We absolutely recognise the challenges many are facing at the moment, the degree to which some charges within our economy are going up and the effect of so many years of very high levels of inflation within our economy. However, we also must be very honest about the environment we are in and the need to not add to risks that are made here at home. Of course the Government wants to look at supports we can put in place to deal with the various price changes that are taking place. What we cannot do at this stage, and …

I absolutely accept the importance of the individual issues the Deputy has raised, but his statement regarding schools that are unable to provide education does not tally with the quality of education and teaching that happens across our schools in this country. I am not denying for a moment that there are issues that many schools confront but what we have seen is, with regard to the funding that is available to the Department of Education, the money they spend and the teachers that are available to them, the inves…

I know the Rutland Street school as well as the Deputy does. I am not denying the fact that bills have gone up but I go into the school and I see the degree of special and additional education that is made available. I stand over my point regarding the value of the work it does and how it is funded. I could go around the corner to the Rutland Street community centre which is now being built at a cost of many tens of millions of euro to support that community. I could go down Sheriff Street and look at the new St. L…

It is because of the kinds of issues the Deputy referred to that the Minister, Deputy Chambers, will be looking at what additional funding can be made available to meet the energy and water needs that our country has and in order to deal with those kinds of issues we know are developing across many communities at the moment. I do not agree with the description the Deputy has offered of Irish Water and I am certain that if we were to begin a process of disentangling Irish Water and bringing it back into local author…

We are all reminded, either as parents or in the work we do in here, of how demanding life can now be for young students, and the critical role our schools can play in equipping them with the tools they need to deal with the issues the Deputy has described. The plans that are under way to do that at the moment refer to a post-primary well-being team that is now rolling out a two-day professional learning experience for the curriculums the Deputy referred to. I understand what the Department of Education is doing is…

I congratulate the Deputy Maxwell on his election to the House. I thank him for raising an issue that I know is really important for the people he represents. I know much work was done by his great predecessor, the former Minister, Heather Humphreys, with regard to this issue too and he wants to continue to build on this work. Regarding what the Deputy said, I understand that in his community, since 2017, 155 roads have now been completed under the local improvement scheme. The recent allocation that was made avail…

I am not aware of that issue being raised by Dublin City Council, but I take on board the importance of the issue to which the Deputy referred. I will have to raise the funding for individual programmes with the Minister for housing, but I know what the Minister wants to do is to see more and better homes delivered through our local authorities. I know that with these kinds of issues not everything can always be done at once, but I know that funding that is made available to local authorities is now at the highest …

I know the cost of childcare is still very high for many, but I also meet many people who acknowledge the reduction that has happened in childcare fees under the last Government, a reduction that we want to continue to deliver in the time ahead. However, as is the case with all of these commitments, they are dealt with budget by budget. I know the Minister for children will be raising this issue as the budget approaches in October, and we will be aiming to make progress on it. It is something we want to continue to…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of Aughrim. He has raised with me in the past the need for further investment in water in his constituency and the issues that the lack of that investment is having at the moment. I know the Irish Water plan currently sits with the regulator and it is currently being evaluated. The issues to which the Deputy referred are the reason we need to make more money available to Irish Water. I know the Ministers, Deputies O'Brien and Chambers, are aware of that, as are the Tánaiste …

I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this issue. While there has been an exchange here about Dublin, I absolutely appreciate that our cities such as Cork also face issues and need adequate policing to be in place. I have a note here regarding national garda levels and the recruitment ambitions that we have, but I know what the Deputy is particularly concerned about is that local issue, the organisation of gardaí within Cork and the need for Cork to get the gardaí it needs. I will make sure the Minister for Justice, D…

I thank the Deputy for raising that with me. I am not sure what influence the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority have on the conduct and level of fees on the toll road that the Deputy referred to.

All I can commit to doing is raising that issue with them, which I will do. I know well how important that road is and the fact that it is used more and more to get around parts of Dublin as opposed to beyond Dublin. I will make sure the Minister for Transport is aware of the issue the Deputy raised.

I think there is a world of difference between me producing a document that Deputy Farrelly's party published and a report in a newspaper. I produced a document that the Social Democrats published about economic policy and the role of jobs in our economy. Any engagement on the future of health spending and the allocation of the capital budget is taken very seriously by the HSE. It aims to respond to health needs. There are health needs in Tipperary. Government TDs will be raising those just as they are in other par…

The Deputy is not frequently a voice for calmness and moderation in this House. I did not notice him being one during the week either.

There is no doubt but that the Minister for Justice wants to engage with the Dáil on this issue. He gained Government agreement about the steps that are needed to implement the pact. He will of course come into the Dáil to answer questions on it but the aim of the pact is to reduce processing times for migration applications, which we all know in turn can help to reduce the pressures that we face from migration and those who are looking to move to our country. I will couch all this and end this on a positive note, …

I thank Deputy Boland for raising this issue regarding the importance of special education and additional education for those who are beginning their lives in our schools and who need additional support and help. I know the Deputy is aware that we have more than 3,300 special classes available across our country but, out of all those, there are 14 specifically available for children with dyslexia and we have four special schools in the country to deal with the most acute levels of reading difficulty and those who h…

I thank Deputy Ó Fearghaíl. That is why the work of Home Building Finance Ireland, HBFI, is important. As the Deputy does, I absolutely support the need for our banks to be safe and well regulated. During the awful time of the pandemic, I had many reasons to be reminded of the value of a financial sector in Ireland that is safe and well capitalised. The point the Deputy makes regarding how we can support smaller builders is the reason HBFI was put in place. It has been there for a few years and we do need to look a…

All I can tell the Deputy is that I am aware the issue is being addressed. He is not the first person I have heard make the point. I know he is aware, as I am, of the need to make sure that whoever is driving a bus with our kids in it is able to do it safely. I know he agrees with that. That is not in doubt. The Road Safety Authority wants to ensure that if we do change the age at which you can drive a school bus, it does not create additional risks for those who are driving the buses or those who are in them. The …

The Government and all of my colleagues on this side of the House absolutely understand the consequences of the uncertainty of the world that we are now in and what that means for households and businesses. We see a world that has become more dangerous, more volatile and full of uncertainty. We on this side of the House are absolutely aware of the concern and anxiety that is causing for many in our country, whether that be small businesses trying to keep jobs or householders worried about whether they will be able …

It is interesting Deputy Cullinane should bring up the election because he is representing the most unsuccessful opposition party in Europe at present. It is the only opposition party that managed to go into an election at a time prices were high and lose votes.