I acknowledge what the Tánaiste has just said. He also referenced in his previous reply to Deputy Burke the importance of instigating cultural change and the whole issue of restructuring. Of course, that is required but I want to go back to the issue of retention. We were in the unenviable position last year of having to withdraw from a peacekeeping group. Part of the roadmap ahead in the context of this report and the action plan that came from it is that we will be able to honour our commitments to the EU battle …

To go back to the action plan again, I understand it is in its infancy in terms of the delivery of the goals that have been set out but I want to focus on one or two specific points. I will concentrate on the naval side of things, which the Tánaiste mentioned in his previous response. I understand that one of the aims of the action plan is to improve security around subsea cabling, for example, in the context of interference there. This will involve procuring submersibles to aid the Naval Service in the protection …

Like many areas around the country, Cork has experienced a succession of business closures in the last few weeks. Many businesses have cited the increase in costs, energy inflation etc. The increased cost of business grant was announced as part of budget 2024. In December, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, signed off on an increased package of €257 million. When will the increased cost of business grant be operational and when can businesses start applying for it? I have contacted both local authorities in Cork and the…

I raise the issue of the former Ashbourne House Hotel in Glounthaune. I understand that accommodation and migration are very topical issues at the moment and I need to highlight this case on the floor of the Dáil. I was called to the former hotel on Friday two weeks ago and met more than 30 families who received a letter that day to tell them they had to vacate the premises by the following Wednesday. They were not just going to another accommodation centre in the general area but were moving to Cork. There are peo…

I would like to raise the issue of the humanitarian assistance fund. Glanmire was one of the areas that was worst affected by flooding in the last number of weeks. In my opinion we need to be better prepared for future instances in terms of how we deal with people after such events. It must be said that the welfare officers working in east Cork and Cork city have been phenomenal and very giving of their time to people. However, given the gravity and impact of the flooding events in Cork city and east Cork, the shee…

I raise again the issue of rare diseases. While I welcome much of the progress we have achieved in the past two years in government, particularly with the number of drugs to which people have access - more than 80 at this stage, which is great progress - I still feel somewhat disappointed that next year's budget did not contain a stand-alone budget for new drugs for rare diseases. I know the savings from the main drugs budget will be diverted towards this but I have to express that initial disappointment. The progr…

I want to raise again the issue of thalidomide survivors. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, who is present in the Chamber, Deputy Devlin, the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, Senator McGreehan and I have raised this issue persistently for a number of years. I turned on my TV on Tuesday night, as I told the Tánaiste last night, to see the Australian Prime Minister had given an apology to all of the people affected by the thalidomide controversy. In the UK, an apology was offered in 2010. The one thing I too…

I ask the Tánaiste to provide an update regarding his engagement with EU foreign affairs ministers in regard to the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

It is fair to say that most fair-minded people in this Chamber are appalled by the terrible suffering and the inhumane conditions experienced by all the citizens of Gaza and beyond in the current conflict. I have listened to the Tánaiste over the past few weeks emphasise the importance of diplomacy and this has been demonstrated over the past number of weeks. From an EU perspective, it is always difficult to get 27 member states to agree a common policy platform but the one thing Europe needs to remain is united ag…

The Tánaiste is correct. As an observer to what is going on from the outside, I suppose many countries have shifted in their attitudes and their outlook in regards to the conflict over the past few weeks. At the Union for the Mediterranean meeting that was attended by High Representative, Mr. Josep Borrell, and the Tánaiste, it was agreed that, ultimately, a two-state solution would be the resolution to the conflict and would follow on, and there would have to be a roadmap in place, as the Tánaiste has articulated.…

Like most people, I will start by saying I have not read all 700-odd pages of the Bill. To be fair, most people have been truthful in that regard tonight. I have, however, cherry-picked bits and pieces in which I have a personal interest. Going back to my days as a councillor, the one fundamental power or responsibility I felt I had as a local representative was my input to the development plan. It is why I got involved in local politics back in 2014. I grew up in an area where we had no housing of any description …

I thank Deputy Pringle for his work in this regard. I welcome Dr. Muldoon and his team to the Public Gallery. I first came across Dr. Muldoon in 2020, when I was on the petitions committee and we were discussing the White Paper on ending direct provision. The context was very different back then compared with where we are today. It is important we understand that context and appreciate the difficulties the Minister and his Department have to deal with in terms of the sheer volume and number of people, children in p…

Like Deputy Murnane O'Connor, I acknowledge the progress made to date, particularly in school transport and the provision of free schoolbooks. That is to be welcomed but there is one issue on which we are lagging behind and it was highlighted in Breaking the Cycle, which the Taoiseach mentioned. It is supporting service integration. The report earmarked funding of approximately €6.5 million for the integration of CDNTs, specifically the provision of 125 therapy assistants across all disciplines. How many of those 1…

I am a father of three children, two of whom go to preschool. This is my first opportunity to speak since last week's events. It is any parent's worst nightmare to see that what unfolded last week actually happened. I express my sympathies to all of those people and families caught up in last Thursday's heinous attack. I agree with Deputy McAuliffe that there are many things on which we need to be more proactive. The provision of bodycams for gardaí, the use of facial and number plate recognition technology. What i…

Will the Minister of State give an overview of the progress made to date under national strategic outcome 8 of the national development plan and if he will make a statement on the matter with specific reference, if he can, to flood prevention schemes, given recent incidents of flooding in Cork and beyond.

I thank the Minister of State for his response. NSO 8 covers a variety of topics. As I mentioned at the outset, the issues around flooding and flood prevention schemes are most pertinent to me. It is my understanding that is also included under NSO 8. If the Minister of State does not have the details of the 150 active schemes at the moment, I would appreciate if he could provide a breakdown as supplementary information, of how many of those schemes have commenced; how many are pending environmental impact assessme…

I appreciate that. I know the phrasing of the question is quite generic in nature. As recently as last Friday I was in Mallow town and had the opportunity to visit a number of one-stop shops that are providing services for people who are engaged in the process of retrofitting their houses. Even they noted when I was visiting them last Friday with Billy Kelleher that there is a significant uptake, as the Minister of State evidenced in his initial response. I will provide the questions I have outlined to the Minister…

This relates to the measures the Minister of State outlined in his initial response that were taken to combat spiralling inflationary costs in the past year or 18 months. I think back to a project in my area. I will not identify the school but it was a school contract where the legislation provided for schools and other bodies to engage voluntarily in the process surrounding revised costs and the spiralling of inflationary costs for projects. Has the Department done any analysis on the number of schools or other pu…

I ask the Minister about the NDP delivery and reform and the number of binding Labour Court recommendations on pay rates for public servants that have yet to be implemented. Will he make a statement on the matter?

I thank the Minister of State and note his response. The majority of public sector pay is dealt with collectively, and I understand the logic and rationale behind that. From the outset, I wish to say that I have a family member who is involved in a pay dispute. I wish to discuss the pay disparity between medical scientists and clinical biochemists. Medical scientists are paid approximately 7% or 8% less than their biochemist counterparts. They were involved in industrial action, but recently paused it and returned …