Before I adjourn the House, I wish all of you an enjoyable and happy St. Patrick's Day.

I thank the Minister for her genuine interest in this matter, which has not been lost on the survivors of Michael Shine. I welcome the announcement from the Minister on appointing Lorcan Staines SC as the independent facilitator for the scoping exercise, as requested by Dignity4Patients on behalf of the survivors of Michael Shine. This is a significant and long-awaited step and it is important we acknowledge how long it has taken to get here. I would also like to acknowledge the exceptional support and advocacy pro…

Will the Minister consider establishing and funding a dedicated Irish town of culture programme to support towns such as Drogheda and Ardee with strong cultural identities and significant heritage assets? This would be particularly relevant for Drogheda, which has a rich artistic community and a deep historical footprint.

I thank the Minister. I am delighted to hear he is in favour of such a programme. Drogheda is a cultural powerhouse in the north east. It is home to festivals like the Drogheda Arts Festival, the Drogheda classical musical series and the Lú festival. It provides entertainment for locals but it is also a calling card for people from outside Drogheda and County Louth to visit the town. Like many Irish towns that have strong cultural identities, Drogheda tends to fall between the cracks of existing schemes and therefo…

I tend to agree with the Minister. A few years ago, Drogheda had the fleadh for two years, during which it brought great short-term benefit to the town. I agree with the Minister that this designation would have to develop over a three- or five-year period in order to have a long-lasting impact on the town. Where I may disagree with the Minister is in terms of the competition among local authorities. I advocate having a pilot programme in a pilot town. Obviously, at the top of that list would be Drogheda, followed …

Childhood memories should be nuggets of joy and flashbacks of events evoked by the smells, words or actions of others and of happier times. They should make us laugh and smile when we remember. They should be a guide for us, if or when, we are lucky enough to have own children. They should wrap around us like a cosy duvet on dark miserable days. Some of us can point to a teacher who was inspirational, stern, strict, batty or just simply kind. I remember Mrs. Bell who handed out Silvermints when trying to get us pre…

Will the Minister of State consider establishing a cross-Border assessment of need scheme, modelled on existing cross-Border dental and surgical treatment pathways, to ensure that children can access timely assessments outside the State when domestic waiting lists are excessive?

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the shortage of mainstream school places in Dunshaughlin, County Meath for the 2026-27 school year. Deputy Grace Boland - To discuss the national fare structure for train fares announced by the National Transport Authority in 2025. Deputy Paula Butterly - To discuss the operation of the double payment rule and illness benef…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue because it undoubtedly affects people in Dunleer, Togher, Drogheda and Dundalk and no doubt it also affects people the breadth of Ireland. I came in to the Chamber in October 2025 to talk about a constituency who had come to me having lost her husband a year prior. She was facing having to rear her four children, get back to work, get on with her life and with building a life for her children, only to find herself in a position in which she fell ill. It was cance…

I thank the Minister of State. I am heartened that he has grasped the seriousness of the situation and by the fact that he is going to raise the urgent need for this to be reviewed. Let us review it and implement it. Let us find a timeline of many months but, rather, weeks or a few months. The Minister of State has grasped the seriousness of the situation, as has the Minister, Deputy Calleary. It is grossly unfair and does not just affect people who are getting the widow's or widower's benefit. It is also arises in…

This Bill is framed as a progressive step towards modernising employment, yet it is a deeply flawed legislation that risks undermining productivity, weakening organisational cohesion and placing disproportionate burdens on the employer. While the intention behind the Bill may be admirable, its practical consequences are far from beneficial. First, the Bill seeks to erode workplace culture and long-term innovation. Organisations thrive on shared environments where ideas circulate freely. Turning remote work into a l…

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I want to go back to what he said to Deputy John Connolly in relation to gate 2. I welcome the announcement that it will no longer need ministerial approval. The Minister said it did not add value, but added only time. How much time will this actually save? Is it four weeks, eight weeks or 20 weeks? This is an important point to highlight. Whether there is ministerial approval or not gets lost in translation for the person at home, whereas if we hear a solid number…

My understanding is that 17 of the task action points set out for quarter 1 sit with the Minister's Department and nine of those, if not progressed, cannot go any further. Has the Minister already identified any pinch points that could delay this progress and, if so, how are they going to be addressed?

May I ask a further follow-up question?

A follow-up on this one. It would probably follow on more fluently, if the Minister is so willing.

Before I speak about my approval of this Bill and give my thanks for the work done on it, I wish to make my position on immigration very clear. Having listened to various debates over the last number of days, sometimes it feels, as an outsider looking in, that the lines tend to get a little bit blurred when we talk about immigration and what immigration is. It is important to underline that our position is that immigration is welcome in Ireland. We welcome people of all shapes and sizes and from all corners of the …

I absolutely concur with everything Deputy Callaghan has said. She rightly mentioned that families come in many shapes and forms and different sizes. I am very conscious that we link everything to our blood relatives. The time has come that when we are reviewing all the categories we have to consider those members of our families - because essentially, they can be very much considered as family - and perhaps consider a nominated heir rather than a straightforward A, B, C category and trying to slot them into a part…

I thank the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy.

Is that agreed? Agreed.