I raise the issue of a light rail system planned for Cork city. I understand the system, as the line is currently configured, would not connect into Kent Station. There seems to be disagreement between the National Transport Authority, NTA, which will fund it, and Irish Rail as to what they would like to do. My side of the city is getting heavy investment in rail, which is welcome, but if we are to have a fully integrated light rail system for the city, it should at the very least come into the city centre and be c…

I was here two or three weeks ago and I asked the Taoiseach about an alleged underspend under the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, for new drugs. We budgeted €30 million to be spent by the Minister in 2022, but I am being told that only €9.4 million of that has actually been drawn down. As a follow-up to that, I am still awaiting the Taoiseach's response. Yet, there seems to be a lot of secrecy around the national clinical programme, NCP, and the level of detail it is willing to give to me via a parliament…

I am not sure I will be able to add anything new to the debate. It has gone on for so long now and I understand more might come out in the wash but I still feel I have to put on the public record my disappointment over what has gone on in the past few weeks and my disdain for some of the practices that have allegedly occurred. Over the last few weeks, it has been demonstrated that a culture of excess was prevalent in RTÉ and was clear for all to see. Salaries had got out of control and money has been misspent. It h…

I ask the Minister of State about the number of employment permits issued to non-EEA home care workers since December 2022. Will he make a statement on the number of applications received and the number of applications refused?

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is welcome that an additional 138 applications have been made, with a few pending. Given that the quota was 1,000, that is far below the level of demand. To be fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, she has steadfastly fought to ensure adequate resourcing and funding in this sector. I believe there are approximately 23.5 million hours of home care provision being delivered annually. As of February this year, there are still approximately 6,000 patients …

I appreciate the response from the Minister of State, who has also outlined his disappointment about the uptake. It behoves us to look at this again, albeit that the initial quota was announced in December 2022. Seven months is not a long time, in particular in terms of how we deal with issues here. There is a pay threshold that can prove problematic for what are often relatively lower paid jobs. I am not saying I am advocating this but, given the poor uptake, is there a case for looking at the labour market needs …

I add my voice to what the previous speakers said. I spent 15 years teaching in Cork city and the east Cork area. We have debated this issue with the Minister in the past. I echo the sentiments of both Deputies O'Connor and Stanton regarding the lack of places that are available. I understand the modelling will show there might be a fall-off in 2026 or 2027. There is definitely pressure at the moment. I got a phone call as late as yesterday evening to say a child had been offered a place but I know there are still …

I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Cowen. I ask the Minister to give us an estimate of the number of children and families who would benefit from the free books scheme in primary schools in Counties Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, respectively, for 2023 to 2024. Since I am taking the question, if the Minister has figures for Cork too, I would appreciate it.

I thank the Minister. Unlike the previous question, the Minister will not find any criticism from this quarter. As I said, I spent 15 years teaching. It is one thing that puts parents, families and schools under pressure, particularly during the summertime. It is a welcome initiative. I am glad the Minister has specified that it can be used for not just textbooks but copybooks and other stationery that may be required too. I know the Minister referred to the fact that parents should not be asked for contributions t…

As I said, this is probably one of the most welcome achievements of the Minister in the few years she has been in office and she is to be commended on the initiative. Most schools and parents are very grateful for the Government providing for that educational need for schoolbooks. Inevitably, once the scheme has been delivered for primary schools, we will face a call in respect of second level. I will not try to prejudge any budgetary consideration but it is inevitable we will face those calls. What are the Ministe…

I wish to raise the issue of home tutors. I acted as a home tutor many years ago to a child with a cancer diagnosis. I believe there are approximately 1,400 home tutors working in the system nationally, many of them part-time, supplementing their hours and affiliated with schools. There are some who are working full-time. They are qualified teachers who are registered with the Teaching Council, but many of them have received letters from Revenue in recent weeks saying that they need to deregister as self-employed. …

As there were no amendments in order at Report Stage we will now proceed to Fifth Stage.

The Bill will now be sent to the Seanad.

What are the Tánaiste’s intentions with regard to international co-operation in the context of maritime security and protecting subsea cables?

I am registered for that first event in University College Cork on Thursday and am looking forward to taking part in that debate. Last month, the Tánaiste stated isolationism was no longer an option for Ireland and the country must co-operate with other European countries in areas such as cybersecurity, maritime security and protecting subsea cables, which the Tánaiste just mentioned. The statistic he cited of 97% of Internet cabling being subsea is particularly eye-opening. The Tánaiste said on RTÉ's "Six One News…

I have no doubt that the spirit of EU membership would further support what the Tánaiste is saying. However, there is also no doubt but that we cannot ignore the vulnerabilities posed to energy and communications infrastructure across Europe, most especially in the waters of the North Atlantic close to our own shores. What estimate does the Tánaiste have for the extent to which undersea fibre-optic cables now channel the world's global communications and financial transactions? Given the extent of the maritime doma…

In a recent interview the general secretary of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, said that he still thinks the military is undoubtedly an attractive job for many and the role still has many benefits. However, as was mentioned earlier, he also concluded that the Defence Forces cannot recruit itself out of a retention crisis, because no amount of water will fill a leaky bucket. He also conceded that work will need to be done to ensure the organisation is transformed into an employer of ch…

I will follow up in the same vein as Deputy Stanton. We attracted 17,000 applicants to the various facets of the Defence Forces last year. That said, the number of Naval Service personnel has dropped below 700, which is almost 400 off the Department's target. The Tánaiste acknowledged in an earlier contribution that current labour market factors are not helping. I think he said many capable recruits are being poached by other sectors. That is understandable as many of them are highly desirable candidates. Regarding…

Like Deputy Ó Murchú, I, too, was at the launch of the final report of the Joint Committee on Autism. We had the privilege of sitting on that committee for the best part of a year. As Deputy Ó Murchú outlined, there are 109 recommendations across the whole spectrum dealing with inadequacies in disability services right through to education and recommendations involving health and possibly improvements to our social protection. I am not necessarily asking a specific question today. However, I am asking that in the f…

Housing for All, the national retrofitting scheme and the delivery of our national development plan are all placing considerable stress on our competitiveness and our ability to respond to our labour market needs. A report published recently by the expert group on future skills needs stated there are considerable pressures forthcoming on our labour market in terms of building and delivery of our future infrastructural needs. Are we doing enough to provide apprentices and train people in adequate numbers to meet tho…