The Deputy started by saying it is very difficult not to interrupt. I respectfully suggest-----

The Deputy said it was with great difficulty he could not but interrupt. He has never had any difficulty interrupting from my experience in the House. There is a prison overpopulation issue. That is accepted by the Government. The Minister has brought forward proposals which will result in about 960 additional prison spaces. That can be done as quickly as possible. Opposition is being created where this expansion is happening. I have no doubt that other members of the Deputy's party may very well be criticising som…

There has to be a balance. I suggest that the Deputy's basic assertion is wrong and flawed.

I agree with the Deputy this must be a priority to reverse the pollution of Lady's Island Lake. A specific action plan should be developed for the lake and so forth. That will have to involve a number of stakeholders. It will not just be agricultural stakeholders, but, obviously, they will be key. The Minister of State responsible for biodiversity should lead on this in conjunction with the Ministers for agriculture and climate. We are engaged in a range of projects across the country. This will have to be done on …

I certainly do not. Over the last number of years, I have taken a direct interest in the work of the NPWS and the biodiversity issue. We doubled the staff of the NPWS and we bought additional lands to transform into national parks. We now have a biodiversity officer in every local authority. When he was Minister of State, Senator Malcolm Noonan, did a lot of good work and I worked very well with him on this agenda. I hear what the Deputy is saying regarding the centrality of the Department of agriculture but if it …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Prior to and during, the general election, I included a number of issues regarding disability in our party's manifesto. I was very clear in putting in to the programme for Government the need to increase the DCA. The previous Government increased it by €20 per month. It is a very important allowance and it helps the families of those with disabilities with the cost of disability. The medical card, in particular, can be of great assistance. In the programme for Government, …

I accept that up to a point, but of course if we compare the most recent census to the previous one, we see that the number of people, including children, identifying with a disability is increasing exponentially. This can be seen from both censuses. The DCA was originally introduced for severe impacts on children, resulting from disabilities. I expect the numbers to continue to increase. There is an appeals system in every payment from the Department of Social Protection. What is important is efficiency and a time…

Perhaps we could also then fine-tune the application process to reduce the necessity for appeals.

Could I just welcome-----

-----a special guest, Aaron O'Shea, who is here with us.

I welcome Aaron. I meant to do it at the beginning. He is aged 14 and from County Clare. He is here with his parents Fidelma and Martin O'Shea as part of the Make-A-Wish Ireland. He met the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, earlier. I wish him a very warm welcome.

No matter how often Deputy McDonald tries to misrepresent the reforms the Government announced last week in respect of the rental sector, it just will not cut it. There are very strong protections in the rent pressure zones, stronger than was the case previously, as a result of the reforms we are going to introduce. In particular, there is a cap of 2% for existing tenants and a cap tied to the CPI for future tenancies. First, there is a significant expansion of support by the State on the way for universities in re…

I am sorry. Could the Deputy please repeat that?

I thank the Deputy for raising this very serious and sensitive issue for the family concerned. I will ask the Minister for justice to deal directly with Deputy Bacik and with the family as well in respect of endeavouring to bring closure to this for all concerned and a resolution of the issues outstanding.

In the past two to three years, some fundamental decisions were taken, for example, to provide free access to school meals, which is something that was not there previously on the current scale. Free access to school books has had a significant positive impact on low-income families. The Deputy does not acknowledge that at all. The recent SILC report is concerning. I prioritised the reduction of child poverty for the next budget. We did take measures in regard to child support payments and gave the biggest increase…

First of all-----

Overall, the Irish people are very angry.

We have taken action.

Significant work has been undertaken in respect of endometriosis. It has been recognised as part of the work of the women's health task force. It was included in the women's health action plan 2024-2025. The previous Minister, Stephen Donnelly, did exceptional work on this issue. Regional hubs have been established in the Rotunda and Coombe hospitals, the National Maternity Hospital, University Hospital Limerick, and University Hospital Galway. Severe cases can be referred to two supra-regional specialist centres i…

I will discuss this with the Minister for Health. The Deputy has mentioned the GPs, negotiations and discussions. There can be a number of issues on that agenda but there should be a mechanism by which the clinical guidelines can be adopted, but I will leave that to the Minister to discuss with the various interested bodies and come back to the Deputy on it.