I appreciate that and I understand that there was a change in emphasis but that is not what I am talking about here. I am talking about a change in the mechanism allowing Transport Infrastructure Ireland to deliver these projects. It is finding that it is complicated by the phased system in place which is delaying the delivery of these roads. The Minister spoke about the increase in costs and the doubling of the cost of the Ballaghaderreen project. That will continue to happen if once the process of initiating gett…

We can discuss rural transport another day. This is the issue I am talking about.

A possible 77 deaths.

But the roads the Minister has approved-----

I often say that we need to relieve Dublin and revive the rest of the country. That is really what we need to do.

One way to do that relates to the A5 road, which while most of it runs through the North, goes from County Donegal to County Monaghan. These are parts of the country that have been very much left behind by successive Governments. What has been done the Minister's officials regarding the works on this road? The Minister will be aware that Sinn Féin tabled a motion on this a number of months ago because of the increasing number of people who have tragically lost their lives on this stretch of road. There needs to be …

I am aware that the Department is making some progress in respect of the A5 and that much of the delay is on the northern side of the Border. That said, it needs to be recognised that this stretch of road is a vital connection from Donegal and the north-west through Tyrone and into the South. It needs to be prioritised by Governments on both sides of the Border. Unfortunately, as the Minister said, the Executive is not up and running in the North, which is causing a number difficulties, of which this is just one. W…

Yes, it was.

I understand that and it is a great frustration to everyone, bar the DUP, that the Executive is not up and running. We need to see it up and running, working and delivering for people. The delivery of this road project is vital. It is reflection of one of the idiosyncrasies of the planning process on both sides of the Border, particularly in the North, that, unfortunately, a small number of people who have been objecting to this road for decades have been able to hold up its progress. We need to see the greater goo…

This road is used by people every day to come and go to work. They need to have an appropriate road in place.

Hear, hear.

For 8 o'clock in the morning.

I cannot even get a train.

This school transport issue goes back some time. In fact, I remember the first school I started in was a little parish school in Carrigallen. Then, it was centralised into the central school in the parish. The smaller schools that people could walk to closed and the deal was that everybody would be bussed to the central school in the parish. That is how it happened across all of rural Ireland when that programme was put in place in the mid-seventies. It worked very well until 2012 when the report came out, which I …

I thank Deputy Funchion for putting down this motion. As has been said, it is timely in the context of the children going back to school in September and we have the issue of childcare in crisis throughout the country, it has to be said. That is the reality people are facing. I listened to much of the debate. I do not in any way doubt the sincerity of the Minister or anyone in the Department who is trying to deliver this, but the system is broken. There is a difficulty here that is not being acknowledged and is not…

We will not get answers like that.

That is not much good to us.

I understand.

I appreciate the opportunity. I wish to raise with the Tánaiste the issue of services for children with intellectual disabilities. I sent an email to community healthcare organisation, CHO, 1 on 28 July. I will read a part of it: I am writing with regard to a family living in [Leitrim]. The daughter, Maggie ... (aged 10 years) has yesterday been discharged from CAMHS due to her condition being [considered an] Intellectual Disability. The Mother, Jennifer ... has been informed that there are no services locally for …

In what world is it okay that this situation could come to light in July 2022 only for the report to be commissioned four months later in November? Families all over the country are in a dismal situation now, having waited and waited to get appointments, to be seen and to have operations. For a very long time, people have been approaching every Deputy and Senator about significant problems with access. Dealing with conditions like spina bifida and scoliosis is terrifying for any family because they know what they w…