I again thank the Deputy for his interest in this area. We had a very good and robust debate last night on AI and its positives. We must always be cautious about the introduction of something like this technology. It is like the revolution of the Internet. We got that first and we were able to do it. This new technology, though, is going to be completely different because I think it is going to impact every aspect of our lives, from public transport to healthcare to education. Every walk of life will be impacted in…

I thank the Deputies for the broad range of those questions. The number of supplementary questions just goes to demonstrate the interest there is in AI and how it is going to revolutionise everything we do. The advisory council was raised by colleagues. It was established in January 2024. I had the pleasure of meeting its members and their leader, Dr. Patricia Scanlon, last week. All those council members are experts in their fields. Different industries are represented in the council, from legal to healthcare to t…

I am pleased to take the floor of the House today as Ireland’s first Minister of State who has artificial intelligence, AI, in their title. We are living in a time of great change, unpredictability and opportunity. I am determined that my mandate as Minister of State in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will deliver and maximise the benefits of AI for our businesses, the economy and society more broadly. The opportunities presented by AI are not like previous technological advances. The speed and p…

I am sure it can. My apologies.

I thank everybody who took part in a very frank, honest and open debate. I really appreciate it. Everybody has pointed to aspects of its potential and the opportunity in democracy, healthcare, education and down to the everyday. You do not need to be a tech expert to get the benefit when we think about public transport, as Deputy Gould said. Deputy Conway-Walsh has been here for all the debate and had a very specific question around the National Training Fund. We will come back to her on that. There was another poi…

Okay. The Government has had the AI advisory council in situ since 2024. I thank everybody for their contributions. They were very thought-out and passionate. I am on all sides because AI can be groundbreaking and has huge potential for the country. There is nobody in this Chamber who is uncaring or inconsiderate where climate and global effects are concerned. We will do it in a green way. That is what we have to do. We have got to get the balance right. I emphasise that a key part of ensuring AI is widely adopted …

I thank Deputy Connolly. It was lovely to hear her using our native tongue when asking her question. Unfortunately, I am not as fluent or líofa as she is to be able to respond.

The Deputy's question is a very serious one and it is on the issue that this Government will be judged on. I have some statistics from the Department, but on the Deputy's specific question, I am not aware of the tenant in situ scheme being suspended. I will share with the Deputy the information I have with me. If it does not have specific details relating to her question, I will bring it to the attention of the Department to try to get clarity for her. Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new b…

I beg the Deputy's pardon. I will take a note of that. These options include securing the continuation of the tenancy with the landlord, securing alternative accommodation through the HAP place finder, allocating another rental accommodation scheme property or allocating a social housing tenancy, including voids, untenanted properties and properties available with an AHB. There were 1,500 acquisitions approved for 2023 and the programme was extended by the Government into 2024 with a further 1,500 acquisitions, 1,3…

I appreciate the Deputy raising this matter. She referred to Galway County Council specifically.

I commit to the Deputy that I will contact the Minister for housing and his Department tomorrow to get the Deputy a clear answer on whether it is suspended.

I thank both Deputies for raising this issue. I am from Cavan-Monaghan and do not live in the Dublin area, but I have heard much discussion in the media in recent days about the concerns of parents, particularly parents who are expecting their first child and who do not have access to a public health nurse to make those all-important milestone checks. The Government remains committed to providing continued investment in the health workforce, including public health nurses, and ensuring that this service is availabl…

I thank both gentlemen again for raising this important topic. The Government remains committed to providing continued investment in the health workforce, including public health nurses. I take on board the suggestions relating to capacity, recruitment and the Dublin allowance. There is also that piece about how we maybe have lots of staff who are willing to be in the HSE and public health and there are areas like Dublin, including the Deputies' constituencies, where they are thinner on the ground. The 27 WTE posts…

I raise the matter of the Errigal Truagh Special Needs services at Emyvale, County Monaghan. It has a project, with state-of-the-art plans, which has planning permission to develop and deliver much-needed day and weekend respite services for children aged between six and 17 to provide essential support for children who are currently under the CDNT for County Monaghan. I do not need to tell the Taoiseach that the gap is huge. The need is incredible. This group is ready to go. As I said, the project is shovel-ready. …

I want to raise very important strategic infrastructure, not just for the Cavan-Monaghan area but for the whole north-east region as well, which is the east-west link corridor from Dundalk to Sligo. First, I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, who was not two weeks in the Department when he met the council officials in Cavan County Council to hear about the woes with regard to roads. I want to raise with the Tánaiste the sincerity within the Department of Transport to get behind this project that is the ea…

Today is, of course, World Mental Health Day. I thank the Minister of State for the work she has done in her role since her appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for this very important issue. I know she feels it with her heart, in her head and with all of the work she does in respect of policy, legislation and funding. I thank her for making sure that Cavan and Monaghan got their suicide crisis assessment nurses, SCANs. That is something I long campaigned for when we were in opposition. When we were…

I congratulate the Minister on his elevation as leader of the Green Party. Today I raise the urgent matter of the need for a special education school for the pupils and students of County Monaghan. I know my constituency colleague, Deputy Matt Carthy, will agree with me on this. I understand a review is under way at the moment but the parents cannot wait any longer. The chief executive of the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, John Kearney, is working with the Minister, Deputy Foley, on that. I thank the…

I wish to raise the matter around the needs of special needs children and young people across Cavan and Monaghan. First, I thank the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, who kindly reached out and met with the parents from Special Needs Active Parents, SNAP, which is a very articulate organisation of parents who represent the needs of their children in County Monaghan. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Anne Rabbitte, who kindly came to the constituency and has provided assurances that respite services will indeed…

I wish to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on his departure as leader of the Green Party. Last night, I was at a well-attended, large public meeting in the Killygarry Community Centre, County Cavan. Gathered there were people from the Shankill lower and Pottle areas in Cavan, where two sites are proposed for the development of battery energy storage systems. This is arguably the first project of its kind in County Cavan. A number of speakers educated everyone in the room, a…

-----and I understand the applications are now sitting with An Bord Pleanála. However, no EPA environmental impact assessment has been requested or is required. That should be non-negotiable. It also does not fall under the COMAH regulations, which are for the control of major accidents and hazards. I ask that the Taoiseach would see to those two measures being introduced very quickly.