The Minister of State has heard me say many times before that Fingal is the youngest, fastest-growing area in the country. Balbriggan is the youngest large town in the country and the fastest-growing, yet our D-Doc services are appalling. My understanding is that D-Doc was set up in 2006. Obviously, the population of Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk, and the rural villages of Garrettstown, Naul, Ballyboughal, Rolestown, Oldtown and so on, have all grown hugely since 2006, yet our healthcare services have not exp…

I appreciate that. As the Minister of State knows, the surgical hub will be a very welcome addition to the area but it will not deal with the critical issue of the fact that people get sick every time of day and night and need access to a GP. The infrastructure exists in Balbriggan. We have a primary care centre. The population demand is clear. The growth projections are clear. What I am concerned about is that the response to the parliamentary question I received told me there were no plans to expand the GP servic…

I apologise, but we have run out of time in this section. I am sure we all did not think we would have got through so many questions, but we do need to move on to the next section.

The Select Committee on Health has completed its consideration of the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 and has made amendments thereto.

Our airports and ports are the front door to this country, but we are making public transport unnecessarily difficult for visitors from the moment they arrive. Visitors still need a Leap card or the exact coins to use a Dublin Bus service. As we know, contactless tap-and-go is not expected to be fully rolled out in Dublin only until 2028. Leap cards are regularly sold out at Dublin Airport at the few retail outlets that sell them. There are regular reports of people being unable to buy Leap cards. There is a clear …

The Funds Sector 2030 review recognised that exchange-traded funds, ETFs, sit at the centre of Ireland's ambition to increase retail participation in capital markets - people who are planning for the future and parents who are planning for their children's college education. The current tax framework, in particular the eight-year deemed disposal rule, is a material barrier to that objective. Could the Tánaiste confirm if his Department has assessed abolishing the rule, what the estimated cost to the Exchequer would…

I thank the Tánaiste. I very much welcome that update. It is good to hear that the roadmap will be published in advance of the budget, though it is disappointing to note that the Revenue Commissioners cannot actually track the amount of revenue to the Exchequer. On the issue of removal, the reality is that under the current regime, a retail investor in an ETF faces a much higher tax rate and earlier taxation and cannot offset losses compared with someone investing directly in shares. Low-risk, diversified investing…

I appreciate the Minister's comments. I look forward to seeing the roadmap and having discussions in the House on it. I thank the Minister.

Public procurement is one of the State's most powerful levers for delivering quality infrastructure and services, yet it is also where we see repeated cost overruns, delays and failed delivery. Good procurement is not about spending more money; it is about spending it wisely. We have to have robust processes in place. The Minister might update us as to what reforms are planned or under consideration to strengthen value-for-money considerations, risk allocation and cost control in the State.

I very much welcome the references to frameworks, guidance and training. That is all very important. We repeatedly see at the public accounts committee systemic failures in procurement processes. I have worked in this space. I am a lawyer. I have advised in this space. Unless we have people who understand the business case and who put in place appropriate milestones, and unless we have appropriate legal protections in place to mitigate the risks and make sure that delivery is pegged to payment, we are setting ourse…

I appreciate that. The Minister of State is right to say that we absolutely have to have the data to ensure that our procurement process is robust and is delivering value for money. It is essential. We are here representing the taxpayers and we have to make sure that the taxpayers are getting value for money for services, not only capital projects but also IT projects. This is where we are seeing systemic failures right across the board. I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide an update as to what eval…

I met the new superintendent in Balbriggan this week and she confirmed to me that domestic abuse continued to be one of the most persistent issues in north County Dublin and, I have no doubt, throughout the country. Victims should not be the ones forced to abandon their homes. The victim stays and the abuser leaves must become the standard practice and not just a principle. I ask the Minister to provide an update on his work with Cuan to make sure this principle is actually happening in practice.

I appreciate the Minister's comments on this. We know the lived reality is that these measures are not being taken quickly enough. What steps is Cuan taking, with the Minister's support, to deliver in terms of ensuring victims are supported in a timely way so that they remain safe?

In terms of making sure that we are following up and doing everything we can in this House, will the Minister commit to publishing clear data on outcomes of domestic abuse cases, including instances where the victim is allowed to stay in the home rather than having to leave, as well as data on the various delays and barriers in the system? We must ensure that all gardaí have the appropriate knowledge and can support all victims. Will the Minister also commit to bringing forward any necessary changes, whether they b…

There are many issues I could speak about today. I could speak about violence against women, which is still far too prevalent. I could speak about how women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds continue to face disproportionate disadvantage or about how caring role and professions traditionally carried out by women remained undervalued in our society. I could speak about the gender pay gap, which many companies continue to try and hide on websites. I could speak about the tsunami of research that shows women in lea…

As the Tánaiste knows, Fingal is the youngest and fastest-growing area of the country. We are delivering houses but our education infrastructure needs to catch up. In December 2022, when he was Minister for Further and Higher Education, he visited Swords and announced a college of the future campus. Three years later, we do not seem to be any further on and do not have a timeline for delivery. He might update us and let us know whether a preliminary business case has been concluded and when families in Fingal will …

We now move to Questions Nos. 20 to 39.

Ireland's greatest asset is us. It is our people - our hard-working, skilled and educated women and men. For this country to continue to prosper, we must invest in us for the future, which means investing in our educational system. Fingal, as the Tánaiste knows, is rapidly growing. It is the youngest area in the State. We are delivering homes in Rush, Lusk, Skerries and Balbriggan but this housing delivery has to be matched by delivery of appropriate school places in safe, warm and modern buildings. Schools are at …

I thank the Tánaiste. I appreciate his really constructive engagement. I know delivering schools is as important to him as it is to me. I thank him for also mentioning Rush National School, which is something I have raised with the Minister for Education and Youth. I will continue to raise it with her and the Tánaiste. I look forward to welcoming the Tánaiste in the coming years to the opening of both of these school projects. As he will be aware, I will continue to raise these repeatedly with him until I see the s…

I echo Deputy McAuliffe's calls regarding making sure that An Garda Síochána understands the powers it has and has all of the supports and equipment necessary to enforce these powers. My constituency borders that of Deputy McAuliffe. I express my condolences to Grace Lynch's family. What happened was horrific. There is a similar issue with scramblers in Santry in my constituency. We have to do everything we can to ensure that An Garda Síochána has the resources, manpower and technology to ensure this never happens …