The failure to deliver assessments of need and intervention therapies for families has been discussed. If we got workforce planning correct today, though I do not think we have, we would be talking about four or five years before we are able to deliver the numbers that are required. A meeting of the Joint Committee on Autism earlier was attended by representatives of the Psychological Society of Ireland, the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland and the Irish Association of Speech and Language Therapist…

There will be a significant amount of agreement on the credit union movement, the absolutely necessary services it provides and the very significant link it is in the community infrastructure. Everything needs to be done to ensure its future growth. The programme for Government states that the Government will "Enable the Credit Union movement to grow as a key provider of community banking in the country". That is what we need to ensure. The Irish League of Credit Unions welcomes this legislation, but we have a body…

Our health service is in crisis, our hospitals are under pressure and our staff who are working in the ambulance service are under severe pressure. We commend the work they do but they need support. We need the capacity in the plan for the Government. I thank the Dundalk Democrat for dealing with this issue: As many as 163 ambulances dispatched to non-cardiac life-threatening emergencies in Louth in 2022, took longer than one hour to get to a patient, shocking new figures have revealed. The figures are almost four …

I want to add my voice to the expressions of revulsion at the shooting of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, who was shot at the sports complex on the Killyclogher Road just outside Omagh as he was involved in coaching with his son there, as well as other kids. We see this as an attack on him, his family and the wider community. Those who did it have nothing to offer anybody within the community. Our thoughts at this time are with John and his family. Hopefully we will have better news into the future. There …

At this point, it has all been said. The position is very obvious. There have been considerable conversations about the absolute need for a ban on evictions. It is not foreseeable that this cannot be put in place. We must accept the situation in which we find ourselves. We can call it what we want but it is difficult not to call it an emergency and a crisis. We are dealing with a dysfunctional housing system and market. Once we accept that and see that people are under severe pressure, we must act accordingly. That…

There has been bad news about 240 job losses in Google's Irish workforce, and there have been constant worries about the tech sector. Like many of my constituents in Dundalk, I am worried about PayPal and its proposed 7% worldwide cut. What is our interaction with the tech sector? We are facing into a period of considerable job losses. While the tech sector will undoubtedly continue, I am worried about the future of its workers and I want to ensure that everything is being done to facilitate those who are leaving o…

I am revisiting a question from yesterday. We all welcome the citizens’ assembly on drugs use. The war on drugs is dead and buried and we know we need health-led initiatives. I want to ask specifically about drug debt intimidation. It is a particular issue and we need to ensure it is front and centre in regard to the citizens’ assembly. We then need action afterwards, not just reports.

He could be the leader.

They must be busy.

I congratulate Israel Olatunde from Dundalk on being the fastest man in Ireland and for smashing the 60 m indoor record. I will try to be as fast in asking my question. On the Irish protocol, we have had unhelpful commentary from backbench Tory MPs. One of them is called Boris Johnson or something like that. I seem to remember him from a time gone by. What dialogue is the Government involved in at European level and with the British Government? We all want to see a deal and we all want to see streamlining. However,…

We all welcome the long-awaited citizens' assembly on drugs that is to commence in April. Many of us accept that the war on drugs is well and truly lost and see that our approach should be one of harm reduction and be health-led. We understand that our approach must also be about dealing with the substantial negative impacts on families and communities. However, I want to ensure we deal with the issue of drug crime and specifically the issue of drug debt intimidation. We must engage with a sufficient number of stak…

Will the Minister of State provide an update on the work of the legal aid review group and confirm that the income limits for those seeking civil legal aid are under review? What is the timeline for dealing with all of this? I have dealt with people who have found it very difficult to avail of legal aid where actions were being taken against them that could have had an impact on their family home, these actions sometimes being taken by people in receipt of legal aid. This is something that needs to be dealt with.

This review is absolutely necessary. It is vital that as many people as possible, particularly stakeholders involved in the area, make submissions. I am aware of some of the fine work done via legal aid. The income thresholds are a particular difficulty. The Minister of State has stated that circumstances have changed significantly over the years. The thresholds allow for €18,000 in disposable income per annum and €100,000 in disposable assets. Further allowances can be made against these limits but the difficulty …

We all welcome the fact that the review is happening. The minute it is dealt with, we need a report, analysis and action to be taken as quickly as possible, particularly action to deal with the issue of thresholds.

We all welcome and see the need for a legislative framework to deal with home support and give people the capacity to live in their own homes. We have dealt previously with the matter of recruitment and know the issues in that regard. We have had the strategic workforce advisory group. I want a timeline for the recommendations it has proposed and how we can ensure we have, as Deputy Cullinane said, the capacity to be able to deliver what needs to be delivered.

The disability capacity action plan is needed. We know the unmet need in disability is for specialist services. Could a certain level of flexibility be shown? We know the silo issues that exist in the sense that a ping-pong game is sometimes played between CAMHS and children with autism who require services but cannot get them. We must deal with the issue across the board.

I thank Deputies Ward and Gould. It is decent legislation and is absolutely necessary. We can even hear that from what the Minister of State has said. We all accept that dual diagnosis is a particular issue. It is almost the crossover between two huge issues that we are all dealing with. As politicians, we become well aware of some of these cases and, unfortunately, some of the cases we end up dealing with are particularly difficult. We need to create a scenario where there is no wrong door. What is being proposed …

There will not be much disagreement on this legislation. Many others have detailed, far more eloquently than I will, the necessity of the Civil Defence and the fine work it has done over many years. We need to have a proper legislative framework in place for the Civil Defence and, beyond that, ensure it is fit for purpose into the future. We know the Civil Defence steps into the fray during times of extreme difficulty. We have all heard about the skill sets some of its members have and the equipment, materials and …

The Minister has spoken about quick builds, modular builds and 3D printing. We need to consider all options. We know about the multidepartmental conversations that are happening in respect of accommodation. As Deputy Bríd Smith said, though, we are dealing with an accommodation crisis, and we need to get to the bottom of it first and foremost. In fairness, the Minister has always been available to answer specific queries. What interactions have there been between Departments? What is our ability to put a plan in pl…

It goes without saying that we need to deal with the housing crisis. There are significant levels of disinformation as well as what one can only call at best "negative actors", the far right, etc. A large amount of it cannot be called anything other than idiocy, but it is dangerous idiocy. We need to ensure there is no space for that. We also need to ensure that the outstanding issues relating to the payment of people providing accommodation are resolved. I would like details about another matter. If people are fle…