I thank Senator Ruane for raising this issue. In my view, there are no circumstances in which a ten-year-old child or anyone underage should be getting a court order or formal order to appear in court, especially when it comes to the issue of rent arrears. I have a formal response which outlines the situations where, potentially, someone who is under the age of 18 may receive a formal letter. Certainly, I do not think there is any justification for the situations the Senator described. Clearly, there needs to be fl…

All right. We will go through this, and we can absolutely discuss further how we are going to prevent this from happening in the future. The general administration of the court system is underpinned by legislation within the responsibilities of my colleague, the Minister for justice. I thank the Senator for clarifying that she is seeking a review of the housing legislation to ensure children do not have to attend court proceedings in respect of local authority tenancies where they are occupiers. Obviously, there is…

Without knowing the exact details of the case, I can say from the way it was presented that if a parent, in this instance a woman, is struggling with rent arrears, it must be dealt with in the most sensitive manner. First, the different scenarios and potential ways in which the rent arrears can be addressed should be worked through. That should be the first port of call. The blunt issuing of a letter addressed to a child, in this instance a ten-year-old, does not make any sense. Like Senator Ruane, I hope this is a…

I welcome the national school from County Cork. It is my county. I welcome them to Seanad Éireann. I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important issue. In her contribution she covered it all, including that the long-term illness scheme is dated and has not been updated in a long time. In terms of her hope that the condition would be covered, the best opportunity would be a review. I am answering this on behalf of the Minister for Health. However, from listening to what she said, I think that is the way forward. …

I thank Senator Lynch. She is right; there is no legislative obstacle to expanding the scope of the long-term illness scheme. There is probably no policy obstacle either. The prepared response says there are no plans to extend it, and I hope that is just for the moment. The Senator is right that with a bit of political will and pushing and presenting the case for inclusion of conditions like IBD in the way the Senator has, which makes sense given how debilitating it is, how costly it can be and the impact it has on…

I thank the Senator. I absolutely promise I will visit the Curragh. There is no doubt about that whatsoever. We will get it into the diary. I am looking forward to it because it is such a gem of a place. Clearly Senator O'Loughlin is passionate about Naas hospital. She started by saying what a wonderful hospital it is, and I am sure it is a bustling hospital. It has a large population to cater for and we can imagine how important it is. The response I am about to read out will talk about how much we have reduced wa…

I thank Senator O'Loughlin. If she passes on the details to my office, I absolutely commit that they will make their way to the Department and the Minister and ensure it is prioritised. Despite all of the great improvements in the reduction of waiting lists, the fact that 12 people have been waiting over 12 months cannot just be a footnote. These are 12 individuals with stories, families and loved ones. We cannot just put it to the bottom of a page as a footnote. It is very important and they are the ones we really…

I thank Senator Tully for very clearly and eloquently outlining the challenges that this school is having in terms of the lack of provision of SNAs and the challenge this is creating from the point of view of staff and SNAs not being able to cater for children who have additional needs. I have no doubt about what she is saying and the challenges those involved face. It is important to say that there is no discrimination on the basis of the fact that this is a Church of Ireland school. There are some incredible scho…

The Senator hit the nail on the head with her closing comments. When the NCSE is looking at these situations and at allocations, it cannot just be a case of using a black-and-white formula. Individual circumstances have to be taken into account. As the Senator stated, things such as whether a sibling is attending the school or whether there are no other schools in the area that suit the needs of the student involved have to be taken into account. I completely appreciate that. As I said, the Minister unfortunately c…

I thank Senator Costello. On the back of her raising this, I will bring it to the senior Minister, Deputy Browne. What she is asking for is incredibly important and necessary and there should be no reason we cannot do it. The issue she raises is very thought-provoking. It makes us all, as local representatives, think about whether, when we have been in that position of trying to support survivors or victims of domestic abuse, we have always given the right guidance. The Senator is right - I know I do not have the t…

That is a really good point. Perhaps we should not wait until there is a national programme of training. We should all take it upon ourselves to get training and advice on how to deal with these situations. They are such sensitive matters. At what point should we contact An Garda Síochána? Are we fully aware of all the refuges and shelters for victims of domestic abuse in our areas? All of that comes into account. There is a bit of pressure on us as well to make sure we do the right thing because we have someone wh…

I know the road very well because it leads to Lady's Island and also down to Tacumshin. Any birders or birdwatchers out there are very familiar with the road. I have travelled it quite a lot and I totally understand where the Deputy is coming from in terms of the need for this development. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The Senator will know a lot of the information in the reply already but I will certainly elaborate on anything I can. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for ove…

We should be in a position to welcome and rejoice about the fact that Rosslare is busier. We want that, but we cannot have it impacting residents and the county. A preferred route was selected in 2021. That is a while ago now. I get the Senator's frustration. This should be more advanced at this point. Let us get the design done and go through the statutory process as quickly as possible. From the Department's response, I get a sense that there is now a bit of urgency about it, so I hope we will see progress soon a…

I am not 100% sure my answer will give the Senator the comfort he is looking for, but I am glad he raised the matter, because coastal erosion along the whole west coast, including the south-west and north-west coasts, is a big issue. It is coming down the road like a train and we will have to invest more and more in it to protect communities. I hope that the fact gabion baskets are already in place and there is some form of coastal protection will make it more straightforward from foreshore and statutory requiremen…

It is a gorgeous piece of coastline. I know it well. It is stunning but very exposed to the west and it gets those big swells coming in. As I said, there are more frequent storms. To the credit of Donegal County Council, it has applied for 45 projects, worth approximately €2.4 million, under this scheme. It has been quite active in that space. It will have to be because the area is so exposed. The money is there from the point of view of the OPW. There is an onus on the council to crack on and get this delivered. T…

That is not true.

There are six months in the year when they can be cut back. What are you talking about?

I am glad the Ceann Comhairle addressed that issue in her comments. People are quick to blame wildlife and birds. It is the old trope of what is more important. The Ceann Comhairle is absolutely right. There are six months in the year when works can be done. Landowners have a role to play as well. Even within those six months, where a stretch of road is deemed to be dangerous or causing issues, the remit is within the local authority. Funding is, of course, an issue. The other way we can improve safety on our roads…

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this on behalf of the students and parents of Scoil Dairbhre. That is a very unusual circumstance. It is one that certainly I have not heard of. Obviously, I am not in the Department of education. Perhaps the Minister has heard of such a case, but it is extraordinary. I certainly would have said it is not the norm around Ireland for parents to be asked by the school to bring in toilet rolls and other essential supplies. In this instance, officials from the Department have made co…

The Minister, Deputy Naughton, is new in the role. I wish her the best of luck in that role and I am sure she will do a wonderful job. I will ensure she is aware of the situation in Darver National School. Many improvements have been made right across the country. In my constituency I have seen some great work done in older schools that may have been built in the 50s or 60s, which were deteriorating and becoming dilapidated. They have brand new extensions. Children are in most cases attending school in much more co…