It is about the fifth time it has been referred as being like a shopping centre.

That is furthest from the truth of what it is.

The Deputy supported it.

I thank Deputy Clendennen for raising this important issue. Unfortunately, it is still the case that some rural towns and villages across the country require investment in infrastructure, be it in my area of west Cork or the Deputy's area of Offaly. It is something the Government is committed to addressing. Under section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, it is a statutory requirement for each planning authority to include objectives in their development plan for the provision or facilitation of infrastru…

I again thank the Deputy and appreciate him raising these concerns on behalf of the people of Offaly and specifically Edenderry. My understanding is that quite a bespoke approach is being taken in Edenderry. A wastewater treatment plant that would be sufficient to serve the population of Edenderry will be designed. In the meantime, consideration will be given to an interim solution through a developer-led process which would be designed with the intention of connecting that to the wastewater treatment plant once it…

On the tenet of the Deputy's original question on assessment, I really believe that is the role of a county development plan. It assesses towns and villages with regard to the various infrastructural needs within them. The national development plan will be announced shortly. Funding for Uisce Éireann will be formed, modelled and moulded around this. This is very important also. We have seen significant increased funding for Uisce Éireann. Deputy Clendennen is absolutely right that we need to start seeing a return f…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 30 together. I thank Deputy Cooney for raising this issue. Clearly the need for investment in infrastructure, particularly wastewater services in our towns and villages, is a priority and a recurring theme that we hear. It is a priority of the Minister, Deputy Browne, of the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and of mine, in terms of delivering housing in this regard. The Government is committed to continued and ongoing sustained and strategic investment in rural water service…

The Deputy is absolutely right that there are two projects in Clare and it is very important that these projects in Broadford and Cooraclare are being considered. I was in Clare the other day and I have to commend the proactive nature of the local authority. It is important that it got these two schemes in for consideration for the €45 million funding. As I have said, there has been back and forth communication between the Department and local authorities, for example, Clare County Council, and responses have been …

I reassure the Deputy that there is absolutely no backtracking on the commitment to provide solutions for these rural villages. As I have said, the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, recently brought forward the national planning framework, which gives a clear commitment on regional growth and regional development and allowing people to live in rural parts of Ireland. As I have said, the national development plan will inform funding for Uisce Éireann going forward. There has been a …

I thank Senator Wilson. The last gentleman he spoke about reminded me of my father. Anytime he fries a sausage, the alarm goes off. We jest, but the Senator is bringing up a very serious matter. I thank him also for his bravery in sharing his own personal story and circumstances. That must have been a harrowing experience for him and his family. We can still hear a bit of emotion there because it was scary and he probably thinks to himself what might have been if those safety measures had not been in place in his o…

I thank the Senator for the passion he brings to the topic. The Department has a community smoke alarm scheme which funds approximately 12,000 smoke alarms annually. It was further extended to include more vulnerable and high risk households through the introduction of alarms for the hard of hearing in 2023-24. So far in 2024-25, the scheme has seen 15,000 standard alarms and 240 alarms for the heard of hearing supplied to fire services. There is a scheme. It could be expanded and rolled out on a greater scale. I d…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am grateful to all Deputies and to everybody behind the scenes for facilitating the debate today on this urgent legislation in Dáil Éireann. I will be sharing Government time with Minister of State, Deputy Cummins. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025 will amend the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2024 to extend and expand the operation of rent pressures zones, RPZs, to cover the entire country until 28 February 2026. This Bill provides an interim m…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I know how important University Hospital Limerick is to the people of the region. Clearly, it is a matter the Senator is passionate about and acutely aware of. She has presented her case well, especially her analysis of why there is a higher number of presentations at UHL, which is clearly the case. I will do my best to lay out the situation nationally and specifically that of University Hosp…

I completely understand Senator Ryan's frustration and concern. This has gone on for too long in UHL. We have heard the stories and examples of long waiting times on trolleys. It is not good enough. There needs to be urgent action. I also mentioned the 100 extra beds due to come online in the coming year. I hope that will alleviate some of the pressure. The Senator mentioned the medical assessment units in Ennis and Nenagh. They should alleviate some of the pressure. There are other innovations nationally, only whe…

I thank Senator Kennelly for raising this Commencement matter, which I am again taking on behalf of the Minister for Health. He is absolutely right. We have the same service in Cork South-West. I understand that reconfigurations have happened over recent years and that these have caused concern. Consolidation and reconfiguration happen, and this causes concern. I hope to allay some of those concerns. If there are any questions I cannot answer, I will revert to the Minister. I will outline how the service works. GPs…

I will absolutely request such a review. The Senator is right. SouthDoc has its own management structures and board. The HSE has very little input into its day-to-day running but it does fund the service so it must expect an appropriate level of service. The Senator gave a good lesson on the geography of Kerry. I am familiar enough with north Kerry. It is very similar to west Cork in many ways in that it is huge geographically. You have got peninsulas and inlets, so it is geographically awkward and requires a bespo…

I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien. I am delighted to see this issue being raised in the Seanad because I see it as a key way for agriculture in particular to play its part in renewable energy provision. I always point to the example of the Timoleague anaerobic digester in my neck of the woods. It almost acts as a co-operative, where the local piggery brings manure as an input into the anaerobic digester, the local distillery suppl…

Fair play to the Senator. He got to announce that instead of me. That is some going. The news is welcome. Farmers want to play their part in reducing emissions. The bulk of the input into an anaerobic digester is coming from farming and we are getting renewable gas and electricity to power thousands of homes, so I have always felt that those emissions reductions should be attributed to the agricultural sector. That is not the case at the moment but it is something I would love to see. We need to ramp it up. We have…

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this issue. The way he describes Mountainside Montessori school sounds incredible. It sounds inclusive and open and is exactly the type of model we should have for our Montessori schools. There is clearly an urgency because September is looming and there needs to be a solution in place. I am not sure if my answer will provide much satisfaction in terms of the use of the prefabs, but I will bring it back to the Minister to try to find some solution. This matter allows me an opportu…

I again thank the Senator. I know he does not live in the constituency, but to be fair, he always represents his councillors and representatives in that area. He is doing so again today. My priority and concern are with the parents and the children who are all set up to avail of the Montessori school service in September. They must be anxious not knowing where they are going to be homed in future. In that spirit, I will certainly go back to talk to the Department and the Minister to see if there can at least be som…