The key to addressing the diversion of young people from criminality is the provision of services right across the whole spectrum including education, health, community, and recreation services and, of course, employment. Those services must be properly funded and staffed. As others have said, this is not cheap but society gets back in spades what it gives in funding for these services. These services are not just self-financing; society get back in spades what it puts into them. Talk of diverting at the teenage st…

The role of the Ceann Comhairle is to be the impartial Chairperson of the Dáil and to carry out that role with the confidence and trust of both Government and Opposition Deputies. The independence of the office was further emphasised in 2016 when a decision was made that the post would be filled by a secret ballot of TDs. However, in 2024, the independence and impartiality of the Office of Ceann Comhairle was seriously compromised by making it part of a Government deal at the insistence of the Regional Independent …

When is the Government going to stop failing children with additional needs? Over 14,000 children are waiting for a needs assessment and 41,000 children are waiting for therapies, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Hundreds of children have no school place for next September. Day and residential services for children transitioning to adulthood are almost non-existent. The Government is breaking the law every day of the week. Children with additional needs are entitled to …

That is a live horse and you will get grass answer. It is an all talk and not enough action answer. The Minister has not answered the two questions I asked. When will these children get school places? When will the Government stop breaking the law? On Monday last the Minister for Education said she would use legislation to force schools to open special classes, which gave the clear impression that schools were refusing to open classes and were responsible for the lack of school places. There are very many schools a…

The Minister did not answer the questions.

No, he did not answer the questions and he is being glib.

I ask that the Leas-Cheann Comhairle would ensure that Ministers answer the questions.

No, I did not. I asked when they will get a school place -----

-----and when the Government will stop breaking the law.

On a point of order-----

-----that school engaged with the SENO, the Minister and the Department.

The Minister and the Department know all about the school. They know all about it.

The right to housing is a human right, enshrined in Article 25 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN rapporteur on the right to housing reiterated that position, saying that although increasingly viewed as a commodity, housing is, most importantly, a human right. The Housing Commission report seeks to vindicate that human right. It says that housing must be a unique, national priority. It talks about the failure to treat housing as a critical social and economic priority and goes on to say: "Only …

I thank the Minister for Rural and Community Development for coming to the Chamber to respond to this issue, which concerns men's sheds. I have been contacted by 17 different men's sheds in County Tipperary, including those in Ballagh, Ballina, Borrisokane, Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, Clogheen, Clonmel, Fethard, Glengoole, Moycarky, Mullinahone, Nenagh, Roscrea, Silvermines, Thurles and Tipperary town. There is serious concern in the men's sheds movement, both in the county and nationally, about funding into th…

As the Minister has said, the continued existence and sustainability of men's sheds is vital for a number of reasons and he mentioned some of them there. They provide support for members by tackling a range of physical and mental health conditions and helping to provide inherent health benefits to a quarter of the population who are disproportionately affected by health issues. They also provide support to other local community organisations, for instance the elderly, meals on wheels and possibly daycare centres. I…

Jigsaw is a youth mental health charity that provides free, non-judgmental and confidential therapy to young people between the ages of 12 and 15. It also gives families, educators and those who support young people's mental health ways to cope and the skills to be there for young people. Thankfully, after pressure from public representatives, this service was established successfully in County Tipperary, based in Thurles, and has been up and running successfully for a number of years. A commitment was given to est…

The prevention of crime and antisocial behaviour requires a wide range of social, economic and community actions including education, employment, training, income, social inclusion, community facilities and community policing. I will say a few words on community policing. Over the past few years, community policing has effectively been dismantled, particularly since the introduction of the new Garda districts. I recall a briefing by Commissioner Harris, and it was immediately clear to me that community policing was…

Molaim an rún seo, agus gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as ucht an rún a chur faoi bhráid na Dála. Ba mhaith liom labhairt ar bhuncheist thábhachtach maidir leis an nGaeilge. Tháinig laghdú suntasach ar líon na ndaltaí atá ag freastal ar scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge le linn an Rialtais dheireanaigh. Níl iarbhunscoil lán-Ghaeilge ach ag 11 contae. Eleven counties have Irish-language second level schools. Ós rud é go bhfuil neamhaird déanta ag an Rialtas ar an gcóras iompar scoile, níl deis ag daltaí freastal ar iarbhunscoi…

I congratulate the Minister on his appointment and wish him well in the Department. Both Government parties in their election manifestos committed to the abolition of the means test for the carer’s allowance. The public believed when those parties formed a Government that the means test would be abolished, if not immediately then certainly in the 2026 budget in October. There seems to be no clarity about that now and I ask for clarity on that today.

I thank the Minister for the reply, but we still have no clarity on when this means test will be abolished. As I said, the public believed the means test was going to be abolished either immediately on the formation of the Government or, at the very least, in budget 2026 in October of this year. From what the Minister said, there is absolutely no clarity on that. I acknowledge there have been increases in the limits over the years, which are welcome, but the commitment is to abolish the means test and that should a…