The Government has set out very clear priorities in terms of the reform of the triple lock legislation, which is central to the world as it has been changing in political and geopolitical contexts. We have been very clear that we are absolutely militarily neutral but we are not----
Sentiment score: 0.34
We are not politically neutral.
Sentiment score: 0.00
To see Sinn Féin oppose the €90 billion going to Ukraine-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
-----shows what side is Sinn Féin on when it comes to the aggression----
Sentiment score: 0.00
---and some of the votes it has had in the European Parliament and so on. We are very clear-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
-----around our position and we should not have a veto on our deployment of troops by Russia, China or others. We want to ensure that this evolves in the context of the reforms we are setting out.
Sentiment score: 0.22
The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is advancing the work of the energy affordability task force. We are engaging on it regularly at Cabinet committee level. Separately, the pricing system in the energy market is defined by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. The pricing is not set by Government. We also need to ensure we protect overall economic investment into the country. Digital infrastructure will play a role in terms of job creation and overall employment growth for Ireland into the medium to long term. We need to have an honest conversation about that. Just attacking data centres and digital infrastructure would undermine our wider economic growth into the long term. The facts are that the pricing system is decided independent of Government. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is advancing significant investment into our energy system and grid. We have the PR6, price review 6, which will allow for multi-billion investment into the grid and into our energy system over the next five years, all of which will help our wider renewable energy ambitions. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will be bringing forth further actions around energy affordability.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I have seen some of the reporting on this online and it is shocking what that particular student experienced. UCD or, indeed, any third level institution should work with a student who has undergone shocking circumstances. Any third level institution or education institution should be working in a way that allows such a student to finish her studies, in a way that would reflect all of our institutions in second or third level. I would call on UCD to work with the student to allow her to complete her studies. She has gone through enough. I was shocked, as indeed everyone in this House has been, about what she has been subjected to in the recent period. It is incumbent on every public institution to work with her, so she can complete her studies. She has gone through enough.
Sentiment score: -0.11
I do not have the facts or background on the particular matter relating to forensic psychiatrists but I will ask the Taoiseach and his office to respond comprehensively to the Deputy. I know he raised the importance of this matter and the comments of the judge in the past month with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in the context of forensic psychiatry. There is a Department of justice context as well. I will ask them to respond comprehensively to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I appreciate the huge frustration in the Cork community with this commuter service. People should expect, with a properly funded service, that it is punctual, reliable and frequent. The National Transport Authority has clear oversight responsibilities for bus operators to ensure that happens. There are various penalties and fines that can be imposed if a particular service does not run properly. I will ask our colleague, the Minister for Transport, to engage with Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority to ensure the repeated issues the Deputy referenced are dealt with. We are funding our transport system at a record level but performance is critical. As the Deputy said, it is not necessarily a budgetary issue; it is an issue of performance. We will ask for strengthened oversight from the National Transport Authority and the Department of Transport relating to that issue.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I acknowledge for particular individuals there is a high threshold or bar for the primary medical certifcate. It can be extraordinarily difficult. I think we all, as constituency TDs, deal with that frequently. I will ask the Minister for Health to respond to the Deputy on the feedback he has given and any changes that will come of it. It is important to have a framework and parameters. I know that can create difficulties for particular individuals but I will ask her to engage and reflect the feedback.
Sentiment score: 0.05
What I agreed with the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, was that there would be record capital funding for healthcare overall over the next five years. That is to underpin significant investment and development for women's' health, maternity healthcare and much more across the system. I am sure the Deputy is referencing the HSE capital plan. I do not have the specific feedback relating to University Hospital Kerry but we want to modernise our health infrastructure. A clear part of that relates to maternity care. The Minister for Health can perhaps come back to the Deputy on that particular capital project. I do not have the detail about why it might not have received the level of funding the Deputy expects for 2026. We are clear that we want to advance a significant number of projects across the maternity system in the capital plan over the next number of years.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I acknowledge the contribution so many members of our health system made during Covid. The special scheme for long Covid which was established in July 2022 and extended on a number of occasions. As the Deputy knows, this entered into a Labour Court process which the Government accepted at the time. Following several extensions, the final extension in June last year meant the scheme concluded on 31 December 2025. It does not mean supports will end. Staff who remain unfit to work will move into the public service sick leave scheme. That provides for payment of 92 calendar days on full pay in a rolling one-year period followed by 91 calendar days on half pay. There is significant protection through the public service sick leave scheme. The Government accepted the recommendation of the Labour Court.
Sentiment score: -0.05
I regret that the 50 students have not had their school transport provided for despite sanction to do so. This is a performance and management issue between the Department of education with Bus Éireann and whoever the particular operator is. I will ask the Minister for education to engage on that matter. Where a service has been provided for, it should be delivered. I do not know the background as to why that has not happened for the students the Deputy referenced. I will ask the Department of education to follow up on that in the context of providing the particular service for the children involved.
Sentiment score: -0.01
There are two primary ways in which we are trying to accelerate the development of water infrastructure. The first is to fully fund Irish Water over the next five years by providing it with €12 billion. This is a record level of investment to unlock and deliver a lot of the wastewater treatment plants that have been on lists for too many years. The second way is to cut a lot of the process out of Irish Water's delivery system prior to construction, which we are doing, and out of many of the infrastructure reforms we are advancing. The Deputy raised this with me at the infrastructure committee. I wrote to the committee in recent days, but I do not know if it has received my letter. The letter makes specific reference to Clarinbridge, a matter to which the Deputy has referred previously. I will ask Irish Water to respond to him on the situation in Mountbellew. We will try to organise that.
Sentiment score: -0.03
The Deputy will know that the Minister, Deputy Calleary, has set up a consultation process on a cost-of-disability payment and how that would be structured. We have not had a permanent payment of that sort in the past. We are trying to structure it in the context of negotiations for next year's budget. However, it is not only about direct income support; it is also about improved services. That is why there was a 20% increase in terms of disability service, which the Minister, Deputy Foley, secured. There was increased resourcing for the Department of education. Social protection payments increased significantly as well. Those payments would support some individuals with disabilities. We are clear on working with the disability stakeholders on designing a permanent annual cost-of-disability support payment. That work is ongoing in advance of budget 2027. The Government is committed across all areas, including employment overall, the education sector and the Department of disability, on strengthening services and income supports over the period ahead.
Sentiment score: 0.36
I do not have the individual taxpayer information, nor should I comment on any company's individual tax information in the Houses of Oireachtas. We have very clear legislation that sets out the tax arrangements for corporations, businesses and individuals.
Sentiment score: 0.22
If the Deputy has a particular question, both the Revenue Commissioners and the tax division of the Department of Finance can clarify any interpretation of general policy. Individual taxpayer information is a matter of either personal or corporate confidentiality. It is important that we uphold that principle.
Sentiment score: 0.08
I do not have the specific breakdown relating to the various counties in front of me. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has secured a record level of capital investment in transport-----
Sentiment score: 0.20
-----of €24 billion over the next five years. He has also sought to reprofile some of that funding towards investment in local, regional and national roads in order that we can build out our road network further. There is contingency in some of the funding allocations to ensure that some of the issues relating to storm damage will also be addressed. We are trying to have a wider assessment of recent storm damage in the context of potentially providing-----
Sentiment score: -0.16
-----additional funding from the overall contingency for road infrastructure that has been badly damaged. Obviously, councils have to be supported in remedying that damage. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to come back to the Deputy on the annualised figures. I do not have them here.
Sentiment score: -0.24
On the latter point, I support more autonomy, as we have discussed at the infrastructure committee, and cutting out some of the process. If there are any suggestions from the Deputy's local authority as to how we can improve the turnaround time for decisions, I am more than open to hearing them. An overall assessment of the storm damage done to roads is taking place. We will obviously have to examine what that assessment finds and consider it in the context of the additionality that might be required. There already is contingency given to local authorities in their core budgets in this regard. Some of the immediate work might involve temporarily remedying damage to roads. It might be next year before issues relating to the damage done by the storms will be fully rectified. There is work ongoing across Government to see what the amount required might be this year. We are engaging with local authorities as part of that.
Sentiment score: -0.04
I signed off on the An Post one on Monday, so it should be concluding.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I appreciate the Deputy raising this. I know the devastation that has been caused all across the south east, both to community infrastructure and to many people's homes. Significant work is ongoing across Government, led by the Taoiseach's office and the Cabinet committee on coastal erosion, to provide better support for areas affected by coastal erosion. We are working with the OPW. The Deputy will have seen the recent announcement in respect of Donabate. We want to make more interventions to support community infrastructure and address the damage that has been done. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to respond to the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.17
As Deputy O'Gorman knows, the pricing system is decided by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, which sets the pricing parameters for individual consumers and for large energy users, including data centres. We need to move away from this polarising argument regarding households and digital infrastructure. Ultimately, we need to support households more. That is the work of the energy affordability task force. The argument to which I refer really shows a degrowth philosophy to try to undermine digital infrastructure in our State. That will undermine growth capability in the longer term. AI and digital infrastructure will play a critical role in that growth. We need to be cognisant of that in the context of the attacks on digital infrastructure we see from some Members.
Sentiment score: 0.01