Some parties have gained more and will have more time on Leaders' Questions. I would favour Friday sittings for legislation because I do not think Government time is enough in terms of-----

-----getting legislation through. We are a legislative Chamber; not just a debating Chamber. If the Dáil wants to sit longer, I have no issue with that at all.

I agree with the Deputy. This needs to be urgently reviewed. I will ask the Minister involved to do that. Chronological age does not determine a person's health and fitness, in particular in a modern era where, thankfully, the population is living longer and lifespan is increasing. There are huge issues around having enough drivers for school transport. Our systems need to be far more agile and nimble in facilitating the recruitment of drivers, in particular for the school run which is not overly taxing. The Deputy…

The Government is very supportive of the motorway. I understand it has gone through the various planning stages. There will be a further review of the national development plan and I expect the project will be included in that. As the Deputy knows, the project has gone through route selection and so forth. It is something that people eagerly await. We have seen the transformative impact that bypasses have had on towns like Ballyvourney and Macroom. Bypasses can free towns from pollution and congestion and also brin…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I know he perhaps did not want to identify the plight of a young boy. I will certainly speak to the Minister for Health to see what we can do. I understand there should be a CAMHS-ID team available. I will follow up on the matter and see what we can do to help.

I agree with what the Deputy said regarding how the Ceann Comhairle was treated yesterday. We have invested significantly in national roads funding. I take on board what the Deputy said. As I say, the national development plan gives us an opportunity to review and refresh these proposals. We have invested heavily in the national road network but, obviously, we need to do more. The Department of Transport has allocated approximately €2.7 billion since 2020. Many projects are at different stages of progress. We will …

As I said earlier, the Government will update the national development plan. We hope to have that ready by July and roads will be a part of it. We are conscious of the serious congestion issues and delays for people on the N11. We will also be investing in public transport, which is very important for the future sustainability of transport. There will be a parallel approach comprising roads, public transport and active travel.

There are established and well-tried industrial relations procedures to deal with any disputes that arise, particularly in our health service. As I said, there has been a significant increase in healthcare staff in recent years, higher than any comparable period before 2020. For any new health facility, there will be engagement on the staffing arrangements for the new facility. That is not new in the context of other facilities that have been opened in the past. There will have to be a correct deployment in terms o…

I absolutely reject the Deputy's assertions. What has happened with the Order of Business is to keep 30 minutes for Deputies, and to not have it for Questions on Policy or Legislation or to not have it as a second round of Leaders' Questions, which had become the practice for certain Deputies in the House. Questions on Policy or Legislation is much better now, in particular for backbenchers from all sides of the House, as per the new Standing Order. I ask the Deputy not to misrepresent the situation. Just because o…

There was a lot of discussion at the Dáil reform committee on the issue. I believe that certain elements of the Opposition did not want this situation to be resolved because it did not suit the agenda, which is to take a wrecking ball to the procedures of Leinster House and Dáil Éireann.

In the two months of this Government, we have allocated close to an additional €800 million in public funding, much of it to the approved housing bodies. That is what we have done. We will continue to look at ways to provide more housing.

We came forward with the help to buy scheme and the first home scheme, now called the bridge the gap scheme, which the Deputy opposed. That is helping a lot of first-time buyers. I accept that prices are too high and I accept that until we get more supply, we will not get into a position where we can moderate house prices. We need more supply. That is the key but the supply will have to be provided through State intervention but also through private sector investment. It is not either-or. I think the Deputy's posit…

I think it has to be both.

I accept what the Deputy is saying. There is a fundamental issue with the urban landscape, and with high streets in particular. The world has changed and that needs to be taken on board in the modern planning of towns and cities. We need more residential in our towns and cities. I believe there is a future for retail but it will be a different kind of retail than the multi-stores we had in city and town centres in the past. Town and city planners perhaps need to engage more proactively on this. From a Government pe…

What has happened in the past is there was a modification for those terminally ill. I know that is not a great message either in terms of allocation of medical cards. I think Government is sympathetic but then it would have to apply to all. There are different forms of illness, like motor neurone, dementia, chronic cardiovascular disease and others. The principle advanced so far on the ground is that every case should be assessed, and that flexibility and adaptability should be there. It should not just be through …

I thank the Deputy for raising the case. It has been a traumatic experience for the family and that continues to the present day. Will the Deputy send me the details? Generally speaking, in terms of maternal and infant mortality there are issues we need to be constantly vigilant about. There have been a number of cases. I will not say they are ongoing but there is no question but that issues have arisen from time to time. We need to be open and transparent about that to make sure we can ensure better care into the …

The official record is the official record.

It has not been voted on.

I attended a meeting of the European Council on Thursday, 20 March in Brussels. The agenda covered Ukraine, European defence, the Middle East, competitiveness, the post-2027 EU budget or multi-annual financial framework, migration, oceans policy and multilateralism.

We can arrange that. In his contribution to today’s debate, the Minister of State for European Affairs, Deputy Byrne, will provide further detail on the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, including the question of possible new own resources for the EU budget, as well as further detail on migration, oceans and multilateralism. I will deal with all other issues. I welcomed further discussions at the European Council on how the European Union can step up its support for Ukraine, including military assistance, play…