The Deputy has not apologised for it.

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. I thank Deputy Troy for raising this important issue. Kaftrio has been a life-changing drug for cystic fibrosis sufferers. Access to drugs like this was what we expected when the HSE signed its agreement with the manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, in 2017. The deal stipulated our patients would have access to Vertex's whole portfolio of cystic fibrosis drugs for a capped yearly cost. We made a ten-year commitment that has already seen us pay hundreds …

We fully appreciate the severity of cystic fibrosis and acknowledge the fears and frustrations of the families affected by this situation. I also acknowledge the circumstances the Deputy's constituents, Ciarán and his family, whom the Deputy spoke about in his initial remarks, find themselves in. The Minister is working on resolving this issue as a matter of high priority. He has been very clear in telling me that and it is his position and the position of the Government. It is a matter of extreme regret that Verte…

I thank Deputy Michael Moynihan for raising this issue and I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. Improving access to home support is a priority for the Government. Since budget 2021, the Government has provided an additional €207 million in funding for home support to the Department of Health. This year, the overall home support budget will be more than €700 million. This will enable the HSE to progress the development of a reformed model of service delivery to underpin the …

I thank the Deputy for his contribution. There is no policy to reduce hours and end-of-life care is always a priority for the Government. The Government remains committed to supporting people to age in place at home in their communities with access to wraparound supports, including day care and dementia-specific day care services, meals on wheels and home care. As I mentioned earlier, delivering this enhanced capacity for support requires substantial recruitment and significant work is under way to address the stra…

I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. A central objective of the programme for Government is to deliver increased levels of integrated health care with service delivery reoriented towards general practice, primary care and community-based services to enable a home first approach. Primary care centres play an essential role in the delivery of that objective and significant progress has been made in the delivery of these centres nationally. These centres …

I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Government and in support of my colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, on the topic of teacher supply. Ensuring our children are taught by qualified teachers is a priority issue for the Department of Education and the Government. This morning we have heard about the various measures put in place by the Department and the education partners to address teacher supply. Approximately 3,500 newly qualified teachers have had their registrations finalised by the Teach…

I acknowledge the excellent work on the rural social scheme and the contribution this scheme and its participants make to rural communities throughout the country. Currently, there are 2,873 participants and 133 supervisors employed on the scheme. The Department of Social Protection runs the scheme which has a total budget of €51.9 million in 2022. The scheme is delivered through a network of 36 local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta. RSS projects deliver a range of services which are vital to the soc…

I thank Senator Boyhan again for raising the matter. I reassure the Senator that the Ministers place huge emphasis on the importance of employment schemes, especially, for rural areas, the rural social scheme. As I stated earlier, they have visited rural social schemes in recent months and are fully aware of the important work they do in the community. They have seen first-hand the great work that is being carried out, offering services to vulnerable members of our communities, keeping our towns and villages lookin…

I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline the current position in respect of the accommodation needs of Golden National School, County Tipperary, and the Government's firm commitment to enabling students with special education needs to receive an education appropriate to those needs. Golden National School is a co-educational national school which caters for pupils from junior infants to sixth class. The school had an enrolment of 94 pupils in 2021 and has a mainstr…

I convey the apologies of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, who regrets she cannot attend for this matter due to a prior commitment. On behalf of the Minister, I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this important matter and for giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on the issues he raised. As the Deputy will be aware, management of the courts, operational matters and logistical functions are the responsibility of the Judiciary and the Courts Service, which are independent in exercising th…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education is committed to ensuring that children can access an education suitable to their needs. Planning is actively under way to ensure that children without a placement for next year are provided with a suitable placement. The NCSE is leading the work in this regard. This year, the Department of Education will invest in excess of €2 billion, or 25% of the Department's budget, in the area of spec…

I again thank the Deputy for raising these issues in a genuine manner. It is obviously a concern to the Deputy and to any community if there is a fear of a loss of services. I am confident, given the initial reply supplied to me by the Department of Justice, that there is a clear intention to restore the existing level of service to Mallow once the refurbishment works have been carried out. I know Mallow quite well, although the Deputy knows it better than I do. Suffice it to say it is a significant population cent…

I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important matter. This agenda item is timely following discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council and European Council in October on the EU's strategic engagement with China. Those discussions, attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, and the Taoiseach, took place against the backdrop of the re-election of President Xi to a third term as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Ireland, together with other member states, reaffirmed our suppo…

The Minister for Transport has overall responsibility for policy and Exchequer funding for the national roads programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, under the Roads Acts, and in line with the national development plan, NDP, the planning, design, improvement and upgrading of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. TII ultimately delivers the national roads programme in line with Project Irelan…

Any relationship with a country as large as China has many strands and our relationship covers political, economic, cultural and people-to-people links. We have never held back from criticising human rights abuses where they have occurred. It is also the case that we seek to ensure Ireland's values and interests are promoted and protected within the bilateral and EU relationships with China. This will continue to be the approach of the Government. The visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to China in May 2021 w…

With regard to the A5, the funding arrangements have been governed by the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and implementation plan, A Fresh Start. Under this agreement, the Government is committed to providing funding of £75 million towards the cost of the A5 upgrade scheme once the statutory planning process in Northern Ireland has been concluded. The Government is committed to delivering on its funding commitment to the A5 project, which is also included in the New Decade, New Approach document of 2020. Allowing for…

I thank the Deputies for raising these important matters and allowing us time to discuss them today. As noted previously, the Government is keenly aware of the growing pressures this places on families and businesses. Just like other European member states, Ireland is acutely feeling the effects of the current energy crisis. It is a matter of serious concern to Government that rising electricity and gas prices caused by international conditions are putting increased pressure on consumers. Protecting those in a more…

Will the Deputy give a speech at the wedding?

All duck or no dinner.