I thank the Deputy for the constructive way in which he is engaging on this. I do not doubt the bona fides of anyone in this House and I ask that no one doubt the bona fides of people on this side of the House in terms of wanting to get this right. There are diverse views and what Deputy Rice said earlier may be right, there may be a significant view that it should all be in public, but some people will want to give information in private. We all understand that. The Sinn Féin leader said that yesterday. Getting th…

I thank the Deputy very much. I know of her interest in this area and her work on it. I have seen the programme. I told the Deputy last week that I would watch it. It is an important programme because it gives a visual insight into the real lived experience of parents and schools. I know the Taoiseach is also very committed to this issue. I will ask the Minister for education to reflect on the point the Deputy has made regarding an audit. To add another point, what we mean by "inclusive education" is a debate we sh…

I have a professional affection for Deputy Nash and I reassure Deputy Ahern that, in my experience, he is pretty good at media management, so I would not worry about him. The issue of plug-in solar that the Deputy has raised is a serious one. It is a much more practical option for people in a whole variety of household settings, including apartments and the like. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is giving the matter serious consideration. Work is under way on it. I will have to get the Deputy a detailed update from th…

I have nothing but respect for public sector workers. The political and economic philosophy of this Government is that work should always pay. That includes those working in our public services. Let me be absolutely clear, crystal clear, and beyond any doubt. Please let every public sector worker hear this. The Government wants to sit down with their representatives without precondition to engage on a new public sector pay deal. I know there is hurt and pain out there and that people are under pressure. I get that.…

I acknowledge and accept that there are very sincerely held views on all sides of the issue in this House. There are a variety of views within my own party and within the other Government party. The Government approaches these matters with a free vote. They are treated as a matter of conscience and people can vote in accordance with their own views. That happened in this House, and the legislation is now with the committee, as the Deputy rightly says. I do not want to interfere in the committee's work. I would take…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and highlighting in the Dáil the concerns of the community around the Fatima Mansions area and other parts of her constituency, along with the need for resourcing. On foot of the Deputy raising it, I will raise the issue with the Minister for justice. I am sure the Deputy has done this but she can share that stakeholder engagement piece with the Minister. We need to continue to invest more in communities along with supporting the Garda in terms of its numbers. We will endea…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue about St. John's and St. Paul's schools in Drogheda. I will ask the Minister to visit next time she is in Louth and certainly to engage with the Deputy on that. As the Deputy will know, a review of the hot school meals programme came to Cabinet a couple of weeks ago. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, will now consider how we give effect to that. I will ask that he also take a look at the fact that there is another model in place in Drogheda as part of that.

I thank the Deputy for the question. In my time taking Leaders' Questions in this House, and let somebody fact check me if I am wrong, I do not ever recall being asked a question about job creation by an Opposition Member during the Leaders' Questions slot, which is interesting. At the moment, the political and often the media discourse just takes full employment for granted. It is a case of "We are at full employment, and sure is that not all grand." Of course, there are people who went to bed last night and lay a…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. My thoughts, and I am sure the thoughts of everyone in the House, are with the workers and families affected by the protective notice. I am sure this is a very stressful and worrying time for people. We also want to see an expansion of CCTV in general in terms of public safety. I am not across the detail of it in the way Deputy Quinlivan is but, on foot of him raising the issue today, I will make contact with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and ask that he and An Garda Sí…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue with riding schools and equestrian centres and how the commercial rates legislation interacts with them. I agree from a policy and public health perspective on the benefit of these centres at a time when we are trying to encourage our young people to be more active and have less screen time. I know this issue was also raised with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, in his engagement with equestrian centres. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has responsibility for our valuations legisla…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Obviously, we want to do all we can to support Ukraine and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. In that context, we have what is called a light tactical armoured vehicle fleet. It was procured through a competitive process and provided an important operational capacity to our Defence Forces from 2010 until its withdrawal from service in 2023 at the end of its planned service life. There was a detailed technical assessment on its withdrawal from the service and the D…

I congratulate Deputy Dr. Farrelly on the completion of his doctorate in youth studies and for being able to share that insight that he has professionally with the House. I join with him in acknowledging the important role that youth workers play in all communities and maybe the even more vital role that they play in communities at times of particular challenge, trauma or societal difficulty as well. On foot of the Deputy raising this, I will talk with the Minister, Deputy Naughton, in relation to that national you…

I thank Deputy McGrath for raising the issue in relation to Cashel. I do not doubt the importance of that service provided and the people who very much depend on it. Let me reiterate, and I say this to be helpful, that the Government wants the public sector unions to engage with our representatives in talks without precondition. We could not be clearer about that. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, has confirmed that view to the public sector unions. Every dispute, every discussion, gets resolved in sitting around a ta…

I thank Deputy Clendennen for raising this issue and for the real, practical examples he has given of the adverse impact when this service is not in place on people in their daily lives. I am informed that the diabetes day service in Mullingar is delivered by four whole-time equivalent nursing staff and one dietician, but I am also informed that currently there is only one staff nurse available for the team. Clearly, we have a recruitment issue here that needs to be addressed. I am reliably informed by the Minister…

It is rare the Deputy commends me. I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising, obviously, a very serious issue. The issue in relation to Garvaghy is receiving, as it rightly should, attention at all levels of government, right up to the most senior levels, and at all levels across officialdom as well, including the engagement of Irish officials on the ground, including engagement with the Deputy's party and others. I would just repeat the call for everybody to work towards calm and a resolution. Nobody wants to see the pr…

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this issue in relation to how we support plant hire operators, quarry workers and others in that kind of construction sector space with fuel costs. We have been clear as a Government that we want to do this. There is work going on across a few Departments to work out the best modality, but both I and the Taoiseach have been clear that we want to get this done and have a proposal to the Government shortly. We are discussing it, obviously, in the context, as the Deputy says, of t…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The word "front-line" is very important here. As the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in working closely with Minister, Deputy Chambers, prepares for the health budget 2027, we need to make sure we grow our front-line health professionals. The Deputy makes a valid point about the people going through our own universities and colleges who want to be able to work here and are actively looking to do so. They need to be met with an open door; we need them. Therefore, we need…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. More broadly regarding energy prices and the like, I am conscious of the pressures people are feeling in relation to energy bills. They are real, not just in Ireland but across the European Union and large parts of the world. In an Irish context, we will have our budget next Tuesday, when we will endeavour to assist people with those bills, particularly through the winter period. The Government is conscious of the increased financial pressures on households and businesses in recent…

My position is extraordinarily clear. I heard that individual Commissioner's comments today. I met with Commissioner Hoekstra yesterday, who is the Commissioner with responsibility for taxation. He is due to report and engage with EU finance Ministers in Luxembourg next Friday. It is not only my view but the view of the German finance Minister, the Italian finance Minister and four other finance Ministers, expressed in a signed letter to me, that the best way to consider acting on this is at an EU level. That is ho…

The Deputy keeps asking me the same questions. I have the back of ordinary workers. We tested that electorally in Galway West not that long ago when the Deputy's party put its proposition and I put mine. We won the by-election and his party did not. We have tested these propositions with the people because the people of Ireland know that, of course, it is more nuanced than the Deputy outlined. We are in the European Union. Energy is extraordinarily interconnected across the European Union. That is why it is not jus…