The Health Service Executive has been highlighting the court decision for quite some time. That is the answer to the Deputy's question on that.

The Deputy is not correct in that at all. He asked specifically about the law and I gave him a straight answer that this Government will deal with that aspect of it. However, the outgoing Government dealt with a whole load of other issues pertaining to this. For example, 4,162 assessments were completed in 2024, a 30% increase on 2023, and that upward trend is continuing with the assessments that were completed in the first three months of this year. There was a 65% increase in the first quarter of this year compar…

I thank the Deputy for raising a very key issue. He began by speaking about the septic tanks that are largely associated with existing housing stock across the length and breadth of the country. It is important that we improve upon them and refurbish and develop them and provide grant assistance to enable people to replace septic tanks that are old and not performing to the optimal level. There are a lot of engineers in Uisce Éireann. A lot of them would argue that they know what they are doing.

I have met them. We discussed one of the critical issues in towns and villages across the country, which is the need to free up capacity, for example to local builders if they are developing a housing estate of 20 houses or 50 houses so that they would be able to develop their own treatment facility according to the specifications set by Uisce Éireann. That would then be subject to inspection. I think that would help to create additional housebuilding in towns and villages throughout the country where currently, be…

I suggest that maybe if you guys have a monopoly on it over everybody else-----

I will say no more than that.

I was not in government in 2013.

What is the Deputy saying about Askeaton?

I have spoken to Uisce Éireann representatives about this and they have a national mapping exercise already. With the best will in the world, if we want to build 50,000 houses per year and if we give an extra couple of billion euro to Uisce Éireann over the coming years, it will have to concentrate that spend on the big cities and big areas of population. Therefore, for smaller villages and towns we need an alternative system which allows for the provision of sewage treatment plants by the builder in accordance wit…

I accept the Deputy's good wishes.

I thank the Deputy for raising this crucial issue. Investment in childcare has quadrupled since 2015, from €260 million to close to €1.4 billion in 2025. Last year alone, funding went up by 26%, or €261 million. Childcare costs meanwhile have dropped by more than 38% since early 2023. The previous Government did a significant amount of work. I acknowledge that Deputy O'Gorman is in the Chamber. He worked with all three parties and made it a priority and that yielded results. Enrolments in early learning care increa…

-----to ensure stronger provision.

First, I have to say very strongly that it is one thing to say we acknowledge it. We need to more than acknowledge it. There has been a significant step change in investment in childcare in the past four years. That will continue as regards the level of it. The State funds nearly 40% of all early learning and care of school-age childcare places across multiple funding rounds. Last year, the supply and management unit was established to have a forward planning and delivery unit to assess demand, plan better and expa…

-----and the employment regulation is key to that.

I met Mark and Cara this morning at 9 o'clock. It was a positive and constructive meeting. We discussed all the issues involved and I outlined what I will do and what the Government will do. I already outlined in a response under Leaders' Questions earlier, all the steps we will take. I was involved in drafting the 2005 legislation-----

-----so I am fairly well clued-in with the legislation.

The important point is this: I am interested in solutions. I am not at all clear that Sinn Féin is.

I get the feeling from the Deputy that the longer-----

Sorry? We will bring that forward to this House.

I said it yesterday-----.