I was also concerned by the reports that I saw on the front of newspapers today. I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who has informed me that the Department received the accounts for the CIÉ group only just this week and he has not had a copy at this stage. He will obviously read it and will have to take action or respond to what is in the report. I have spoken to the Deputy about this many times. The Government is absolutely determined to make sure that every penny that we spend is spent appropriately.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I have been asked twice this week to open a Passport Office in Northern Ireland, which could cost up to €6 million. We know that fewer than 500 citizens-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
-----are using a front desk at the moment.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I did not blame anybody.
Sentiment score: 0.26
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. In the past week or two, we have seen the Go Purple Day but, more broadly, we should be talking all the time about how the number of women in particular coming forward who are victims of domestic and sexual violence is increasing year on year. In one way, I see it as a good thing because women are coming forward but the figures we are seeing are completely alarming. They highlight the fact that this is an epidemic and that we need to do everything we can to support women to get out of this situation. We need to be open to all proposals, including the one the Deputy outlined. The Government has introduced different kinds of supports, such as safe houses, the investment in Cuan and the different funding available through different mechanisms, be it from social protection or housing. At the same time, as the Deputy said, this type of money is being allocated through many organisations and associations. If there is a way to put this on a more formal setting, we should absolutely look at this more broadly.
Sentiment score: 0.10
I cannot be any clearer in my view that Europe has not been strong enough. We have not responded effectively, and that is why we are where we are now. Ireland has not just woken up to this. At an EU level, we have consistently been advocating for the EU to step up and take a stronger stance. That is why we have been advocating - I have been doing so in the past few weeks - for the EU-Israel Association Agreement to be on the table and that we would ban on trade with the illegal settlements. We have finally agreed to sanction violent settlers but we need to do more. Europe has not been strong enough. I welcome the fact that there has been global condemnation of what we have seen this week but we now need to follow it through with action. That is exactly what I am trying to do. That is what I am prioritising.
Sentiment score: -0.17
This is an issue that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has been actively pursuing. She is engaging in particular with the pharmacy associations. It has been the case that there were different charges being applied in terms of dispensing and the overall blister packs themselves. An unequal approach was being taken, depending on the pharmacy and its approach. The work the Minister is doing is to make sure there is parity and that people are not being charged on the double or triple or beyond what they should be because we know that is not the case through certain pharmacies. I will relay the Deputy's concerns directly to the Minister and ask her to give him a direct update as to where things are at now. I am not sure it is fully resolved but I know she is working to resolve this issue more broadly.
Sentiment score: 0.17
No one wants to hear of somebody of any age, let alone an 80-year-old person, having to go into homeless accommodation. It is important to stress that we have cost rental in place, which we did not have a few years ago. That is helping a lot of people. Without knowing the exact details of this case, perhaps there is an opportunity for the local authority to step in with the tenant in situ scheme. I am not sure but I am happy to take the details of the case and relay them back to the Minister.
Sentiment score: 0.14
We all know as local representatives, because first and foremost, we are local representatives, how important it is that when we build new homes, we build new communities as well. It is not just about houses but about shops, community centres, recreational facilities, playing pitches, schools and all of the things we need to build a new community. It is important to get that right when we are developing our county development plans and that the local authorities look at all of these different options. In my county, we are working on a variation of our current county development plan. There will be a process in place for every county to develop a new county development plan. That is the time, working with our local councillors and local authorities, to ensure that any new planning is supported with these facilities the Deputy mentioned, or the space and zoning for these facilities. Beyond that, we have a national development plan, which does not just focus on our critical infrastructure alone. Within that plan, funding can be announced by different Departments, whether for sporting agencies, community centres, active travel programmes and various other initiatives that we all we want to see advocated for. Working with the local authorities, it is important that work is put in place first.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I concur with everything the Deputy has said. When I spent almost a year in the Department of education last year, special education was one area on which I really wanted to work and make greater progress. There is a greater level of need in special schools but there has also been an increase in need across mainstream schools, if you want to call them that, including special classes within those schools. We need to make sure every penny we spend in current or capital is targeted towards those who need it most. Perhaps there is more we need to do, for example by designating special schools specifically as requiring more and increasing what they receive. They already get greater levels of support in teaching and resources. In the same way that we have adjusted DEIS over the years when the environment, the population and the needs have changed, perhaps we need to take a further look at what is needed now - what further resources are required - and how to incorporate that into current and capital budgets which is important. Twenty new special schools have been opened since 2019-----
Sentiment score: 0.45
-----and four more will open later this year.
Sentiment score: 0.00
This is a priority for us and we need to enhance it in every way we can.
Sentiment score: 0.00
My experience and what I saw when I was on the ground in Rafah at the beginning of the year was not inaction by the Egyptian Government or our own officials. It was a preventing of aid or these types of supports by the Israeli Government. I am happy to engage directly with my team on the ground to see what the current situation is. I am happy to engage with the Minister, Mr. Abdelatty, my counterpart in Egypt whom I met there, to see if there is any possibility. My experience is that this decision is taken solely by the Israeli authorities. As we have seen and as I have said a number of times today, they are prohibiting and preventing this type of life-saving treatment from getting in, which is completely unacceptable. I have also been very clear that I will bring forward legislation on the occupied territories Bill in the coming weeks.
Sentiment score: 0.28
While I am not aware of how information is gathered or whether it is held at a national level as opposed to a county level, I will ask the Minister to come back directly to Deputy Nolan to relay whether this is a practice that happens or does not happen at the county level, in particular, or at national level, or if there are plans to do this.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank the Deputy for raising this. For the first time, the most recent family law strategy - which I published two years ago, I think - places a greater emphasis on children, on the impact separation can have on them and, most important, on how we provide supports to young people as they go through the court process with their parents or outside of it where there are experts who engage with them. I have heard a lot of stories, as I am sure the Deputy has, about where engagement with families has not been done appropriately. The family court strategy was always to be a living, breathing document and if changes or adjustments were needed as issues arose, they could be included. I will ask the issue the Deputy has raised to be brought directly to the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to see if something can be done within the family justice strategy. Perhaps something is already in train that he can engage with the Deputy on.
Sentiment score: 0.49
We have towns and villages that have seen significant growth in recent years, but where the provision of services has not matched it. The Deputy mentioned Kilcock in particular. There are a lot of young families where both parents are working. We need to make sure we provide support for them through childcare so they can continue in their work. As he said, some of Kilcock is in my constituency so I am very aware of the challenges and concerns that parents have. He mentioned that we as a Government and our party, Fine Gael, advocated strongly before coming into government for a State-led childcare scheme that would fill the gaps where we do not have services, where it is not possible for private providers to expand or grow, and where we need to see investment in particular areas with strong growth. The building blocks extension grant scheme is currently operating to try to support extension of existing premises and, in the case of community operators, the purchase or construction of new buildings. In addition, earlier this year the Minister launched a new programme of investment in State-led early learning and childcare.
Sentiment score: 0.32
Under the early learning and childcare capital programme, the Government and Department will select up to eight facilities a year.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I will ask in my engagement with the Minister for these areas to be identified as there is large population and family growth-----
Sentiment score: 0.46
-----in the areas the Deputy mentioned, such as Kilcock. However, I do not have a specific timeline for that.
Sentiment score: 0.00
While the Deputy has outlined some of the details, I obviously do not know all of the facts of the case. I know that when it comes to teacher allocation, it is very much based on pupil numbers. Where you have such a small gap between what would allow the second teacher, there are always appeals that can take place. I know from experience that sometimes it is not fully understood how to put in the appeal because if your numbers are going to go up in the following year, if it is within a certain figure, you can retain the teacher. I ask the Deputy to engage with the school directly and to encourage it to look at the appeal process more broadly. I will bring to the attention of the Minister the other specific legacy post.
Sentiment score: 0.20
The over-riding priority needs to be two things, and I know the Deputy will agree with this. First, we need to ensure the students currently in the college can complete their studies. I have been given assurances that that will continue. The agreed approach is to support Carlow College in delivering the existing programmes through to their completion to August 2028. Second, as the Deputy rightly said, we have excellent people who have been working there for many years and we need to make sure they are supported. I know the Minister has been engaging directly with the college because of the fact that it is a private, autonomous institution outside of the publicly funded higher education system. While there is a need to respect its autonomy, we need to make sure we support such highly skilled, educated and trained people and professionals, who have been imparting their knowledge to students for years, to apply for competitions to fill vacancies in situ that they will be working closely with, or to examine what other opportunities may be available to them. I can relay the concerns the Deputy has raised directly to the Minister.
Sentiment score: 0.46
I will start by fully agreeing with the Deputy. We all know that our secretaries and caretakers are at the very heart of our schools. They are the first people you meet on the grounds as you are walking in. The first person to welcome you is generally the secretary. They are absolutely invaluable in our schools. For me, and I think all of us, it is really important that a resolution is found to the ongoing dispute. The Department of Education and Youth has been engaging with Fórsa and the Department of public expenditure and reform for a number of months now. That was under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission. As the Deputy said, more recently, this has been referred to the Labour Court. My understanding is that the parties remain in this process. There is information that had to be provided but we should, hopefully, see a resolution and a recommendation from the Labour Court soon. While I do not have an exact date, I know there is a huge amount of effort being made to try and bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible.
Sentiment score: 0.20
First, I acknowledge that a number of hundred people have lost their jobs this week. I have no doubt that it is a very difficult time for them and many of their families. I stress that our enterprise agencies, first and foremost, are trying to assist in whatever way they possibly can those who are impacted to help them to find alternative employment. This includes sharing the skills profiles of the employees who have been impacted to companies who may be hiring with multinationals in IDA client-based or indigenous companies throughout Enterprise Ireland. On top of that, IDA Ireland is in regular contact with the leadership, as is the Minister, to offer any support we can in this regard. We all know that this something that has been coming down the track for some time. The introduction of AI means there is going to be a restructuring in companies like this. What we are trying to do - I mentioned this earlier - is focus on how we as a country and the EU as a whole can be more competitive. This means not only looking at other markets, but also embracing AI to see how new forms of jobs can come out of this as well. It is quite competitive and is one of our priorities; it is why we will be hosting an AI strategy summit in October of this year.
Sentiment score: 0.12
The one thing we can all hope for when we get older is that we have the supports we need and that we are treated with dignity and respect. To the Deputy's point, what this gentleman needs is to ensure he has a place outside of a hospital, in a home where he is cared for and supported. I have no doubt he is being cared for in the hospital and in the setting he is in now by the fantastic staff we have in our hospitals but I agree with the Deputy that we need to make sure we are investing more in our nursing homes that are dementia-specific and dementia-friendly. I have many of them in my own constituency and where it is specific to that particular need, it is transformative for the individuals who are there. We also need to invest further in our dementia-specific hubs and carers within our communities so that we can support people in the community. If the Deputy wants to pass on the specific details of the gentleman, I will be happy to pass them on to the Minister and ask her to contact the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.57
The Deputy will appreciate that without knowing the details of the case as to why the man is not being released or sent home or another care facility I cannot comment. I am happy to take the details and pass them directly to the Minister.
Sentiment score: 0.64
I will flag it with her.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I am very to sorry to hear of this case and offer my condolences to his family. As the Deputy outlined, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons makes sure these types of cases and challenges in our prisons are highlighted and, most importantly, addressed. I can certainly raise the case directly with the Minister. The wider point is that we have too many people in our prison system with mental health problems who should not be in prison. I know from my time in the Department of justice, and having visited prisons and engaged with prisoners, those working in prisons, including prison officers, feel the same. Investment in our new facility in Portrane will open new spaces so that we have fewer people in our prisons. More broadly, it is about making sure that when people leave prison, there is step-down support in the community, so that they do not become like a revolving door, and that mental health supports are provided outside the prison, which includes the wider piece of work the prison task force has been doing on mental health in prisons over the past number of years. While it will take time, it is something we need to continue to focus on and prioritise. I can certainly raise this specific case directly with the Minister.
Sentiment score: -0.05