I thank the Minister of State.

It would be very helpful if the Minister of State could do that. I suggest he use the shared island fund as it takes in the North and South. There is a big pot of money there that he could tap into. We in Monaghan and Cavan would like to have a rail network running through Portadown and right up to Donegal. It would be very much appreciated.

I can swap with Deputy Gibney if she wants to take my time.

I am down the list a bit, so I can swap with Deputy Gibney and she can take my slot.

Will the Minister outline to the House his work on the promotion of cross-Border tourism?

I thank the Minister and welcome his response. As Ireland's largest indigenous industry, tourism is a crucial sector and our largest regional employer. It is right that Ireland is marketed by Tourism Ireland on an all-Ireland basis and I welcome efforts to link the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route. In effect, this is nearly a circuit of the island of Ireland for tourism trails. Will the Minister speak to any plans to complete the circuit and to link and extend Ireland's Ancient East into the North b…

I look forward to seeing that tourism policy. I hope the Minister incorporates a rail network that runs through Monaghan, Cavan and Donegal. If you look at the top of Ireland on the map, we have no rail network up there. I know it is not the Minister's Department but I hope he is working with the Department of Transport to ensure that happens. It is not on at this stage. The maximum potential across the avenue of tourism will require an accurate understanding of how the tourism sector is performing. For some time n…

I commend Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, on the 30th anniversary of Science Week, along with parents, industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers and researchers but mostly the students. It is time to reflect on our own role as legislators on the theme of this year, which is: "Then. Today. Tomorrow." We have produced world leaders and are home to domestic and multinational companies at the forefront in their fields of science. Our healthcare workers provide among the highest standards of care and we have mor…

Budget 2026 left many people disappointed, upset and angry. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, which is continuing unabated, the Government has chosen to utterly abandon the most vulnerable in society. The meagre increase of €10 to the disability payment will see people with only that payment struggle, and that is the best the Government has done since 2020. Analysis from the Irish Wheelchair Association shows that people with disabilities are €1,400 worse off after the budget and the Bill. Did the Government…

My question relates to the lack of a school dental programme in County Monaghan. I submitted a parliamentary question on this and the response I got was very disturbing, to be honest. We all know that in all areas of health care, early intervention is crucial. Prevention is preferable to treatment. Issues identified early allow for less intensive or invasive treatment. It is positive to introduce and reinforce positive dental hygiene and care from an early age. Dental is among the most basic of health services, so …

I want to reiterate that although 900 people were assessed in Cavan, in County Monaghan zero children were assessed. That needs to change and something needs to happen immediately. Sinn Féin outlined our proposals to address the crisis fostered by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in our dental services. A year ago, my party colleague and Sinn Féin spokesperson, Deputy Cullinane, published our health plan. It highlighted that between 2019 and 2024, nearly half of dentists providing publicly funded care to medical card hold…

We have never been in government.

People are profoundly disappointed with the choices made by the Government in the budget. They are disappointed because the Minister chose to fail in his responsibility to assist them in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis that persists unabated. This is starkly true in the case of childcare, in which what he has brought forward is entirely inadequate. Families have been let down. So too have their children, whose futures lie in our hands. Last September, Sinn Féin published a comprehensive and fully costed plan t…

Irish unity stands as the greatest aspiration and opportunity for the future of Ireland. It is incumbent on each of us to play a constructive role. Right across the island and beyond, people are doing that and having conversations at dinner tables and social gatherings as to when it will happen and what it might look like. Across communities and traditions and among the diaspora, they are eager and willing to play their part. Civic society groups are organising exciting and engaging events of a scale, and it is gat…

My question refers to the difference between third level fees in 2024 and in 2025. It is a very straightforward question, but it does not seem to be so for members of the Government. It is very frustrating for Members of the House and students and their families. People's backs are broken trying to make ends meet in respect of day-to-day costs. To top it off, they have to deal with the massive expense of putting themselves or their children through college. Essentially, student fees have increased. Why is the Gover…

I will go back to what this is costing hard-working families. People are very smart and they know they have been charged an additional €500 this year compared to the fees they paid last year. The Minister said the Government reduced the fees last year. It contested the election on reducing them further, but then increased them. That is what happened. There is a myth in Ireland that, as the Minister said, we have free fees and education, but that is not the lived reality or what people feel on the ground. They do no…

Sinn Féin advocated for a €500 decrease this year, but instead of that the Minister has increased it. I want him to recognise that fact and let people know that fees have increased by €500 this year. He should not fool people. They are not silly and recognise what is happening. I am a parent and I realise, like everybody else, that fees have gone up. The Minister can provide big figures like €628 million, but people are paying their taxes towards that. The Government has to recognise that. People are paying their t…

My question to the Minister is in relation to the provision of accommodation for students. When students got their CAO results and started college this year, there was huge excitement about being sent off to college and everything. However, stress was induced a few days later with the experience of trying to acquire accommodation, which was impossible because of the increased cost of third level, in particular, and the cost of accommodation at campuses, which is not always available. Worryingly, we now see that stu…

I very much welcome all the ideas the Minister has put forward. However, I appreciate that the previous strategy is coming to an end. Were all the ideas the previous Minister came up with in that strategy acted on and did they all fall into place? The previous strategy was to cover 2017 to 2021. I understand that it has come to an end, but I would like to see whether the actions in that strategy actually happened. Actions are great, but I like to see work done and things happen. I welcome the Minister's intention t…

The Minister said that the actions in the previous strategy did come good, but how come students cannot get accommodation this year? With the new strategy, will purpose-built student complexes charge additional affordable service and utility charges? Will the Minister ensure that additional charges and rent hikes will not happen again in rent pressure zones, and that the purpose-built accommodation will be retained for this purpose specifically? Can the Minister promise that?