I ask the Minister what actions he has taken to ensure that the deposit return scheme, DRS, is accessible to disabled people, since the launch of the scheme.

I find this a bit unbelievable. Planning for this scheme has taken many months, maybe even years. The scheme was launched at the beginning of the year and the first meeting to properly discuss and have consultation around accessiblity took place on 6 June. Now an advisory panel is going to be put in place. The machines are already in place. They are welcome and are working well. However, any of them I have used are at my eye level and I am not small. I do not know how a wheelchair user would use them in the first p…

It is all right to talk about public consultation processes but if those processes are not accessible to everybody then they are not much use. We have to ensure that everybody is included, that they are easy to read and that there are accessible forms of consultation to ensure that everyone’s voices are heard. The scheme in Demark, for example, has been operating for 20 years. It is very successful. It has some sort of mechanism for people who have their shopping delivered to return their receipts via Denmark's rev…

How many meetings has the Minister undertaken with communities impacted by the North-South interconnector and what has been the outcome of those meetings?

The Minister stated this is an essential infrastructure project. I recall, when I was a member of Cavan County Council, having discussions about this project, which must have been in 2006 or 2007. We are almost 20 years on and the project has not moved at all. The main reason it has not moved is that the landowners are totally opposed, from my consultation with them, to this going over their land, for a number of reasons that have not yet been addressed. Does the Minister know how many landowners have accepted that…

I accept the importance of this project but I am concerned about how it is going to proceed if there is such opposition on the ground. Is there a contingency plan to deal with that? Have EirGrid, the Government or the Oireachtas committee referenced by the Minister that has oversight of this issue any other plans in place to deal with this? All I can see is strong opposition on the ground and possible legal challenges which will hold up the whole project further down the line.

I think we are all in agreement that home support is so important. It can provide assistance with a wide range of activities and allows people to live at home as independently as possible whether they are ill, frail or disabled. It helps with washing and personal care and so on. I wish to say at the outset that not all disabled people need or want home care support. Many do not require this service. In fact, they require a personal assistance service, which is something different, in order to enable them to live in…

I was stunned to read this week that the long-awaited and long-overdue national children’s hospital was set to be delayed further and that this supposedly state-of-the-art hospital may not even be accessible to wheelchair users. The Dáil was told in February that the project’s completion date would be this October and that the first patients could be expected to be treated there in spring 2025. It is now predicted that the hospital will not open to patients until 2026, which will be 12 years after the expected open…

The need for this hospital has long been debated. There were delays in the initial stages about the location and it was decided that it should be in the middle of the city. I still question whether that was wise, but is too late to go back on that. If there had been delays at the beginning to ensure the design was right everybody could have understood that. However, it seems that there has been change after change, which has caused delays and additional costs. This is taxpayers' money. While we need this state-of-t…

The long-term effects of inadequate funding in primary schools have led to a crisis which, if not properly addressed, will continue to have negative knock-on effects on our children's education and well-being. This is especially the case for children with additional needs, who also face many barriers to inclusivity, such as short school days, reduced timetables and permanent exclusion from school. The prevalence of autism is increasing. The Department of Education and the NCSE need to plan to ensure they meet the n…

Friday next, 28 June, is International Neonatal Screening Day. Can the Minister please provide an update on the roll-out of spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, in the national newborn blood spot screening programme, or the heel-prick test as we refer to it? Will she indicate when she expects the first baby to be tested in Ireland for this potentially devastating disease? The Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, has committed to implementation by the end of 2024, but when answering some parliamentary questions, he sugges…

As none of the Deputies who have tabled questions is here, we will move on to the next item of business.

I want to raise the issue of school transport. There are a number of schools in my area, in Cavan, including a DEIS school in Cavan town, St. Clare's, with no school transport system in place. Yet some students live quite a distance from the school and require transport. They are being told they are not eligible because they live too close to the school or are not attending the nearest school. Most children leaving Castlerahan national school will attend St. Oliver Post Primary School, Oldcastle. Again, they are be…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that Family Carers Ireland's report entitled "The State of Caring 2024" found: — almost three quarters of carers have never received respite; — half of carers have to pay privately for services that should be publicly provided to support their caring role; and — the vast majority of carers are finding it difficult to make ends meet; calls on the Government to heed the voice of carers, thousands of whom told Deputies their stories and outlined the extreme pressure they are under on t…

I wish to thank everyone who contributed to this debate. It is obvious, from right across the floor, that carers are really valued for the work they do, but they are a cohort who need support. We need to trust carers more. The 18.5-hour limit was raised consistently. It is too restrictive regarding study or work outside of the home. As Deputy Canney said, they cannot even undertake a community scheme because that amounts to 19 hours. This is something that could be looked at and adjusted. We have to trust carers wi…

I wish to ask for an update on the children's disability network team, CDNT, recruitment campaign, Be part of our team, Be part of our lives. How many people have been recruited to the CDNTs through this campaign? What is the current number of staff vacancies nationally in CDNTs? Will the Minister of State will make a statement on this matter?

The Minister of State mentioned the staff census of 2022. The 2023 staff census has yet to be published. Does the Minister of State have a date for when it will be published? I know it was delayed because of the industrial action but I wonder is there a date for that in order to be able to compare across the board. I wish to focus on my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. The HSE-run team in Monaghan had a vacancy rate of approximately 40%. The Cavan team, which is a section 39 organisation, had a 60% vacancy rate. The…

The Minister of State mentioned graduates. Have the numbers entering these professions in college increased and have they increased dramatically? Are we seeing an increase in the number of people graduating and staying in Ireland to work? The Minister of State mentioned the apprenticeship model, which is an excellent model as well. Are we seeing a lot more people taking up these courses or is it proving difficult to get people into them? Some people have said that the points' requirement can be extremely high. Many…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta.

I thank the Deputy.