I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this issue. I agree that climate change is the most pressing challenge for society. The planet is on fire and major action is required. At a European level, and I will make this point in Brussels today, we need to be more ambitious in the EU strategic agenda in terms of its commentary on action on climate. We have some encouraging signs. I will not waste the Dáil's time in listing them all because we know them, but the EU emissions trading scheme for Ireland shows that we saw a sig…

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this matter. I will answer his question in two parts. First, in regard to the horrific death of Josip, I extend my sympathy and that of everyone in this House to his family and friends. I spoke briefly to the Garda Commissioner in regard to this matter. I am conscious that there is an ongoing, active Garda investigation. I do not wish to say anything to cut across that. I understand the Garda has been linking with the appropriate embassy in terms of ensuring an information flow and …

Only this morning, I read a letter written to me by Parkinson's Ireland. I read it just before I came here, so it is fresh in my mind. I certainly will speak to the HSE and the Minister for Health on this issue. From my time in the Department of Health, I am aware of the incredible work Parkinson's Ireland does. I am aware from my constituents with Parkinson's disease of the excellent work being done by the organisation. I will not speak for the Minister for Health but I certainly will speak to him on the matter.

That language worries me in regard to pitting one group of people in society against another.

The Deputy's language worries me, not the issue. We will deal with the issues as a Government and collectively in the Oireachtas. Going back to Deputy Kenny's point, the language of division does not offer healthy debate. That is my opinion. In regard to accommodation for Ukrainian people, it might be useful for the House to know the following. Every day, some 15 Ukrainian people come to Ireland seeking accommodation. Every day in Ireland, approximately 45 Ukrainian people leave State accommodation. There are aroun…

I can sense the Deputy's frustration with the issue regarding the hospital in Clifden. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the HSE to see whether I can assist in improving the situation.

I note the Deputy's long record of leadership in this area both at the Oireachtas agriculture committee and in his life before politics. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, to engage with the Revenue Commissioners on the matter and to get back directly to the Deputy. I am meeting with the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, later this week to discuss a number of the challenges facing farmers in Ireland at the moment.

I thank the Deputy for keeping in very regular contact with me on this issue. I know the pressure the loss of the hotel has caused in the local community. We need to move away from a reliance on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers. That is what is being looked at in the new accommodation strategy the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has brought forward. We certainly need to support towns like Drogheda in terms of the impact on tourism. As the Deputy said, we have already worked together to take a number of steps to su…

I thank the Deputy for bringing to my attention the situation with the Irish Wheelchair Association service in Cavan and the impact, which she outlined very clearly, on service users. I will ask the Minister for Health to revert to her directly on this issue.

I thank Deputy Moynihan. The Tánaiste, the Minister for Transport and I discussed road maintenance this week because we are very conscious that it is a very genuine issue in many communities. We are also very conscious that conditions have worsened due to the weather in the past. The three of us remain committed to seeing whether we can do more in this space in the weeks ahead. We will keep in touch with the Deputy about it.

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this issue. I acknowledge that he has been raising and championing it for a very significant period and at every opportunity. As a result of his advocacy and engagement, the Minister for Justice has been working with her officials on a significant project in this area. As the Deputy has alluded to, important developments are due in this space shortly. I will ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to provide the Deputy with a written update.

I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising this issue and I acknowledge her work on it. I am pleased that the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, was able to visit and meet the Deputy in the past couple of days. I was not at Lough Funshinagh but did meet some local residents informally and intend to visit the area and meet the Deputy and her colleagues there. As she said, the Minister of State did ask that the Attorney General provide advice on this. This issue is not about money or a lack of will; we need to find a way f…

Very much so. We have soldiered together for too long for anything else to happen. I am really proud that we have managed to deliver a university for the south east but I am also very much aware that its success or otherwise will absolutely depend on our continued support and investment as it embeds and grows. I am really proud of the progress it has made so far but each of the issues the Deputy has outlined, including the PPP, student accommodation, veterinary and pharmacy courses, and professorships, are ones I w…

I thank Deputy Quinlivan for raising the issue. Let me try to prove him wrong. I am determined to work with him and others in the Limerick region to make progress once and for all on University Hospital Limerick. I accept that more needs to be done by way of investment but it is very concerning that, despite the investment the hospital has received relative to other hospitals in recent times, it has failed to improve its performance. I take what the Deputy says about statistics. He is right that there are people be…

I am not familiar with the circumstances in which people found themselves sleeping in a Garda station. I thank the Deputy for bringing this to my attention. I will ask Kildare County Council, the local Garda station involved and the Minister for Housing for a report and write to the Deputy directly.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I had a meeting with the Road Safety Authority this week. There are at least three aspects to road safety and probably more. There are killer behaviours, which we need to get on top of, including drink driving, drug driving and speed. There is enforcement. I agree that there is also the issue of the quality and safety of our roads. There is a correlation between the number of accidents at accident blackspots and the likes. I will specifically raise the issue of …

I assure the House and the Deputy that we will get that time. To be clear, it is being referred to the justice committee for its scrutiny. It will then come back to this House for a full debate, which the Government wishes to be given plenty of time and a vote by every Member. It will then go to the other House for a full debate and a vote by every Member because while I am very much in favour of the EU migration pact and do not make a secret of that, and the Government intends to opt in, it absolutely deserves and…

I thank the Deputy. The clinical advice is not to open more emergency departments. However, there is a need and desire to make hospitals within the hospital group, including Ennis, busier with regard to the volume of work they do and the range of services they provide. I definitely believe in that. Since this Government came to office, UHL has seen its staff numbers grow by 1,183 and its budget increase by 45%. It has 98 new beds opened. There are a range of other initiatives which the Minister announced last week.…

I thank the Deputy. I will reflect on what he said. I am very much aware of the thalidomide group of survivors and of the issues they have raised. I am aware of the work that has been going on, in fairness to the Deputy's party leader and my colleague, the Tánaiste, since he became Taoiseach. I will reflect on what the Deputy said and I intend to have engagement with the group shortly.

I wish to announce for the information of the Dáil that having informed the President that Dáil Éireann had approved my nomination of Deputies to be members of the Government, the President on 9 April 2024 appointed them accordingly. On the same day, I nominated Deputy Micheál Martin to be the Tánaiste and assigned the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Defence to him. On the same date, I assigned the other Departments of State to the other members of the Government as follows: the Department of th…