Wrong one.

Last weekend, I happened to be out doing some community events and on three occasions I met three different individuals who are representative of the men's sheds. They all came with the same story about the threat to the funding model that they had and the fear that maybe the funding has ceased for this year. I know that some works were done in the interim but what I want to do, given the outstanding commitment that they make to the men's sheds and the community effort that they are involved with in tackling loneli…

Like the Minister, I want to wish our gallant Galway hurlers everything that is good on Sunday, but that is not why I stood up to speak. I am anxious, given the spate of correspondence coming into my office, about the school transport scheme and how some families find themselves ineligible or refused transport for the next year.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I get the whole cost of providing transport, but access to education begins with access to transport. For any parent who finds themselves in receipt of a refusal for a bus ticket for next year, it is the most compelling and difficult thing they have to deal with. It is stressful enough without them being told that do not qualify. In most cases, the people that I am talking about had transport last year. It is almost inconceivable that they had it last year and they ar…

As the Minister of State mentioned, there are instances where students and families have benefited from school transport tickets. There are also many instances where they are not utilised. If there was a formula or mechanism to make sure that only those who need them apply, it would help the situation. I do not know if anyone would be in position to say that they do not want it and will give it back, but if we had some kind of mechanism to make sure that only those children who want to avail of public transport wou…

I want to put the spotlight on the primary medical certificate and the very rigid rules there are with regard to eligibility. It is fine if a person has a very physical disability; they will qualify. Those who lose eyesight, for example, would not be eligible. The appeals process is also quite complex. Is there any prospect of a review of the scheme? On the backlog of appeals, is there anything to speed up the numbers who are waiting on decisions?

As the Tánaiste is aware, this is Men's Health Week. Government policy acknowledges or recognises that improving men's health has clear benefits for families, partners and children right across society. A key part of that is the experience of early parenthood. I refer to paternity leave in particular in this regard. A report this week titled Extra Time with Dad shows that Ireland is falling way behind. We provide just two weeks' paternity leave. That is the EU minimum and it ranks near the bottom in OECD terms of l…

The Courts Service owns a building in the heart of Tuam that has been derelict for the past 15 years. As part of the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027, reference was made to the possibility of it being refurbished at the end of that period. We are in the middle of 2026 and there is no sign of that. Dereliction should not be encouraged. In particular, State-owned buildings should not be left in that state right in the heart of the town of Tuam in east Galway.

I follow on the same subject. I thank the Tánaiste for his continued engagement when I raised the issue of the summer programme, what was known as the July provision. In my constituency, I had one advocate who was representing ten families that were blocked out of the scheme. The stress, strain and torment that parents had to endure for the last few weeks were unbearable. A window of opportunity of six days was just unacceptable, to be brutally honest, because I, for one, appreciate the stress and strain that teach…

I want to raise once again the question of wind energy guidelines. Last year when I entered this Chamber, I was anxious to understand when the planning guidelines would be updated both for wind energy, the towering tall 185 m high turbines and of course for solar energy. There was a promise or commitment given that the planning guidelines would be updated and published in the spring of this year. Spring has just slipped away and I am anxious to know when they will be published.

I thank the Minister for this debate on TB eradication, which I welcome. In an earlier response, he mentioned that new TB measures came into place in April. I am anxious to understand the status of the new rules and their implementation.

I get it and I absolutely understand the compassion the Minister has for the emotion, distress and anxiety an outbreak brings to farmers. Sometimes it could be dairy herd. In particular I would like to understand vaccination schemes and programmes. I know we have a vaccination programme for the badger. Are we looking at, or are we anywhere near, a vaccination programme for herds, particularly dairy herds? If there is an outbreak in a dairy herd it is financially crippling and the consequence might be that the farme…

The €6 million fund for preventative measures is most welcome. The compensation ceiling for someone with a pedigree in-calf cow, which we know the value of, is €3,000. Are we revisiting that because they are taking a huge financial loss, as well as the emotional loss and the upset caused as a consequence of the outbreak on that prize animal? I would like to understand whether that is something the Department will consider revisiting.

I will raise the issue of the provision of public footpaths, and their maintenance, repair and infill. There is no dedicated funding for such within the local authorities. There is active travel funding, roads funding and all of the other streams, which are very often criteria-driven. For example, any engineer who is requested to have a look at the provision of new footpaths, maintenance or repair, the answer received is that there is no funding. I am looking for separate footpath funding to be dedicated to each co…

I am glad to have the opportunity to add my voice of thanks to the many nurses around our country. I also give a shout-out to those in the ambulance services who are striking today and want us to do more for them. Strangely, my first job at 16 years of age was in a nursing home during the summer holidays. I never forgot the impact that had on me because I saw the outstanding work the nurses did. It resonated with me and the outstanding care left an indelible mark on me. Every patient was like their own parent, brot…

I welcome the debate we are having today and look forward to two or three years' time when we can say what benefits accrued from it. The real measure will be in the action. Like previous speakers, before I came into the Chamber, I was listening to a lot of the contributions. They were almost identical right across the line. Rural planning was one area raised, housing was another and funding for councils was also referenced. In my case, in County Galway, underfunding is a critical issue. I feel blessed in many ways.…

I want to raise the issue of TB testing, the new guidelines and the action plan. There is considerable confusion about the testing and the movement rules. Constituents are a little bit confused about the categories their livestock fall into in this regard. They are asking that the rules be simplified. The compensation cap of €3,000 is fundamentally important, as a pedigree in-calf cow would exceed much more than €3,000. Apart from the financial burden, the emotional loss is also considerable. I am asking that the c…

Rare diseases collectively affect of thousands of people across our State. What makes the situation different is that the State's systems were never designed around lifelong, complex conditions that do not fit neat diagnostic or disability categories. Parents are becoming full-time carers, care co-ordinators and medical advocates, often overnight and, indeed, permanently, while simultaneously experiencing a collapse in their household incomes and a rise in unavoidable costs. They must repeatedly prove eligibility f…

Many people living with rare diseases fall between multiple systems - health, disability and social protection. Approximately one in 17 people will live with a rare disease during their lifetime and, in many cases, these conditions are lifelong, disabling and involve frequent hospitalisations with one parent or carer leaving their employment entirely, yet many of these individuals struggle to qualify for disability supports, domiciliary care allowance or long-term illness-related benefits because assessment criteri…

I appreciate the Minister’s honesty and his response. Most of us get representations into our constituency offices in that regard. I would have thought before arriving to this House that that would not be the norm but it is beginning to become the norm where we encounter people who have those very conditions, those rare diseases. It is imperative we find a model they can fit into and that their lives are not complicated any further. Having a rare disease can be quite complex, difficult and upsetting for families wh…