I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 17, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on justice, migration and social affairs oversees the implementation of programme for Government commitments that relate to matters under these headings. It was established in February 2025 following the appointment of the new Government in January. The Cabinet committee on justice, migration and social affairs had its first meeting on 10 April and met most recently last week. The Cabinet committee covers a range of policy areas, including domestic, sexual and gender-based violence; policing and justice reform; migration; and initiatives tackling local area disadvantage. Among other items, it also oversees the development and delivery of the whole-of-government response to migration and integration, including through a national migration and integration strategy.

The Government is determined to eliminate hate-motivated crime and protect vulnerable communities. Attacks on migrant communities, whether physical, verbal or online, are utterly unacceptable. Everyone has the right to live safely, free from intimidation or abuse regardless of background. Under the recently amended Criminal Justice (Hate Offences) Act 2024, any assault motivated by hatred will, on conviction, result in a more severe sentence than before. Every hate crime reported to An Garda Síochána is professionally investigated and victims are supported during the criminal justice process. There are more than 530 garda diversity officers nationwide. Their role includes overcoming communication barriers with those from diverse backgrounds through active engagement, open dialogue and collaboration.

In addition to meetings of the Cabinet committee, I have regular engagements with Ministers at Cabinet and individually to discuss issues relating to their Departments.

I thank the Taoiseach. The Deputies have one minute each, so please take care. Deputy Connolly is not present, so I call Deputy Ardagh.

Today I am calling for a dedicated south inner city initiative to tackle growing levels of antisocial behaviour and community decline across Dublin's south inner city, including our suburbs. If the Taoiseach drives or walks through parts of the south city, he will see young men dressed in beautiful clothing, riding scooters and, much of the time, delivering drugs for the various drug gangs. It is very important we divert these young men away from a life of crime and a life of drugs. To do that, we need targeted investment, co-ordinated supports and visible policing to restore safety and confidence in our communities. We need investment not just in education but in sports facilities, especially in our inner city.

In the south inner city between the Liffey and the canal, we do not even have one full-sized sports pitch at present. It is an absolute disgrace. Children have to leave their communities in order to play a game of football or soccer. I ask the Taoiseach to make this a priority.

Last week Exchange House Ireland, the national Traveller service, presented to the joint Oireachtas committee on issues affecting the Travelling community, particularly regarding health issues. It spoke about the complexity of issues which determine the poor health outcomes for members of the Travelling community. I acknowledge there is complexity in resolving those issues but immediate improvements need to be made in the area of treatment for members of the Travelling community who suffer from mental health issues. There is an awareness this disproportionately affects the Traveller community but the data provided by Exchange House Ireland was stark and requires a response.

In comparison to rates for the population in Ireland as a whole, indications are the rate of probable suicide among members of the Travelling community is ten times higher - eight times higher for Traveller men and 15 times higher for Traveller women. We need to examine that to do whatever we can within our health service to provide dedicated mental health treatment for members of the Travelling community.

As Deputy Ardagh mentioned, there are many young people going around this city dressed up, "ballied" up, on scooters, on scramblers and so on. These young people are targeted by older criminals because they are vulnerable and impressionable. They are induced by adults with the promises of a life of luxury cars, expensive clothes and a simple get rich quick message. The grooming of young people into criminality destroys these young people's lives, their families and does untold damage to their communities.

Under the last Government, the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act was passed to tackle and target adults who groom minors and force children into crime. Yesterday at the justice committee, I asked the Garda Commissioner if he could cite the number of convictions or any pending prosecutions under this particular piece of legislation but, unfortunately, he ran out of time and was not in a position to answer the question. It is a very important piece, given what we see across the city and given what Deputy Ardagh has alluded to. Could this be discussed further at the committee?

The number of deaths in Cork Prison has doubled since last year. The Inspector of Prisons has said overcrowding has played a significant part in this. His annual report published a few weeks ago highlighted the low morale among officers and the insufficient access to a GP in Cork Prison among other issues.

As the Taoiseach is aware, Cork Prison is frequently overcrowded. Last August, there were a total of 403 prisoners onsite. He knows as well as I do that this facility was only built for 296 prisoners. The latest count shows there are still 372 prisoners onsite. One of the recommendations from the report was to ask the Minister to introduce an upper limit on the number of prisoners that could be held on site.

Can we look into the imposition of an upper limit? We have been talking for quite a while about the need to build an extension to Cork Prison. Will the Taoiseach provide an update on that project?

I am very glad that the issue of drugs has been raised. I have said before that I do not think we are having a real conversation. I do not think we are asking the right questions, whether we are talking about drug gangs, young people who fall into crime or the chaos that is caused in communities where there is a crossover with poverty and intergenerational trauma. I spoke to the Garda Commissioner. I did not have time at the committee, so it ended up being a private conversation.

I am talking about a lot more than community-saving partnerships. If we are serious about all of this, then it must be about multiagency interventions, family interventions and youth diversion projects. I have seen in my town where people have been able to intervene at an earlier stage, but it is a lot more than that. It is about Greentown and beyond, and it is a question of getting in there earlier. I do not think we are anywhere close to where we need to be in relation to delivering action in respect of what is at the heart of this scourge. I have mentioned before all the issues with Tusla, but it does not have the power. An Garda Síochána does not have powers. There are problems for local councils regarding people dealing drugs out of houses. We cannot look after the vulnerable or those who need addiction services, and we are failing communities.

It is very concerning that a violent, extremist, far-right group has threatened to attack mosques and any place where there are migrants. Its slogan is "an eye for eye", apparently. A couple of men have been arrested and charged with possession of explosives. This is a very worrying development for families, particularly since there was an attempted murder in broad daylight in Drogheda. I put it to the Taoiseach that this is not just the far right; it is also about politicians across the Dáil who are legitimising racism and the scapegoating of minorities with their language. Some of them come in here declaring that this is the most important issue to be discussed. They are creating a dangerous environment in which there has been an increase of 24% in racism. Aontú had a secret racist WhatsApp group among its young members.

That is disgusting and disgraceful. The Deputy is completely misrepresenting the situation.

This matter was recently reported in the media, but, apparently, no journalists were interested in pursuing it any further.

Name calling again.

Sorry, it is just a factual finding. People who were working for TDs were promoting racism, so it is obviously widespread.

It has been almost two years since I spoke here about a campaign of far-right terror in this State. We have seen this move step by step from threats to intimidation to misinformation and on to the burning down of empty buildings and attacks on buildings with people inside, including women, children, young babies. We have also witnessed attacks on migrants. Last week, we had the prevention by An Garda Síochána of what was allegedly a planned terror attack. People were allegedly in possession of explosives and were planning to use them against a mosque in Galway. They had a manifesto and prerecorded videos. This has all the echoes of the far-right terror that we have seen in other countries. What is the Government going to do to try to cut across this attempt at a far-right terror campaign? Will any response include a refusal to engage in any more scapegoating of migrants? While the scapegoating of migrants might temporarily divert anger away from the Government in the context of a number of crises, it gives credibility to the poison and hate that these people are trying to spread.

I want to raise the serious matter of the death of the Ukrainian child Vadym Davydenko, an unaccompanied minor who was killed in Tusla accommodation. I want to extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends. It has come to our notice that the suspect in that case may well be an adult. There is documentary evidence to show this. In addition, physical tests are being carried out on the suspect. These may show that he is an adult. Very serious questions arise in relation to international protection and whether those with responsibility in this regard know the individuals who are coming into this country or not. There are also serious questions for the Minister with responsibility for children, because this is not the first time that an adult has been put into accommodation for unaccompanied minors. There is a massive child protection question in that regard. What is the Government doing to investigate the matter and to ensure that what happened in this instance will not happen again?

I want to raise concerns over the violent and persistent intimidation being experienced by residents in Balgaddy in my area. This has been going on for months. Residents in Balgaddy fear for their safety and that of their children. In recent weeks, a gang has engaged in repeated violent acts of intimidation and criminal damage. I have received countless emails and phone calls, and many people have visited my constituency office to tell me they have been terrorised. Residents have told me that they have received death threats. Their windows have been smashed and their properties vandalised. There has been intimidation of residents, including of those who are elderly or who are vulnerable in other ways. There are gatherings late at night, with open drug use and drug dealing. Residents feel that there is a credible threat to their personal safety and that of their families. The majority of the residents of Balgaddy are honest and hard-working people who just want to live in safety.

I raised this matter with the Garda Commissioner at the justice committee yesterday. Will the Taoiseach relay to the Minister for justice the message that we want the Dublin crime task force to be deployed to Balgaddy as a matter of urgency?

In recent weeks, some of the responses from the Government to the challenges in the international protection system include: offering families €10,000 to withdraw their asylum applications, thereby implying that they are a nuisance to be got rid of with cash; announcing plans to charge asylum seekers for what, in many cases, is substandard accommodation directly after an attack on an IPAS centre in Drogheda, a measure which is estimated to cost more to implement than any revenue it will generate; congratulating Independent Ireland on drawing unfounded links between increased knife crime and inward migration following the horrific crime that occurred at an IPAS centre in Saggart; and cynically stating that migrant numbers are too high after the drubbing it received in the presidential election. All of this political reaction is designed to show the Government is tough on migration and to win back votes. It is leading our country down a dark path of scapegoating refugees and asylum seekers. What is the Government's actual long-term plan with regard to international protection? Is the Catherine Day report of 2020 going to gather dust indefinitely or will it be implemented?

A recent report by TCD, UCC and Women's Aid confirms that family law courts fail to take domestic abuse and threats to harm into account when making decisions about guardianship, custody and access to children. Court-ordered access for abusers continues to place survivors and children at risk. Why does parental contact continue to take priority over the rights, safety and express wishes of children in Irish family law proceedings? Does the Taoiseach accept that this approach is inconsistent with Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights to the Child, particularly Articles 3 and 12, which require the best interests and voice of the child to be primary considerations? Will the Taoiseach outline what reforms the Government will introduce to ensure that children's rights and safety are placed above any presumed right to parental contact in cases involving proven domestic violence or coercive control or where there is ongoing risk?

I want to raise the issue of the redress scheme for the survivors of the fire at the Stardust. It has been more than 44 years since the devastating fire at the Stardust when 48 young people never came home. The State apology and the redress scheme for the families who lost loved ones are very welcome. However, there is growing frustration that the redress scheme for survivors is not yet up and running. Survivors have endured lifelong trauma, as the Taoiseach knows. Many are living with very serious health conditions as a result of the fire that night. They have had to fight all their life for this redress. After waiting more than 44 years, why are they still waiting? When will the redress scheme go to Cabinet and when will the survivors be able to access it?

I want to draw the Taoiseach's attention to the human consequences of the Government bending to the far-right groups that are screaming for mass deportations. Bilal Butt has been here for 19 years. For the past 15 years - as long as he was allowed - he has been working and paying tax. I know him personally, and he is a lovely man. He is married with two kids. One daughter is ten and his other child is three months old. The children have lived here all their lives. Recently, Mr. Butt was incarcerated for 50 days and is the subject of a deportation order. He has a heart condition and had to have a number of stents inserted. His wife is absolutely beside herself with fear that he is going to have a heart attack. His employer is very supportive - and even supported him while he was in prison - but cannot re-employ him, obviously, because he is subject to a deportation order.

What is the good, or where is the humanity, in deporting this man, separating him from his children and imposing that level of stress when he has been contributing, paying tax and is a decent human being? It is absolutely cruel. Will the Taoiseach look into this matter? I have written to the Minister for Justice and his Department about it.

We already know that there is an overreliance on overtime to deliver routine policing. There has been so little progress in tackling the recruitment and retention crisis in An Garda Síochána that problems are manifest across the State. Sinn Féin has put forward a range of proposals to deal with this, including a significant increase in the Garda training allowance to make it a more attractive prospect for new entrants, service payments for those with 30 or more years of service and increasing the compulsory retirement age to 65. These are practical solutions that could have outworkings on the ground. I am thinking especially of my constituency of Waterford, particularly the rural parts. On Monday, I spoke with an older woman who lives on her own in Cappoquin. She said she sleeps with a hurley on the bed beside her, keeps the yard light on all night and is petrified. At the weekend, I spoke to an older gentleman who lives in Portlaw. He told me he has not seen a garda in the town or its environs in the past couple of months. That is the reality on the ground. There have been a number of appalling incidences of violence and disorder, especially in places in west Waterford like Dungarvan, Cappoquin and Clashmore in recent weeks, including one in which a number of gardaí were injured. This is putting further strain on resources. What is the Government going to do? When is it going to take this matter seriously and ensure that people living in rural communities can feel safe in their homes?

That was a lengthy list of questions from quite a number of Deputies. Deputy Ardagh was first into the fray. I agree with her and will talk to Minister for justice and other Ministers in respect of a dedicated safe inner city initiative, particularly as some of the ideas outlined were implemented in the north-east inner city at the time of the Kinahan-Hutch feud. The impact of that feud on children in particular was very severe, so a series of measures were taken, via multidisciplinary agencies, the Garda, education and early childhood facilities, which have proven to be quite effective. There was the impact of the drug issue and young people being lured away from education into the world of distributing drugs. They were getting ready cash, which sounds attractive, but which, of course, ruined their lives in the long term.

We are working to reincarnate, if you like, the RAPID programme we had in a previous era, which basically prioritised areas in terms of allocations to sporting facilities. This means that under the sports grants, for example, certain areas would get prioritisation in terms of sports facilities. Clubs and societies in such areas would also get priority. Likewise, things were done through education and targeted measures, and sometimes combining sport with education to provide first-class facilities in such locations.

I fully take on board what Deputy Ardagh is saying about the absence of sporting facilities in the south-east inner city. When I was Minister for Defence, I was anxious to make the pitch the Army has at Cathal Brugha Barracks available to the GAA club there that had been using it for quite some time. I am genuinely shocked at the lack of provision in the Dublin City Council area and Dublin more generally in terms of sports facilities. Around the country, it is not uncommon for clubs to get 100-year leases, or sometimes councils will dispose land to clubs of various sporting codes with a view to affirming the importance of the development of sport. I have noticed on my travels around Dublin that there seem to be a lot of restrictive approaches to allowing clubs to fully develop facilities in their areas. That is an issue we have to take up with the councils in Dublin, and Government has to take a lead in that respect. In the Deputy’s area, there is a real crisis. I might have to look in more detail at some schools facilities to try to have them for community use as well, which happens in some areas. There is very strong merit in what the Deputy says. I will speak to Ministers about the issue.

Deputy Connolly raised a serious and grave issue. He met with representatives from Exchange House Ireland recently to discuss Travellers and the high rate of suicide among them. I met the Traveller Visibility Group in Cork. It was some years ago, to be frank, but up on the wall were portraits of so many young Travellers who had lost their lives through suicide. There is a specific issue here that demands a specific response from our health service. I will be meeting again with Traveller organisations in respect of this matter, but the degree to which many young Travellers at a certain age or level feel they are othered or outside of society and on the margins is worrying. Their self-esteem deteriorates, which leads to mental health issues and, ultimately, the horror of suicide itself. The figures the Deputy provided on the rate of suicide among Travellers compared with the rate among the wider population are shocking. I will talk to the Ministers involved again in respect of that matter.

Deputy Brabazon raised the issue of young people, drugs and drug distribution, scooters and so on. I will check with the Minister for Justice regarding the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Act. That came from former Deputy John Curran, who initiated it some years ago from the Opposition benches. It eventually came through and was passed, but Deputy Brabazon’s point is to what degree is it being enforced and whether it has teeth and an impact. This is where adults are grooming young people for a life of crime and where we would target those adults and punish them accordingly via the criminal justice system. There was a common thread through many of the questions about drug trafficking and the use of young people in that regard. This is something we have to work extremely hard to deal with and to reduce significantly.

Deputy O’Sullivan referred to Cork Prison. It is overcrowded. The inspector said that. The Minister for justice has received sanction from the Cabinet to build an extension. It has had a mixed reception, but there is no doubt that the current numbers at the prison are not tenable. It is an issue of safety. I will talk to the Minister about the timelines, but there is certainly a huge issue not just with Cork Prison but across the prison system. That reflects the increase in numbers coming through our courts charged with serious offences. The Minister is looking at all avenues of how to deal with the overcrowding issue. He has already received sanction in terms of capital investment for extensions, particularly that at Cork Prison.

Deputy Ó Murchú also talked about the chaos that occurs in communities because of drug trafficking and the impact of drug crime. He is correct in saying it needs multi-agency interventions. I agree 100% on that, and I have dealt with some of the answers in my replies to Deputies Ardagh and Brabazon.

Deputy Coppinger raised the issue of violent extremist groups in terms of a Garda investigation. I commend gardaí in the first instance for the work they are doing here. There is no doubt that there has been an increase in violent far-right activity and threatening activity. We should allow the investigation to conclude and we have to allow the criminal justice system to take its course. We do not want to prejudice the outcome of any criminal justice processes. I am conscious that this may end up in the courts. It is a very worrying and alarming development. I take issue with the Deputy saying politicians are somehow legitimising that. That is a step too far in her commentary. It is very unfair to politicians, irrespective of people’s views. That remark should be withdrawn because there is no excuse-----

It is increasing anti-immigrant racism.

Deputy, please.

There is no excuse for an armed group being established. We cannot blame politicians for people who take it upon themselves to set up an armed group and procure weapons and bombs. It is wrong to blame politicians for that. I would simply make that point. That said, the campaign of, in certain respects, far-right terror is a worry. There is no doubt about that. Threats to politicians have increased. Politicians have been threatened by people on that spectrum, so we have to be very careful. I take the Deputy's point about care around language and how we deal with the migration issue, because migration is a very broad church.

Migration has been good for the country. Many people have come to this country to work, to live and to rear families. Many are involved in the health services, technology companies, life sciences, hospitals, you name it. As was articulated earlier, many have lived here long enough that their children are growing up here. Those children are now facing challenges, notwithstanding that they are Irish citizens. They feel that, because of their ethnic background, they are being targeted by people. That is reprehensible and we need to be very clear about that and call that out. I have met with young people who have told me about their experiences of coming home from school or of being afraid to go into town because of their ethnic backgrounds. That is a real concern for us as a society. I think it is foreign to the values of our country and our people.

Deputy Tóibín raised the issue of the young Ukrainian killed in Tusla accommodation. Again, the Deputy has to be careful with his language because he immediately went on to say that the Minister had questions to answer. There is an issue - the Deputy is right - for the international asylum process. I have to be careful in what I say but it seems that, on some occasions, adults can present as minors. However, it is almost impossible for someone in Tusla to tell. It should be remembered that this is not State care. The alternative here would be to allow people to roam the streets or to be on the street. What happened here involved that emergency accommodation for unaccompanied minors, insofar as Tusla could ascertain that they were unaccompanied minors. This is a general trend. There is a worry that, in trying to do the right thing - in this case, Tusla was doing the right thing - in creating emergency accommodation for unaccompanied minors to try to help, that is vulnerable to some adults in terms of ascertaining age and so on if someone is unaccompanied. I am not saying yet that that happened in this case because I have to await the outcome of the case, but it is not fair to blame Tusla entirely for everything to do with situations like this. That is too easy. Deputy Tóibín took exception to Deputy Coppinger's comments about the Aontú youth WhatsApp group but he did the exact same thing in dragging the Minister into it straight away.

There is testing available in this area.

The Deputy did the same thing. He said the Minister had questions to answer. The Minister, to be fair-----

There are questions. There is testing available in this area that is not being used.

There are policies that the Minister is certainly responsible for, but we sometimes also have to accept that people act in good faith. That is what I am saying. We should not rush to judgment against Tusla officials.

Does the Taoiseach agree that there is testing available that should be used?

I do not know whether there is.

There is.

It is drawn to the attention of the authorities when there is an unaccompanied minor. They could be 17, 18, 19 or 20. They could be 15 or 14. I put it to the Deputy that people acted in good faith here and with the best intentions. What happened to that poor young child was horrific and shocking. There is no question about that. All I am simply saying is that the immediate rush to judgment and to attempt to blame is, I think, wrong.

To respond to Deputy Mark Ward, I will talk to the Minister about Balgaddy. I think the Deputy raised it with the Commissioner. I think the Commissioner will act on that. The Deputy has properly raised the concerns of the community in terms of the need for visibility of gardaí but also the open drug scenarios that he has outlined and articulated.

Again, I think Deputy Quaide's language was wrong. He used the phrase that I had "congratulated" the Independent Ireland-----

The Taoiseach praised Michael Fitzmaurice for the manner in which he-----

I did not congratulate. The Deputy used the phrase "congratulated". I never used the word "congratulated".

Okay, but the Taoiseach praised him.

But why does the Deputy do that? Why-----

Mick Clifford wrote an article about it.

If Mick Clifford wrote an article, he did, but it needs to be informed and evidence-based.

The Taoiseach did praise him. I was here.

I did not. This pejorative language, this attempt to label people, is a problem in the House. The left will condemn the far right and so on but it is not even prepared to allow people to have a discussion in the House on these issues. I think what they are doing is counterproductive, that is all I would say. I think it is counterproductive to shut down debate. I believe debate should be informed and evidence-based, but you cannot shut it down.

Nobody is shutting it down with facts.

When we say these things, that is wrong. I have my values in respect of people and ethnic background.

Does the Taoiseach think it was right to praise Michael Fitzmaurice?

That is all I am saying. I just think that there is too much of that going on. The Catherine Day report was based on the premise of 3,500 people coming in through the asylum programme on a yearly basis. That went up to 18,000 last year. It is down by close to 40% this year. There are issues around the asylum process. There is no point in saying there are not - there are. We have to have a robust and fair procedure. The acceleration of the first phase has happened and is happening. People are getting through the first phase of their applications and then they go and appeal. The focus is now on getting the appeals side done much faster so that we can get an outcome. A significant percentage of those who go through the whole process are judged to be economic migrants as opposed to those seeking refuge in accordance with the Acts and so on. If you say that, you are accused, but that is the reality if you examine the figures that come from the Department of justice on what is happening. However, we do have to accelerate the process, particularly on the appeals side after the first phase is done.

Regarding Deputy Conway-Walsh, I will follow that issue up with the Minister for justice. Again, these can be very complex issues in terms of the rights of children. Historically, the Deputy is correct. Notwithstanding all of the legislation we have passed, the recent constitutional amendment went to the heart of this in terms of the prioritisation of the rights of the child in the kinds of scenario the Deputy has outlined in terms of coercive control, violence, including domestic violence, and so forth. In my view, the rights of the child have to be prioritised but sometimes those rights involve having some contact with parents as well. As Deputies, we all come across very complex family law cases where issues of access and so on constantly arise. However, I have sympathy with the position the Deputy has put forward and I will come back to her. I will also ask the Minister for justice to revert to her on the matter.

Legislation has been repealed in Britain in the last few days. It would be worth examining that because it tackles this issue.

I suggest that the Deputy write to the Minister for justice on that as well in terms of the British context and what is happening there.

Deputy Cian O'Callaghan raised the redress scheme. The Minister has indicated that work is under way in respect of that. I will ask the Minister to revert to the Deputy in respect of the survivors of the Stardust fire. A lot of progress was made on a redress scheme for the families and so on. We are now progressing further commitments in that regard.

Regarding Deputy Boyd Barrett, I do not know the individual case. Fifteen years seems a long time to be here and then to be subject to deportation. Again, I would like to get the background and the details. Maybe we can-----

Will I send them to you?

Yes, please, and send a copy to the Minister for justice. I will liaise with the Minister and talk to him in respect of it.

Deputy Conor McGuinness spoke about an over-reliance in routine policing and how a garda had not been seen in Portlaw. Visibility is improving. More and more gardaí are being recruited. The numbers applying are up significantly. The issue is now about how to get as many gardaí trained as quickly as we possibly can to get out there on the ground and to improve their visibility.

I remind Members that we are due to conclude at 4.18 p.m.

I propose to take questions Nos. 18 to 36, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on disability has been established to oversee the implementation of the programme for Government commitments in the area of disability, with specific focus on children's disability services as well as disability more generally under the Government's new National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030.

Under the programme for Government, we are committed to delivering a step change in disability services and to advancing the rights and improving the lives of people with disabilities. To deliver on this, I established the stand-alone Cabinet committee on disability. This committee has met five times to date, most recently on 16 October, and it is due to meet again on 27 November. To date, the committee has considered issues including the new national disability strategy, the provision of therapists in special schools, improving the delivery of services and reform of the assessment of need process.

Despite the committed efforts of so many working to provide services and significant increases in funding and resources in recent years, I acknowledge that we can and must do more and do better. I am determined that this will be a Government that moves forward with purpose in improving the level, scale and quality of support for disabled people and their families.

The Government's new National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, published in September, is the framework for our whole-of-government approach to addressing disability and advancing the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It represents our commitment and ambition that all disabled people in Ireland can live the life of their choosing and participate in their communities and our society to the fullest extent possible.

In budget 2026, we took initial steps to deliver on this commitment through record allocations for disabilities services and special education. Reflecting the importance of disability issues, I have established a dedicated disability unit in my Department.

An initial programme planned for the unit has been published, outlining how the unit will work to achieve this. The unit is already up and running, supporting the work of the Cabinet committee on disability and ensuring a truly all-of-government approach to disability.

I want to raise the urgent issue of the transition from child disability services to adult disability services. A constituent has told me that her child was not seen by child disability services until he was almost 18 and that was eight years post her first contact. The family had no clarity on what supports they were entitled to when he was a child, let alone what they were facing into from adult disability services. Another constituent - another mother - has told me some therapies her child receives now are not going to be available in adult disability services. Somehow, her adult child will not have the same needs any more. In this case, respite will also be withdrawn when her child ages out of child disability services. This is leaving families feeling anxious, unsupported and fearful for their family's future. Will the Taoiseach and the committee urgently examine the transition process between child and adult disability services to ensure continuity of care and no loss of essential supports for young people and their families?

One of the greatest fears facing parents of children with disabilities and parents of adult children with disabilities is what will happen when we are no longer here. Who will care for my son? Who will care for all of these children, including adult children? It is a question that causes sleepless nights for so many people. Ultimately, we need a clear, compassionate pathway for lifelong housing and care in the community for adults with disabilities, so families can have certainty and peace of mind.

Will the Government commit to developing a national plan to ensure that every person with a disability has a safe, permanent home and the supports they need, not just for today but for the future? All of us have been in many houses in our constituencies and we have met elderly parents caring for middle-aged children with disabilities. It is heartbreaking that they are in their senior years and they do not know what is going to happen to their son or daughter when they pass. We have all dealt with these types of queries. It is something that lies ahead for me and my family also. We need to start discussing housing and care in the community for people with disabilities.

I am following on from what my colleague Deputies have already said about the care of the offspring of people who are getting older and have no certainty around what is going to happen when they are not here any more. It is a major challenge within the community. It seems like a cliff edge. When you die, you get a residency. That is not good enough. There has got to be planning around that, and it should be seamless.

A lot of work has been done on the provision of special education classes, and special school place provision. We have done stuff around increasing the income disregard for the carer's allowance and we are getting to an abolishment of the means test but also I think we need to address flexible arrangements around getting more people who live with disability into work and out of poverty without losing their benefits. The cost of disability payment should be considered also. There is a lot of work to be done. The direction is right but we do need a huge focus on it.

It is 420 days since I asked the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, about why Harvey Morrison Sherratt was taken off the waiting list. The Tánaiste has not been able to answer that question in those 420 days. That is an incredible indictment in relation to it. He said in the Dáil that he would immediately ask the HSE and that he would ask the Minister for Health, yet no question has been answered.

We saw in The Sunday Times this weekend that a protected disclosure was submitted to the Department of Health. The information in this protected disclosure is catastrophic. The implication is that someone, or a group, took a decision that was not medically based and may have led to the death of Harvey. That is a catastrophic question. The import of that on a government is absolutely enormous. What the Government is asking us to believe is that on one level, the Tánaiste has spent 420 days asking questions in relation to why Harvey was taken off the waiting list and he still did not get an answer and, at the same time, a protected disclosure was given to the Department of Health with the answer. That is an incredible thing.

Does the Government understand the import of what has just happened? Why has it taken 420 days for the Tánaiste to answer a question? Have the staff or the management involved actually been asked what has happened?

I thank the Deputy.

Are they refusing to answer what has happened? Why is it that the family only found out through The Sunday Times what happened in relation to their child?

I am sorry that I overlooked Deputy Coppinger.

That is no problem.

Governments have fallen over less than what has happened in relation to Harvey Morrison Sherratt. We found out over the weekend through a protected disclosure that a worker heard or became aware that Harvey had been taken off the waiting list because he was mistakenly, or for whatever reason, considered "palliative" - in itself a horrible phrase. First, his parents were not told and, second, no care plan or treatment plan was drawn up if he was "palliative". This just defies belief. Aside from the fact that he may have ended up dying because of this error, perhaps if he had received the surgery, he would not be dead. The fact is that we have surgeons who would not tell parents about this and who would not organise a care plan for a "palliative" child. Every week, we come in here and ask the Taoiseach to have a statutory public inquiry. The Government's stance has been to have a scoping inquiry here and a scoping inquiry there. We need a full statutory inquiry into all of the issues surrounding Harvey, CHI and spinal surgery. The Taoiseach should have asked questions since this broke on Sunday, given how important this issue is in Ireland for so many people.

I thank the Deputy.

He should have asked CHI directly about this particular issue, so I hope he has answers for us today.

I was at a public meeting last Monday in Neilstown hosted by parents of children with disabilities. They raised a multitude of areas and how their children are being failed. There are long waiting lists for assessment of need, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. There is no access to appropriate school places. There are limited SNA allocations. They also talked about not even getting appropriate places for school transport and arbitrary timeframes for filling out forms. If they do not fill out the forms within the timeframe, there are consequences for their children.

I got a response this morning saying the average wait time for an assessment of need in my area of Dublin Mid-West is three and a half years, even though the statutory timeframe is six months. Children are being denied the right to reach their full potential. How is the Government going to address the failures children are experiencing?

The budget reneged on a key commitment in the programme for Government to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability support payment and then to incrementally increase it. We know that it costs a lot of money to be disabled in this country. A few years ago, the Department of Finance estimated it at around €10,000. It has obviously gone up substantially since then. Last year's €400 lump sum disability payment was a drop in the ocean but far from increasing it, as promised, the Government abolished it completely. It slashed other payments that disabled people rely on, like the living alone allowance lump sum and the electricity credit. Even taking into account small increases to the disability allowance, the Government still took well over €1,000 out of the pockets of disabled people. It is shocking in one of the richest countries in the world, with a budget surplus and with the cost-of-living crisis ongoing, that the Government made disabled people poor. That is not just in real inflationary terms but even in nominal terms.

I thank the Deputy.

The Government made them poorer, and took over €1,000 from them. Will it recognise this as a major mistake? Will it bring back an emergency lump sum cost-of-living payment for disabled people before Christmas?

I want to bring up the attempt by Darver National School in County Louth to have two autism classes sanctioned. The initial engagement between the principal, the SENO and the NCSE took place in June 2025. This was followed up throughout September and October, with no word back. It is absolutely supported by the patrons and the board of management and all have tried to make contact. We need to ensure that this happens but we also need to ensure that the school is contacted.

I do not think this is okay. I am just giving the timeframe on this.

I also need someone to light a fire under the Department of education in relation to Ardee Educate Together National School. Louth County Council is the agent but the Department -----

Thank you Deputy.

This relates to parking spaces and planning. It should be a very small piece of work to get this changed to account for the 45 staff and also enough bays for the minibuses. At this point, there is not space. It would be very cheap to get it changed at this point. A contractor is on for this. If not at this point, then we could be talking about something that could cost €100,000-plus.

Is there an update or timeline from the Cabinet committee on disability on assessments of need?

In my own constituency, Stapolin Educate Together primary school is looking for two additional autism classes. It has a very powerful image of 12 chairs outside that school representing children locked out. I would urge the Taoiseach push-----

Which school?

Stapolin in Dublin Bay North. I can send details to the Taoiseach’s office. These children are locked out. I urge that the NCSE look at this school. It has brilliant staff who are really hard working.

Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Aire, Deputy McEntee, i dtaobh Ghaelcholáiste Reachrann. Tá sé iontach go bhfuil rudaí ag bogadh ar aghaidh air sin.

The Government is failing children in Waterford with additional needs over the stagnation in early intervention classes. Five years ago, there were two early intervention classes across Waterford city and county. This year, there are still two. That is despite an increasing need and a demand that is there but unmet. These early interventions are critical for children’s educational and social outcomes. It is something that the Taoiseach’s Government needs to grapple with. Over the last nine or ten months, we have seen issues around special education spaces and classes in schools. While the Government did belatedly do some work to fill some of those gaps in service provision, there is a lot more to do. That situation is still there and I think there will be problems next year. We need to get to grips with the early intervention classes and increase them dramatically so that there is availability for parents to get their children that much-needed timely intervention.

The plight of ageing parents of adult children with intellectual disabilities is an area of abject neglect on the part of the Government. Many of these parents are being deprived of peace of mind in their later years because they remain the primary carers of their children. They are less physically able to carry out this role as time goes on. They are living with a constant background worry of not knowing where their children will live after they die and how their need for belonging and community will be met.

The Government’s privatisation of services means that both young people and adults who require 24-hour staffed residential support are increasingly living far from home, in some cases hundreds of kilometres away, not connected to wrap-around services, detached from their communities and families. What is the Taoiseach’s plan to address this particular crisis in residential services for people with intellectual disabilities? Why are these services being privatised and fragmented to such an extent when the outcomes in many cases are so poor for our disabled citizens and when the cost to the State is so enormous?

It is an absolute disgrace that even today we still do not know which children were wrongly removed from the scoliosis waiting list or why it happened. Families have been left in the dark while children suffer in pain. There is a clear culture of secrecy, concealment and unaccountability at the heart of children’s healthcare and an utter lack of transparency. I want to talk to the Taoiseach again, after many other times I have done so, about Mikey Henry Benson from Mayo, who is still waiting for the procedures he needs. I want to ask the Taoiseach to ask the Minister for Health when she is in Mayo on Monday to meet the family of Mikey Henry Benson to go through the episodes and the pain they have gone through and to find a way forward so that we can ensure that Mikey Henry Benson stays alive.

The Government has said time and again that there should be an appropriate school place for every child. I am contacted constantly by parents who are desperately trying to get a place for their child in an autism class. The same as any other parent, they just want their child to be able to thrive. Stapolin Educate Together National School in Baldoyle has asked to open two additional new autism classes. The school has the space for the modular units required. It also has experienced staff who can support the opening of these two additional classes. All that is required is for approval to be granted. Is the Minister for education going to meet the school principal about this and when is approval going be granted for these two much-needed classes?

While I was getting my treatment in St. Luke's, I met a very nice woman called Shirley who brought up her daughter Lauren's case with me. Lauren subsequently wrote to me. Lauren lives with her and has a life-long disability condition that means she is unfit for work. She had previously been on domiciliary care allowance, then on disability allowance, but she then got married. She lives at home with her mum still, being cared for by her mum, but because she got married and went over the threshold, her disability payment has been cut. It really highlights the massive problem and injustice of having means testing of disability payments. What does the Taoiseach have to say to Lauren and many others like her who lose all support for their disability on the basis that their partner’s income has gone over a very arbitrary threshold?

We are gone way over time, so I would ask the Taoiseach to consider that.

We are about seven minutes over time, is it?

Yes.

I will try to do what I can as quickly as I can.

No, you are okay. Just -----

No, I am conscious of others.

Deputy Dempsey raised the issue of transition from child services to adult services and that there was an absence of early planning for that. She also made the comment that parents were told that therapies would not be available in transition. That is not acceptable and respite should not be withdrawn. In the disability unit that I have established, a key workstream will be planning and designing for the future. There should be proper data and proper early analysis of expected need for services from primary to post-primary, from post-primary to adult or, indeed, continuing education or other aspects. That is where I want to get to and that is where we want to get to as a Government because there is no doubt - Deputy Ardagh has raised this as well, as have others - that the insecurity is shocking. It is very sad that so many parents – I have met them – have no certainty. Deputy Daly said it was a cliff edge, and it is for many. If one talks to some of the providers in the sections 38 and 39 organisations, they are all dealing with emergency cases. That is not satisfactory, so we have got to get a more planned approach to this transition. I think there are also issues in terms of the interaction between the sections 38 and 39 organisations and the Government and Government services and how that works. Many of those are under pressure as well, I have to acknowledge, but equally we have to work out the models and so forth. There should be proper databases outlining how many people are in a given service at a given time and what will the requirements be at a later date. There is that issue of creating a secure transition and that older parents in particular, senior citizens now, have a certain sense of security and knowledge well in advance that their children will be looked after in case anything happens to themselves. That is a very understandable human concern, which is not being met at the moment but that needs to be met. I am very determined that we would put services in place to enable that to happen. There is a fear there, as Deputy Ardagh said. She called for a national plan for this and that is something I am going to work on so that people will have that security. Other Deputies have raised that issue. We should be looking at a seamless transition, ideally.

There is a link into housing as well in that respect, different solutions at different times in the journey of life that people can move to better accommodation, more suitable accommodation. We should have greater flexibility around that provision. There can be too many silos between different Government Departments in respect of that but we are working on it. That is what the Cabinet subcommittee is for, to do a cross-government, whole-of-government approach.

Deputy Daly and others raised the income disregard and the cost of disability. The cost of disability will be looked at in the next budget and there is a working group established in relation to that. On the relationship between work and disability payments, there are some supports there for transitioning from disability, from the social protection system, into work in terms of the medical card and others. I think that can be strengthened and that those moving into work can be given greater certainty, more long-term certainty, that they will retain their benefits or whatever entitlements they have as they go into work. There have been improvements on the employer grant and so on but there is further work to be done in terms of giving greater security around that transition and encouraging people to go into work without fear of losing their health entitlements or the various other entitlements they have.

Earlier during Leaders' Questions, we dealt with questions in respect of Harvey Morrison Sherratt. I would say to the Deputy the Minister is this afternoon meeting with the parents. The Minister did look for a chronology from the HSE. The Minister has that. The CEO of the HSE shared that with the family. It is a draft because the HSE wanted the family's input into that. I dealt with the protected disclosure earlier on Leaders' Questions. The Minister did not see that. All protected disclosures do not go to the Ministers per se . The Minister has an obligation to establish a system by which it goes to the protected disclosure commissioner. That commissioner has the specific protected disclosure and is now going to deal with that. Without question, there is a meeting on between the Minister, the Tánaiste and the parents of Harvey, with a view to an inquiry. The precise format is to be determined.

Deputy Coppinger had a similar question in relation to this. It is a fundamental question as to why Harvey was taken off a waiting list. There are clinical decisions clearly involved here that have to be examined and will be examined. Likewise, there are other, broader investigations and examinations of issues pertaining to CHI, as the Deputy knows. Some of them have come in and some have not. Overall, again, terms of reference have to be specific here. We can have statutory inquiries that can go on too long and do not give closure to families. I think there is a bit of work to be done yet and the Minister is meeting with the family in that regard.

Deputy Murphy raised the issue of the cost of disability programme. I dealt with that earlier insofar as the next budget will be dealing with that. Once-off payments were two years. What we were determined to do in this budget was to increase the permanent payments within the social protection system, which we did, for example, and to enhance them as well and also, in terms of the carer's allowance threshold and income disregard, to increase that and we will eliminate that over the lifetime of this Government. We increased the domiciliary care allowance significantly.

In terms of education, there are now about 46,500 teachers and SNAs working in our education system, committed to supporting and nurturing children with special educational needs. Huge numbers of special needs assistants have been appointed over the past number of years. There are about 400 new special classes in the budget of 2025, and about 2,700 new places for the 2025-2026 school year. Some of those school places are under construction and being put in place. A number of specifics have been asked. I will check those out with the Minister. I am not in a position to have knowledge of every single application from individual schools in respect of autism classes and so forth but I will follow those up with the Minister. I presume the Deputies are also engaging with the Departments in respect of that.

On the assessment of need, the Cabinet subcommittee on disability did approve outline proposals for a change in legislation which will have to happen to prioritise the provision of services. Therapy services to children has been the number one priority in terms of the legislative objective of that. The access and inclusion model, AIM, is a critical intervention for early years in terms of disability, in response to Deputy McGuinness's question. I would make that point and that has been enhanced and improved and will be improved as a result of the recent budget. Deputies Quaide, Dempsey and Ardagh raised the issue of insecurity and worry for ageing parents of children with disabilities. I am very conscious of that and we will work to see if we can improve on that.

I have dealt with the issue raised by Deputy Conway-Walsh. In response to Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, I will check in respect of the school in Baldoyle. I do not have awareness of that. In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, again, I do not know the specific issue but I think it is an income threshold issue in terms of people marrying.

It is, yes, the means test.

I will have that examined. That is something that we can certainly look at. I will talk to the Minister for Social Protection in relation to that.

Sorry, I think the Taoiseach was referring to the previous question. It was the one on Mikey Henry-Benson I had asked.

Sorry. Again, I will talk to the Minister in respect of it. To be fair, this should be done at hospital level. It should be done properly through the clinicians properly engaging with the family and with the parents. There are liaison officers in CHI as well who should be-----

I know it should but it was not and it is not.

I will make the Minister aware of the case.

Thank you.

On the two issues, if I could write to the Taoiseach and if his good offices would be able to put some pressure on-----

There are about ten projects now that you have all mentioned. I am good but-----

In fairness these are critical time-wise.