Wits' end.

It is obvious that this House, and indeed the people of Ireland, have significant concerns about Israeli actions in Palestine and the dire and worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. I reiterate that Israeli actions in Palestine consistently contravene international law and the Government continues to press for appropriate action at EU and international level in response to Israeli breaches of human rights and democratic principles. The prevention by Israel of essential and sufficient humanitarian aid going into …

-----but I wish the women well in their game tonight.

I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who is out of the country. Ireland is fully committed to an ambitious and just green transition, which is essential not only from an environmental perspective, but is also required to reduce our reliance on expensive imported fossil fuels. This involves remaining abreast of new technologies in order to support the integration of increasing volumes of renewables and to further support the use of surplus energy…

The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is acutely aware that, with the scale of renewable electricity generation sources coming onto the grid, the grid needs to be more flexible to account for the intermittent nature of renewables. Moreover, for the decarbonisation pathway to be efficient our energy systems must be smart. A smart and flexible energy system will reduce consumer energy bills by reducing the amount of generation and network assets that need to be built to meet peak demand. Consequently …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I speak today on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, who could not be here. I am reading from a prepared script. I welcome the opportunity to outline the position on this matter. An Post is a commercial State company with a mandate to act commercially and as such, day-to-day operational matters including decisions in relation to the size, distribution and future of the network are matters for the board and the management of the company and are not ones in …

I thank the Deputy for his comments. When I was on that side of the House, we brought in a lot of Private Members' business about An Post. We always emphasised the importance of the post office and the postman. In all fairness, the postman was the connection with a lot of elderly people living at home. He used to call and check on them to make sure they were there. There is always that fear you will lose the services in the area. I will not read out the script I have in front of me. However, I will get a transcript…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. I will outline to the Dáil the current position on investments in school infrastructure in County Waterford. Waterford county is broken down into five school planning areas. An analysis of the primary school population in Waterford indicates that primary school enrolments will reduce in all areas over the next five years, with the exception of the school planning area of Ring, which may …

The Department has a strong track record of delivering the Government's school building programme, with over €6.9 billion invested since 2020. This has delivered more than 1,400 completed school building projects along with over 4,000 small-scale improvement works to meet priority maintenance needs and advance energy efficiency and climate goals. A total capital ceiling of €7.55 billion for 2026 to 2030 was allocated to the Department of Education and Youth under the national development plan review. This is a reco…

That is an appalling comment to make. A disgrace.

Stop interrupting.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. As she rightly said, I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. As regards the two issues the Senator raised, I hope that those two young lads will get back to full health. I will ensure that the Minister gets a transcript of what the Senator raised here and I will ask her to reply directly to the Senator on those two issues. Nobody wants to hear of situations like that but, at the end of the day, we hope they will be okay. I will now read the sc…

I assure the Senator that I will personally bring this issue to the attention of the Minister and ask her to revert to the Senator on it. Nobody wants to hear of cases like this. At the end of the day, the staff in the health service, as everyone in this House will acknowledge, do tremendous work.

In some places they are under pressure and we all know that. Recruitment is a problem as well. It is to be hoped the hospital will be able to get on top of these issues. I will ask the Minister to revert to the Senator on it and I thank her, once again, for raising this matter today. I reiterate that Cavan Monaghan General Hospital operates in line with the national healthcare standards and established clinical governance frameworks. Both the surgical and emergency departments follow protocols, with care delivery g…

Go raibh maith ag an Seanadóir. I am very familiar with Tubbercurry. I go though it very regularly. I have an aunt up in Dunkineely so I visit her a lot and go through Tubbercurry. Tubbercurry is famous for the fleadh cheoil as well.

My late first cousin, and his two sons and daughters participated in the fleadh cheoil on many occasions, so I know Tubbercurry very well. I thank Senator Cosgrove for her question. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with members of the House today. From the outset, I would like to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, and I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Ca…

That is what I have in my notes here.

It is important to note that route 64 is not one of the services which was withdrawn and continues to operate as normal.

I am not the Minister for Transport. I am only reading this note.

That is what I have in the note here and if the Senator is happy with that-----