Please, this is very serious.

The impression is given that the system is overwhelmed.

I acknowledge the hard and valuable work the 53,000 childminders across the country do. They fulfil a great role. As a parent, I have experience of this. Not everybody can afford long maternity leave. My two children went to a wonderful childminder, Sheila Wilson. They were part of her family and she provided not just a service but had them as part of her family. I know the difference she made in their formative years growing up and that has continued on through their lives. I acknowledge the wonderful work that ch…

Sinn Féin and I believe Ireland can create a fair and efficient asylum system in a better way. We will vote against the migration and asylum pact. We oppose it for very good reasons. First, it undermines human rights. That has to be the basis of everything. That must be the basis of the message that goes out from this House. All people are equal. I will never support any legislation that allows for the detention of people fleeing hardship and war. Not all people arriving in Europe or Ireland are eligible for asylum…

I welcome this motion and the opportunity to speak on the protection and restoration of nature. Sinn Féin completely supports and prioritises the need to protect nature. The scale of the crisis relating to biodiversity cannot be understated. Sinn Féin opposed the nature restoration law but we certainly support the aim behind it. In the absence of real funding, however, we will have another five years without progress. I have met with farmers in communities and farm organisations to discuss this issue. Unlike some o…

This is a really important issue relating to eating disorders. Can it really be the case that there are only three public specialist adult eating disorder beds in the country? Can it then be the case that those three beds are in Dublin? Has the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, said there is no need for an additional 20 inpatient beds? Between 2018 and 2022, 718 adults presented to the HSE with a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder. I ask for a solution. Too many of these people are living in my constituency. T…

Will the Minister of State please answer the question?

What do I do?

She weighs 37 kg.

We are one of the wealthiest countries in the EU. We have a surplus of €8.6 billion this year. The question that many parents are asking is why the Minister of State's Government cannot guarantee a place for every child on the school-based summer programme. That is the question many parents are asking me in Mayo. Why does it have to be such a battle all of the time just to access education? The Ministers of State talk about percentages and congratulate themselves on how well they have performed but what they do not…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, táim ag iarraidh buíochas a ghabháil leis an bpáirtí Pobal Roimh Bhrabús as an rún seo. Sinn Féin recognises the EU member states' right to provide military support to Ukraine, a nation that has been invaded. I am extremely concerned, however, about the use of the EU budget to subsidise the European arms industry. I oppose Irish taxpayers' money subsidising the arms industry. Most of all, I oppose Irish taxpayers' money subsidising companies that are arming Israel to carry out a genocide in Pa…

What measures does the Taoiseach propose in order to urgently fix the systemic problem at University Hospital Galway, UHG, to fulfil its mandate to operate as a centre of excellence? That question comes from a man in Mayo who is currently undergoing chemotherapy at University Hospital Galway. He has an aggressive form of lymphoma cancer, he requires urgent and intensive treatment and, devastatingly for him and his family, there has already been a delay of 17 days to his treatment simply because there was no bed for…

I am glad the Minister for Social Protection is beside the Taoiseach. She might be able to answer this question. She recently announced changes to jobseeker-related benefits. I was contacted by a woman from County Mayo who has worked 30 hours a week cleaning a school for eight years. Every summer, she is forced to sign on. She told me she dreads the summer, every year is a struggle and she sometimes waits all summer for the payments to be sorted. Something has to be done for the many people like her who, through no…

It is really important as there is a lot of anxiety around that.

The Deputy is actually over time, and that is not for the first time either. This is an important issue. The reason it is important is that it is simple to fix, and it could have been fixed. I am sorry the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, is not here because his party has been in government for 13 years. To be at this stage after 13 years is not acceptable. The Minister of State will know from his party's councillors in Mayo that the truth is being told here about what the housing stock is like. Simple maintenance…

This question is about Castlebar Educate Together National School. The school operates over three campuses and has 150 pupils. The Minister will be familiar with the school because she visited it in September 2022. She promised them at the time a new school but nothing has been delivered since. She asked them to submit possible locations and sites and they did that immediately but they cannot get any straight answers. Will the Minister tell me what is happening with Castlebar Educate Together?

Part of the problem is the pipeline and how long the pipeline is. Since the possible sites were submitted to the Minister, nothing seems to have happened from the school end. Some of the children are in Marsh House, some are in Cavendish Lane and some are near the hat factory. The Minister may have heard Sarah Calvey, the principal, and Sarah Scott, one of the pupils, on "Morning Ireland" this morning describing how they have to go back and over to the different premises. It is not right in this day and age, so I a…

I thank the Minister for that. We are very keen to get a timeline on this, as she can see, in order that we can reassure the parents and the teachers as well as the children, who asked me about this at a meeting recently. One parent I spoke to has a child with special needs and she just cannot understand why the sibling cannot be on the same site as her. I ask that this be expedited as quickly as possible in order that money can be saved and that, once and for all, we can have a permanent location for this school. …

This question should refer to the 2.4 km rule and the case I have of children having to walk more than 1 km on a narrow and dangerous road. This is in the Boleyglass and Derryfada areas. I want to raise the issue of pick-up points. Children from a number of different households are all walking down the same narrow, dangerous road to the pick-up point. Can that be moved to accommodate them and to ensure their health and safety?

The issue is with regard to the pick-up points and to the common sense that is needed around this to ensure the health and safety of children. I know the Minister would agree with that. The school transport system is plagued by a lack of flexibility in an number of ways. As the Minister knows, the system needs to be reformed. We all know that the scheme is not a door-to-door service but at the same time there needs to be common sense applied in each situation. In rural areas, roads can be very dangerous, there are …