It has been four years and we have not seen it.

We need a commitment from the Government on that.

In February 2019, I raised this issue with the then Minister for Education. I highlighted that the common application system in Limerick is unique. It requires sixth class students to list their schools in order of preference from one to 11. Imagine children being told there is no place for them and getting 11 rejection letters. The system is in place for the correct reason of avoiding the class-based selection system that existed in the city. Unfortunately, it is not working for all students. When I raised this is…

The Minister will be aware there is a different system in Limerick - the common applications system.

The Minister will be aware from the common application process that we knew exactly how many children were going to be in need of school places in September. Unfortunately, there are children who received 11 rejection letters in February and they have absolutely no idea what school they are going to or if they are going to a school at all. Their peers and friends are excited about going to secondary school, as the Minister can imagine, given she is a teacher herself and knows exactly how it works. These people cann…

If that is the case, and we are hearing rumours that there will be additional school places in Thomond College, which is the school I went to myself, I would be delighted with that. The Educate Together school is a brand-new school that has been built. One of the people I am dealing with lives two minutes from that school but has no place, and is not even on a waiting list, as far as I know. If those two schools come back with a class each, that will solve the problem. As I have previously stated, the rationale for…

As part of the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy 2040, there was reference to establishing a Limerick commuter rail service. As an aid to developing the strategy, detailed assessment of rail proposals was undertaken. The assessment identified a programme for a commuter rail network to be developed. It included, in phase 1, stations at both Moyross and Ballysimon and the potential of other stations on the existing rail line that would include Corbally and the Parkway Shopping Centre area of Limer…

It will come as no surprise to the Minister that I have concerns about LSMATS, particularly when a vital piece of infrastructure such as the northern distributor road is removed from the second iteration of the strategy without consultation and against the wishes of the vast majority of elected members in both Clare and Limerick. It is my understanding that this was done under the Minister's instruction. Under the rail section of that document it commits, as the Minister said, to a new rail station in Moyross that …

Deputy Leddin is the only person in Limerick or the mid-west.

The Government has done very little to alleviate the pressures being put on households due to the high cost of their energy bills. Consumers are at the end of their tether and there is little to no relief being offered to many of them. A number of elderly people I have spoken to recently have told me they have exhausted any savings they had and are extremely worried about the future. The rate of inflation for groceries, although falling slightly, remains high at above 16%. The average cost of rents has increased ye…

As part of the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy 2040, there was reference to establishing a Limerick commuter rail service. As an aid to developing the strategy, detailed assessment of rail proposals was undertaken. The assessment identified a programme for a commuter rail network to be developed. It included, in phase 1, stations at both Moyross and Ballysimon and the potential of other stations on the existing rail line that would include Corbally and the Parkway Shopping Centre area of Limer…

Deputy Leddin is the only person in Limerick or the mid-west.

I am proud to represent the city of Limerick. Limerick is a beautiful city, with welcoming people and decent, hard-working communities. Yes, we have had our problems in the past, and we continue to have issues with criminality in a small minority of our areas. Some of those areas have really good people and good communities, despite the organised crime gangs and their criminality. These areas are not ganglands, and I want to put on record that that term is deeply offensive to those communities, who reject these thu…

The ending of the eviction ban is being felt by working families throughout the State and particularly in my home town of Limerick. I am dealing with one such family who are good and hardworking. They have an eight-year-old boy and six-year-old girl and they received their notice to quit on 6 April. The family had been happily renting this home for ten years and had a good relationship with their landlord, with whom they discussed purchasing the home through their own means. Unfortunately, circumstances changed and…

As the Minister is aware, the ban on no-fault evictions ended on 31 March, and still this Government has failed to answer the question we have all been asking, before that and since then: where are these people supposed to go? The cost of rent has escalated year on year and those who are providing emergency accommodation are advising that they have reached their capacity. They have told me this repeatedly, for months, in Limerick. I have said this in the Dáil Chamber also for months. Those who can afford the high r…

Veterinary practices across the State are having difficulty recruiting vets. Many are retiring and many are leaving and we simply do not train enough to replace them. While there is a demand for veterinary studies, there are not sufficient higher education places and the drop-out rate can be quite high. The State needs a second veterinary school to address the challenges in recruitment. Many Irish students are currently studying veterinary medicine in European universities in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. Discussio…

This Topical Issue relates to the circular titled Arrangements for Social Housing Acquisitions in 2023. As we all know, this circular was issued to local authorities regarding tenants in situ . There is great concern and frustration among many local authorities that my colleagues and I, including Deputy Ó Broin, have spoken to. The recent decision to end the moratorium on evictions will lead to more homelessness and that is an undisputed fact. Many of those who have received and face a notice to quit have nowhere t…

I thank the Minister of State for his answer but he did not answer any of the questions I asked. I have the circular from 8 March to hand. The councils are seriously worried and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, needs to listen to this. They do not have the staff to do this. They do not have clarity on what they are supposed to do and who they are supposed to look after. I can go through it again. I have already asked my questions but I will ask them again because I want to read them into the record. Local coun…

If this is not clarified, it will not work.

So did the Tánaiste's brother. That is the reality.