I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and thank Teachta O'Reilly and colleagues for moving it. I am sorry that they have had to move such a motion again. The Minister will have seen similar motions from other Opposition groups. The motion calls clearly on the Government to stop turning a blind eye and to finally deliver an emergency cost-of-disability payment, not next month and not in the next budget, but now. In last year's budget, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael made a cold, cruel choice. They left people …

St. Joseph's co-ed primary school in East Wall in Dublin has been told it will lose two teaching posts from September. The school appealed the decision but was told last week that the appeal was unsuccessful. The Department says it will cut one teaching post due to enrolment numbers. The school is one pupil short to retain the teacher - just one pupil. The other post to be cut is a legacy post that has been there for decades and covers the school's reception class programme. This programme does incredible work and …

It is not a debate.

Go raibh maith agat.

Go raibh maith agat. The time is up.

The Friends of Irish Athletics group presented to a packed audiovisual room earlier today. It highlighted the longstanding discrepancy, injustice and discrimination related to the World Athletics 1934 political boundary rule. This means that when an Irish runner competes for Ireland in the Olympics they are specifically representing the island of Ireland, but when an Irish runner competes in the World Athletics Championships they are specifically representing the Twenty-six Counties. The Friends of Irish Athletics …

Time, Minister.

We will move to the Independent Technical Group. The first speaker is Deputy O'Flynn.

Go raibh maith agat.

I move to other Members. First up is Deputy Grace Boland.

There is a shortage of Gaelscoil places for September 2026 in Dunshaughlin, County Meath. There are anywhere between 15 and 30 children, some with offers from other schools but who want an Irish-medium education and want a Gaelscoil place. The demand is there. The willingness is there on behalf of the Gaelscoil, the board of management, the bishop and patron body. The Taoiseach's ministerial colleagues, Helen McEntee and Thomas Byrne, are very familiar with this issue. However, the block is with the Department, the…

Yes.

Eurostat has again confirmed that Ireland has the highest electricity prices in Europe, meaning that on average, consumers are paying in the region of 40% more than their European counterparts. What measures is the Taoiseach taking to reduce the cost of electricity to households and businesses, and to address the root causes of the high cost of electricity here?

I ask the Minister of State if he plans to introduce a scheme to support sports clubs with the cost of purchasing land for playing pitches. I could include buildings. My question is about providing clubs with a permanent home, whether playing pitches, boxing clubs and so on. It is a big issue for clubs across the State, particularly in urban centres and, in my case, in the commuter belt area, where the State does not own land.

Both the Minister and Minister of State have to be aware that this is a major issue. We are here for oral questions every six weeks or so. Every time we are here, this question comes up, particularly in the urban areas, Dublin and the wider commuter belt. The issue is that there are public parks and they are oversubscribed and, certainly in my area, that the State does not own land. The first question I asked when I was a county councillor elected to Meath County Council in 2014 was to show me the land that the cou…

I could name any number of soccer clubs, including Stamullen FC, Killegland AFC and Kells Celtic FC, and boxing clubs which are in precarious situations. For example, they may be renting a corner of a gym. Many important sporting clubs and organisations have been without a permanent home for a long time and a solution needs to be provided. I have heard the Minister of State mention this developer-led approach where there can be negotiations and conditions on planning applications. I have also heard and have experie…

I ask the Minister to update the House on the Defence Forces personnel numbers for 2026, 2025 and 2024. What steps are being taken to increase those numbers and to strengthen the Defence Forces?

I do not agree. I will be interested to see the figures, which I understand the Minister will provide. According to the latest information we have, which is from the end of 2025, the target for the Naval Service, for example, was 1,094 personnel and the target for level of ambition 2 for 2028 was 1,794 personnel, whereas the number in situ in late 2025 was roughly 784. That means we needed more than 1,000 additional members to be recruited by 2028. Is that going to happen? What are the latest figures the Minister h…

The Minister has acknowledged that recruitment is a challenge and will be a challenge until 2028. I hope she will acknowledge that retention is also an issue. Defence Force members in County Meath, the Minister's constituency and mine, raise with me the issues of breaches of the working time directive and recognition, respect and fair pay for our Defence Forces and for the overtime they do. Does the Minister recognise that is a contributing factor in terms of the recruitment and the retention of Defence Force membe…

In appropriate places. They are in the wrong places.