As I said, I am taking these questions on behalf of the Minister. Project Ireland 2040 sets out the Government's overarching vision for the provision of infrastructure in order to better cater for the needs of the State’s existing population and to accommodate projected population increases in a balanced and sustainable way. Project Ireland 2040 includes the national planning framework, NPF, which sets out the overarching spatial strategy for the next 20 years, and the ten strategic outcomes, to provide a strategic…

To be honest, I do not disagree with anything the Deputy said. It goes back to the question raised by Deputy Conway-Walsh with respect to changes that have been made to the public spending code and the manner in which the gateways will change. As well as that, the Minister has made changes to the delivery of the NDP around the delivery board, which was the preserve of civil servants and Secretaries General until he took over the chairmanship of it. The Minister also brought outside people to that board, which is ne…

As I said, I do not disagree with what the Deputy said. In a roundabout way, what I get from his contribution is that the plan, the delivery board and those charged with making sure it happens need to be more flexible and adaptable, in respect of the changes in weather, climate, economics, demographics, and everything else that is out there. Nobody thought 12 months ago that the population of County Galway would have arrived in this country over a little more than 12 months. Our population is now soaring at a rate …

As I said, the summer economic statement will be published in the coming months. It sets out the key anchor for budgetary policy each year and outlines the parameters within which discussions will take place for budget 2024. Each year, the summer economic statement sets out our plans for sustainable expenditure growth to provide for the delivery of investment in public services and infrastructure to support a strong, fair and equal society into the future. Such plans are key to addressing issues of well-being for o…

I thank the Deputy for the question. It is going to form not only a part of the summer economic statement but also, more broadly, a part of the national economic dialogue. Returning to what the Deputy said a while ago in respect of open government, I think he will appreciate that the national economic dialogue is yet another example of such open government and the open government partnership. That dialogue will take place in the summer as well and it will provide people with varying views and perspectives in respec…

I was told I was dealing with the third Commencement matter in the name of Senator Lombard.

If the Members who should be here turned up, we would not have this problem.

I apologise to Senator O'Loughlin. I am not sure what happened at the start. A priority for the Government is to ensure that all children have an appropriate school place and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for children with special educational needs. It is important to remember that the vast majority of children with special education needs are supported in attending mainstream classes with their peers. To support children with more complex needs, though, the Department will spend …

I have a fair few family members in west Cork. Even though Cork is an adjoining county to my own county, I would be in Dublin faster than I would be down to see some of them. The distances are not only great, but they are complicated. I can only imagine what it must be like to be the parent of a young child from Baltimore, Ballydehob, Schull, Goleen, Bantry or any of the places on the Beara Peninsula or the Sheep's Head Peninsula. It must be difficult. A compelling case has been made for the inclusion of geographic…

Thank you for your indulgence, a Cheann Comhairle. I have two responses that overlap so I will try to condense them. I beg the Deputies' indulgence in that regard. I thank the Deputies for raising the issues. In regard to the Topical Issues before the House on 5G digital masts, two procedures are in place depending on where the telecommunications infrastructure is to be located. In the first scenario, where a developer proposes to place overground telecommunications equipment, such as a telecommunications mast on o…

To go back to the points of Deputies Lahart and Brophy, I reiterate that a person applying for a licence under section 254 of the Act must provide the planning authority with such plans and other information concerning the position, design and capacity of the appliance, apparatus or structure as the authority may require. I am not getting into the ins and outs of a particular planning application because I am precluded from doing so in this House, but I am sure Deputies will know, since they have been members of lo…

I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Donnell. The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Service Acts 1981 and 2003. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage supports fire authorit…

As Deputy Ó Laoghaire points out, I am taking this on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell. It is important to note that the non-availability of any particular fire station does not mean that fire risk management, including fire service response, is diminished. The systemic approach to fire risk management, which has been the policy in use in this country for a more than a decade, has seen a welcome and steady downward trend in fire losses in Ireland. While each fire death is one too many, the fire fat…

Ní choinníonn an Roinn na staitisticí atá iarrtha ag an Teachta. Tá fáil ar shonraí Daonáireamh ar bhonn Limistéir Pleanála Teanga Gaeltachta chomh maith le sonraí ábhartha eile maidir leis an bpróiseas pleanála teanga ar an amharcóir mapa a rinne an Roinn a fhorbairt i gcomhar leis an bPríomh-Oifig Staidrimh: dahg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=7090794ee2ca4b53bb785b84c2bd9ad8 Tá tuilleadh eolais ar fáil ar ndóigh ón bPríomh-Oifig féin maidir le gnóthaí Gaeilge trí chéile.

Ní choinníonn an Roinn na staitisticí atá iarrtha ag an Teachta. Tá fáil ar shonraí Daonáireamh ar bhonn Limistéir Pleanála Teanga Gaeltachta chomh maith le sonraí ábhartha eile maidir leis an bpróiseas pleanála teanga ar an amharcóir mapa a rinne an Roinn a fhorbairt i gcomhar leis an bPríomh-Oifig Staidrimh: dahg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=7090794ee2ca4b53bb785b84c2bd9ad8 Tá tuilleadh eolais ar fáil ar ndóigh ón bPríomh-Oifig Staidrimh féin maidir le gnóthaí Gaeilge trí chéile.

This property was the subject of PQ 55497/21 and PQ 7920/23 submitted by the Deputy. The position regarding Vernon Mount House remains the same. The House and it’s immediate curtilage registered under Folio CK136041F is owned by a private company Vernon Mount House Restoration Ltd. This company is live, its annual returns are up to date and the CRO status is Normal.   The house is not State property and, that being the case, neither the OPW nor the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery…

I welcome the students from the Abbey School who have strong Limerick connections through their teacher and principal. I do not think they would have won the competition without that Limerick influence.

Wait until next week. We will soften your cough. Senator Conway has made a valid point. We have to move to a position, by agreement with the Chief Whip or the Government, where there are thematic days in the Seanad, almost like oral questions in the other House, where Senators, with the Cathaoirleach's consent, can raise issues with notice and the Minister with responsibility turns up. Otherwise, it is just me reading a script I received five minutes ago, which is not just disrespectful to the patients Senator Conw…

I speak as somebody who represents a constituency where people are suffering from haemochromatosis. They would not like to think that someone is just handed a script and told to read it out, which is exactly what I am about to do. I thank Senator Conway for raising this issue. Haemochromatosis is a hereditary condition, in which excessive amounts of iron are absorbed from the diet. This iron is deposited in various organs, mainly in the liver, but also in the pancreas, heart, pituitary and joints. Symptoms are ofte…

Senator Conway raises valid points. This is a condition that affects a lot of people throughout the country. We all know people affected by it, how it interrupts their lives, the impact it has on their weekly and daily routines, and the difficulty some people have accessing remote services, particularly in rural areas. I will relay the Senator's points to the relevant Minister. If Senator Conway believes it would be appropriate to use private Members' time to address the issue further, that would be an opportunity …