First, I acknowledge the very good and important work Deputy Ó Cuív has done in this area over many years and appreciate the great support he has been on occasion in a variety of roles. In regard to the individual case, he will understand, not that he is asking me to, that I am not going to comment on the rights and wrongs of it here without full knowledge, but I will certainly ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to consider raising the matter in a way she views as appropriate and to revert to the Deputy directly.

I thank the Deputy for raising this serious issue, which is one I discussed with the Minister for Health on Monday, I think, at the meeting of the Cabinet committee on health. There may well be a particular challenge in Carrigaline and in parts of Cork but the Deputy is right to suggest that it is a more national challenge. I know the Minister for Health and his Department have given consideration to what measures can be taken. We can point to increased number of dentists, etc., but that misses the point in terms o…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. No one likes the idea, by any manner or means, of any person, but particularly an older person living in isolation, being in any way fearful in their own home. The home should be a safe haven for people. I will certainly pass on the Deputy's specific comments about Roscommon and Galway and the importance of a Garda presence in rural areas to the Minister for Justice. Obviously, the Garda Commissioner allocates resources but I am sure the Minister can raise that matter with …

I know the Deputy's particular area of expertise in this area, both as a constituency TD and before his political life in this House. I take seriously what he says. This is a Government that will always support farmers. I am very conscious of how horrific the weather has been for them this year and the huge stress that has created. I have visited a number of farms with the Irish Farmers Association and others and I have seen the anguish etched on the faces of farmers. I will convey the Deputy's view to the Minister…

I thank the Deputy for allowing me to give consideration to this issue. I saw the report from the Department of Finance. I have also had a series of meetings with the banks this week at which I discussed the issue of development financing and how, when anyone reads the Housing Commission report, which is often misrepresented by people in this House for their own political ideology, it is actually very stark in terms of the level of funding that will be required. People speak about housing targets but the actual lev…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue, which is concerning to me. I have a number of concerns related to University Hospital Limerick and so too does the Government. That is why we have asked the former Chief Justice Frank Clarke to look at a number of issues. Let me specifically talk with the Minister for Health - I an conscious the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is sitting behind me as well - and I will come back to the Deputy on the matter.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I will personally look into it and come back to him on the matter. As he will know better than most, a lot of work was put in post Brexit to ensure that cross-Border healthcare could continue. We believe in it. We believe in being able to access healthcare right across the island of Ireland. I will make specific inquiries and come back to the Deputy.

I thank Deputy Harkin for raising this matter. I can hear her palpable frustration on behalf of her constituents. I want to assure her first of our commitment to the development. The note I have in front of me says that a feasibility study is currently under way - as the Deputy knows - in relation to a new four-bay renal dialysis unit. A capital submission will be made in quarter 3 or quarter 4 of this year with a view to progressing to detailed design in 2025. Based on what the Deputy tells me today about a histor…

I thank Deputy Cannon and acknowledge that he has been a very strong advocate of road safety for long years. I thank him for that. I join with him in wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Lawless, very well in his new role. I absolutely will sit down with him. In the 12 weeks I have been Taoiseach, I have chaired two ministerial meetings on the issue of road safety with the Road Safety Authority, the Garda and others. This is a really serious issue. Look at the number of deaths seen on our roads this year, the fact…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, together. As colleagues will know, I attended an informal European Council meeting on Monday, 17 June in Brussels that largely took place over a working dinner. At this meeting European leaders took stock of the outcome of the elections for the European Parliament, and we began discussions on the key positions in the European Union institutions. As the House will be aware, the EU institutions renew themselves every five years, with a newly elected Parliament and t…

I am pleased that Deputy Smith, the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and others met the delegation from the Ukrainian Parliament yesterday. I had the opportunity to meet President Zelenskyy in Brussels last week and, two weeks previously, at the peace summit for Ukraine in Switzerland. I have also had the opportunity to speak to him by telephone twice since becoming Taoiseach. In addition, I had a video call with the Ukrainian Prime Minister. We are in regular contact. We are eager to show solidarity with Ukraine and, for a…

The Spanish Prime Minister is clearly a socialist.

Let us not have a debate on the meaning of socialism. We can have that discussion another time. I am pointing out that across the political spectrum represented at the European Council, there was backing for President von der Leyen. There is an important democratic point to consider in regard to the lead candidate system. Ursula von der Leyen was the lead candidate for the European People's Party, EPP, which is the party that won the most seats in the European Parliament elections. President von der Leyen's positio…

I will do my best to be quick. It is fair to say at this stage that the conversations that are happening at a European level on security and defence are in the provisional and preliminary space. By that I mean we are yet to see proposals tabled. There are a lot of views, particularly from countries in eastern Europe, which are much closer to the front line in terms of Russian aggression, on how Europe should deal with its security and defence. Ireland should never recuse itself from those conversations. We live in …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 13, inclusive, together. I had a telephone conversation with President Biden on the evening of Monday, 17 June. He congratulated me on my recent appointment as Taoiseach and I thanked him for his enduring friendship to our country. We spoke of the deep and growing co-operation between our two countries, built on deep historical and ancestral ties, on a range of issues. We discussed the deepening of our economic ties, the importance of the two-way flow of investment for both our…

I thank my colleagues, who raised a range of issues. On Deputy Haughey's comments on Northern Ireland, the role played by special envoy Joe Kennedy is very helpful. That President Biden appointed him as envoy to Northern Ireland but also as economic envoy to Northern Ireland is significant in and of itself for the reasons the Deputy outlined. We can be proud of the peace process on this island, which is something so cherished that we can never take for granted, but the prosperity element is the next step. That is t…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 to 20, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on the economy and investment was re-established by the Government on 10 April and most recently met on Monday, 1 July. The next meeting of that Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled. Membership of the committee comprises me, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Defence, the Ministers for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Transport, Finance, Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delive…

About water?

These all dominate the Cabinet committee on the economy but, these are all, nonetheless, serious issues and I do not doubt that. I am just still getting used to where the questions start and where the issues go but I will do my best on these issues. First, in reply to Deputy Barry, and my now weekly exchange on what is a genuinely serious issue, I am nearly as invested in the issue as he is at this stage because he has brought it to my attention quite a few times. I passed on the letter and I thank him for acknowle…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important matter today and I thank the Dáil for allocating time. Over the past four years since this Dáil was elected, we have worked collectively, and I hope across party lines, to address the epidemic of sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland. That is what it is: an epidemic. Through the leadership of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and working with TDs and Senators across these House, we have together made some real and meaningful changes. We…