I raise an issue which affects both the Taoiseach and me. It is Cork Educate Together Secondary School, which is currently located on Wellington Road in my constituency. When it was first founded in 2016 it was largely due to serve a catchment in the Taoiseach’s constituency, largely in the Douglas area. Since 2016 the school has had a number of homes. It is currently located on Wellington Road, as I said, next to Griffith College. Its lease is due to expire in 2027. Griffith College has intimated to the school man…

Ireland's upcoming EU Presidency represents an important opportunity to advance economic competitiveness. Can the Taoiseach advise if there are plans to host EU Presidency-related meetings or events in Cork and other regions across the country to ensure that the whole country can benefit in some small way from hosting such events? The EU Presidency also represents an opportunity to show policy leadership. Can the Taoiseach outline some of the key policy areas the Government will prioritise during this time? As the …

Given the growing concerns about the misuse and manipulation of images on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter, does the Taoiseach believe it is appropriate that Ministers would continue to use this platform for official public messaging?

Pluvicto, a drug used for prostate cancer patients, was approved by the European Medicines Agency back in 2022. The HSE received an application for reimbursement in 2023 but both the national cancer control programme, NCCP, and the drugs group in the HSE recommended that the drug not be reimbursed because of limited resources available to the HSE. A private patient with private health insurance or attending a private hospital can actually avail of this drug if it is recommended by his consultant. Unfortunately, bec…

We now move to the Social Democrats slot. I call Deputy Cummins.

Energy is not just a commodity; it is the lifeblood of every home and business in Ireland. While the worst of the global energy shock may have passed, its legacy remains deeply felt in Irish households. Rising bills have eroded disposable income, pushed more families into arrears and amplified the sense of insecurity that began during the pandemic and worsened with the war in Ukraine. It is not an abstract problem. When parents are rationing heating or skipping meals to keep the lights on, we are failing in our dut…

I only have two and a half minutes so I will make two or three points, beginning with the planning system. As the Minister knows, most local authorities are reviewing their development plans, which I welcome. It is long overdue. There is one issue I want to raise with the Minister and it is something I only became aware of in the past couple of days. It is a document on housing densities entitled Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities. My understanding is tha…

We have heard all the talk about a 12-month anniversary for many TDs but I would like to talk about a 64-year anniversary which was commemorated yesterday. A group of us met the Irish Thalidomide Association in Leinster House. It was a cross-party meeting with Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and Independents all represented, and they universally acknowledged the hurt and pain those survivors have experienced for 64 years. I spoke here last year and asked for a State apology…

This is a topic the Taoiseach is very familiar with. He has visited the Rainbow Club on dozens of occasions at this stage and knows the great work that Jon, Karen and the board do. When Senator Rabbitte was the Minister of State, she was the first to allocate funding to the Rainbow Club under a service level agreement to provide respite care for children. As the Taoiseach will know, every week, over 1,200 children avail of this service, which is provided on a shoestring budget. The Taoiseach will be very familiar w…

Minister, time is up.

Deputy Ó Broin, through the Chair please. Minister, time is up.

We are moving on. Deputy Ó Broin, we are not going to have a conversation across the floor.

Respect the Chair, please.

Tá Ceist Uimh. 6, in ainm an Teachta Willie O'Dea á thogáil ag an Teachta Séamus McGrath.

Tá Ceist Uimh. 7, in ainm an Teachta Peter 'Chap' Cleere, á thogáil arís ag an Teachta Séamus McGrath.

On the Minister's last point, we have approached Cork County Council collectively at a local level and it is saying that without national guidelines, it will not amend its development plan in terms of governing regulations around the erection of solar farms. There is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation here. The council is saying it will not implement anything about solar development in its development plan. The Minister is saying this evening that it is up to the council to incorporate that into its development p…

I support Deputy Dolan as well. I spoke about solar guidelines previously. It has to be said again that is taking an extreme amount of time to get these guidelines updated. I am here since 2020. I have spoken about this a dozen times at this stage. We have been led to believe that these guidelines are being updated or imminent. The Minister is giving us an update on the progress in relation to that. As I said, it seems to take an extreme amount of time. They are much anticipated and long awaited. Whether it is sola…

I was going to reference that at the start. I know it is an issue close to the Chair's heart and her father's heart. It is an issue I have raised here on five or six occasions, primarily through Topical Issues. I thank the Minister of State for being here. Unfortunately, to my mind, nothing has changed after those attempts to raise this issue here in the past. For people at home who are not familiar with Carrignavar, it is a village to the north of Cork city. It is probably a ten-minute drive to the city centre. It…

Unfortunately, not much has changed in the response. As I said in my own piece, I firmly believe the solution to this is probably, unfortunately, going to be the private route through developer-led infrastructure. It is not ideal. Irish Water itself has resisted that process for a long time now. I hope that the Minister will make a fair fist of that and bring this to a head and not just for Carrignavar. I could probably list six or seven other villages in my own constituency. The Minister of State himself reference…

SMEs are the lifeblood of Ireland's economy. They account for 99.8% of all businesses and employ over two thirds of our workforce. They are primarily the family-owned firms, rural hauliers and local manufacturers that keep our communities alive. Today they are under unprecedented strain. One of the most pressing issues they face is the rising cost of haulage. Haulage is not a luxury; it is the backbone of our supply chains. Every product we consume, from food to pharma, depends on road transport. For SMEs, the cost…