It is clear that the site is identified and that money, €1.3 million, is supposed to be allocated. However, there is real urgency here. People with severe acquired brain injuries are often left behind and end up in nursing homes with little or no supports or even therapy resulting in unimaginable misery, loneliness and despair. An Saol offers them and their families hope and a way forward. I visited An Saol and saw for myself the work it is doing. This is really new and fantastic work, which is not being done in th…

It is exactly a year since I raised the issue of the persistent delays in the redevelopment of Scoil Chiaráin in Glasnevin, which is a school for students with mild to moderate educational needs. A report commissioned by the school deemed the school building not fit for purpose. With everything effectively in place, the parents and the school authorities are at a loss to know when construction will begin on site. Can the Taoiseach address these concerns by giving a date when construction can begin?

Proper healthcare for children is crucial as it lays the foundation for their future well-being, development and success. It enables them to grow into healthy and productive adults. Good healthcare supports their physical, mental and emotional development. Proper investment in children’s health also benefits society by reducing future healthcare costs and promoting healthy lifestyles from a young age. Unfortunately, children’s healthcare in Ireland has faced major challenges and those who suffer as a consequence of…

As a consequence of what happened to our children, the board of CHI should step down and be relieved of its responsibility for the provision of services at CHI-----

-----before more children are put at risk.

In the lifetime of this Government.

The aim of this Bill is to scrap water charges once and for all and to give people-----

-----certainty that the prospect of such charges being introduced will never arise again.

Eight years after the legislation to introduce water charges was passed, efforts have been made in recent days to reintroduce the charges, which were described as a high-level priority by the Department of housing. Uisce Éireann’s water charges plan 2024 describes in full how excess water charges for domestic users will work. In order to implement these water charges, Uisce Éireann would have to wait until a legal framework is put in place to give the charges effect. In attempting to introduce water charges, the Go…

Car insurance hikes are hitting the ordinary motorist, particularly loyal customers. Despite certain reforms that lowered legal costs and claims, these savings are not being passed on to the customer. The Government has given a commitment in the programme for Government to publish a new action plan for insurance reform. When will this plan be published and its recommended reforms implemented?

Táim an-bhuíoch den Aire Stáit as an seans labhairt faoi Ghaelscoil Cholmcille, a bunaíodh in 1996. Gaelscoil Cholmcille was founded in 1996. Its first years were spent in the upstairs rooms of the football club St. Kevin’s in Santry, Dublin 9. It is a very successful Gaelscoil and has a great academic reputation. It is a very popular choice for parents in the area. More than 80% of its pupils live within 2 miles of the Gaelscoil due to its popularity. Unfortunately, the school has to turn away a large number of lo…

I thank the Minister of State. I am delighted that the land swap has been agreed, but I am worried about the Minister of State's comment to the effect that there are a lot of surveys to be done. The Oscar Traynor Woods complex is right beside the school. Some 895 apartments and houses are being built there. In nearby Whitehall, Santry and Coolock, vast numbers of apartments are also being built. It is an absolute necessity to get this school going. I know the Minister of State is saying it will take until the middl…

The most recent homelessness figures issued in January show a significant rise in the number of people and families who are homeless. Homelessness figures have reached record levels and stand at an overall total of 15,286, of which 4,603 are children. Over recent years, a large number of landlords have been leaving the rental sector. Estimates show that between 2021 and 2023, roughly 40% of landlords left the market. The tenant in situ scheme has operated successfully for 2,500 households since April 2023, which re…

Rinne an athbheochan Ghaelach ag tús an 20ú haois iarracht stop a chur le meath na teanga agus an cultúr Gaelach bhí ar riocht neamhbhuan de thoradh na dlíthe daingean a chur cosc ar na teanga agus ar chultúr dúchasach na nGael, agus - ina dhiadh sin - an gorta, an imirce agus an meath. Bhí an dearcadh ann san am a chuaigh thart go raibh an Ghaeilge ina bac ar dul chun cinn agus rathúlacht. D'éirigh an dearcadh seo fite fuaite in a lán glúnta de mhuintir na hÉireann agus d'fhág sé gur diúltaíodh don teanga agus gur…

Dúirt Pádraig Mac Piarais uair amháin, “Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam”. De bharr stair an chultúir Ghaelaigh, agus gur cuireadh an Ghaeilge faoi chos, tá sé de dhualgas orainn go léir, go háirithe ar an Rialtas, a chinntiú tar éis na gcéadta bliain d’ionsaithe ar an teanga nach mbeidh sí ina teanga mharbh. Tógann sé go leor oibre agus tiomantais an Ghaeilge a choinneáil mar theanga bheo. Bhí Sinn Féin i gcónaí tiomanta don teanga. Inár fhorógra don olltoghchán is déanaí, trínár gcáipéis, Ár Seacht nDícheall don Ghae…

After two years of deliberations, the Housing Commission released its comprehensive report in 2024. The report contains 83 recommendations and hundreds of additional recommended actions that would be necessary to transform the housing landscape in Ireland. It is a significant report from a commission whose membership comprised academic experts, economists and business professionals, all of whom are experts on the housing sector in Ireland in their own right. What is of great significance is that the commission did …

Could the Minister look at this as a matter of urgency? I have many people who are waiting for approval and who are really worried.

There is clearly a crisis in mental health, the provision of mental health services and the resourcing of these services. Many of these problems are a consequence of insufficient staffing levels in such services. For many years, mental health services have haemorrhaged highly qualified staff without them being replaced. Mental health services in Ireland have had a big staff retention problem for many years. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that Ireland is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for men…

The Government's plan to roll out primary care centres across the country is a necessity. With regard to an area in my constituency of Dublin North-West that encompasses Santry, Whitehall and Beaumont, which would be regarded as an area of high density when it comes to population and which is constantly growing, there are plans to provide a number of essential health services for the area. The demographics are mixed. There is a substantial number of elderly people living in these areas as many of the estates were b…

There is no doubt that these services are urgently needed. We welcome them, as do the residents. We have raised this matter over so many years and, at last, we are making serious progress. For how long does the HSE propose to lease the space in Omni Shopping Centre? I am curious to know the costs of both the rent and fitting out of the property. Do we have a timescale for when the centre will open fully? Will recruitment be a problem? I notice that no GP services are to be included. It is disappointing that they ar…