17. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [39179/26]

Sentiment score: 0.00

Iarnród Éireann cannot organise a cup of tea to be sold on its commuter trains from Galway or Sligo but it can incinerate €50 million on a failed IT system. This is another disgusting waste of money in our country. You might as well have loaded that €50 million onto a bonfire and set it alight. Does the Taoiseach understand the time it took for those workers to earn the income to pay the tax that has been frittered away? This would not be tolerated in any other walk of life. Will the Taoiseach make sure that the individual responsible for this is removed from their job?

Sentiment score: -0.11

It was a rhetorical question.

Sentiment score: 0.00

Some €50 million was wasted.

Sentiment score: -0.49

33. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [39180/26]

Sentiment score: 0.11

Stormont is in big trouble. Stormont is in a mess. It is limping on day to day currently. In most of the human indicators in terms of quality of life, the people in the North of Ireland are falling currently. In terms of investment in education, hospital services, children's services and disabilities, money is being reduced on an annual basis. Public services are starting to grind to a halt. There is no doubt that the Sinn Féin, DUP and Alliance Executive is not delivering for the people but Stormont cannot even agree on budget at the moment it is in such trouble. A large part of this problem is because Stormont cannot raise its own funds. It can only raise about 5% of its own income. Wales can raise 10% and Scotland can raise 20%. I asked the Taoiseach a question a number of years ago in relation to the reform of Stormont. At that stage, the Taoiseach agreed with me that it needs to be reformed but he said it was too close to the next Stormont election to do so. Here we are, one year out from the next Stormont election and no work has been done on reform. This is serious. What can we do to reform so that Stormont functions properly and that it can raise its own funds like the other devolved administrations?

Sentiment score: -0.13