Since I have been elected to this House, I have heard little or nothing from the other side of the House on job creation. It never seems to feature. It is all about eating the size of the pie, eating the pie that we have and how we are going to cut up the pie. It is never about how we will make more pie. I went to college in 1990 when unemployment was 18%, just coming out of the 1980s. I remember 2012, when we were at 16% unemployment after the crash. Commissioner Hoekstra visited this week and he highlighted the m…

I echo Deputy O'Callaghan's points. I have visited Moatview Early Education Centre and I have met Susan Russell and the staff. They do great work. It is an area of serious disadvantage. This service has lasted since 1992, through many years, providing absolutely vital early learning education to local children. I cannot countenance the area losing this service. It would be an absolute travesty. I do not think it will. There is a tactical funding issue here. I think the centre is viable in the long term given that i…

This is a good response. It sounds like there is a gap between the board of directors and the service. As Deputy O'Callaghan has mentioned, a very good and capable manager is running the service. Based on what we have heard, it looks like we need to get the directors to the table as well. I understand that the directors run what is a legal entity, and that is how Pobal will fund it. I get that. I appeal to Pobal and the directors. Let us get everybody around the table with the support of the Minister of State and P…

Is the Minister for Transport aware of ongoing capacity issues on the north side's 15 bus route and the measures that are being taken to ensure local residents finally get a usable and dependable 15 service?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. The 15 is meant to be a northside workhorse service serving Belmayne, Clongriffin and Clarehall. As Deputy Gould said, Glanmire is a fast-growing area. This is also a fast-growing area on the northside. It is meant to be a 24-hour service. It is meant to be going every five to 12 minutes at peak but the service is just not delivering. Local residents will tell you that if you are getting on at Clarehall, you cannot get on. The bus is full at Clarehall at peak. Clarehall is stop …

I raised this in February and the response at the time was it was planned that a revised schedule for route 15 would be introduced in September. It is now September. I welcome the clarity on what the NTA is proposing but now it is saying, per the Minister of State's response, it will introduce its changes in December. Everything is being dragged out. We are talking about a fair increase in bus services raising about €70 million of which only a quarter is really targeted at improving services like this. I am not goi…

The progression of Jennie's law from Second Stage today represents an important step in our efforts to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland. The establishment of a public register for those convicted of domestic violence has the potential to empower people with the information that could help them make informed decisions about their own safety and well-being. Individuals are entitled to know if a prospective partner has a history of domestic violence, particularly where that history may indi…

I will segue a little into Deputy Tóibín's contribution in relation to an Ghaeilge. I was reared in Cois Fharraige, Connemara, in the Gaeltacht. The change in attitude towards the Irish language in Cois Fharraige and the Gaeltacht is nothing less than transformational. When I went to school, an Ghaeilge was not cool. That is the bottom line among the younger generations. That is where the idea of nine Irish speakers converting to speaking English with the single English speaker comes from. That is no longer the cas…

Tiocfaidh mé ar ais go SÍOL ar feadh nóiméid. I welcome SÍOL. As the Minister has said, síol is the Irish word for seed. It is very positive. It can make a huge difference, if funded properly, to those communities the Minister mentioned in terms of disadvantage. I understand it provides capital and project funding? Can the Minister confirm that? Like any TD, I am interested in areas in my own constituency and there is serious deprivation in parts of Coolock and Darndale. The Minister referred to funding of €5 milli…

I raise the situation concerning the 25 perfusionists employed across our health service. They plan an indispensable role in cardiac surgery, operating the heart-lung machines that keep patients going during some of the most complex surgical procedures carried out in our hospitals. Their expertise is critical to these surgeries. I understand the HSE has confirmed it will restore the long-standing pay link between perfusionists and medical scientists retrospective to January 2024. This is a positive development and …

The programme for Government recognises the vital role played by post offices in communities across Ireland. It commits to supporting them on a long-term basis. This Bill is clearly part of that commitment, providing €15 million per year over the next five years to support the network. It is welcome investment. Post offices are an essential part of community life, particularly for older people, vulnerable people and those living in areas where access to other services may be limited, as Deputies mentioned. While th…

Conor.

It is called The Lab.

As Ireland prepares to assume the Presidency of the European Union, the question of energy security has rarely been more urgent or relevant. While we are making real progress on the development of renewables, we must also recognise the vulnerabilities that remain in our system. With the risk of disruption to gas supply, whether through geopolitical instability or hybrid attack, our critical infrastructure underlying the need for a strategic gas emergency reserve, and I support that in principle. The recent global e…

I join my colleagues today in emphasising the importance of Dublin Airport as a key international hub and the crucial role it plays in driving economic growth, strengthening connectivity and supporting jobs across the country. As an island nation, our connectivity depends on aviation and seafaring. Irish residents travel more frequently and over longer distances than their European counterparts, with air travel per capita almost double the European average. For that reason, the passenger cap constrained our ability…

There are nearly 4,000 foster parents in Ireland who open their homes long term to children who often come from difficult and traumatic starts in life. The Minister has met them, as have I. It is a vocation for those families. At times, I wonder how they do it because of the workload involved, but they are really committed. Part of the challenge is that the number seems to be dwindling. There were over 4,000 a few years ago. Now, there are 3,800 foster parents who have 6,000 children in their care. I do not want to…

I welcome the Minister's comments and the commitment to the effect that he and the Minister for children, Deputy Foley, will continue to look at and develop this area. To come at it from the children's perspective, the CSO analysis of children who come through foster care shows they have higher rates of absenteeism from school, leave school earlier and their educational achievement generally is lower. Everything we can do to support these children, who have had a really difficult start in life, is to be considered …

As Deputy Brabazon said, St. Francis Junior National School is a fabulous school in a challenging area. The school had the joy and elation of achieving DEIS plus status, which was very important for it, but now it faces the dismay of losing a teacher shortly after. This is happening when the pupil numbers are clearly coming back up for the school next year. There are 66 children from Traveller families in this school, and we know the challenges that this brings for the education system and for those families. It is…

I ask that this be taken to the Minister. We need a fix. It involves a one-year fix around one student. It will all straighten itself out in a year's time. This area, above all others, needs the level of support we are asking for. We have to give it to the school. The Minister of State should relay this to the Minister. I appreciate the Minister of State's feedback.

I want to raise again the issue of microgeneration and the tax exemption limit for households. As I said here yesterday in the debate on the Finance Bill, targeted and practical changes over the lifetime of this Government will help us pull away from fossil fuels and towards renewable fuel permanently. One such change is the microgeneration taxation exemption. While the extension of the €400 exemption for selling electricity back into the grid to December 2028 is welcome, it is not enough. Once households exceed th…