I welcome the visitors in the Public Gallery. I also welcome this motion and thank the Deputies who brought it forward. I thank those carers and their representative organisations who are campaigning for the abolition of the means test for the carer’s payment. They have had a serious impact and have forced the Government into making a commitment. However, we know how much a commitment from this Government is actually worth. For that reason, we will keep the pressure on until this cruel means test is abolished. We c…

We saw you.

It is a simple question.

Is the Taoiseach looking for a medal?

Hear, hear.

I was a union organiser before I was elected to this House and health, safety and welfare at work is very important to me. It is no less important here in my current workplace. I will not tolerate any ambiguity and I will not be silenced when I raise issues of concern. I have read, as we all have, in media reports about the inappropriate behaviour of a sitting Fine Gael Senator. I have asked questions of An Tánaiste, the leader of Fine Gael, Deputy Simon Harris, and yesterday I wrote to the Minister of State, Deput…

Maybe because they shouted at him like they are shouting now.

I wish to raise issues with search and rescue operations. As the Taoiseach will be aware, Bristow Ireland Limited won the contract and is in the process of transitioning and taking over operations. The Department of Transport has said it will not allow risks to be taken in a rush to meet contractual deadlines. It further stated it recognises the need to revise transition dates to ensure overall safety and that this will be done if required. Concerns have been raised directly with me on the speed of this transition.…

I represent the constituency of Dublin Fingal West, which is in the DMR north region. In that region from 2019 to 2024 we have seen a 21% increase in the possession of drugs for sale or supply. It is all very well to see the figure, but it means that in my community and the communities I represent people are subjected daily to the sight of open drug dealing. Nobody wants that on their doorstep and nobody deserves to have that on their doorstep, but it is becoming a feature. I represent one of the fastest-growing co…

Gabhaim buíochas le hEolan Ó Rinn agus le hEoghan Finn as oifig an Teachta Ó Snodaigh. Is é sin an chéad am a bheidh mé ag caint as Gaeilge sa Dáil seo. Táim neirbhíseach. Níl confidence mór agam agus tá support mór agam ó na Teachtaí Doherty, Farrell agus Ó Snodaigh, ó Eoghan agus Eolan agus ó gach duine i mo pháirtí a bhfuil grá don teanga acu. Is scoil den scoth í Coláiste Ghlór na Mara i mBaile Brigín. Bhí an feachtas le haghaidh meánscoil lán-Ghaeilge an-dian agus táimid uilig bródúil as Coláiste Ghlór na Mara…

I welcome the Minister and wish him the very best in his new role. I very much look forward to working with him in a constructive way, which, as he knows from our previous engagements, is how I work. I will not say it is my trademark; I am sure he knows what I mean. My question is a very straightforward one. It relates to the Supreme Court judgment issued in January 2024. I am looking for information on the timeline for legislation. If the Minister would also speak a little on backdating of payments, that would be …

The Minister's news is very welcome. If he could put a date on "imminently", it would be even more welcome. He referenced the case taken by John O'Meara. In the aftermath of that case, which he won, Mr. O'Meara was reported as saying, "We are all equal as regards families." However, all families will not be equal until the legislation goes through. This will impact on 150,000 cohabiting couples. I am dealing with cases in my office, as I am sure the Minister is, where people are grieving following the death of thei…

With regard to backdating, my concern is not just in respect of the case taken by John O'Meara. There are cases in the system that predate the judgment. Will the Minister give some consideration to those people, as well as people who are experiencing issues on an individual basis? I do not imagine the numbers will be huge. However, we have seen a large increase in the number of cohabiting couples. This issue needs to be fixed for the future. I imagine that, looking back, we are not talking about a huge number of pe…

This is a subject we discussed at length during the most recent election. I am pleased that, due to pressure from the organisations representing carers and from members of the Opposition, including my party, the two parties that now make up two thirds of the Government committed to the abolition of the means test for carers. As yet, we do not have a detailed timeline in relation to that. My question relates to the means by which this will be done, and the timeline.

I will have to substantially redefine my understanding of what a significant commitment means if that is what the Minister believes it means. I asked for a detailed timeline and what I got instead from the Minister was a very watery indication that he might at some point do something. We talked at lot about this during the election. The commitment was given and carers need to know it will happen. In March 2024, the previous Minister announced an interdepartmental group on carers. I have not seen its report, if it h…

According to Family Carers Ireland, three in four of the family carers it surveyed indicated that the people they support do not receive sufficient formal support and 72% had never received any respite. The Minister should think about how his words will sound to a person who is stuck at home and does not have access to respite, as is the case for most people. As the Minister knows, that is because the waiting lists are chronic and the lack of staff is causing severe distress for people. The Minister gave a commitme…

We understand the importance of the school meals programme but it is equally important that when kids are availing of this programme, the food is decent, of good quality, healthy and nutritious. I know from talking to teachers in my constituency that, for some kids, these meals may represent a significant proportion of the food they eat on any given day. It is important that those standards are upheld.

Irish Country Living has found that traceability of the food can be poor and that ingredients are often just listed as "pasta sauce" on the website. This has been widely reported in the media. We also know that the same amount of funding, €3.20 per meal, and the same portion sizes are given to children from junior infants right up to sixth class. That should be looked at because children's nutritional needs change and grow as they get older. I am concerned that of the 2,200 schools availing of the scheme, only 400 …

We all saw the Jamie Oliver programmes in England and his war on turkey twizzlers and all of that. We have an opportunity to not let the situation get to that level. I welcome the Minister's commitment to monitoring the system. The Department must be very proactive as a significant amount is being spent here. That buying power should be used to drive up and maintain standards rather than allow standards to slip. It may not be the best idea to wait for complaints to be made; they will come, and I will be happy to ch…

Hear, hear.