I am very much aware of how important solicitors are to our criminal justice system and our constitutional right to representation, which is the undercurrent of any constitutional democracy. Every Government has to reform, however, and it is key that in working with the Minister for justice and having dialogue with the parties concerned, we get an agreement here. The Government has to be very clear. If we look at the data over the last number of years, there has been a 115% increase in fees in the criminal justice system, yet the number of cases has reduced. We have to tackle the issues with reform in that regard. I am sure the Deputy would support that when he sees data like that. Critically, we have countered the current offer-----

Sentiment score: 0.38

-----of it equating to five appearances in the District Court plus an additional 8%. We need to have a landing zone for this as a Government. We need to ensure that gardaí and solicitors can do their jobs and that the criminal justice system can function but a Government has to reform and we cannot be held back from doing that.

Sentiment score: 0.07

I thank Deputy Cummins for her important question. As I said earlier, this is an important time to support and work with victims. Obviously a legal process was under way with the competent authority, which was An Coimisiún Pleanála, making its determination. Now we need the space to liaise with victims, and to support survivors, which is very important. It would be a huge disservice to them if I was to make a decision on the hoof on the Dáil floor without having the imprimatur of my Government colleagues. It is not my responsibility to do so but I will absolutely raise the concern the Deputy has brought forward with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the respective Minister.

Sentiment score: 0.46

I thank Deputy Wall for his very important intervention. I heard part of the interview this morning, which was exceptional and very courageous, showing leadership in an area which affects so many people in our society. I know the Minister for Health is supportive of the Deputy's initiative and remains so. I hope that we can all work together to make society a better place for people who struggle with these life-limiting conditions and give them the opportunity to function as normally as they can, notwithstanding the challenges that they have, and make society a better place for us all. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is very supportive. I hope the Minister and Deputy Wall will continue to work together. I commend Deputy Wall on his work and leadership in this regard and the exceptional interview that we heard this morning.

Sentiment score: 0.50

I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising this important matter, which the Government takes with the utmost seriousness. I outlined the legal reform we are doing, with penalties and harder laws to ensure that those who perpetrate such heinous crimes face the maximum penalty, and, critically, that those victims and survivors who are left behind are supported. I know we supported the Private Members' Bill in the Seanad in connection with online activity and protecting young people in particular in that regard. We absolutely have much more work to do to protect them. I am to the forefront in calling for that to happen, particularly for a pan-European approach, which would be more structurally sound, to have the maximum impact.

Sentiment score: 0.25

Stamp duty was linked to construction, and construction is not as beneficial to revenue, because there is no export. We are doing three things to support and underwrite the vulnerability of the State. We have record capital expenditure, of €19 billion this year, which is up 54% in two years. We are paying down our debt, which is critical to keep our balance sheets strong. We have reduced it by 40 basis points since the pandemic. We are investing in our future. We have over €24 billion in two funds that are investing based on the fact that 1 million people in our country will be over the age of 65 by 2030. The capital infrastructure we have to put in will be transformational. If we keep doing those three things, that will make our value proposition very strong to attract investment. Critically, it will improve the chances of our indigenous economy. I always point out that the top ten Irish-born firms in Ireland employ 450,000 people globally. Enterprise Ireland has had a record year with €38.86 billion in exports for the €3 billion spent in the economy. We are in a strong position in our indigenous economy. I welcome Deputy O'Connor, as Chairperson of the enterprise committee, and the ideas he has brought forward to do more and to support Startups Ireland, which will be critical, as well as the national acceleratory unit we will have next year, again ensuring that all our entrepreneurs, start-ups and high-performance units get the support they need.

Sentiment score: 0.18

The Deputy quite rightly outlined the challenges in this regard and how important it is to get equality of access and opportunity, which is a key theme. I support the Deputy's call to ensure that we have activity, regardless of age or socio-economic status. We must also progress the commitment in the sports for all approach, which is key on behalf of the Government. I will raise the Deputy's ideas in that regard with the Minister for sport. I commend her on driving this issue forward. This gives people opportunity. It is an investment in our children, our future, to be active and, essentially, bring them into the community, integrate them more and give them the best possibility of living a healthy life, which has huge additional benefits. We do not want any child to be held back by poverty. There is a poverty unit in the Department of the Taoiseach now. In relation to budget 2026, we focused on the child support payment and having a separate budget for child poverty, which we need to accelerate in the years ahead.

Sentiment score: 0.29

I thank Deputy Dempsey for advocating on behalf of her constituents and, critically, calling out the work that the staff do in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan in supporting the community, often in challenging circumstances. I assure the Deputy, working with the Minister for Health, that we will support additional services to the hospital and, critically, support our community in the record budget that our health service now has. We expect significant delivery over the years ahead. I will bring the Deputy's comments to the Minister for Health as well.

Sentiment score: 0.49

I thank Deputy Callaghan for raising this important issue. Critically, we all know in society that work must pay. We must ensure that we are rewarding enterprise and people who are working because their contributions keep the economy going, pay for all our public services and, ultimately, protect the most vulnerable. That is why, in budget 2027, the Government collectively needs to make a big statement on income tax. It needs to support so many working families and ensure that they are getting more of their hard-earned money back - their own money back in their pockets - to demonstrate the Government's absolute clarity that we want to continue growing our workforce, supporting working families, ensuring that work will pay and that we reward enterprise.

Sentiment score: 0.42

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this very important issue. We need to support families and patients who have rare conditions. I know the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has significantly enhanced the approval process through the Health Products Regulatory Authority. More work is being carried out and a tender process is ongoing in that regard. One in every eight euro we spend in the State is on medicines. We have increased our spend very significantly but we have more to do, particularly in relation to rare diseases. The work in our strategy sets out very clearly where we want to get to. I thank Deputy O’Sullivan and his colleagues for the work he is doing highlighting this very important issue for some very vulnerable people.

Sentiment score: 0.31

It is a very significant challenge for the Government to deliver a successful Presidency. My informal meeting commences today when all the European Ministers will come to Dublin Castle to discuss issues that are at the core of Europe’s policy and future, which is so important to our country. I will talk to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade about the specific circumstances around the businesses the Deputy mentioned. I am not aware that they have been on to me specifically about the disruption the Deputy rightly pointed out, but I am happy to raise his comments with the Minister to see if we can put any mitigation measures in place as we deliver a highly successful Presidency.

Sentiment score: 0.50

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue for perfusionists who are at the forefront of supporting some very complex surgeries and ensuring patients can get back on their feet and partake in society again. This really demonstrates how our industrial relations system works and its value. Fórsa, the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health came together and worked through the Labour Court and ultimately got an agreement where Fórsa has suspended industrial action and the dispute has been resolved. It is critical in terms of the public service pay agreement framework that we operationalise that resolution. I will bring the Deputy’s comments to the Minister for Health. Work is to commence on a new public service pay agreement which is so important for the cohesiveness in society. I am sure our public services remain agile and productive which is key to a successful economy.

Sentiment score: 0.34

The issue Deputy Smith raised is very important in protecting the most vulnerable children with additional needs and helping them progress in society. We can see the benefits of the investment by the State in special education over the last number of years, critically, the growth in special needs assistants and the growth in support for additional special classes. I will raise the Deputy’s concerns about Malahide to the Minister for education. It is very important and considering the scale and size of Malahide, I understand his concern. Hopefully, he can have a meeting to resolve the issue.

Sentiment score: 0.49

We need a compassionate response from the Government that really puts survivors and victims to the fore in this case. I have not read the report from An Coimisiún Pleanála but I will relay the Deputy’s concerns to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Obviously, I cannot make a statement on the floor of the House unilaterally that requires action without the imprimatur of my government colleagues but, as I said, victims and survivors come first in a very dark history of our State.

Sentiment score: -0.07

I will raise those concerns with the Minister for education. It is critical to give every child in society the opportunity to realise their ambition in life. In my own hometown, I have seen the growth of special education facilities and new special schools. We need to ensure every child in the State gets that opportunity. It is a huge challenge for the Government. I will raise the Deputy’s policy question with the Minister for education and ask her to come back to her directly.

Sentiment score: 0.33

Not a week goes by that Deputy Maxwell does not mention Combilift to me. I know it has now reached its 100,000 milestone of machine-making in Monaghan, which is very significant. It provides huge employment. I know Martin and Robert there do exceptional work. It is really a lighthouse company for what we want in Ireland: innovation, an indigenous company, Irish born, exporting, growing its footprint in Ireland and operating in 85 markets around the globe. I absolutely assure the Deputy that Enterprise Ireland will be to the forefront of supporting that company's growth trajectory, which is very important to me as Minister because I want to demonstrate to others that this is what you can do when you have vision and ambition, working in partnership with Enterprise Ireland. I really commend the Deputy on the work he is doing, putting the company first and putting the workers first in Monaghan because jobs of that scale in a rural community like in Monaghan is so important. I put them at a premium and will do all I can in my Ministry to protect them.

Sentiment score: 0.41

I thank Deputy Stanley for raising a very important issue. Critically, he is quite right about the capacity and power of e-scooters. They are a huge risk to public safety. The Government is taking this very seriously. I echo the Deputy's calls that we have to make it a priority. I know there is an enforcement unit with An Garda Síochána and I know the work it has to do. It takes time because the prevalence of e-scooters now is very significant. We can all see that in our communities and in our daily lives. We have a huge body of work to do. I was absolutely shocked to hear the number of children who were in ICU last week directly as a result of e-scooters. Any parent would be so shocked to hear that. We have to turn that shock into action and ensure that we have enforcement-----

Sentiment score: 0.05

-----and that we take action. I will raise the matter with the Minister for justice.

Sentiment score: 0.27