I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this issue. I am acutely aware of the deep concern felt by people who live in Donegal and particularly, as the Deputy rightly pointed out, patients and their families who depend on this air service to access specialist medical care, including cancer treatment. He has given us a sense of the depth of feeling with so many people having signed a petition in such a short time. I am clear that the route is not about convenience. It is about trying to manage illness with dignity and reducing the physical and emotional strain of the long journeys. I have briefly engaged with the Minister for Transport on this issue. I know it is currently operated on a PSO contract funded by the Exchequer which provides two daily return services. The Minister is continuing to monitor the operation and performance of the service in line with the terms of the existing PSO contract. However, on foot of the Deputy mentioning this I will ask the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, to come back to him directly.
Sentiment score: 0.12
I thank Deputy Bacik for raising this. Of course I am aware of it. I would appreciate further engagement with her on it. It will probably require longer engagement than we have here today. As she said, it arises from the Supreme Court judgment of October 2023 in the case of Revenue Commissioners v. Karshan (Midlands) t/a Domino’s Pizza Limited. There has been a period of time since then. It goes without saying that Revenue is independent of me, as it should be, in relation to how it applies tax law in Ireland. Obviously, it cannot ignore the Supreme Court judgment and I cannot interfere with its application of the judgment. However, I have heard directly from some of the sectors that have expressed concern about this. To be truthful, the immediate solution does not seem apparent but I am happy to have engagement on this. Revenue would make the point that it has engaged extensively, set out criteria and so on but I would welcome further engagement.
Sentiment score: 0.32
The Deputy mentioned the "bridge to nowhere". I remember Sarah Palin using that phrase. When Barack Obama rang Sarah Palin when she was chosen as a vice presidential candidate, he wished her luck but not too much. I wish the Deputy good luck with his party's conference this weekend in Cork. I would push back on the idea that we have not invested in Cork. There has been €400 million in URDF funding for Cork alone.
Sentiment score: 0.14
I have long made the point that we need to see a Cork city task force. When I was Taoiseach we set one up for Dublin and we are seeing the benefits of that. I think Cork should follow that lead. It is also a commitment in the programme for Government. I have raised it with the Lord Mayor of Cork and the Cork city chief executive. I am due to visit shortly. I will get the Deputy a specific update on the events centre in advance of his gathering, I hope. In fairness to the Taoiseach, I know he takes this issue very seriously. There was a requirement on the basis of legal advice to undertake certain actions but the Government remains committed to the Cork events centre. The Government remains very committed to Cork. I assure the Deputy that the Taoiseach remains very committed to Cork too.
Sentiment score: 0.22
I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising the need for more affordable homes and the concerns of Saoirse and Darren so that it is an option for them to purchase their own home which is something they want to do. We have included in the new housing plan that local authorities not only must have commitments to social housing and social housing action plans for their own county but must also now have affordable housing plans as well. I do not have the specifics in respect of Cherrywood with me but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Browne, to consider the issues the Deputy raised and revert to him directly.
Sentiment score: 0.37
I thank the Deputy for raising this. He is right. In areas like his constituency in west Cork - Clonakilty, Skibbereen and Bandon - we have seen a number of flood relief schemes that have really helped. I know the people of Bantry are waiting and we are very eager to work with them on that. The point I am trying to make, and to be fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, the point he is loudly making in Government and we agree with him, is that there is a need to look at what can be done in the interim and in the here and now. He has also identified the issue of river cleaning, as well as the issue of small trees in rivers and under bridges over rivers impeding the flow. The Deputy can expect the Minister of State to want to engage with Cork County Council in relation to this issue.
Sentiment score: 0.39
The Deputy's broad point is right. Without being flippant, when it comes to capital planning we have to start somewhere. It was important to get the first tranche out there and moving because a lot of other schools are wondering what it means for them. The Minister for education is conscious of that, as am I along with the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Chambers. In the period ahead, we will be looking at what other schools not on the list have an ability to move forward. The Deputy has been in this House long enough to know that when it comes to capital, there is often a churn and opportunities to add more schools. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, on the specific projects - St. Aidan's, the Gaelscoil and the four-school development on the Swords Road - and ask her to come back directly to the Deputy on them.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I thank Deputy Carrigy for raising this important issue. He is right that people in Longford are currently being told that the pathway to access a consultant ophthalmologist is the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin. I think that is the primary referral centre. It is a long way from Longford to that hospital in Dublin, particularly for someone with an ophthalmology condition. Currently there is no consultant ophthalmologist based at the Regional Hospital Mullingar. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is engaging with the HSE to see whether recruitment of a consultant ophthalmologist based in the Regional Hospital Mullingar is viable. It is something that she and I are eager to progress. Once the Minister hears back from the HSE, she will engage with the Deputy. I will also keep in touch with him on it.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I know that Deputy Ó Snodaigh has been a supporter of this initiative for quite some time. There will be a new development in relation to this. I am reluctant to say it will be at Cabinet next week. That is what my memory tells me, but it is certainly imminent. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, will be bring proposals on it to Cabinet this month. It could be as soon as next week but certainly this month. I will ask the Minister to update the Deputy directly on the details.
Sentiment score: 0.14
I thank Deputy Brabazon for raising the need for clarity for these pensioners, which I know he has raised previously in this House. I will speak with the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and O'Brien, and get the latest update.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this issue. Yesterday was World Cancer Day and it is really important topic. I fully accept his bona fides in this. We all want to see real progress on this. We have made significant progress as a country but there is certainly no room for complacency. The Deputy and the Irish Cancer Society are right to highlight the areas in which we have to challenge ourselves to do better. I know the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is fully committed to this. I will certainly take the Deputy's challenge in engaging with the HSE, the Minister and the whole of Government to see what more we can do. I am also due to meet with the Irish Cancer Society shortly for further engagement on this.
Sentiment score: 0.20
I thank the Deputy. I know St. Joseph's well. It is a school I have frequently visited. I was out there relatively recently with the school principal, Bernadette, and others for the opening of their extension. Any time I have been there, including during the general election, I always find the students give me a good grilling and are very engaging. I thank the Deputy for raising with me the output of some of his engagement with them. On the issue of Seanad reform, the Seanad referendum was one of those ones that we clearly got wrong. The people of Ireland said they wanted to keep a second Chamber and they wanted a bicameral system. They were right, as the people of Ireland always are. They are sovereign in these decisions. What everyone did say during the referendum, though, was that we want to keep the Seanad but we want to reform it. The question was always whether the reform would ever happen. Years later, truthfully, it still has not. I need to engage with colleagues to see where that is at. Any reform of the Seanad would require a cross-party view as to how to take it forward. The Manning report did do some interesting work but I will speak to the Minister for housing and local government in the first instance.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I certainly will. I acknowledge the huge sense of loss and tragedy the Deputy's community is experiencing now. I thank him for telling me about the Hear Me Out youth mental health and counselling service. It sounds like it has made a really positive impact in his community. On foot of the Deputy raising it here today, I will raise it with the chief executive of the HSE and with the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, in relation to where the service's application for funding certainty is at. I will ask that the Minister of State comes back to the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I thank Deputy O'Shea for raising this important matter but also for his continued focus on infrastructure development in Cork. I agree that the N/M20 Cork-Limerick project does represent one of the most strategically important infrastructure investments we can make for the southern region. When completed, this project will really transform connectivity between Ireland's second and third largest cities, Cork and Limerick, and will deliver better links not just for these cities but for all the communities including many the Deputy represents across the corridor, including Buttevant, Croom, Charleville, Mallow and Blarney. This investment will also improve connections to west Cork and Kerry and will help support balanced regional growth and ensure communities outside the major urban centres can fully participate in our economic success. There are critical safety deficiencies on the existing N20 route, so this is also about saving lives and preventing serious accidents on a road that currently poses significant risks. I am absolutely committed to working with the Deputy to deliver this project through the proper planning processes. I look forward to continuing to work with him and all public representatives to see it progress.
Sentiment score: 0.35
I do agree and I thank the Deputy for raising it. I will certainly undertake to engage with the Minister for housing, primarily, and the Minister for Health on this and revert to the Deputy directly. While I am on my feet, I also want to say the Deputy raised an issue with me before in the House in relation to victims and survivors of domestic abuse, when they are moving from one local authority list to another, and the time they were on the previous list not being recognised. It is an important issue. I acknowledge and thank the Deputy for raising it. On foot of that, the Minister for housing has said he will issue a direction to all local authorities to make sure that issue is rectified. I want to acknowledge that while it came to my mind.
Sentiment score: 0.21