I wish to raise the issue of ChildVision, which is based on Model Farm Road in Cork, in the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind facility. It provides support for more than 60 children. It does not get State funding of any description; it operates on voluntary contributions. It requires approximately €144,000 per annum. It looks after children with complex needs such as impaired vision. One child is percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, PEG-fed, another child has epilepsy, another with Rett syndrome, another with Char syn…

I thank everyone who took part in the debate this morning.

I thank the Minister for bringing forward this legislation. I very much welcome it. I will reply to a comment made earlier which compared the Irish healthcare service to the Third World. It is totally inappropriate. I say this as someone who has visited a number of countries in the Third World. Life expectancy in this country is one of the highest in Europe. To compare our healthcare service to the Third World is totally inappropriate. It is also a criticism of the people working in our healthcare sector. Staff in …

Deputy Emer Higgins and I published a Private Members’ Bill in regard to the regulation of home care providers. In fairness to the Department of Health, it is progressing with the drafting of legislation and new regulation in this whole area. One of the issues it needs to put in place is an IT system for the HSE in regard to the management of home care because it is currently all paper-based. Funding was set aside for this last year but my understanding is that the IT system is still not in place. Can this issue be…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for taking this matter. I ask him to outline the plans by the Department of Health for the introduction of the free contraception scheme for 17- to 25-year-olds, which is due to happen in August. I am seeking clarification as to whether it needs to be done by way of legislation or by means of regulation. If the former, when will we see the draft Bill and a timeframe for bringing it forward? My understanding is that it is not clear whether legislation or regulation is re…

I raise this matter because concerns have been expressed to me that there may be a need for legislation in the context of this scheme. In that regard, I am concerned about the timeframe we have to pass any such required legislation, with this House only sitting for another three weeks, and likewise with Seanad, which any Bill would also have to go through. The issue here is whether we need legislation. If we do, the problem will be that we may not be able to implement the programme and this scheme in August this ye…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle very much. Can the Minister outline the strategy towards expanding the possibility of more households switching to renewable energy? Sufficient effort is not being made on that. Can he outline his proposals in the context of making more information available and accessible to households across the country?

There is a report in the Irish Examiner this morning that the Glashaboy flood relief scheme may not proceed, that the current contractor is running into difficulties due to increased costs and that there is no provision under the contracts offered about price variation. What action will be taken to resolve this issue in order that we do not have to go through the entire tender process again and delay it for another 12 months? Will the Minister clarify what the relevant Department is doing on this matter?

The contract is not signed.

The concern is about the 12-month delay. It needs to be prioritised.

I thank the Minister and acknowledge the work she has done on this issue, including in my constituency of Cork North-Central. We have a hub in both Whitechurch and Courtbrack. As a result of her intervention in engaging with private enterprise, a hub has also been put into Inniscarra community centre, which serves a large population. Although my constituency is largely a city one, it also takes in a large part of rural County Cork, going as far as within 2 miles of Mallow. There are a lot of community groups that a…

I wish to follow on from what was said earlier in response to another question from Deputy Stanton about the use of the compulsory purchase mechanism. In cases where property owners have defective title, I have seen that mechanism used by Cork City Council. The property owner engages with the council, the council serves a derelict sites order and rectifies the title problems through the derelict sites procedure and then conveys the property back to the property owner again, at a charge to the owner, obviously. This…

I referred to the use of the derelict sites orders.

I thank the Minister of State for being here at this late hour. This is an important issue. I have come across a number of people who have applied to their respective local authorities for loans. The process seems to be cumbersome and drawn-out. To give an example, I we contacted by a couple who applied for a loan over six months ago. They were advised by the local authority that they had to get a mortgage protection policy with a particular insurance company and they proceeded to do so. They filled out all the doc…

I am concerned about this. It reminds me of the 1980s when there was a long, drawn-out process for getting loans. We are back to square one. We are in a world where the market is moving very fast and we must respond accordingly. It is like with the housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme where landlords have started saying that if somebody is drawing the HAP, they would not take the person on as a tenant. This will happen now with vendors. They will say they will not take people on as purchasers if they are going t…

I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Alan Dillon. Will the Minister outline her ongoing support for the Garda Síochána Inspectorate and the mechanisms for monitoring and appraising its performance? When does she expect An Garda Síochána's strategy statement 2022-2024 to be published? Will she make a statement on the matter?

Considering the strategy for 2022 to 2024 and the ongoing review that the Minister outlined, are there major changes in the approach the Garda is taking in particular areas to help to reduce the level of crime? Are there what might be called substantial major changes in the approach that the Garda is taking in particular areas as regards helping to reduce the level of crime? That might be in respect of the broad range of areas of criminal activity. Are there any major changes in the new strategy that is to be laid …

In arriving at the strategy for 2022-2024, and looking at previous strategies, were goals set out in those previous strategies? Could more have been done? Do we need to always keep two-year strategies under review to see what additional support the Garda needs in the course of its duty and in trying to deliver a safe place for everyone to live in?

I am sharing time with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. As someone who comes from a legal background, having spent more than 25 years dealing with leasehold and freehold titles, I am very much aware of the significance of a 299-year lease. Only one witness who appeared before the health committee gave evidence on behalf of the opponents of this project, and he admitted he was not a property law expert. Conversely, representatives of three law firms clearly set out that this was good title being handed over. I…

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive statement on this matter today. I fully support the view that the project should go ahead. I am extremely astonished at the interpretation by some members of the legal profession of what a leasehold title is. As someone who has practised and been involved in the purchase and sale of leasehold title for more than 25 years, it is clear that there is misinterpretation being given to what a 299-year lease is. A 299-year lease gives absolute power to the lessee to manage and ru…