The Minister mentioned the success of some of the CLÁR funding applications for schools, car parks and safety. I have a very genuine concern about the traffic hazards outside schools. If there is potential to assist schools in CLÁR areas with safety measures, it should be explored. There was an issue outside Dunkineely National School last week. Councillor Barry Sweeny raised it with me. There was a very near miss. I am not saying the Minister's Department is responsible for such major issues outside schools but th…

I acknowledge the Taoiseach's ongoing commitment to the A5 and to the link to Letterkenny. A business case will be presented for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, for the twin towns bypass and the Letterkenny-Lifford link shortly. Whatever needs to be done financially, administratively and politically, will be done in the next while and I look forward to that. With regard to the defective concrete blocks legislation, when will the scheme be ready? When will it be completed and when will the regulations be comp…

Guím Lá Idirnáisiúnta na mBan sona ar gach duine. Mar a dúirt an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Calleary, is Seachtain na Gaeilge é fosta. Táim ag cur ceiste faoi fhadhb atá sa tír agus ag labhairt faoi na fadhbanna i mo chontae féin maidir le scoileanna a athchóiriú, síneadh a chur le scoileanna agus faoi scoileanna úra atá de dhíth. Táim ag labhairt faoi Ghaelscoil Na gCeithre Máistrí i mbaile Dhún na nGall, atá ag fanacht le 24 bliain anois. Tá an scoil lonnaithe i bhfoirgneamh sealadach. Níl sé sin ceart do na páistí,…

I thank the Minister of State. I will list a few of the schools for the information of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, and for the Department in Tullamore. They know these, and much good work has gone into these: Gaelscoil Na gCeithre Máistrí in Donegal town is ready to start construction; Moville Community College in north Inishowen is ready to start construction; St. Eunan's College in Letterkenny is ready to go to tender; Pobalscoil Chloich Cheannfhaola has an…

Go raibh maith agat.

I thank Deputy Naughten, at the outset, for his generosity. I met him last night and he said I could speak for a couple of minutes. It is good to see the season of goodwill continuing right into the middle of January. A lot has been said here today and I think the tone of the debate has been very constructive. It is nice to see a motion being tabled where the Minister accepts the spirit in which the motion has been moved and many good suggestions have been made. That is very important. There are a number of points …

Gabhaim buíochas as an seans labhairt faoin ábhar iontach tábhachtach seo. Mar atá a fhios ag an Leas-Cheann Comhairle, tá na bealaí difriúil sa tír seo. Mar shampla, ina contae féin, tá an bealach mór ann idir Átha Cliath agus Gaillimh. I gcontae an Aire Stáit, tá bealach ann idir Átha Cliath agus Luimneach, agus tá bealaí eile idir Corcaigh, Port Láirge agus Béal Feirste. Tá bearna mhór ann faoi láthair san iarthuaisceart, idir Doire agus Átha Cliath. Sin an fáth gur ardaigh mé an cheist seo faoi na rudaí tábhach…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I wish to acknowledge the preparation of the officials in TII and the Department of Transport because they provided important information. The questions I raised were answered and I am grateful for that. It is important that the public start to believe this can happen because given all of the delays and false dawns regarding the A5, people have stopped believing in the project. It is important to send out a positive signal, and I thank the Minister of St…

I acknowledge the people who are still hurting and who will hurt for a long time. Families who are directly affected will hurt due to this enormous loss and tragedy. I am very conscious that this is extremely raw. It is very raw for the people who are still grieving. We are in the middle of the months' minds and while this opportunity has been afforded to us parliamentarians to speak on this issue, I am conscious that there are people who are in tremendous pain and are hurting following the loss of their loved ones…

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Teachta Calleary fá choinne a cheapachán mar Aire Stáit. Guím ádh mór air sa phost úr. This is one of the downsides of getting that recent elevation. If Deputy Calleary had not got it, he would be home in his bed now. However, the Minister of State is here into the early hours of the morning. I am glad he is here. This issue does not relate to his Department but I know he will use his influence and communication skills to pass on a couple of messages. I want to raise …

I will not elaborate further, but I am glad that the Minister of State has not read some of the prepared reply into the record. It is pure dynamite to say we will subsidise up to the Border, given that since 2016 we have been saying we do not want a hard border on the island. Now a Department is subsidising up to the Border but not further. Incidentally, if one is going from Letterkenny to Dublin, the fare is subsidised. Anyway, it is dynamite. The Minister of State's suggestion about the shared island unit is an e…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle fá choinne na deise labhairt leis an Teach. Cuirim fáilte roimh an bheirt Airí Stáit go dtí an díospóireacht fosta. Ba mhaith liom cúpla pointe a ardú faoi cháinaisnéis 2023. Tá cúpla ceist agam maidir le hiompar, busanna san áireamh. Eisíodh €100,000 fá choinne na ndúshlán leis an iompar, go háirithe sna ceantair iargúlta. Tá cead de dhíth ag na tuismitheoirí agus ag na páistí le suíochán a fháil, suíocháin a bhí acu anuraidh. Níl sin ceart agus tá sin práinneach. Tá …

By way of clarification-----

Ar dtús báire, aithním mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ní Uiginn, as a díograis agus as an sárobair atá déanta aici ar an ábhar seo chomh maith leis na comhairliúcháin agus an taighde fosta. The consultations Deputy Higgins has had on this issue and the research she has carried out are very important and dovetail with the right timing as well. Even though 2012 is a long time ago, when a proposal of this kind first originated, after getting approval from the European Parliament in 2013, we see that a measure has just b…

I will be brief. When the old scheme was mentioned I thought back to the fallout from the old scheme. The Minister is correct that it fell way short. Everybody knows that. That is history. I made a decision tonight on the second scheme based on my gut. It is not for the want of work on the part of the Minister and his officials to try to get it right. I honestly believe there is no such thing as a perfect scheme for a scheme of this magnitude. However, I believe this scheme falls short on a number of fronts. It fal…

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis na daoine a bheidh ag obair ar an scéim seo agus go háirithe gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire, an Teachta Darragh O'Brien, agus leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Peter Burke, fá choinne na díograise agus na hoibre atá déanta ar an scéim seo thar na míosa agus le cúpla bliain anuas fosta. Tá mé ag smaoineamh ach go háirithe ar na daoine uilig ar ais sa bhaile i mo chontae féin agus síos na tíre, na daoine le míoca agus na daoine uilig le pirít fosta. Tá siad uilig ag iarraidh suaimh…

Gabhaim buíochas, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

Gabh mo leithscéal?

Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, just for you. I welcome the Minister of State and I want to acknowledge the very dedicated team in the Passport Office which is producing on average 20,000 passports per week and the Minister of State’s updated figures may indicate even more than that. I also wish to acknowledge the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, and his team. They work exceptionally hard to try to put in systems that work for citizens. Before I get into the substance of my motivati…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. That last paragraph is important, because it emphasises that "the passport service will continue to consider ways in which to enhance the customer experience for citizens". I reiterate and re-emphasise that someone in the north west will have to travel the night before an appointment and pay substantial costs for hotel accommodation. Those people will be out a lot of money in that regard, in addition to the €150 cost of the emergency passport itself. I spoke to the Mi…