3. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [7897/26]

Sentiment score: -0.04

Among the priorities of the child poverty and well-being programme in the Taoiseach's Department is to enhance participation in culture, arts and sport for children and young people affected by poverty. In many of our disadvantaged communities, there is an absence of active and passive recreational spaces where children can congregate, come together, enjoy each other's company and generate some positivity from each other. Last year, the Government provided €500,000 spread across all local authorities, a maximum of €20,000 per local authority. We need to increase that funding. Yesterday, I was in the Headford Road part of Galway city. It is an area of significant population with one of the biggest DEIS schools in the city. It has no playground and very little by way of play spaces or active recreational spaces. We need to look at this area in terms of disadvantaged communities, and enhancing and further providing facilities for the children of those communities.

Sentiment score: 0.08

17. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach for an overview of the Budget 2026: Spotlight on Disability report recently published by his Department. [18505/26]

Sentiment score: 0.00

We all very much welcome the introduction, as the Taoiseach mentioned, of the new therapy and education service that will be implemented in special schools from next September. I very much welcome this for two schools in my constituency, Ábalta Special School and St. Joseph's Special School. One other commitment of the programme for Government - I think it is also included in the strategy in the Taoiseach's Department for tackling child poverty and supporting well-being, which the Taoiseach spoke about earlier - is to implement a single point of access for children referred to primary care, disability or mental health services. We are all familiar with the frustration of parents who are referred for a particular service and, when they visit that service, are advised that it is not the appropriate service for their child. People will be familiar with terms like CAMHS, CAMHS-ID, community psychology, disability network teams and assessments of need. It is crucial that we actively seek to implement a service such that there is no wrong door for the parent, that whatever referral they receive can act on the needs of their child and that these services work together and co-ordinate together to make sure that the child receives the appropriate service they need in a timely manner.

Sentiment score: 0.32