We need to be open to anything we can do to support those who have addiction issues but also to prevent young children from going down that path. As the Deputy rightly mentioned, the new Gambling Regulatory Authority was introduced following significant work by our colleague the Minister, Deputy James Browne. It is important that the authority should be open to looking at all forms of gambling, in particular those the Deputy mentioned. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister for Justice.

I look forward to attending the opening of Harold's Cross school and, I hope, of many others in the Deputy’s constituency as we work to provide education for our young people. It is really important that we have therapies in our schools. Children spend so much of their time in school, it is important that they have access to therapies while there. The Government's very clear commitment is that this will be rolled out. Progress has been made to date. The work that is being done at the moment now will initially focus…

Once again, I acknowledge the fundamental work that our paramedics play in keeping people safe. For so many people, they are the first point of contact. They can stabilise people and make sure they get to hospital on time. I acknowledge their role and work in our healthcare system. I do not have the details of the particular case the Deputy mentioned, but I can ask the Minister to look at it and assess any changes we are making to the overall structures. Such changes are designed to try to benefit people in communi…

I acknowledge and commend our colleague from Louth for the fantastic result at the weekend in what was a fantastic game.

If I mentioned other counties, we could be here all day. I acknowledge the importance of the large-scale infrastructure grant and the contribution it has made to sport across our country. There is a very clear commitment in the programme for Government to make sure we continue to invest in smaller scale projects via the sports capital grant. Obviously, any decision on a larger scale would have to be agreed between the Minister for sport and the Minister for public expenditure at budget time. Of course, we all want …

We all agree that our objective, working closely with the HSE and individual hospitals, is to make sure that hospitals have the equipment they need and that patients can access services in their communities as quickly as possible. I will raise the matter with the Minister directly.

The significant investment that has gone into special education in recent years has been with the sole purpose of making sure children have places and that when they are in school, whether it is in special schools, special education classrooms or mainstream classes, they have access to the support that is appropriate to them. That is why we have more than 23,000 SNAs and thousands of new special education teachers and why over 20,500 young people are being supported in special education classrooms separate to those…

I acknowledge the significant engagement I have had with the Deputy on this. It is a priority for him to make sure that children have access to those special school places. I can confirm that, following agreement by the school to the brief of accommodation in March, my Department is preparing the brief formulation report for the 14 special educational classrooms and ancillary accommodation. Once that is complete, my Department will consult the school to ensure we have agreement. I also confirm that an official from…

I acknowledge the teachers, the wonderful SNAs and special education teachers and everyone in our schools for the fantastic work they do. While billions of euro has gone into our schools portfolio in recent years, there is obviously more we need to do. I am very aware that there are schools that need replacement buildings and extensions and where further progress needs to be made. I am happy to engage on the school in question to see what progress can be made to ensure it has the resources it needs to support teach…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dail Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Government recognises the importance of parental choice; and — the Government is committed to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education, in line with the Programme for Government commitment; further notes that: — enrolments in mainstream multi-denominational and inter-denominational primary schools rose by 87.5 per…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. About 172,000 young people access the school transport scheme. Many of those are children with additional needs. The programme for Government sets out very clearly that we will expand the scheme even further. There is no set timeline, and the expansion has to be done across the lifetime of the current Government, but we have set a very clear target to ensure 100,000 more children will be able to access the scheme. In particular, that would mean removing the barrier that es…

It is saving lives.

It is saving lives.

I thank the Deputy for raising this. I join with her in commending the fabulous work by our secretaries and caretakers in our schools. I had the opportunity last week to meet many of them at the Fórsa conference as part of the overall Easter conferences. We have made a lot of progress, notably in changing the way our secretaries are paid so they are now paid through the Department of Education. We are hoping to make similar progress for our caretakers. The next step, and the next request from our secretaries, is th…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — a child's right to education is enshrined in the Constitution and, under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, must be accessible on an equal basis with others in the community in which they live; and — the Government is committed to ensuring that each child with a Special Educational Need (SEN) has an appropriate school place, in line with their constitutional right and …

I thank Deputy Doherty for raising this question. We have all been utterly appalled by the information we received and that we have been made aware of this week. As the Deputy mentioned, the information in the HIQA report sets out very clearly that a number of springs that were not medically approved were implanted into the bodies of three small children. The springs were corrosive and can be corroded. This is what happened. The devastation, pain and hurt inflicted on these three young children and their families a…

The Government is not a spectator here. This issue was brought to attention in September 2023. The Department of Health was notified the year after and a subsequent review is taking place and is at an advanced stage. The number of people who have been contacted is increasing. There is further work under way, through an action plan that is currently being drafted, to try to identify any further groups that have not been included and should be included in this review. I agree with the Deputy - we all agree - that if …

Similar to the previous question, the priority for all of us here, and this Government, is to make sure children are safe, be it online or offline or in their homes, bedrooms, communities and schools. It is an absolute priority to make sure children are protected. The world we live in is changing and for young people the world of online, social media and technology is part and parcel of their world in a way it was not for so many of us when we were young. We know the benefits that brings to their lives, our lives, …

From the Government's perspective, our view, my view and the view of the Minister for communications is that the era of self-regulation is over and it has to be over. The Online Safety Commissioner needs to ensure - I know that she will - that our strategies and the commission's strategies focus on what is actually happening here and that includes algorithms. I fully agree with the Deputy that these need to be dealt with. The impact that the rabbit hole, or the doomscrolling as I have heard it referred to recently,…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. At the outset I acknowledge his role and leadership in the previous Government, ensuring Ireland was to the fore in supporting Palestine and supporting a two-state solution while calling for the unconditional release of hostages. However, I utterly reject his assertion that this Government has in any way changed in that position or that view. I assure him, other Deputies in the House and every other person listening that this remains an absolute priority and is central to…