This Bill represents the most significant reform of childcare since the Child Care Act 1991 came into force more than three decades ago. I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on it. Child welfare practice, interagency working and our understanding of children's rights have profoundly changed since 1991. I am very glad that the law is going to reflect that reality. This Bill comes in the aftermath of a long and detailed review process that began in 2017 and that involved extensive consultation with Tusla, com…

The Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, confirmed for me recently that Fingal County Council will be admitted to the defective concrete block scheme, which is very welcome. However, I need to highlight that a small number of very good, prudent homeowners in Skerries, Lusk and The Naul have already remediated their homes and consequently will not now be eligible to be supported under the scheme. I would very much appreciate it if the Minister for Finance worked with the Minister for housing to ensure those people, …

I welcome the Minister and this Government's focus on online safety. It is one of the most pressing issues for families today and it demands urgent action. I am a mum to two eight-year-old girls and I know the joy of their current world. It is a world of innocence, imagination and security but I already feel the worry of what lies ahead, including the phones, the apps, the group chats, the comparisons, the silence, and the stories we have heard here today. Like so many parents, I worry about what they will see befo…

Saved by the bell. I call Deputy Hearne.

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time next week.

The roll-out of national broadband is delivering high-speed fibre to rural and urban communities. It is a success and progress has been made, yet we know that there is partial coverage in some towns and villages. For example, my own hometown of Skerries has partial coverage of fibre broadband and not access to the national fibre broadband. The Minister might give us an update on when we can expect full roll-out of the national broadband plan in all towns and villages.

I thank the Minister and welcome his update. I have a concern in relation to the blue area. Part of Skerries is in the blue area as well. The Minister mentioned Balbriggan. The problem with the blue area is that the residents of an estate are being told that unless they come together as a collective of 20 to 50 residents who are willing to sign up with one commercial provider, they will not be able to access the fibre broadband, or it will not be delivered. That is not good enough. It also undermines competition. A…

I agree that the roll-out of the national broadband plan has been a success. We just need to make sure that people, families, residents and businesses are not left behind. I will contact the Minister's office in relation to the specific areas.

I wish the best of luck to Deputy Donohoe. He is the standard to which we all aspire in Fine Gael. I thank him for all of his support. Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Garristown, Balrothery and Oldtown are all principally served by Balbriggan Garda station. Balbriggan is the youngest large town in the country. It is the most culturally diverse town in the country, yet we have not had a permanent superintendent at the Garda station for well over a year. I hope the Tánaiste will be able to give me some news as to when we will …

I have mentioned many times that Fingal is the youngest area in the country and is also the fastest growing. Balbriggan is the youngest large town in the country and yet, we have a serious lack of childcare places. In January 2024, a supply management unit was set up in the Minister's Department. It was later renamed the forward planning unit yet nearly two years later, families in Fingal are still waiting. We still have no visible output from the Minister's forward planning unit. Can the Minister please tell us wh…

It is nearly two years. There has to be a sense of urgency by this unit. We need to see a plan from it and we need to see a clear timeline as to when we are going to see outputs. I am not asking for the specifics but I am asking to make sure this Department is delivering. Two years is simply not good enough. People who need childcare are putting off their lives and quitting jobs. They are not participating fully in the workforce. We have discussed this before but female participation in the workforce has been one o…

I appreciate that the Minister has only been in her position for nine months, but the Secretary General of the Department confirmed to me that the supply management unit or forward planning unit was set up in January 2024. It is nearly two years later and we still have not seen any visible output from this unit. Will the Minister commit to publishing the criteria that will be used by the forward planning unit, confirm that areas like Fingal are going to be included and will meet the criteria, and set out a timeline…

Deputy, please confine your contribution to the question submitted.

Deputy Murphy-----

An Tánaiste, Simon Harris, has spent his entire career standing up and leading in the face of challenge - showing courage and compassion as he led this country through Covid. Within a month of taking office as Taoiseach, he led Ireland in formally recognising the State of Palestine and apologised to the families and victims of the Stardust tragedy. He has ensured continued humanitarian aid for Gaza, shielded our economy from global shocks, and increased overseas aid when others have cut back. That is courage. That …

Endometriosis is one of the most common women's health issues. Far too many women, including women among my family and friends, often endure chronic pain, fatigue, fertility issues and emotional distress. They often miss time at work and in education. They miss out on life generally. The average diagnostic delay is nine years. I know this is an area on which the Minister is focused. I would like to hear what she is doing to address the diagnostic delay and to ensure that our healthcare workers are fully trained and…

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive update. I mentioned the nine-year average diagnostic delay. Women have felt ghosted by their GPs. They feel like they have not been offered supports and have not been listened to. It seems that women are expected to put up with this intolerable, intense and chronic pain, and are essentially made to feel as if it is all in their heads. It is important that the Minister has taken the step to listen. The patient voice forum was an excellent idea. Women now feel heard by the …

I thank the Minister. I really appreciate her focus on this and as I said, women are so impressed that they now feel heard having literally been told that it is all in their heads for so long. In terms of public awareness, sometimes women, particularly younger girls and women, do not necessarily know what to be looking out for when they are talking about endometriosis. This is particularly true for teenage girls and it is really important that we see a public awareness campaign as soon as possible. We know from rep…

Next generation ticketing is something we absolutely need not just in Dublin but all of Ireland. This project was first mooted in 2012, yet here we are in 2025 and we still are waiting. Can the Minister please give us an update as to where we are with this project, the oversight mechanisms and how we can ensure this project is delivered to the new timelines? Can he give us confidence as to when we will see it?

I thank the Minister and I appreciate the update. When we look at other cities across Europe, we see they have introduced contactless payments much quicker. Milan did it in 24 months across multimode transport. One of the things I am concerned about is we have a contractor, Indra, who is to work with the NTA to deliver a very complex IT deployment across Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, and Luas. It is a very complex IT project. We see Indra already is €40 million over budget on the national train control centr…