I thank the Deputy for his question. As a TD representing the lovely city and county of Waterford and as a Minister of State in the Department of Health, I am pleased to inform the House of the position. First, however, I apologise to the Taoiseach that I did not have the information for him. This was due to the fact that it was only breaking news and that I was on a flight this morning that was delayed. There is really positive news. The general manager of University Hospital Waterford received sanction to immedia…

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Deputies for raising this. It is essential that people feel safe and are safe in their local communities, and Dublin 8 is no exception. Dublin city, and its surroundings, is a hive of business and tourism, particularly at this time of year. There is also a strong, vibrant community created by local residents. We want every part of the city to be a safe space for people to live and work in, and to visit. As Deputy Costello just said, community safety…

There is no better advocate for the Curragh than my good friend and colleague, Senator O’Loughlin, whom I thank for raising this matter. We hear so much about the Curragh on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It is fantastic to hear the Senator advocate so well for Kildare’s jewel in the crown, as she put it. The Curragh’s unique area of approximately 5,000 acres of predominantly lowland acid grassland, succeeding to dry heath in areas which has been unploughed, unfertilised and grazed for hundreds or even thousand…

I thank the Senator. I will bring her comments back to the Minister, specifically her belief that there is no urgency and her request for a timeline in relation to the review of these sites that is foreseen. It is important that all the facets of the State come together. I am confident that the Department of Defence, together with Kildare County Council, will continue to work towards addressing the many challenges involved in managing and developing the Curragh Plains and ensuring best practice for the future manag…

On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Deputies again for raising this issue. As I and both Deputies have said, community safety is a whole-of-government responsibility and it requires a multiagency approach. I agree with the Deputies that there are great communities in the area. They spoke of the role of sports clubs, which are important. I agree on addiction and dual diagnosis issues, which are profound everywhere at the moment. Gardaí in Kevin Street are very active within the community, both from a community en…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an cheist a ardú mar go dtugann sé deis dom an cás mar atá sé faoi láthair a shoiléiriú i dtaca le soláthar iarbhunoideachais i gCoill na Silíní. I would like to thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley, to clarify the current position relating to post-primary school provision in Cherrywood. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department of Educa…

I would also like to welcome the Tipperary spina bifida association from my neighbouring county. It is lovely to have the representatives here and I hope they have a great day here in Leinster House with my colleague, Deputy Cahill. I will bring what the Senator has said back to the Minister. The Department has said that the pace of delivery of additional residential development in the Cherrywood area, along with updated enrolment data and demographic data, will be kept under review. This will inform the timing of …

I thank Senator Carrigy for raising this important matter and I am replying today on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, to provide an update. I do not think anyone would disagree with what the Senator has said about local radio, local news and local journalism. They are so important to people the length and breadth of the country. That came to the fore during Covid, when many locally in their own particular areas got the information required first…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue, which is very topical at the moment. I was watching part of the committee meeting last night while I was in my office. I acknowledge the fundamental challenges facing the sector and reiterate the Government's commitment to supporting the provision of public sector content by the wider media sector at local, regional and national levels. In particular, print and radio play a key role in Irish society in helping to inform public opinion and combat disinformation. The televi…

I thank Senator Ruane for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on some of the issues involved on behalf of the Minister for Justice, who is attending a Private Members' debate in the Dáil. I would like to respond to Senator Ruane's very important comments on trying to get young people off their phones and out into the fresh air, whether on the sports field or dancing. There are no barriers there, and it does not matter what people look like or who they look like once they a…

All of Senator Ruane's comments will be brought to the attention of the Minister and her officials. One of the facets of the new Bill is the standardisation of opening hours for pubs and off-licences . The introduction of annual late permits and annual nightclub permits will be very important in large cities but perhaps not so important in a smaller rural town or village. All of these matters will be given consideration. Public health is a key consideration for the Department of Justice in regulating the sale of al…

I, too, congratulate my colleague, Deputy Lawless, on his promotion to the position of Minister of State in the Departments of Transport and the Environment, Climate and Communications. I have no doubt this will be the first of many times he will be in the House for Topical Issues.

There were meant to be four.

Two out of three ain't bad.

While I know the Deputy is very annoyed, the HSE is in charge of recruitment in respect of public health nurses.

I said I would intervene and I brought it to the attention of the Department, which brought it to the attention of the HSE. It has been raised in the House by many Deputies in your area. For some reason, there is a significant challenge in recruiting public health nurses in that particular area. I understand how important public health nurses are in relation to young babies, their mothers and older people. There is a serious challenge here. It is not affected by the moratorium because this was an issue before the m…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, line 7, after "2009;" to insert "to amend the Mental Health Act 2001;". This amendment concerns the addition of the Mental Health Act 2001 to the Long Title of the Bill to take account of amendment No. 9, which amends section 48 of the 2001 Act. It is a relatively minor amendment to change the length of time a person can serve on a mental health tribunal operated by the Mental Health Commission from the current term of three years to five years. The commission wrote to my Departme…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 18, lines 7 and 8, to delete "first cousin, great-grandchild, great-nephew or great-niece" and substitute "great-grandchild, great-nephew, great-niece or first cousin, or a child, grandchild or great-grandchild of a first cousin,". This is one of a group of identical amendments I intend to move to expand the definition of those eligible to be considered as the family successor to a family farm or productive business assets under the nursing home support scheme. The definition of “fam…

It is not.

I do not know where to start. I will give a quick explanation of the fair deal scheme because some of that has been lost in the context of what has been said. The scheme was introduced in this country in 2009, which was before I entered this House. Deputies Shortall and Naughten were here at the time. I am not sure who else was a Deputy at that time. It was introduced in 2009. The whole purpose of the fair deal was to ensure that the less people have, the less they pay and the more they have, the more they pay. The…