I thank the Minister of State. As he knows, Mallow is quite close to Cork city. There is a huge volume of traffic now passing through Mallow because it is coming from either the Killarney side, the Fermoy-Mitchelstown side or the Limerick side. It is all coming into Mallow town. We need to prioritise this project because it is really having an adverse effect on the town as regards the volume of traffic. On the bypass road, I understand there was an issue in relation to the Gas Networks Ireland line, but surely nati…

It also ties in with the Cork-Limerick road and the importance of that development. We are 20 years on and we need to make sure that project moves on in the same way as this bypass road for Mallow. With regard to the volume of traffic travelling on that road, some mornings at 5.30, as I am driving to the station to take the train from Mallow to Dublin, there is a volume of traffic coming against me, even at 5.30 in the morning. It is extremely important that two major centres of population, Limerick and Cork, do no…

Do the Department and Enterprise Ireland plan to introduce a growth equity fund to help scale and co-invest in large privately owned companies with a view to expansion in other jurisdictions? Has the Department researched similar programmes which are operational in other European countries, such as Denmark, Finland and Germany?

Ireland has a significant number of indigenous companies that have successfully scaled €100 million in revenue and turnover and 250 employees, creating essential local employment and economic prosperity across the country, especially in rural areas. Despite the efforts of many, the majority of the current State supports treats such companies as too large to be SMEs and too small to be public limited companies, PLCs. While Revenue currently provides direct equity to start-ups and high-potential start-ups, HPSUs, lar…

This is an important matter, because these companies create a huge amount of employment locally, especially in rural areas. It is important that we help them to expand further, particularly where they already have access to markets but are restricted because they need access to finance in order to expand. One of the companies I know has more than 800 employees, is operating outside Ireland and is bringing finance back into the country in the context of what it is doing. It is also giving employment to people who ar…

Where I am coming from is that in the Cork area, the land bank IDA Ireland has in Ringaskiddy is now totally built on and there is very little space available for new companies to come in. Likewise, many of the private business parks have been developed, such as Blarney Business Park, which has seen huge growth in the past five to eight years and is running out of space. My question is about the Cork region and the identification of a land bank that could be made available for new companies to start up on or for co…

There is continued expansion. I visited one company recently that was doing a €60 million expansion and a number of other companies have plans to grow. The challenge is that some of them need to move to bigger sites. I welcome what the Minister said about a land bank because it is extremely important and also because of the port facility. The Ringaskiddy bypass road is now being built. It will take another two years. With the development in the Tivoli Docks area, the port facilities will move to Ringaskiddy and whi…

In Australia, there are high numbers of people affected by flu. Likewise, the UK is expecting the same thing to happen. Here in Ireland, the take-up of the vaccine is very low. For instance, take-up of the vaccine stands at 17.5% of healthcare workers, 53.7% of fair deal residents, 42.6% of adults 60 and above, and 11% of those aged between two and 17. As we face into the winter months, there is always a new strain of flu. Taking the flu vaccine is important. When it comes to the Covid vaccine among healthcare work…

I am again raising the lack of training places for dental students. I have given these figures before. UCC takes in 25 per annum and Trinity also takes in 25 but those two colleges are then taking in non-EU students. In Cork it is 36 and in Trinity it is 21. I know the RCSI has recently opened a dental college and it is taking in 20, but that does not deal with the issue. The Irish Dental Association identified more than two years ago that there was a shortage of over 500 dentists in the system. As the Minister of …

It is not just dentists, it is also dental nurses and dental hygienists. We have not increased the number of places available in third level colleges and we need to deal with it before the start of the academic year in September 2026.

I thank the Minister of State. It still does not deal with the issue of 500 posts that require to be filled and the fact we have fewer dentists working in the public sector than we had in 2006, from over 330 down to 254. The number of dentists in private practice who are offering public care has dropped from over 1,200 down to under 600. That is a huge drop. I have given the figure of the number students who were reviewed. Some 104,000 eligible school children did not get access to dental screening and that is not …

I ask the Tánaiste to outline the way in which Ireland will balance its policy of military neutrality with increased engagement in EU defence co-operation during the 2026 EU presidency, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

There are two issues I want to raise. One is in relation to the increase in numbers we require in our Naval Service. It is a big challenge. What progress can be made on that over the next 12 months? It is extremely important from our point of view and from a European point of view. The second issue concerns a scenario where we had peace in Ukraine. While we all want it, and it would be great if it was in place prior to us taking over the Presidency of the EU, in relation to giving leadership, we would not be able t…

It is an issue that is going to come up very much. If there is not peace in Ukraine by the time we hold the Presidency, the issue of Ukraine will be very much to the forefront in any EU discussions. We will then be required to provide leadership in that area. I think the Tánaiste will accept that it will be a challenge on the basis that no matter what happens, we cannot go in there and provide support and help without a UN mandate. As we all know, a number of countries have a veto in relation to any UN mandate and …

I am sorry but there is just one final thing I want to mention and that is the respect that Ireland and the Irish Army has. I have been in two conflict zones where the Irish Army was. It is important we build on and maintain that and work in particular at a European level on it.

I refer to a person who has worked abroad to save money in order to come back and build a house in Ireland. Due to the contribution they are making to the cost of building, they are unable to receive any grants and are also excluded from solar energy grants. People with a set income are only entitled to borrow a certain amount of money. They may also receive support from parents. Where parents provide support, that brings people building a house under the qualifying criteria. Therefore, they do not receive any gran…

As I said, I am speaking about people who are restricted in the amount they can borrow. Therefore, they are receiving assistance from parents which brings them under the qualifying criteria. Many of the new houses that are being built have air to water systems which are very expensive. People are installing such systems but are getting no support from the State because they receive support from parents. It is an issue that needs to be examined, in particular for those who do not qualify for a first-time purchase or…

I raise an issue I dealt with when I was Minister of State at the Department of Health. It is about having an integrated homeless health hub in Cork city. In October 2024, I arranged a meeting between the Department of Health, the Department of housing, the HSE in Cork and Cork City Council. It was agreed that we would all work together to establish a day centre where people who were homeless could go. At the present time, there is accommodation available to these people at night. The vast majority avail of that ac…

I am a little concerned that we are 14 months on and we still do not have a shared funding model. People who are homeless are in the same position they were in this time last year; the question now is whether they will be in the same position this time next year. The issue needs to be prioritised. I met with the building owners recently. They are becoming concerned that this issue seems to be dragging on ad infinitum . They will not wait forever. This has been identified as the ideal location. In fairness to the HS…

In Scotland, the RSV vaccination programme has resulted in a 62% reduction of people in the age group 75 to 79 being admitted to ICU. RSV is a respiratory virus that, despite being very common, can cause serious complications. We have a growing elderly population. The vaccination programme can help keep people out of hospital. Will the Government give serious consideration to introducing a similar programme to the one in Scotland, particularly for the group aged over 70? It is extremely important now. We will have …