I welcome the opportunity to raise this matter and thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting it. This is an issue I have raised consistently and to which I have had numerous responses at a State-wide level from the HSE. The HSE points to the number of people, over 22,000 adults, in receipt of HSE-funded disability day service supports at 1,200 locations, working with 97 service providers. It acknowledges that many people with a disability need access to transport to enable each person to attend a day service but that…

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I know she understands the importance of these services for Noah and everybody else who accesses them for fulfilment, engagement, development and independence. She has articulated here and in the responses I have got before that a unique set of circumstances exist in Meath. It is a frustration for us in Meath that they were there. It is different now for people coming into the system. The wider point is about the need for an integrated system that can ensure that, where …

I welcome the opportunity to speak on these statements. I would like to have the opportunity to talk about the potential benefits and the approach we need to take to reap those benefits and mitigate the potential negatives. This debate will have a significant focus on the real negatives. We did not have to imagine them because they presented in very clear terms. The Garda confirmation yesterday of 200 active investigations into child sexual abuse material generated by the Grok AI chatbot is not just alarming; it is…

Along with Deputies Ó Broin, Guirke and Gould, Sinn Féin and I introduced the Water Services (Amendment) Bill last year with the specific aim of holding Uisce Éireann to account in cases of water outages and disruptions in supply. It is good legislation. The Government should enact it. It would mandate Uisce Éireann to have a dedicated response for vulnerable domestic and business customers, have a detailed communication plan for all customers, public representatives and local authorities, including two-hourly upda…

Will the Taoiseach immediately publish a full and detailed account of all legal, political and diplomatic actions that the Government has taken or intends to take to oppose the ratification of the Mercosur trade agreement and outline definitive steps to ensure that Mercosur beef cannot enter the Irish food chain under any circumstances? Will he actively and publicly support the legal action taken by Members of the European Parliament against the ratification of the Mercosur trade agreement?

I want to raise the issue of access to judicial review and costs. We all appreciate the need for the delivery of critical infrastructure, housing, transport and all the necessary infrastructure we need for our communities. There is a consultation going on at present on the issue of costs for judicial review. This could potentially mean that where local communities and individuals take a judicial review, they would be liable for costs in the region of tens or possibly hundreds of thousands of euro even where they wi…

These are cases where people win.

Given the clear State obligation to provide an appropriate school place for every child with additional needs, can the Tánaiste explain why parents who applied after the NCSE's 1 October deadline are being excluded from the process of securing a school place for next September? There is silence from the line Ministers and a standard response from the NCSE telling parents who applied after the 1 October deadline: "The NCSE is no longer in a position to issue letters of eligibility." This is simply unacceptable. Ever…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill from my perspective as Sinn Féin's spokesperson on education and youth. Sinn Féin supports a ban on single-use vapes. We have called for a ban for years. They are an environmental scourge and a public health concern. Their proliferation has been a testament to regulatory failure. While we support this specific measure, we must criticise the Government's entire approach to this issue. The Bill in isolation is akin to using a plaster to treat a major wound. It is emblem…

I want to raise the issue of child homelessness. In October there were 5,274 children in emergency accommodation. More than 150 of those were in my county, Meath. There is an expectation that at Christmas there will be more than 5,000 and that almost 1,000 of those will be in emergency accommodation for their second or third Christmas. Are there specific measures the Government will take in advance of Christmas, now a handful of days away, to minimise the number of children in homelessness this Christmas?

One of the most effective ways we can reduce emissions is by encouraging people on to public transport. I want to raise the lack of public transport in Bellewstown, County Meath. A 13-year-old boy, James Black, has started a campaign there and has hundreds of petition signatures calling for a public bus services for the village of Bellewstown. Fair play and well done to him for that. He has got an amount of media attention about it. He is very articulate and very clear in what he is trying to achieve. The Connectin…

I thank Deputy Cullinane for bringing forward this motion. The value of blister packs is far beyond the monetary cost of the plastic. They provide independence, confidence, reassurance and safety for patients and their families. They bring reassurance that patients will be safe and will be able to manage their own medication. Last week's announcement has had an impact on many people across the State. It has caused huge frustration and anxiety. Numerous people have contacted my office. A good example was an elderly …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, but he did not answer the question I asked. If he had done, he would have given me some numbers. He would have given me the numbers notified through the portal by 1 October and the numbers that have contacted the NCSE. Does he have those figures? It is a terrible reflection on the system if he does not have them because the whole point of this new procedure is that we have a system that accounts for demand. Does the Minister of State have those figures, and if so, what are they?…

This has been the experience for a couple of years now but I must say that I absolutely despair at the lack of basic information for Opposition TDs and the general public on this point. Earlier this week, another curveball or grenade - call it whatever you want - was thrown into the system and has caused major concern. That is the issue of what is now a recommendation. What does it mean for children and assessments of need this year and next? The Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, said yesterday that it wa…

I wish to ask the Minister of State the number of schools referred to the financial support services unit in the academic year 2023-24, 2024-25 and to date in 2025-26 and the measures he is taking to support schools financially through this winter in the absence of a cost-of-living package.

I thank the Minister of State for those figures, but they paint a picture that is a very stark one in terms of the financial challenge schools are going through. Regarding those numbers, we are not at Christmas yet and we have 18 schools referred to the FSSU so far this year and nine that have needed advanced payments. A number of schools, including Darver in neighbouring County Louth, have been high-profile in terms of the financial challenge they are facing. Regarding the Minister of State's figures on the capita…

Costs are increasing and, in real terms, last year capitation per student in primary schools was €236 and €400 per student in post-primary schools. That is when we take the capitation and the cost-of-living aspects into account. This year, it is €224 per student at primary level versus €236 last year, while at secondary level, it is €386 per student compared with €400 last year. That is a net decrease in real terms at a time when costs are increasing. Is it any wonder increasing numbers of schools are being referre…

Will the Minister of State provide an update on Oíche na hÓige and outline how he intends to build on the event through capital investment in youth facilities across the State?

Oíche na hÓige was a success. In my constituency of Meath East, I attended open nights held by Ratoath Foróige and 5th Meath Kells Scouts. They do such good and important work in the community. In both of those projects, like so many, it is about youth leadership, with young people leading. Is it planned that Oíche na hÓige will be an annual event? Has that decision been made or is it under consideration? It is something I would support. Are there plans to increase places for young people in youth work services? It…

It needs to be matched with increased funding. I said to the Minister of State at committee that youth services are the poor relation within the Department and in government. The incredible work done in communities and the benefit for young people and the wider community are immeasurable. Maybe that is part of the difficulty. Investment is returned in spades. Please continue to invest in young people and youth services and increase that investment. I want to ask about the implementation plan for the national strate…