The question I am going to ask will be familiar to the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. It relates to the pilot process for achieving a transfer of patronage. We had an example in our constituency recently and it went badly wrong, essentially because of a lack of anticipation of how a successful process could work. It needs to be changed if we are to have success. In a constituency like mine, less than 15% of schools are non-denominational and they are predominantly denominational. That needs to change and we need to have …

The difficulty is that many elements of the approach taken militated against consensus and, in fact, it went far further than that and has now resulted in deep divisions within the school community. Among the problem areas was, first, that a very rapid decision was expected about the next school year. Second, there were no data or surveys prior to the initiation of discussions. Third, the complexity of a campus with mixed junior and single-sex post-infant classes was not anticipated. Basic questions like how the mo…

Would the Minister not agree with me that some very basic design processes were absent? Give the notion of a rapid decision in a complex situation, this should have been allowed to be phased over a period. As there were no data, no surveys and no anticipation of what might be the views of parents, it ended up that one of the criteria used was the number of children opting out of religion being an indicator of preferences – that is clearly not an adequate indicator but that is what they were reduced to. There were a…

This week, the ESB reported €650 million in profits with most of this coming from more than trebling of profits in its generation business. The ESB pays the Government a €327 million dividend but other companies in the generation business do not pay any such dividend. Does the Tánaiste feel measures such as a windfall tax and capping on renewables are adequate to address these very high profits that are being made in the industry?

I congratulate the Minister for Health and the Government on the waiting list initiative that will see almost 375,000 interventions to support people. I was particularly pleased with what has been said regarding the 20 specialties, a three-month waiting list, new patient pathways to keep people out of acute care and a four-month waiting list for scoliosis. On the 11,000 additional interventions for orthodontics, child and adolescent mental health services, therapies, psychology and counselling for children, why wil…

This Bill is essential. I do not share the belief of some that we should try to delay its passage. The officials from the Department and from the CRU were convincing when they briefed us. The terms of an environmental impact assessment that would otherwise have taken 12 months to create are being modified. This will be shortened so that an EPA licence can be granted. There will still be scrutiny, consultation and opportunities to make submissions. The case is very strongly made that we need this. We need the 262 MW…

The Taoiseach will know that the reform of the leaving certificate started seven years ago and it was designed to build on the difficult but successful reform of the junior cycle. The latest postponement which we read of may reflect genuine concerns but we cannot move to a situation where reform is at the pace of the slowest mover. The last reform was nearly 30 years ago and there has been a radical change in Irish society. The OECD describes our leaving certificate as creating second-class robots in a rapidly chan…

Like others, I congratulate the Minister of State on her appointment and I wish her well. This is a great start to her administration because this legislation seeks to empower what is a really powerful movement in our communities, with 400 branches nationwide and huge membership. Credit unions have €20 billion in assets at their disposal. That is the equivalent of €10,000 for every home in the country. At present, only 30% of that is lent out. There is, therefore, very substantial untapped capacity here. The dilemm…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I welcome the Bill, which seeks to set policing on a 21st century footing. Some of the things enshrined in it are probably long overdue, but it is very important they are now there. It is vital for any organisation to have a clear set of purposes set out in law, in addition to good management structures, strong external oversight, and a code of ethics. It is particularly important in an organisation that still tends to recruit members at the age of 20. People…

I wish to raise a concern about the continued incursion into Dublin Airport's airspace by private drones. Are there plans to step up or improve detection methods? Is there potential for the modification of technology to deliver better outcomes? Can we be more effective in the area of enforcement? This is a source of considerable concern and disruption. We need to get to grips with it.

Is it intended to expand the penalties available to the courts in sentencing children convicted of serious offences? Is legislation planned in this regard because this would be important in underpinning safety in our communities?

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this debate. I believe migration is at the core of the Irish story. It is seen in the faces of our refugees so painfully depicted on the quays of our cities. I have seen in places like Toronto the bravery of people who took in ships wracked with disease from Ireland. By 1900, half of the people born in Ireland were living overseas so we have good reason to be understanding of the people who are fleeing to our shores. It is not just about history. Our economic turna…

I congratulate the Minister on the great strides that have been made in the childcare area, particularly with the new registered employment agreement, REA, and the support, but pressure points are emerging. I am keen to see a review of some of those pressure points to determine whether we can incorporate them into the next steps the Minister is planning.

I congratulate the Minister on the progress he is making but some anomalies emerged from a consultation I conducted in my constituency relating to the sector. I will outline them in a staccato manner but he might respond to each of them. They relate to: the extension of the access and inclusion model, AIM, beyond the early childhood care and education, ECCE, area, to which it is currently confined; the confusion of the huge number of inspectorates that call at the doors of childcare providers; and the anomalies in …

I appreciate that the Minister is under time pressure but it seems strange that some of the ratios are very low. Even for after-school care, which does not involve infants, the ratios are very low, at 12:1, which seems quite stringent compared with ratios in our schools. The issue of multiple inspections is a source of irritation. There are the HSE, Pobal, the Department of Education and Tusla. There are a range of inspectors, which puts pressure on what are sometimes very small operations.

As we know, in this city and across the country, 90% of vehicles sit idle in driveways and when they are used, over 90% are used for single-passenger journeys. What are the Minister's plans for the new unit to promote sharing platforms? I know Deputy McAuliffe has a keen interest in this. It is a real opportunity for us to transform the way travel is thought of by people, if we can get the work of this unit moving very swiftly. I would like to hear the Minister's plans.

I have been listening to this debate and I have to say to my colleague, Deputy Shanahan, that I think the reaction to this investment is hysterical and has not taken into account the genuine climate crisis that we are facing here. Our land use in forestry, instead of being a source of sequestration, is actually emitting 7 million tonnes, which is more than 10% of all of our emissions, and that is going to rise in the coming years to 11 million tonnes. It is very much part of our climate crisis and the challenge tha…

I want to ask about the 2,000 community pharmacies across the country. They are playing a massive role at the moment in the current health crisis and they played a huge role during Covid. They are under real pressure but are still bearing the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, cuts and there is still no long-term strategy for the new role they could play. It is estimated that they could keep one in ten patients out of accident and emergency departments if their role was developed. How is th…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I did not think I would get in so early in the debate. I welcome the Minister’s initiative in this area. A supply chain that is fair to primary producers is essential. This has dogged the sector for a long period with the sense of unfairness, rapid changes and an imbalance of power out there. The Minister is taking the necessary powers and setting up an agency with teeth, which is welcome and will be welcomed across the farming community. However, a robust su…

I welcome this plan. We spend far too much time in this House arguing about targets, mostly with the Opposition demanding higher targets than the Government has committed to, and not enough time looking at the innovative policy tools that we need to bring in to make a difference. I listened to the Opposition and, by and large, their contribution is finding fault with the measures that are already in the plan, not coming up with new ideas. I have also listened to people saying that 100% finance is needed for this. T…