talk and look at this project with the officials, if they are involved, and-----

The Deputy will have a chance to come back in.

All right. Sorry, a Chathaoirleach Ghníomhach.

I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising this matter. I am glad to take it on behalf of the Minister for Transport, who, as the Deputy knows, has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding relating to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the national development plan, the operation and management of individual roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. Transport Infrastructure Ireland ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Ireland 2040, the national planning framework and the national development plan. The Government has earmarked €5.1 billion for capital spending on new national roads projects from 2021 to 2030 as part of the NDP. This funding will enable improved regional accessibility across the country as well as compact growth, which are key national strategic outcomes. The funding will provide for the development of numerous national road projects, including the completion of projects already at construction stage and those close to it, as well as the development of a number of others. An additional €2.9 billion was allocated for the protection and renewal of the existing national road network. As the greater portion of this funding becomes available in the second half of the decade, this means there is a constraint on the funding available for new projects in 2025. However, approximately €502 million of Exchequer capital funds has been provided for national roads through Transport Infrastructure Ireland to local authorities this year. It is important to point out that the programme for Government commits to continued investment in new roads infrastructure to ensure that all parts of Ireland are connected to one another. This year, approximately €3 million was allocated for the construction of new national roads in Kerry, with an additional €10.2 million allocated for the improvement of the existing network. With regard to Daly’s roundabout in Killarney, which is the substance of the Deputy's question, I understand from Transport Infrastructure Ireland that Kerry County Council engaged consultants to review safety and capacity issues on the N22 and its approaches and to introduce improved active travel facilities at the N22-Park Road junction. A proposal for an active travel-friendly Park Road roundabout with reduced lane lengths was not considered the optimal solution for the location, with a signalised junction identified as the preferred solution recommended by Kerry County Council. Details of the traffic assessment work undertaken in relation to the signalised junction proposal can be requested from the county council. As part of the scheme, it is proposed to reallocate some of the existing road space on the carriageway between Daly’s roundabout and Ballycasheen junction to provide space for a new active travel facility. This would reduce the width of the existing carriageway down to 7 m to provide space for the construction of a 2.5 m cycle track. This is in keeping with the commitment in the programme for Government to continue to invest in dedicated infrastructure for walking and cycling. Transport Infrastructure Ireland did not allocate funding for this scheme in 2024 or 2025. Having regard to Kerry County Council’s recent approval of the scheme, it will be considered for funding in the 2026 funding allocations.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He referred to roads that were under construction or near it. This is not under construction. Planning has not yet been granted. It is at the planning stage at present. Anyone who wants to make a submission needs to make it before Friday evening. The people of Kerry need to know what is happening because this will create chaos. The Minister of State spoke about narrowing the road to 7 m. We have been told 6 m. As I said, this went through Kerry County Council at an earlier stage. Maura Healy-Rae was the only councillor who voted against it and she will continue to do so. Perhaps the others will see now, because they are getting a second bite of the cherry, that this is wrong and the wrong time. When the outer bypass is built, this will be fine. We must prioritise to ensure lorries, buses, commercial vehicles, cars and all the vehicles going through this roundabout at present continue to use this road as they have to the best of their ability. We are very worried that traffic lights will impede this. We all know if you change the system from a roundabout to traffic lights, you slow the whole thing down. Instead of being backed up three or four miles out the Cork road and three miles out the Tralee road, it will be much farther and complete chaos will ensue. I ask that whatever consultants were being dealt with put in temporary lights for a week or two - preferably two - to see how the thing manages before they remove the roundabout. When they remove the roundabout, it will be too late. We will not have the other bypass for six or seven years yet, with everything going well. We hope and expect it will go well. I ask that the €3 million proposed for use on this roundabout and these changes be added to the outer bypass. If it cannot be spent there, spend it on the 650 local improvement scheme applicants waiting for ten years or more.

I will relay to Transport Infrastructure Ireland that the Deputy has raised this matter in the Dáil. As I said, this has been strongly considered locally through Kerry County Council. It engaged consultants to review safety and capacity issues on the N22 and its approaches and to introduce improved active travel facilities at the N22-Park Road junction. Coming out of that proposal and consideration by Kerry County Council and those assessments, it made the decision that this was the best approach to address the issues. It is always appropriate and correct that these issues be given as much consideration as possible at county council level in terms of the work and professional assessment by engineers and transport engineers, also engaging thoroughly with local authority members in consideration of the matter. From the information I have, that is what happened regarding the proposals currently under consideration. The Deputy indicated they were at planning stage and there was an opportunity for people to participate and give their views in relation to that. It has come as a result of significant engagement, consideration and assessment as to the optimal approach to address the issues at Daly's roundabout. I will pass on the matter the Deputy raised today. It will continue to get significant consideration locally through the county council and local consultation process. I know the Deputy will stay actively involved in its consideration.

I wish to address the provision of incontinence products by the HSE. Although the Minister of State is not the line Minister, I wish to raise this serious issue for families across the country. Incontinence products are essential. They are used daily. I wish to speak specifically about incontinence products for children. I refer to a specific case raised by a parent with me in relation to her son. I will read out some of her correspondence to me, with her permission: My son was born prematurely before 26 weeks in May 2021. In his first few weeks, he suffered a lung haemorrhage, two brain haemorrhages and a bowel rupture that led to a stoma for a year. He also experienced significant eye issues and has since been discoursed with cerebral palsy. Every step of the way has been a fight, and I have had to pay privately for nearly every service he is entitled to under the CDNT system. I have remained quiet until now, but the latest development has left me utterly shocked and disgusted. Now that my son is four, he qualifies for HSE-provided incontinence pads. However, he has yet to receive any. He currently weights 21 kg and still wear Pampers size 8 - the largest I can find - despite them no longer fitting properly. Pull-ups in size 9 are available, but they're unsuitable as he wears and AFO. The most infuriating part of this situation is that I have been told he will only be allocated four pads per day. He routinely goes through at least eight nappies a day - and that's while I'm still paying for them myself. To be told by a district nurse not to change him if he is only wet - with the implication that he must sit in it to conserve supplies - is not only medically unsound but dehumanising. After all he has been through, particularly with his bowel and stoma history, I will not stand by while his dignity, comfort, and skin integrity are compromised to meet a quote. Only last week, a doctor speaking on a documentary about nursing home care highlighted how unacceptable it is to leave people sitting in wet nappies. Why should it be any different for a four-year-old child with complex medical needs? The Minister of State will appreciate the distress, anger and disappointment felt by this mother. Her word "dehumanising" puts it lightly. I tried to resolve this issue through a parliamentary question but the HSE response to me was quite unclear. It stated that, based on a clinical nursing assessment, a public health nurse may prescribe containment products to assist with the management of incontinence and that the provision of containment products is subject to parent-client engagement in a toileting programme. It added that the clinical nurse specialist for continence in north Lee is currently working with the child and his family. Furthermore, it stated the prescription of containment products is in line with the child's assessed requirements and that these will be monitored or adjusted as necessary by the clinical nurse specialist. I am sure that is probably in the response the Minister of State has. Does the Minister of State know what the policy on incontinence product provision is? How many products may be allocated to children with complex needs? This mother has been told four is the limit; however, it has increased to six. The mother told a nurse she was lobbying local TDs. Will the Minister of State provide clarity on the number for me? The nurse the parent is engaging with in her community has met her only once and has never met her child. That does not align with the clinical nursing assessment and the policy on the prescribing of incontinence products as outlined in the parliamentary question. In the response, the HSE highlighted engagement with a toileting programme. Of course, the mother wants her son to be toilet trained at some stage, but that will not happen overnight. I ask the Minister of State to engage on this specific case or ask his colleagues in government to do so to ensure the child will be provided with the number of incontinence pads required per day.

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this matter. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Health. I have the details and response on the guidelines and policy around incontinence pads. I will give the Deputy these as part of my response but I assure him that I will be following this case up further, on the back of his contribution, with the Department of Health and the HSE. The guidelines and policy are focused on the fact that the approach has to be person centred. It has to take into account the needs of the individual person, be it a child or adult, and has to be appropriate. I will certainly be taking this up following on from the Deputy's engagement on the floor of the Dáil this morning. The HSE provides a wide range of medical products and services under the community-funded schemes to eligible persons in accordance with the Health Act 1970, as amended. These are provided following assessment by a relevant health professional. The HSE oversees the provision and supply of incontinence wear products for eligible persons across the country. Provision is based on an appropriate clinical assessment and the determination of the most appropriate products that will meet the individual's needs. The provision of clinically appropriate incontinence wear products to eligible persons is administered within each health region under a national tender arrangement. The HSE advises that this is a person-centred delivery system which allows the individual or their carer to vary both the time of delivery and the amount of product delivered according to their specific needs. It is also possible to alter the location for a particular delivery should the need arise. The HSE also utilises the service provided by public health nurses and continence nurse advisers to assess individual patient needs to ensure the supply of incontinence wear products is appropriate. As part of the national service improvement programme for the community-funded schemes, the HSE has completed and implemented national guidelines in respect of incontinence wear products. These are published and are available on the HSE website. Governance arrangements have been strengthened through the implementation of an integrated electronic management system to support the ordering, supply and distribution of incontinence wear products across all healthcare settings, including the home delivery service. The HSE advises that in circumstances where a person does not hold full eligibility, such as through a medical card or a long-term illness scheme card, reimbursement support for incontinence wear products is provided under the drugs payment scheme, DPS. This scheme provides for the refund of the amount by which expenditure on approved prescribed medicines or medical and surgical appliances, including incontinence wear, exceeds a named threshold in any calendar month. The DPS is not means tested and is available to anyone ordinarily resident in Ireland. The scheme threshold is €80 per month. While there are no set limits on the quantity, the DPS claim must be supported by a valid prescription for the products. That outlines the policy, oversight and guidance. At the core should be appropriate care and supply for the individual. I will certainly take up the case with the Department and the Minister for Health following the Deputy's contribution.

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that. When I offered my sympathy to the family, including the parent, the parent told me directly she did not want it. I appreciated that because, from a public representative's point of view, it was quite difficult for me that a parliamentary question did not outline specifically whether the child would be provided with the necessary incontinence products he so needs. At four years old, the child, along with his mother, has gone through so much, as outlined in the mother's email that I read in my opening statement. The Minister of State knows himself that when an email like that comes into your inbox, you directly engage on it because it is the on-the-ground issues that are directly affecting people. Often they go unnoticed because parents are afraid to speak up about them. They try to buy the incontinence products themselves. The Minister will have noted from the email that the mother has paid for all CDNT provision from her own pocket. This points to a systemic failure in our CDNT system. What the Minister said about person-centred policy and further engagement is very welcome but, as he will have noted from my opening statement, the clinical nurse has never even met the four-year-old child. That is the disappointing thing here. Perhaps there are several boys and girls of the same age under the nurse's remit but the fact that the nurse has not even met the child is an issue. This is why I do not understand how a clinical assessment could have taken place. It cannot just be a conversation between a parent and a nurse. I cannot see on the HSE website the policy that the nurse has outlined to the parent, namely, that four incontinence products is the maximum number that can be provided. The number increased to six after the parent told the nurse that she had been lobbying local TDs. I ask the Minister of State to ask the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to engage with the parent on a one-to-one basis.

Certainly, I will. Obviously, the parents have been through several challenges and the child has had a very difficult and challenging start to life. It is really important from the point of view of the State that the health service we provide be appropriate to the child's needs. It is important that incontinence pads be appropriate to and sufficient in number for the child to meet all his needs. I will certainly engage with the Minister for Health and her Department on this case and ask that it be fully considered and responded to. The Deputy raised the child development network therapies and teams. I am aware that there have been recruitment challenges in various parts of the country, including my county and the Deputy's. The challenge has primarily been the availability of therapists. The Department of Health, the Department of education and the Department of further education have been working to ensure additional staff are trained to meet the needs. They have been seeking to recruit and there have been improvements over the past year to two years in regard to increasing the size of the team. There is significant demand that is not being met but the objective is to have more people coming through who can take up the positions and meet the needs. This is essential to affected children, and supports are essential to families. I thank the Deputy for raising this. I will ask the HSE to engage further.

There are only two of us raising this matter. Deputy Gallagher sends his apologies. He got called away yesterday. As the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, knows, the surgical hub is a key issue in Donegal. The hub has to be delivered in Letterkenny. It is not just a case of trying to ensure we have the resources in the county. We have heard from an unprecedented number of doctors, surgeons and consultants in Letterkenny hospital and they have told us that without the surgical hub there, they are at serious risk of losing accident and emergency services and maternity services within a short period. That is why they and all the politicians in Donegal have come together and made it very clear that we need to see a surgical hub delivered in Letterkenny. This would not be to the detriment of Sligo – we believe the north-west region has been left behind for far too long – but there has to be a location in Letterkenny. Last Friday, on local radio, we had the Minister for State, Deputy Harkin, who, as we know, was part of the grubby deal with Deputy Lowry to put this Government in place, stating on Highland Radio with Greg Hughes that she secured the location of the surgical hub in Sligo as part of that deal. That is news to us, the TDs who sat across the table from the Minister for about an hour and a half making the case for the surgical hub because the Minister will eventually be the person who decides on the location. It is news to us, having sat repeatedly in meetings with the HSE arguing the toss about why the surgical hub should be in Letterkenny. I am sure it was news to the 160-plus surgeons, consultants and doctors who signed the letter making very reasonable medical arguments for the locations. I want the Minister of State to come clean today. Has the Department ascertained whether there is any secret deal in respect of the location of this surgical hub? That clarity is needed. Has the Minister approached Deputy Marian Harkin to get clarity in this regard? I would like the Minister for Health to listen to the concerns of the TDs here. As I said, Deputy Gallagher would have liked to have been here as well. This is a cross-party issue because the issues in Donegal are so important. As I said to the Minister, if she makes the decision based on the facts, there is no doubt that the surgical hub will be located in Letterkenny. We need that decision urgently but, most importantly, we need the right decision.

All we are asking for in Donegal is fair play. We are not asking for special treatment; we are asking that our citizens do not have to travel long distances for care that should be provided in their own community. We are asking that our emergency services not be allowed to collapse and that we have the necessary number of surgeons and consultants in Letterkenny University Hospital. If there is to be only one surgical hub for the north-west region, a huge region extending from the top of Donegal down into Roscommon, I imagine, and that hub is not in Letterkenny, it will be a disaster for County Donegal and our services. Those are not my words but those of the consultants. A presentation made to TDs was extremely concerning. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is very aware of that and I thank her for engaging at the meeting last night. We need to have absolute clarity today that no deal has been done on this. To be clear, in Donegal we are not into divide and conquer. We want Sligo and Letterkenny to have a surgical hub. We want all of the people to be treated the same. We want equal services for all of our people. The HSE has pulled services away into Galway and neglected Donegal for a long time but we are not turning this into a Sligo versus Donegal issue. We want a surgical hub and equal access for all our people. We want clarity, following the intervention from Deputy Harkin, that a deal has not been done, there will be fairness for the people of Donegal, all of the doctors and consultants will be listened to and the facts and evidence on the ground about population numbers and demand will be listened to. The final message is this. We, in Donegal, will not be neglected anymore. This is a cross-party matter now. We will not accept second-class citizenship. This issue has united us like no other health matter has done before. It needs to be sorted out. We need clarity today that we are going to get fairness in all of this.

I thank Deputies Doherty and Mac Lochlainn for raising this issue. I understand the apology made by our colleague, Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher. I recognise the Deputies' dedication to the people of Donegal and to the issue. I will first address the issue of locations for the surgical hubs. The programme for Government commits to establishing six new hubs, in south Dublin, north Dublin, Galway, Cork, Limerick and Waterford, and exploring the provision of an additional surgical hub for the north west. The programme for Government also committed to developing new elective treatment centres in Cork, Galway and Dublin, significantly increasing our capacity to deliver elective care and driving down waiting times for everyone. Developments at the named surgical hub sites are well under way. Building on the success of the Reeves day surgery unit in Tallaght, the Minister for Health opened a new surgical unit in Mount Carmel in south Dublin in February and we expect the rest to become operational over the next 18 months. The Minister is clear that no matter where these new facilities are located, everyone should have access to sufficient and appropriate elective surgical capacity. The hubs, along with the new elective treatment centres, will form a national network of elective care. This will enable the delivery of care for all patients, not just those living in a particular location or catchment area. No decision has yet been made on the location of the north-west surgical hub and the Minister is taking time to consider and understand the situation in Donegal. This includes engagement with local representatives, doctors and consultants. I know she was due to meet some of them last night. She remains committed to positively engaging with everyone who is interested in delivering the best healthcare for the people of Donegal. Turning to Letterkenny University Hospital in particular, the Government is committed to the ongoing development of the hospital and has allocated significant resources to meet the needs of patients there. This has included an increase in the hospital's budget by 57% over the last five years. In that time we have also seen staffing grow by 25% and 28 new beds have been opened. Recent capital projects completed at Letterkenny University Hospital include an extension to the laboratory and works in the acute mental health unit. Several capital projects are under way, including the expansion of the renal department, a pharmacy aseptic unit, a new heating centre and a range of projects to increase capacity. Construction is also under way of a 110-bed community hospital in Letterkenny, representing an investment of €52 million for the enhancement of services for older people. Letterkenny University Hospital has also expressed plans for four key infrastructural projects, which form part of a development control plan within the HSE west and north-west health region. These projects include bed expansion, emergency and urgent care capacity, critical care capacity and an ambulatory care block. We understand these plans are being developed by the hospital and will need to be further considered by the HSE before a decision can be made on their inclusion in the capital programme. I hope the Deputies can see we are committed to the people of Donegal. I look forward to continued engagement on these issues.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. He says no decision has been made yet. Will he give clarity in his response? It is not just Deputy Harkin who has gone on local radio to say this; the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae has also gone on and said she has secured this. We now have two Ministers of State who make up the formation of the Government saying it. Does one hand know what the other is doing? Has the Minister for Health or the Department clarified with Deputy Harkin whether a deal exists - as she claims - or not? Is this just the Minister of State suggesting that he has no knowledge of a deal within the Department? They are two different things. We would like clarification on that. Outside of a deal or not, this decision has to be made on the merits and the facts. As Deputy Mac Lochlainn has said, there is absolutely no way we are going to allow this to happen. The surgical hub not being delivered in Letterkenny is not just about resources not coming to Donegal. It is about the accident and emergency department closing down in the future, maternity services closing down and our hospital being downgraded. Those are not my words; they are the words of those on the front line. We will not accept it. That is why the Minister of Health must make the right decision on the basis of facts.

This could not be more serious. As the Minister of State will know from his Government colleagues, we have been told this very clearly. These doctors and consultants have said publicly on local radio that our emergency services could be lost. Imagine us losing an emergency department in Letterkenny University Hospital. That is how serious our surgical services have gotten to. We are down to three permanent surgeons; it was six not that long ago. We cannot attract the level of surgeons we need. If the Minister decides the surgical hub for the north-west is in one place, Sligo, it is just a death knell. It is extremely serious. I have never seen 171 doctors, consultants and GPs, sign a letter. I do not know anywhere in this State where this has happened. That is how serious this is. I will reiterate that we are not playing the game of divide and conquer. Sligo, the north west, Donegal and all of us deserve this. There is an absolutely unique case now for a surgical hub in Letterkenny and Sligo to be delivered at exactly the same time to have the quality of services our people deserve, to protect what we have and to protect our emergency services. This is where it is at. We need that clarity between the Minister for Health and Deputy Harkin and a public statement of clarification. If it is two surgical hubs that is fine but the Government should not play divide and conquer. It needs to get its act together on this issue.

Again, I thank Deputies Doherty and Mac Lochlainn for raising the issue. I will take back exactly what they have said regarding Letterkenny University Hospital. The information I have is very clear. No decision has been made on the location of the north-west surgical hubs. I understand meetings were held and there was engagement with the Minister last night on this issue. I hear what the Deputies are saying about the challenges in Letterkenny and Donegal, and I will bring that back to the Department and the Minister. I cannot be clearer than what was in the statement I have in front of me from the Department. I understand the issues the Deputies have raised. Without labouring the point, I will take the points the Deputies raised back to the Department and seek clarification for them.

I know the Minister of State is aware of the issue in St. Mochta’s National School and the two special classes. First and foremost, we should express our concern for the parents and children involved in this situation. St. Mochta’s agreed to open up two classes after long discussions and much dialogue with the NCSE - one in temporary accommodation in the library and the other in December when two modular classes were to be delivered. The principal then informed the parents they needed to make the NCSE aware of their children, which all parents did. They were issued letters of eligibility by the NCSE. In fact, one parent had already done so around October 2024. The principal and patron were told they would be exempt from the 19 February deadline that was imposed with regard to special classes for 2025. Unfortunately, they got an email last Friday afternoon, the last day of school, from the NCSE saying that 11 of those 12 places have been allocated, but not one of those allocations had been given to those six students who are in St. Mochta’s school, including that one child who had a letter from October 2024. We have 17 to 18 parents who are deeply worried about how this is going. We need clarification from the NCSE as to how it will resolve this for all of those parents. Every child, as we have always said, deserves a place.

To clarify, St. Mochta’s school in Clonsilla has 900 to 1,000 students. The management agreed to take on a huge cohort under pressure of school places in Dublin West. Six pupils enrolled in that school have approval from the NCSE for special or autism class provision, but they were not on the list that was sent to the school last Friday. We have a bizarre situation where these parents would not have autism classes in the school that they actually attend. That has to be rectified. We do not know how this happened because at a meeting that was convened the other night, the management of the school told TDs that they had verbal approval from the NCSE that these parents would be facilitated. It makes sense because the classes are not even ready yet. It would make sense to remain where they are and then move in when the classes are ready. There is very little time to raise this. We are now in that situation. The parents would have had legitimate expectations from the NCSE that they would receive a placement in the special classes when they opened, and that was the understanding of the principals. I spoke to parents this morning in Dublin 15 who still do not have school places. One parent has twins and another was campaigning with us last year. We still have a crisis of school places.

I thank the Minister of State for attending. I understand the NCSE is attempting address the crisis we have for places in special classes, and I know it is acting quickly. However, the way it has acted in the context of St. Mochta’s is not the right solution. St. Mochta’s has agreed to open two special classes - two ASD classes - in September for 12 students. It currently has six students on its books attending the school, each of whom is known to the NCSE. They also have letters with the clear recommendation they should be in an ASD class attached to a mainstream school. The school has now been allocated 11 students – every one of those deserves a place as well – but if the six students who are in St. Mochta’s have to wait until those 11 students have moved on through the system, they will never receive a place in a special class in St. Mochta’s because the new students are all across the age groups. They are from junior infants all the way up to fourth class. The 12 new students - the students St. Mochta’s has given the names for – are junior infants and senior infants students. They are just starting their time in St. Mochta’s. Every child in Dublin 15 deserves an appropriate place in the right school. We can address and fix this in St. Mochta’s. It is important that the Department and the NCSE engage with the school and resolve this.

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue, and I fully accept and understand the genuineness with which it is raised. I fully accept the Deputies' bona fides in respect of this issue. The Government is fully committed to supporting all children with additional needs to achieve their full potential. It is a core priority of the work of the Department of education that every child should receive a school place that meets their needs. There is a significant body of work being undertaken to ensure that this is the case. This includes the creation of more than 2,000 new special school classes in mainstream schools and 16 new special schools established since 2019. Both the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I meet with Department of education officials and the NCSE on a weekly basis to track the progress of the provision of special classes and special school placements. An additional 399 new special education classes have been sanctioned for this school year. Of these, 287 are at primary level and 112 are at post-primary level. These will be added to the existing 3,335 special classes nationwide, increasing the number of special classes by 103% since 2020. In addition, I also directed a school in County Kildare to open two new special classes under section 37A of the Education Act 1998. In total, therefore, from the next academic year, there will be more than 3,700 special classes and 129 special schools in operation throughout the country. In recent years, the NCSE has advised the Department that after it had sanctioned new special classes, some of the children being offered places in these new special classes were not known to the NCSE. This was having a significant impact on the NCSE's ability to forward plan for the provision of new special classes. To address this issue, the Department of education issued a circular to all schools in October 2024 advising that parents of children seeking special classes or special school places for the 2025-2026 school year would need to notify the NCSE by 1 February. Schools were also asked to ensure that parents of children with special educational needs in mainstream classes who may require a special class were aware of the need to register with the NCSE by 1 February. This circular letter was developed after consultation with school management bodies, special education advocacy groups and the National Parents Council. The NCSE has advised that just under 3,300 valid notifications were received by mid-February last via their new parent notification system. The priority for the NCSE and for the Department has been to ensure that these children and young people are prioritised for enrolment in special classes and in special schools. Sixteen new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE in schools in the Dublin 15 local school planning area for the coming school year. These are part of the overall 98 new special classes being provided across schools in Dublin. This is the single largest provision of new special classes in both Dublin 15 and across Dublin. Two of these new special classes have been sanctioned in St. Mochta’s in Dublin 15. As the Deputies know, this is a large primary school serving the needs of the community in Clonsilla and the surrounding areas. These are the first special classes to be established at this school and they have been warmly welcomed by all in the local community. I commend the school leadership, the board of management and the school patrons on working closely with the NCSE and my Department to provide these much-needed classes. Regarding the admission of children into the new special classes, the NCSE continues to work closely with the school to try to progress the matters. The Deputies here, as well as Deputy Emer Currie and the Minister, Deputy Chambers, have been highlighting the issue. As highlighted by the Deputies, an issue has arisen where students already enrolled in mainstream classes in the school but who may require a special class place were brought to the attention of the NCSE after the 1 February timeline. I can confirm that the Department and the NCSE are making arrangements to meet the school and the school patron bodies today on this matter. I will refer to other matters in my supplementary response.

The last paragraph is slightly worrying because in the presentation that was given to us on Monday evening by the principal and the patron of the school, it was stated that the SENO gave a verbal commitment to the school that the deadline of 19 February would be waived for pupils in St. Mochta’s as classes were not sanctioned on this date. The principal met with all parents on 5 March 2025 to advise the parents of the next steps and share commitments from the SENO to waive the deadline of 19 February. All parents contacted the SENO and received eligibility letters from the SENO on dates ranging from 14 March to 7 April 2025, and all parents had a legitimate expectation that they would be offered a place. We are unsure about where the truth lies. There are two different versions of what is going on and that needs to be resolved.

I am glad a meeting is taking place today and, hopefully, things can be resolved. However, I would be extremely concerned if other parents were offered these places and would then have to be told they do not have alternatives. It is a real problem situation. The issue is that, according to the school, it did not have sanction for these two classes by the February deadline and, therefore, it only got the sanction in April and there was an agreement that the February deadline would be waived. That is what we have been told. Hopefully, this can be addressed at the meeting. I repeat that it is good that 16 classes are sanctioned for Dublin 15 but while that sounds like a lot, when we take in the population of the area and the age profile, it is not. We need those classes opened as soon as possible. We still have 12 children waiting for Danu places since last year.

I noticed that in the Minister of State’s reply, there is a focus on the 1 February deadline. As colleagues have said, there were no plans to open an ASD class in St. Mochta’s on 1 February and the only agreement on that opening came in April. In April, when the school did agree to open these two classes, it received a verbal agreement that the deadline would be waived for the six children who were in St. Mochta’s. A commitment was given and that commitment has to be realised and fulfilled. I am glad a meeting is taking place. There is now an opportunity to make sure that the six children in St. Mochta’s are able to avail of an appropriate school place and get the support they deserve within the school.

There is a meeting taking place today with the school and school patrons to try to resolve the issue. Without putting words in anybody's mouth, I know the school authorities and the Department have been in contact and they will have a meeting today. Let us see what happens with that. I would be only too delighted to bring back any information to the Deputies by email or otherwise when we have that information to hand. I accept the seriousness of the issue the Deputies have raised, and there are a number of other issues across Dublin 15 regarding school places and school classes. There is one thing that I would ask the Deputies. The new circular has set 1 October 2025 as the date for the 2026 school year. I ask the Deputies to get the message out there that we need the information early in the school year in order to plan properly, so we are not in a situation next year where we are heading into the school holidays and do not have places. We need the information earlier. All of the Deputies are working on the ground and know the families. I ask them to get the message out there that the NCSE has to be notified of the information early so we can carry out proper planning and ensure that families are not in a stressful position. To go back to the issue of St. Mochta’s, a meeting is taking place today. I give an undertaking that, subsequent to that meeting, we will keep all the Deputies informed of how things are progressing.