I join with the Minister in complimenting Deputy Stanton on the amount of work he did on this. The YDPs have used Government resources to target people and families in a very meaningful way. Some areas are not being picked up on. The YDPs are based in large urban centres. There is scope within the new budget announced just a few weeks ago to operate in rural areas. What targets are there in respect of rural areas? There is no clear guidance or mechanism to encourage young people back into education. There is a cert…

The Minister mentioned her Department's consultation with An Garda Síochána, which has the information at first hand. Has it looked at other State agencies that have information that might be pulled together to identify particular areas of concern at which youth diversion projects could be targeted? I am thinking about young people who are not attending school or who are dropping out early. I ask the Minister to instruct her Department to look at those statistics, which may be held by other Departments and other St…

I welcome the Bill, which seeks to truncate the section 37A process. In recent weeks, we have seen the build-up to this legislation coming before the Dáil on a Friday afternoon. We have also seen the challenges that are out there. It took huge pressure as families went public to say they did not have a place for their children in September. This has been a challenge across the spectrum in recent times. This is enabling legislation and it is important to have these measures placed on a statutory and legislative foot…

There are almost two processes going on, namely, the social housing application and the HAP application. I will focus first on the social housing application, because that is the slowest part from what we have seen. It is a very cumbersome application form and there is a great deal of documentation associated with it, whether it is original birth certificates, getting translations and so on. This is an issue that throws up a great number of challenges for applicants. Is there a way of making the social housing appl…

As I said, there are almost two processes – the HAP application and the social housing application. I just want to acknowledge that, for example, in Cork County Council, we see a very fast processing of the HAP application when it is up and running. The focus and the big challenge is very often on the social housing application. Councillors represent the public. The CEO represents the Department and is the Department’s person within the council. I understand that targets are always being set. What effort is being m…

There have been many discussions in the House about the cost of fuel and the way it is impacting on society and on the challenges many families are facing. I would point to two statistics. In 2008, the price of oil was €187 a barrel and the price at the pumps was €1.30 a litre for petrol. Today, it is €107 a barrel and the price at the pumps is €2.11 a litre. Why is there such a difference, given it was exceptionally high back then and it was at what we would call a reasonable price today? Is there something the Go…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise the matter of home help services. In my region of Cork and Kerry, we have had a major issue with getting home help for people. This has manifested itself in a number of ways for people coming out of acute hospitals and going home. They are not able to return home unless some form of home care is provided for them for a number of hours. Going back three, four or five years ago, we may have raised the question of home help but the problem then was that there wa…

I would like to bring a particular case to the attention of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, the Department of Health and the HSE. I know of a situation where a member of a family became seriously in February this year. The family looked for care to be provided two or three nights a week. Three nights were allocated because family members were travelling long distances from where they were living to provide the care, day and night, for the person who is ill. The family got a commitment in writing from the HSE …

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Bill. I also welcome the Minister and the Minister of State. We are talking about the basis of the decision-making capacity Act. On the 2015 Act and its non-enactment, we are talking about very complex legal issues. Previous speakers referenced Acts that have been there for almost 200 years. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill is very fundamental to the rights of individuals. While I welcome it, the Bill is also unearthing many challenges because, as pub…

The farm assist scheme has brought significant benefits to farmers, including the ongoing entitlement for a family member to participate in the rural social scheme. However, one issue has cropped up in recent times in the context of the farm assist scheme. When some farmers inherit a farm, they inherit the original farmhouse. In some cases, a family member may continue to live in that house rent free and, in other instances, the houses are derelict. The Minister said that she is looking at streamlining the means te…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue. Where is the neurorehabilitation strategy at within Government? In 2021, the World Health Organization identified neurological disorders as the most significant cause of acquired disability worldwide. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls on countries to strengthen, organise and extend rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. More than 25,000 Irish people each year struggle to get the neurorehabi…

Where are we with this? This has been talked about for some time. The biggest challenge is the additional teams in CHO 6 and CHO 7, funded in 2019, which is three years ago, that have not yet been established. That is an indictment of the system and a major challenge in respect of funding. The Minister of State mentioned a figure of €2.29 million available for 2021 on an ongoing basis. Has the funding allocated to neurorehabilitation over recent years been spent? This is the envelope of funding put into it at the v…

I sincerely thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to discuss this issue, which arises when community groups, particularly those in rural communities, come together in a voluntary capacity to develop community facilities. There should be an open door policy on the part of the Departments down to the local authorities in regard to developments proposed by community groups. From my experience, it has been very frustrating for community groups in the way they engage with the planning regulations. They have to j…

I have specific examples. I am mindful of the parliamentary regulations not to comment on or criticise any person or entity so I will respect that. We looked at this from the ground up. There should be recognition from the planning department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, right across the Departments and down through to county development plans, that what we need here are clear guidelines on how community groups should be looked at and engaged with. We engage with community groups in…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. The issues relating to transport for people with disabilities have been raised at the Joint Committee on Disability Matters on a weekly basis. Issues with the primary medical certificate and the workings of the certificate are constantly being brought up. In the first instance, the primary medical certificate as it is currently constituted is not fit for purpose. When it is not, it is very restrictive. If that is to be basis for providing aid or transport for …

Issues surrounding the primary medical certificate are raised week after week by the groups who appear before the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. There is an intransigence in the system. The appeals board resigned a few months ago. There is no mechanism for appeals. A court case was taken in June 2020 and new legislation was passed but the system does not seem to be working. On behalf of the committee and on my own behalf, I would like raise the future of the primary medical certificate and how we are going …

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. I also welcome the Bill before the House. It is not before time. I know there has been a significant effort and work put in to bring the Bill to the House. It is a very important part of the programme for Government. The Minister of State with responsibility for disability, Deputy Rabbitte, has taken on the role with great energy, dedication and hard work. I acknowledge that and I have seen it at first hand at a constituency level. Her engagement with the Joint Comm…

Will the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science tell me the status of the strategic action plan for equity, participation and success in higher education for the period 2022 to 2026, and will he advise the House of his plans?

The Minister mentioned the timeframe. There is a great urgency with this. Even though the education system has quite rightly served the country very well over the decades, we need to look at those who are not benefiting from education, those on the margins of society and those, as the Minister has said in his response, who are not represented in it. I have a number of questions. I am glad the Minister is looking at the whole experience. What are the outcomes for people with disabilities in further education? Many o…

On the capital side, I look forward to that later in the week. On the revenue side and the day-to-day running of it, what percentage of the overall higher education budget will be targeted towards people on the margins of society? There are people who have multi-generational issues whereby they have not got into third level education and do not see a prospect of third level education. In addition, on the disability side, it is necessary to ensure there are outcomes for them there. There is a fundamental attitude ac…