There will be a review between now and September 2027, which is the transition period. That is really welcome. I encourage the Minister, if she has an opportunity between now and September 2027, which I would like to think the Minister will, that she might meet with representatives from Childminding Ireland. I was very impressed with them. The organisation obviously represents a huge number of childminders right across the State. The Minister has said we need to get this right. That is why that review is so importa…

I am really glad to have the opportunity to speak on these statements this evening and that the Minister is in the House to listen. My home town is Ballaghaderreen, west Roscommon. This is an issue I have raised repeatedly since my being elected in 2020 because our town was one of very few in the entire State to take in Syrian refugees back in 2017. It welcomed and gave céad míle fáilte to the refugees, who arrived in their hundreds. Indeed, hundreds have gone through the town’s reception centre, which remains open…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this strategy and I hope we will see quick and thorough implementation. I was struck by the word "choice" on page 12. It is one of the values that underpins this strategy, but the Government must create the spaces where people have a choice. It is up to the Minister and the Government to ensure there are choices. For example, today people with disabilities do not have choices in education. Their parents typically ring around several schools to try to get their children a school…

Why is it a secret as to how many children with additional needs are without an appropriate class place? Whether it is one, ten or 100, it is one child too many, as we are talking about a child who is unable to go to school in Ireland in 2025. There are two calls in particular in this motion tonight that I want to highlight. They are reasonable and sensible. They are to establish the school building delivery task force, to ensure the delivery on time and to meet the demand for special classes and special schools, a…

This question relates to the permanent solution to the flooding that has affected Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon for years. As the Minister of State is aware - he was there to make sure it happened - there is a temporary solution in place.

I acknowledge the Minister of State's role and that of his predecessor in getting us to the point where the pumps started in March and the very positive impact that has had. As the Minister of State will know, residents living in and around Lough Funshinagh suffered incredibly as a result of the flooding in 2015, 2016 and more recently. They have been surrounded by water for years now. Some families have had to abandon their homes. Those who have remained in the area around Lough Funshinagh deserve incredible credi…

I, too, acknowledge the work. It is good to hear that we are on target for planning towards the end of the year. This will be absolutely essential. I am conscious of that as we come into the autumn and winter months. We all know about the winters the families and community around Lough Funshinagh have faced, particularly last winter. It was devastating. There will be a lot of work to be done after the permanent solution is put in place and sorted in terms of people's homes and the damage that has been done. Farmers…

I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to these statements on Pride. I am proud to be an ally of the LGBTQI+ community. I am glad that in voting for marriage equality ten years ago, we did not just stop at that point and say "Job done". It is important that we continue the conversation and face head on the challenges that remain for those in the LGBTQI+ community. The inequalities that community faces endure and the battle to overcome these inequalities continues, so we must also continue to break down tho…

I want to be associated with the case made on amendment No. 1 and I wish to speak in support of amendment No. 2, which is grouped with amendment No. 1. Amendment No. 2 proposes a report that includes the examination of estimated savings by excluding those who lost a partner before that date in January 2024. For a number of years in the House I have raised the need to extend the widows pension to unmarried couples where a partner is lost, particularly where there are children. Accessing supports based on marriage is…

I just want to clarify what I said. If my constituent's partner had died in December 2024, she would have got that payment from then on. Because he died in December 2021, she will of course be able to apply for the payment and I welcome that but she will not get it because it was in 2021 and, therefore, it is not backdated. My point is that the date should not matter, but it is going to matter. I do welcome the difference this payment will make to her and to others, although I want to reiterate what my colleagues h…

The programme for Government commits, for the very first time, to providing capital investment to build or purchase State-owned childcare facilities to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. I attended the launch of a childcare needs analysis in Boyle, County Roscommon, last Friday. Their analysis concludes that, in the Boyle catchment area, there are 20 childcare places per 1,043 children. A figure of 77% of children aged zero to four years have no access to a childcare place. For me, this is…

I wish to ask the Minister about our early years educators. Staff turnover rates are high, particularly for private providers. We also have issues with capacity and retaining our early years educators. Of course, pay is a key issue. What areas is the Minister looking at to ensure we retain our early years educators in order to build on the capacity that is very much needed?

I thank the Minister. We have known for quite some time that pay is the single biggest issue. It has become and continues to be the main issue. While the work of the joint labour committee continues, we are now well into June and it unfortunately appears there is a wide gap between one side of the table and the other on the joint labour committee. SIPTU is seeking that providers must pay a minimum of €15 per hour to our early years educators. As this process continues, I am concerned that we do not appear to be get…

I would like to see the figures from previous JLCs on the amount of money brought forward by the Government in previous budgets and the amount of money that was actually spent on whatever the increase was. We will find quite a gap there, particularly when we look at the last increase and the length of time it took to achieve that. It was little or nothing in real terms. Regarding the JLC itself, we all recognise that pay is a major issue. Once this JLC has concluded its work, which I hope will be sooner rather than…

My question follows on from the previous one. What actions is the Minister of State taking to reduce the ever growing waiting lists for assessment of need? We know from the HSE that it expects the waiting list will exceed 24,000 and will be closer to 25,000 by the end of this year.

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. She may not have them with her but is it possible to get figures? She gave percentage increases of 30% and 65% in the first few months of this year. If she has the figures for what that means in the numbers of assessments of need, that would be really helpful. While the Government continues to build public capacity which is very important, the Minister of State previously said that funding will not be an issue in accessing private capacity. Has the HSE examined how much …

I thank the Minister of State. I presume and expect that, as we come to budget 2026, she will consider further capacity to reduce waiting lists further, in particular as the HSE is expected to exceed a waiting list of 24,000 by the end of the year, an incredible figure. We need to consider how much we can get from private capacity. In her final response, the Minister of State might speak about regional assessment hubs. When will they be established? What will they mean for people on waiting lists? Do we know how ma…

Earlier in the week, I was in Gortaganny in west Roscommon to see the impact of a recent wildfire, the worst we had ever seen in our county. Having seen the damage first hand, I felt obliged to raise it with the Taoiseach. Over a thousand acres of bogland and forestry have been destroyed. I have written to the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to seek engagement with and support for the landowners affected. I have also reached out to the European Commission because Carrowbehy bog…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this debate to proceed this evening. In 1996, the Department of Education amalgamated two schools in my constituency in Ballinasloe, County Galway, to become Scoil an Chroí Naofa. This was done with the understanding of the Department of Education that a new school building would be provided. That was 29 years ago. There have been design teams appointed at several stages, planning permissions have been received and extended, and stage 2(b) submissions have been made - the la…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is welcome that the stage 2(b) submission made by the school is getting attention from the Department but what is important here is that we move things along as quickly as possible. After 29 years, the school and the entire school community have waited long enough. At this point, they have been through five principals while waiting for this school. It is a difficult position to put a school principal and board of management in, with some 300 children enrolled in th…