6. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach the progress made by his Department in reducing child poverty and promoting well-being. [13487/25]

Sentiment score: 0.08

We all wish Deputy Boyd Barrett the best of luck. It is apt to do this during Questions to the Taoiseach because if ever there was a Deputy who made very great use of Questions to the Taoiseach, it was Deputy Boyd Barrett. When we talk about child poverty, we are all aware of the added costs of dealing with children with additional needs. The issue of special school places and the fact that we had parents in here who were at their wits' end have been raised multiple times today. I raised the case of Senan Maguire, a 13-year-old autistic boy who is now out of school, with the Taoiseach. There has been engagement with the Minister. We need to ensure that Senan is returned to school as soon as possible and that he definitely has a place next year. We need to make sure the multidisciplinary team is there so we can avail of CAMHS-ID, for which Senan and his parents have been looking for a considerable period of time. The big issue is that when we get to a one-stop-shop, there is no wrong door and that we have the follow up regarding school-based therapies and assessments because we are dealing with failure at the minute. It worries me when I hear about the likes of Scoil Bhríde Shelagh, which said it was sanctioned for two ASD classes but has only been okayed for one. This needs to be followed up.

Sentiment score: 0.18

17. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [15161/25]

Sentiment score: 0.00

Many of us have brought up the infrastructural deficits we are talking about here, namely housing, Uisce Éireann, the electricity grid and communications. The recent Storm Éowyn showed serious pressures and the need to deal with this. Housing is just a crisis that has, in no way, improved for those who are impacted. We also know we are under severe pressure in respect of Donald Trump and tariffs. While we need to have cool heads, we do not exactly know how this will go. I want to give some details of a constituent with a business in the medical devices sector and the impacts tariffs are already having, although I will not name the company. The business is a provider of specialist precision manufacturing in the medical devices industry. It describes itself as a world-class operation competing at the highest level with companies across the globe. As it works on a global level, it is heavily reliant on international customer and supply chains. It has described losing a number of orders from US customers and is afraid of further knock-on. This is a grave risk to employment at the company. The main concern with the impact on employment is that its staff are highly trained and it has taken the company many years and significant investment to bring them to that level. If they are lost, regaining that expertise will be near impossible. The company is asking for immediate measures to be put in place by the Government to support staff who are put at risk due to the imposition of tariffs by the US Administration. The urgency of the matter cannot be overstressed. Cancellation of orders by the company's customers has already been decided and implemented. It is afraid of what is to come and is sure this is happening to many other companies. While we do not know exactly where this will go, we know it will have to end in an engagement with the American Administration. As was done in Covid, we need to make sure we maintain companies like this, which have a really good business model and have done a significant amount of vital work in the past. We must ensure that the company and its workers have a future.

Sentiment score: 0.03