The Deputy has missed an important point, which is that this Government is advancing Sláintecare. It is advancing the creation of a universal healthcare system, and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is leading on the full implementation of the public-only consultant contract. I hear much commentary about vested interests who have pushed back against making sure that public facilities are used for public patients and there is not that inequality that existed in the past. That is further reducing any suggestion that private health insurance is benefiting-----
Sentiment score: 0.19
Is Deputy Carthy now the champion of the private health insurance sector? I am confused here. We are delivering in the public sector. Everything we are doing is about making sure that, regardless of means, you can access healthcare in a time-efficient manner. That is the policy direction of the Government.
Sentiment score: 0.12
That is what we are doing. That is why, whether you are with the VHI or anyone else, we are decoupling private health insurance from access to public hospitals and particularly to consultants on public-only contracts.
Sentiment score: 0.00
First, I absolutely recognise the Deputy's characterisation of this as an ongoing nightmare for the people of Enniscorthy, a town that has flooded many times. Government announcements have been made and Government funding of €51 million has been put in place and people want to see the flood relief scheme delivered. I know we have that as a shared objective. I listened to the Minister's comments with regard to Met Éireann. My view of what he said was that he was certainly not blaming Met Éireann. We need to have a discussion about the information that we can put out there. We had a yellow rain warning. That is a not a criticism of Met Éireann.
Sentiment score: 0.19
A yellow rain warning is very different in the context of flooding when river levels are so high. We need to see how we can all work together, including local authorities, Met Éireann, the OPW and the Government, at a time when we are seeing more frequent adverse weather events. The Minister of State, Deputy Boxer Moran, is visiting Enniscorthy in the Deputy's constituency today to engage directly.
Sentiment score: -0.14
I appreciate the genuine interest the Deputy has in this issue. There is a challenge in this regard. I can point to the fact that we are spending €3 billion on special education, and quite rightly so. We are seeing more classes open. A good idea, or the germ of a good idea, was trying to open the process earlier to be able to forward-plan and get classes in place. I also accept the reality of the world and that some parents, through no fault of their own, were not able to meet that deadline. A solution will need to be found. I cannot see a situation where there is not an opportunity for them to reapply because that demand is real. Their child is real and their need needs to be met. I will speak with the Minister, Deputy Naughton, on it and ask her to link directly with the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.14
He could not conclude until he got the most important line in at the end-----
Sentiment score: 0.27
-----which was, quite rightly from his perspective, a view in relation to Laois having a need for this. I thank the Deputy for his acknowledgement that this is a positive policy direction. I am eager that the State invests directly in trying to acquire public space to provide capacity. We rightly have debates in this House about reducing childcare fees. We have a clear view on where we want to get to over the lifetime of the Government. Alongside that, we are going to need places and capacity and to support staff. We have identified that money. There will be an exercise done in identifying areas in which there is a need for that intervention. I am sure there will be many such areas. The Deputy has obviously made his case for Laois. I will ask the Minister to consider those matters and link with the Deputy. We will see increases in simplification this year. One of the big bugbears we are hearing from childcare providers is the amount of bureaucracy. We need to cut that back. In September, we will also see reductions in childcare fees for the 47,000 lowest-income families.
Sentiment score: 0.13
Ah now.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this issue. I can completely understand how it must be a cause of frustration when on the one hand that school is seeing lots of new school buildings being announced, which is a good thing, while also having its own battle to try to get what sounds to me to be a serious repair issue resolved in the interests of the welfare of its students and staff. On foot of the Deputy raising it here in the Dáil today I will speak directly with the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton. I will ask her to revert to the Deputy on this and see what options there are to address it.
Sentiment score: 0.20
I certainly will because, as the Deputy said, I have an interest in this project. I remember being in Clonmel with Deputy Murphy on many occasions. The work of Tipperary County Council, Tipperary ETB and all of the really good interagency work being done on the Kickham Barracks site is really impressive. It is a really good example of people pulling together to see how they can improve, modernise and rejuvenate their town. I know Deputy Murphy played a role in that as the mayor and now as a TD. I am delighted to see the Garda station under way as well. I was there for sod-turning of that. I have seen the plaza too. There is great work going on. The key piece now is to get this college of the future in place. It will provide extraordinary access to education for people in south Tipperary, involving partnerships with Tús and the university too. It is my understanding that the Minister, Deputy Lawless, who is very committed to this project and the further education and training, FET, college programme in general, had a meeting recently with all 12 of the chief executives, including in Tipperary. The message to them was to be ready and to ensure that their design teams are appointed this year. Let us get the design team appointed for the Clonmel project and power on. I will certainly keep a close eye on this too.
Sentiment score: 0.34
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue on behalf of her constituents. My understanding, although I need to look into it some more, is that this, as the Deputy rightly says, was a pilot, an effort to try out new things. Encouraging people to try out new things is always important but so too is learning lessons and answering the questions and views of communities. On foot of the Deputy raising this today I will ask TII and the Minister for Transport to respond to the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I thank Deputy McCormack, who makes a really valid point. I join with him in welcoming the fact that more homes were built in this country in 2025 than in 2024. It was not marginally more, but 20% more and the highest amount of homes completed since 2011, effectively since the crash. We now need to build on that. We have a lot more to do, absolutely, but we need to build on that. The Deputy's point is really valid and I find it myself in my own constituency. There are lots of schemes out there, whether it is help-to-buy, first home, croí cónaithe and so on, which do benefit people. From memory, about 60,000 people have benefited from the help-to-buy scheme but there is often a worry that people think that the schemes are for somebody else or somebody else's child and do not necessarily apply to them. I will talk to the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, to see what more can be done to promote these schemes and maybe to streamline the information as well. I thank the Deputy for the suggestion.
Sentiment score: 0.19
As always, I want to thank Deputy Currie for the very constructive suggestions she makes constantly with regard to childcare and how we support parents, particularly with the early years. We have done a lot in relation to parental entitlements in recent years, including extending the parent's benefit to nine weeks. That is available for both parents now although the figure is still significantly lower for men. However, we are all living in the real world in terms of our interactions with people and we know that for young people who are paying a mortgage or whatever else, it might not be financially viable for them to take that leave, even though they want to. Government policy wants to help people be able to spend as much of the first year with their newborn as they can and divide that up in a way that works for the family but sometimes there is still a financial viability gap. The Deputy is right that the programme for Government commits to examining pay-related parent's benefit. We have pay-related benefit for people who lose their jobs. We introduced that last April and it is working well. We need to take the learnings from that and see whether they can be applied to other areas, including in relation to parent's benefit. I am happy to raise that matter, as well as the other constructive suggestions the Deputy has made, with the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Foley, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, and more broadly across government.
Sentiment score: 0.31
That is a fair question and the short answer is "No". We have to start somewhere in terms of a list and a significant ramp-up of capital investment. What we saw yesterday was an effort to move forward a further 105 projects. That list consisted of 80 large-scale additional school accommodation projects and 25 further projects to be delivered under the modular accommodation programme. A total of 45 of the 80 projects were already at tender stage and 35 are projects that have planning permission or are at pre-tender stage. The criteria for identifying projects included projects that were ready to go to construction or to tender in 2026 or 2027; the condition of the school; projects in areas with capacity pressures; growing demographics; and projects in the pipeline for a long time. I take the Deputy's point that there are lots of schools but this is not the final word. This is an important tranche and we will look to build on this. As the Deputy knows, with capital projects there can be churn and there can be further opportunities. The Government and the Department will continue to engage with those schools, including the ones in Deputy O'Rourke's constituency.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I thank Deputy Collins for how he has raised the issue. It is important we tease through this carefully. I think we would all agree there is a need to make sure we get the best use out of the housing stock that exists in our country, particularly in a housing emergency. We all share that view. We do not want an unintended consequence. This is not about going into small rural communities where they are very reliant on this. The Government will have to consider this. Work is being done. The population of an area may be one indicator and we will engage with the sector. We will do this. We intend to regulate the short-term let sector. That is important but we need to do it with a degree of caution and informed evidence to make sure we continue to support the tourism sector while making sure, particularly in larger areas, that for Airbnb and the likes there is some regulation and structure. We are trying to get the balance right. I am happy to engage further with the Deputy on it.
Sentiment score: 0.25
I would be very happy to meet the group. I thank Deputy Wall, Deputy McGreehan and Senator Tully for the work they are doing. It is good to see a cross-party approach to this issue. I think in all our election manifestos we all promised a roughly similar direction of travel. I spoke to Family Carers Ireland this week. I am looking forward to meeting them and Care Alliance Ireland shortly too. It is a statement of fact that carer's benefit or allowance has always been a taxable benefit. It goes out in the letter that it is approved. It is a legitimate point of debate and policy discussion as to whether that should be the position in the future. There is also the issue of the means test. There are lots of issues we need to work our way through. I would like to get a shared sense of priority if that is possible as to how we move forward. We took a big move on the income disregard this year. That is the right thing to do. It will kick in in July. I am looking forward to engaging with the groups and I am very happy to meet the cross-party group.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I find myself somewhat agreeing with the Deputy on this. I have not had an opportunity to probe the rationale behind the ten minutes but I will. I know the Minister and Department were eager to do something positive and providing additional time is that. As a former Minister for higher education, I am aware of how the higher education sector provides those accommodations. We need to ensure there is never a barrier to progression or access in the education system. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, about this to see the rationale for the Department and various expert inputs. I am happy to engage further with the Deputy, Dyslexia Ireland or others.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I thank Deputy McGreehan for the work she does as co-chair of the family carers group. I look forward to meeting them. I rule nothing out but I want to have an informed conversation because - I do not mean this in any way flippantly - carers to do such amazing work. We all want to commit to doing more but the commitment a couple of weeks ago was that we were all going to focus on the means test. We will have to have a joined-up conversation with carers and their representatives as to the best way to financially support our carers. The means test is one, tax policy is another. There is a variety of areas. Let us try to have a shared vision of where we want to get to. The reality around tax is the reality. Many carers will never reach the level where they will have any tax liability. They may even get a rebate. My understanding is this was about making sure people did not get landed with a large tax bill but, rather, that it was regularised. Having said that, let us have a proper informed discussion about how we prioritise carers over the next four budgets due in this Dail. I look forward to having that engagement.
Sentiment score: 0.25
It is an important point. These delays are not consequence-free, as the Deputy rightly outlined, for somebody trying to go work, go about their lives or go to college. The national average wait time for driving tests has fallen. It is 10.3 weeks, slightly above where it is meant to be, which is ten weeks. It is down a lot from last April when it was 27 weeks at the peak. I take the point that the fall has not been consistent across all areas. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is working on this. He is closely monitoring the issue with the RSA. There are plans to open further test centres to assist the situation. I will ask him to take a look at Raheny and Killester and revert to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: -0.02
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As she stated, it is an issue of which the Minister is aware on foot of her recent visit to Celbridge. I will speak with the Minister, Deputy Naughton, about this in order to determine when St. Patrick's National School can expect progress on the campus and on what can be done in the interim. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly.
Sentiment score: 0.20
We also do not need to babysit the local authorities. They need to get on and do their job. We have given them all vacancy officers and we have funded them. Hard-pressed taxpayers in this country have funded posts for local authorities to tackle dereliction. It utterly unacceptable that it would exist at the scale it does, particularly in the context of what the Deputy outlined with regard to his county of Mayo. We are so peeved with local authorities in terms of where they are at regarding the derelict sites levy that we are taking it off them and giving it to Revenue in order that it will be dealt with properly. That is why, as Minister for Finance, I intend to introduce a derelict levy tax. I will get Revenue to collect this because it will do it right. It astonishes me, at a time when dereliction could bring in, through the levy, more money for local authorities to deliver public services and act as a disincentive to dereliction, that so many of them have done so little in respect of this matter. They will write me letters and pass motions. They should get on with the job. I do not have any confidence that they are going to do it right, so we are going to legislate, take it off them and do it through Revenue.
Sentiment score: -0.01