Sorry, I asked about the homeless children and their transport costs.

Homeless children and their transport costs to school.

The Taoiseach spoke about building houses but I asked about-----

What is the Government's policy on providing financial assistance towards the cost of transport for the purpose of homeless children being able to attend their own schools from which they were dramatically shunted?

It does not cover it, no.

I pay respect to firefighters nationally, including those in County Wexford and some of whom are in the Visitors Gallery, on their outstanding service and commitment. Their dedication to their communities is second to none and their passion for their job is exemplary. They are often the first on the scene for emergencies such as car crashes, cardiac arrests and suicide attempts. They are often the first port of call in providing much-needed support for families in times of trouble. The current setup of the retained…

Answer the question.

I ask the Taoiseach to replicate the special emergency humanitarian support scheme the Tánaiste recently announced for the people in New Ross and Tullow after flooding in the towns. I am asking for the same support for the two small communities of Clongeen and Foulkesmill, in south Wexford. They are left with a trail of devastation following a mini tornado that struck those areas last week. One man had almost completed the building of his new home only to find it flattened, with no possibility of a claim, but thank…

Home care is one of the most essential parts of looking after the well-being, mental health and welfare of our treasured older citizens and those living with disabilities. Many people who require this service are coming out of hospital. Coming out of hospital is a very worrying time for anyone, but doubly so for older people who may be facing mobility challenges. It is proven that home support is the best way back to independence. The elderly fully deserve this service at their time of need. I take this opportunity…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for attending this debate. I hope we can all agree with the intention behind this Bill, which attempts to progress an issue on which work is long overdue. The aim of the Bill is to amend the Mental Health Act 2001 to provide a right for minors over the age of 16 to consent to mental health treatment and to provide for related matters. We simply want to give 16- and 17-year-olds the same legal right to consent to mental …

I thank the Minister of State. We are a little bit disappointed that the Bill is not being supported. However, we also recognise that it is not about who brings forward the Bill, rather, it is about consent and the right of consent of people aged 16 and 17. That is what it is about. We will work together on this. I am glad the Minister of State accepted the principle that we put forward. We look forward to the Bill in the next session, with Christmas being so close. As I said, it is more than overdue. We can all te…

I welcome the Bill. We are all aware of the extent to which the cost of living has risen and we are witnessing the highest inflation rates seen in this country for over two decades. Therefore, any help in reducing high energy bills must be welcomed as a buffer against what we know will be a tough winter for many. The energy supply markets, the unknown factors surrounding Ukraine and the unpredictable duration of the war are not in our control. What is in our control is the capping of electricity units at the rate t…

I would like to ask the Minister about the recent housing review published last week in the middle of the budget. There are only five counties where the threshold for social housing was increased. Surely the thresholds must be revised as soon as possible, considering the substantial rise in rents and property and the cost-of-living crisis the country faces now and into the near future, with inflation predicted to run close to 8%. In Wexford, rents have risen by 14.7% and housing prices have increased by 70%. In my …

I thank Deputy Eoin Ó Broin and the Sinn Féin team for bringing forward this motion. The motion was brought about because of the introduction of a 10% levy on all concrete products by the Government in budget 2023. Under the Government’s design, this 10% levy is directly passed on to young couples and individuals who have saved and borrowed to build their new home or are in the process of buying a new home or a new apartment. That is according to the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and the leading think tank…

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage published a review of income eligibility for social housing support this week, which is a choice time, given that the budget would of course dominate the news cycle. The result of this report is that thresholds for social housing will rise in only five of the 31 local authority areas. This should be extended to all local authorities. I know of many constituents in County Wexford who work full-time but are sleeping on couches, going to work from bed and breakfa…

I commend the justice budget, which will go a long way towards protecting communities. I will speak generally on the budget itself. Much has been said about this budget during the last day or so. However, there are flaws in the analysis in tackling the cost of living and the rise in inflation. For example, the €12 increase in the State pension and welfare payments will not cover inflation. In real terms, there will be a real drop of 8.1% in the pension rate between 2021 and 2023. Our proposals would have given peop…

I thank the Minister for her work on the Bill to date. Also, the Seanad and the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media put in many hours of work to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny on this important Bill. I hope the Minister will listen to all recommendations made. Our thanks must also go to all the stakeholders who made written submissions and gave evidence to committee hearings to ensure their expertise and knowledge played into this process. Safeguards for people online, especially children, …

As the Taoiseach is aware, hundreds of children were turned down for discretionary tickets for school buses for this year alone and my own constituency of Wexford is no exception. For example, Mairéad has two children, Aoife and Michael, who have been travelling for the last five years to the same school. Aoife has had open heart surgery and lung surgery. Mairéad will have to work fewer hours in order to bring her children to school. Anna, who is a teacher, travels 30 km to work each day. It is not possible for her…

Sinn Féin welcomes this Bill, which we see as a positive initiative that should create a more professional and protective system for the public and staff alike. We also welcome the removal of the bureaucratic anomalies that prohibit people who hold British medical degrees from availing of medical intern posts and establishing a route to registration for the non-consultant doctors on the general division of international doctors. However, I encourage the Minister of State to address the outflow of our own qualified …

There is a perception that the rental crisis is just in cities and larger towns. I can categorically say that every town and village is impacted by this crisis. The Government's failure to tackle the escalating disaster is causing social and economic upheaval among our younger generation, leaving people with no chance ever to own their own home or save for a deposit. The latest reports on the rental market in Ireland show that my county, Wexford, had a staggering 14.2% year-on-year increase in rental prices. The re…