I will allow the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to set out the specific representations that have been made at official or ministerial level. As the Deputy knows, a new ambassador arrived this week. The Minister met him this week and will be able to comment on his direct discussions with the US administration. The Ireland-US relationship is and continues to be important. I acknowledge the plight of residents and Irish citizens who live in the US and we are continuing diplomatic efforts for the undocumented Irish who live in the US. That is part of our wider engagement with the US Administration. I will ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to respond on the specific diplomatic efforts that have been made regarding what the Deputy referenced today.
Sentiment score: 0.13
As the Deputy can appreciate, I am not familiar with the specific school he referenced or what has occurred relating to SNAs, apart from stating that the overall number of SNAs will continue to increase nationally, along with the support we are providing for special education through the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, around school buildings, teachers, SNAs and other supports in schools. I will ask the Minister for education to respond to the Deputy on the specific case he referenced. There are review mechanisms, through engagement with the NCSE and others, on SNA allocations. I will ask that the engagement take place.
Sentiment score: 0.46
As the Deputy knows, the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is committed to significantly improving the processing times for international protection applications and bringing the appeals component back to the Department of justice in order to streamline the process. Next year, progress on the EU migration pact will make a difference in terms of the timeframes around processing. I cannot comment on the specifics the Deputy referenced in terms of Citywest. I will ask the Minister for justice to respond on the specific circumstances the Deputy referenced. It is obviously a sensitive matter. I will not pre-empt what he says.
Sentiment score: 0.30
There has been ongoing work across government relating to the lessons from Storm Éowyn and the recovery efforts. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, who is here, has been prioritising the outcome of this in terms of his submission to the national development plan and how we build more resilience into our public infrastructure, whether that is in communications, community infrastructure or energy infrastructure. Every Minister has been extensively engaged on the specific lessons from the impact of Storm Éowyn. I will ask some of the Ministers who have been centrally involved to respond to Deputy Connolly on what actions they have taken. It has been a constant focus of work since the storm occurred in late January.
Sentiment score: 0.14
I thank Deputy Callaghan and I appreciate the question she has raised. As she has heard from the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, this will be considered in the context of budget 2026. All of us as a collective Government - Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independent Deputies - will work on strengthening the affordability of public services as a core priority. We want to make permanent changes to some of the costs that exist for students throughout the country.
Sentiment score: 0.33
This work is ongoing. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, will publish the report on the cost of education and this will inform the budgetary discussion that will take place.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank Deputy Mac Lochlainn. I know the Minister met various stakeholders in Donegal in May, including representatives from the action group and many representatives on the council. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Browne, to set out the specific timeline relating to legislation and give Deputy Mac Lochlainn a specific answer to his question.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I thank Deputy Carthy and I appreciate and agree on how essential an SNA is to any individual with additional needs in the classroom. I am not sure whether the school Deputy Carthy has referenced has appealed the particular allocation this year to the NCSE.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I will ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, as I did with regard to Deputy Paul Murphy earlier, to respond on the specific case Deputy Carthy has referenced. Budget 2025 provided for 1,600 SNAs, the largest number ever allocated, which will bring to 23,000 the number of SNAs in our schools.
Sentiment score: 0.08
I appreciate that. We are committed to continued investment in special education in terms of staffing and, in many instances, the need for new buildings for special classrooms. I will ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to respond to Deputy Carthy on the specific case.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I am acutely aware of the financial and emotional trauma associated with a TB breakdown and the associated hardship, as the Deputy said, for many farm families. TB disease levels in recent years have continued to increase. Over a 12-month period, a herd incidence of 6.43% has been recorded, with more than 43,000 reactors. That is a serious deterioration in the situation which we cannot allow to continue. That is why the Minister, Deputy Heydon, met with all of the key stakeholders in recent weeks and held a further meeting with farming bodies. He wants to advance proposals to try to address this in partnership with farm families and farm organisations. I can ask him to send the Deputy some of the detail regarding the additional measures he proposes to take with regard to the bovine TB programme to try to tackle the current rates of TB, which is a serious issue across the farming community.
Sentiment score: -0.08
I appreciate the urgency of this for residents in Midleton and throughout east Cork. I was there with Deputies O'Sullivan and O'Connor after the storm nearly two years ago. A priority for the Government with regard to broader infrastructure more generally and for flood relief schemes in particular is how we can shorten the project life cycle. In many instances, flood schemes are taking far too long. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, is leading on that work, but is also seeking to prioritise flood relief schemes around the new national development plan review, which is being undertaken. I will ask him to respond to the Deputy on the specifics relating to the schemes he mentioned. It is an absolute priority. The Minister of State is trying to advance and commence some of these schemes, which I know are of pressing need to communities that are worried, particularly as we enter the winter period when there will be a considerable concern about rainfall.
Sentiment score: 0.15
I regret that crime has had a serious impact on the local community in the last 12 months. I engage with the OPW regularly and I will ask for an update on Castletroy Garda station. I will revert to the Deputy on it.
Sentiment score: -0.14
First, what happened was a shocking incident for everyone present in Carlow. I am limited in what I can say relating to these matters, some of which continue to go through the legal process. I can ask the Minister for justice to respond to the specific question the Deputy raised following the "This Week" programme. He will be in a better position to give the Deputy any detail or informed information on it.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I appreciate the urgency of forward planning when it comes to school transport. Extensive work has been undertaken between the Department of education, Bus Éireann and other delivery partners to support that in communities across Ireland. I do not know the specifics behind what is happening in the Deputy's own constituency-----
Sentiment score: 0.27
-----but I will ask the Minister and Bus Éireann to respond to the Deputy's specific needs. There is an ongoing engagement through the summer to ensure they provide the appropriate school transport services, which are of huge importance to counties across Ireland.
Sentiment score: 0.43
As the Deputy is aware, the Department of education fully appreciates that costs and funding can pose an issue for schools. It is constantly working to address this with enhanced financial supports which were advanced in budget 2025 for this year. Schools in any financial difficulty are asked to engage with the financial support services unit. I know that a priority for the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is to continue to improve the capitation grant in schools, for example. That is something that we worked to improve over series of years and is something that we will engage with over the coming weeks.
Sentiment score: 0.56
I know we cannot have an over and back on this. I am not sure who it has been sent to. Is it the Department of housing? I assume it is. To what Government Department has it been sent?
Sentiment score: -0.05
We will try to find out who within government has received the particular business case, or which Government Department, and indeed under what funding scheme it is proposed to support that particular project of an integrated services hub. We always welcome any initiative of local authorities, or indeed local communities, to provide rounded supports and services for vulnerable people in our community. We have countless examples of it happening in Dublin and it is positive to see such initiatives being proposed in Cork. I will ask whatever line Department to which it is being submitted to evaluate it and come back to the Deputy with a position.
Sentiment score: 0.38