I listened with interest to the points raised by the Senator. I thank her again for raising this very important issue. As we see in all our constituency offices, this matter is very pertinent. I will bring these issues back to the Minister. The Government has set ambitious targets for Ireland to achieve by the end of the decade, including almost halving greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector, upgrading almost 30% of the housing stock to a BER of B2 cost-optimal or carbon equivalent and installing 400,…

I thank Senator Boylan for raising this very important issue. It is timely to give an update on the Government's supports for landlords to retrofit their rental properties. The climate action plan has set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a building energy rating of B2 and to install 400,000 heat pumps. In the residential rental sector, the so-called split-incentive issue can arise when incentives to invest in energy-efficiency upgrades are misaligned between landlords and tenants. My…

I thank the Senator. The Government is acutely aware of the impact recent increases in global energy prices are having on households, and the urgent need to support people to stay warm in their homes this winter. We look up the weather every day. Thankfully, it is not as cold as it often it is at this time of year. A €2.4 billion package of supports was implemented in 2022, and a package of once-off measures worth €2.5 billion was included in budget 2023. The budget package includes the electricity costs emergency …

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, who, unfortunately, cannot be here. He has asked me to send his apologies. I will convey to him the Senator's comments. I am aware that the Senator has raised this issue consistently, has a great interest in it and has been very committed to it. She raised it most recently in July of this year. The future of the historic buildings at 14–17 Moore Street has been at the centre of a vigorous debate for sev…

I thank the Senator for her comments. I will bring her views back to the Minister of State but will also respond in his absence. I recognise that there has been a delay in this matter and I share the Senator's disappointment that the early projections shared with her last July have turned out to be optimistic. However, it needs to be recognised that this is a very complicated undertaking involving a significant financial and technical commitment. Given the importance of the buildings and their status as a national …

On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter. I stress that it is absolutely vital that every child and young person with special educational needs is fully supported in the education sector, whether this be in a mainstream or special class or special school. Significant investment and reforms have been made in order to ensure that this is the case. The Senator outlined the case of St. Paul's Special School in …

On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I again thank the Senator for raising this issue and providing the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department is committed to ensuring all children can access an education suitable to their needs. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, is pleased to have had the opportunity to visit a large number of special schools and special classes since she was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for specia…

Today's debate brought back a lot of the love Dubliners have for Dublin, but around the country we have a great love for Dublin as well. I think of the happy times coming up on the Sligo train, maybe to support Sligo Rovers or Roscommon, Leitrim or Sligo - anytime we could beat Dublin, which was not too often. I always remember those great days and happy times. It was a time before mobile phones, when the people of this country always met under Clerys' clock and then made their way around. Deputy Hourigan is right …

I am responding to this motion on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Government. I thank Senators Maria Byrne and Conway who have tabled this motion on the regulation of the use of e-cigarettes. I thank Senators Boyhan, Clifford-Lee and Boylan for their interventions, which have been very helpful. Tobacco control is part of my brief so I welcome this opportunity to bring focus and attention to this important area of work and to update the House on the progress and plans for the futu…

It saved thousands of lives. I remember the effect that going to the pub used to have on one's clothes many years ago. When you think about it now, it is clear that he led the way. Sometimes you can be lucky in the timing. I may be wrong, but I think that legislation was due to be enacted in early 2004 but it did not come in until March because it was held up in Europe. Am I right in saying that?

Why I say that is as somebody-----

No, I am trying to be positive here. I am not trying to take away from it. The Taoiseach said it to me anecdotally that things might have been different if it had been brought in during January 2004, when everywhere was cold during the winter. However, it was delayed until March. I was there and it was great. Everyone thought it was fantastic to be outside. People were smoking outside. After six months, and I say this anecdotally, people started to get cold and say that it might not be so good. When something is be…

I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this important issue and I acknowledge her ongoing work in the area of women's health. As the Deputy is aware, the HSE's national home birth service moved from community operations to acute operations within the HSE earlier this year. The home birth service is now being integrated into the maternity networks in line with the national maternity strategy. The core aim of that strategy is to provide safe, high-quality maternity care to the women of this country. As part of this transi…

The Government and the Department of Health remain fully committed to the implementation of the national maternity strategy, including the development and delivery of home birth services. The 30-minute blue light distance that has been recommended by the HSE’s national women and infant health programme seeks to ensure that as many women as possible who wish to can access HSE home birth services in a manner that ensures the safety-----

-----of both the mother and the baby. In making this recommendation, the NWIHP has taken into account many factors associated with home birth services and having looked at those factors, using obstetric and midwifery expertise, the NWIHP has sought to address the balance of risk that needs to be considered before providing the choice-----

-----of home birthing experience and the safety of the service for the mothers and babies who are in the care of the maternity services. To conclude, I again acknowledge that this has caused huge concern for some and that a small number of prospective parents are disappointed as a result. I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue but I reiterate that guidance issued by the HSE is based on a clinical perspective-----

-----and the recommendations will help deliver safe outcomes for those accessing the services. The Department of Health and I will continue to work with the HSE's NWIHP to ensure maternity services continue to develop in line with the national maternity strategy. The Deputy raised a few concerns and, if she wishes to email them to me, I will raise them with the Department.

I will raise the matter with the Department.

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. As he will appreciate, An Garda Síochána and the OPW have responsibility for the Garda estate and the Minister has no role in management decisions related to the pool at Templemore Garda college. It is my understanding the pool is used primarily for Garda training but has been made available to the general public for use on an ad hoc basis. I am advised that in 2017, a number of governance measures were put in place at the Garda colleg…

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, I again thank the Deputy for raising the issue. As I outlined, the decision to close the pool was made by An Garda Síochána with a view to saving energy in line with Government policy. I hope we can appreciate that the Minister has no involvement in operational Garda matters. The pool and management decisions on it are a matter for the Garda Commissioner and the Office of Public Works. I appreciate the disappointment of schools and families, outlined by Deputy Cahill, affected…