I welcome this Bill, which amends the Mental Health Act 2001 to provide for the right of minors over the age of 16 to consent to mental health treatment. It corrects the anomaly whereby minors aged 16 and over have the right to consent to treatment in general healthcare but do not have similar rights in consenting to mental health treatment. The Bill brought forward by my colleagues, Deputies Ward and Mythen, will ensure a minor aged over 16 will be recognised before the law and will be able to make informed decisi…

Local authorities have been instructed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to purchase homes where a tenant has a notice to quit, which will allow them to stay in situ . Could a circular be issued to instruct local authorities to purchase homes outside the scheme of letting, subject to price and condition? There is an ad hoc approach by local authorities across the country and more certainty is needed given the crisis we are in.

I welcome this Bill, which will help protect children from being groomed by adults involved in the drugs trade and provide proper sanction for those who exploit children for this purpose. Vulnerable communities and disadvantaged areas are most impacted by the use and distribution of illegal drugs. The use of illegal drugs affects every demographic across all communities but economically disadvantaged areas suffer the most from it. This situation has not been helped as funds for drug and alcohol task forces have bee…

Tá áthas orm an Bille seo a mholadh in éineacht le mo chomrádaithe Shinn Féin. Tá Údarás na Gaeltachta ar cheann de na heagraíochtaí is tábhachtaí sa tír seo le Gaeilge a chur chun cinn. Daonlathas atá á mholadh againn anseo inniu ar mhaithe le pobal na Gaeltachta a chumhachtú. Luaigh mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, cúlra an Bhille seo agus an aisling a bhí i gceist nuair a bhunaíodh Údarás na Gaeltachta sa bhliain 1979. Díreoidh mé isteach áfach ar an gcomhthéacs teanga a bhain leis an aisling sin agus an…

One of the most prevailing issues regarding the provision of disability services is the extraordinarily long waiting lists for such services. In my constituency of Dublin North-West, a high number of children and young people with autism and other special needs and disabilities are on lengthy waiting lists for assessment and support services. I recently had a constituent in my clinic who was waiting to get a child assessed for disability. This person was told that the child will have to wait for another three years…

The senior Minister stated earlier that the goal of the Housing for All policy is to support home ownership and to increase affordability. In everything that the Government is doing, it will not radically improve the housing stock or make housing affordable. In fact, in the first year of the policy, the Government has missed multiple targets and house prices and rents are increasing to such a degree that it is making it almost impossible for people to either buy their own home or rent accommodation. The Housing for…

Like many urban settings, Dublin North-West has a mix of dated and modern accommodation. Over the years, there was a great expansion of areas such as Ballymun, Finglas, Santry, Whitehall, Glasnevin and Meakstown. These areas saw substantial growth in housing estates, which contributed towards rapid growth in the population of north Dublin. Many older houses in such areas were constructed of brick or cavity blocks, and insulation was not even a consideration at the time of their construction. Houses these days are g…

It has come as a huge shock to those in my constituency of Dublin North-West who depend on domestic fuel oil to see that domestic fuel costs in Dublin, which averaged around 68 cent per litre just last year, have since increased to a staggering €1.32 per litre, having reached a peak in May of almost €1.76 per litre. It costs €1,300, on average, to fill a tank. How long the fill would last depends on usage. A poorly insulated house uses more fuel. Larger families use more fuel as well. A full tank might only last a …

Nitrous oxide is a gas that has medical and industrial uses. Increasingly, however, it is used as a recreational drug. It is known colloquially as hippy crack. Doctors see young people present to emergency departments showing progressive disorders affecting nerves in their arms and legs related to the illicit use of nitrous oxide. Doctors now warn that the use of nitrous oxide canisters has become a public health issue. Is the Taoiseach aware that large piles of discarded canisters of this gas are being found in ou…

The Government has opposed a lot of stuff. What about Scribblestown?

With the summer holidays under way, it will not be long before most parents around the country will begin to think about the costs of sending their children back to school. For many parents, particularly in this economic climate, the thought of finding the means to pay the escalating costs of preparing a child or a number of children for a new school year can be a daunting prospect. Most parents who are preparing a child for the new school year will have a must-buy list of items. This could include uniforms, school…

Does Deputy Griffin not know the rules?

Under the legislative programme, the Government proposes to bring forward a Bill to exempt children under 16 years of age from the inpatient charge when admitted as public inpatients. While this is welcome, there is also a commitment under Sláintecare, which was agreed by all parties, to abolish such charges for all who present as public inpatients. When will this Bill begin pre-legislative scrutiny? Is there a plan to fulfil the commitment given under Sláintecare to abolish public inpatient charges?

A child who has special educational needs or has learning difficulties will need appropriate educational provisions and facilities to address those needs. Such assessments should also determine the educational setting he or she should attend. The child could have speech, language and communication needs or behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. He or she could have autistic spectrum conditions or specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Regardless of the…

The old iconic Ballymun shopping centre was the central hub of a thriving and vibrant community. It provided employment and was an important meeting and social gathering place for locals. Its redevelopment was central to the 1997 Ballymun regeneration plan. However, it became an eyesore and a monument to the largest failure of the regeneration project. The site's redevelopment was beset by problems and delays from the start. It was to be the site of a new town centre and construction was to be begin in 2005, but pe…

The Minister of State says it is up to Dublin City Council and it is the owner but there is also an onus on the Department. We are talking about housing, apartments, building and looking for projects and this is a prime site on the Ballymun Road on the way to Dublin Airport. It is situated in a good spot to access the city and the airport and it is in a good position but it needs a push from the Department and it needs funding to be made available, as was made available under the regeneration carried out by Ballymu…

There has been a significant reduction in the number of landlords offering new tenancies as rental costs have surged. According to the RTB, rental costs for new tenancies have risen by an additional 9% since last year. With the large volume of landlords leaving the rental sector each year, there is an acute shortage of properties for those looking to rent. Not only is it hard to find a place but, if they do, people find they have to spend a large percentage of their income on accommodation costs, with properties in…

No.

I dtús báire ba mhaith liom a rá leis an Aire go bhfuil an méid dul cinn atá déanta ag Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin i bhFionnghlas dochreidte ó bunaíodh í i Meán Fómhair 2005. Tá an Ghaeilge beo agus ag fás inti agus an-éileamh uirthi freisin. Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin on Bóthar Ghlas Naíon, Finglas east, is a co-educational all-Irish school registered under An Foras Pátrúnachta i gcomhair na scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge. It is a primary school for pupils aged four to 12 years. It opened on 1 September 2005 using two changing rooms …

Táim an-bhuíoch den Aire as an bhfreagra sin, ach tá rud éigin ann nach bhfuil soiléir domsa. Luaigh sí go bhféadfadh sé a bheith cúig bliana sula gcuirfear tús leis an obair sin. The appointment of a project manager is a great move forward but I am worried about the timescale for organising the design team and moving on from there. I would not like to see this drag on. I was involved in the founding of Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin in the WFTRA Hall, along with Seán Óg, who was involved in Gaelscoil Naomh Fionnbarra. At th…