At the outset, I acknowledge the fact that the cost of living in Ireland is rising very fast. Indeed, this is the case all around the world. Governments are doing their best to deal with that but there is only so much any government can do. Obviously, people have seen big increases in the cost of petrol and diesel, utility bills, grocery bills and other bills as well. Everyone is feeling the squeeze, of course, but some people, particularly those on the lowest incomes, those with large families and those in rural a…

The cost-of living crisis is happening right here, right now. It will happen all the way through to the budget and continue after the budget. That is the truth of it. We are facing a global inflation crisis and it will not end because of any budget, whether that is an emergency budget before the autumn or one in autumn. This is something with which we will be grappling for months if not years ahead. It is caused by number of factors, of which the Deputy is very aware, that are very much internationally driven. Ther…

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue again. I emphasise that the Government is committed to ensuring that every child with special educational needs has access to an education. One child who does not have a school place is one child too many. We fundamentally believe that our most vulnerable children in society should be prioritised. That is why the Government is introducing new legislation this week. The new Bill was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday and it will ensure that adequate provision …

We can certainly give that some consideration, but different jurisdictions do things differently. It would not be the norm in Ireland, and it would not have been the norm when we were in government together, for a strategy to be underpinned by legislation. Different jurisdictions do things differently, but I certainly will not rule it out. I absolutely agree with the Deputy on one point. It is wrong that parents have to fight and struggle for a place in school for their children. I met parents in Dublin 15 in my co…

I am afraid I do not have a specific note on orthopaedic waiting lists in Galway but I will make sure we get one and that we give the Deputy a fuller reply later. I acknowledge there are far too many people waiting far too long for the operations they need in Galway and in all parts of the country. Notwithstanding the fact we probably have 1,000 more beds than we had two years ago, more staff in our health service than ever before, a bigger budget than ever before, and more doctors than ever before working in our h…

I am aware that Galway is the specialist tertiary centre for a significant swathe of the country. Waiting lists in Galway are comparatively worse than in other parts of the country, but there has been a lot of investment in recent years. There is now more than 4,000 staff between University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital; that is a 12% increase since this Government was formed. The budget for both hospitals is now more than €400 million, which is a 10% increase since this Government was formed.…

I had a chance to read the EUROSTAT report in detail the other day; it is worth reading in detail. It tells us the cost of living in Ireland is high and much higher than the European average. That will not come as a surprise to anybody as it was well known already, but when we drill into the detail, the report tells a slightly more complex story. There are countries where the cost of living is higher than Ireland's, including Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. There are countries that are similar to us, for example, …

The EUROSTAT report is entirely accurate. What I am saying is that it is half the story. Incomes, salaries and wages in Ireland are 30% to 40% higher than the European average. Of course, there is a correlation between that and higher prices. Countries with a very low cost of living in that report are Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and other countries where there is very low pay. Of course, the price of something in a restaurant or a shop will be lower if people there are paid €1.50 or €2 per hour. We need to look at th…

I am happy to give that assurance. That is very much what is happening at present. For the information of the House, if we go back to 2009, 55% of child admissions were to adult units. Last year, that figure was 6.3%. The job is not done yet but there has been a massive improvement, with those admissions going down from 55% to approximately 6% last year. Of course, we want to get to zero. While the Deputy's description of the report from the Mental Health Commission is correct, it is also incomplete. It is worth re…

I see the south east as a region that is very much in catch-up mode. If the Deputy wants to look at statistics, he should look at the labour force survey statistics from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, which show that jobs growth in Ireland last year was at its highest in the south east and south west, not in Dublin or the west, which is a good sign of the south-east region catching up. There has been significant IDA Ireland investment, such as by State Street in Kilkenny and the announcement by IDA Ireland fir…

I broadly agree with the Deputy. The probability is that energy prices will fall back and ease, and I hope they do, but there will be an upward trend in the cost of energy over the next five or ten years. As a result, the solution cannot always be subsidies and tax cuts. We have to help businesses and householders reduce the costs of energy, make their homes and businesses more efficient and embrace solar and microgeneration to bring down their costs. On the business side, I had a look at this the other day and the…

I have a long note on this and, out of respect to other Deputies, I will give the Deputy the note rather than reading it out. The information I have is that Carrickmines is not owned or controlled by NAMA but there are units under the control of a NAMA-appointed receiver, John McStay of McStay Luby. The receiver has advised NAMA of his understanding of the current position regarding block insurance. I appreciate it is an important issue in the Deputy's constituency and perhaps the best thing I can do is give him th…

I am afraid I do not have a date for the review of the strategy but I will get it for the Deputy and make sure it is passed on to his office. Among the things the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is focusing on at the moment is extending eligibility for the carer's allowance, so more people qualify for it, which is welcome. She is working on proposals to ensure people who act as family carers for a prolonged period qualify for a State contributory pension. Those are the two big reforms under way on her side. I do not kn…

I am really looking forward to that visit. I have not been to the campus yet so look forward to seeing what they are doing. It is an area the Government is very excited about and interested in. It might be ten or 20 years away but the era of autonomous vehicles which drive themselves is on our doorstep and will change things and the way we live in so many ways, mostly for the better. It is a good thing that that technology is being developed on a global scale in Shannon, County Clare.

I am not directly involved in that but will speak about it to the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, and ask him to come back to the Deputy in more detail. I hear what she is saying about wanting to avoid a cliff-edge. We are trying to move away from the idea that Covid is a special illness that is treated differently to other illnesses. It will be with us forever and needs to be seen in the round in terms of what is offered to people when it comes to sick pay and other things. That process needs to happen in an ord…

I was not aware of that being an issue. It has not come through my constituency service yet anyway. I thank the Deputy for bringing it to my attention. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and we will see what we can do to make sure people get the payments they are entitled to as soon as possible. They will get them in arrears but I am sure they would prefer them on time.

This issue was discussed at a meeting of my own parliamentary party a few weeks ago at which we adopted a policy of extending the short hop zone to anywhere within 50 km or so of Dublin. It is quite anomalous at the moment. Kilcoole in County Wicklow is in the short hop zone but Drogheda and areas in mid-Kildare that are the same distance away from Dublin are not. We think that should be regularised but that work really has to be done through the National Transport Authority and the Minister.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I know is causing a lot of angst and worry to families throughout the State, including in my constituency of Dublin West. I have read the Ombudsman's report. The Government accepts the criticisms being made. We are committed to ensuring that every single child with special educational needs has access to education. One child who does not have a school place is one child too many in our view. We are prioritising children who have special educational needs. W…

I thank the Deputy. Again, I welcome the offer of co-operation should special or emergency legislation be needed. We will probably be able to find places for the 100 children or so without the need for legislation but if it is required to do it then it should be done. I know from my engagement with the NCSE and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, that they have revised the way they project the number of places needed. They are confident that in future years we will not end up with the problem we have had in rece…

As stated earlier, I have had the chance to read the ombudsman's report. The Government accepts the criticisms that are being made. The report acknowledges some of the changes that have been made in the past two years, especially with regard to future planning. Use of such planning will mean that in future years we will not face the problems we have been facing for the past couple of years whereby parents do not know if there is a place available for their child until very late in the day. That is not acceptable, a…