I thank the Deputy for again raising this important issue. Above all, I want people to be safe and feel safe in their homes and on our streets. We are responding with more gardaí, better equipment for our gardaí and stronger laws, more judges and more places in our prisons. At €2.3 billion a year, the Garda budget has never been higher. That is up 25% in four years. We are building stronger, safer communities. Ba mhaith liom go mbeadh daoine sábháilte agus go mothóidís sábháilte ina dtithe agus ar na sráideanna. Ma…

I thank the Deputy. In our engagement with An Garda Síochána, it advised us that the State's amended bail laws have proven to be effective. While there is no immediate proposal to amend the State's bail laws further, we will keep them under review. Certainly, if the Garda advises and asks us to make further reforms to our bail laws, we will give that detailed consideration. Certainly, in an appropriate way in our engagement with the Judiciary, we can say to them that it is important that they honour their responsib…

Deputy McGrath has many years on me and much more experience but, really, with experience should come wisdom. What we heard today is just the latest conspiracy theory. I am not sure who he has involved in it this time. He left out the World Economic Forum on this occasion but I think he had the Irish Independent and the Referendum Commission, which does not even exist any more.

I will leave it at that. On the RTÉ issues, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, answered questions for three and a half hours before the committee last week and made statements here in the Chamber. In regard to the statement of the former chairperson, the Minister has written to the committee about this, provided some phone call and meeting notes, which it requested, and also has confirmed that she met the chairperson 11 times in the past nine months. She is willing to engage with and appear before the committee…

On the optional protocol on disability, the previous Government, which I had the privilege to lead as Taoiseach, signed the UN convention. The current Government made a commitment to ratify the optional protocol. We will do so. Earlier today, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, received approval from the Cabinet to establish the interdepartmental working group to make that possible. That has been decided, and we will honour that commitment in the programme for Government. Following on from her budget announcement, the M…

There is a Government decision, and there is also a planning issue. People who are beneficiaries of temporary protection, those who have come here from Ukraine, have a different legal status from those who are seeking international protection. There are properties that are being refurbished and that are designated for Ukrainians that cannot currently be used by people who are seeking international protection. This is because of a Government decision and a legal difference in their status.

I set out in detail the things we are doing in response to a previous question. That question may have been from the Deputy or from someone else. We continue to pursue this issue in the context of the EU-Israel association agreement. We will do so again at the European Council meeting later this month. The Tánaiste in particular is working on the issue of sanctions relating to violent settlers. There are a number of other things as well. Perhaps I can set them out in writing to the Deputy.

I have been to Mallow many times. I agree that it needs its relief road. An allocation has been made for this year to progress the project. TII has the capacity, if it makes savings and underspends in other areas, to transfer funds to that project too. However, €300,000 will be adequate to progress the project. That is the important thing for the town.

The HSE has advised that the results of the review and the details of the individual cases were discussed and shared with the families involved in November and December 2023. That would cover the issue of open disclosure. I am advised the decision to publish the report widely rests with the Saolta University Health Care Group, but I see no reason why it could not be published - in anonymised form - with the agreement of the people involved. It is important to state that the audit did not find any specific issue of …

I will look into that. There is always a process to be followed with referendums. I have been involved in many of them, including those relating to marriage equality and repealing the eighth amendment to the Constitution. The Government would always take on board what a citizens' assembly or convention has to say. It would also look at what an all-party committee would have to say. We would then set up an interdepartmental group. There was a similar process for other referendums. Such a process is required because …

I thank Deputy Ellis for raising this important issue. I know the school, although I do not know the particular school project. I will have to inquire with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and ask her to come back to the Deputy with some more detail. We have a very significant budget for school buildings this year, but many projects are falling behind. We need to make sure that we speed them up, and that will be true in my constituency as well as the Deputy's.

This is something on which we are working. As the Deputy knows, I represent Dublin West, which is a rapidly growing area, as is the Deputy’s constituency now as well. There has been a big increase in population, and we have a huge school building programme across the country at the moment at primary and second level. There is a pipeline, and sometimes it moves very well and sometimes it slows down. It is a bit slow at the moment. The Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Foley, are working very closely on how we can move…

Regarding the issues Deputy Paul Murphy raised around animal welfare and conditions in pig farms, I would certainly encourage anyone who has evidence of animals being mistreated to pass the evidence on to the relevant authorities and that they should of course investigate them. On Deputy Verona Murphy's question, I absolutely acknowledge we have a real problem and a real deficiency in providing therapies for children who need it and need it desperately. It is something I experience in my constituency work talking t…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2024, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 1st March, 2024.

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 1 go 8, go huile, le chéile. Déanann an coiste comh-aireachta um ghnóthaí sóisialta agus seirbhísí poiblí maoirsiú ar chur i bhfeidhm ghealltanais chlár an Rialtais i réimsí an bheartais shóisialaí agus seirbhísí poiblí. Clúdaíonn an coiste raon ábhar le béim áirithe ar chomhionannas agus athchóiriú an tseirbhís phoiblí. Mar aon leis sin, tá coiste comh-aireachta ar an bhfreagairt dhaonnúil don Úcráin. Déanann sé maoirsiú ar fhreagairt dhaonnúil an Rialtais do dhaoine ón Úcráin a bhfuil…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of Mr. John Molloy in Dunleer. A decision was made by Government today to increase the retirement age for those in uniformed services to 62 but I am not 100% sure if that will apply in this gentleman's case or whether it will kick in in time for him. If the Deputy wants to pass me on some details, I can check that out. In principle, we decided today to raise the retirement age for uniformed services to 62, although for the Defence Forces it …

Ba mhaith liom Ceisteanna Uimh. 9 go 15, go huile, a thógáil le chéile. Tugann an Chomhairle Náisiúnta Eacnamaíoch agus Shóisialta comhairle dom ar shaincheisteanna beartais straitéisigh a bhaineann le forbairt inbhuanaithe eacnamaíoch shóisialta agus chomhshaoil in Éirinn. The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social and environmental development in Ireland. NESC is currently working on four main areas, the first is which is "A Thriv…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of climate action. We are making measurable progress on climate. Emissions are falling and we expect them to fall again this year. This is against the backdrop of a growing economy and increasing population. Our per capita emissions have fallen considerably in the last 20 years, but they are still not falling fast enough. In terms of what we can do on climate when it comes to all-Ireland co-operation, one area is transport. The investmen…

On the issue of childcare fees, providers that are in the scheme have reduced their fees by approximately 25% and will reduce them by a further 25% in September. Providers that are outside the scheme are different because we do not control their fees. Even if we had a fully State-run system, I imagine there would still be private crèches and private childcare providers, unless one made them illegal, which I do not think anyone is proposing. I do not have a proper read on the number of childcare providers that are p…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 21, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health last met on 12 February 2024 and is due to meet again shortly. Déanann an coiste comh-aireachta ar shláinte maoirseacht ar ghealltanais i gclár an Rialtais a bhaineann le sláinte agus faigheann sé tuarascálacha mionsonraithe ar réimsí beartais aitheanta. Déanann sé breathnú ar dhul chun cinn athchóirithe sláinte lena n-áirítear Sláintecare agus an t-athchóiriú ar sheirbhísí míchumais. Coinníonn an coiste comh-aireachta f…