On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 404 of 407 decisive votes (3 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| FG | Fine Gael | 179 | 2020-04-23 – 2023-03-02 |
| CC | Ceann Comhairle / Chair | 99 | 2020-10-22 – 2023-02-28 |
Membership spells on record: FG 2007-05-24–2011-02-01 · FG 2011-02-25–2016-03-09 · FG 2016-03-10–2020-01-14 · FG 2020-02-08–2024-08-26
Significant waiting times for driving tests are being experienced by people in County Clare. I received a commitment in this Chamber and in the committee rooms from the Road Safety Authority, RSA, that a significant additional deployment of staff would happen in the driving test centres in Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush. I want to get an update from the Minister on that.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. I have been following this issue for quite a while. I welcome the fact that additional driving testers have been sanctioned and approved, and they have been recruited. Now they need to be deployed to the different areas that are experiencing long delays. I was given to believe by the Minister of State that areas that are experiencing the longest delays would be prioritised, for example, Shannon in County Clare. The average waiting time for a test there is 35 weeks, wh…
The RSA has admitted that the current cohort of 130 testers will not be able to deal with the backlogs or cope into the future either. The Minister of State is right that sanction has been sought by the RSA for the employment of 40 additional testers. The RSA, under questioning from me, agreed that it should not be looking for temporary testers but that these should be permanent positions. Can the Minister of State confirm that the RSA has sought sanction for 40 permanent positions? It takes nearly a year to get th…
I would also like to see the Irish Coast Guard Volunteers Representative Association kept fully briefed on this review and be given an opportunity to contribute to it. I ask the Minister of State to meet its representatives to discuss their various concerns. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communication, which has done work on this. It is welcome that this review is happening but stakeholders like the ICGVRA need to be included. I hope the Minister of State will respond positively to the three…
Will the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW arrange for CCTV to be installed at the national monument at Clare Abbey, Clarecastle, County Clare?
The Minister of State is a regular visitor to County Clare and indeed to Clare Abbey and I have been there with him. In fairness, a working group was set up between the OPW, Clare County Council, and the local stakeholders, including the Tidy Towns committee. I welcome the Minister of State's intervention, commitment and provision of the resource of a caretaker for Clare Abbey. In 2022, and in 2021, there were more than 60 incidents of fly-tipping with waste just thrown out on the side of the road have been recorde…
I recognise the work of the Minister of State and the OPW. In that area, the Ennis flood relief scheme, is very welcome. This multi-million euro project has been completed and formally opened by the Minister of State. I recognise his strong support for the River Fergus greenway, which was a tremendous success. We are looking to extend that greenway down to the Quay in Clarecastle also. Could the Minister of State give a commitment that the OPW will provide some resource and that a joint venture will be entered into…
There are four Deputies remaining so I will group them together. They have 30 seconds each.
The time for this question has expired. I seek the agreement of the House to take five minutes from the next question to use here. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Question No. 10 is in the name of Deputy Thomas Gould. Deputy Paul Donnelly will ask the question on the Deputy's behalf.
We move to Question No. 15 in the name of Deputy Connolly
Yes.
A cohort of 35 children aged between six and 11 with cystic fibrosis are desperately trying to gain access to the wonder-drug, Kaftrio. A health technology assessment started in December. This issue has gone on for more than a year and a half. When will these children and their families be able to get access to that drug?
I call Deputy Mattie McGrath.
Question No. 62 was originally in the name of Deputy Stanton but has been transferred to Deputy Dillon.
I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment and wish him well. The sports capital grant programme is well supported and much anticipated in County Clare. Last year Clare got €4.6 million and 69 clubs benefited from it. I am receiving queries from clubs which are anticipating the announcement of a new date for applications. I encourage the Minister of State to move the process along as quickly as he can. Can he give more detail on a timeframe for when this will happen and give an indication of how much h…
Does the Minister of State anticipate that the budget for the forthcoming programme will be similar to that of the last programme? It was a record budget the last time and 69 clubs in Clare benefited to the tune of €4.6 million. Spending more on sport gives much more back. It is not just about physical well-being; mental health also benefits from an injection in sports facilities. I ask the Minister of State to give his view on that. How much money has he sought? Will it compare favourably with last year?
A number of Deputies have indicated, starting with Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan.
The Minister of State has quite a number of questions to deal with there.
We have a substitution request. Deputy Lawless will introduce Question No. 88 on behalf of Deputy O'Dea.