That is certainly one the Deputy wants to get out.

Many of my constituents will know Castletown House in Celbridge, as will many people from various parts of the country, given it is centrally located. I thank the Deputy for his long-held and ongoing interest in Castletown House and estate. He and other elected representatives are members of the Castletown House and estate stakeholders' working group. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, has chaired six meetings of this working group since he took responsibility for the OPW in April. At the most recent meeting,…

The OPW is in ongoing and intensive engagement with the Office of the Attorney General to get the most up-to-date legal advice, and there was a discussion today. This engagement will continue in order to have the advice finalised very shortly. It is a priority for the Minister and the Office of Public Works. The interest of Deputy Durkan, the Ceann Comhairle and the public representatives in Kildare is very much appreciated.

I thank the Deputy for sharing those stories. It is important that she shared them on the record of Dáil Éireann because it is important that those types of situations are not allowed to continue. We all hear stories like that. Nonetheless, there is actually more home care taking place. To give the exact position in Cavan, 724 people there are availing of home support services. The waiting list is currently at 146 people and, of those, 26 people on the list have no care and are waiting for their package to start. T…

The details of Finn's case and the other case the Deputy mentioned should be provided to the chief executive of the HSE and the Secretary General of the Department. As I said, the number of hours this year is 10% higher than we budgeted for and it is approximately 9% higher than what was provided in 2023, so there are a lot more hours available. There have been some improvements, including the new HSE authorisation scheme for home support, which has been in place since August, for payments to approved private and v…

I welcome the opportunity to talk about this matter because as the Deputies acknowledged, it is an issue with which I am familiar and about which I have spoken out strongly in public. I fully appreciate the frustrations of children - we are talking about children - their parents, coaches and neighbours. I knocked on doors in some of these areas - there is an election some way away - and neighbours are talking about this issue. It is not confined to individual teams. It is a big issue in east Meath and north and wes…

My other half plays for the adult team of one of the clubs mentioned.

We are in the run-up to an election. I hope the FAI, DDSL and the SFAI are listening. One issue has brought the Opposition and the Government together, speaking with one voice, which is girls' access to the DDSL. I hope the message goes out loud and clear that Dáil Éireann was united today and that every girl deserves a chance to participate. People in committees should not decide that some girls' team cannot go into the league to which other clubs in the area belong. I met the FAI representatives. I will praise it…

I thank the Minister for her excellent co-operation for more than a year and a half in the Department. There has not been a harsh word between us. It has been really positive and co-operative, leading to better governance and better outcomes. I am very pleased to announce some of those outcomes today. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire, leis an gCeann Comhairle agus leis na Teachtaí. Labhróidh mé inniu faoin infheistíocht a bheidh á déanamh againn in earnáil na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta agus i gcúrsaí spóirt ag eascair…

Táim an-eolach faoi na dúshláin atá ann do dhaoine áitiúla i gceantair Gaeltachta tithíocht a chur ar fáil agus a fháil ar phraghas réasúnta. Seo dúshlán atá níos leithne ná an Ghaeltacht féin ar ndóigh agus tá an Rialtas seo an-ghníomhach sa réimse seo, mar is léir ó líon na dtithe atá á thógáil anois ar fud na tíre. Tógadh beagnach 33,000 teach in Éirinn anuraidh, an líon is mó le 15 bliana. Cheana féin in 2024, tá tús curtha le beagnach 34,000 teach sa chéad sé mhí den bhliain. Ach go háirithe ó thaobh na Gaelta…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Tá neart oibre ar siúl maidir leis na treoirlínte seo agus go deimhin, is an Roinn tithíochta a eiseoidh iad. Tá siad ag obair inár dteannta maidir leo. Tá an cheist seo casta. B'fhéidir nach bhfuil freagra amháin ar an bhfadhb seo; b'fhéidir go bhfuil níos mó ná freagra amháin uirthi. Caithfimid gach rud a dhéanamh a bheadh féaráilte do phobal na Gaeltachta agus do phobal na Gaeilge agus a chuireadh an Ghaeilge chun cinn mar bhunphrionsabal. Tá an obair sin ag leanúint ar aghaidh.…

Mar a dúirt mé, tá an cheist seo casta agus tá rudaí atá fós le plé maidir leis seo. Eiseofar na treoirlínte seo ón Roinn tithíochta ach gan aon amhras tá baint ag an Roinn s’againne leo agus táimid ag obair go hinmheánach ag plé na ceisteanna seo. Tá teagmháil idir an dá Roinn agus tá an obair seo ag leanúint ar aghaidh. Ba mhaith liomsa go n-eiseofar na treoirlínte seo ach caithfidh mé admháil gur ceist chasta atá ann. B’fhéidir nach bhfuil freagra simplí ar an gceist seo. Tá an obair ag leanúint ar aghaidh. Bhí …

The question is about sport.

I can tell the Deputy that with every athlete I met and spoke to, the issue of investment came up, whether investment in facilities or in themselves and their organisations. I was happy to tell the Government's story on that. The achievements and performances of Team Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris inspired pride and joy. We want a new generation of participants and high performers and world-class athletes. I agree with the Deputy that investing in grassroots facilities is a critical starting p…

Something must be going right because I agree with almost everything the Deputy said. I met Jack Marley on half a dozen occasions during the Olympic Games. What a great exemplar of a sport he is in not only qualifying for the Olympic Games - he had to be one of the best in the world to do that - and in the manner in which he took his defeat in the Olympic Games. He is such an honourable gentleman and someone for all of our young people to look up to. I really wanted to say that. I completely agree with the Deputy t…

I agree with the Deputy and that is what these sports plans are for. I hope that some of the pilot ones will be passed by local authorities will be passed in the coming weeks. As that is rolled out, it will put sport at the centre of local authority decision-making and it has to be. The Deputy accused local authorities of having a computer says "No" approach but I can tell him from my Department's point of view, in terms of the community sports facilities fund, it will be a computer says "Yes" approach, because eve…

Pléitear ceist na tithíochta ag cruinnithe rialta idir feidhmeannaigh an údaráis agus feidhmeannaigh na Roinne agus tuigtear dom go bhfuil obair leanúnach ar siúl ag foireann an údaráis leis na geallsealbhóirí ábhartha eile. Mar a thuigim ón údarás, cheadaigh bord an údaráis €250,000 d'obair chomhairleoireachta agus taighde ag a chruinniú i mí na Nollag 2023. Ag eascairt as sin, choimisiúnaigh an t-údarás taighde neamhspleách maidir le soláthar agus éileamh ar thithíocht sa Ghaeltacht. Tá an taighde sin déanta anoi…

Maidir le tithíocht go ginearálta, tá fadhb tithíochta ar fud na tíre agus tá fadhb tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht. Caithfimid an fhadhb ghinearálta a réiteach agus tá a lán oibre ar siúl ag an Rialtas chun é sin a dhéanamh. Tá spriocanna sáraithe againn chun tithe a thógáil; ina measc sin tá tithe inacmhainne do dhaoine le hioncaim níos lú freisin. Tá sé sin an-tábhachtach. Chuir an Teachta ceist maidir leis an taighde atá déanta. Tá an freagra tugtha agam di. Beidh níos mó eolais ag teacht maidir leis an obair chomhair…

Maidir le hacmhainní don údarás, táimid i gcónaí ag plé na gceisteanna seo leis an Roinn caiteachais phoiblí agus go háirithe in aimsir na cáinaisnéise tá na cainteanna sin ar siúl. Táimid ag iarraidh níos mó airgid a fháil do chúrsaí Gaeilge agus do chúrsaí Gaeltachta. Táimid, an dá Aire agus oifigigh na Roinne san áireamh, ag obair go dian air sin. Freisin, ó thaobh tithíochta de, tá athrú meoin ag teacht agus tá aitheantas ansin go bhfuil ról ag Údarás na Gaeltachta maidir le tithíocht. Tá sé sin ag tosnú, tá br…

I thank Deputy Hourigan for raising this issue. It is an important question. The women in sport funding was first established in 2005. Since then, more than €30 million has been invested through the national governing bodies of sport and local sports partnerships. In June this year, Deputy Hourigan's colleague, the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, and I announced record funding of €4 million for the women in sport programme this year. This funding represents an increase on the €2.7 million allocated in 2023 and a…