In a lot of cases it is two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Could there be further engagement about getting more people and making sure they have suitable qualifications? Can a special effort be made over the next few months to make sure people who want to assist in providing the transport have the necessary training and are available to drive the buses so we can make sure we have a comprehensive service in every area?

Last year, the Irish College of General Practitioners, ICGP, started a training scheme where it was bringing people in from outside the EU. More than 100 individuals joined that two-year scheme, which is intended to allow them to practise as GPs here in Ireland. In fact, in our city of Cork we now have a doctor who qualified in Ukraine working on the northside providing care to people from Ukraine. The problem is that, as of January, the ICGP has abandoned the interviewing of people for the coming year in this rega…

It said it has agreed to the increase, but it has not confirmed that funding will be provided. The ICGP has abandoned its plans to interview people. We cannot afford to have this happen. We could have more than 100 new GPs coming in every year from now on under this scheme.

Will the Minister of State set out in detail a breakdown of moneys provided by the Department to community and voluntary groups and sporting organisations in Cork in 2023?

I very much welcome all of the grants that were announced last year. I hope the same will be provided again this year. In fairness, when moneys are provided to community organisations, they use the funding very effectively and deliver very good services. One of the areas that needs some focus is new communities where there is a huge growth in housing. We are not doing enough forward planning when developments go through the planning process to put facilities in place and to identify a suitable location. Could there…

I very much welcome the Minister of State's response. It is not a criticism of the Department; it is just about the need for joined-up thinking. In that regard, I have a situation in Glanmire, for instance, where a total of 30 acres has been lying idle for ten years because it is owned by one organisation, which has not commenced any development yet it is not prepared to hand it back, whereas other organisations do not have the space. There needs to be engagement to make sure the land is made available because of t…

I ask the Tánaiste to report on his most recent discussion with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in respect of the restoration of the Executive and assembly and to make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Tánaiste and his officials for the work that has been done in this difficult area. It is 23 months since the assembly in Northern Ireland collapsed and we now have had the strikes. There is uncertainty there. Anything that can be done should be done to try to get an Executive up and running. I know a deadline of 8 February has been set. If no progress is made between now and 8 February, what is the likely next route to be taken to get people working together there? The Tánaiste may not be able to give p…

The other issue that is concerning is the strike that took place on 18 January. How can we move matters forward in that regard if something does not occur on 8 February? What will be the position after that date regarding moneys which have not been sanctioned in the context of the pay increases to which people are entitled? That is a big concern for people who are working in Northern Ireland.

The regulations relating to wind energy were put in place in 2006, which is more than 17 years ago. About four years ago, there was a commitment that they would be reviewed. The regulations deal with noise levels, shadow flicker, set-back distance and community obligation. We have not seen new regulations or guidelines. In a reply to a parliamentary question I tabled in October, the Minister advised that they would be published by quarter 4 of 2023. However, they have not been published. Four years have passed sinc…

Like other Deputies, I have raised on several occasions the issue of what is happening in the Middle East in the context of the European Union and the roads we are now going down. I refer to the way Europe has developed in the past 50 years. Until the Ukraine issue arose, you could travel from the Dingle Peninsula to the Russian border without encountering a conflict. As such, the arms trade and the big powers were not making any money out of Europe. As there was no conflict, there was no need for the use of arms. …

I very much welcome the motion that has been brought forward. We have 2.1 million people living as hostages in a small area of land with no escape, no support, no access to medical care, no housing and no food. A total of 50% of the population is under the age of 19. This is a huge challenge in a state of 2.1 million people. There are 25,000 dead, 10,000 of whom are children. We then look at the West Bank, where more than 355 people have been killed, the vast majority by Israeli soldiers. I was there in 2009 after …

Will the Tánaiste outline what progress has been made to date on the key recommendations set out in the report of the independent review group, IRG, into the Defence Forces published last year? Will he make statement on the matter?

I thank the Minister for his reply and the work that has been done to date. However, the report states: The reported practices appear to have created a lack of trust in leadership. This emerges strongly from the Perceptions and Experiences survey (2022) and the Benchmarking Report (2022) data which show that 50% of survey respondents are either ‘very dissatisfied’ or ‘somewhat dissatisfied’ with people senior to them. There are 13 recommendations in chapter 4 of the report that was published and I am wondering how …

If a survey was done in the morning on the issue of the restoration of confidence, is the Minister satisfied we have made enough progress? I fully accept the action taken on this report goes back only to March 2023. It is a very short timeframe but to get people into the Defence Forces, we need to make sure they are going into a job that they are not concerned about as regards how they will be treated, particularly female members who are joining. Is the Minister satisfied that we are restoring confidence and that b…

Absolutely.

What progress has been made on reducing the period for electrical-instrument and mechanical apprentices to attend college placement from the date the apprenticeship commences?

As the Minister will know, Cork is doing very well in the pharmaceutical industry. Nine of the ten top pharmaceutical companies in the world are based in Cork. The people I am referring to are essential to that area, such as pipe fitters and mechanical apprentices. It is extremely important that we have that number. At the moment, there is up to a 21-month period from the time the person first gets into an apprenticeship to doing the training within the SOLAS facility. That is where the concern is. As a result, it …

Briefly, I thank the Minister for the work he has done. There has been a huge improvement in the support for employers taking on apprentices and for apprentices as well. I will just respond to the issue of the number of people who are leaving the country and those who are coming back in. Some 144,000 have come back in the last five years and 138,000 have left. Those are the figures over a five-year time period.

I am asking the Minister for Health to initiate a health technology assessment for an RSV vaccine following recent national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, approval, particularly in light of the large increase in hospital admissions of patients with respiratory infections. Respiratory viruses are reportable since 2012 and the figures are frightening. Last year, for the 2022-23 winter months, 7,759 cases were reported; 2,231 of those were people over 60 years and over 636 ended up in emergency departments in …