There is huge merit in those suggestions. I am certainly very open to that. Athy library was mentioned as an example. Birr library is another example. In other parts of the country refurbished buildings are, through a variety of means, being used. Our libraries are now community spaces. They are being used by a variety of people. Our traditional library has changed, thankfully, from a place where you cannot talk, just read, to one where there is an open door for communities. Our Department recognises the importance…

In regard to the sensory room issue, I was in Ennis library last week, where there is a sensory space. There was a mum with two kids in the sensory space and their joy and contemplative ease was phenomenal. I commend the staff in Ennis library on that space. It was breathtaking to see the way in which they were able to take a piece of the library floor area and use it for people with autism or other disabilities to go in and be at ease and at peace. I was struck by that. It is about the age-friendly recognition and…

I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this very important matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The Department of Transport has responsibility for the provision of funding and setting of policy in relation to transport issues, including active travel. The NTA has responsibility for the allocation of funding to projects at local authority level and works with local authorities to ensure delivery of same. I thank Deputy Connolly for his very insightful and in-depth diagnosis of the issues invo…

I again thank Deputy John Connolly for his remarks and contribution. He is right that there is a need for co-ordination between all the different agencies and stakeholders to ensure we deliver for citizens and residents. I thank him for raising the matter, which is of huge importance to him, the people of Galway and the wider community. It has an impact on life and impinges on the quality of business and how people operate and on the quality of life. The Government is committed to active travel and putting in place…

I thank Senator Scahill for raising this important matter. He is right; it is about putting in place sustainability for rural Ireland and tackling the issues he rightly addressed. It is about ensuring we have a future in rural Ireland that is based on the needs of the people. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Calleary. As the Senator will be aware, we have witnessed profound change in recent years in the area of remote working. As the Minister of State in the Department, I am a firm believer…

Again, I thank Senator Scahill for his very valuable contribution. The Government is committed to the concept of remote working and is firmly of the view that it is about delivering real benefits in rural communities. As the Senator said, it is about high-paid, knowledge-based jobs and working with people like Tracy in Grow Remote to achieve that fourth pillar he rightly spoke about. We cannot just stop now and say that we have done X; we must continue to ensure we do have these quality jobs, as the Senator has cal…

I am responding on the motion on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon. I thank the members of the Social Democrats for their contributions this morning and thank all Members of the House for their varied and interesting comments. I begin by reiterating that the Government fully acknowledges the concerns raised in this Private Members' motion regarding the rising cost of groceries and the financial strain and burden it places on households, families and people throughout the country. We understand the pres…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I apologise that the Minister is not here and that I do not have a copy of the speech for the Deputy. I will get it to her as soon as possible. Like her, I deal with parents and children every day and every week and she is right that there is frustration. We all need to work collaboratively to ensure access to services is improved and that parents and children who deserve to receive them do so. The Government is fully committed to addressing the challenge of the…

I thank the Deputy again for raising this very important matter, which is a priority for the Minister and the Government. This is reflected in the current programme for Government, which includes a clear commitment to support families who are waiting for assessments of need and to ensure children and their families can access the supports they need. The Minister understands the scale of the challenge but is encouraged by the activity under way. This is delivering results in the increased number of completed assessm…

I met the group in the corridor earlier. I thank them for being here. I wish them an enjoyable visit. I thank Senator Costello for raising this matter. Under the Litter Pollution Act 1997, the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to litter pollution lies with local authorities. It is a matter for each local authority to determine the most appropriate public awareness enforcement and clean-up actions relating to litter, while taking account of local circumstances and priorities. I am takin…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to remind the House on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth of the significant challenges facing us in meeting increasing demand for pupil places throughout the country. As the Deputy raised the issue of Portmarnock in the coming years, I am grateful for the opportunity to clarify the position on the provision of primary school places in Portmarnock, Co. Dublin. I assure him that the provision of both mainstream and special education …

I hear the Senator's frustration and understand her annoyance, given that there is a lot of voluntary work being done by people that is not being appreciated in this instance. I know the Senator is not happy with the reply but there is an independence. The Department has no involvement. For the Senator's information, the Department provides annual funding to IBAL towards the cost of its annual business against litter campaign but there is that line of separation. I believe the An Taisce methodology involved attribu…

I thank Deputy Smith for raising the issue and I hear his remarks and concerns regarding the provision of school places at primary level in Portmarnock. The Department uses data from a range of sources, including child benefit data, enrolments and information on new residential developments to plan for school placement needs. I will take the points Deputy Smith has made back, and I ask him to provide the information to me so that I can give it to the Minister and the Department. There has been significant investmen…

I thank Senator Boyle for raising the matter and for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of the people of Donegal regarding transport and specific routes, including the areas he mentioned. It is a beautiful part of Donegal from Ardara to Glenties to Portnoo. I hear the Senator about the gaps and I look forward to going to Donegal in July to visit with the Senator. I hope we can meet some of the people involved. A number of Connecting Ireland proposals on the Inishowen Peninsula, Fanad Peninsula and north-west Donegal we…

I apologise because I was not given copies of the script.

The Senator is right to express his disappointment and that of the people of Donegal in respect of the A5. I thank him for doing so. It is a project to which the Government is committed. It has invested. The decision of the High Court in Belfast is deeply disappointing. I hope that representatives of the Department for Infrastructure in the North and our Department of Transport can meet soon to see how we can work together to ensure the project is expedited. The Senator is right that it is a critical road corridor.…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Lawless, who sends his apologies. In 2011, Na Píobairí Uileann established PipeCraft, a dedicated training facility for musical instrument making. In 2017 they developed a partnership with Ballyfermot College of Further Education for a new programme called Irish traditional music performance and traineeship in instrument making, repair and maintenance. This programme is managed and funded through the City of Dubl…

I thank Deputy Burke for raising this very important matter. He is right to highlight the relationship between data centres and electricity demand, which is a global challenge. There is the additional demand for energy by data centres and the need to ensure we are competitive. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment. I will first set out the work this Government is doing on private wires, which is the policy area that will allow for demand users to connect directly …

I reiterate my remarks to the Senator that it is an important course and I thank her for raising the matter. It is not a solace to the Senator but it is a matter for each individual board to take into account allocated budgets and engage with the different stakeholders. The Minister has no direct responsibility. I will bring the Senator's concerns to the Minister and the Department and ask them to reflect on the comments she has made this morning. It is an important course. There is significant investment by the Go…

I thank Deputy Burke for his contribution and comments, and I will take his remarks back to the Minister. As I said earlier, next month the Minister will bring a policy document on private wires to Cabinet. However, private wires alone will not solve the issues currently facing the data centre sector in Ireland. To date, Ireland has attracted the best data centre and tech companies in the world, which is an important relationship, and Government continues to work with the sector towards a secure and decarbonised en…