The Minister of State is very welcome here tonight. I have often described the Curragh Plains in County Kildare as the jewel in the crown of the whole county. It is 4,870 acres of historic and, in the main, undeveloped land. It is home to our Defence Forces, the racing industry and a large number of sheep farmers, along with a number of magnificent sports clubs. As well as being home to those organisations and entities it is also home to many unique plants and bird species. The Curragh Plains conservation plan stat…

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive reply. He is 100% right. All the public representatives of County Kildare, particularly those of south Kildare, have continued to raise the importance of the Curragh Plains to everybody in County Kildare. I welcome the fact that a positive meeting took place on 17 June at the Curragh, because when anybody visits the Curragh - we will have thousands of very welcome visitors to the Irish Derby Festival this weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - they go away with…

I want to start by thanking my colleague, Deputy Ciarán Ahern, for bringing forward this very important motion and for all of the work he is doing on this issue. Ireland has one of the highest electricity costs in Europe. Eurostat recently reported that prices in Ireland were nearly 40% above the EU average. It seems that every other week an energy provider is upping its prices once again. The Government cannot continue to sit on its hands while this happens. Many workers are just surviving, going from bill to bill…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 21, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following: “(4) (a) Where an authorised officer or an adjudication officer compels the disclosure of a record or takes possession of a record in accordance with subsection (3) — (i) the officer concerned shall not, pending the final determination of an application under subsection (4) or (6) , as the case may be, use, copy, communicate or otherwise act upon the record or its contents for any purpose other than its secure retention in accordanc…

I move amendment No. 9: In page 21, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “(c) the prohibition on use, copying, communication or other action in respect of the record pending the final determination of the application, including such prohibition as against any person to whom the record may have been disclosed prior to the assertion of privilege.”.

I wish to raise St. Anne's Special School in the Curragh, County Kildare. It has been waiting ten years for a new school building. The project remains at stage 2b design, and planning permission is due to expire next year. The Taoiseach will appreciate there is very little time for the school to get shovels into the ground and start building. There is only one accessible bathroom for 40 students in the school. More than a dozen children, who are wheelchair users, have no access to inclusive equipment on the grounds…

I thank Deputy Byrne and Sinn Féin and, indeed, the Social Democrats for the two motions before this House. In making any decision, it is important to consider the facts and why we are here tonight to discuss this game of football. The facts are that over 70,000 people have been killed during Israel’s genocidal campaign against the people of Palestine. This number is growing every day of these months of a so-called ceasefire agreement. The unbearable fact is that even during this ceasefire, at least two children pe…

Did either of the Ministers of State between them mention genocide?

I raise with the Tánaiste one of a number of emails I have received in the past week or so. The school informed someone's son that as he would now be going into fifth year, students would require a Chromebook when returning in September, at a cost of €540. The school commented that this is the only practical way to manage coursework due to the changes in the leaving certificate course. The school said it cannot afford the potential €80,000 expenditure to buy Chromebooks for every student. The email went on to say t…

I am asking again. I have had more information since.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on what is important legislation. The Minister will be aware of some of the issues I will raise. The first one is, as the Minister himself said, that this Bill is to provide a clear legislative framework for the NTA to undertake the construction of public transport infrastructure projects, such as BusConnects. Will the Minister confirm if this legislation before us will cover the legislation that is needed to allow the opening of the M4 eastbound bus priority lane, which, as he wi…

What is done?

That is the best news I have got from the Minister today.

I thank the Minister. He and I will pose for a photograph.

The Minister and I will pose for a photograph after that. I will also mention that the Minister is also - I have spoken to him and the powers that be after he mentioned the need for more buses to get me into Leinster House early in the morning - looking at the N7. I spoke to the NTA last week about this and it is examining the issue. Perhaps the Minister can give us some more good news on the N7 project because it would make a difference to the car park it is. I appreciate what the Minister said and the legislation…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion on the cost of disability. It is important that the Minister is here to hear what the Opposition has to say about it. The Labour Party has continually raised the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that is affecting many households across Ireland and having a particularly profound impact on those with disabilities and their families who are dealing with the added difficulty of the cost of disability, day in, day out. As we all know in this House - it has alread…

Good man, James.

Speaking on behalf of the still very relevant Labour Party,------

-----childcare is a major cost of living for many working families across this country. In too many cases, parents are paying a second mortgage in childcare fees while others are struggling to even find a place for their children. Many community and small providers are barely getting by while educators are leaving the sector day by day. At the same time, we hear that a major childcare chain is being sold to a UK investment firm for €75 million, a chain that has come to Leinster House with its begging bowl and lobbi…

The waiting time for occupational therapy, OT, services in Kildare and west Wicklow is now 169 weeks, or 3.25 years. I have received replies to a number of parliamentary questions related to constituents who have to wait that long to see an occupational therapist. They are waiting for motorised scooters, chairs and simple rails to help their quality of life. Some of these people cannot wait three and a half years; they are in their golden years. I ask the Minister to talk to the Minister for Health and the HSE to s…