Speeding is one of the leading causes of road collisions in Ireland. Last year, 2025, was the worst year for road fatalities in more than ten years and road collision statistics show that there is a growing trend that Irish roads are becoming less safe. Last year, an Garda Síochána recorded 190 fatalities on our roads and over 1,000 people being injured as a result of collisions. Each statistic represents a life lost, a wider family devastated and demonstrates the constant work needed to make our roads safe for all…

I am also here to speak about Friedreich's ataxia. On Monday evening, I met Aoife Quinn from County Galway, who was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia in 2021. She outlined to me her long pathway to getting a diagnosis for this rare disease and how the disease impacted on her life. She told me of her experience dealing with symptoms like loss of balance and speech difficulties and of how her symptoms had deteriorated over time. Every day brings her a loss. It is a relentless and progressive disease. The reimburseme…

I appreciate the update from the Minister of State. I cannot emphasise enough the impact the ongoing delays are having on those impacted by the disease. I also call on the drug company to engage in good faith in the negotiations with the HSE. The priority of all parties involved should be delivering this vital medication to the people who need it. Aoife and all of those who suffer from Friedreich’s ataxia want an opportunity to have as good a quality of life as possible. This medication is critical for them. As we …

I am glad to get the opportunity to raise the proposed extension of Gort Community School in south Galway. The principal of the school, Brian Crossan, is passionate about this project and the future of the school. There is no doubt that it is badly needed. Gort Community School is holding celebrations tomorrow for its 30th anniversary. It is an important milestone for the school. I congratulate the school on 30 years. In recent years, the school has grown from 780 to 1,050 pupils and will continue to grow. It has b…

I thank the Minister of State. This has been going on for many years at this stage. Of course, I understand that these projects take time but there is a pressing need for this project to be accelerated and delivered. I mentioned the pressure on ASD provision in the school. That is a real and immediate need that has to be met. Further delays with this project just makes it more difficult for the school to meet the demand that exists and provide an inclusive learning environment. I also mentioned that Gort and south …

I ask the Minister of State to provide an update on the funding cuts to the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board. This specifically relates to the cut to English for speakers of other languages, ESOL, funding, which has resulted in the loss of 25 teachers and hundreds of classes within GRETB. This has had a devastating impact of which I know the Minister of State is aware.

I thank the Minister of State. I visited the Dunmore centre last week. I met with some of the English language students whose classes have been cancelled. These are people for whom English is not their first language. These classes really helped them to integrate into the community and find employment and so on. It was really heartening to hear what a positive difference it has made for them but, unfortunately, their classes have been cancelled. It is not just English language and literacy. We also had Irish langua…

The reality is that it is a very significant cut within GRETB. Like I said, 25 classes are saying their hands are tied. I do not know if there has been engagement with GRETB on this. These cuts are cruel and they are impacting on marginalised students and staff who are about to become permanent. The Minister of State is shaking her head but, in fairness, there has been a significant cut to the budget in this area. GRETB has been very clear that it cannot move the funding around and that it has pay increases it has …

Carers across Ireland are the backbone of our healthcare system, saving the State an estimated €20 billion annually. Despite this massive contribution, they remain undervalued and pushed to the brink due to systemic failure to provide adequate respite. Respite is not a luxury. It is a fundamental necessity that prevents burnout, protects mental health and ensures the most vulnerable in our society receive sustainable long-term care. Organisations such as Ability West do fantastic work supporting families in the loc…

I welcome any additional investment and the plans the Minister of State has outlined for Tuam and elsewhere. I would make the point that proper respite care is the very least we should be able to provide in a very wealthy country for our most vulnerable citizens, their families and those who care for them. The Minister and her Department must ensure this happens. There is no excuse for having a system that is under-resourced and not meeting the needs of vulnerable children and their families. We clearly still need …

Since the start of this fuel crisis, and even long before that, the Government has been totally out of touch with the reality that households are facing with rising costs. It has failed to support them. Last week, we saw farmers, contractors and hauliers - ordinary men and women - assemble to peacefully demonstrate their desperation with the rising cost of fuel. They were people who did not want to be out protesting. Many had never protested before, but they felt they had no choice. What was the reaction from Gover…

This crisis began at a time when households across the State were already bearing the brunt of a severe cost-of-living crisis, with 320,000 households in arrears on their energy bills, having been totally abandoned by the Government in the last budget. The half-measures announced by the Government yesterday are too little, too late. The Government has sat on its hands for the past four weeks, and only now has it brought forward limited measures to respond, very reluctantly and after sustained pressure from Sinn Féi…

Many of the Ukrainian nationals who came to Ireland following the invasion of Ukraine did not speak English. To assist them, the State provided significant additional funding for English for speakers of other languages, ESOL, classes through the ETB network. This year, the Government has decided to remove this additional funding for ETBs. As a result, Galway and Roscommon ETB has had to inform 25 teachers that they are being let go and that roughly 150 classes will be cancelled. This cut is affecting classes across…

It is in the context of Ukrainian people coming here following the outbreak of the war.

Some 25 jobs have been lost. People were protesting today.

I want to bring to the Taoiseach’s attention the condition of Gaelscoil Riada in Athenry, which is a fantastic school. It is the only Irish-medium primary school in Athenry but the school building is totally inappropriate. There are a number of issues, including toilets frequently blocking and overflowing due to ongoing sewage drainage problems. Raw sewage is overflowing and spilling onto the school yard. The sewage is flooding at the main entrance to the school, and the entrance was inaccessible in recent weeks as…

Some of the personal testimonies we have heard this evening underline the need for change and better outcomes in this area. I speak as a representative of the west of Ireland. We know there is a postcode lottery when it comes to accessing cancer treatment across the State. The Irish Cancer Society, medical professionals and many others have consistently highlighted that waiting times to access cancer treatments in the west are among the worst in the State. For too many cancer patients, accessing treatment in a clin…

Will the Minister outline the engagements he has had on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, specifically with regard to the provisional implementation of that deal by the European Commission?

This deal obviously represents a serious threat to the future of Irish agriculture and to our farmers, who operate to the highest standards in the world in terms of food production but will now face competition from Mercosur countries where the same food production and environmental standards are not in place. It is not a level playing field. The Parliament voted to refer this deal to the European Court of Justice because of the concerns about its legality. However, the Commission has set in motion a process to imp…

There will be a huge impact on agriculture through this deal, so it is very relevant to the Minister. There is a concern out there because Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil sat on the fence for years when it came to this deal. It was not until the day before the vote that they came out and said they were going to outright oppose the deal. It is now being provisionally applied even though the European Parliament has voted to refer it to the European Court of Justice as it is not satisfied with the legality of the agreement.…