As the Taoiseach heard, Every Child Matters is a group formed in Trim, County Meath. They were here with us today. They undertook a protest outside and we had a heartbreaking briefing in the audiovisual room this afternoon. That group quickly spread nationwide and the group represents a lot of parents who are fighting for services for their kids. They spoke to us about understaffed CDNTs, not being able to access therapies, the long waiting lists for the assessments of need and inadequate access to education. I ack…

I ask the Minister about the number of additional persons who have qualified for the carer's allowance since the increase in the weekly income disregard that took effect nationally in July 2026, and more particularly, in Meath West.

I thank the Minister for his response. It is unfortunate that we cannot get the figures but I totally understand the reasons behind that. There has been a significant increase in the number of applications and I am glad to see that. It is a positive and important development for the families across Meath West and nationally who are caring for older people or people with disabilities. I do not want to reduce any of them to numbers or money but we have to recognise - and I know the Minister does - that they are savin…

I have had many parents contact me over the past few weeks about school bus places and the stress that is causing them. We have had the school bus transport review. The recommendations in it include changing the rules about the nearest school, the distance and all of the things we need to do. We have given ourselves until 2030 to do it but I do not believe we will at the rate we are proceeding at the moment. We need to the use the resources that are in front of us locally. That includes the Local Link. For example,…

Does the Minister intend to improve the inspection regime for dog breeding establishments in the near future?

I thank the Minister. I appreciate that answer and his commitment in this area. It is obvious it is something about which he is quite passionate. It would be really beneficial if we could get some kind of timeline on that now. We met with Dog Law Ireland and other advocates. I met a lady from my own constituency that day called Alma. It is not about people like that. There are excellent dog breeders out there. There really are. Alma spoke about bottle-feeding puppies through the night and nursing the bitches back t…

I thank the Minister for his commitment to getting this through as a priority. I am really delighted. I am sure many people will be delighted to hear that today. The caps he talks about are all very welcome. They are more or less in line with what people like Dog Law Ireland and advocates like my constituent Alma want. The one concern is around the number of bitches that can be in any one of these breeding establishments. We heard stories about 300 bitches being in one establishment with staff having to wear ear de…

Our Lady's Hospital in Navan is extremely important to the people of Navan and County Meath generally. We are proud of the excellent staff who work there and the management team who run the hospital and work together every day to provide good outcomes for the patients in our county. The opening of the surgical hub in Swords was welcome news, not just for Dublin but for surrounding counties like Meath. It is a dedicated facility that will deal with high-volume, low-complexity elective procedures and day case surgeri…

Throughout this debate, not one person has argued that we do not need high-quality, accessible and affordable childcare. Everyone, including the Minister of State, agrees that we need it and need it now. The question is not one of need; the question is whether it is possible to deliver nationwide, high-quality, affordable childcare for every family overnight. If we are all honest here, the answer would be "No", unfortunately. That is why in our programme for Government, Fianna Fáil has committed to progressively re…

I beg the Deputy's pardon.

The Deputy might let me finish. I actually agree with both policies. I hope to see them progress with relevant Ministers, like the Minister for Social Protection. More places for children aged under one is being addressed under schemes such as building blocks already. I hope we continue to make progress on this over the coming years. Parents should have the freedom to return to work as and when is right for their particular families. Unfortunately, I do not support the motion but despite that, I commend Deputy Kerr…

I want to ask the Minister to outline the current and future actions that are being taken to reduce the cost of childcare for parents across the country.

I thank the Minister for that update. I really welcome the maximum fee cap the Minister mentioned that is coming in September and will cap those fees at €183.70. That is a real tangible step for families to achieving really affordable childcare. Families that are facing those highest fees will see the money back in their pockets. Where are those services that will benefit the most from that? Are there many of those families in Meath that will see a reduction in their fees? The Minister mentioned the €200-per-month …

I raise the school summer programme, which was formerly called the July provision. I have been contacted by numerous parents, school staff and principals who are really frustrated and very stressed. People at St. Michael's school and Scoil Mhuire in Trim, St. Anne's school in Navan and many more schools across Meath West have told me they have not been allocated enough resources and staff by the Department to run the programme this year. The summer programme has been really responsive to me and I know its staff are…

The village of Ballivor has been without water for over four days now, but Uisce Éireann does not appear to be accountable to me as a public representative nor to this House despite the billions of euro we are giving it to invest in upgrading our water infrastructure. There have been really poor communications, there is no end in sight and the school has been closed for the past two days. In 2019, when I was first elected a councillor, the Ballivor reservoir project was a priority. By 2021, Uisce Éireann told me it…

I ask the Minister about the school building project list for schools which are either new builds or seeking extensions, and when they get on to that list how they work through the process and what delays they might face.

I thank the Minister for that clarification. I will use Boyne Community School in Trim as an example. It has been on the school project building list for over 15 years for works and an extension. Some 24 prefabs have been added to that site which is a recognition that the Department is aware how important extending and improving the school is. The local demand for this school is huge. It is the only secondary school in Trim that caters for boys. Engagement with the Department was lacking for many years, but a full …

Boyne Community School is a DEIS school. It is on a fantastic site and is a lovely, historical building, but it is not fit-for-purpose as it stands. The type of building it is causes complexity in design and cost but we really need to overcome that. It was acknowledged 15 plus years ago that this work was needed. I have concerns around the 24 prefabs. Incredibly, having looked at them and the classrooms in the school, they provide better facilities for the students. It is putting some pupils at a disadvantage. It i…

I thank the Minister. That is positive information and it is a positive scheme. I have had many inquiries over the last while from childcare providers in my area, both private and community-run, as to when it would be announced. It is important that it is for private and community facilities. We need all of our facilities to avail of it. I know people in Trim who are putting their children's names on waiting lists before they are even signing up for antenatal classes. The demand is that strong and this will make a …

I ask that the Department and the city and county childcare committees engage with providers, both community and private. I know a lot of places have identified to me a need for extensions, but some have not yet done so. It would be helpful if they were made fully aware and there was a good advertising campaign and engagement through the childcare committees to make them aware that this funding is available. I understand it is not matching funding for community facilities. It could be hugely impactful in our commun…