We have made a lot of progress but I acknowledge we have more to do.

I will inquire of the HSE in respect of that, although I would make the point that we have an alternative. The HSE outsources selected patients to private radiotherapy providers to ensure timely access to treatment when clinically appropriate. There is room for improvement and we will continue to work towards meeting the targets. In St. Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, 65% of patients are within the target while all other centres are meeting the 90% KPI. Approximately €10 million is spent on outsourcing radiother…

I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue that is central to Ireland's economic progress and development and related issues in energy resilience, security and defence, and agriculture. The Presidency is important and it will commence on 1 July next year. It is an important opportunity for Ireland to shape the agenda, particularly at a time of change and increasing global challenges. The Deputy is right to reference Brexit. The most recent report from the central bank in the UK illustrates the very damaging …

When we came into government, there were three big issues in agriculture that the Government identified. The first was the extension of the nitrates derogation, the second was Mercosur and, third, albeit not in any order of priority, was the multi-annual financial framework, which as currently drafted is not sufficient. I think it is about 80% of the last CAP. There is a lot of negotiation on that. It looks like the multi-annual financial framework will fall to our Presidency for resolution and conclusion. The Comm…

I accept that soundbites are not the answer, and I would respectfully respond to the Deputy that the public do not need soundbites from Sinn Féin either on this question.

People want a substantive, policy-driven and evidence-informed approach to dealing with the energy price issue. It is a huge issue in terms of Ireland's competitiveness and its impact on consumers and households. We have done a lot over the last number of years to best cushion households. We accept the pressure on them. The linkage at European level between gas and broader energy prices is an issue. We have already established a group to review this. We will pursue this with the companies and the CRU.

I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue that is of significant concern to workers in CIÉ umbrella companies. I have been monitoring this for quite some time. I was delighted to see agreement reached. I certainly will pursue the matter with the respective Ministers to get this brought to a conclusion as quickly as possible.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue to the workers concerned. I did meet them. We had a further extension following that meeting and a consultation with Ministers, particularly the Minister for Health. I will talk to the Ministers involved again. I do not want to raise any hopes or anything like that because, as the Deputy knows, this went to the Labour Court, which made a recommendation of a further extension at the time. That said, I will talk to other Ministers in respect of this.

There have been consistent increases in the number of SNAs in our schools on an ongoing basis. The largest increase in a long time is happening this year. About 860 additional special education teachers and 1,717 new SNAs will be recruited as a result of budget 2026. That will bring the total number of SNAs in the State to 24,900. Therefore, it should be within the capacity of the Department of education and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, to work with individual schools. I do not have the specifi…

I thank the Deputy. He has a point but the legislation is not in the current legislative programme. We will have a meeting in early January on the new legislative programme for the next session. We will talk to the relevant Minister as well and hopefully we can provide some clarity on the matter of the reintroduction.

This is a very important issue and is perhaps one that the State or local authorities have not responded to in a comprehensive and effective over the years. That has been my own personal experience, like the one the Deputy has articulated. Criminal activity will have to be dealt with. Maybe resources are required or a greater security dimension is needed to support public servants locally in addressing issues of this kind. Very often, it can be quite intimidating for all concerned in certain situations, but I will …

Is the Deputy referring to schools building projects?

We will talk to the Minister. Over the last five years, there has been exponential growth in capital expenditure for school projects, with many in the special education arena, which is very important. The Department of education had agreed with the Department of public expenditure a very substantial national development framework for further extensions. I will refer the cases in question to the Minister for education and we will try to get to the bottom of the matter. Many schools across the country are progressing…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will certainly raise it with the Minister, James Browne. I will talk to the Ministers of State, Deputies O’Sullivan and Moran, in respect of Elm Park and, in particular, the residents, who need clarity.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I discussed it earlier during Leaders' Questions. European security and defence is a live issue in Europe. From the onset of the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, there has been an exponential growth in cyberattacks, both on private sector installations, companies and businesses and on public sector areas. There has also been clear evidence of hybrid warfare, essentially, and increased emergence of drones and violation of airspace in a number of EU member states, includin…

I would commit to meeting the group, subject to varying commitments. We fully accept the need to overhaul access to therapy services. I would say that we are rolling out for the first time the therapy and education service, beginning with 45 special schools, hopefully starting in this academic year, and then all 145 special schools for the 2026-27 school year. After that, we will expand it to the mainstream school system. Obviously, we have to progress it because of recruitment and so on and we are expanding the nu…

I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue. The Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, said yesterday that he would engage with the Minister, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, about the issue. I think he has met the owners or those who are running the centre and understands the wide usage, enjoyment and creativity that has taken place there. I will engage again with both Ministers in respect of it.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is an important issue for rural people in general who want to build one-off housing. The Minister is revising the guidelines in respect of this issue. On the development levies, we got 60,000 commencements. We now need to see them concluded. The Deputy has asked that we explore demarcation between one-off and general schemes, because we brought the VAT rate down to facilitate apartment-building and get critical mass back into that. I will talk to the Ministers with a view to look…

I will talk to the Minister for Health in respect of that. We have brought down other charges a lot at acute hospitals but I take the point. We have allocated significant additional resources to the Health Service Executive in respect of a variety of services, including cancer services. It is always about balance and making sure we prioritise the allocation of resources to services, but we also want to try to reduce the pressure on patients and those who have to access hospitals for treatment. I will come back to t…

I will refer the question to the Minister. I know Deputy Shane Moynihan and others have been in touch with him in respect of this issue. We will try to accelerate projects as quickly as possible. There should not be any delay on that. I will get clarity from the Minister about that and ask him to discuss it with the Deputy.