All our thoughts go out to the families and friends of these children. We are talking about absolutely brutal circumstances, and we do not want to get into the ins and outs of it. I agree with the Minister on that. However, I think we need to find and ensure that we actually have a system that is fit for purpose. I welcome the fact that there is a review of each of these cases. Is it possible at this point to have a timeline for when we would see the outworkings of those reviews and when we would actually see recom…

As I said, could we have a timeline for those independent reviews, when we could be looking at them being completed and their recommendations, and when we think those well-being checks would be done and completed? Beyond that, I welcome what the Minister said from a point of view of anything necessary as regards data sharing and the legislative changes if there are necessary powers and protocols that are required by Tusla and other Government agencies. Could the Minister give me not only the timelines but also some…

What about the timeline for the review of cases?

Go raibh maith agat. I ask the Minister if there is scope in the recently announced new technical and financial advisory support to help to develop a district heating system utilising the European Investment Bank, EIB. The Minister will not be shocked that I am wondering whether we can find a solution in relation to Carlinn Hall. I have spoken to him before about how stakeholders are trying to put together a solution. There are an awful lot of steps to go, but it is about ensuring we look after people in Carlinn Ha…

I asked about facilitation.

On some level, the Bill is fairly straightforward. Nobody will complain about a greater number of judges being delivered in our judicial system. As has been said by my colleagues, and it will be said by many others, the major issue is that the system is not fit for purpose in that court cases in the State can take at least one and a half times longer than the European average. Obviously, that should not be the case. As Deputy Carthy said, we need to make sure not only that we have more judges but also that we have …

Once again we are going to have a lot of agreement in here. I welcome the Labour Party bringing this motion forward from the point of view of having an opportunity to speak, because we do not talk sufficiently about this issue and the impact drug addiction has on our communities. It is welcome that there is an element of people coming around to the health-led, trauma-led, harm reduction methodology that is required for dealing with drug addiction, that we accept it is based on poverty and intergenerational trauma, …

I wish to ask the Minister about the way in which the incorrectly spelled new sign outside his Department came to be put in place, what the total cost of the sign was and the estimated cost for its removal and replacement. I hope the cost is at the lower end. Nobody has made more mistakes than me, and I know a printer who often said, “I print what I am given”, but we would need to see checks and balances. We do not want to see issues like this arise in the future.

It cost €8,460 but there was no added cost because the mistake was at the supplier’s end. I suppose that answers the question. Obviously, there are wider questions on Government spending. These questions, concerning bike sheds, IT systems and the Revenue bill in the Minister’s Department, have almost been done to death here. We must spend public money wisely and have more checks and balances than existed in the past. I am very glad nobody in the Department was responsible for the signage error. I would not like to …

I hope it was not ominous that it was "Infrastructure" that was spelt incorrectly. I think it was missing an "r". I welcome what the Minister has said. There are many public servants doing really good work. Generally, what we are asking in here is that public procurement and planning work better and in a more streamlined way so we can see the delivery of more projects. I accept that checks and balances can sometimes slow things. We have heard what was said by Mr. Collison and others and we need a balance between ha…

What we saw in the attack on the IPAS accommodation in Georges Street in Drogheda was nothing short of attempted murder. We saw somebody put flammable liquid on the stairs and five people had to be rescued - one adult and four children, one of them a very young infant. Somebody was willing to go in around 8.15 p.m. on Hallowe'en, break through the door and burn what could have been 28 people to death. That is the reality of what was done. It could have been the deaths of 28 human beings. The only escape for them wa…

-----and stand up against the absolutely brutal violence such as we saw in Drogheda.

I have just come from a meeting of the foreign affairs committee where we engaged with American Chamber of Commerce Ireland. We talked about geopolitical circumstances and the situation in Gaza. It is fair to say there was disagreement on the occupied territories Bill. I believe we, like many other states, are on the right side of that argument. We also spoke about the current uncertainty and all the other issues caused by the US Administration, the Trump tariffs and the question of where negotiations will go. Howe…

I thank everyone who facilitated me to do this. I have just made my way up from the civic reception in Dundalk to celebrate the Louth Ladies Gaelic Football Association, the Louth senior team and the under-20 team after a spectacular year. Hopefully, there will be more of that to come. I had to leave Jarlath Burns and Marty Morrissey, but this is obviously an incredibly important issue. This Topical Issue arises from the retirement of the clinical specialist sonographer in ultrasound at Louth County Hospital in Dun…

Go raibh maith agat, a Aire. I welcome some of what the Minister of State says but I am not sure it is going to give the answer we need. As I said, there is serious concern among the staff and the public that the position that I am talking about - the clinical specialist radiographer - will not be filled. We need to make sure this happens and I would like to think the Minister of State will come back to me. I welcome that he says the recruitment process is ongoing, that there will be disruption to patient care or s…

Will the Minister of State go back to the senior Minister to find out if this position will be in Dundalk?

I am very glad to have an opportunity to speak on this motion. It is straightforward. We all know that we need to facilitate far more people in the democratic process. Anybody who has been involved in elections over many years will know the issues that exist when somebody has to go on holiday and the difficulty of getting a postal vote. It is one of those things that is a lot easier to get in the North. We need to look at the whole issue of proxy voting. The electoral register is a complete mess. At least we have a…

We have to see delivery of the catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, programme on flood protections, even in the short term. In estates like the one I am from, Bay Estate, there are issues with people trying to get flood insurance. Some who have bought houses recently are looking for letters of comfort which people used to get from the local authority, but are no longer available. The letters are to state the area has not been flooded. That issue needs to be dealt with in relation to the local auth…

We support Ukraine in the context of the absolutely brutal invasion by Russia. We would like to see proper development of a peace process and to do anything we can to facilitate that. We all know that communications from the White House are, at times, not necessarily things we can absolutely stand by. There is talk of a Trump-Putin summit in Budapest. The Taoiseach has had engagement on this, particularly at European level. How does he see this progressing? All efforts need to be made - Russia is the aggressor - in…

No.