On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to outline how the Department of Education and National Council for Special Education, NCSE, continue to provide special educational placements for children who need them. A priority for this Government is to ensure all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for the needs of chil…

The Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring all children can access an education suitable to their needs. The Department continues to engage with the NCSE intensely with regard to the forward planning for new special classes for the next school year. As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the next few years due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, the Department and the NCSE are engaging with post-primary stakeholders regar…

In fairness, the fact that all schools will have to provide this class is really welcome by everyone.

Absolutely.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. As he knows, the cross-party Sláintecare report in 2017 articulated a new vision for healthcare in Ireland, including the provision of elective-only hospitals providing protected capacity for elective care. This policy has since been informed by a number of subsequent policy documents and Government decisions, including the national elective ambulatory care strategy agreed by the Government in December 2021. This national strategy aims to change the way in which…

As I said earlier, the HSE is now working through the planning phase for the new elective hospital in Cork. The Department of Health will consider the plans at decision gate 2 in the autumn before giving approval to proceed to tender. As the Deputy will appreciate, there are many complex factors involved in an infrastructure project of this size. The HSE's detailed planning will give a better understanding of the timeline for the work. I assure the Deputy we are working to get the hospitals built and up and running…

Take your time.

I thank Deputy Kerrane and all the members of the committee for all their work. I also thank the Deputy for giving such a comprehensive overview of the report. She simplified it. It was great to hear that. Given that I am here on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, I think that answers the first question set out by the committee. The Minister is on a trade mission in China, so I am here instead and I am delighted to be. I start by acknowledging the value dogs bring to th…

No, I think we have said it all.

I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, who sends her apologies. I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to outline how the Department of Education and the NCSE continue to provide special education placements for children who need them. At the outset, I stress that enabling students with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is an ongoing priority for this Government, as I acknowledge it is for the Deput…

I agree with the Deputy that the Minister for Education’s response was comprehensive, which is welcome. As demand for new special classes at post-primary level is expected to increase significantly over the coming years due to increasing demographics and increasing prevalence rates, the Department of Education and the NCSE are engaging with post-primary stakeholders on the provision of special classes. In October 2022, the Department wrote to all post-primary schools to advise them of the need to begin planning to …

Not correct.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I note his interest in the private nursing home sector. The fair deal scheme was designed to protect and support vulnerable older people and to ensure equal access to nursing home care based on what they could afford. This gives certainty to people and families. To be very clear, Government funding for the fair deal scheme aims to support vulnerable older people at a time in their lives when full-time care is essential. This is a very difficult decision for families and t…

The closure of nursing homes can put pressure on other local health and social care facilities. It is vital that the welfare of residents is ensured. The Deputy spoke about the concerns he has about the Cork region, but the fair deal scheme has to work and support 22,700 elderly and vulnerable people who, at a very difficult time in families' lives, may need nursing home care. I have to ensure that the budget does not run out in October or November. There was a situation a few years ago when access to the fair deal…

I welcome the opportunity to address the House on the issues raised by the Deputies tabling the motion. I thank Deputes Harkin and McNamara and all colleagues present for putting forward the motion, and I acknowledge the spirit and the delivery of it. Obviously, I am going to address some of the unprecedented levels of investment in our health service in recent years, but I want to highlight, as I do at every opportunity I have, that Ireland has the highest life expectancy in Europe, as deemed by the WHO. That is s…

Hear, hear.

I just want to let the Deputy know that her amendment is accepted by the Government.

I agree.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. The nursing home sector in Ireland is very fragmented, with 15 companies owning 10,700 beds and, on the other side of the equation, we have small family-run community nursing homes the length and breadth of the country that are embedded in the community. Last week, I met NTPF officials to discuss ways to support the sector where necessary and appropriate to complement the normal process of negotiating rate increases where contracts are renewed. However, my p…

I thank the Deputy for his question. He continues to raise the challenges they have in University Hospital Limerick with overcrowding. On the surgical hubs, five were announced at the very same time, including one for University Hospital Waterford. There is a total of €100 million for five surgical hubs, which will have a huge impact when they are up and running. My understanding is that the majority of these will be modular build but I will get a detailed response from the office of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Do…