The Deputy has raised a fair point, although some planning permissions do get through in west Cork, as the Deputy acknowledges. I think the guidelines do need some review, especially concerning people on farms and the children of farming communities, to maintain a sustainable community in certain areas. This is particularly the case with the improvements in technology, wastewater and so on. Again, on the other side of the coin, if we have too much of this, then we will have what happened in Storm Éowyn, where many …

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I appreciate the concerns of and pressures on the parents in his constituency. At the moment, the school transport scheme sees about 172,000 children transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes. It is a very complex scheme. It includes over 143,800 pupils travelling on primary and post-primary services. There are also the special education needs services and so forth. In the context of the review of the scheme, a total of 14 pilot projects are und…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There will be a decision made before the end of the month and clarity and certainty brought to this topic. I think it needs to be said, though, that it has been a very generously resourced scheme by the Government. It has played a very significant role in accommodating Ukrainians fleeing from war. Originally, it started out at €400. It went up to €800. The Minister will bring clarity to that before the end of the month.

I pay tribute to the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, who has spent a lot of time over the past number of days meeting parents and schools-----

The Deputy asked a question.

People need to learn.

All I want to say is the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, met schools, the ETB and parents. He is fully on top of this issue. He realises the challenges. He is fully determined, along with me and the Government, to get this issue resolved for parents before September.

The technology is one thing. The use of the technology and who uses is the issue.

That technology, I understand, was used to solve a murder case. It is very positive-----

-----that the person was found out by proper utilisation of this technology.

I think it is a Japanese-owned company now but my understanding is that the technology is Israeli. In respect of any State agency, the Garda or the Defence Forces, there is a legislative basis by which there has to be a request to the Ministers and there is a judicial overview of how any surveillance-----

On behalf of the State, in terms of national security. That is well known. It is documented before the House.

Yes. It is well known. There is a set procedure. The Deputy knows that, in terms of national security. That is the only area where the State comes in. Obviously, the Garda tries to solve crimes and we have to trust in-----

-----An Garda Síochána.

My understanding is the Minister is considering the issue. I will talk to him when he gets back and let the Deputy know.

Deputy Cullinane raised the issue of the runway and the airport. I dealt with that already. In response to Deputy O'Connor, Jameson is a world-class product. There is enormous investment going on in the Midleton plant and in a new one and obviously there is huge concern about how the tariffs will proceed. Let us remember that the European Union does not want any tariffs. The US Government has started this with a resumption of tariffs on steel and aluminium. The EU has re-enacted what it already had in place the las…

It might be wiser of us not to facilitate that. My understanding is that the humanitarian scheme is not fully closed yet. I do not think the Minister has closed it. I will ask him to engage with Deputy Kerrane and update her in respect of it. In response to Deputy Currie, while the operation of An Garda Síochána is an operational matter. I will raise the issues she has raised here with the Minister. I will ask the Minister for Health to reply to Deputy O'Meara now.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together. Last month the Government established the Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy to oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to the environment, climate action, energy and emergency planning. The programme for Government sets out a strong framework for climate action and continues to place it at the heart of the work of all Departments. It commits to a continuation of the publication of annual updat…

Quite a number of Deputies have asked questions. With regard to the broader picture, the humanitarian assistance scheme has not closed yet. This is my understanding. I think it has been extended. I spoke to the Minister this morning about it and I will clarify it. This is the position as I understand it. The Minister is evaluating the applications that come in. The existing scheme is catered for in regulation, so it is not moving or shifting the goalposts. In the programme for Government, we identified the need for…

Deputies Bacik and Murphy and other Deputies should start thinking very quickly now about how they see the economy evolving. They should dispense with all the sound bites and get down to the substance of should happen. Do we think we can just park ourselves at the side of the road while this massive, profound change is occurring in technology and then just pick it all up again in five or six years' time? We will not be able to do that. We have a huge challenge in the context of competitiveness. How do we match the …