I thank the Senator. I am making this statement on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, in regard to the planning and building unit of the Department of Education. It gives me an opportunity to outline what is happening with regard to Ardscoil Phádraig. I note the Senator is on the board of management of the school, as well as his comments in respect of the rich and diverse curriculum and the significant growth in the number of pupils attending the school. He stated that the number has risen to 344 f…

I thank the Senator. I wish the school, as well as the Senator and the other members of the board of management, the best of luck with its open night tonight. It is probably beneficial that he has tabled a Commencement matter on the issue. The Department will be aware it has been raised today in the Seanad. The stage 1 report is with the Department and is being reviewed. I will bring back the Senator's request to have it expedited as soon as possible. I have set out the context of all the other building projects bu…

As the Senator mentioned, I am making this statement on behalf of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman. I thank the Senator for raising the issue today, and I am happy to provide an update on the progress with regard to the delivery of this scheme to survivors and former residents. As colleagues will be aware, the mother and baby institutions payment scheme will provide financial payments and health supports to eligible people in recognition of the circumst…

I note what the Senator says around the online application system. I mentioned that there is a stakeholder reference group there where members can provide feedback on draft applications. In terms of the scheme being advanced as soon as possible, I also outlined, from the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, some of the issues that need to be looked at and some of the measures in terms of making sure that there is an information awareness campaign and such like prior to the scheme being open. I appreciate it also needs to be …

I am bringing this statement on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Our firefighters, as the Senator says, do incredibly valuable work on a daily basis. The retained fire service is an elite front-line service staffed by dedicated people who serve their communities around the clock. There is no doubt that the efforts of retained firefighters and those of their full-time colleagues first and foremost save lives, prevent damage to residential and commercial property, protect critical in…

I appreciate the Senator's comments on a timeline. He mentioned earlier that the local authorities should be aware of this. The fact the Minister has made a commitment to implement the recommendations gives certainty and clarity to firefighters in the context of mortgages and loans. I will bring the Senator's comments to the Department and Minister and ensure we try to expedite this matter as much as possible.

On behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, I thank Deputies for their contributions to the debate on the national driver testing service. From both the motion itself and contributions from Deputies during the debate, I believe we are all in agreement about wanting to provide a reliable, high-quality driver testing service throughout the State. As the House is aware, the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable public services. The driver testing service provision is no diff…

Hear, hear.

I am delighted to announce the supports for special education in this budget. We have a budget of €2.7 billion this year, which is a 5% increase on last year. It is 26% of the entire education budget. One of the challenges I have as Minister of State with responsibility for special education is to ensure we have sufficient special classes and appropriate placements for children with additional needs - either a special school place or a special class. One of the ways we do that is by securing sufficient SNAs and spe…

I again thank all Members for the opportunity to update them on school transport. It is important to note that the normal eligibility criteria of the scheme still apply and that tickets continue to be allocated in line with these criteria. I know that many families, whatever their eligibility status, rely on this scheme and this consideration has been factored into the analysis under way as part of the review of the scheme. I have noted the contributions of Deputies here this evening and I will bring them to the at…

I have not yet visited St. Peter's National School but I am familiar with it. As the Senator noted, it is one of the oldest schools in Dublin and has a great ethos in terms of education and inclusivity. I am aware of the situation regarding pyrite. I will run through some of the issues chronologically. In 2006-07, a major project was carried out at the above school that consisted of the restoration and refurbishment of the original 19th-century building, which is a protected structure; the demolition of the buildin…

I can only imagine how frustrating it has been for the school. This pyrite issue came up through no fault of its own and, indeed, through no fault of the Department I would add. It is just one of those things that happened. It is regrettable that there have been delays, however, not just for the SEN and special education end but for the whole school with its 500 pupils, as the Senator mentioned. I will be doing all I can to make sure this meeting goes ahead, which it will. I am not 100% sure if it is with the plann…

I thank the Senator for his comprehensive delineation of what happened with regard to this particular issue. Keelderry commonage is an area of land owned and claimed by nine applicants under the single payments scheme, basic payment scheme and other area-based schemes which form part of the overall Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, schemes. There are four separate land parcels which were claimed as rough grazing and permanent grassland. In 2010, one of the nine applicants was selected for inspection. His application…

I thank Deputy O'Reilly for the question. I will take this response on behalf of the Minister for Transport. Public transport is also pertinent in my own consistency of Dublin Rathdown. I understand the points the Deputy is making on the quality and the frequency of public transport, the disappearing buses - the Deputy mentioned Lusk as well - and having accessible and reliable public transport. I will certainly bring that to the attention of the Minister. I will outline some of the comments that he has given me in…

I appreciate what the Senator has said. Obviously, I am bound by what the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has instructed me to communicate to him today. That is quite clear. The Department is satisfied that there are no further moneys due to the applicants. I have heard that the Senator is of the view that the shareholders are entitled to moneys and the reasons for that. I will certainly bring that back to the Minister and Department.

I thank the Deputy and I have noted her concerns, especially around safe active travel which of course is hugely important. We want to incentivise people to be able to cycle as opposed to using their vehicle. I will bring that to the attention of the Minister because obviously one should be in a position to be able to cycle through the constituency when needed. I am not familiar with the 33X but I will bring that to the attention of the Minister and the Ministers of State in the Department also. The Deputy referred…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter and I appreciate she has raised it in the past. The Health Act 1970 provides that persons who are unable, without undue hardship, to arrange GP medical services for themselves and their family can qualify for a medical or GP visit card. The Senator is obviously aware of that. These services are provided for under the general medical services, GMS, scheme through which the HSE contracts GPs to provide medical services to medical and GP visit card holders. Under the terms o…

I thank the Deputy for his question which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. Clean air is fundamental to our well-being and quality of life and is essential for the health of the environment on which we depend. People have no choice about the air they breathe. We have an important role in developing the policies that will deliver clean air, hence the high priority given to improving Ireland’s air quality in the current programme for Government. Our choices in how …

Again, I can bring the Senator's representation on including this in budget 2024 to the Minister. From a humane perspective, there is huge merit in what the Senator has said. My understanding, from the statement today, is that the Department is bound by the GMS contract and the fact that GPs are private practitioners, most of whom hold a GMS contract with HSE for the provision of GP care without charges for medical and GP visit card holders. The scope of services under the contract does not include all services tha…

I thank the Deputy. I will certainly bring the points he raised in his contribution to the senior Minister and the Ministers of State in the Department. Regarding the 2021 WHO air quality guidelines, the strategy commits us to achieving the interim target by 2026, the IT4 target by 2030 and the achievement of the final WHO air quality guideline values by 2040. I note what the Deputy said around the clean air communications group. I will bring this to the attention of the Minister. He also mentioned the clean air Ac…