Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur maidir leis na deontais tithíochta athchóirithe. The housing adaptation grants are a game-changer for many people who are older or who have a disability and need to get alterations done to their houses. However, many constituents have raised with me the delays they have in accessing the public occupational therapy lists to get the sort of reports and certifications for the modifications they need. I am asking whether guidelines can be put in place. We know that in many cases the report f…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Taoiseach as an uasdatú sin. Tá dhá cheist agam. I dtosach báire, will the Taoiseach update the House on the intention to reform the Good Friday Agreement institutions? This has been flagged a number of times by the Government and the Taoiseach and I would be grateful for an update on the thinking of ourselves, the British Government and the Northern Irish parties on this. The Taoiseach rightly pointed to the success of the shared island initiative, which has been transformative in bringing…

We all recognise the scale of the challenge facing the transport sector as we work to meet our climate obligations and, obviously, heavy goods vehicles are among the most difficult parts of that sector to decarbonise. Electrification is progressing but it is not yet a realistic option for the majority of those long-haul operators. It is in that spirit that I ask the Tánaiste to clarify what can be done from the Government's point of view with regard to support for hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, as a transition fu…

I ask the Minister for Transport to give an update on the DART+ South West project, the progress that has been made to date, the way in which this crucial infrastructure project for my constituents in Dublin Mid-West may be expedited, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I welcome that response. The Minister's successor as the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, was in the constituency this week in Clonburris and Adamstown. He saw the scale of housing being delivered and the importance of the infrastructure that enables that housing. One such project is DART+ South West. Coming from a commuter constituency the Minister will know full well that commuters in my constituency who use stations like Kishoge, Adamstown, Clondalkin Fonthill, and Park West are the people who want to use pu…

I thank the Minister. For the record of the House, I have seen the work being done to advance the CPOs and the enabling works. The Minister has outlined the important step, which is crucial, that procurement for DART+ South West and DART+ West is done in tandem. We cannot afford to lose any time in this if and when funding becomes available. I want to thank the Minister for his personal commitment to try to bring the funding forward for this. I will work on this directly with the Minister. I will take a moment to p…

I thank Deputy Ward for asking the question. As he knows, I asked a question about this matter a few weeks ago and have engaged directly with the Minister on it. The suggestion I put forward is that there be airport-bound routes going through Dublin Mid-West, like the Expressway service from the western part of the country. I have written to the NTA and hope to get the support of the Minister to allow pick-up and drop-off for residents in Lucan and Clondalkin on airport-bound routes outside of Dublin in the interim…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo tráthnóna. I start by acknowledging the significant strides made in recent years, especially in the expansion of special classes for children with autism which has improved access to the appropriate supports for so many children. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, are still working to continue to make sure that provision is rolled out across the country. However, concerns have been raised with me that th…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra sin. I appreciate the good faith of the response and thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister for education. One immediate point I will make, which I am sure the Minister of State's wife would empathise with, is that the application procedure for additional resources for SEN in a school is extremely onerous. Our focus should be on ensuring the resources and hours required are made available in a targeted and timely way, in the best inter…

Tá mé ag tógáil na ceiste seo thar ceann mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Cearúil. The question is to ask the Minister if supports and grants are available for Irish students undertaking specialist artistic third level training, such as ballet dancing and dance training, that may not be available in Ireland, what supports are available to those families and those students undertaking such training and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra sin. I want to be clear on the kinds of programmes I am talking about. I am talking about specialist ballet programmes that may not necessarily result in an undergraduate degree award but that are for individuals who would have been practising or learning how to perform ballet, in some cases since the age of four. They would enrol in universities abroad, for example the University of the Arts in Rotterdam. A number of the constituency cases Deputy Ó Cearúil and I ha…

I ask for some consideration by the Minister of the possibility of exploring joint approaches with other Government Departments. When we see great people achieve greatness in their disciplines, we take credit for them and take pride in those people being Irish citizens. It would be great for people like these constituents we have dealt with who have an aptitude for things like ballet and will represent Ireland in the international arts environment, if we were able to say the State played a role in supporting their …

Is ceist í seo le cur ar an Aire maidir leis an tacaíocht atá á cur ar fáil ag a Roinn le soláthar oideachas pobail agus soláthar oideachais do dhaoine fásta trí mheán na Gaeilge. My question relates to the provision of adult and community education through the medium of Irish. Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht an fhreagra sin. Tugaim moladh mór do na ETBs timpeall na tíre atá ag cur ar fáil scileanna nach scileanna Gaeilge iad ach atá ag cur foghlaim scileanna ar fáil trí mheán na Gaeilge. Tá an-tábhacht ag baint leis sin, ní hamháin sna ceantair Ghaeltachta ach sna ceantair nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge in úsáid iontu chomh forleathan céanna. I pay particular tribute to the City of Dublin ETB for the Gaeltacht skills course it has put in place. It is a two-week immersion course for tutors…

Molaim go mór na hiarrachtaí sin. We need to go a little further with the upcoming draft strategy on FET, that should have - and I hope it will - an explicit mention of the provision of courses that are not on the Irish language but are taught through the medium of Irish. Ba mhaith liom rud eile a chur in iúl don Aire agus na ETBs ar fud na tíre ná go bhfuil an-chuid Gaelcholáistí againn ar féidir a úsáid don oideachas do dhaoine fásta agus don oideachas pobail. Community colleges provide a broad range of adult and…

This question is to ask the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the position regarding his plans to bring the Marino Institute of Education under the remit of his Department rather than the Department of Education and Youth; the timeline envisaged for any such change; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I will clarify that I am asking this question on my own part, because I discovered the lacuna that Marino is not under the aegis of the Minister’s Department. This query has not been requested by Marino. As the Minister said, it is a fine institution. My wife is a graduate of it. She did her degree there. I am also struck by the sheer range of programmes it offers. It does not just offer primary school teacher training programmes. It also offers the early childhood education programme and a further education and tr…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht labhairt linn tráthnóna maidir le cad a thit amach ag Comhairle na hEorpa i Mí an Mhárta. Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an fógra a tugadh ar maidin go bhfuil an Ungáir tar éis a veto a bhaint ar an gcabhair a bhí le tabhairt don Úcráin de bharr cinneadh na comhairle cúpla mí ó shin. It is a very welcome development and it is a testament to the fact that there has been a change of government in Hungary, which has removed the block to assistance being p…

I raise the need for increased oversight and accountability with regard to owners' management companies, OMCs. It is an issue in my constituency where we have larger estates that are delivered on a phased basis. Parts of the developments are occupied while other parts are still under construction. The developer of the estate can retain control of the OMC for extended periods, which is against the spirit in which OMCs are set up. In addition, the current model allows for a voluntary resident director to take on sign…

I have raised this question before in the House. It relates to the British Government's response to the State's ongoing request for full disclosure and access to all relevant documentation concerning the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974. We had the summary report of Operation Denton in the past few months but there is still a general frustration, despite the multiple calls by this House for disclosure of all documents relating to those terrible events of 1974. Will the Minister make a statement on the ma…