I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this issue again. I acknowledge he has raised it frequently. I would make the point that when we have worked together, across parties in this House, on issues relating to Waterford and the rest of the south east, including the university in recent years, we have managed to make progress together. This is a similar issue. Genuinely across the House, there is support for what is requested. The programme for Government commits to working with all stakeholders to quickly progress the Waterford Airport project to lengthen and widen the runway, building on the commitment decision of 2019. That I believe, is the wording in the programme for Government. In line with that commitment, I have spoken to the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, and I am aware that he is engaging with local representatives, including Deputy Cullinane, on the next steps. I want to be clear that I am fully committed to advancing this project in line with the programme for Government commitment.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I extend my sympathy to the family of the young man, Evan Fitzgerald. He was a countyman of mine. The incident was a great shock in the local community and County Wicklow. I understand this is a complex case. Obviously, I am not privy, nor should I be, to when the Garda Commissioner does or does not use the provision in the Act. That is a matter between the Commissioner and the Minister, but I understand the Minister for justice has sought further information from the Garda Commissioner on the case. I also note the comments of the Taoiseach last week on this issue and the need for a review. I support the Taoiseach in his comments on that.
Sentiment score: 0.24
We are treating this as an emergency. It is a housing emergency and that is why we are taking big decisions each and every week to try to increase housing supply. We have increased housing supply from the floor to around 30,000 homes each year. We need to increase that significantly to deliver 300,000 more homes by the end of 2030. We have been following the evidence base of the Housing Agency in decisions we have made in recent weeks. We have published the report of the Housing Agency, which is the body that is meant to assist with accelerating housing supply. We have followed its recommendations and extended rental protections and we are introducing legislation on no-fault evictions, but we are also trying to take a balanced approach. Funding is always important but I believe the constraints here are not funding. Funding will be forthcoming, with more through the national development plan. I believe planning, water and infrastructure are the key areas that we need to focus on in the time ahead.
Sentiment score: 0.02
I thank Deputy Ward for the constructive way in which he has been engaging on this issue on behalf of his constituents in Donegal. I am pleased with some of the progress that we have been able to make together after the Minister, Deputy Browne, worked intensively with Deputy Ward's constituents and the advocacy groups in Donegal. I will ask the Minister to reflect on the Deputy's point regarding the cut-off date. I will also ask him to come back to the Deputy about the publication of the Bill and the timeline. The Government is certainly eager to get this done as quickly as possible. We are conscious of the severe stress and frustration that people are living under.
Sentiment score: 0.18
I thank Deputy Collins for raising this issue. I am not in any way doubting the accuracy of what he says or his bona fides on it, but if true, that lack of communication would be quite extraordinary. I must say without knowing all the details that the idea of moving people 100 km is extraordinary at any stage in a person's life, least not in the latter stages. I know the Department of Health has engaged with the HSE on this matter. It has requested an urgent update on the issue, including information on the resident and family engagement strategy that might be in place to ensure transparency but also to ensure that service users and their families remain confident in all current and future service arrangements. The HSE continues to review on a constant basis the operational suitability of all mental health facilities to meet the needs of people with mental health difficulties, including Perrott House. I will certainly directly engage on this and come back to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this issue. This Government is keen to support small and medium enterprises. They make up the backbone of our economy and every community that we proudly represent in Dáil Éireann. We have taken two measures already. The SME test makes sure that all proposals that come to the Government are put through the prism of what their impact on our small and medium businesses will be. We have established a new small business unit in the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Obviously, Revenue applies the rules in an impartial way but I will certainly ask the view of the Minister for Finance and ask him to engage with the Revenue Commissioners and revert to the Deputy about this, because we certainly do not want to see any bureaucracy above and beyond what is required to ensure Revenue can do its job.
Sentiment score: 0.40
I thank Deputy Clendennen. I, too, am very proud of the progress we have made on public health. We have much more work to do. There is a legitimate issue of timing when it comes to labelling. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, has shared economic concerns relating to the policy due to the uncertain trading environment, which has been raised with him by many colleagues trying to do their business internationally. The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has competitiveness concerns. As the Minister with responsibility for trade, I, too, have concerns regarding the current trade and tariffs environment we are navigating our way through. The Minister for Health is committed to working with all of her colleagues across the Government to find a resolution to this. We are very proud of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act but we will make a decision in the coming weeks on the timing of the labels. I personally believe a deferral will be required.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for raising this issue. He is right. Sometimes, means tests can just be mean. We have to make sure that they are fit for purpose. That is why the programme for Government specifically makes this commitment. We want to do a thorough deep dive on means tests, particularly where there are anomalies or poverty traps or they do not align with other parts of Government and societal policy and direction of travel. We made some progress in recent years in terms of people working and access to medical cards, but there is clearly much more to do. We will publish a new national disability strategy shortly. That will probably be before the recess. It is in draft form and a lot of good work has been done. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, will lead on this review, so I will ask him to revert to the Deputy with a specific timeline for the means test review.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I thank Deputy Crowe for his very constructive suggestion. Tomorrow, we will have a meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, which will be an opportunity for colleagues across the island of Ireland to get together. I will raise the issue of DMD on the meeting's margins. If it is possible for professionals throughout the island to work together in the interests of patients with a rare disease, I am sure that is something everyone would like to see happen. We need to do more regarding rare diseases and quick and timely access to medications. The Minister for Health is very committed to this. There will be a new strategy in respect of rare diseases shortly also. The HSE has launched an application tracker to increase transparency in the medicines assessment process. I will look into this issue and revert to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.30
I agree with a lot of what the Deputy said. The idea that any parent has to watch his or her young child in such a fragile state when the parent knows there is medication available that could significantly improve the child's quality of life and health is not right. The HSE is engaging on this matter. In light of it being raised in the House today by a number of Deputies, I will seek an urgent update as well. On the issue of staffing, the Deputy is right. We have had to increase the number of staff allocated to the assessment process. My understanding is there are 34 additional staff being hired across the pricing and reimbursement process. I will get an urgent update and revert to the Deputies concerned.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I thank Deputy Whitmore. As she can imagine, I have been looking into this situation as well. Like her, I want to see it progress. I have corresponded directly with the Minister for housing on the matter. We are going to have a review of the national development plan. If the issue is one of funding constraints - it should not be - I am eager that we rectify it in that plan. The review will happen next month. I will revert to the Deputy with a further update.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I thank Deputy Callaghan for raising this issue. It is one that is raised with me often. The Deputy is correct, in that these people are not against renewable energy. Far from it, but they want to have a rational understanding of how we best use the land in our communities with all of the various competing interests. As the Deputy said, our programme for Government commits to completing the second phase of the land use review, which aims to balance environmental, social and economic consideration. The second phase follows on from the first phase, which was completed in March 2023 and led by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and focused on evidence gathering. The final report for phase 2, which was independently chaired, was submitted to the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on 2 May. The review describes current land use patterns and the various demands on land on delivering on our national commitments. The preparation of the report did involve active engagement with a broad range of key stakeholders. The Ministers will now, before reporting to Government, consider the report, which I understand to be substantial, with a lot of work, research and consultation over the last four years. Once we have a definitive timeline for that coming to Government, I will revert to the Deputy, but I understand the time sensitivities of this.
Sentiment score: 0.25
I thank Deputy Moynihan so much for raising this and for his advocacy on behalf of Conor and Dean and so many children and patients more widely across our country who want us to get this right in terms of access to medication. I could point out that we have made good progress. From 2021 to 2024, we allocated an additional €128 million for new medicines. That facilitated the introduction of 194 new medicines in Ireland and I am pleased to say, in particular, 49 of these are for rare diseases. However, I do take the point about the system. We need to get a system that is more agile and responsive in advancing the programme for Government commitments. The Deputy's suggestion around a compassionate access scheme is very sensible. I will just make the point - and I say this not to be adversarial to the industry - that obviously, the State has a job to do. So too does the industry in how it approaches these matters to get it right. I would also point out that we could do more on joint procurement at an EU level and, indeed, working with our colleagues across the island. We will have a chance through the new framework agreement that will be required between the Department of Health, the HSE and the drugs industry to maybe tease through these issues later this year. I will relay the Deputy's views and inputs to the Minister for Health as a result of this.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I thank the Deputy for raising that issue. I absolutely will follow it up directly with the Minister for Health. As the Deputy said, we want all of our public servants, including our front-line emergency staff, to work in fit-for-purpose but most importantly safe environments. That sounds like a very serious situation. I will directly speak with the Minister for Health and ask that we make contact with the National Ambulance Service as well.
Sentiment score: 0.33
I thank Deputy McGrath very much for raising this important matter. I will speak with both the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, with regard to that and see if we can find a resolution that works for everybody and most particularly works for the children. As the Deputy said, their excitement was palpable with regard to this. Let me talk to the two Ministers and ask them to come back to the Deputy directly to see if progress can be made.
Sentiment score: 0.37
Absolutely. I thank Deputy Lawless for raising this issue on behalf of Michelle and Katie. I hope the outcome of that very significant surgery has gone well. I appreciate the Deputy highlighting this issue. I am going from memory and past experiences but, generally, the scheme would try to be compassionate and engaging with regard to supports for family members who may need to travel and so forth. If the Deputy can send me the details again, I will speak directly to the Minister for Health and see if anything can be done.
Sentiment score: 0.40