I would very much appreciate that. I know the planning and building unit is a bit of a black box. I think all TDs would love to have more access to the decisions that are made there. If the Minister of State could pass on those concerns, I hope we could get a positive response. It is really important the Minister of State acknowledges what has happened in our area in recent years, namely, the agreement of schools to open additional ASD classes. Thankfully, the Minister of State has not had to use the new special po…

Cuirim ceist inniu faoi na rothair scrambler, and I am sure the Taoiseach welcomes the news that across north Dublin, 32 scrambler bikes have been seized following the recent changes in legislation, and the additional powers which that gives to gardaí. Along with the additional powers, it also places an onus to provide additional resources. I ask that the Taoiseach would ensure that the Government would continue to do that for gardaí to allow them to deliver further results. I also note the concerns where gardaí sa…

I am also very familiar with the work of Debra Ireland. The HTA process is not just protracted, as Deputy O'Sullivan points out. In 2011, I authored the Irish Platform for Patients Organisations report, which referred to a black hole in decision-making at the end of the process. We have to find a way of striking a balance between value for the taxpayer, which we should pursue without continuously saying "Yes" to pharma companies, and not resorting to patients having to advocate in the way that we do. We have to hav…

Two commitments in the programme for Government were welcome, those being, addressing the issue of apartment defects and reviewing the Multi-Unit Developments Act, or MUD Act, which governs management companies, sinking funds and management fees. In the coming months, we will see owners’ management companies, OMCs, receiving millions, if not billions, of euro in Government support. We need that to be matched with the review of the Act that the Department of Justice is undertaking. Important issues need to be addres…

It lies with the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee.

Yes, but not the review of the MUD Act. This is not a conversation, though, and I do not want the Ceann Comhairle to have to tell me that.

I acknowledge the motivation of Deputy Ward in bringing forward the Bill earlier in the week. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on making this time available to discuss this issue. At the core of both of those things is a recognition that we know the people coming to our clinics need a better service. That is where we have to start. If we get into the game of second-guessing people's motivation, we will not solve anything for those people. When Deputy Cronin said the Government has had 100 years to so…

I am very happy to raise this issue because many schools and parents have been in touch with me about their concerns regarding the recent circular on special education teaching, SET, hours. As the Minister of State knows, five criteria are currently considered, namely, enrolment, gender, the profile of the school, the degree of complex needs and the level of deprivation in the area. The Minister of State might be aware that next year's allocation will disregard gender and complex needs. There is a real concern that…

I thank the Minister of State and appreciate the additional information he has provided to the House. As with everything, we have to rely on experts. On the issue of gender, the evidence clearly shows that is not an appropriate ground to consider. Unfortunately, the defence the Department is relying on for the second factor, relating to complex needs, is that the data being returned by the CDNT is not comprehensive. The great difficulty with that, however, is that this is not the fault of the child, the parent or t…

On the basis of what she has just said to the House, I encourage the Minister to work with her Government colleagues on this issue, in particular for those people who applied for the carer's allowance several years ago, or up to a decade ago in some cases. Over that time, that person's partner may have had an increase in salary. Many of those people do not understand that it is a means-tested payment and then inadvertently find themselves in the situation where they are beyond the threshold. They then become concer…

Never mind the mouldy bread, we often get mouldy answers here but the Deputy is correct that it was a good answer. That is because it is a good policy and it is welcome. I have seen it in practice in schools, as have many Deputies present. It is transformative. I also like the universality element because disadvantaged children do not always go to DEIS schools. It is important to roll the programme out. It prevents stigma and so on. One suggestion has been brought to me. There are many children in DEIS schools who …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I welcome the Minister of State's clarification of the statistics on the funding. Dublin City Council has been investing in its housing stock for some time and reducing the voids. I think the council has some of the lowest void levels in the country. That is because it made the decision that it was not just going to rely on central government funding and we were going to invest - I say "we" like I think I am still on the local authority - in its own stock as well. Wit…

I thank the Minister of State for the clarification and as I said, I congratulate Dublin City Council on the way it is approaching it. The issue in my constituency is not necessarily that of voids but of delivery. On the last count, 3,047 homes in my constituency are being built under Housing for All. All are public homes on public land. These are projects the Opposition not only voted against the budgets for but also the Bills that enabled them and, in some cases, they voted against the proposals when they came be…

I follow Deputy Crowe's contribution by acknowledging the work that Deputy Jim O'Callaghan did with me and Dublin City Council in returning the Countess Markievicz Na Fianna Éireann banner from the British Museum. On that occasion it was returned and is on public display. A lot more could be done on that. I start my contribution by congratulating those people who took office, both at Executive level but also I imagine with a great sense of eagerness the members of the assembly. Anybody who gets involved in politics…

My view is that the child poverty unit and the unit dealing with the roll-out of the north-east inner-city model cover much of the same work. I welcome the Cabinet’s decision today to establish a task force for Ballymun which will be chaired by John Costello, formerly of the Dublin GAA county board. I thank the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste for their support in delivering that. It will make a difference in our area. I call on them to ensure that senior civil servants will be present and will engage with the task force…

I recently had the pleasure of attending St. Joseph's School in Finglas west with the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, for an active school project. There was a fantastic atmosphere and a great presentation was put on by the school. However, I have to say that I was struck by some of the building issues the school has. The school has engaged with me about the issues it has with the roof, with some of the shelters in the yard and with what the council would call the public domain or the public realm within the sc…

I welcome the availability of the Department to assist the school on this matter. I note the issues regarding the pre-tender report. The school is quite frustrated that the report has delayed things. I know there is some difficulty in trying to secure the additional requirements. There is a bigger issue here. If we had a DEIS-plus programme, this would be a school that needed it. The Minister provided access control gates for the school last year. She did so because of the significant level of antisocial behaviour …

I appreciate the Minister's reply. As I say, there is a broader issue not just on this site but across north Dublin. We have schools that were built when we had much larger and younger populations in certain areas. Unfortunately, they have seen a reduction over time. They are large campuses. They are not new school buildings. They are often 50 or 60 years old. We need a broader policy to analyse those and to see how we can get the best value for money for investment in them. They also have great community value. Ga…

At the outset, I should acknowledge the various Government TDs who have engaged with Sadaka. I refer to Deputies Higgins, Costello and Haughey and many others. This demonstrates the strength of feeling on the Government benches, which often goes unacknowledged. Since I last spoke on the Palestinian situation, there has been an unacceptable deterioration and a catastrophic human disaster. Some 24,000 are dead and 1.9 million are displaced. There has been significant destruction of housing and infrastructure and fami…

When I saw the attendance I suspected my slot would come earlier so I took the opportunity to avoid the debate falling. I mention the phrase "success can have many mothers and fathers". It is not often I get the opportunity to congratulate both the Government and Opposition on good examples of a practical and pragmatic issue being brought forward, listened to in the Department and supported by organisations such as SPARK, One Family and so on. The provisions in the Bill that relate to families and lone parents are …