I thank the Deputy. The main area we are looking at there is the area of hairdressing. It is the one area where that would have increased. Gender balance in craft apprenticeships has increased significantly since the launch of the action plan, with the number of female craft apprenticeships more than doubling from 260 to 533, an increase of exactly 105%. I will be honest with the Deputy. When you start from a low base, having a big increase is not that difficult. The gender bursary has made a real difference and we…

As I explained, the increase in craft apprenticeships is quite significant. We also have another campaign, the faces, facts, futures campaign, which was launched in 2023 and connects all-girls schools in the country with the National Apprentice Office, which publicised this campaign. Looking at registration figures for apprenticeships, they have increased significantly since the launch of this campaign by approximately 31% between the end of 2022 and 2024. The Deputy asked for stats and we saw 887 female apprentice…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Deputy will recognise that I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and I hope she will recognise that I cannot answer on a specific individual. It is not because it is not important. It is. It is absolutely crucial and I would never say in response that it is tough. However, it is a specific case and will have to be dealt with in that way. The only answer I can provide is more generalised. However, if the Deputy would like me to speak to the Minist…

I thank the Deputy, and I can hear that this is an issue of real concern for her and the people involved. I thank her for raising the matter. I wish to assure the Deputy that the supplementary welfare allowance scheme is kept under review. The issue is to ensure it continues to support those most in need of assistance. The delivery of crucial community welfare services to meet the challenges and needs of citizens across the country remains a priority for the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and his Department. As I said,…

I thank Deputy Kelly, and I am happy to respond on behalf of the Minister. I am sure the Deputy, as a former Minister, will know the calls on Ministers and in some cases they cannot be here. In that context, I am happy to be here. What the Deputy said is right. Biomethane will play a crucial role in Ireland reaching its decarbonisation targets and security of energy supply, and Ireland is uniquely positioned to develop a sustainable biomethane sector due to the nature of the agricultural sector in our country. I kn…

Ireland is recognised as having one of the greatest potentials for biomethane in Europe per capita due to our substantial agricultural sector. The Government's target of producing 5.7 TWh of indigenous biomethane by 2030, which is a little over 10% of our current natural gas use, will remain a Government commitment. The Deputy will know that an Irish anaerobic digestion and methane sector will bring highly significant benefits to the Irish economy, to our energy security and climate targets. The Deputy asked for a …

I thank the Deputies for raising the issue. I had a positive meeting yesterday with representatives of Tipperary ETB. I was encouraged to hear about the good work ongoing. We had a good conversation and agreed that there are challenges. We are trying to work to manage those challenges in the best way possible. To come to the issue raised by the Deputies, ETBs, as they know, support community-based groups by providing funding for intervention projects that provide a range of learner-centred training and related serv…

I fully recognise the value of these courses. To be clear, what Tipperary ETB informed my Department is that no current learners are impacted as they have completed their programmes. However, Deputy Mattie McGrath was right to say that the impact is on the availability of places for new learners for the remainder of 2025. The Deputy was quite right to say that. My Department is committed to supporting a FET system that helps individuals succeed, boosts economic growth and prepares our workforce for the challenges a…

I thank the Deputies. I can hear that both of them are greatly concerned about what has happened. Regarding the length of time the pool has been out of action, significant mechanical and electrical issues have been identified at the Ferryhouse pool and sports complex. The pool was closed due to a failure of the electrical periodic testing in response to a notification of hazard issued by the electrical contractor on 20 February 2025. On receipt of this information about a significant issue with the pool, it needed …

All I can say is what I said in response to the Deputies earlier, which is that further discussions will be required on the future operating model. I cannot say more than that. The appropriate funding mechanisms will have to include the local authority and local sports partnerships given the scale of the investment required and, as the Deputies are aware, the ongoing costs of operating a swimming pool. The Deputies asked about a report. The report received by Tusla, which was from the mechanical and electrical cons…

On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, who regrets not being able to be in the Chamber this evening, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I will pass on his comments to the Minister of State. I fully accept that he comes from a place of care. That is very clear from what he said, especially when he powerfully articulated the specific issues relating to men who take their own lives. Each death by suicide is a profound tragedy that has a devastating impact on indivi…

I really appreciate the Deputy’s considered and genuine comments on this. I mentioned the network of crisis resolution teams. These are teams of mental health professionals who work out of hours to meet people in mental health crisis and provide rapid assessment and intensive intervention in the community in calm environments known as solace cafés. Connecting for Life, our national suicide reduction strategy, came to an end at the end of 2024. Work on Ireland’s new suicide reduction policy is being swiftly progress…

I sincerely thank Deputy Burke for raising this important issue. This is his second time to raise it in a number of weeks. It relates to the availability of dental training places in Ireland. The Government is committed to ensuring that our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. In fact, my Department has just progressed an immediate expansion of 461 places in key health and social care professions. I know dentistry is not included, but it does show the comm…

I assure the Deputy, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Lawless, that we are committed to responding proactively to future workforce requirements, including dentists and all other professionals required within the oral healthcare sector. We are working in strong partnership with the Department of Health, the HEA and the higher education providers to ensure our education and training system supports the delivery of a modern, sustainable and people-centred health service. The Deputy mentioned UCC. The Department of He…

I thank Senator Nelson Murray for her question on this important issue for my Department. I thank the Senator for what she said about furniture making in Navan. People of my generation are very aware of how important that was and still is. To answer the Senator's question, under our action plan for apprenticeships 2021 to 2025 a key objective is to ensure that apprenticeships will be recognised and valued by employers all across the economy. It is great to hear of the furniture industry's interest in being part of …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I think it might be useful at the outset for Members to understand the context of what is being raised here. Community training centres were established in 1977 as community training workshops to support young, unemployed people aged 16 to 25. Since 1988, they have been delivering the Youthreach programme. I agree with the Deputy that they do really valuable and important work. I am having the opportunity to see more of it as I travel around the country. There are 31 CTCs …

In her original question, Deputy Cummins raised the fact that some CTCs have a clerical officer scale on which the first two points fall below the minimum wage. In May, SOLAS informed IACTO that the Department had no objection to points below the minimum wage being removed. I am happy to see that. In fact, I would be really disappointed if that had not happened. To come back to the general point the Deputy is making, I understand what she is saying. I have to say again that these matters relating to recruitment and…

I thank Senator Costello for raising this issue. I will be answering on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The State acknowledges the importance of faster access to new medicines for patients. The HSE has statutory responsibility for medicine pricing and reimbursement decisions, under the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013. Reimbursement is for licensed indications that have been granted marketing authorisation by the EMA or the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA.…

I am pleased to hear the Senator welcomes the 34 new staff who have been put in place and the efforts made to enhance and improve the pricing and reimbursement system, including the significant additional staffing to which we have referred. To fully benefit patients, the pharmaceutical industry must also play its part. Ireland is open for business and encourages timely applications for reimbursement with reasonable pricing offers - that is really important. We are confident that timely engagements and applications …

I thank the Senator for raising this very sensitive matter and for giving me, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, the opportunity to inform the House of the up-to-date position on the provision of publicly funded fertility services. The Senator and I will both appreciate the fact the Minister cannot comment on individual cases. As part of the final phase of the roll-out of the model of care for fertility, referrals for publicly funded, privately provided IVF or other assisted human reproduction, AHR…