Again, I am stepping in for the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. I do not think anyone is sticking their head in the sand. As I outlined, there was a 33% increase in demand for services and a 21% increase in the number of new cases. That is a substantial increase. The Deputy said people had their heads in the sand. The number of people working in this area has increased substantially in recent years. The focus for the Minister of State and the HSE is to ensure that children and their families have access to the me…

I will certainly take on board what the Senator has set out. As I said, a review has been published that sets out clearly the reform that is going to be implemented and the target of 100,000 additional students benefiting between now and 2030. In other words, the current capacity allows for over 161,000 children to travel on school transport. We are talking about adding another 100,000 on to that so it is being developed and it will be reviewed year on year between now and 2030. As for the particular issue the Sena…

I thank the Cathaoirleach. With all of us Members present from Cork, I wonder if we could have a Seanad sitting in Cork. I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am here on behalf of the Minister for Education so the reply received is from the Department of Education. I thank the Senator for the opportunity to update the House on this matter. The State Examinations Commission, SEC, has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the State examinations. The SEC is fully committed to providing …

I thank the Cathaoirleach and the Senator. The SEC at this time is finalising the terms of reference and the composition of the structures that will underpin the review. The review will consider all relevant issues and will take account of the best practice internationally. This, therefore, is a comprehensive review. In this regard, I am assured that the SEC intends that there will be extensive consultation and engagement with as broad a range of stakeholders as possible, including young people with special educati…

I thank Senators Kyne and Conway for bringing forward this motion. Twelve Senators contributed to the debate and I thank each and every one of them for detailing their concerns and setting out how we need to roll out and improve our current cancer care plan. I will touch on some of the points raised because it is important that I deal with them as they arose. I may not be able to get through all of them but I have no difficulty with anyone emailing me if there are issues people wish to raise with me. My understandi…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. In coming back in response, it is important for me to state that I too have been involved in trying to work out support for people who reside at home. The challenge is that people are living longer and life expectancy in Ireland has increased by six years over the past 20 years and, therefore, we have a lot more people living longer. For example, the figure for those aged over 75 has increased from 220,381 in 2011 to more than 335,000 in 2023, which is more than a 50% i…

I will outline a few points in relation to the Bill. The Minister will, obviously, be looking for this legislation to be referred to the Joint Committee on Justice.

I thank Senators Malcolm Byrne and Fiona O'Loughlin for bringing this legislation before the House and for highlighting the growing issue of targeted protests outside the homes of politicians and public figures. I completely condemn these protests. They were targeted and personalised in nature and have had an impact not just on the persons involved but their respective families and neighbours. The Bill will make it an offence for a person who “organises or engages in ... a protest within 200 metres ... of a residen…

I am.

I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Education. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter as it gives me, on behalf of the Minister for Education, the opportunity to provide an update to the House on the current position regarding the major school building project for Holy Trinity National School in Westport, County Mayo. The major building project for Holy Trinity is to provide a new four-class primary school, with one class special education needs-based, and involves the renovation and extension of an e…

I fully understand the frustration the Deputy feels on this matter but it is important to acknowledge – this is not from a script - that there are more than 1,500 projects being dealt with by the Department. While the interim works on the Scoil Phádraig building will serve as a first phase for the Holy Trinity National School project, the progression of the project for the remainder of the works will be managed in tandem with the Sacred Heart School project, to facilitate the commencement of the works upon the vaca…

I will come back to the Minister with the Deputy's concerns. As I said, I am stepping in for the Minister for Education and that is the information I have received. I will convey the Deputy's concerns to her.

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, who has asked me to thank Deputy O'Connor for raising it and giving him the opportunity to update the Dáil on this important issue. The Minister recognises the central role that primary care therapy services, and specifically speech and language therapy, play in offering the opportunity for early and cost-effective interventions for children and young people. The Minister acknowledges that the increasing waiting lists for primary care services, and parti…

I note what the Deputy says in relation to the specific vacancy in Youghal and I will take back his concern to the Minister. The Minister fully acknowledges the frustration of those waiting too long to access vital primary care services and that of their families. He agrees that much more needs to be done to address waiting lists for speech and language therapy in addition to other key primary care services. This Government is committed to delivering increased levels of healthcare, with service delivery reoriented …

I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Education. The Minister asked me to thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides the Department with an opportunity to clarify the position regarding the development of Fermoy Educate Together National School and, more specifically, the school's request for further accommodation. The Deputy may be aware that Fermoy Educate Together National School is an ordinary mixed school in the town of Fermoy, County Cork. The school had an enrolment in Sep…

Officials in the Department of Education have been engaging with the school patron, Educate Together, in respect of the current and future needs of the school.

As already outlined, there are 19 primary schools in the Fermoy planning area. I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Department has ongoing communication with the school's patron regarding the accommodation needs of the school. The Department of Education continues to liaise with the school and NCSE regarding the provision of accommodation for pupils with special educational needs. As the Deputy will appreciate, the provision of school places, including for children with special educational needs, i…

I thank the Deputies for tabling the motion and giving us the opportunity to discuss oral healthcare services, to provide some updates on developments in the sector and to outline the Government’s priorities to fundamentally reform these services over the coming years. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister. To be clear, this Government allocates over €200 million to the provision of oral healthcare every year. This shows our commitment to delivering real change in important areas. Improvements in access…

I am dealing with this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter of funding for East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support, which is based in Ballinasloe, County Galway. The need to address survivorship care for those living with and beyond cancer is now recognised internationally. Groups such as East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support emphasise the importance of quality of life during and after cancer treatment. People living with cancer can require lifelong, evidence-base…

I very much agree with her in respect of the number of people diagnosed with cancer who have come through treatment. They need support. The Department of Health and the NCCP are committed to working with cancer support services. This will ensure that various programmes and services are appropriately developed and made more widely available to those who need them. The current National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 is the third such cancer strategy in Ireland. These successive strategies have shown the benefit of continu…