I echo Deputy O'Callaghan's comments. The five Dublin Bay North Deputies are here together. The Minister of State has worked with us before on Belmayne Educate Together. This underlines the importance of the issue for the community. There is a very committed community of students, parents and teachers who have been waiting for 25 years for that building. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, visited earlier this year and witnessed first-hand the commitment of the teachers, students and parents to education in the difficult…

It is a bit frustrating. We are all fully committed to this project and are waiting for officials to make what should be a no-brainer of a decision, given where the project is, what the community is at and where we need to go. I urge the Minister of State to keep pressure on departmental officials and get the decision made quickly so we can get through this gate and the community can move on and start planning for a fine new building that is so badly needed.

I represent many working-class communities on the northside, so I do not accept the Deputy’s analysis at all.

I do not accept the Deputy’s analysis. I am happy to go with him to working-class communities on the northside any time he wants.

I appreciate that. I am just not going to let the comment go unchallenged. I welcome the additional money allocated to the SEAI this year. It has a huge part to play in getting our housing stock retrofitted from a climate perspective, but there is something of an issue with heat pumps. Heat pumps appear to be the nirvana when it comes to retrofitting. For older citizens in particular, they are expensive, so it is really difficult for them to change to them. It is easy when it comes to new stock; 99% of new houses b…

I had just been elected and I had national school principals from Coolock on to me straight away about DEIS plus, and fair play to them. They were determined to make sure DEIS plus got off the ground and got funding and support. I was more than happy to raise it in the parliamentary party and directly with the Minister, to work with like-minded colleagues to make sure those working-class areas, with great communities but deprivation, would get a shot at DEIS plus. I am delighted to see €48 million allocated to the …

I thank the Minister for the update. Just to add to what my colleague Deputy Boland said, the patient voice forum is a really good step forward. It is incredible that it has not happened before now. Well done to the Minister for putting it in place. It is a model that should work in many different areas of the health service and I really welcome it. I want to mention the area of diagnosis. As has been said, it is estimated that one in seven women has the condition, although it could be a lot higher. We owe it to wo…

The Minister put it really well herself when she said that women are the best narrators of their own lived experience and their own pain. As long as she can keep that in the centre of all of the work that will be done around endometriosis, she will make progress and she will have the support of this House.

Sport is essential to Irish life. It would be hard to find a household that was not tuned in to watch Tipperary lash Cork in the all-Ireland or to see Shane Lowry make that final hole last weekend. That spirit and such huge excitement and interest brings a real sense of belonging and identity to communities. It is so important. The previous Government recognised that with its funding paths in terms of previous rounds. The Minister of State kindly visited Raheny Shamrocks this year. It was a very positive visit. It …

My question concerns supporting people with a disability to find substantial, sustainable and meaningful employment and implementing the recommendations of the review of the wage subsidy scheme. I would like to know the cost of reducing the minimum required hours under the wage subsidy scheme from 21 to 15 hours in April 2024 and if the Minister will make a statement on the matter.

The programme for Government recognised that people with a disability face significant additional costs in their daily lives and seeks to improve supports and ensure the welfare system is progressive and empowers people to live full and independent lives. It is welcome to see that the stakeholder review was taken on board by the Department. As the Minister mentioned, the cost of €889,000 associated with this change is relatively minor but it has a major impact. It means that 257 people with a disability or health c…

I thank the Minister. I think we still have a way to go here in terms of making progress. I welcome the ongoing review of the subsidy itself and the entry points and levels. According to the Disability Federation of Ireland, just over 30% of people with disabilities here are in employment. The EU average is around 50%, so we need to focus on building skills. I also suggest we need to promote the scheme. I think one element of the feedback from a year or two ago was that employers were basically unaware of the schem…

I support the lifting of the passenger cap for Dublin Airport. The expansion of that airport is critical, not just for jobs and growth, but for Ireland's standing as a global hub. It strengthens our economy and deepens the existing bonds we have fostered with international partners. I live in Drumcondra and we get overflights every now and then - it does not bother me and I do not think they make their way to Phibsborough - but I would call on the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA, and the Government to engage with aff…

Go raibh maith agat a Cheann Comhairle and Minister. I welcome auto-enrolment. It has been a long time in the making but it is great to see that it is finally going on the blocks. I agree with Deputy Gogarty that it is really a saving scheme at this stage rather than a pension scheme. This is mainly because the pensions bit has probably not been worked out yet but the thrust is to get people contributing to the future, which is fair enough. Regarding fees, I read the note the Department has on its site, which reads…

My question concerns an issue with which the Tánaiste will be familiar, that is, the urgent need to build resilience in our national systems in line with EU regulations. I am asking for an update on the development of a national strategy for the resilience of critical entities.

It is good to hear that Ireland is leading out when it comes to the transposition of the regulations. Disruptive incidents, whether caused by national hazards or malicious actors, have the potential to inflict immense damage on Ireland. We saw what happened with Storm Éowyn and the damage it did to communities across Ireland, but we also saw the real value of EU solidarity. The EU civil protection mechanism kicked in, with 13 power generators from the Commission’s reserve and four generators from Denmark, to help t…

I thank the Tánaiste. The programme for Government was mentioned earlier. It rightly highlights the need to strengthen national security to protect Irish citizens, maintain public order and ensure the safety of communities in Ireland. We all hear about and are aware of reports of foreign actors probing underseas communications, energy infrastructure and other installations. While we hope our preparations are never tested, we cannot afford to be caught on the back foot when it comes to the national security of criti…

Marino Institute of Education, MIE, based in my constituency, is a teacher training college funded by the Department of education. It produces world class educators who work in Ireland and abroad. I think the Tánaiste visited there in times past. However, MIE has two courses that do not qualify under the free fees initiative - the bachelor of science in education studies and the bachelor of science in early childhood education. This is fundamentally unfair and puts MIE at a financial disadvantage. The issue seems t…

We heard recently that the population of the island of Ireland has gone above 7 million for the first time. It is really a great time to be looking at an all-island rail strategy. What is not to like about this strategy? I commend the Minister of State but I also want to commend Eamon Ryan who initiated this strategy a few years ago. It is great that it was done. Rail is a great way to distribute economic growth and bring economic development to different regions. What is not to like about that? Rail is a great way…

It is very interesting if you look at the data, particularly for mature students. This is over a period of time. I do not think it is for that particular year but for mature honours degree students aged 23 and over, 71% of SUSI grant recipients completed their degree compared with 65% of those who did not get SUSI support. It seems that mature students get through at a better rate if they have more support. It is the same for mature general degree students who receive SUSI support, with 70% of them getting their de…