I thank the Deputy for outlining the litany of issues he has endured. I hope this reply will be of benefit to him. The primary purpose of vetting carried out by the Garda National Vetting Bureau is to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. Clearly, this requires a robust vetting process that reassures the public and, in particular, parents that appropriate checks are conducted on people taking up positions of trust. I am aware that concerns have been raised regarding certain aspects of the Garda vetti…

The current system used by An Garda Síochána is delivered in a standard format to all organisations seeking vetting. This approach aligns with good international practice. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Garda National Vetting Bureau's target turnaround time for vetting applications submitted by organisations utilising the e-vetting system is five to ten working days for over 85% of the vetting applications received. The Garda National Vetting Bureau received over 633,500 applications for vetting di…

I thank the Senators for this opportunity to address the House on this important matter. St. Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny provides a range of important services including general surgery, maternity, emergency, paediatrics, hepatology and acute psychiatry. The hospital serves a significant population, including the people of counties Carlow and Kilkenny, as well as areas of counties Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, Kildare and Laois. I acknowledge that the demand for healthcare services is increasing, due both …

I again thank the Senators for raising the important issue and giving me an opportunity to highlight how committed the Government is to the progressive development of St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny. Significant additional resources have been allocated to the hospital in recent years to meet the needs of patients. Staffing at the hospital is now approximately 1,447 whole-time equivalent posts, an increase of 22% since December 2020. The hospital's budget has increased considerably in the same period. Fundin…

I thank Senator Lynch for raising this matter. I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. At the outset, I clarify that the Department of Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding in relation to greenways while national parks are under the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Regional tourism promotion is an operational matter for Fáilte Ireland in collaboration with local authorities and o…

Again, I thank Senator Lynch for raising this. Last December, the Minister, Deputy Burke, launched the new national tourism policy statement, A New Era for Irish Tourism. This strategy sets out a clear vision for growing visitor numbers and associated revenue and employment while ensuring balanced regional development. A key objective under this new policy statement is to spread the benefits of tourism to all regions. This will be a priority consideration for all public investment decisions. In particular, the need…

I welcome the opportunity to come to the Seanad today. The Government is not opposing the motion. I thank Senators for highlighting the importance of online safety as a policy issue. The motion notes that online safety is a rapidly evolving area of Government policy, with Departments collaborating closely on various related initiatives. Online safety is a priority for the Government and I will outline ongoing cross-departmental efforts to ensure that the people of Ireland can derive the benefits of the Internet whi…

I thank Deputies Neville and Farrelly for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. I welcome the opportunity to provide details of the interaction the Department of Education and Youth has had with St. Patrick's Primary School Celbridge in relation to the emergency works scheme and to provide an update on its capital project. As the Deputies will be aware, the purpose of the emergency works scheme is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies or to pr…

I reiterate that the Minister for education and the officials in her Department are fully aware of the issues raised and will continue to proactively work with the school, pending the delivery of its permanent accommodation solution. The new building project is currently at stage 2A of the architectural design process and the Department of Education and Youth currently awaits the submission of the stage 2A report. In general, some €397 million was invested in capital funding for Kildare schools between 2020 and 202…

I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this important issue. Addressing educational disadvantage is a key priority for the Government, for me and, obviously, for the Minister for Education and Youth. The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative for addressing concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. DEIS supplements universal supports by targeting additional resources to schools where disadvantage is most concentrated, helping to promote equity and meet the needs of children and young people. Currently,…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and giving us the opportunity to discuss it. The Department of Education and Youth is committed to supporting a high quality and inclusive school system that provides an equal opportunity for success for all children. DEIS remains central to that commitment and the forthcoming DEIS strategy will ensure that supports are targeted fairly and reflect the evolving needs of our school communities, informed by stakeholder engagement and a strengthened, needs-based allocation model…

It was a split decision as well.

The Deputy is making this up.

I am pleased to have the opportunity this evening to participate in the debate on this important issue on behalf of the Government and to thank my colleague, Senator Anne Rabbitte, for moving the Government's amendment to that of the Independent group of Senators. Notwithstanding this, I want to acknowledge the work undertaken by Senator McCarthy and the Independent group of Senators in tabling a motion on this matter, as we know that many aspects of the conveyancing process in Ireland are inefficient and improveme…

Targeting the work of organised crime groups who inflict intimidation and violence on families and communities across Limerick and Ireland is a top priority for our Department and the Government. Since my appointment, I have met with the gardaí in Limerick and I know they, along with their colleagues in Garda national units, are committed to targeting organised criminal groups and individuals involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs. They are pursuing charges against people suspected of involvement in organ…

It is important to put on the record and inform the Deputy's constituents and my own in Limerick that, as of 30 November 2025, the most recent information available is there are 607 gardaí assigned to the Limerick division, which is a net increase of 25 since the beginning of last year and an increase of 53, which is about 10%, since 2015. The Garda Commissioner assigned 30 probationer gardaí to Limerick during 2025, which is the highest annual allocation since 2020. There are 35 gardaí assigned to the Garda roads …

As the Minister has just said, he has been to and is no stranger to Limerick. I outlined to the Deputy the huge increase in numbers of personnel in Limerick. There will be further allocations around the country next week. There will be a significant allocation of new probationer gardaí which I think the Deputy will welcome, when we have that officially next week. I want to detail to the Deputy and the people of Limerick - the Deputy's constituents and mine - the number of Garda operations ongoing in Limerick, becau…

The primary purpose of vetting carried out by the National Vetting Bureau is to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. This requires a robust Garda vetting process that reassures the public, and in particular parents, that appropriate checks are conducted on people who are seeking or taking positions of trust. The Government is aware that concerns have been raised regarding certain aspects of the vetting process, and we have listened carefully to the views of the sporting and voluntary sectors. In thi…

There are changes that will be made to resolve the Deputy’s concerns and ours. We have listened to the views that have been carefully expressed, we have met directly with the Sports Federation of Ireland on the matter, and our Department has also received correspondence from a range of voluntary organisations informing us of their views. We are aware that concerns have been raised as to the reliability of a portability approach and in this regard we note that where a teacher is vetted, the Teaching Council permits …

In general terms and taking on board what Deputy Daly said about the multiplicity of factors, I want to speak about turnaround times. I am advised by the Garda National Vetting Bureau that the target turnaround time for organisations using the eVetting system is five to ten working days for over 85% of vetting applications received. I am informed that 85% of vetting applications are processed within nine working days, which is within the target turnaround time. There are a number of factors outside An Garda Síochán…