Moatview Early Education Centre plays an absolutely vital role in the local community in Moatview, Dublin 17. If it closes - if action is not taken, that is exactly what may happen - it will leave a huge gap in the local community that will not be filled. It does excellent work. It takes in a lot of children with additional needs and looks after them very well. It has a huge funding deficit. Part of this arises from the centre not getting core funding a couple of years ago and this funding not being restored. Pobal…

My apologies, but I will have to leave early. Why is Pobal insisting on dealing simply with the board of directors? Why will Pobal not deal with the manager, Susan Russell, who runs this small community childcare service and has done for decades? She has been running this successfully, day in, day out, for years. She is the person who, through her blood, sweat and tears, has run this and kept it open over the years. She is the person who is trying to engage with Pobal, but Pobal will not engage with her. Pobal has …

I thank my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, for leading on this Private Members' business and for all the work she does in this area. I also thank everyone who contributed to the debate. I find the Minister of State's contribution and the position of the Government extraordinary. The Government keeps saying this is up to the European Union and if something comes from the Commission, the Irish Government will look at it and so forth. That is despite, as has been pointed out, the Commissioner saying the Commission will no…

At the outset, on behalf of the Social Democrats, I want to extend our very sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Seamus Carroll and his wife, Treasa. Seamus was someone who, when you met him, you were always left with a smile on your face afterwards. He was a very kind, lovely man and he will be very much missed by all of us. Ní ceart go mbeadh pinsinéirí na tíre seo i ngreim ag an eagla mar gheall go bhfuil costas ró-ard ar an teas ina dtithe. Ní cóir go mbeadh cúis imní ag pinsinéirí na tíre seo agus i…

The leaks on the budget are not coming from the Opposition. They are coming from the Government. Where does the Taoiseach think they are coming from? Where does he think those headlines came from? They have pensioners worried sick. Is this just some sort of cynical ploy to manage expectations so that if it the increase is more than €7.50, people are meant to be grateful, even though the Government is breaking its promise of €12? Specifically on the promise that Fianna Fáil gave in the last election, I have the elec…

Are you going to stick to your word and give a €12 increase?

Will you stick to your word?

I pay tribute to Miriam Lord and acknowledge the huge contribution she has made to Irish journalism. On behalf of the Social Democrats, I wish her all the best for the future. Tá ceart rochtana ag gach páiste ar an oideachas. Ní féidir leis an Rialtas dearmad a dhéanamh ar an gceart oideachais atá ag páistí le riachtanais bhreise. Last night, Virgin Media broadcast a devastating documentary about special education in this country. Anyone who watches it will be left asking serious questions. How can the Government s…

It is welcome that the Taoiseach does not accept children getting taught in a storeroom, but that is happening. The reason it is happening is because his Department has told the schools to use every available space and the Department of education has failed to sanction additional classrooms that the schools are crying out for. This is not just one isolated school; it is happening in other places around the country. It is welcome that as Taoiseach he says it is not acceptable but what is he going to do to make sure …

What actions is the Minister's Department taking to address the continued tracker mortgage and consumer protection issues arising from the transfer of mortgages from KBC to the Bank of Ireland? I have spoken recently to a family who have recently lost their home because of overcharging both by KBC and Bank of Ireland. What action is the Department taking to address this?

In the case in question, this is not an uncontactable customer. The family took out a tracker mortgage with KBC. For years, the bank charged them the wrong rate, which KBC eventually admitted to. When KBC left the Irish market in 2023, the family's mortgage was transferred to Bank of Ireland. The overcharging did not stop. It carried on under Bank of Ireland. The customer wrote to Bank of Ireland's CEO and asked to meet, but the bank refused. Instead, the arrears letters kept coming, as did the repossession warning…

I welcome the Minister's response that he will contact the Central Bank about this wider issue and ask it to examine it. I am not just raising a specific case. This is an example and if this has affected the family in question, there could well be a very significant number of others in the loan book that was transferred who are similarly affected. That warrants investigation by the Central Bank. I welcome the Minister's commitment that he will contact the Central Bank about that. If he needs more information, I wil…

Minister-----

This morning, I spoke with a mother about her 13-year-old son. He is autistic and non-verbal. In July he was told he had a place in Belmayne special school. I am sure the Minister can imagine the sheer relief and excitement of hearing that news. Starting a new school is a huge moment. One can imagine the logistics, planning and emotional preparation. Now, I want the Minister to imagine what it must feel like to be told you will be starting school in September, only for September to roll around and you are still stu…

Every child has a right to an education, and this Government is failing to deliver on their rights. As we speak there are children sitting at home without a school place. I have raised with the Minister that this is not isolated. There are children who were given school places and who were meant to start in September. They and their families were told at the beginning of July that they had a school place in September. At the end of August, after they kept chasing and chasing, they found out that the place they had …

That is some nerve of Fianna Fáil to give lectures about sound economic management.

Seventy-seven percent is how much wholesale electricity prices have surged in the past year. That will not come as a surprise to the over 300,000 households currently in arrears, and it is not news to the people lying awake at night worrying about how they will keep the lights on. We have to get off this endless merry-go-round of price shocks and soaring bills. The Minister knows, I know, we all know that we are particularly vulnerable to these price shocks because we are so dependent on fossil fuels. Trump is to b…

Is the Minister's Government not ashamed that the one offshore wind farm we have is currently being dismantled? That is the Government's level of delivery of offshore renewables. In other countries that have invested, it has brought down people's energy bills. What is the Minister doing about it? We have over half a million households in electricity and gas arrears. I asked the Minister about a targeted energy credit and he had nothing to say about it. He has the resources to do it. All the advice is that he needs …

It is not bringing down bills. It is going into data centres.

Is mian liom cúpla ceist a chur ar an Taoiseach faoi ghéarchéim an chostais mhaireachtála. Mar is eol dó, tá neart daoine ar fud na hÉireann ag streachailt le costais laethúla na tíre seo. Is deacair an rud é dóibh iad féin a bheathú nó na soilse a choinneáil ar siúl. Eight energy companies have put up their prices in recent weeks. These increases will add hundreds of euro to people's energy bills, which are already the highest in Europe. We all know that Donald Trump and his disastrous war are to blame for rising …