I thank Deputy Maxwell for raising this. It is not the first time he has raised it with me. I know his constituency in Cavan and Monaghan has been significantly impacted by Storm Chandra. While we have increased the funding for roads in Cavan and Monaghan, which is important - there is an increase in the funding in 2026 versus 2025 - I want to see that money, and more importantly the Deputy wants to see that money, in Cavan and Monaghan being spent as it was intended and not sucked up by the road damage. We have go…

I acknowledge that this is certainly not the first time Deputy Heneghan has raised this issue in the House. The Deputy raises it almost every time we meet, either formally or informally, around this building. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta for all the work he is doing in relation to it. It is now one of the 105 large-scale school building projects that will go to tender and-or construction during 2026 and 2027. In other words, the project is definitely moving forward. The 600-pupil post-primary school project was…

I take Deputy Kenny fully at his word and do not doubt in any way the accuracy or bona fides of what he has shared with the House. I also accept the HSE is often very busy and under pressure. There are very many fine people who work in our health service and we thank them for that. There is, however, no excuse for anybody, no matter how busy they are, to discharge somebody without making sure there is an appropriate care plan in place. Surprising relatives and the like is not an acceptable thing to happen. I am not…

As I was listening to what the Deputy was saying, I also had colleagues here saying to me that they are not unfamiliar with the significant inconvenience, anxiety and practical issues it can cause for constituents, including the constituents the Deputy referred to. On foot of the issue being raised by Deputy Murphy, I will ask the Minister and the chief executive of An Post to examine the specifics of the issue the Deputy mentioned about the proposed move of the sorting office from Edmondstown to Lucan. We also hav…

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising the issue in relation to the need for a new emergency department for Beaumont Hospital. I accept that the Deputy is accurate. This is something that has been long discussed and much needed in Beaumont. I do not have the specifics in front of me here, so I do not want to give the Deputy or his constituents false information but it is my understanding that it is part of the HSE's capital plan. I will ask the Minister for Health to come back to the Deputy directly in terms of a t…

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this issue on his own behalf and on behalf of Councillor Rasmussen. They represent a beautiful part of this country. I know so many people who live there and who visit there from home and abroad. I take seriously the points the Deputy makes in relation to garda numbers in Cobh, in Carrigtwohill and in the area more widely, and in relation to the operating hours of the Garda station. I will ask the Minister for justice to engage directly with the Garda Commissioner who is responsible…

I thank Deputy Roche for raising this matter. I know he has been engaging with the Minister for agriculture on this issue also and I thank him for it. We all know a TB breakdown can cause significant emotional and financial impacts on farms, and the recent changes are necessary to help drive down the levels and prevent more farmers experiencing these very difficult impacts. The changes are targeted to ensure they focus on a group of animals that are responsible for the largest number of reactors, namely cows, while…

I thank Deputy Guirke for raising this issue in relation to Shannen and her children. I am pleased to hear that Evie is thriving but I very much take the point about people wanting their child to be able to thrive in their own community and not be isolated from that community. I take the point. There is also anxiety as to whether Fionn will have an appropriate place. The budget we are working through for 2026 allocated funding for 433 additional special classes. Of these, 432 have been sanctioned and this week the …

I want to be really clear that the Government does not give any direction to An Garda Síochána in terms of implementation of the laws of the land. Anybody who participates in peaceful protest is entirely in accordance with the laws of the land. Peaceful protest is an important part of our democracy. I have participated in protests and I have been protested at. Protest is a good thing in our democracy. What is not a good thing in a democracy is breaking the law, and anyone who breaks the law will face the consequenc…

I have looked at this issue in terms of both access and cash flow in relation to the diesel rebate scheme. As the Deputy knows, the diesel rebate scheme is a state aid that provides qualifying road haulage and passenger transport operators with a partial repayment of mineral oil tax paid on auto diesel. The scheme operates in accordance with the EU's energy tax directive, as it must, and with the general block exemption regulation on state aid. In 2025, almost €40 million was paid out under the scheme, providing ta…

I am trying not to.

I will make a couple of points. We are not refusing to listen and we are certainly not refusing to act. We have brought in one of the largest packages of support in the European Union. That is a statement of fact. That is the right thing to do because our economy enables us to. Second, I do not say this to be argumentative but, on diesel, the advice available to me is that we have actually gone further than the energy tax directive allows. We have had to write to Europe to seek a derogation in that regard. That is …

Is the Deputy asking about excise duty on petrol or on diesel?

We really are not. Significant lessons have been learned from the past number of weeks. The Deputy and I might agree on some and completely and utterly disagree on others. I was disappointed to see his support for blockades. I was not disappointed to see him joining protests. In fact, I would expect him to do so. That is fine in a democracy.

I was genuinely disappointed to see several of the Deputy's colleagues refuse to condemn illegal action. I do think that is genuinely disappointing. We have to pull together and do our best. What I would say to those the Deputy has highlighted in this House, the nurses and those in other professions, is that the actions we have taken are real. There is €750 million worth of measures. The Deputy knows this brief well so he will know that not only will this package have a particular benefit in reducing the price of d…

The estimated cost of delaying the carbon tax increase on home heating fuels until October is €22 million. This represents approximately 2% of the overall carbon tax revenue allocated for expenditure in the last budget, which was over €1.1 billion. While there will be different views and perspectives on the carbon tax - I know the Deputy's view - I will be very clear that the carbon tax remains a core part of Ireland's climate policy, which aims to reach net-zero. The Deputy will agree that the need for society and…

I do not look for thanks in politics and I certainly do not look for thanks from political opponents. It is not why I do this job. I do look for ways of assisting people and you have to bring the people with you too. While the Deputy obviously supports the carbon tax, I appreciate that many in opposition stand by the carbon tax too and do not engage in populism on this. It is an important form of tax revenue. However, we do have to look at the reality in terms of the cost of a fill of home heating. We had to look a…

I do not think that is a fair portrayal. We have managed as a country to introduce a carbon tax. We have managed to bring in over €1 billion in it. We have managed to legislate for it on a multi-annual basis. We did not bomb Iran. We did not disrupt 20% of the world's energy supply. The Government has to use the levers at its disposal. If we want to engage in real and meaningful climate action, we have to try to bring people with us, and the centre of Irish politics has to try to bring people with it as well. This …

If I adopt the approach as Minister for Finance of abolishing taxes and increasing spending, it does not get us to a good place as a country. That is why. It is not a sustainable economic policy to abolish that tax and increase public spending. We know where that will get us. There are legitimate conversations we can have around windfall receipts and surpluses and around how to deploy them but the Deputy and I know that it is done in a one-off space. You do not do that in relation to more consistent measures and er…

No, the truth of the matter is that Sinn Féin is isolated on this issue. We heard a lot about the united Opposition. We had a vote in the Dáil on this issue. Labour, the Social Democrats, the Green Party, the Government parties, the Government-supporting Independents, an overwhelming majority in the Dáil, believe that the Sinn Féin position is short-sighted, short-termed and populist-----