Go raibh maith agat.

I raise the unscheduled water outages in Ashbourne, County Meath. They are hugely frustrating and increasingly common. People who have lived in the area for decades say it has never been worse. There is a variety of issues: interruptions at the treatment plant, reduced levels in the reservoirs and problems with pumps. However, the main issue is the large and ageing network that has not been invested in. To add insult to injury, Uisce Éireann's communication is a disgrace. What is the Taoiseach doing to address thes…

It was water.

The news on the Navan rail corridor was very welcome and I encourage people to engage with the public consultation that is ongoing. I will engage with it and it is very welcome news. Until Navan rail is delivered, the vast majority of public transport in Meath is by bus and on road. There are major weaknesses with the existing services there. The 103, 105 and 109 routes are servicing busy commuter routes in Ashbourne, Rathoath, Dunshaughlin and Kells. It is not a case of whether there will be cancellations on a dai…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and thank Teachta O'Reilly and colleagues for moving it. I am sorry that they have had to move such a motion again. The Minister will have seen similar motions from other Opposition groups. The motion calls clearly on the Government to stop turning a blind eye and to finally deliver an emergency cost-of-disability payment, not next month and not in the next budget, but now. In last year's budget, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael made a cold, cruel choice. They left people …

St. Joseph's co-ed primary school in East Wall in Dublin has been told it will lose two teaching posts from September. The school appealed the decision but was told last week that the appeal was unsuccessful. The Department says it will cut one teaching post due to enrolment numbers. The school is one pupil short to retain the teacher - just one pupil. The other post to be cut is a legacy post that has been there for decades and covers the school's reception class programme. This programme does incredible work and …

It is not a debate.

Go raibh maith agat.

Go raibh maith agat. The time is up.

The Friends of Irish Athletics group presented to a packed audiovisual room earlier today. It highlighted the longstanding discrepancy, injustice and discrimination related to the World Athletics 1934 political boundary rule. This means that when an Irish runner competes for Ireland in the Olympics they are specifically representing the island of Ireland, but when an Irish runner competes in the World Athletics Championships they are specifically representing the Twenty-six Counties. The Friends of Irish Athletics …

Time, Minister.

We will move to the Independent Technical Group. The first speaker is Deputy O'Flynn.

Go raibh maith agat.

I move to other Members. First up is Deputy Grace Boland.

There is a shortage of Gaelscoil places for September 2026 in Dunshaughlin, County Meath. There are anywhere between 15 and 30 children, some with offers from other schools but who want an Irish-medium education and want a Gaelscoil place. The demand is there. The willingness is there on behalf of the Gaelscoil, the board of management, the bishop and patron body. The Taoiseach's ministerial colleagues, Helen McEntee and Thomas Byrne, are very familiar with this issue. However, the block is with the Department, the…

Yes.

Eurostat has again confirmed that Ireland has the highest electricity prices in Europe, meaning that on average, consumers are paying in the region of 40% more than their European counterparts. What measures is the Taoiseach taking to reduce the cost of electricity to households and businesses, and to address the root causes of the high cost of electricity here?

I ask the Minister of State if he plans to introduce a scheme to support sports clubs with the cost of purchasing land for playing pitches. I could include buildings. My question is about providing clubs with a permanent home, whether playing pitches, boxing clubs and so on. It is a big issue for clubs across the State, particularly in urban centres and, in my case, in the commuter belt area, where the State does not own land.

Both the Minister and Minister of State have to be aware that this is a major issue. We are here for oral questions every six weeks or so. Every time we are here, this question comes up, particularly in the urban areas, Dublin and the wider commuter belt. The issue is that there are public parks and they are oversubscribed and, certainly in my area, that the State does not own land. The first question I asked when I was a county councillor elected to Meath County Council in 2014 was to show me the land that the cou…

I could name any number of soccer clubs, including Stamullen FC, Killegland AFC and Kells Celtic FC, and boxing clubs which are in precarious situations. For example, they may be renting a corner of a gym. Many important sporting clubs and organisations have been without a permanent home for a long time and a solution needs to be provided. I have heard the Minister of State mention this developer-led approach where there can be negotiations and conditions on planning applications. I have also heard and have experie…