I thank the Minister. I will focus first on lower income households, where the free home energy upgrades, under the warmer homes scheme, would be expected to deliver. This time last year, it was taking eight to ten months to reach stage one, the BER assessment, and 26 months to get the overall works done under the scheme. By the middle of last year, it had slipped to ten to 12 months to get the BER assessment. We would expect that multiple BER-assessing contractors would be available around the country to support a…

For people who do not qualify for the free schemes, there is a range of grants and loans. Depending on the age of the building and the size, quite a substantial job can be required. It could be anywhere from €20,000 to €70,000 to carry out a deep retrofit. While there is a grant, it is a big expense, with people even having to borrow, and there is a long payback. The time, the cost and possibly having to relocate, borrow or find alternative accommodation while the work is being undertaken are further challenges. Fo…

I need to raise the issue of delays in the delivery of home care packages to vulnerable people, particularly in the Cork and Kerry region. Across the county more than 5,000 people are waiting for home care packages, with more than 1,000 of them on waiting lists in the Cork and Kerry region. Very often these are people who have been assessed as needing a home care package and the HSE is not able to find somebody to deliver the service to them. In the meantime, these older people are struggling at home alone. They ma…

Déarfaidh mé cúpla focal ar an alt seo. Fáiltím roimh an tslí a chinntíonn sé go mbeidh muintir na Gaeltachta ábalta a n-ionadaithe féin ó thoghadh. Is mór an dul chun cinn é sin agus caithfimid a bheith cinnte fáiltiú roimhe sin. Bhí córas lochtach ann, áit a raibh ar mhuintir Chorcaí, muintir Phort Láirge agus muintir na Mí ionadaí a roinnt eatarthu. D'fhág sé sin tréimhsí nach raibh aon duine ó, cuir i gcás, contae Chorcaí nó na ceantair eile ar an mbord in aon chor. Fáiltím an tslí a chinntíonn sé seo anois go …

Baineann na leasuithe seo leis an tslí go mbíonn an t-údarás ábalta talamh a dhíol agus a cheannach ar leas an phobail Ghaeltachta, ní hamháin ó thaobh na tionsclaíochta de, ach i slite éagsúla a bheadh ann ar leas an phobail. D'fhéadfadh cúrsaí cultúrtha, oideachais, tithíochta nó pé rud ar leas an phobail a bheith i gceist. Is amhlaidh go mbeidís ag neartú agus ag cothú phobal na Gaeltachta i slite éagsúla, ach is í sin an bhunaidhm - pobal na Gaeltachta a neartú agus a chothú. Tuigim go raibh a leithéid ann chea…

Every day, under the school transport scheme, thousands of students are taken to and from school. It is an invaluable service for many thousands of families. The service relies on rigid rules that, unfortunately, do not recognise, for example, that students may not be attending the immediately adjacent school or are perhaps going to schools their families had associations with over many years. Regarding the pilot review, will the Minister give an overview of where those pilots are now? Is the Minister ready to adva…

I thank the Minister. Will she outline if all the planned pilot schemes got under way? I understand there are 14 of them, but did all the pilot schemes that were planned get under way? The transport scheme is currently open for applications and parents will be making applications for students in the weeks to come. Often, families are waiting right up to the last minute in September to find out if they will have a service. Time is getting very tight now. Will there be enough time over the summer to have an extensive…

Focusing on the specific point again, what kinds of changes are being prioritised for each year? It is reasonable that not everything would be done in one go and the process would be phased in. What kind of changes are being proposed for phase 1 and each of the subsequent phases? Will the Minister give an outline in this regard? In communities where people are making applications now, in fast-growing communities such as in Cloughduv, for example, a large number of applicants will want to go to secondary school in B…

The imposition of Trump's tariffs of 20% last night is a deeply serious concern for Irish jobs and costs for so many people. The EU response is being co-ordinated and could add further pressure for people. What engagements has the Minister planned with his EU counterparts and with the Commission as regards this response?

While Trump's tariffs are only a few hours old, the Minister's officials have been examining various scenarios and preparing reports, some of which have been published. We recognise that the technology, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage sectors are a serious concern. In my own area in Cork, pharmaceuticals and food and beverages are a major concern. Will the Minister be making the case to his counterparts on different sectors when he meets with them? What particular priorities does he plan to set out to his cou…

I thank the Minister. With 10% tariffs on the UK and the higher 20% tariff on the EU, there is a particular concern about the all-island economy and how people in the Republic will be impacted by the tariffs versus those in the Six Counties. Is there space within the Windsor Framework to deal with this? Will the Minister put the all-island economy as a priority to his EU counterparts when he is meeting them?

There is great need to upgrade the drinking water plant in Macroom. The plant in the castle grounds supplies water from the Sullane river to over 4,100 people in Macroom and east around Carrigadrohid and Canovee. Boil water notices have been put in place in the area during each of the past three winters. This is due to turbidity in the water. This is not just a water quality issue. It is also heavily influenced by the older design of the plant. These boil water notices have been a constant source of difficulty for …

I thank the Minister of State for the update. I acknowledge the progress that has been made on the wastewater treatment plant and the works under way there. I will focus on the drinking water and the supply there and the hassle and associated cost for locals who have endured boil water notice after boil water notice each winter. It is essential that those works and the new plant be advanced as quickly as possible. It is positive to hear that the works will be quickly under way. It is unfortunate that it has to be r…

Has the Minister considered using the mart and the farm walks as a platform for reaching out to farmers and delivering services or access there? He almost referred to it earlier when he spoke about people working very much on their own for days, maybe even for several weeks, when the silage campaign is on or during lambing. People can be very much isolated when they are farming, yet we see people will gather together at the mart. After the pandemic, it was very evident because even though the online option was avai…

Will the Minister outline the efforts being made to prevent the spread of bluetongue to Ireland in view of the fact that it is in the UK and on the Continent? We are moving towards warmer weather, longer days and possibly an increase in the mobility of the midge population, which is potentially carrying bluetongue disease.

I thank the Minister for the details of the various efforts that have been made over the last number of years on this. I ask him to outline whether tests have been carried out on livestock this year. In addition to livestock, trucks and various other vehicles would be travelling back and forth between the UK and the Continent as well as across the Border with the North. Are tests being carried out on them or are they being monitored to ensure they are not carrying midges or infected livestock? What efforts are bein…

On the question of vigilance within the farming community, if a farmer identifies the disease that means it is already here. My focus is on preventing it travelling to us here, whether on vehicles going back and forth on ferries or across the Border. Are efforts being made to ensure that those vehicles do not bring the virus with them? The Minister briefly referred to the possibility of vaccines. Is he going to make vaccines available to people who want to vaccinate livestock?

Is cúis mhór áthais é dúinn go bhfuil scéim na mbóithre áise geallta mar chuid den chlár Rialtais amach romhainn. Bhí mo chomhghleacaithe agus mé féin ag brú go mbeadh sí san áireamh. Beidh sí an-tairbheach do mhuintir na Gaeltachta nuair a chuirfear i bhfeidhm í. An bhféadfadh an tAire tuairisc a thabhairt ar an gcur chuige chun an scéim sin a chur i bhfeidhm, ar na treoirlínte agus ar aon tuairimíocht atá aige mar gheall ar rith na scéime sin?

Cuirfidh scéim na mbóithre áise go mór le hinfreastruchtúr agus le caighdeán maireachtála phobail na Gaelainne. Is é an chéad cúpla méadar den bóthar ar a mbíonn daoine ag taisteal gach maidin agus an píosa deireanach den bhóthar ar a mbíonn siad ag taisteal sa tráthnóna atá i gceist. Is deis é seo chun na píosaí sin a fheabhsú. Glacaim leis go bhfuil sé luath go leor go fóill. An bhfuil an tAire in ann a rá cé acu Roinn na Gaeltachta nó na comhairlí contae a bheidh ag láimhseáil na n-iarratas agus an srutha airgid…

Tá an tAire tagtha chuig an chéad ábhar eile ansin nuair a deir sé go n-aontófar í go luath. Is dócha gurb í an cheist is mó atá ag a lán daoine ná cathain a bheidh an scéim ann. An bhfuil a fhios ag an Aire an bhfuil sé in aigne go mbeidh sí ar fáil i gcomhair an chéad cáinaisnéis eile agus go mbeidh daoine ábalta iarratais a dhéanamh in 2025 i gcomhair oibreacha, b’fhéidir, in 2026? Cé go nglacaim leis go bhfuil sé luath go leor fós agus nach bhfuil ach roinnt den obair tosaithe ar na scéimeanna nua agus ar sprio…