It is not as simple as the Deputy has presented and he knows it.

There is an appeals process for this and the Deputy said they have appealed. We will have to await the outcome of that process and see what emerges. I will raise the issue with the Minister.

The new CEO in the National Council for Special Education and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, provided over €13 million to expand the staff up to about 160.

They are on their way. There is €2.6 billion being spent on special education, which is a further 10% increase over last year's budget. We have over 20,000 special needs assistants, SNAs, in the system, with additional special needs teachers and so forth. There is very extensive provision in special education. I do not think that can be argued with. We have had new special schools this year. I have been to a lot of schools where a lot of provision has been made.

Táim buíoch den Teachta as an gceist phráinneach seo a ardú. Tuigim an méid atá ráite aige ó thaobh cabhair agus tacaíocht a thabhairt do mhuintir na dúiche ina bhfuil na fadhbanna. Regarding the cost of boiling water, Irish Water has a strong customer service focus. It outlines the standard of service customers should expect to receive, including codes of practice and so forth, and vulnerable customer communications. Its plan sets out a compensation mechanism for when water quality is compromised and unfit for hum…

My understanding is that last week, Deputy Gould informed the House that an interim agreement had been arrived at.

He said the HSE had communicated with him that it had an arrangement in place. I remember he and Deputy-----

Deputy O'Sullivan was in the House but he is not here today to enlighten us.

I think maybe Deputy Gould and Deputy O'Sullivan-----

I am not going to ask the two Deputies to step outside the Chamber.

What I would say to the Deputy is that the legislation governing the HSE does not allow for a Taoiseach of the day, no matter who that is, to simply issue instructions to do this or that. That is not the way it works. I hear what the Deputy is saying. It is a localised issue involving the HSE in the Cork area. It needs to resolve this in the best interests of the community of Blarney. I will follow up-----

I do, and well.

I thank the Deputy for raising this pertinent question. The 2020 data that have been published outline that Ireland must transition to a more sustainable circular economy. This is something the Government recognised and actioned before the announcement of these figures. Under the recently published Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022, Ireland will be able to drive behavioural change, provide a financial incentive for alternative treatment options and improve source segregation of our materials to…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Through the decade of centenaries, as a country, we have managed to remember, enlighten and give a greater, more informed perspective to our difficult and traumatic past, particularly at the time of the formation of the new State. I gave a more comprehensive and informed perspective on these issues in three significant speeches I gave on the Anglo-Irish Treaty 1921, in Trinity College Dublin, on the Civil War, in University College Cork, and on the formation of the Free Sta…

I need to check that with the relevant Minister. I do not have exact details on the specific issue the Deputy raised but we will follow it up.

Legacy is an extremely important issue for all victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and all of their families who seek redress. There is a responsibility on all of those who carried out murders on behalf of the state, the Provisional IRA, loyalists and paramilitaries and any issues of collusion should all be followed through and investigated. People should co-operate with agreed legacy agreements that are already in existence. We are opposed to the United Kingdom Government's Act in terms of legacy. We are e…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is not one of resources. Funding has been provided through the Department of Health to the HSE to provide for the recruitment of therapists, particularly in disability network teams. The HSE says it is having particular difficulties recruiting therapists for child disability services. We are not happy with the situation. We have had a series of meetings involving the Departments of Education and Health on this issue of the availability and access to therapists within CD…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is engaging with local authorities in respect of this. The 600-page report looks like a hefty one. The issue is financial. I believe that these centres will be a significant addition. The potential is there to advance and develop them to a greater extent perhaps than before.

There are procedures for protected disclosures and how they are dealt with. In regard to the specific case identified, I will raise the fact that the Deputy has raised it with the Minister for Health. However, there are set procedures for dealing with protected disclosures and they should be followed.

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of public transport in Newcastle and identifying the various routes. We will engage with the NTA and endeavour to get a response from it to see if the situation can be improved. Broadly speaking, there has been an increase in public transport provision. There has been an increase in resources for public transport across the board. We will follow through on the specific issues.