Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Sláinte. I wish her well with all of that. Bogaimid ar aghaidh anois leis an gcéad cainteoir ó Pháirtí Shinn Féin. Tá seacht nóiméad ag an Teachta David Cullinane.

Tá an t-am caite.

Go raibh maith agat.

Go raibh maith agat.

Tá an t-am caite.

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

I heard the Minister's speech when I was in the Chair. I congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on their new roles. I wish them well. She outlined the massive increase in funding from €14 billion to almost €26 billion. I have a personal story to relate and the heading of tonight's debate is appropriate. It hurts me. My lifelong friend who is 90 years of age, celebrated two weeks ago, was in hospital for a week in Clonmel in St. Joseph's Hospital, south Tipperary general. He was forced out of the hospital b…

I congratulate the three Ministers and wish them well. Disability services in south Tipperary are quite simply non-existent and not fit for purpose. The CDNT teams, despite the efforts of the therapists working in them, are simply not fit for purpose with huge vacancies and even longer waiting lists. Children are crying out for autism assessments, psychology services and speech and language and occupational therapies, and the services are simply not there to meet demand. On top of that, there is a severe shortage o…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his elevation to office and I wish him well. I also wish an dá Aire well in their new roles. I really want to ask the Minister the steps she is taking to deal with the lack of disability services in south Tipperary, the number of vacancies in CDNTs 4 and 5, the number of children waiting for occupational and speech therapy and psychological services within the CDNTs and whether those waiting for services can access services privately and then be reim…

I apologise. I had two questions. I will introduce the first one again. The question is on childcare. Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua was set up fadó fadó and we have a huge problem retaining staff. The whole early years sector is bursting at the seams with children but staff are moving on. Progression is a good thing but we cannot get replacements. It is a huge issue the Ministers might address.

Certainly, we need the voluntary sector here. Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua is a voluntary crèche. I salute the current board there, who work tirelessly, and Helen Nic Craith, who set it up. It was her dream. We need to support those people because these are voluntary boards. We should not remove them or stifle them with bureaucracy. It is the same with the section 39 workers. It is fine for the Minister to say she has no responsibility for their wages. They need to be properly resourced and funded. Early years are so vit…

It sounds great. As Gaeilge, it would probably even sound better. I salute the staff, management and teams that are there. However, the regulations are huge. For the baby room and the early years, the staff ratios are huge. In national school, you can have one teacher to 32 children. It is not a level playing field. I acknowledge there is unprecedented funding. It is trickling down to the likes of Naíonra Chaisleáin Nua and Naíonra Chathair Dhún Iascaigh and to English-language playschools and childcare facilities,…

I welcome this legislation, including amendments Nos. 6 and 7, because it is long overdue. It relates to many families going back to the Whiddy Island disaster in Bantry Bay all those years ago. I came across a case in Tipperary about which I have spoken previously. I have raised it with several Ministers. It was bizarre that we had a Marine Casualty Investigation Board populated by people with no seagoing experience. One case I dealt with involved two young men losing their lives off Helvick Head some years ago. I…

Tipperary now has 1,926 learner drivers waiting on a test. We have only one tester in Clonmel. Last week, that tester was out on badly overdue leave, which is fair enough, but the situation regarding tests in Clonmel is pathetic. The former Taoiseach, Deputy Harris, told me last year that the wait was ten weeks but it is now 28 weeks in Clonmel. This is not acceptable. People cannot get to their jobs, apprentices cannot get into work-----

-----and people in rural Ireland are completely disenfranchised without access to driving tests.

I wish both Ministers of State well. There is a big job of work to be done here. Mental health is just the poor relation. There are so many problems. CAMHS services are non-existent in Clonmel. Where services exist, some consultants - not a lot - are exploiting the situation by not treating patients in the public service and instead forcing them into the private service. Much investigation needs to be done there. We had local heroes. Colm Ryan was a famous gentleman from Ballymacarbry in the county of the Minister …

The Tánaiste visited Clonmel some months ago when he met with Nora O’Dwyer and Andrea Crowe regarding Dundrum House Hotel and its use as a refuge for hundreds of people from Ukraine. They have been settled in and integrated into the community. Many work in the community. The Tánaiste made commitments that day to get back to them but they have not heard a peep since. Now we understand that this refuge has been changed over to the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS. There has been no engagement with…

People need to be consulted.

Before the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, starts, I take this opportunity to wish him, the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, well in their portfolios.

Bogfaidh muid ar ais go dtí an Rialtas leis na Teachtaí Barry Ward agus Peter 'Chap' Cleere.