That is not correct.

I thank Senator Lombard for raising this important matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. This year, the Department of Education will spend in excess of €2 billion, or over 25% of its budget, on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special needs. I am pleased to say we have secured an additional €2 m…

I thank the Deputy. I note the point she has raised. It was not the title of this Topical Issue matter. Nevertheless, I will make reference to it. The Deputy's request is that there be a follow-through with the Department of Foreign Affairs in respect of Mr. Binder and his family. I will commit to taking the matter up with the Tánaiste and his office. What I will now discuss is Ireland's support of EU search and rescue efforts of migrants and asylum seekers in distress at sea in the Mediterranean. I will touch on s…

I have committed to bringing the matter to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin. Obviously, Greece is a sovereign nation. However, it is a matter I will draw to the Minister's attention. I see the Deputy's genuine passion in this regard. On behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, I again thank Deputy Hourigan for her engagement on this matter. Ireland has been an active participant and contributor to the EU’s common security and defence policy, CSDP. That contribution will increase signific…

Once again, I thank Senator Lombard for bringing up this important matter. For parents and everybody else, our children's education is probably the most critical thing in their lives. By way of overall summary, the schools get ICT funding and broadband funding. They are supposed to cater for the needs of the children in their school. There may be situations where it is not possible to cater for the needs of specific children. That is where the SENOs come in. They look at the assistive technology scheme for individu…

On behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, I thank Deputy Whitmore for the opportunity to update the House on the ambulance service in Arklow and elsewhere in County Wicklow. The National Ambulance Service, NAS operates a 24-7 response from Arklow ambulance base excluding, as Deputy Whitmore stated, Tuesdays, when there is no cover from the base between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The Deputy made reference to Baltinglass as well. It is not covered, but maybe it is something which she could follow up with …

I thank Senator Boylan for affording me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, on this matter. I acknowledge the effort and commitment of the animal welfare organisations involved in the care, welfare and re-homing of horses, which often operate in challenging and stressful circumstances. With regard to equine welfare, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has stressed in the past, and continues to stress, that it is the responsibility of horse owners to ensure the welf…

I thank Deputy Whitmore. As I have stated, the National Ambulance Service is constantly monitoring its resources, with patient safety its key consideration. Areas identifying a need will be supported as new service resources are developed and become available. Arklow and Baltinglass will be considered in that regard. This is a matter I will bring back to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, but I ask that the Deputy follow up in her own structured way with the Minister's office on those particular points, and the Ministe…

I thank Senator Boylan for raising this issue. She has pointed out in a cogent way the issue with section 38. I will follow up on section 38A and I will ask the Department again to follow up with the local authorities on this. There may be a specific reason for it. I find that in the main those working in this area in local authorities do their job in a very deliberate and compassionate way. Senator Boylan has spoken about the recoupment of costs. The steering group is up and running and I will ask the Department t…

The Senator has raised a very good point. I will take this debate on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. The Senator has been in contact with the Minister, and obviously both the Minister and her officials will keep a very close eye on this debate. The role of the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland, is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and supports the long-term sustainable growth in…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I reiterate that Fáilte Ireland is recruiting an inclusive tourism manager to oversee the new Fáilte Ireland inclusivity programme. The key priorities of the role will include developing a medium- to long-term plan for Fáilte Ireland to support the development of an Irish tourism sector that is inclusive of all tourists in terms of destinations; developing the ongoing capability of Fáilte Ireland's teams to ensure an understanding of barriers to access for visi…

The answer is "Yes, it does", and we will get the Deputy a written response. It is pretty straightforward. If the ground floor of a building is used for retail or as a shop and if the overhead has been vacant for more than two years, the overhead will qualify for Croí Cónaithe. It will not qualify for the higher grant of €50,000, given it will not qualify as derelict because the building is not unoccupied. We will follow up and get a written response, but I have discussed this at length with departmental officials …

The Deputy raises a very important point. We want all local authorities to build under the affordable housing programme using the local authority affordable housing fund. We will encourage all local authorities, including that in Mayo, to put applications to the Department and we are very receptive of that. The original assessment was based on whether a second-hand house for sale within a local authority area was at a level deemed to be affordable. In the case of some of the local authorities, that is what arose bu…

I thank the Deputy. I was not here when he raised the issue with the Tánaiste last week. However, the Tánaiste did give a commitment that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, would follow up with the RTB. I give a commitment to engage with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and his officials to see what exactly is the up-to-date position. The Deputy raised a number of key points. We want to keep people in their homes, whether they own their homes or are renting - the same principles apply. We will come back to the Deputy very …

This matter was also raised yesterday, and I gave a commitment in respect of it. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, is taking an interest in it. We all accept that retained firefighters do phenomenal work across the country. We want to ensure that a resolution is found. I will raise the matter again with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, in order to try to find a resolution. This is something we are very aware of.

I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. There were 13 contributors, which shows the great interest in the national maternity hospital. I acknowledge the relatives of the 1916 Relatives Association. The people who were involved in the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence were an amazing group. My grandmother was a member of Cumann na mBan. I come from a republican background so I understand how important that period is. Many years ago, my grandmother stayed with us not long …

The Department takes this matter very seriously. I read the reports in the media over the weekend. Additional resources have been provided. However, the Department will discuss with the National Building Control Office the matter of its additional resourcing requirements.

I have given a commitment-----

I have given a commitment to take up the matter with them. I will discuss it with them in great depth. That is what is now required.

I thank the Deputy. We value the role of staff in all local authorities, especially those who are employed in the water services area. I will take up with both the LGMA and the CCMA the issue the Deputy raised, see exactly what the position is and get the facts of the case. Maybe we could have a discussion afterwards with regard to Tipperary specifically.