I appreciate the Minister of State's response. That level of detail is very welcome. I offer the full support of the Social Democrats in progressing this in whatever way we can in terms of policy. This is incredibly important. We have spoken quite often in the Chamber in recent weeks about SET and disability services. There is an intersectionality between the two. It is not just about the level of care within the CDNT, as there is an impact on education and housing. It is cross-sectional throughout society. I appre…

I thank the Minister for his comments. What is happening is deeply frustrating. Government policy should not rely on luck. Indeed, the people of Ireland should not have to rely on luck when it comes to housing, but it is too often the case. I believe the Minister will agree with me because we are now starting to see the unravelling of the housing policies of successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil Governments. What has come to pass is that the relationships between the parties are coming apart. We are seeing disconten…

I thank my colleagues in Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. I extend my best wishes to both the Minister and the Minister of State. I wish them the very best over this term. It is clear to see, and clear from what we have heard this evening, that they have inherited something of an emergency when it comes to special education. I am here to advocate on behalf of parents, students, teachers, SNAs and the entire school community. I will tell the Minister why we have an emergency in front of us. It is because the peopl…

It is truly mind-boggling that the Arts Council could spend nearly €7 million on an IT system and have nothing to show for it. What is worse is that the previous two Governments allowed the council to get away with it. At the outset in 2018, the full cost of the project was not included in the business case. This was a major breach of the public spending code. As the project spiralled out of control, with the budget ballooning from €2.87 million to nearly €7 million, the Department was kept fully informed but no on…

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak about such an important issue. We have some opportunities to influence significant change in driver culture on Irish roads. The engineering solutions available to make roads safer will only go so far. While we need to see a significant modal shift away from car dependency to public transport, in lieu of a service that is universally efficient and reliable the reliance on cars will continue to prevail. I believe in formal, informal and non-formal education. When it comes to…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this matter this evening and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, for his attendance. I appreciate it. The DART+ West project was touted as the first of the projects of the broader DART+ programmes that would be delivered. It is a much-needed rail line improvement. It is an important project for north Kildare in that it would provide a sustainable and enhanced rail service for users. The project between Hazelhatch and Heuston is expected to increase hou…

For months, concerned residents of Kilcock and many other towns spoke about the vitality that this service would bring. It is seen as an essential part of the development of Kilcock and indeed wider north Kildare. All along, we were facing the prospect of the DART+ having its depot in Kilcock but no service in Kilcock. Now that this is off the cards, where will this depot go? It can go to the other side of Kilcock, to Enfield. There are many opportunities for a park-and-ride service. I acknowledge that the delivery…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. I appreciate that. Like him, I have spent a lot of time in Maynooth over the years as a student and educator. What emphasises the need for Kilcock and south Kildare is that sometimes it is quicker to get from Dublin city to Maynooth than from Kilcock to Maynooth. That is because the public transport might let you down or is not interlinked. That really emphasises the need for this service to be rolled out. I appreciate it is now included in that strategy, b…

Today we learned about the latest example of public waste - in the Arts Council - where €6.7 million of public funds went towards an IT system that will not be used. We learned about it today, but it appears from reports that the Cabinet and the Minister learned about this as early as the summer of last year. The council's annual report has not been published yet. What is being done to ensure accountability and to make sure €7 million in public money is spent? How can that go to waste so easily? Will the Minister f…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. Deny, deny, deny. That is how Micheál Martin described, from the Opposition benches in 2017, the Fine Gael-led Government's approach to significant issues of health concern raised by members of the Air Corps. At the time, as Leader of the Opposition, he castigated the then Minister, Simon Coveney, and Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, for their lack of response. He said: The response of the State has been standard and deeply depressing. It has resorted to the courts ... the Government is fighting …

I thank colleagues in Sinn Féin for tabling this motion this evening. First, I wish to pay my respects to the family and friends of Kacper Dudek. I also keep in mind those who have been so significantly impacted by the damage caused by this storm. I also join the sentiments of others in praising the dedication on the ground, those working in our statutory and non-statutory agencies, who have worked so tirelessly for many weeks now. However, this evening I wish to talk about the concept of leadership and, more speci…

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, the very best in her role. I will focus on two aspects of the programme for Government, namely, children and young people. Government parties and some Independents have celebrated the publication of this document as though it heralds some sort of significant societal shift. However, it is impossible to see this as anything other than more of the same. When it comes to the children and young people of Ireland and in our society, we cannot afford more of the same. The iss…

I thank colleagues in Sinn Féin for tabling the motion this evening. During a recent UN Security Council meeting, a humanitarian affairs co-ordinator stated that a generation of children has been left traumatised. I would like to focus my contribution on the children and young people of Gaza and the West Bank. Some 17,000 children have died since October 2023. The entire population of children in County Offaly is 17,000. At the same Security Council meeting, members received reports that children were beginning to …

In my first contribution in the House, I extend my congratulations to the Ceann Comhairle and my heartfelt thanks to the people of Kildare North for placing their trust in me. I would like to take a moment to appreciate my friend, the former TD, Catherine Murphy. I thank fellow Members here who have passed on their warmest regards to Catherine for the work she has done. I also thank my colleagues in the Social Democrats in Kildare North for the work they did throughout this campaign but, most of all, I extend my wa…