I will start by apologising for being late to the House.

Over the past 25 years, the Government of Ireland has invested heavily in our national roads network, with an extensive motorway system now in place. The motorway network has seen almost tenfold expansion since 2000. Due to the outlined funding constraints for national roads, a prioritisation exercise was necessary from the outset. In line with the NDP and Government policy, the Minister for Transport allocated national road funding for 2023 in a manner which sought to achieve the following key outcomes: protection…

I thank Senator Kyne for his opening contribution. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, who wishes to thank the Senator for raising this important issue. It gives me an opportunity to update our colleagues in Seanad Éireann on the agri-climate rural environment scheme, known locally as ACRES. As the Senator correctly said, ACRES is the flagship agri-environment scheme provided under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, with an increased environmental ambition, as re…

As the Deputy has acknowledged, I am taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. I stress that enabling students with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is an absolute priority for the Minister and this Government. It is the Government's priority to ensure all children have an appropriate school placement and the necessary supports are provided to our schools to allow children with special educational needs to flourish and prosper. It is important to highlight that th…

I thank the Senator for providing the opportunity to discuss this important topic. I reiterate the environmental ambition of ACRES, with Ireland leading the way among other member states in rolling out a national results-based scheme. The first year of such ambitious schemes brings with it complexities and challenges. The Government regrets delays that have been experienced by many participants in receiving their payments. As I outlined, however, the Minister has put a measure in place for those challenges for the …

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. It is important for me to say I have been given my script by the Department of Health on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, who apologises for not being able to be here. The Government is hugely committed to supporting the nursing and midwifery workforce and has provided for an unprecedented level of investment throughout its term, which has enabled the delivery of a record expansion of the HSE workforce. Growth in the number of staff in our health servic…

I will bring back the name of Shelagh National School to the Minister of State. The Deputy is a very strong advocate in this space. With the recruitment of the extra NCSEs - doubling numbers - I have no doubt there is provision for a new NCSE to look after the wee county of Louth to ensure there is proper capacity building in primary and post-primary. When you look at the numbers going from national to secondary school, you need to ensure capacity building is taking place. The Department of Education continues to e…

Again, I thank the Senator. It is important to reiterate the Government's commitment to nursing and midwifery. Through the Government's record investment, our health service workforce has expanded exponentially since the beginning of 2020. There are 27,901 more staff in total, with the largest portion of this figure made up of nurses and midwives, amounting to 9,375. Despite this incredible increase, we continue to expand our nursing and midwifery workforce this year and next year, with an increase of 500 posts for…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. Ireland is, in general, a diverse and welcoming country but there are people living here who live in fear simply because of who they are - their identity. The Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill had been due to repeal and replace the hate speech provisions in the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 and legislate for hate crimes for the first time by crea…

Absolutely.

I appreciate the Senator's interest and contribution. The Minister for Justice wants to be clear; Ireland must update its incitement to hatred legislation. If this requires further discussion and debate to reach consensus on how we do this effectively, she is prepared to examine the issues with a view to finding a way forward. While that is happening, we cannot ignore the fact that we need hate crime laws. Ireland is one of the last countries in the EU to legislate for hate crimes. The most recent figures from An G…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with TII under the Roads Acts 1993 to 2015 and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TIl, in conjunction with the local authorities. I a…

I see the matter was addressed to the Minister for Social Protection-----

I thank the Deputy. I take on board totally what he just said and I will relay it back. This is about safety and saving lives. Yet again, though, I must read another such reply. I must read everything I am given because I am deputising. Approximately €411 million of Exchequer capital funds was provided to TII for national roads in 2024. In line with the NDP and Government policy, TII seeks to allocate national roads funding to local authorities in a manner that seeks to achieve the following key outcomes: the prote…

I do not know on whose behalf I am answering but I will answer it as it has been scripted for me. I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The civil registration service is an important service. There is a legal requirement on every person to notify the service of births, marriages and deaths that occur in the State and to do this in a timely manner. When a birth is registered, it automatically results in the allocation of a PPS number. This number is unique to each person and becomes the basis for identity and…

Absolutely. The Senator saw me trying to figure out which Minister I was answering for at the beginning. The answer I received from the Department of Social Protection clearly tells me the process involved in it. It also clearly tells us how they are trying to move to that digital space to make it more flexible, timely and everything else. It is also important to have that choice. I will, of course, bring it back to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. I note the Senator's suggestions on an interim solution while recruit…

I thank Deputy Wynne for raising this important issue and for offering the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, the opportunity to respond. I am taking the matter on his behalf. A key objective for the Department is for all children to participate in ECCE, the free pre-school programme. The early childhood care and education scheme, ECCE, is a free universal two-year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age of two years and eight months to five years and six months. A child must have reached the…

As I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, I must stick to the script. It is intended that, over time, all children with additional needs enrolled in early learning and care in school-aged children services will have access to supports under AIM. To this end, consideration is being given by officials in the Department of children to policy and mechanisms to extend AIM to under-threes as well an extension of AIM to school-aged children. As noted in the opening statement, it is critical the respo…

I thank the Seanad for allowing us to have this debate. It is not really a debate but an acknowledgement of the hard work that the Joint Committee on Autism has done on the report that was produced over 12 months ago. I thank its Chairman, Senator Carrigy, for making sure there were no barriers to this committee being an all-party, cross-party committee, where children, young adults and not-so-young adults were put at the centre. The report that it produced, with its 109 recommendations, has been the basis of the a…

The deal was most certainly done.