Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I appreciate his response. I wonder about this new focus on nuclear energy. There has been a lot of commentary and priority questions in respect of it. I mentioned the newspaper headlines which state that the Cabinet is considering it. I am deeply concerned about this matter from a number of perspectives. The Minister of State touched on it when he referred to the waste involved, public support and, more importantly, the fact that Ireland's strength needs to be in the delivery a…

On the opportunity to innovate, I had correspondence this week on how we are further developing and innovating in our existing offshore projects, and how they are coming back and refining their proposals in a really innovative, progressive and environmentally considerate way. Of course, we need to think of the potential implications of nuclear energy, particularly in terms of waste but also in the context of planning consent. We need to think about base-loading. We have renewables. We should have more and a lot mor…

Not with nuclear power plants.

Not if you put a nuclear power plant beside one.

The Government committed to 400 new special classes for September. Over 300 have been sanctioned at this stage, and that is welcome, although very few of them are ready. The related major concern is that 400 new special classes will be far too few. By how many, the Government knows but will not tell us. It is reported that we could be 200 classes or 1,200 places short. It is simply unconscionable that 1,200 children would be left without appropriate school places. Representatives of the Department of Education told…

I attended a large public meeting in Kells last night, called for by the community in the wake of a spate of burglaries, attempted break-ins and break-ins. There is a lot of concern in the community. It was a very well-attended meeting, hosted by Oliver Figgy Curran and Councillor Michael Gallagher. Representatives of An Garda Síochána were present and took questions. A key concern that I said I would take to the Dáil today is the number of gardaí in Kells and County Meath. The figure is the lowest in all of Irelan…

Related to the public meeting last night to which I referred, another area is the roll-out of community CCTV, that is, the roll-out of CCTV in communities. There were restrictions in the past in terms of data protection and data management. What is the current position in relation to the roll-out of community CCTV across the State, the role of central government and the funding potentially available for that? Also, what is the role of local government in this regard?

In Kells.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on these statements. I am a lifelong football fan. I am wearing a Bohs jersey. I am a supporter, a season ticket holder and a member there. The work they do not just on the pitch but also in communities is second to none. I played a fair bit of football. In truth, it was an experience to change on the side of a pitch. Pitches were a set of goals, and a pitch marked out on a flat piece of agricultural land. Sometimes, it was not flat. We often had to clear dung off the pitch before…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important Topical Issue. I raise the issue of the need for a new school building for Dunboyne junior and senior national schools. This is, in the first instance, an excellent school. The principal there is J.J. Brennan. There are 470 pupils in the senior school, while the junior school has in the region of 450 pupils, so it is a large school. The principal says the staff are very dedicated. It is the only school in Meath that has a platinum STEM award for science and t…

I think the Minister of State has made my case for me. One TD after another will say that their local school or a school in their constituency should be included when it comes to funding under the NDP. Very few - I would suggest none - would say that the planning permission is about to expire and that the project, through no fault of the school, has been to the brink and back on two occasions. Covid interrupted this project. It was interrupted again in light of other circumstances. This school is in desperate need.…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion and again raise the fact that County Meath has the lowest number of gardaí per population in the State. This is the case by a long way and has been the case for years. As a direct result, community safety in Meath is being sacrificed. In recent days alone, I could point to a spate of burglaries in Kells, car break-ins elsewhere and constituents being turned away from their local Garda station in Ashbourne, unable to make a statement because the station does not enou…

A lot of the amendments are along the same theme and are similar to Committee Stage and the Second Stage debate, which I contributed to. I do not know if the Minister of State is accepting amendments, but what is more important is the principle that she is hearing what is being said and showing a willingness to engage and be responsive to what she is hearing. I have a number of questions and queries in relation to the system as it exists from people affected. For example, what is the complaints mechanism for bringi…

On 5 March a large public meeting was held in Dunshaughlin, County Meath on the shortage of mainstream junior infants classes for September 2026. I was there with my colleague Fionnan Blake. The Taoiseach’s party was represented by a local councillor, as was the Minister's party. An Independent TD was there. There is a commitment from the Department in written responses to me that families can be assured that all children who require a school place will be provided with one but, three weeks on, despite repeated cor…

Dunshaughlin.

Workers and families across the State are being absolutely hammered. They are facing an unrelenting cost-of-living crisis and now we see the price of petrol, diesel and home heating oil spiralling once again. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are doing nothing, absolutely nothing. They are sitting on their hands while people are being pushed to the brink. They come before us tonight and say they are planning to do something. Let us be clear about the reality facing people. More than 320,000 households cannot pay their elec…

This is just the type of direct support families need. The EU's energy chief has called on member states to lower taxes on energy where possible, so the Government has absolutely no excuse. This motion gives every TD in this House a clear choice and there will be a vote tonight. TDs can stand with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil as they impose more pain or they can stand with workers and families. Vote for this motion, cut fuel costs now and end the energy rip-off once and for all.

I am very happy to co-sponsor the introduction of these two vital Bills. As families and small businesses struggle with the relentless cost-of-living crisis the Government continues to act as a mere commentator while energy companies line their pockets. The standing charges Bill addresses the enduring scandal of unregulated standing charges. It is unacceptable that energy companies have free rein to hike these charges by hundreds of euro without any oversight. That is hundreds of euro a year before a single light i…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I welcome the intention of it, which is one that Sinn Féin shares: protecting our children from harm in the digital world. Digital participation is not a luxury in Ireland; it is a necessity. Our children have a right to be online, and it is enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They have a right to participate, to access information and to be protected from exploitation. It is our job, as legislators, to ensure the digital environments they inhab…

How many children have been notified to the NCSE as needing a special class or school place for September 2026? We now know 351 special classes have been sanctioned. What is the shortfall? It has been reported as being in the region of 1,000 children and 250 extra classes. Can the Taoiseach give a commitment that the necessary places, special education teachers, SNAs and school buildings will be in place for September?