The pressure on school places continues apace, particularly in constituencies like my own. This pressure was anticipated by many of us in this House well in advance along with the need to put in place emergency measures to deal with the situation that might arise. I am now asking that these emergency measures be activated for 2025 in sufficient time to ensure that adequate primary and second-level school places are made within reason as opposed to a situation I mentioned previously in the House where children are s…

The importance of children and their education and care in all circumstances, in respect of access to primary and second level education for children with or without disabilities, and with regard to the security of children who might be in the care of the State, has special focus at the present time and is likely to have special focus in the time ahead. This has come into focus in recent times, particularly with regard to children who may have gone missing and who have been missing for a considerable amount of time…

This question seeks to ascertain, for people who find themselves with warnings to exit their existing tenancies and have little or no time to make alternative arrangements, the extent to which private serviced sites might be utilised.

I had in mind the utilisation of modern construction methods to speed up, in the first case, the provision of houses, and the provision of housing for people who may find themselves, through no fault of their own, without a home and have no option except to consider making themselves homeless by leaving the house they are in, in which case they will not be considered by the local authorities, at the same time relying on previous methods and experiences of the private sites schemes to put affordable houses and local…

I thank the Minister. I accept that the Government's plan for housing is working but unfortunately it is working too slowly. It is not working fast enough to be able to feed the market that is ever growing. That market is caused by, in some cases, tenancies being terminated by landlords for whatever reason. There is no blame on anybody but the tenants have been given a deadline. I am dealing at the moment with about 50 such cases in my constituency. Presently these people are overholding. They have nowhere else to …

In support of the Deputy and the theme he is developing, is it possible to put together a bundle of opportunities that might be availed of by various families who are finding it difficult to get into the housing market? For instance, the first response in respect of the tenant in-situ scheme seems to be refusal. That creates a delay and does not solve the housing problem for the individual concerned. There is also Croí Cónaithe. All are good schemes, but only if they are applied and put into operation. I strongly s…

The question adequately explains the situation I and several others are faced with. I compliment the Minister. He has shed some considerable light on a situation that annoys us from time to time. With particular reference to the tenant in situ scheme, my experience has been that the proposal is refused in the first instance, although the landlord is willing to sell and so on. In some cases, it is because the house is deemed to be in excess of the size required by a particular family. One case that comes to mind is …

There is a problem to which the Deputy has referred. There is need for contact with the local authorities to try to ensure every opportunity is taken to prevent homelessness and not to impede the HAP system on top of everything else. People will become homeless very quickly when the tenancy has expired.

In support of Deputy Smith, it might be fortuitous to look again at the overall structures relating to defence positions throughout the country, given the internationally changing emphasis on security and the challenges emerging on a regular basis. Might it now be fortuitous to look again and reconsider a possible renewal of defensive locations, strategically?

It is very important down our way.

Go raibh maith agat.

I thank the Minister.

I apologise for interrupting the Minister but he may contribute again and there are a number of speakers, including Deputy Ó Cuív, whose question No. 72 is included in this group.

I thank the Deputy.

Thank you, Deputy. We will try to get everybody in.

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú. We want to try to get everybody in and, hopefully, the Minister will reply to everybody.

Thank you, Deputy.

I bring this to the attention of the House again. It has been brought to the attention of the House many times before. It is a simple issue that has simple remedies. We need to avail of those remedies as quickly as possible. Typical of the things that happen is that one child in the family goes to the local school and the other child or children go to a different school, in some cases 20 miles away, for what reason I cannot understand. In one case that came to my attention, the mother was traumatised in many ways a…

I thank the Minister of State for the level of detail. I recognise and understand the degree of investment that has taken place, and I have spoken to the Minister about the issue many times. There is a burgeoning population in Kildare, which creates problems that are unique to the county and, in particular, to the north of the county, which is the constituency I represent. I realise it is difficult to cross every t, dot every i and so on in the nature of things, but I am sure I have not even dealt with all the case…

I have listened with interest to the debate. I have had debates of this nature in the past, as we all have. I have to say I have a deep concern about the legalisation of termination of anybody's life. We have had many discussions on all sides of this principle over the years. It was brought to a head for me when I was asked a long time ago, long before I came into the age bracket I am in now, whether I believed in mercy killing. I do not now and I did not then. What worries me most is the degree to which assisted d…