Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Murnane O’Connor agus an tAire, an Teachta, Carroll MacNeill atá imithe anois. This is indeed a wonderful day. We are empowering pharmacists for healthier futures. There is a massive opportunity, as others have said, to capitalise on that. I thank the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, their teams in the Department, the task force, the Health Service Executive, the Irish Pharmacy Union - present in the Gallery are President Ms Caoimhe McAuley…

I will start echoing the sentiment Forest E. Witcraft, who said, 100 years from now it will not matter what his bank account was, the car he drove or what house he lived in, but what will matter is the difference that he made in the life of a child. That is integral to what we are discussing here, namely, meeting the needs and embedding rights into our legislation. I will try to confine my comments to this amendment to the 2005 Act. This came about from a 2023 report by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of…

Comhghairdeas Senan agus a Aire. I support the actions today. They are necessary in these uncertain times and they must be kept under review, as has been said previously. "Waste not, want not" are wise words from our treasured older people. On the issue of vision, or lack thereof, Deputy Heneghan has been persistent in pursuing plug-in solar, which is not too far away. I say this in case there is any doubt about the ambition and vision of those on this side of the House. Taxation is essential for the provision of p…

This country must be run like a family home, a community group or a small business.

Múineann gá seift.

I am thankful for the opportunity to discuss this important matter. I acknowledge the massive improvements that have been made. The national broadband plan is almost complete. Massive inroads have been made in my home county of Meath, including in the roll-out and the access it provides. That is most welcome, particularly in the area of assistive technologies for young people and older people with intellectual disabilities. It is the connectivity piece. The cost, however, is paramount. One part of me is slightly in…

I thank Deputy Carrigy for instigating this session this afternoon. I also welcome our visitors in the Gallery. The contribution of family carers, home support workers, volunteers, community cafés such as Dunshaughlin Pastoral Centre, Yvonne here in the restaurant and Friday club, while not specifically an Alzheimer's service, does fantastic work along with Ratoath Community Centre and advocacy groups such as ASI. They are crucial supports to people living with dementia. I must not forget Whistlemount Day Centre in…

I thank Deputy Quaide and his team for bringing this motion forward. Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities refers to the equal right of disabled persons to live independently in their communities - not miles away and not in another county - to choose their residence, to have access to personal assistants and community services and to use public facilities on an equal basis, aiming to prevent isolation. All of that should be within a safeguarded environment as well, y…

I hope I have the correct question because I submitted two. There are four issues that are separate and significant but share a common thread. Last November in Kells, County Meath, there was an important Samhain festival and food symposium. It was an excellent symposium attended by Darina Allen, where a lot of topics around food security, food safety, biosecurity, health and soil health were discussed, including the school meals programme, the possibility of sourcing these meals as locally as possible and integrati…

I welcome those tentative updates. Could we firm up timelines for the publication of the land use study and particularly the timelines for the issuing of solar farm guidelines? Land use in general is particularly important because a lot of local authorities are currently preparing county development plans or variations on county development plans. If we are to really have a macro-consideration of all the elements of sovereignty and of security - yes, we are part of the greater Union - we have to begin from our home…

I had not expected to speak yet but I will take the opportunity. Things have moved very quickly. The benefit of Dublin Airport to Meath East is unquestionable. The opportunities for employment, the increase in the number of residents or constituents in the area and the opportunities for travel are all to our advantage. However, in recent times, the residents of Meath East have, without consultation, been affected by the increased number of flights to and from Dublin Airport. I will speak in particular about the nor…

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for chairing our committee so ably and for tolerating a lot of toing and froing and time overruns, but the purpose and spirit committee members brought to the task at hand is manifest in the report. I urge all Members of both Houses and officials in all Departments to pay special attention to it. The report runs to 42 pages. Pages 9 to 11 are the key pages because they contain the 33 recommendations. None of our work would have been possible without the submissions, in-person attendance and…

I am looking at you.

I preface my remarks about public transport in Meath East and my reservations about the extension of the remit of the National Transport Authority by commending the individual staff members across all ranks within the National Transport Authority, Bus Éireann and Irish Rail, as applicable to County Meath. However, I will list off the following reservations. I could probably echo everything that Deputies Gogarty and Lahart said. As County Meath is a rural county, albeit one under strong urban influence, I will provi…

I thank Deputy Gogarty for the opportunity to address this most serious issue. I thank the Minister for the pending reforms of the family court system. It is overdue and most welcome. I commend Anna Kavanagh and Dr. Finbar Markey who have done tremendous work, both supporting and documenting the plight of parents trying to navigate a complex and oftentimes inhumane system. I am sorry I missed the other contributions this morning. I am bilocating with the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. Following on from Depu…

Meath is a rural county under very strong urban influence to that end and juggling those parameters, I commend the great work of the LEO, Meath Partnership, the council and the community and voluntary groups. We are very grateful for RSS, LEADER and RRDF funding to date and would welcome much more in future, if possible. At this important time of Our Rural Future II policy formation, I note the recent OECD rural policy review of Ireland, particularly pages 16 to 51 containing the analyses and key actions. I hope th…

I will give a little context in advance. It is in the same vein as Deputy Daly’s Topical Issue in relation to the cost of living. The current electricity pricing is between 28 cent and 37 cent per kilowatt hour, including VAT, and the night time rate is 14 cent. If we take an average annual consumption of 4,200 kilowatt hour, that works out at about an average of €1,700 per annum, equating to €142 per month. However, I think every Member of this House and every consumer outside this complex is well aware that in ma…

I thank the Minister of State. I always say here that every day is a school day. The €11 million PSO levy being returned is most welcome. I do not wish to be cheeky but I would welcome a response from the Minister of State on whether the transfer of leases has or does not have an impact on price? I appreciate that the Minister of State is deputising. I highlighted the average price versus the real price and the gap in the middle. I know the patterns in my area. In one instance, a farm was bought by a business perso…

The highest priority within the programme for Government is the whole area of special education, and the work that has been done to date by special needs assistants, special education teachers, the whole school community and indeed the parents and guardians supporting children throughout. It is fair to say that listening did need to improve and that is happening. It is of the utmost priority to find a way for SNA alternative circular to be integrated into the NCSE review of the role of the special needs assistant. …

It can be done in the short term.