I have lost count of the number of times I have raised the need for funding for Waterford Airport in the House. In fact, I have raised this several times with the Tánaiste – almost a dozen at this point. I have also raised it several times with the Taoiseach and the relevant Minister. Despite all the personal statements of support I have received, more of which I have no doubt I will hear from the Tánaiste, what I request has still not happened. A commitment was given in 2019 but there is still no funding six years…

I too have been contacted by the Waterford-Wexford ETB. The issue seems to relate to the contract training programme for apprenticeships. My understanding is that previously there was a bid process, known as a funding allocation request to the then Department of Education, based on the number of apprenticeships an ETB would fund and they would get the funding on that basis. Apparently, this year or last year, there was a shift and now there is an allocation as opposed to a bid. There is also an issue due to the fac…

The Minister has acknowledged that a funding pressure has been identified so we know there is an issue. The question then is how it will be resolved. I welcome that the Minister said no class or apprenticeship will be either suspended or cancelled. I have been told by the Waterford-Wexford ETB that many of the phase 2 classes for July have not been called, which could affect up to 500 apprentices. It covers very important trades like carpentry and the other trades and skills we need, for example, to build houses. I…

The Waterford to Glenmore road scheme is an important scheme for the south east. Residents in Wexford, Waterford and Kilkenny are concerned. A public meeting has been organised in a couple weeks’ time in June in Kilkenny. It has been organised by a nurse from Wexford and other local community members because they are so concerned about the fatalities that have happened on this stretch of the road over the course of the past number of years. I engaged with officials in Waterford City and County Council but also in K…

In the Minister of State's response she said TII has identified three high-collision sites. That in and of itself tells us how important this road scheme is. Three high-collision sites have been identified because, I would imagine, of the number of fatalities that have happened since 2022. We also have local authorities in the area telling the Minister for Transport very clearly that the road is operating beyond capacity. We have very concerned motorists and very concerned members of the community who are raising t…

The Minister will agree that the cornerstone of our health service is trust. I am not a clinician, and I do not think she is one. Although some are clinicians, most Deputies in this House are not, but we depend on clinicians to guide us when we develop specialist services, for example, and when we get sick. That came into very sharp focus during Covid when people tried to sow mistrust about clinical advice. I have always been of the view that if I get sick, I go to my GP, thank you very much, for medical advice. We…

No, there was an internal one that the story this broke in the media. I assume it is the same for the Minister, which is unacceptable. I know further investigations into this matter are taking place. I am making the point that we have a system in this State where someone goes to a GP, is referred to a consultant and is then on that consultant’s list. There are bespoke options in some hospitals and some now operate what is called a centralised referral system. However, it was not the case in every situation and it d…

A number of weeks ago, Deputy Conor McGuinness and I met representatives of Comhairle na nÓg who had travelled from Waterford to submit a petition they had compiled. They met the Minister of State the same day. I know she is aware of this issue. Waterford is the only city that does not have a Jigsaw service. I know the Minister of State would join me in supporting Jigsaw as an organisation for the wonderful work it does. It is really important that young people who have a mental health difficulty get every opportun…

I agree with all of the points the Minister of State has made. As the father of a son who is doing the leaving certificate at the moment, I know about the stress that many young people face. I also agree with the Minister of State's comments regarding the LGBTI community, the trans community in particular, and the work being done by the various groups in Waterford. Obviously, people need mental health supports for a whole range of reasons. There is no family or young person who does not have a mental health difficu…

I also welcome Cara and her father Mark to the Public Gallery. I have met both of them a number of times over recent years and am always struck by the dedication Cara has to this issue. She started out campaigning for her siblings but is now campaigning for every child waiting for an assessment of need. She deserves tremendous credit. As others have said, assessments of need for 15,000 children are overdue. A previous Fianna Fáil Government put in place the Health Act 2005. At the time, it was welcomed by campaigne…

It is an absolute, utter disgrace and a deeply cynical move by this Government. I also want to raise a separate and very serious issue. Because of the failure on the Minister's part and that of the Government, parents are desperate and have to go for private assessments, but that is an unregulated environment. Psychologists carrying out assessments in this space are not regulated. CORU was established in 2007 with the commencement of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 and has had the power to regulat…

Hear, hear.

Given that we are on the theme of hurling and the GAA, I may as well wish the Waterford hurlers the very best of luck against Tipperary on Sunday in what is a must-win game for both teams. I wish to raise a very serious issue. University Hospital Waterford is a level 4 hospital. It is the regional hospital for the south east and it does not have a positron emission tomography, PET, scanner. PET scans are very important in diagnosing brain disorders, tumours and heart disease. There is a PET scanner in UPMC Whitfiel…

I spoke to a developer from Waterford in advance of this debate. He is building a number of housing estates in Waterford. I am sure the Minister of State will be familiar with many of the projects. This developer mentioned to me some time ago the issues he has with ESB and Irish Water, in particular with regard to Irish Water. He was of the view that these issues are impacting on his company's ability to deliver housing on time. He talked about not getting definite answers and issues with advance meetings regarding…

Hear, hear.

What are the Minister's plans to reduce children's orthopaedic waiting lists? When is the independent clinical review of spinal surgeries at Temple Street likely to be published? I have a number of other questions that I will get to when I respond to the Minister.

As far back as 2017, the same families were told that this was a top priority. The Minister might recall that Simon Harris at the time gave a clear and unequivocal commitment to reduce waiting lists and that no child would wait longer than four months. That point was restated by the next Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly. He said that by the end of the year just gone no more than 20 children would be waiting longer than four months. The figures, of course, tell a different story with 3,400 children on waiting l…

The Deputies are simply saying that eight years ago, promises were made and here we are with these issues still not resolved and waiting lists nowhere near where they should be. I want those waiting lists to come down. I want children to get the services they need. I was not the one that made the promise. I certainly was not in the room when commitments were given on what capacity would be needed to meet those promises. I can only hold the Government to account based on where we are at the moment. The Minister rais…

This question is on the need to introduce and implement adult safeguarding legislation. I have been raising this issue for a long number of years. I know there is a commitment in the programme for Government to review policy in this area, but we need a strong legislative framework. I want to see an independent safeguarding authority in place, a legal right of entry for social care teams and mandatory reporting. I will outline why I want to see all of those things in my supplementary question, but I am interested to…

We are reflecting on the Grace case. We had very lengthy debates in this House over a number of days last week, as the Minister knows. Grace was an adult for 12 years of her time in that home. As we know, she suffered very serious neglect and abuse in that home for a long number of years. As the Minister mentioned, it is not just about the Grace case; we also had the Brandon and Emily cases. We have had far too many cases and reports which have made the same recommendations that we need a much stronger and more rob…