The last couple of times I was in here, I went off subject but the Ceann Comhairle will be delighted to hear that I will stay on subject this evening. Unusually, I find myself agreeing with Deputy Ó Snodaigh on one point. I would like to bring to the Minister of State's attention the issue of trees, which is not entirely related to planning. We saw during the recent storm that ash dieback created a huge problem. Virtually every ash tree in the country is rotten. In a lot of estates that were taken in charge by coun…

It is very hard to follow my Government colleague from Kildare.

I will try to stick reasonably to the point. Like the Deputy from Mayo, we have a lot of those people coming into our constituency offices. They are starting to see change in relation to property and getting their first home. Specifically in rural Ireland, we have seen that with the Croí Cónaithe scheme. I am sure the Deputy is getting as many inquiries as we are. We have also seen that with the help-to-buy scheme, which the Deputy did not agree with either. There has been an important amendment to the first home s…

It is with great enthusiasm and pride we celebrate Science Week. It is a time dedicated to recognising the invaluable contributions of science and technology to our society. It is important that we take this opportunity and use it as a platform to reflect on the significant progress we have made and the strides we still need to make to ensure a brighter, more innovative future for our country. I will use my time to focus on a particular initiative that exemplifies the spirit of Science Week and the increasingly pos…

A key commitment of the programme for Government was to establish exclusion zones around medical facilities. The Minister subsequently legislated for the designation of safe access loans around our healthcare premises. We are well aware that there has been extensive co-operation and consultation with the Department of Justice, An Garda Síochána and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in developing this important and landmark Bill. It will prohibit a person from engaging in certain conduct in certain a…

I am concluding.

It is important that we get this information. I ask the Minister to make contact with the hospital and try to get the report before 30 November.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke. I welcome the recent European Council statement reiterating its resolute condemnation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and reaffirming the EU's unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence against Russian aggression. This House and country has been extremely forthright in its condemnation of the actions of Israel as it wages a di…

I thank the Minister for Transport for coming to the Chamber to address the important issue of road safety. I will echo some of the points that were made earlier in respect of speed ramps for housing estates. I know we have moved away from speed ramps and towards raised platforms. There is obviously merit in that for young people cycling and so on. However, the process for trying to get those into estates is too onerous and it is too easy for councils to opt out of doing so. It is only a number of years since the t…

Echoing that sentiment, I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address this important issue. I compliment the Ministers, Deputies Michael McGrath and Donohoe, and their ministerial team, including the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, on the work done on the budget. It was a momentous budget, one that was historic in many respects. It set the tone and template for the achievements of the Government. It is often the case that actions in a budget can have unintended consequences. One such unintend…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to come back in. When I talk about retail, it would be remiss of me not to mention my late mother. She ran a shop all her life and worked herself to the bone. I remember that when I was thinking of dropping out of school, she gave me very salient advice. She said if I wanted to find out how popular I was, I should open my open business or go into politics. Sadly, I did not listen to her. That is just an aside. These businesses are very much the bedrock of rural Irelan…

In discussing health and the health budget 2024, it is important we stand back from the media spin and the claims of the Opposition. Spin has never cured a patient and will not aid any recovery. The reality is we have seen unprecedented investment in health. The budget for 2024 will be €22 billion, up 80% on the €13.2 billion in 2015. It is an extraordinary increase by any reckoning and indicative of this Government’s determination to get to grips with the many challenges facing health. I hypothesise that if we had…

Let me be clear and unambiguous. There are no rights and no wrongs and no winners or losers when it comes to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. There is no defence for violence, bombings, indiscriminately targeting civilians or the calculated murder of women and children. The actions of Hamas are abhorrent and cannot be defended by any fair-minded or rational democracy. We were horrified by the murder of Irish nationals Kim Damti and Emily Hand. However, we need to separate Hamas from the barbarism no…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and I thank the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for coming to the Chamber to deal with it. I understand that St. Christopher's Special School in Longford town has formally applied to appoint a new school nurse on an increased weekly contract of 32 hours. At the moment, the role is contracted for just 14 hours per week, meaning that the school only has access to a nurse for three hours a day from Monday to Wednesday, and for two…

I acknowledge the Minister's detailed response. However, it is disappointing that the HSE has not responded. While I appreciate that we are taking the matter at an earlier time, I cannot underline enough the seriousness of the situation. There are 40 pupils in the school and there are parents, families and staff who are deeply concerned. I am not overdramatising the situation but clearly it is high risk. As I said, these are some of our most vulnerable people and it behoves us as Members of this House to ensure thi…

I will be as quick as I can because I have two esteemed colleagues, Deputies Christopher O’Sullivan and McGuinness who want to get in. I want to use my time to highlight some of the school transport issues we are trying to resolve at local level in County Longford. I know of a young boy with special needs who attends a special school 40 miles away. He was availing of customised transport to date. A few days before the eve of starting school, his mother was contacted and told he would have to share the transport wit…

I welcome the Minister's comprehensive statement on patient safety concerns and the review of paediatric orthopaedic surgery services. All too often, elected representatives are the final line of hope for parents and families who are anxiously trying to get surgery for their children. Unfortunately, recent events have greatly undermined belief in the service and, for parents and families, have triggered further unnecessary harrowing worries. I acknowledge the Minister's many achievements in a short time in office, …

I commend the Minister of State on the fantastic work he is doing. It is much appreciated in my constituency where he has been supportive of a number of projects. I have several issues I wish to cover in the few minutes I have. Orphan estates are obviously a big issue. We have a small estate in Longford called Radharc na Coille with six houses, all of which are privately owned. The residents are having to service and look after the treatment plant themselves. Irish Water has a plan for an adjoining estate, Woodland…

I welcome the members of the Edgeworthstown active age group who are in the Public Gallery looking on. They asked me what we were speaking about today and I told them it was bogs. They said we do not have an awful lot of grá for bogs in this House, with the exception of Deputy Fitzmaurice, who was sitting behind my shoulder. I tried to emphasise that we do indeed have a great passion for our peatlands. I welcome the latest revision of the text for the nature restoration law, which now sees significant flexibility i…

I thank my party colleague for sharing time. In recent weeks, we have heard multiple times about how an entire generation has grown up without ever knowing the strife, murder and carnage that dominated the 1970s through to the early 1990s. We rightly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the principal architects of an agreement that ultimately brought to an end one of Europe's most deadly and enduring campaigns of violence. Across the world, our efforts inspired many other countries mired …