I will come to that. Going back to Donegal, that area is ripe for development in terms of connecting with Derry, down through Donegal into Sligo, connecting the north-west and the south of Ireland. We have an advantage in that we have the tag of being a lagging region or a region in decline. We are in NUTS II. Let us make use of all of the acronyms to go to Europe. I have asked my officials to do that in order to try to garner more funding to positively discriminate toward this region to allow us to can tilt the ba…

We have TEN-T funding for some projects, including the western rail corridor, but, again, you have to apply for it. The funding is there, so we should apply for it aggressively. Back to Ballycar. I was down there in 2016 when I was Minister of State for the OPW. We set up the interdepartmental working committee. Everything was going fine until somebody mentioned the price tag and asked who was going to pay for it. Everybody ran for cover. I will check it out and see where it is at because it is a huge negative if t…

People say we should have light rail in Limerick and Galway. In fairness to the people who are advocating for that in Galway city, research was carried out. It has been deemed that it would be feasible in certain circumstances. What we need to do is prepare for it rather than saying we will do it. Let us create the corridors with buses first and plant the light rail on top. The way we can do it now is a lot simpler than was the case 20 years ago, in that there is light engineering. Works do not have to be as disrup…

Back in January, I made a decision as an Independent TD to engage constructively in the formation of a new Government. My focus was simple. I wished to ensure the ambitions we have for Ireland could be realised in a practical, balanced and fair way. Throughout that process, I found the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, to be honest and open, willing to share ideas and genuinely committed to reaching consensus. Those early discussions were not about power or position but about policy, priorities and people. The Tánaiste showe…

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for education, Deputy McEntee, who is unfortunately unavailable this evening. I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to clarify the position in relation to the repurposing works undertaken at George’s Hill primary school in 2022. The Deputy may be aware that George’s Hill is a Catholic, co-educational primary school. The school has a current enrolment of 165 pupils and a staffing level of a principal, nine …

I listened to what the Deputy said and some of the charges she made are fairly grim. My understanding, from reading the reply prepared for me, is that the works that were contracted for in 2022 have been completed. It was only this year that the school principal made contact with the Department looking for further works to be carried out. As of when this reply was put together, the application had not yet come in from the school.

They could put in a report from an engineer with a costing on it, I am sure. Nothing has been received. The Department has no record of receiving it. It is going to make contact directly with the school as soon as possible because it is important that no school or child be left in a danger, if that is the case. I come from a construction background. If the works were completed in 2022 and it was 2025 before the principal made contact, I would be concerned.

To fully answer the Deputy's question, I will take her concerns back to the Minister. The Department will be making contact with the principal as a matter of course because no application has come in yet. If there are difficulties in that regard, I am sure the Department of education will be able to assist with advice on how to get the costings together in order to make the application formally.

I am taking this matter on the behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy McEntee. I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position in respect of St Mary’s Boys National School, Blackrock, County Dublin. The Department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools. As the Deputy rightly pointed out, budget 2026 includes €39 million towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional fin…

I feel the Deputy's frustration. I will repeat what is contained in the reply. For the specific school mentioned the ancillary grant has now been reduced to nil because the salary the school was previously paying its secretaries before they moved to the Department's payroll is now higher than the ancillary grant available to the school prior to the reductions being applied. A full review of the grant was completed by the Department in September of this year, and an update was provided to the school on the breakdown…

I thank my colleagues in government for giving us the opportunity to participate in the formulation of budget 2026. I remember back in January, when my fellow TDs from the regional group took the courage to support the establishment of a Government, we did so on the basis of an agreed programme for Government, a blueprint for change, to be delivered over the course of five years. While in opposition, we as Independents highlighted many issues, including those affecting carers, those with disabilities, and fuel pove…

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. As he will be aware, under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006, the RSA has statutory responsibility for the national driver testing service. The service has experienced unprecedented demand in recent years, with the number of applications for a driving test having increased significantly since 2021. In 2024, a total of 253,850 driving tests were conducted, up from 196,853 in 2023, making it a record year for the delivery of tests. The delivery of this number of…

I thank the Senator again for raising this matter. It is important and the Senator's constructive contributions are very much welcomed. I reiterate that the Government recognises the need to address the longstanding issue in relation to the service provision and to ensure that a reliable and high-quality driver testing service is available throughout the State. I understand that the unacceptable waiting times for driving tests are having a significant impact on people across the country, including in Monaghan and C…

I thank Senator Kyne for putting forward this very important topic. Being a Galway man, I understand the problems we have with traffic in Galway city, which affects the entire region to say the least. At the outset I must state that any proposals for Gluas or light rail for Galway are intrinsically linked to the development of the Galway metropolitan area transport strategy. We will call this GMATS from now on rather than reading it all out again. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has commenced the updating of…

First, I would say it is to await the outcome of the An Coimisiún Pleanála decision, not to wait to see where it goes after that. Hopefully, it will not go anywhere other than to construction. We all know that the problem has been that the outer ring road, by its nature, is a big project but it is holding up other decisions to be made about the city. That is the biggest consideration we have at present and we need to move along with that. I met with the Gluas group and was impressed with its professional approach t…

The first thing I want to do is wish Kerry and Meath the best of luck next weekend. I thank all the Deputies for their contributions during this afternoon's debate and also last week's debate. They can see from my record and my opening statement that there is a continued commitment in investment in public transport with the significant progress that has been made over the last few years in our rail network. Notably, we have made progress on the DART+ programme with the recent planning decisions for DART+ West and D…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Deputies. I welcome the opportunity to address the House this afternoon to update Members on the all-island strategic rail review. Rail represents a particularly enduring form of infrastructure. Rail lines built in the 1800s are still carrying passengers today. The decisions and investments we make for rail in this decade will similarly benefit the Irish people, economy and the environment to the end of this century and beyond. This is why it is so important to plan our rail ne…

I am flabbergasted that a school project could be going on that long. From my background as a quantity surveyor working in construction, there is something amiss. We will get to the bottom of it. I am giving the Senator this answer on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire is an all-Irish national school serving the heart of Dublin city and is currently located in rented accommodation in Parnell Square. The project brief is for the construction of a 16-classroom primary school on…

Of course, I will do that. The Department of Education and Youth remains committed to continuing to provide enhanced support on this project, including the retention of the project manager until the school is completed, and is in regular contact with the school authorities, meeting approximately every six weeks or more frequently when required. While it is not possible to put an accurate timeframe on the completion of the school until negotiations have completed, it is now prudent to plan on the basis that the comp…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. It is something we all need to be aware exists. A lot of us do not know about it. The boarding-out scheme offers an alternative care option for older people who are no longer able to live independently in their own homes and wish to remain in their communities where they may otherwise be accommodated in residential care. The boarding-out scheme currently operates across three former community health organisation areas, namely, CHO 1, CHO 2, and CHO 8. The HSE has reported…