I agree that this permanent school building for Cork Educate Together Secondary School is urgently required. It will be a new 600-pupil post-primary school building and accommodation, including classrooms for children with special educational needs at a greenfield site in Douglas in Cork. The project has planning permission, as the Deputy has said. The Department officials and external project management consultants are currently reviewing the works and site-specific requirements to ensure the tender documents are …

Aontaím leis an Teachta. I agree with the Deputy. I am a former Minister for Education. There are always specific needs in rural Ireland for education, be it primary or second level schools. I am familiar with that college. I will talk to the Minister about it, particularly the additional classrooms. This gives choice. It helps in terms of commuting. Very often, even though there are sometimes limitations with a curriculum, if there is an ETB you can give resources through a variety of mechanisms, and the smaller s…

Without question, we are numbed and shocked at the loss of life on our roads in recent weeks. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who have tragically passed, as well as with our first responders who do extraordinary work in very difficult and sad circumstances. As I said earlier, the policing response is increasing, particularly with the throughput of gardaí in Templemore, which is at its highest for quite some time. As gardaí come through, there will be more added to that policing u…

The surplus is because of corporation tax and other taxes, not because of any cutback here. We have actually increased the fuel allowance and the number of people entitled to receive the fuel allowance. It is now supporting about 417,000 households and will cost about €400 million, which is money well spent. In addition, the household benefits package for a lot of elderly people comprises, as the Deputy will know, the likes of the gas or electricity allowance, the free TV licence and so on. The retrofit programme h…

The spread of TB is a very serious issue. As the Deputy knows, the Minister recently announced a major initiative in respect of the bovine TB action plan addressing bovine TB in Ireland. There were five measures in that plan, underpinned by 30 actions on the specific issue of compensation and the rate increase. This has continued to increase every year. The cost of the TB programme in 2024 totalled €101 million, which was 34% up on 2023, and 2025 will be higher again. That is because of increased disease levels but…

I thank the Deputy for raising a critical and acute issue. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, visited Portrane yesterday, so he is well aware of this. We will take any measures we can to help and I will talk to the Minister in respect of this. The Minister for Transport, Deputy OBrien, is also very concerned about this and is in consultations with the Minister of State. Coastal erosion is a growing issue and I accept that adaptation needs greater focus. We asked prior to the NDP being developed that more generall…

I am familiar with the issue and have met with a number of the workers involved on the last occasion. The Labour Court made recommendations, and we extended it until Christmas. At some stage, some resolution of this has to happen on a sustainable basis. I will talk to the Minister for Health and other Ministers to see what is possible.

That was only last week.

I will make two comments. We met with Tusla officials recently at a Cabinet subcommittee. Tusla is dealing with an enormous number of cases at the moment and that continues to grow for a variety of factors. It is not fair to say that nothing is being done. Services are increasing but not at the level to match the increasing need and demand. What is worrying is the complexity of need in children who Tusla engage with. I do not have specifics of the case, so I will talk to Tusla in respect of it. Regarding the meetin…

-----very busy. We will organise it but my diary is actually full for the next two months-----

-----but I will find time. I said I would and that is it.

The Minister for Health has explained this. No formal decision was taken by Government or by the Minister in respect of blister packs. The Minister has made the point that there have been different practices in different pharmacies across the country. Some did not charge at all. It is my understanding that some charged very minor rates such as €5 or €10. However, others charged using another scheme, which, according to the HSE, was not allowable and should not have been used. The Minister is engaging with the vario…

Generally speaking, in terms of archaeological sites and national parks, we have put a lot of investment into Meath in recent years, and we will continue to do so. I note that the Deputy has been engaging with various Ministers and the OPW. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, will engage and will get things done. I am confident that we can deal with the issues the Deputy has outlined. With projects of this kind there are challenges but we hear what he is saying and we will come back to him. I have confidence in th…

I agree with the Deputy about the quality of Irish beef and the quality of the Irish food production system. It is one of the highest in the world and certainly very high in the European league table. I understand fully and that is why we have concerns with certain issues in terms of the Mercosur countries and their food production systems, although there have been dramatic changes since Lula da Silva returned to power after Bolsonaro, with deforestation being halved. We have agreed to work with like-minded countri…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Before I begin to respond, I want to take a moment as well to express my sympathy to and solidarity with the Australian people and with our Jewish community here in Ireland as they come to terms with the horror and the grief of the mass shooting event at Bondi Beach on Sunday. Fifteen people, including a ten-year-old child and a Holocaust survivor, were cruelly murdered and more than 40 others injured for no other reason than their Jewish faith and identity as they gathered…

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine-----

-----we did allocate up to €3.3 billion in energy credits. The bottom line is that universal energy credits on an ongoing basis are simply not fiscally sustainable. The resources we have must be targeted, particularly to low-income families, which is what we have done. The Deputy wants everybody, irrespective of income-----

-----forever and ever to be getting energy credits. She wants the wealthiest in society-----

-----to benefit from energy credits. She does. That is what she asked for.

Whereas I believe that what we did with the fuel allowance and what we have done-----