I was specifically told that he would be taken the Topical Issue I was raising.

I may take it tomorrow so.

Last weekend the National Ambulance Service announced cuts to staff hours in counties Cork and Kerry that would have led to ambulance bases being closed one day a week. In north Cork, there are five ambulances and one would be lost each day and two on a Wednesday. West Cork has four and would lose one a day. Thankfully, those latest cuts have been shelved, but there is no doubt the service is under savage pressure. A week and a half ago, a player who suffered a serious injury was waiting 85 minutes for an ambulance…

The plan that has been unveiled by Deputy Kerrane is visionary. It is a really exciting policy that can be a game-changer. Delivering childcare for €10 per child per day is essential and I would emphasise that. This is not a policy that the Minister should implement because it is a good or sensible policy. It is a necessary policy. It has to happen. It is a strategic imperative for the State. It is crucial for families to be able to prosper and to be able to afford to make ends meet. There are many couples out ther…

First, I apologise on behalf of Deputy Gould, who was included in this but who is sick with the flu and cannot make it. I, Deputy Barry, Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan and several others, including Deputy Gould, were at a meeting in St. Killian's last week. It was a powerful meeting. Parents should not have to be in this situation but they gave us such testimony about the difference that therapies would make to their children. The reality is they are being denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. The opport…

In this place, we understand one needs good governance, schemes and structures but, as the parents have said, there used to be therapists. Until 2019, there were therapists in the school. What they also said, as did the staff and the children, is that they were given a commitment and told to go away and find the therapists. How do we find a way forward in relation to this? How do we make good the commitment that was made? I accept it was made in good faith, things happened, etc. Nonetheless, a commitment was made. …

October or January?

I welcome Lucia, Jim and Shane's family to Public Gallery. Lucia is one of the most remarkable people I have ever met and certainly that I have ever met here, in this job. The painstaking detail she has provided and the passion and commitment she has shown to this campaign is such a tribute to a mother's love for her son but she should never have had to do that. Having listened to the Minister, I am incredibly frustrated. I spent several hours with Lucia when I was my party's justice spokesperson at the time of tha…

The scoping inquiry, as I said at the time, was far too limited because it treated each thing as an individual failure rather than a litany of failures, a collective set of failures that all pointed in a particular direction. I hope that the logical conclusion is not actually the case but it is very hard to escape it. The Minister said that Judge Haughton was at liberty to come up with any conclusions he saw fit but her Government is at liberty to order a public inquiry on any matter it so chooses. It is now six ye…

If someone is on a medical card, it is close to impossible to be seen by a dentist, as things stand. I have seen some new figures for the Cork area. In 2019, there were 287 dentists on the dental treatment service scheme, DTSS. There are now just 188. In my area, south Lee, there has been a 44% reduction during the same period, from 108 dentists to just 60. This has caused problems, in particular in Carrigaline, but also in other parts of my constituency, across Cork and throughout the country. It is becoming incre…

I join other colleagues who have acknowledged the great bravery and courage of Natasha O'Brien and Bláthnaid Raleigh. It takes a great deal of courage to come forward and it is important because it leads to discussions such as this and to a focus on the huge challenges that are there. The scale of this problem is frightening and what is worrying is that in many respects it seems to be getting worse. The Women's Aid annual report from last year detailed 40,000 reports, which is an 18% increase in disclosures of dome…

As in the case of most miscellaneous provisions Bills, nearly all human life is here, and while there are an awful lot of different topics and agendas, a great deal of them are very important. I will pick up where Deputy Daly left off. The issue of fines for carriers is important. We have been flagging it for some time and are glad the Minister has moved on it. It is not acceptable that these issues arise so often. We acknowledge there are occasions where there may be extenuating circumstances for why somebody may …

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State is not opposing this legislation, albeit I would have to say that some of the speeches have been decidedly lukewarm. I sensed that much of what the Minister of State - he has said many things - has said is about striking the balance and I actually agree. The balance does need to be struck and I do not think that anyone on this side of the House would disagree with that. It is very clear that any type of regulation would need to be very particular and tailored. That cann…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 7, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “ Report on revised and progressive schedule of PRSI increases 4. The Minister shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report on a revised and progressive schedule of PRSI increases in the years 2024 to 2029 which maintains the rate of employee PRSI at 4 percent.”. The amendment is related to the previous one. I thought this one might be ruled out of order and the first might be …

As the Minister will be aware, sometimes we look for reports as a means of tabling an amendment to social welfare legislation. I thought a proposal to delete a few lines might be accepted, but there you go. It seems we will have to be more creative again next time. We have had a fair bit of discussion on this. The Minister and I obviously do not agree but I am not disputing that there may be a need for increases in employers' and employees' PRSI in the long run. At this juncture, however, we do not believe it is ne…

We had a discussion on this topic during the previous Question Time. Unfortunately, since then there have been two very serious incidents. There was a terrible incident with the death of Nicole Morey in Limerick, and I send my sympathies to her family, and there was also a very serious incident in my constituency where the armed response unit had to be called. There is now a discussion on the Control of Dogs Act and what is a restricted breed and what is not. Ministers have since commented. I ask the Minister to ou…

I thank the Minister. One of the issues being raised is what constitutes a restricted dog. At present, the list contains the American pit bull terrier, the bull terrier, the English bull terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, the bullmastiff, the Doberman pinscher, the German shepherd, the Rhodesian ridgeback, the rottweiler, the Japanese akita, the Japanese tosa and what is called a bandog, which is a cross or mix of any of the other breeds. It is on this point that my query is. Some have suggested that perhaps …

I do not have a problem with that. It is important that things are thought through in this regard.

I am glad the Minister has confirmed the XL bully is included because there was some uncertainty about it. The Minister has said it is included under the American pit bull terrier. I welcome that clarification. This is also about the welfare of animals. In many instances the reason the control of dogs legislation is so important is because of the abuse and neglect of animals. It is also important in that regard. Will the Minister check with the review group whether there a possibility of a difference in legislation…

For the benefit of people watching in, what is due to happen, without any change, is that everyone who has indicated and is present will have spoken within the allocated time, a vote would have proceeded and everyone who had sought time would have had the opportunity to speak. I am quite relaxed about this. I believe what might be expected has been discussed outside of the Chamber to some extent. It seems to me that what is being presented is an opportunity for the Minister to demonstrate generosity in order to com…