Deputy Erin McGreehan is taking Question No. 119 for Deputy Brendan Smith.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan - To discuss the need for a lift upgrade and roof repairs at a school in Cork. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss the plan for schools to be included in the DEIS plus scheme. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss funding for a community-based outreach dental centre in Cork city. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss the shortfall of SEN primary schoo…

Can the Minister outline the current supports available to Mayo's offshore islands, including Inisturk, Clare Island and Achill Island in the areas of transport, housing, health, education, digital connectivity and community development, the efforts that are set out for the planned initiatives and funding streams for these islands over the coming years, including measures to sustain population levels, promote tourism and protect the cultural and linguistic heritage of these areas?

I am lucky enough to have been with the Minister on Inisturk when it got its new helipad and at the launch of TFI anseo, so I can definitely see all the improvements we are making. Last week the people there were very happy and they welcomed the likes of the solar panel to help their generator keep going. We know that, like all communities around Ireland, the islanders are particularly struggling with housing, childcare and access to jobs, given they are so dependent on tourism. The Minister has recently announced …

That will be welcome news to the islanders and I know when we have one announcement we are always looking to the next announcement. Regarding the piers at Clare Island and Inisturk, when we arrived there the islanders spoke about the difficulty getting the ferry right up to the shore with sandbanks and different things. Even though we are progressing Roonagh, there will still be lots more work to do. I am sure that after that, there will be even more. I was struck by my visit to Clare Island where people talked abo…

I thank the Minister for being here. My colleagues have brought this up and the Whip is looking into the delay of the publication of this Bill. However, it is difficult to come in here this evening and to speak to it truly as our constituents expect us to do so. We would love to get to the bottom of why it was published so late that when we are speaking about issues, we can be well informed. Today's amendment is highly anticipated since grant increases were announced last October. Again, since this was published on…

Storm Éowyn highlighted how vulnerable our older constituents with panic alarms and pendants are. Are there plans to move the seniors alert scheme away from copper phone lines?

It is welcome that a review is taking place. All of us, including my colleague from Mayo, are scarred by what we witnessed during Storm Éowyn. I would like to know how many people on the alarms are still on the old copper telephone lines. We need to look at this retrospectively. I understand the review is not supposed to be finished until next summer and I am worried about our preparedness for this winter. This relates to vulnerable adults in their nineties whose panic alarms go down. First the ESB goes down. They …

Cross-government action is needed. We see the fantastic roll-out of the national broadband plan, which is having great results in Mayo. As the Minister of State said, broadband alarms are being recommended, but we have to go back retrospectively. More than 1,000 people in Mayo are using these alarms. I think of the people in Binghamstown, Belmullet, out in Leenane and in some of the rural black spots. Where we have been successful in putting in rural broadband we should get community groups to go out retrospectivel…

Today, I have constituents who feel unheard, unseen and left in limbo. I want to acknowledge that progress has been made. The Government has taken steps in recognising the scale of the housing defects crisis by the establishment of the enhanced defective concrete blocks scheme and by announcements of increased caps offering choices between non-demolition, remediation or a full technical review. These are not small victories. They are hard-won milestones but today I speak on behalf of my constituents in Pairc na Coi…

The Garda vetting review group recently submitted its report to the Minister. Will the Minister provide an update on the changes to the Garda vetting system being considered by the Government, especially the proposed changes to the re-vetting requirements, as we know a lot of people are very frustrated with the delays that have been caused, especially in NGOs and sporting groups?

As Chair of the Joint Committee on Children and Equality, and somebody who has worked with children her whole life, I join the Minister in wanting to ensure that our Garda vetting process is robust and that we are protecting our vulnerable children and adults. At the same time, it is great to hear that the report has made it to the Minister's desk. The review was initiated in 2021. Volunteers are frustrated. If they work with a GAA group one weekend and a drama group the next, they must be vetted repeatedly. I know…

I know it is easy for someone such as me to come in and offer a simple solution. I appreciate that the response is not so simple. At the moment, however, a lot of unnecessary duplication is happening. Multiple checks are being carried out into the same people to verify the same information. One of the key problems is that people who are trying to start a job can come into financial difficulty when that job is delayed. There are times when people who are looking for a new employee cannot wait for the Garda vetting p…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss the need to review the protocol in dealing with suspected victims of a drink spiking incident. Deputy John Connolly - To discuss a proposal to close the salmon hatchery at Cong on Lough Corrib. Deputy Marie Sherlock - To discuss the completion of necessary works to the George's Hill primary school in Dublin 7. Deputy Joe Coo…

I welcome our guests from America in the Visitors Gallery.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Mark Wall - To discuss the provision of an hourly train service for Athy. Deputy Paula Butterly - To discuss the rule preventing widows, widowers and surviving civil partners from receiving illness benefit. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss ongoing human rights abuses against the Uyghurs. Deputy David Cullinane - To discuss the development of a youth m…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I welcome the fact that now over 170,000 children are availing of the school transport system, which is a huge increase on the 120,000 who previously availed of it. I also welcome that in the programme for Government we have committed to having another 100,000 avail of it by 2030. I understand the difficulty we have in recruiting bus drivers. At the same time, however, we have to acknowledge that the system is just too rigid. Probably only 2% of those who use the system…

The contribution of our Defence Forces, both at home and abroad, is undoubtedly a source of incredible pride for us as Irish people. Could the Tánaiste please outline the plans to further support our veterans of the Defence Forces? I notice that in the programme for Government, there are plans to establish a properly resourced office for veteran affairs.

I thank the Tánaiste. Could I take ten seconds of my one minute to thank his Department and our ambassadors for the work they did on getting Gena Heraty and other hostages released from Haiti? It is much appreciated. I acknowledge the tremendous work done by the organisations the Tánaiste mentioned, including ONE, the Association of Retired Commissioned Officers and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association. It is great to hear there is cross-government work to get the veteran affairs office established but we …

I acknowledge the good work that is being done, but there are some veterans who are still falling between the cracks in relation to waiting lists for mental health services and the risks of homelessness. I think of the potential end of the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon. When our troops return home, they are transitioning from a highly structured environment with a very close community, to other work and back into their families. We have to step up to the plate to ensure we are giving them adequate mental health support…