I appreciate that the Senator is interested in resolving the issue. The Department has a funding programme in place to help resolve it but it will take a number of funding cycles to do so. If there is anything else the Senator wants to say or if she has any other information, she should please feel free to provide it to the Minister or the Department and the relevant officials will consider it. Given the significant funding liability required to sustainably resolve issues relating to these types of estates that are…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach agus leis an Seanadóir. Táim an-sásta a bheith sa Teach chun labhairt faoin infheistíocht tábhachtach inár bhforais chultúir náisiúnta. Under the Government's national development plan, a programme of investment of €460 million is envisaged to upgrade and reimagine Ireland's national cultural institutions. As the Senator indicated, this was set out in Project Ireland 2040, Investing in our Culture, Language & Heritage 2018-2027, and reaffirmed in the most recent rev…

I again welcome Senator Warfield's interest in these important matters and I echo what he says about us being champions for the institutions that are right beside us, whether it is the National Library, the National Museum, the Natural History Museum or the National Gallery of Ireland. These are very important institutions which are right beside us and having engaged myself with the National Museum before the pandemic, the museum was very keen for Deputies and Senators to be in touch with their constituents and wit…

It has not been rephrased in my response. It is there as the Senator has called it out.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. The Senator will have to understand that I am here on behalf of the Minister, who cannot be here. I will simply have to be very faithful to the script in front of me. I am sure the Senator can take up the issues further with the Minister. I thank the Senator for the opportunity to clarify these important matters which were raised, of course, in this House earlier this month and were subsequently the subject of media reports on Inland Fisheries Ireland. These reports have …

I reiterate that the current review under section 18 does not focus, as the Senator said, on the allegations raised on the Order of Business on 5 May. It does not focus on those allegations which gave rise to subsequent media reports, nor does the section 18 review include other allegations made in an anonymous disclosure earlier this year against a senior member of IFI staff. That is already the subject of a separate independent internal investigation in IFI and in respect of which the relevant staff member remain…

I am glad to be able to address the Dáil on this important issue. I apologise for the absence of the Minister, Deputy Coveney. He is abroad on important State business. The passport service has been the subject of much public interest in recent weeks, as always. A passport is a very important document. As a Member of the House, I am fully aware of the number of requests for assistance with passports received from constituents every single day. I also fully support the right of citizens to contact Deputies to make i…

I am not saying that. However, there are some errors. There is no question about it that there are some. People should check the Department website. It is also important to say that we have published estimated processing times. That processing time does not start when you start the application. The processing time for passport applications begins once the correct documents are sent into the Passport Office. It is important that people know that. In relation to urgent queries, a person who needs to travel for urgent…

I did not say that.

I will clarify that.

I will clarify that for the Deputy.

That is only a very small part of it.

We can find ways around the problem and try to solve it. That is the point I am trying to make.

I agree.

Three weeks.

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. The sentiments they have expressed are sentiments I know only too well. I apologise for the absence of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, but I am glad that the director of the passport service has been in the Chamber throughout the debate. Many suggestions have been made by Deputies during this debate. There were some good suggestions and many of them have already been applied. I remind people that we want them to apply online at this time, not to go to the post office. The…

I accept that, but that will not be the majority of cases. That will be a small number of cases. A significant number of issues have been put forward in the debate. I have no doubt but that the passport service will take into account all those issues and all the really good suggestions that have been made. I agree with Deputy Paul Murphy that we should not have to do this on behalf of our constituents. Sometimes I see people complain about Deputies raising issues, but it is absolutely essential that when issues or …

I want to thank Deputy O’Rourke for raising this issue. As he rightly said, I am very familiar with it. I did give apologies to a public meeting that I could not attend last year. I fully support the Deputy’s proposal. I was at a public meeting three years ago when I put forward the exact same proposal. I tried to get action on it then. Unfortunately, people were not listening at that time, when the school was open. At that time, it could have been saved. It is a disgrace that it was allowed to close. I completely …

The official script.

I thank the Deputy for mentioning the Ardcath group. I had good engagements with Mr. Nick Reilly, who I have known for a long time. I will engage with the Minister next week and will inform the Deputy in advance of that. We need to work on this together. It is something that can happen. There are things going against it because the school is closed. It is for sale so, presumably, money is being sought. It is a lightly populated area but has major potential for multi-denominational education. It is in the Ashbourne …