I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, Deputy Mary Butler. Improving access to a range of youth mental health services nationally remains a priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, the Department of Health, and the HSE. In the broader context, the total allocation for mental health services in 2026 is nearly €1.6 billion and it is the sixth year in a row in which the mental health budget has …

I too welcome the members of the men's shed. I have no doubt there are some great rugby players in the group. They are welcome to Leinster House and the beautiful Seanad Chamber. Several factors need to be considered in the development of a new services location for services like Jigsaw. A proposal for a new location requires a detailed business case, premises, support from the regional HSE management and necessary funding to resource the staffing of the service. Any proposal also requires agreement from the HSE na…

I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the parents of Harvey Morrison Sherratt. It must be very difficult for the family to lose a young son like that. The Tánaiste, Simon Harris, and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, have met with Harvey's parents and there will be further meetings. They have agreed to work in partnership with parents and advocates on the inquiry into spina bifida and scoliosis services. The most important people here are the parents and their children. They must be front and centre. The …

I thank the Minister, Deputy Browne. The Government's commitment to housing continues to be its top priority. Budget 2026 reinforces this commitment with unprecedented levels of funding allocated to housing. The Government is committed to delivering more affordable homes to buy and to rent. The capital funding being provided under budget 2026, coupled with LDA investment and HFA lending, will finance a range of affordability schemes and measures to deliver 7,500 new affordable purchase and cost-rental homes and to …

I am pleased to contribute to this debate in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for older people in the Department of Health and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I have worked with colleagues to secure substantial funding increases that will assist in meeting the needs of older people in the areas of health and housing, along with the Government firmly supporting older people to live full, independent lives with the proper services in place. This is reflected in this year's bu…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015, and in line with the national development plan, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of national roads is a matter for TII in conjunction with the local authorities…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. Due to the issue of funding constraints for national roads, a prioritisation exercise was necessary in line with the NDP and Government policy. The Minister of Transport allocated national road funding in a manner which sought to achieve the key outcomes of protecting and renewing the existing national road network, progressing major projects that are near completion and progressi…

I thank Senator Boyle for raising this important matter which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I understand that safety at this location is of concern to the Senator and those he represents, particularly the children, parents and teaching staff of the school. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place for Transport Infrastructure Ireland…

Once again, I thank Senator Boyle for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien. The Minister for Transport is conscious of the importance of ensuring road safety, particularly in the vicinity of schools. Senator Boyle will be well aware that getting progress on projects is a process. As I stated in the initial answer from the Minister, TIl’s road safety section discussed the progression of potential safety improvements at N56 Dunkineely National School…

I thank Senator O’Reilly for raising this matter because it gives me the opportunity to update the House, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Helen McEntee, on the current position regarding the new building project for Bailieborough Community School, Virginia Road, Bailieborough, County Cavan. The project referred to was originally approved to enter the Department of Education and Youth’s pipeline for school building projects under the additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme to provide f…

Once again, I thank Senator O’Reilly for bringing up this issue on behalf of her constituents. As I said earlier, I am dealing with this matter on behalf of the Minister for education, Deputy McEntee. The Department of Education and Youth awaits the submission of the stage 2b post-planning report and will progress the project once this has been submitted for evaluation. The report must include all statutory requirements associated with the planning process. At this stage it is not possible to predict when this scho…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and giving me this opportunity to update Members on the issue of vacancy and dereliction. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. Tackling vacancy and dereliction is a key priority for the Government. The reuse of vacant and derelict properties can provide much-needed housing, while also being a catalyst to revitalising communities. A number of national structures have now been estab…

Once again, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Addressing vacancy and dereliction is a key priority for the Government. As I stated, I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. As I mentioned, with regard to dereliction and vacancy in Ireland, particularly in small towns and villages, the Government is taking a proactive, co-ordinated and whole-of-government approach, which recognises the importance of supporting and empowerin…

I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for raising this matter. I am taking this debate and matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. Deputy Ó Cearúil will appreciate that I cannot talk about individual cases before the Chamber. Obviously, if the Deputy has questions in relation to individuals, they can be raised directly with the Department of Health. I acknowledge the case he has highlighted, however. While I cannot specifically talk about it, I acknowledge how difficult it has been for the family. …

Once again, I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for the attention he has given to this important matter. As I already said, I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. Once again, the Deputy will appreciate that I cannot speak on individual cases, but I do want to acknowledge the matters he has raised in respect of his constituents. The procedure needs to go ahead as scheduled. That is hugely important. I acknowledge the angst and anxiety caused to families when operations and procedu…

I thank all Deputies for their contributions to this important debate. On behalf of the Government, I acknowledge the great work provided by carers. I say that on a human level. We all deal with them every day, both in our daily lives and as public representatives. I want to put that on record. The Government is very aware of the valuable work being carried out by family carers. This is evidenced by the extensive measures that have been taken to support carers in recent years. The approach to date has been targeted…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Primary care psychology plays a central role in providing care and treatment to both children and adults in the community and, particularly, in offering the opportunity for early intervention for children and young people. The increased pressure and demand on primary care services, and on primary care psychology for children and young people in part…

The Minister recognises fully the frustration of people in the local area with long waiting times for certain services and realises that much more needs to be done to fill local vacancies, address waiting lists and ensure consistent, equitable and timely access to primary care services. Since 2021, the primary care psychology waiting list initiative, which targets removals from the waiting list of those under the age of 18 waiting longer than 52 weeks to access services, has been operational. To date, the initiativ…

I thank Deputy Kelly. I know of his keen and genuine interest in this particular subject. I will deal with the questions he actually raises. I have an answer there for him. I am going straight to the capital programme. As part of this capital programme, older persons' services in north Tipperary are being enhanced by the opening of a new state-of-the-art 50-bed community nursing unit in Nenagh to replace St. Conlon’s Community Nursing Unit. As the Deputy said, there was a €24 million investment. The new Nenagh comm…

I appreciate the frustration of people, including the residents of St. Conlon's and the people in the area. I have gone through this intensively and there is a process. There is an application before HIQA. It takes an average of about ten working days to assess an application. The application has gone in within the past week. I cannot pre-empt the outcome of the registration by HIQA, but it is normally a ten-day working cycle, and once that is complete, the residents who are in St. Conlon's will be brought to the n…