My question relates to a topic I have raised on previous occasions, namely, DEIS plus and getting it on the blocks for those schools and communities that need it the most. I would appreciate an update.

It is good to hear that the strategy is coming. The beauty of DEIS plus is that it can take educational resources and really target them at students who need them the most. I have regular contact with schools in my area, including Our Lady Immaculate Senior National School in Darndale, St. Francis Senior National School in Priorswood and St. Joseph's Coolock, which are located in areas of serious deprivation and disadvantage. DEIS plus will, I hope, help them greatly and cannot come soon enough. Those schools need …

I appreciate that. I welcome the fact that the plan should be signed off on very soon. What are the expectations of the Minister in terms of the Department notifying schools? As she said, they will likely be automatically included in the programme. What are the views of the Minister on how schools will be notified so that they can start planning for 2026-27? That educational year will come upon us very soon and schools will be closed will summer. Management will work on these priorities through the summer. What doe…

I raise the issue of delays in Tailte Éireann's registration processes. In 2023, Tailte Éireann received 240,803, with 4,630 applications in arrears. By 2025, the volume had increased to 296,039 applications, but 57,612 of those were in arrears. We talk about the housing crisis. This is just another factor. The administration is gumming up here. Anything we can do to speed up these processes and move these registrations on would help because there is somebody out there waiting for an application to be finished so t…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation. I support the overall objectives and the thrust of the Bill, namely providing a fair, sustainable and more efficient system that is consistent with how these laws are operating and will operate across the European Union. I support efforts to provide clearer and shorter timelines in respect of asylum decisions. The Bill will put in place a new framework to manage migration and asylum for the long term and ensure that Ireland's policy aligns with other EU countr…

To reinforce what Deputy Hayes said, we have had this issue in Clontarf. The River Wad flooded in 2023. The city council got on with a scheme - the protection of the Wad phase 2 funded by the OPW. Work is more and less complete. It successively went into operation just before Storm Chandra, but there is a big question mark as to whether the insurers will come to the table and start insuring those areas again with the works done. I endorse what Deputy Hayes said. I encourage the Minister of State to proceed with thi…

I welcome the legislation before the House and I commend the Minister and the Minister of State on their work in progressing it. The need for reform in the sector itself is clear. The legislation, as my colleagues said, seeks to strike a balance between strengthening protections for tenants while also ensuring landlords stay in the rental market. However, there are a few issues I believe must be addressed before this legislation is enacted. I welcome the report laid before the Dáil by my colleague, Deputy Micheál C…

The No. 15 bus from Clongriffin to Ballycullen Road has served the people of the northside of Dublin for more than a decade. It is a great service and a crucial service going into the city for a lot of commuters and has become even more important as Clongriffin has continued to expand with LDA work and other projects there. Since the route went to 24-hours in 2019 it has also become a vital option for students, shift workers and others travelling late at night who still wish to rely on public transport and, in fact…

I thank the Minister of State. It is good to hear about the revised schedule in terms of the additional peak trip and the morning peak capacity trips from 2 November. To be honest, I do not want to come in here and raise issues about specific bus services because it is a matter for the NTA, but in a situation whereby residents are finding that the service is deteriorating and the NTA is not responding, then I am obliged to do it here. Like the Minister of State or any other Member of this House, we are obliged to r…

I ask again that this issue would go to the NTA and that it would pay close attention to it.

I thank the Minister of State.

My question is about a persistent problem with driving test waiting times in Dublin Bay North. While it is welcome that they are coming down pretty consistently across the country, it is not happening everywhere. Raheny and Killester in Dublin Bay North remain well above the national average, at 19 weeks and 14 weeks, respectively. For young folks in particular, this is not necessarily just an inconvenience. It can mean the difference between taking up a new job, getting to college on time or just having that bit o…

I want to say something very briefly about this report, which I really welcome. I have only been here a year, and the Minister of State is here a little bit longer, but it is the only one I have seen in a year that has an action plan with dates. There is a very clear statement on what has to be done. On page 71 of the original report are 30 actions adopted with a clear timeline, the responsibility in terms of a Department on each and oversight and accountability clearly laid out. Often, we do not get to see that in…

I thank Deputy Bennett for raising the question and commend the Minister for his work in this area. It is a difficult area, most of all for the women dealing with issues. I want to ask a question. I have heard from people working with women that Cuan seems in the main to work within a 12-week window. Many of the issues women are dealing with, including difficult situations at home, require more than 12 weeks to work out. I am familiar with a facility in Killester where women were for a year or more trying to resolv…

I have raised the issue of e-scooters here before. I ask the Minister the number of e-scooters tests that have been done in the Dublin metropolitan region since the Garda got the ability to do it in July 2025, and if he will make a statement on it.

I join the Minister in offering my condolences to Grace Lynch's family on a tragic situation in Finglas. I thank the Minister for the information. There has been quite a bit of interest in what the Garda was doing. Issuing 958 fixed-penalty notices and seizing 817 e-scooters represent good progress. I support the roll-out of the technology further afield. Recent RSA research shows e-scooters are now perceived as the most dangerous mode of transport in Ireland, more dangerous than motorbikes, in fact. CHI statistics…

Going back to e-scooters for a minute, I support their use. Number one, they are economical for those who use them. Number two, they are environmentally friendly as a means of going around the city. However, they have to be regulated because they have to be used safely. The challenge is getting people to use them safely. All the rules are in place in terms of age limits, speed limits of 20 km/h, safety gear - we could do more there - and passengers. People have to be on their own on an e-scooter. It is about enforc…

I echo Deputy Heneghan's comments about Beaumont Hospital and thank him for raising it here. The Minister visited Beaumont Hospital with me recently. It is a workhorse hospital for the northside. Huge numbers of patients go through it. It has great staff, including great doctors, great nurses, great clinicians and great general staff but it is a hospital under pressure as the Minister saw. It is not just a local, workhorse hospital but it is a national centre for renal care and neuroscience. I heard Professor Arnol…

I want to raise again on the floor of the Dáil the issue of the much-loved 123 bus service, now the 73, that runs from the city centre to Marino. It was restructured by the NTA under BusConnects without consultation. It was moved away from O’Connell Street without consultation and given to Go-Ahead to operate without consultation. From the growing number of complaints I have heard from local residents, it is not working. At the best of times, it is difficult for punters to raise an issue with the NTA but the NTA ne…

I start by agreeing with Deputy O'Sullivan about developer-led infrastructure. That is a good, positive development by the Minister, Deputy Browne, which is to be welcomed. More of that, please. There are two important projects on the northside of Dublin coming down the line, which are really important for infrastructure and the development of the wider region. The first is the Shannon to Dublin water project, which shows the scale of the challenge and what ambition is needed now. It is a pipeline over 170 km long,…