I ask the Minister for Education if a report will be given on the potential inclusion of golf in the curriculum for physical education, PE, specifically in the striking and fielding games territory, and if a statement will be provided to the Dáil on this matter. We have seen in recent years the success of Irish golfers, both North and South, and the Ryder Cup is coming to the country in the near future. Is this an indication that we could do more at an educational and sporting level to improve the situation?

It is positive to hear that the Department is aware of the positive initiatives that could be enabled by working on this. The statistics do not tell a lie. Approximately a quarter of a million people come to Ireland from all over the world to play golf on our courses. That represents a huge opportunity to allow our young people to get skilled up in this area from an educational perspective. For that to be recognised as part of the curriculum would be very positive. There are more than 400 golf clubs in Ireland. In …

I thank the Minister of State for his interest. I recognise the assistance he is providing through the sports capital programme. That has been very beneficial locally and nationally, especially in situations where schools work closely with community sports clubs. The Minister of State referenced Youghal; I am delighted to hear that, as always. Fantastic work has been done in that town through its golf club working with Pobalscoil na Tríonóide and other local organisations to promote inclusion. There is a stigma aro…

The Government is aware of the enormous damage done in my constituency last October by Storm Babet. Residential homes, businesses and public infrastructure were very heavily damaged, with the cost of road damage alone estimated to be approximately €50 million, according to Cork County Council. The Department of Transport has told the council it does not have the funding to cover this damage, with an intolerable allocation of only €14 million being proposed for repairs during the year. Will the Minister, Deputy McGr…

The Taoiseach and the Government will be aware of the effects of Storm Babet on the town of Midleton and the wider east Cork area but the county council has experienced some difficulty in securing the resources needed for repair works to road infrastructure and with the allocation of resources by the OPW to Cork County Council for the appointment of necessary engineers and other administrative staff to deal with the flood relief scheme required for Midleton. Could the Government focus on this and give the required …

This topic is perhaps one of the most difficult issues that has arisen during our current Dáil term, outside of the pandemic. Unfortunately, as a backbench Government TD, it has been very challenging to deal with as regards our constituents. The public perception of how the Government is handling this is incredibly poor. It is something that, on a day-to-day basis, I am growing increasingly concerned about. Threats have been made to Members of the Oireachtas. The level of violence and intimidation that is ongoing, …

I ask the Tánaiste about the need for the appointment of a design consultant on the Castlemartyr-Killeagh scheme on the N25. The Tánaiste and the Government will be very well aware of how important this project is to me, to the constituents I represent, to our area, and indeed to those living in County Waterford and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler's constituency. We want to see a design consultant appointed because we need to see routes being proposed and we need to see progression of this project. Will the Tá…

I rise in support of a point Deputy Kerrane made. I am from a community where we have taken in almost 1,000 Ukrainian refugees from war. It is a town of 10,000 people. Obviously, there are stretches on the capacity of local services and education supports. I know the Tánaiste is aware of this because he came to see it. Youghal, in my constituency, has lost two out of its three hotels, one permanently. It is now being used for Ukrainian refugees. There is a concern locally that the last remaining hotel, the Walter R…

I was not given any notice this morning that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, was not going to be in attendance. It is the normal procedure that I would be. That is disappointing. I want to put that on the record of the House. I have always been informed if the Minister or a Minister of State from the Department cannot attend. I am sure the Minister of State present will bring what is said here back to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. I wish to raise a very serious problem that has come from flooding that occurred in m…

I thank the Minister of State for the response from the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman's Department. One paragraph of the answer explains why we are here. The nature and scale of the damage involved is very significant, without going into too much detail. A facility of this size working with more than 100 children, including very young children and toddlers, is going to need highly expensive works to be done to bring it back up to standard. I am conscious that cannot be done with just €100,000. There are other businesse…

Deputy Healy-Rae beat me to the chase. Another Tom O'Connor, my grandfather, was heavily involved in setting up the dog track in Youghal. We had greyhounds and two generations of our family were involved in it. It is a huge part of the fabric of where I am from, Youghal, in County Cork. Something was said in Chamber that was not true, that attendance was recorded in Youghal greyhound track of three people. The reason that figure is out there is because three people were charged. There is free entry at the gate. Eve…

I raise again the issue of the Castlemartyr and Killeagh bypass, or Midleton to Youghal scheme. I have been fighting very hard on this issue in recent years. In the past 12 months, I have been awaiting the outcome of a strategic assessment report. I found the Minister for Transport's new-found interest in road projects in the context of the Adare scheme announced this morning, which apparently is going to be sped up, quite entertaining. Will the same consideration be afforded to my constituents and this project, wh…

Tomorrow will mark one month since the devastating floods that occurred in my constituency and others, including Waterford and Cork North-Central. In the Midleton area in particular, a significant number of businesses were hit. We appreciate the support that has been given by the Government and the rapid action that has been taken but difficulties are starting to be experienced by businesses that have high excesses on their insurance. In effect, they would nearly be better off not having flood insurance because the…

I want to ask about recent flooding in my constituency, particularly around the Midleton area. Last night I met residents in the Woodlands area, as did Deputy Stanton, and in Willowbank. Significant sums of money are needed to help with clean-up operations, with tree-felling, with interim repair works to private bridges and roadways, as well as for preventative measures for flooding. Would the Government consider making an emergency fund available to the local municipal district in order that it can respond to the …

I want to ask about the release of emergency funding. The Government will be familiar from Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, and indeed from the six members of the Cabinet who visited areas in Cork in recent days, of the utter devastation that has been caused by flash flooding in the area. Many communities have experienced colossal damages that will require many millions of euro in repair work. The hospital, the Garda station, road infrastructure, homes and businesses have been affected. I ask the Minister of State what h…

I thank the Minister of State for the information he has provided. It is interesting to see the level of urgency that is being shown by the OPW around the scheme. I know that the Minister of State, having seen the damage, will do his best to try to push the scheme on. My colleague, Deputy Stanton, will go into this in further detail in the next question. My question pertains to the senior Minister and relates to funding. I would like to hear from the Minister, if it is appropriate, about the additional moneys that …

I appreciate the response. I recognise the presence of the Minister and the Minister of State here this morning. It is appreciated. A strong delegation came down from the Cabinet. A strong number of Ministers of State came down very quickly. To the public it may seem frustrating to see politicians showing up for photographs, but that was not the case. Tuesday's Cabinet meeting agreed a strong increase in supports, with the threshold for a single-income household increasing to €50,000 from €30,000 and the threshold …

I support my colleague, Deputy Stanton, on this. There is an urgency around getting mitigation measures put in place which the Minister of State will be familiar with. We must wait a period of time before the flood defences can be built. I welcome the funding being made available to progress this as a matter of urgency, but obviously we have to go through the statutory and regulatory barriers first. I am sure the Minister of State will give us his full support in that regard. There is a real urgency around mitigati…

I join my constituency colleague, Deputy Stanton, and my neighbour, Deputy O’Sullivan, in their words on the devastation in east Cork and the Minister of State’s area of west Waterford. It caused hundreds of millions worth of damage. We have a hospital and a Garda station destroyed. Hundreds of homes are flooded. Midleton Main Street is devastated. In Mogeely, Killeagh, my home parish and community, Inch, Castlemartyr, Ladysbridge, Whitegate, Rathcormack and Cloyne, millions of euro of damage has been done to publi…

I support Deputy Stanton. We have worked in tandem on having a one-stop shop service to help households and businesses that have been flooded. We need the Department of Social Protection to work with the local authorities and other State agencies, which will be needed to get houses back up and running. I thank the emergency services, volunteers and community around east Cork. What they have done is phenomenal. Our Defence Forces, community welfare officers and charitable organisations are working in the area to hel…