As a result of the actions of this Government, and because we have not spent every single penny we have, it has meant that over the years when we have had significant challenges - be it Covid-19 or the war in Ukraine and the implications these have had in terms of the cost of living - we have had money to give back to people. In last year's budget alone, there were €2.2 billion worth of one-off measures. What people are saying very clearly is that they want longer term measures. They want to make sure that the overall costs are permanently reduced for them. That is where our focus needs to be. We have to use the money we have because of the surplus and the fact that we focused on our economy, making sure we have enterprise here that can create the tax base that creates this funding to be spent by everybody. This is why we are putting in place permanent measures. We will have free schoolbooks for 1 million children this year. That is a saving for families. We have hot school meals for all primary schools, which, again, is a saving for families. Social welfare payments have increased year on year. We are providing a 9% permanent reduction in VAT for businesses. We know the knock-on effect this has for people who are out socialising. In circumstances where someone has lost their job, the jobseeker's pay-related benefit that has been introduced reflects more what their wages would have been. We have had more permanent changes, particularly when you focus on the huge amount of investment that is going into retrofitting homes and supporting those who are most at risk. There is no point continuing to provide one-off measures. What people want are permanent changes, and that is what we are absolutely focused on.

Sentiment score: 0.17

Let me assure the Deputy that this is not being rushed. This issue has been discussed for ten years. It was agreed in 2023 that the first tranche would start in 2025. It is important that this proceeds. It will benefit our students and that is why we are doing it. Teachers agree with it, unions agree with it and students, who have come out very clearly in support of what is proposed, agree with it. Why is that the case? It is because it does not just focus on one day after the end of two years of study. If something goes wrong on that day, there is nowhere else to turn except to repeat the following year. What is proposed will be that we will assess different skills, expertise, abilities and capacities within our younger population and prepare them better for life. On the measures the Deputy mentioned, I asked the unions to engage with me intensively on the issues that are of concern to them, the questions they had and, most importantly, the asks they had to help us make sure that this is a success. We all want it to be a success. The document that has been agreed deals with the asks from the unions. These are issues focusing on how we can implement more in our science labs and provide greater funding, how we can make sure that teachers have greater sight of the work they have to do in the years ahead and how to provide greater training. Many other issues are also addressed. These are all issues I have engaged intensively with the unions on. It is now a matter for them as to whether they accept what is proposed. I have tried to engage with them on everything they have sought and make sure that we provide the necessary resources and supports. Teachers really want this to work.

Sentiment score: 0.35

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I acknowledge the work of Cara Darmody in highlighting the very important issues he mentioned. Supporting people, particularly children with disabilities, is an absolute priority for this Government. A total of €3.2 billion was allocated for disability services in the budget. Almost one third my Department's budget is focused on supporting children with additional needs. We know there is more work to do. On assessments of need, the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, is working with the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, to make sure that any changes that need to be made to the overall structure are made in order that we can address the challenges and the backlog and that, most importantly, children get access to the services. Parents want their children to have assessments of need, but we need to make sure they are getting the services at the end of the day. That is where the focus needs to be. For my part, it is making sure that children get access to the places in schools to which they are entitled. A huge amount of work has been done in that regard. We must also ensure that when they are in school, they are getting access to therapies. I have replied to Cara and said I am very open to meeting with her. I hope to do so in the coming days. We will certainly meet.

Sentiment score: 0.34

We all acknowledge the importance of credit unions in our towns and villages, for many reasons. While I am not aware of the particular cases Deputy Lawless mentioned, I can certainly raise the matter directly with the relevant Minister.

Sentiment score: 0.49

I join with the Deputy in commending the members of our fire service, An Garda Síochána and all of our emergency services on the fantastic work they do in protecting us and keeping us safe. A huge amount of work happened under the previous Government. That has continued into the term of this Government. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has engaged with the fire service, but I am not aware whether the meeting the Deputy mentioned has taken place. I will relay his concerns to the Minister and ask him to come back to the Deputy directly.

Sentiment score: 0.19

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. He and I live in commuter towns. The populations in such towns have grown significantly in recent years. What is most important is that the services respond to those increases in population and that we forward plan insofar as is possible. In recent years, particularly this year, 15 new special classes have been sanctioned for County Kildare. This will add to the 131 classes that are already in place and that support about 760 children. The new classes will provide capacity for 90 students in both primary and post-primary. In addition, there are six special schools that support 360 children. As the Deputy has mentioned previously, there are three building projects that are progressing. These will provide extra school capacity within the areas in question. Those projects relate to Sapling Special School, Stepping Stones and the school in Craddockstown. The most important thing we can do now is make sure that where a need is identified, we plan for it at the earliest stage possible and look not just at the next year but also the years ahead. I will work with the Deputy to ensure we identify that need and plan accordingly.

Sentiment score: 0.26

We have made great strides in recent years to make sure that we can allow for those who are Gaelgeoirí to access content in order that they can engage with services in their native language.

Sentiment score: 0.87

I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly on this. I do not have a clear answer, but I certainly think we are all keen to build on the progress that has been made. Obviously, this would be part of that.

Sentiment score: 0.29

We need to be open to anything we can do to support those who have addiction issues but also to prevent young children from going down that path. As the Deputy rightly mentioned, the new Gambling Regulatory Authority was introduced following significant work by our colleague the Minister, Deputy James Browne. It is important that the authority should be open to looking at all forms of gambling, in particular those the Deputy mentioned. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister for Justice.

Sentiment score: 0.33

I look forward to attending the opening of Harold's Cross school and, I hope, of many others in the Deputy’s constituency as we work to provide education for our young people. It is really important that we have therapies in our schools. Children spend so much of their time in school, it is important that they have access to therapies while there. The Government's very clear commitment is that this will be rolled out. Progress has been made to date. The work that is being done at the moment now will initially focus on our special schools and make sure that those with the greatest level of need can access therapists. I am very clear that this has to be rolled out to our special classrooms as part of our overall mainstream education system. It is important that we can provide these services to those who need them when they need them. However, it is also important that teachers, their peers and younger children in classrooms and their parents will benefit from them as well. This plan is being development. It is very much my intention that it will start in special schools and that it will be rolled out to the special education classrooms in mainstream settings in which many students with additional educational needs are being educated as quickly as possible in order that they can benefit from the therapies in question.

Sentiment score: 0.48

Once again, I acknowledge the fundamental work that our paramedics play in keeping people safe. For so many people, they are the first point of contact. They can stabilise people and make sure they get to hospital on time. I acknowledge their role and work in our healthcare system. I do not have the details of the particular case the Deputy mentioned, but I can ask the Minister to look at it and assess any changes we are making to the overall structures. Such changes are designed to try to benefit people in communities and make sure we have the necessary funding and the best services in place. Above all, we want to ensure that people can get access to an ambulance service or a paramedic as quickly as possible. I will bring the case the Deputy raised and the changes directly to the attention of the Minister. As I was not able to attend the Chamber on Tuesday, I wish to offer my deepest condolences to the family of Garda Kevin Flatley on the very tragic incident that occurred at the weekend. While we are talking about those who keep us safe and support us, I want to acknowledge his passing.

Sentiment score: 0.28

I acknowledge and commend our colleague from Louth for the fantastic result at the weekend in what was a fantastic game.

Sentiment score: 0.88

If I mentioned other counties, we could be here all day. I acknowledge the importance of the large-scale infrastructure grant and the contribution it has made to sport across our country. There is a very clear commitment in the programme for Government to make sure we continue to invest in smaller scale projects via the sports capital grant. Obviously, any decision on a larger scale would have to be agreed between the Minister for sport and the Minister for public expenditure at budget time. Of course, we all want to see continued investment in those larger projects, particularly where different groups and organisations can come together and use the same facility. That is something we have been promoting over the years.

Sentiment score: 0.36

We all agree that our objective, working closely with the HSE and individual hospitals, is to make sure that hospitals have the equipment they need and that patients can access services in their communities as quickly as possible. I will raise the matter with the Minister directly.

Sentiment score: 0.31

The significant investment that has gone into special education in recent years has been with the sole purpose of making sure children have places and that when they are in school, whether it is in special schools, special education classrooms or mainstream classes, they have access to the support that is appropriate to them. That is why we have more than 23,000 SNAs and thousands of new special education teachers and why over 20,500 young people are being supported in special education classrooms separate to those in mainstream. It is really important to me that we are providing more places than are needed. That is what we have been focused on for this September. When I say that we have sanctioned 3,900 places, we have done so knowing that there are just under 3,300 young people who have a need. It is about ensuring that we can match that. Having sanctioned the classrooms, the real focus of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I is on working intensively with the NCSE. We are engaging with the schools and patrons on their enrolment policies and how we match the two. Where we have identified needs, schools have been sanctioned and enrolments are taking place, it is about ensuring all of it matches up so that, come September and well before that - in the next few weeks - people know where they are going, what supports they have and that we are already planning for next year, which we are.

Sentiment score: 0.41

I acknowledge the significant engagement I have had with the Deputy on this. It is a priority for him to make sure that children have access to those special school places. I can confirm that, following agreement by the school to the brief of accommodation in March, my Department is preparing the brief formulation report for the 14 special educational classrooms and ancillary accommodation. Once that is complete, my Department will consult the school to ensure we have agreement. I also confirm that an official from the Department will visit Scoil Aonghusa, Cashel, in the coming days to discuss progression of the project and to ensure it progresses as quickly as possible.

Sentiment score: 0.60

I acknowledge the teachers, the wonderful SNAs and special education teachers and everyone in our schools for the fantastic work they do. While billions of euro has gone into our schools portfolio in recent years, there is obviously more we need to do. I am very aware that there are schools that need replacement buildings and extensions and where further progress needs to be made. I am happy to engage on the school in question to see what progress can be made to ensure it has the resources it needs to support teachers.

Sentiment score: 0.55