Is that fair enough?

I want to make sure the Deputy gets the opportunity. We will raise the matter with the Ceann Comhairle to ensure that he does. I thank the Deputy for his patience.

The threat of flooding in Ballyvourney and Ballymakeera is well recognised and is hugely stressful for householders facing it. Interim works have advanced, which brings peace of mind to homeowners, especially along the river bank. Will the Minister of State outline the timeframe for advancing the next stages of the major works?

I acknowledge the interim works taking place until very recently, with diggers only moving off site in the last week or so. They definitely give peace of mind to householders, especially along the river bank. There is now a need to maintain momentum and push on with the major scheme. Work and studies were carried out on a major scheme for the area. Is the OPW starting a new major scheme or will it pick up some of the work done in the earlier studies, for example, on the freshwater pearl mussel, and build on it? If …

The interim works are certainly a milestone. The focus and momentum need to be on the major scheme. Studies were conducted previously and it would make sense to use those earlier studies to inform the next stages. It would be madness to waste them and start again at square one. Will the work that was done previously inform or continue to inform the major works scheme? Can we establish that? What are the next steps on the major works scheme? Much of the focus has been on providing protection from flooding along the …

Is iad na bóithre ceann de na deacrachtaí is mó do phobal na tuaithe, go háirithe an píosa bóthair ag deireadh an chórais. Is é sin an chéad phíosa den bhóthar a dtiomáineann siad air ar maidin agus an píosa ar deireadh. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go mbeadh an t-airgead cuí á chur ar fáil do na bóithre sin. One of the greatest frustrations in rural communities is the local road network, particularly the first stretches of road on which people drive in the morning and the very last ones on which they drive in the evenin…

The CAP is a key instrument in supporting farmers and rural communities, whether it is food production, protecting the environment, biodiversity, rural development and so much more. There is concern that the CAP will be seen as part of a wider EU budget instead of being ring-fenced, as it appears it is at present. In the context of negotiations that are taking place at EU level, will the Minister give an outline of where things stand on the CAP?

The AGRIFISH Council is due to meet next Monday, as the Minister mentioned. Will he confirm whether discussions on the CAP will be on the Council's agenda and what issues will be covered? The Minister said he had been in contact with Commissioner Hansen, who is responsible for agriculture and food. Commissioner Hansen recently published his vision for agriculture and food, which recognises the essential role of farmers in seeking to boost the agrifood sector's competitiveness and attractiveness. Does the Minister f…

The programme for Government commits to simplifying the schemes and access for farmers. It also commits to reducing the administrative burden and red tape farmers encounter through flexibility in the design of the scheme and also stakeholder input. Commissioner Hansen has announced a draft CAP simplification and some proposals to change the legal framework. I welcome the announcement. The Department engaged with the Commissioner on efforts to reduce the overall burden on farmers. Given that the Department had direc…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, déanaim comhbhrón le muintir an Gharda Kevin Flatley, a maraíodh go tubaisteach fad is a bhí sé ag freastal ar a phobail. The need for more suitable family courts has been well recognised. The Family Courts Act 2024 was a significant milestone in bringing about a much more appropriate system. Can the Minister outline the planned roll-out and implementation of the new family courts?

The Family Courts Act 2024 represents a radical change or overhaul of the system, possibly the biggest in over a century. I understand it will not be an instant, overnight change being implemented, but it would be a reasonable expectation that there would be a planned roll-out and a pathway to do this. I heard the Minister of State say that the Minister plans to publish on that by next January. Have the necessary commencement orders been made at this point? Also, as regards the people who will operate these new cou…

Clearly, it will take time to get all that up and running. In the meantime, there will be people still looking to use the current family law courts system. Is it planned to make improvements to the existing system while the new courts are being established? Also, have the necessary commencement orders for the new Act been made?

Tá spriocanna dúshlánacha leagtha amach chun athchóiriú a dhéanamh ar thithe cónaithe agus iad sin a bheith ullamh faoi 2030. An mbeimid ábalta na spriocanna sin a bhaint amach nó an bhfuil aon bhac ann gur féidir a chur ar leataobh? There are ambitious targets set out for more than 500,000 homes to have been renovated by 2030. Is that on target? Has the Department identified any obstacles that need to be removed to reach it?

I thank the Minister. I will focus first on lower income households, where the free home energy upgrades, under the warmer homes scheme, would be expected to deliver. This time last year, it was taking eight to ten months to reach stage one, the BER assessment, and 26 months to get the overall works done under the scheme. By the middle of last year, it had slipped to ten to 12 months to get the BER assessment. We would expect that multiple BER-assessing contractors would be available around the country to support a…

For people who do not qualify for the free schemes, there is a range of grants and loans. Depending on the age of the building and the size, quite a substantial job can be required. It could be anywhere from €20,000 to €70,000 to carry out a deep retrofit. While there is a grant, it is a big expense, with people even having to borrow, and there is a long payback. The time, the cost and possibly having to relocate, borrow or find alternative accommodation while the work is being undertaken are further challenges. Fo…

I need to raise the issue of delays in the delivery of home care packages to vulnerable people, particularly in the Cork and Kerry region. Across the county more than 5,000 people are waiting for home care packages, with more than 1,000 of them on waiting lists in the Cork and Kerry region. Very often these are people who have been assessed as needing a home care package and the HSE is not able to find somebody to deliver the service to them. In the meantime, these older people are struggling at home alone. They ma…

Déarfaidh mé cúpla focal ar an alt seo. Fáiltím roimh an tslí a chinntíonn sé go mbeidh muintir na Gaeltachta ábalta a n-ionadaithe féin ó thoghadh. Is mór an dul chun cinn é sin agus caithfimid a bheith cinnte fáiltiú roimhe sin. Bhí córas lochtach ann, áit a raibh ar mhuintir Chorcaí, muintir Phort Láirge agus muintir na Mí ionadaí a roinnt eatarthu. D'fhág sé sin tréimhsí nach raibh aon duine ó, cuir i gcás, contae Chorcaí nó na ceantair eile ar an mbord in aon chor. Fáiltím an tslí a chinntíonn sé seo anois go …

Baineann na leasuithe seo leis an tslí go mbíonn an t-údarás ábalta talamh a dhíol agus a cheannach ar leas an phobail Ghaeltachta, ní hamháin ó thaobh na tionsclaíochta de, ach i slite éagsúla a bheadh ann ar leas an phobail. D'fhéadfadh cúrsaí cultúrtha, oideachais, tithíochta nó pé rud ar leas an phobail a bheith i gceist. Is amhlaidh go mbeidís ag neartú agus ag cothú phobal na Gaeltachta i slite éagsúla, ach is í sin an bhunaidhm - pobal na Gaeltachta a neartú agus a chothú. Tuigim go raibh a leithéid ann chea…

Every day, under the school transport scheme, thousands of students are taken to and from school. It is an invaluable service for many thousands of families. The service relies on rigid rules that, unfortunately, do not recognise, for example, that students may not be attending the immediately adjacent school or are perhaps going to schools their families had associations with over many years. Regarding the pilot review, will the Minister give an overview of where those pilots are now? Is the Minister ready to adva…

I thank the Minister. Will she outline if all the planned pilot schemes got under way? I understand there are 14 of them, but did all the pilot schemes that were planned get under way? The transport scheme is currently open for applications and parents will be making applications for students in the weeks to come. Often, families are waiting right up to the last minute in September to find out if they will have a service. Time is getting very tight now. Will there be enough time over the summer to have an extensive…