Ballinasloe is a proud town in the heart of Ireland, just off the M6, with huge untapped potential. Once home to major employers like Dubarry, Square D and A.T. Cross, Pobal and DEIS data now identify severe deprivation in the town, with intergenerational unemployment and educational inequality. Scoil an Chroí Naofa has been waiting 20 years for redevelopment. Garbally College urgently needs refurbishment notwithstanding its imminent amalgamation with Ardscoil Mhuire. Yet, Ballinasloe's spirit endures. Local busine…

Would it be possible for the Minister for Health and her Department and the Government to reconsider their stance on the shingles vaccine given recent studies that show the administration of shingles vaccine in the elderly population has the added benefit of the reduction of the onset of dementia by about 20%? It is a significant additional piece of data published in Nature magazine and based on a study of the introduction of the vaccine in Wales. The shingles vaccine is now offered to all people aged over 60 in th…

I support the Bill. It is an important interim measure until the full extension of the RPZs happens next March. It is very important that protection is afforded to tenants in the interim. The Minister and Minister of State have demonstrated their concern that there would not be a precipice and that tenants would not be left vulnerable to some landlords. It would not be all landlords and we need to be careful of the language we use. The extension of the rent pressure zones to the entire country is to be welcomed. It…

Like the Minister of State and every Member in this House, I was deeply disturbed by the scenes broadcast on the recent "RTÉ Investigates" programme. While immediate and decisive action is required in those specific cases in Glasnevin and Portlaoise - and I fully support the Government's commitment to that - this must also be a catalyst for wider reflection. How are we going to care for a growing population of older people, many of whom will require some level of support to live with dignity and independence? Our p…

I support the Minister on this. Language is important. Trying to come up with language that pleases everyone is difficult, but the terms "mental health difficulties" and "psychosocial disability" are too broad for some of the conditions we are talking about. My understanding of the term "mental health disorder" is someone who has a clinically diagnosed condition that is persistent and causing ongoing disability for that person. We are talking about people with schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, or with pers…

I oppose this amendment. Regarding the term "psychosocial disabilities", involuntary admission is a very unusual instrument in the State. We have a very low rate of involuntary admission compared to other jurisdictions most especially the UK, which is our closest neighbour. It is a really serious step for any practitioner in the community to involuntarily admit someone. This is based on my 35-year experience as a GP. The situations where we have admitted people to hospital involuntarily are those where someone is p…

As the Minister of State knows, as does the Minister, housing is the most pressing challenge facing the State today and will define the Government's success. While the previous Government met its targets under the Housing for All policy, rising demand means we are now acting swiftly to further increase supply and improve affordability. The public, especially younger generations, expect urgency, but the Government must ensure solutions are effective and do not create unintended consequences. Tough decisions are bein…

I begin by sincerely acknowledging the Minister of State's continued commitment to tackling flood risk across the country. I have worked closely with him in my own constituency of Roscommon-Galway and I have first-hand knowledge of his deep engagement with local communities and his determination to deliver real, practical outcomes. His leadership has been instrumental in progressing key projects that matter to people on the ground. These are projects that do not just promise change, but deliver it. One such project…

I want to put on record my horror at the actions of Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. It has been a totally disproportionate reaction to the 7 October attacks. Those were despicable but the killing of 54,000 people and deliberately targeting by hunger and total war a whole population of people is inexplicable and unforgivable. We have to use our best influence through the European Union because this dial will not shift until the big countries of Europe and the United States force Israel to change this …

It is with significant regret that I have to speak today. I am a member of the medical profession. I am not an orthopaedic specialist but I am a doctor of nearly 40 years' standing. The Thomas audit of the management of developmental dysplasia of hips in children in CHI at Temple Street and Crumlin and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh is deeply disappointing and unsettling, most especially as it follows on from the use of non-medical grade springs in spinal surgery in CHI. My thoughts are primarily with th…

I welcome the commendable year-on-year investment by the Government in rural towns and villages, both under the CLÁR scheme, as the Taoiseach pointed out, and via the the rural regeneration and development fund. One of the challenges that remains is that we need to retain our people in our villages. Some 30 or 40 years ago, people were emigrating because of a lack of employment. Now young people want to come back to our villages to live in them but there is a problem with the inconsistency regarding planning and in…

I thank the Minister for that answer. I understand that the tenant in situ scheme was a temporary scheme. It was a safety net for people who were given a notification of termination of their tenancy to avoid homelessness. It is important to address the anxiety of people right around the country - not just in Roscommon or in Ballinasloe, which is also part of my constituency - about the possibility of people becoming homeless because of the anxiety around the tenant in situ scheme. As we know, we do not want the ten…

Of course, the solution to all of this is to drive the provision of housing right through the different sectors - social, affordable and private. I welcome the new planning framework which will hopefully drive and allow local authorities to redraw their county development plans and deliver that housing. I visited two modular factories during the week. One was in Lidan in Roscommon that produces schools for the Department of education. It will also be able to produce housing. I also visited GreenFrame, a steel-frame…

In a world being reshaped by technology, climate change and shifting geopolitics, one truth remains constant: knowledge drives prosperity. In this rapidly changing landscape, higher education, research and skills are not luxuries. They are economic necessities. Ireland's competitive edge will not come from natural resources or low costs; it will come from talent and from the people we educate, the research we fund and the skills we foster. Every lecture hall, every lab and every apprenticeship is an investment in t…

Will the Minister outline the timeframe for the building of the four new elective hospitals?

The elective hospitals are absolutely critical health infrastructure. In the past, acute and emergency cases have had to compete with elective cases, with people who had waited long periods having their elective surgery deferred. We often talk about the emergency room as being the focus point but it is really just a symptom of lack of capacity within our health services. I am very happy with what the Minister has outlined in terms of developing capacity in the health service. We need to alleviate demand and separat…

On this Europe Day, I pause to reflect on a remarkable journey that began more than 74 years ago with the simple but transformative idea that peace and co-operation could replace conflict and division on our continent. Today, the European Union is more than a political and economic project. It is a symbol of shared values, democracy, the rule of law, solidarity and a commitment to human dignity. Ireland has benefited enormously from our EU membership, socially and economically. As a full member of the EU we achieve…

I am grateful for the opportunity to make a statement on Children's Health Ireland, CHI, and to reflect on the recent deeply troubling revelations about the insertion of non-medical grade springs into the spines of children undergoing complex spinal surgery and the emergence of a divergence in clinical decision-making for the threshold for pelvic osteotomies for developmental dysplasia of the hip in children between separate sites in the CHI hospital group, comprising Crumlin, Temple Street and the National Orthopa…

The imposition of 20% tariffs on EU exports by the United States is not only unjustified and regrettable, but also erroneous in its rationale and deeply flawed in its calculations. It marks a significant retrogressive step in rules-based international trade developed in the aftermath of the Second World War. It is remarkable that one officeholder, the President of the United States, has been able to appropriate such enormous power over international trade with an apparent absence of the normal congressional checks …

There was no criticism. I was noting a comment she made on the radio reflecting advice she received.