It has not gone away.

The cost-of-living crisis has not gone away; far from it. Workers and families are still finding it very difficult to make ends meet. People face extortionate bills and prices right across the board and for many, it is never-ending. It is runaway rents, childcare fees that equate to the cost of a second mortgage, the cost of the weekly shop and insurance costs, but perhaps where households have come under the most pressure is when it comes to rip-off electricity and gas prices. In recent years families have been ha…

Undoubtedly there is volatility and uncertainly around the world. There is also volatility and uncertainty faced by so many families who are struck by, and who are dealing with, all of these increases, particularly in rising energy costs. The Minister has said he cannot take to his feet and say to people with all credibility that he will continue with the supports that were previously put in place. The Minister says this knowing that price increases are on the way. What he has not said is that during the course of …

They see bankers' bonuses increase, bumper profits for these companies, and a Government that will throw all of these families under a bus.

Speak to the people.

You have not answered any of the questions.

Bluff and bluster.

What are you going to do about it?

You are throwing families under the bus.

Pure guff is what we are listening to.

We have bluff and bluster by a Minister. That is what we have.

My question relates to the Minister's plans to fund public transport infrastructure upgrades across Waterford city and county.

I agree with the Minister on the transformative nature of the north quays project, which we all want to see progressed as quickly as possible. I will raise the issue of upgrading the N24, which is the Waterford to Limerick road. I spoke to the Minister privately on this a number of weeks ago. I know he received a letter from the three CEOs of the local authorities in Carlow-Kilkenny, Waterford and Tipperary. He will know that the project was funded up to phase 1. We now need phases 2, 3 and 4 to be fully funded. My…

This is important from a road safety perspective. Approximately 60% of the improvements that will be carried out are improvements to the existing road network. The three bypasses form approximately 40% of the project, as the Minister will know. That is in line with the Department's guidelines. This is very important economically because it concerns the connectivity of two major cities, namely, Waterford and Limerick. It is an opportunity for Waterford to have an improved road network and improved transport connecti…

Hear, hear.

I start by wishing the Minister well. I think is the first chance we have had in the Dáil to formally do that. I also acknowledge the contribution that the former Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly made as well. It is important to put that on record. We had many exchanges but there are areas of healthcare, particularly women's healthcare, where the former Minister made a lot of positive changes so I want to start with that. The Minister mentioned bank holidays, and rightly so. We see a spike on bank holid…

I do not want to see children with disabilities waiting for dental treatment. These are not the types of cases we want to bring to the floor of the Dáil, but, unfortunately, we have to because of the many challenges we have in the healthcare system.

I cannot speak again.

I want to raise with Minister two cases of two autistic boys from Waterford, one is six years of age and one is five years of age. Tiernan Power Murphy is a six-year-old boy from Waterford who urgently needs dental surgery. Tiernan is autistic, has been experiencing severe pain and needs three teeth removed. Given Tiernan's specific needs, the procedure must be carried out under general anaesthetic which, as the Minister knows, is not unusual for autistic children. Tiernan's parents have been told that the waiting …

Some 72,000 learner drivers are languishing on waiting lists, of whom 10,000 have come on to the waiting lists in the last three months alone. I do not think we can blame anybody but the Government for that one. The Minister said the maximum ten-week waiting time is not a statutory target; maybe it should be. There is a possibility that the Opposition will bring forward a Bill to rectify that. If so, I hope the Minister will support it. The Minister talked about solutions. This is not rocket science. It is fairly e…