On the operating model for the NTA, am I right that after the deployment of next generation ticketing, the NTA will be moving from simply doing oversight to directly managing fare collection, system operations and having regulatory oversight? Does this give rise to a conflict of interest between the various roles, particularly when it comes to disputes? Is there a clear operating model for the NTA? Will there be transparent governance structures to make sure there are no conflicts of interest between the various ro…

The Deputy is eating into his colleagues' time.

Thank you, Deputy.

In light of the recent and heartbreaking death of Daniel Aruebose, I raise the urgent need for a statutory child death review mechanism. The Ombudsman for Children in the April 2025 child death review again raised his concerns as to the current system and provided clear recommendations for the Government. Such a mechanism is also provided for in the programme for Government, which is very good to see. Can the Minister provide us with an update as to where we are on implementing that commitment?

While the State cannot control every tragedy, we do have a duty to respond to tragic deaths such as this with clarity and compassion, and that means heeding the ombudsman's recommendations. One of the ombudsman's recommendations relates to the Minister's Department where he is looking for immediate engagement with his office to find a resolution to the many limitations with the NRP in accessing information, engaging with other agencies and fundamental governance pending the establishment of a new statutory child de…

The Minister will know from the review and also from engagement with the ombudsman that one of the things he is really calling for is that the reports of the NRP should be shared with families and every effort be made to remove barriers to information. The frustration with timelines and communication with families can be seen throughout the report. Like everything in life, communication and clarity are key and that people are not left ghosted and left hanging. People are really suffering when they lose someone and …

I am here in solidarity and in celebration, but also in concern. Pride is not just a parade, a flag or a month on the calendar. It is the living legacy of generations who fought for dignity, freedom and equality. The rights they fought for were so hard won, but as we have seen across Europe and beyond, those rights are frighteningly easy to lose. This year marks ten years since Ireland made history by voting yes to marriage equality on 22 May 2015 and becoming the first country in the world to legalise same-sex mar…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss the design of the entrance to the Rush side of the Rush and Lusk train station. Deputy Paula Butterly - Tourism in Louth. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil - To discuss ongoing road safety issues on the Celbridge Road, Maynooth. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss a change to the enrolment criteria for specific speech and language dis…

Is this relevant, Deputy?

Please make sure you keep it relevant to the legislation.

Child poverty in Ireland is reaching crisis levels. The Children's Rights Alliance annual report revealed a staggering rise in the number of children living in consistent poverty. We must ensure families have the financial support they need to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive. I very much welcome the Taoiseach's comments yesterday in which he stated that nothing is off the table when it comes to social welfare payments for reducing child poverty. Last week, the Taoiseach would have seen the ESRI rep…

Ireland's best asset is our hard-working men and women. It is crucial that we fund childcare as an essential infrastructure. I know this is something we have talked about many times before. The Minister might give us an update on what she has done to reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month and what she plans to do to make sure we achieve it over the lifetime of the Government.

I very much welcome the work that has been done to date. As I stated, I hope we deliver the reduction in childcare of the lifetime of this Government, as it is essential. I also highlighted with the Minister that it is not just the cost that is an issue for many parents who are trying to access childcare; it is also the access to childcare. As she is aware, I live in the youngest area in the country. Many parents like myself in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk simply do not have access to the childcare they need…

The building blocks scheme was welcome, but the eligibility criteria are limited and many private providers could not apply for it. The Minister might consider reopening the scheme and widening the eligibility criteria to enable private providers to apply. There are very few public childcare providers in Dublin Fingal West. I would love to see that being prioritised for delivery in the roll-out of the scheme. The Minister should please let me know if there is anything I can do to support it. I very much hope she ge…

I thank the Minister for her acknowledgement and honest assessment of the challenge facing many families whose children are waiting for an assessment of need. The issue of disability has activated many of us in this Chamber to become politicians. We have seen An Tánaiste and the likes of Cara Darmody all activated on the issue of disabilities. It is a key reason we are here today. Dublin Fingal West is home to one of the youngest populations in the country. Balbriggan is the youngest large town, as I may have menti…

In light of recent utility price volatility, global economic uncertainty, trade wars and the threat of tariffs, it was really good to see the business energy upgrade scheme launched in November. Now that it has been under way for five months, will the Minister of State give us an update on the uptake of the scheme, how it is working and whether public bodies are utilising it?

I thank the Minister of State. As someone who has spent my recent years advising SMEs, it is important to remember that a lot of them do not have the capacity to be continually checking what grants are open for application and navigating difficult processes, so it is important that we have a streamlined, efficient process. Will the Minister of State tell me how long it is taking to finalise and confirm draft applications? In the Department's view, is the scheme working or is there anything we can do to improve it? …

I thank the Minister of State. As he said, it is important that we support our SMEs with their energy costs, and it is great that we have this scheme. It is important that we have a periodic review of the uptake of the scheme to make sure it was working. If the uptake is not increasing substantially, we need to look at how we are advertising that scheme and encouraging SMEs to take it up, as well as making sure that it is quick and efficient and that the timeline to approve the grant applications is actually approp…

We know that domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is an epidemic in this country. The research bears this out, the reports from the Garda bear it out and I have no doubt that we have all listened to the experiences of constituents. It is still a great taboo in this country. It is not spoken about openly but it is something we urgently need to address. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, made great strides in this area in her previous role as Minister for Justice and we need to continue that work. Does…

As a very proud TD for Dublin Fingal West, one of the youngest constituencies in the country, I cannot understate the demand for childcare. As a mum of eight-year-old twins who has never been able to access childcare, the delivery of additional childcare places is an absolutely priority of mine and I really hope it is of this Government. The Minister might give us an update as to the uptake of the Pobal building blocks scheme to deliver more childcare places.