It will be on Tuesday. The Deputy said Tuesday, Wednesday or whenever, but there is quite a lot of clarity from Government in relation to that. We intend to bring forward an appropriate intervention at our next Cabinet meeting, which will be on Tuesday. Work is under way in relation to that right now. As recently as the past hour or so, the Minister for energy and transport met with the Irish Road Haulage Association. It was a very good and constructive meeting. The association outlined to him some of the challenges its members, who are a critical part of our economy and our supply chains, are facing. We will work through some of those thoughts and proposals in the coming hours. The Government is absolutely clear that there is real pressure on families and businesses. People are feeling it at the pumps and in the cost of a fill of oil. As I confirmed last night, we are finalising what we believe to be an appropriate intervention for the areas in which there is the most acute pressure and challenge. In the Sinn Féin proposal, there is no talk about the fuel allowance. That is rather interesting, given that the people who are most at risk of fuel poverty really rely on that support. There is significant international volatility. I was reading about what the Italian Government is considering doing today. It is talking about doing it for just 20 days. This is because governments right around the world, and I presume oppositions, are not able to predict where this conflict in the Middle East and the Gulf is going to bring the global economy. As I said last night - I reiterate it today - any measures that the Government takes next week need to fulfil two primary objectives. They need to ensure that assistance can be applied quickly and that we keep the space to adapt the response, should that be required, in the weeks and months ahead. We need to be honest that there is very little certainty in terms of where this conflict will go and what the economic impact could be, particularly when we consider that the length and depth of the conflict is such an important aspect. The Government has already taken a number of actions. We have increased the fuel allowance to €38 per week. This means that the fuel allowance is now worth €1,064 per year to households. We are also expanding it in order that more people can qualify. Just last week, thanks to the intervention of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, we expanded the fuel allowance to ensure that 50,000 families on the working family payment can benefit. This has been backdated to January, with many families getting lump sum payments of up to €308. Some 50,000 real people have benefited. We live in a country where over 470,000 households, or over one quarter of all homes in Ireland, now qualify for the fuel allowance. We have also reduced VAT on gas and electricity to 9% out to the end of the decade. We are supporting over 500,000 householders, many of them pensioners, with an allowance of €420 annually towards their gas and electricity bills under the household benefits package. It is not correct to say that we are doing nothing. In fact, this year alone we are spending over €486 million on fuel allowance, €317 million on the household benefits package and €640 million on retrofitting. That is €1.5 billion on just those three measures alone. I heard Deputy Doherty's interview on radio this morning. When he was asked where all the money was going to come from, his answer was that we should just take it out of the surplus. He knows that if you keep taking things out of a surplus, it becomes a deficit. I also heard the Deputy say that the State is making a fortune on this and that it is estimated that it took in €38 million in taxes in one week alone as a result of these fuel costs. That is the annual cost not a weekly cost. Revenue estimates the cost at around €3 million per week. Accuracy is important, figures are important and getting this right is important and that is exactly what this Government intends to do.

Sentiment score: 0.08

Because we want to get it right and a little bit of humility from the man who went on "Morning Ireland" this morning and got his figures out by €35 million a week would not go astray. The Deputy quoted an annual figure and said that we took in €38 million in windfall last week when it is €3 million. That is not a couple of million. The Deputy was out by €35 million a week. We are going to get this right, we are going to take it step by step and we are going to work with European counterparts. The Taoiseach is at the European Council, the Minister for Transport has just finished a meeting with the hauliers, the Minister for Social Protection is considering how we can assist because most in need and my Department's economics team is trying to present the best macroeconomic analysis. The only place where there is dithering is where there is a Sinn Féin finance minister. Sinn Féin has powers in Northern Ireland to expand the fuel poverty funds but the only assistance, and it is a small bit of assistance, for people in Northern Ireland so far has been from the British Government. The Northern Ireland Executive, the Sinn Féin First Minister, the Sinn Féin finance minister and Sinn Féin economy minister have brought forward exactly zero euro and zero cent in measures to help people in Northern Ireland. This Government will act and act in the here and now. We are finalising our proposals and we will work with people and support them in the time ahead.

Sentiment score: 0.11

I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing up this issue and not for the first time. I know his professional and political interest and priority in relation to this, and he is right. This is a real time of anxiety for many parents across the country and we are acutely aware of that. I am aware of it as are the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. The Deputy's comments have been quite balanced because, objectively, we have seen some progress when it comes to special education. We now see special education funding of more than €3 billion this year, which is about 58% higher than it was in 2020. We see the majority of children with special educational needs supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. That is as a result of a very significant uplift in special education teachers and SNAs. We have made a decision, which the Deputy and I debated in this House previously, in relation to only proceeding with the review where there was an upward lift in SNAs. That means we were planning for about 1,700 or thereabouts additional SNAs this year. That figure will now be around 2,200, which means we will have over 25,000 SNAs in our schools this September. We have already provided funding for over 400 new special classes and at least 400 new special school places for the 2026-2027 school year. It is intended that would create around 3,000 new special education placements for September 2026. I think there will be a further memo going to Cabinet, probably in April, but the Deputy is right that people do not live by memos. It is the kind of thing we do in this place but in the real world, it is what is about happening in the here and now. Yesterday, we saw 36 additional special classes announced by the Minister and Minister of State. At our weekly leaders' meeting on Monday, there will be a special focus on education with the Minister and Minister of State where we will be updated on a number of these issues in relation to special education, SNAs and classes as well. That is important. What I can say is we are working around the clock to make sure no child will be prevented from starting school and to make sure every support possible is and can be in place. I do need to be honest. I do not like the word "demand". We are seeing a very significant increase in need. These are needs. Parents are not going around demanding things. These are needs their children have. We are seeing a very significant increase in that need. In fairness to the Department, the Minister and the Minister of State and their predecessors, there was a real effort to try to get somewhat ahead of it this year with the opening of the portal in October but through no fault of any parent, even after that, a significant number of additional children came forward. I can understand why that is the case. What we are trying to do now is work our way through that. I do not have the exact numbers to hand right now but it is a somewhat fluid situation. I think the Deputy's idea of a centralised portal is a good idea and I will certainly talk with the Minister about that. I know she will engage with the Deputy as well. We want to have the best data possible but the priority in the here and now is to make sure we prepare as best as we can for September and that we put in place robust plans to make sure no child is prevented from starting school. I am very conscious of the point the Deputy made about how being close to one's community is vital for people.

Sentiment score: 0.29

I agree with that but I stress that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, is certainly not waiting for any further piece of work to be done. Of course, there are lots of further pieces of work under way but in the here and now, the Minister is working to make sure more classes are put in place and opened, with a particular focus on schools where they have a physical ability to open another class and where there are not longer lead-in times. I thank schools right across the country which are stepping up and showing real flexibility and leadership on this. The Minister does too. I am pleased the Deputy raised the issue of the €19 million because I want to say two things in relation to that. First, where it will come from is total voted expenditure of €118 billion. Some €19 million was a lot in the context of the SNA situation; it is very manageable in the context of total voted expenditure. Second, we have contingency funds and the likes built into our overall €118 billion. I said two points but I have three points. Third, it will be additional funding to the Department of education. It will not be a question of robbing Peter to pay Paul within the Department of education. Our absolute commitment is to work to make sure every child due to start school in September can start school then with the maximum levels of support possible. I am conscious when it comes to "appropriate", that is often, I suppose, not subjective but based on the best information available at the time to a family and a school. We will certainly be working to open more classes and with schools and parents through the NCSE. We will have further engagement in government on this on Monday evening.

Sentiment score: 0.30

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. I will address each of his points. First, when this Government acts next week, I believe we will be among the first to act. There certainly are many countries in the European Union who are still pondering what to do. I mentioned only a few moments ago the Italians are looking at what to do for a 20-day period. There is huge volatility. I was in the UK the other day meeting the Chancellor of the Exchequer. From memory, they have announced an intervention of roughly £53 million, which is roughly the equivalent of €5 million in terms of Ireland's population. Lots of countries are trying to work out what is the best thing to do here. I have to be honest with the Deputy that it is not straightforward because we cannot predict with any sense of certainty how long this will go, how deep this will go and even if the conflict ends - we all want to see this conflict end and de-escalated - what the economic hangover from that will be. I have certainly been very hands on. I have been at meetings of the Eurogroup, ECOFIN, and with the Commission, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Taoiseach and Government colleagues in relation to this as well as with my own economic team in the Department of Finance as we seek to get this right. I take the point in relation to energy costs already being very high in Ireland. That is one of the reasons we have expanded the fuel allowance to a further 50,000 people. The Deputy mentioned the number of people in energy arrears. They are real numbers. I accept that. However, a real number also is that now 470,000 households, more than ever before, are now getting direct help with their fuel costs. For the first time, 470,000 people receive help. That is real as well. The Deputy asked when. The when is Tuesday. When the Cabinet meets, we will act. The Deputy asked how quickly will the measures come in. He has to allow me finalise the measures but I said in my comments in the Dáil last night, and I said it again today and I repeat it, that we will attach a premium to measures that can come in quickly. The Deputy has mentioned some measures that could potentially come in quickly. I have heard the Deputy's idea in relation to the energy credit. I know it is put forward in good faith. Nobody should be dismissing anybody's ideas that are brought forward in good faith because I do not doubt they are. We are all trying to achieve the same thing here. The only point I would make is that I am not sure the speediest or most effective way, being truthful, with the time of the year we are coming into, that is, bringing in temporary energy credits - and I am not saying this to be flippant - in a summer period that would not be in place in a winter period. There are other ways, more quickly, we can alleviate and help. I know this idea is brought forward in good faith. As I say, we all need to approach this with humility, and I certainly do too. However, it would require primary legislation and the likes. There may be quicker ways of helping people and possibly achieving the same aim the Deputy is trying to achieve as well. We will finalise our proposals. The Deputy asks, why not right now? Literally, only an hour or so ago, the Minister for Transport finished his latest engagement with the hauliers. He is working through some of their proposals. We need to make one intervention here that tries to address the areas most under pressure. Whatever we do should be for a short sharp period of time in the first instance to provide us with the flexibility as a State to further respond to an evolving situation.

Sentiment score: 0.25

I am genuinely not trying to be argumentative or provocative in relation to this because we need to work together on this but I have to say what we do now has an effect on what we can do in the future. The Deputy knows that, I know that and we all know that. The point I am making is, of course, we need to look at what we can do in the here and now. I get that, and that is what we are doing. However, we also need to be conscious, as we stand here in the Dáil in the month of March, of where the global economy could be in the month of September or July. What if the Deputy comes into the House then and says all of a sudden that we are not talking about energy but are talking about this or that. We need to look at this in the round. The Irish economy approaches this moment of global challenge from a position of relative strength but we have also got to be conscious of leaving ourselves as a country with the flexibility to adapt our response, depending on where the situation goes. We all hope this de-escalates very quickly, for humanitarian and economic reasons. The Deputy asked about targeted measures and then made a proposal on excise, which obviously is not targeted. What I would say now is-----

Sentiment score: 0.07

I have said very clearly that we should, in the first instance, always target those most in need. I have referenced the fuel allowance as a useful vehicle that we have used in that regard, but I have also made the point that there are real challenges at the pumps. In the past, we have made interventions around excise that have been of assistance to people. We are looking at what we can do in the round across a number of Departments. What we do has to be sustainable, it has to be proportionate and it has to be time-bound, because we have gone down this road before of thinking-----

Sentiment score: 0.17

I am trying to have a substantive conversation with the Deputy's deputy leader about energy.

Sentiment score: 0.27

I am acting in good faith and saying I want to work with people, and Deputy Hearne is just shouting at me.

Sentiment score: 0.72

But the Deputy is interrupting me, and that is his choice. We will bring forward a package on Tuesday that will endeavour to target measures at those most in need and assist those feeling the pressure at the pumps. However, the package will also have to be done in a way that provides flexibility for this country to adapt to the unknown.

Sentiment score: -0.09

It is important to say that Deputy Fitzmaurice knows about a lot more than just agriculture. He knows about being a decent human being as well. I thank him for the way he is approaching this issue and working with his colleague, Deputy Martin Daly. That is one of the finest contributions I have heard in here in awhile. I obviously do not know the young woman the Deputy is talking about, but I can only imagine the absolute nightmare she, her husband, their young children and their wider family have endured. I hope one day, when she recovers, that I will get to meet her because she sounds like she has an extraordinary determination in her recovery journey. As we all know, albeit without knowing anything about the clinical situation, the progress people can make after the most incredible injuries is quite remarkable. I appreciate and will pass on the praise the Deputy has levelled on the air ambulance and Beaumont Hospital, and the many interactions the woman has had with the health service. The short answer is I will ask the Minister for Health to engage with the Deputy and Deputy Daly on this woman's pathway of care and what can be done. As a rule of thumb and for good reason, we do not comment on individual clinical plans in the Dáil but I can certainly ask that the Minister engage with both Deputies and the HSE on this. Based on what the Deputy has said, it sounds like much progress is being made, but there are clearly pinch points in key areas. Deputy Fitzmaurice referenced the speech and language therapy, physio and other areas. The Deputy mentioned a transfer to Ballinasloe, which I think has happened. I am hoping that transfer helps. I will try to work out what that means with regard to Merlin Park. The best thing I can do is ask the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to engage with both Deputies and the HSE on this. I offer the woman every good wish.

Sentiment score: 0.44

I hope that is the case. Certainly, I will ask the Minister to engage with both Deputies Fitzmaurice and Daly. I will just make a couple of comments. The point the Deputy made about the physical environment was a very important one. One of the happiest days I had as Taoiseach was the opening of the newly refurbished National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH. It has always been an incredible hospital in Dún Laoghaire. To a layman like me, it has performed miracles in people's rehabilitation journeys. However, the facilities were not where they needed to be. For somebody who has to spend a long period in a hospital on that journey, you need to have your bit of privacy, space, an en suite and access to therapy spaces. Real progress has been made in that regard. I take the Deputy's point, and will bring it to the attention of the Minister and the HSE, regarding the system and the need for more co-ordination. My own view on this is that there are certain areas where it is so specialist that there needs to be a national approach whereby people can move seamlessly to the most appropriate place across the country. I will certainly ask the Minister to engage with both Deputies on that. I wish the woman all the very best.

Sentiment score: 0.31