I appreciate what the Minister has said. I also congratulate her on expanding the home testing for cervical screening. People who are diagnosed with lung cancer at an early stage have an 80% survival rate. Being diagnosed at a late stage reduces the survival rate by up to 20%. I commend the Marie Keating Foundation and the Irish Cancer Society. The Marie Keating Foundation's Breathless Collection campaign is hugely important in highlighting awareness and also in supporting campaigns for a national screening program…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Services Reform and Digitalisation, and Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 187.

Today I am calling for a dedicated south inner city initiative to tackle growing levels of antisocial behaviour and community decline across Dublin's south inner city, including our suburbs. If the Taoiseach drives or walks through parts of the south city, he will see young men dressed in beautiful clothing, riding scooters and, much of the time, delivering drugs for the various drug gangs. It is very important we divert these young men away from a life of crime and a life of drugs. To do that, we need targeted inv…

One of the greatest fears facing parents of children with disabilities and parents of adult children with disabilities is what will happen when we are no longer here. Who will care for my son? Who will care for all of these children, including adult children? It is a question that causes sleepless nights for so many people. Ultimately, we need a clear, compassionate pathway for lifelong housing and care in the community for adults with disabilities, so families can have certainty and peace of mind. Will the Governm…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the wastewater infrastructure deficit in Kerry. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss delays in school extension projects getting approved. Deputy Catherine Ardagh - To discuss the introduction of a national lung cancer screening programme using low-dose CT scanning. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss the loophole in the licensin…

That concludes the Topical Issue Debate. We will proceed with Private Members' business.

It is heartwarming to see the cross-party support for the legal profession today. The Decision Support Service, DSS, is a progressive and long-awaited reform under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. It was established to empower people to plan for their future decision-making and to uphold their independence and dignity. However, in practice, the absence of a dedicated solicitors' portal is creating serious barriers for professionals and service users. Solicitors are currently required to log into th…

It is a matter for the committee.

I move: That Dáil Éireann take note of the Statement of Estimates of moneys required in respect of ongoing expenditure for the period beginning on 1st January, 2026, and ending on 31st December, 2026, prepared and published by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in accordance with the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts 2003 to 2024, which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 24th September, 2025.

I join my colleagues in expressing sympathy to the family of Patrick Gerard Murphy, who was a friend to a lot of us. Today, I raise the issue of mild general learning disability schools. Department of Education and Youth officials have a widespread misunderstanding of exactly what they do and they are now being forced to redesignate. There are 29 mild schools in the country, 14 of which cater for children at a post-primary level. They are appropriate school settings for children with mild general learning disabilit…

Before I call Deputy Quinlivan, I welcome our guests from Cavan. They are the guests of the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth.

Before proceeding, I welcome the Norwegian ambassador, H.E. Mr. Aslak Brun, to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery.

It is very welcome to see the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025, also known as the right to be forgotten Bill, now before the House on Second Stage. It is a significant moment for cancer survivors across Ireland and for all those who have campaigned for fair treatment when it comes to access to mortgage protection and financial products following a cancer diagnosis. It is also a meaningful moment for me personally. I first introduced this legislation in the Seanad in October 2022 after working very closely with th…

I raise an issue that goes right to the heart of how we care for and support some of the most vulnerable children in our education system. It is the proposed redesignation of schools that currently cater for children with mild general learning disabilities, MGLDs. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of visiting Scoil Eoin in Crumlin, Dublin, where I met the principal, Debbie O'Neill, and the vice principal, Richie Doran. I also met the children and can say without any hesitation that the work done in Scoil Eoin …

I do not take comfort in the response that the Minister of State has read out. Expanding the designation will break schools, such as Scoil Eoin, that are not currently broken. They are not failing; they are succeeding. That success is rooted in the fact that these are specialist environments led by professionals who have committed their lives to special education. I saw it myself. I met the staff and the children. There are real stories and real lives, and there is real progress being made in schools such as Scoil …

I ask that time be provided for a Private Members' Bill I introduced before Christmas, colloquially known as the right to be forgotten Bill, in order that it could proceed to Second Stage. The Bill seeks to prohibit financial service providers from discriminating against cancer survivors who have completed treatment and have reached key milestones. It aims to ensure that a person's past illness does not continue to unfairly restrict their access to life insurance or other financial products. The Bill progressed to …

I know the ground on carer’s allowance has been covered a lot, but the programme for Government contains a commitment on the abolition of the means test for carer's allowance during the Government's term. Will the Minister provide an update on where this now stands, on the work has been done on the costings or preparations and on whether we can expect progress or a first step in budget 2026?

As the Minister stated, more than 100,000 people are in receipt of carer's allowance. There are 500,000 carers, however, which means that 400,000 people are not getting benefits under the scheme. Will the Minister increase the disregard in the forthcoming budget? The means test hits families who are doing their best, often one-parent families or where a parent is working part time and might have some savings. It is outdated and creates huge hardship, especially for women. This is because the majority of carers are …

Carers are saving the State billions of euro. The highest figure we have seen for the amount involved is €3 billion. In any event, the savings being made are enormous. People provide care for children with complex needs, older people and family members with serious illnesses. They do so out of love and with very little support from the State. While the increases to income disregards are welcome, they are not a substitute for fully abolishing the means tests. Carers, as the Minister stated, are the backbone of our s…

As no other Members are offering, the Minister of State has ten minutes to conclude.