The majority of Deputies from Cork city and county would attest to that. To be fair, the councils have been trailblazers in the delivery of units. I commend them on the work they are doing and I wish them continued success in the years ahead. It is, however, incumbent on me to reiterate to the Minister that while many of the things we have said are positive, be it the exemptions for services, the development contribution and so on, the difference between the Government parties and the Opposition parties is not regi…

Will the Minister report on the operation of the first home scheme to date in 2024 and make a statement on the matter?

I hate to sound like a broken record but a lot of what I am going to say was said during the debate on the previous question. The more the Minister’s critics decry the interventions he is making, the more it proves he is going in the right direction. We have spoken previously about the relevant figures. When he came into office, there had been a decade of undersupply. We did not build enough houses for many years. The numbers are now growing steadily. The one fundamental thing that the first home scheme provides fo…

I concur with the Minister. Many people in the industry would say that without the likes of the first home scheme and all the other initiatives we have spoken about, homes would be unaffordable for a certain cohort. I support the scheme and am fully with the Minister. Perhaps he could speak to his intention to keep the scheme going if the current Government is re-elected and if he remains in office for the coming years. Perhaps he would speak to his intentions, going forward. I reiterate that the scheme provides ch…

I read an article last month which reported that the European Commission is considering giving pharmaceutical companies financial incentives and enhancing their market exclusivity in the way they produce drugs, particularly in the niche area of orphan drugs and rare diseases. I found the article welcome but in another way it was amusing in the context of the access patients here have to drugs for rare diseases. Some 80% of all diseases identified these days are actually genetic mutations. I note the importance of c…

I raise the issue of sound barriers on motorways. There is major development around the Dunkettle interchange. While that is most welcome, with that development comes increased traffic on the roads and the greater likelihood of noise to emanate from that. Unfortunately, at the moment, it is up to TII to provide sound maps periodically. It does that but when the sounds are found to be above the acceptable norms and decibel levels, there is no provision for the TII to provide noise barriers or other mitigating measur…

I will speak in favour of our nation's decision to recognise the right of Palestinians to exist in their own state. In 1980, it was my party that led Ireland to become the first EU member state to declare that a solution to the conflict in the Middle East lay in a two-state solution under which a fully independent Palestine and an independent Israel could coexist. As time has passed, in particular in recent days, I am encouraged by the words of An Tánaiste, Deputy Martin, who said the recognition of Palestine today…

I appreciate the response. As the Minister will know, students with disabilities suffer significant disadvantage when it comes to college attendance and face additional costs to provide for their needs and equipment. The disability access route to education, DARE, programme provides significant supports to students with disabilities to access third level. The Minister's predecessor introduced the scheme in 2022. Are there any plans to enhance the funding for it in budget 2025?

As the Minister correctly said, students with disabilities now represent a greater proportion of the student population and it is trending in the right direction, but they are still significantly under-represented. While I, like other Deputies, do not expect the Minister to reveal any details of the budget today, I emphasise that a greater level of investment and resources could be placed into this area to get students with disabilities greater access to third level education, which would be most welcome. I ask tha…

I appreciate the figures the Minister has outlined to us and I want to recognise the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, in keeping our own parliamentary party informed every week and trying to get us to encourage businesses to apply for it in the first place. As the Minister has laid out with the figures, the disparity between Cork county and Cork city has flummoxed me over the last couple of weeks. Businesses in Cork county have applied at a relatively high level, although there is an issue, as has ju…

I will raise the issue of inflammatory bowel disease, IBD, services in Cork with the Taoiseach. Over the last few weeks, I have been liaising with the HSE on this issue but it is appropriate to raise it again here today. The IBD service at CUH is led by three consultant gastroenterologists and two academic consultants. One clinical nurse specialist provides support for more than 2,000 patients with IBD who attend that clinic. In 2023, the IBD service was supported by two clinical nurse specialists but, as one is on…

Amendments Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, 8 to 10, inclusive, 13, 24 to 27, inclusive, and 33 are related and may be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 12, 23, 30 to 32, inclusive, 34 and 35 are related and may be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 14 to 21, inclusive, and 36 to 38, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together.

It is very easy to come in here and talk about a leaked report. Many of us are talking about a leaked report and can only comment on what is in the public domain, whether on the RTÉ website or in some of the local papers. I think a few facts need to be stated at the outset. One that strikes me the most is the EU comparison. With the development and increase in our stock here, we are experiencing 4.4% growth in comparison with an EU reduction of 2.1%. That is worth bearing in mind. The Minister already referred to 5…

Will the Minister for Finance provide an update on, or detail the progress of, the Office to Promote Competition in the Insurance Market, outline his Department's engagement with insurance companies and make a statement on the matter?

I have no doubt that the Minister of State is acutely aware of the considerable costs faced by businesses in the current environment. The price of energy and the costs of purchasing and processing materials are considerable. It is no different with insurance premiums. Recently, Brian Hanley of the Alliance for Insurance Reform said insurers told the group that reforms were necessary for premiums to come down and that reforms were introduced but that, instead, we were seeing record-breaking insurance company profits…

It is great that existing insurers are willing to take greater risks and broaden the number of products they are offering people. That will be most welcome. I read an article by Charlie Weston yesterday in which it was stated there has been a 35% decrease in the number of claims and the average award is down by 41%. Most of these major reforms were at the request of the industry. I recall members of the industry attending meetings of various Oireachtas committees and the quid pro quo was that if the Government impl…

My question is specifically on public liability. I want to draw the attention of the Minister of State to something which he might raise with the Minister for Education. It is specifically with regard to schools. I am aware of a particular school which typically pays €6,000 or €7,000 public liability insurance per annum. It has received three modular classrooms, which account for one quarter of the older school size. It is considerably smaller in terms of square footage but the public liability insurance quote for …

Will the Minister report on the SME credit demand survey 2023, which was published in April, and will he make a statement on it?