I wish to speak on the household benefits package, in particular the energy allowances aspect. As the Minister of State knows, the household benefits package is a set of allowances to help with the cost of living, specifically electricity or gas costs. The package is available to those aged 70 and over and to some aged under 70 in certain circumstances - those on disability allowance or carer's allowance who are living with the person they care for, to name but a few. The package is available to our most vulnerable…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. This still does not account for the fact that this package has not been increased since 2013. There has been no increase for people even though we are experiencing hyperinflation. This is not lost on the public but I thank the Minister of State. As I said, this proposal from Age Action Ireland for an energy guarantee for older persons is very well put together and I advise him in the strongest possible terms to review it with a view to implementing it. Another group I spoke to a…

I raise the issue of CAMHS in County Clare, specifically further to the reply I received from the HSE regarding a question I submitted. Will the Minister of State please explain why all the CAMHS appointments in County Clare take place in the same venue in Ennis? Will she make a statement on the matter?

This is my second time, two days in a row, that I have raised the issue of CAMHS in County Clare in the House. Yesterday, I raised the issue of the significant deficit in staff. The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Coveney, was unfortunately unable to give me a direct reply as to what aggressive recruitment strategy was being undertaken by this Government. Today, I am fed up. The Department of Health has under-profile spending of €22 million in the first quarter of 2023. Public underspending tr…

On the issue of the review into open CAMHS cases I mentioned earlier, I would appreciate if the Minister of State would inform me of the steps that have been taken to follow up with the 140 children and young people who fell between the cracks and, crucially, what steps have been taken to ensure that never happens again. I do not think I can underscore enough the fundamental importance of early intervention in the case of a young person who is suffering with mental health difficulties. We need to support young peop…

Can a rescue package for the sheep sector can be set up through the Brexit adjustment reserve, BAR, fund with respect to the extreme financial pressures being faced by sheep farmers in our country?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a fhreagra ansin. I was delighted to meet with Tom Lane, Tom Holmes and Stephen Walsh from the Clare branch of the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, a few weeks ago and we had a very long conversation about the pressures being faced by farmers in County Clare. I know that it is the same story in his constituency and throughout the country, where farmers are facing enormous financial pressures in respect of pricing and inflation. I welcome the addition to €2 per ewe in the SIS but, as …

In addition to having our lively discussion on the sheep farming sector, I spoke to the IFA in Clare about the nitrates derogation. I heard colleagues from many counties raise this issue in both Houses in recent weeks. I would be very grateful if the Minister could inform me about the measures, financial or otherwise, that he will take to assist Clare farmers in meeting potential new targets with respect to the new nitrates action programme. Could he inform me whether water quality reports for 2022 will be consider…

This week I spoke to Maria from Kilkee. She has a 16-year-old son who is deeply depressed and has had suicidal ideation. She has had to go outside the county to get two private diagnoses in Dublin. Even then, she was still left contending with Clare's extensive waiting list. When her son eventually received an appointment, it was unfortunately cancelled the day before due to a red weather warning in February. She is still waiting for him to receive a replacement appointment, so I urge the Minister please to assist …

I wish to raise the atypical working scheme, AWS, and specifically the failure rate for employers applying via AWS by county, and I would be most grateful if the Minister would make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State and the officials in his Department for the changes made to the AWS to date. I welcome in particular the shortening to one month of the cooling-off period, which now means two AWS can be availed of in a 12-month period, and there is the ability to spread the 90 days over six months, supporting travel into and out of Ireland. As the Minister of State is aware, this scheme facilitates the many locum doctors and nurses who make up the significant shortfalls in our public health service be…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. The issue of Garda resourcing in County Clare must be raised again. As the Minister of State will be aware, Clare received the fifth lowest divisional influx of gardaí into its operational area since 2015. Only 51 gardaí have joined the force in Clare in that time. In 2022, only two gardaí were allocated to Clare, and no additional gardaí were provided in January of this year. A spate of antisocial behaviour at the Brú na Sionna complex in Shannon has escalated to a level that i…

Will the Minister share with the House any plans he has to develop a veterinary school at the University of Limerick? Will he make a statement on that matter?

I thank the Minister for his response and for all the information he has outlined. I appreciate what he has said about the independent process and waiting until the report arrives. For the past five decades, veterinary education in Ireland has been delivered in the one school in UCD. It does not reflect the wider picture. As the Minister mentioned, the school is too small and the course is highly competitive. There is very little scope to expand the number of available places at present. Only one in four vets who a…

I recently attended a community engagement with the ESB in Kilkee at which the board laid out its plans for future developments in the Green Atlantic project at Moneypoint, and potential offshore development in the Shannon Estuary. I am proud of the part that west Clare will play in the just transition and I thank the ESB for sharing its exciting plans. The most important thing is that when these developments are greenlit, we will keep the jobs in the local community, as was the case as far back as the building of …

I spoke to John, a constituent from Killaloe. His daughter, Livvy, is 11. She is autistic and has a moderate learning disability. At the start of this year, her behaviour took a downward spiral which saw her being suspended from school, attacking her father, his partner and her two brothers. Worse than that, she has recently started to say during these meltdowns that she wants to die. Livvy was seeing a psychiatrist in UHL, who has now left, and she has been waiting 18 months for a new appointment. When brought to …

We are now half a year deep into the highest homelessness figures in Ireland since records began. Local authority emergency homeless accommodation is at capacity. All nine providers in Clare are full. Every month there are 30 more new presentations to homeless services. On numerous occasions, I have requested that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, employ a strategy similar to that of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorma…

I commend and highlight the fantastic work of the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS. It provides an invaluable resource to many of my constituents, as I am sure it does to those of the Minister of State and other Members. I had the pleasure of visiting the MABS office in Ennis recently on the Clare Road, which I understand is one of 60 offices providing this essential service nationally. I met two of the fantastic team of three people there, who informed me that MABS has been operating in County Clare for 31…

I welcome that the strategic review is soon to be completed. I note the amount of work that is being done in the background. It is incredibly disappointing that there is still a refusal at this point to grant certainty to these hardworking people throughout Ireland. I am sure the Minister of State will appreciate that to have this level of uncertainty from the top down is incredibly disruptive for the organisation. It is like a kick in the teeth to the morale of the hardworking, dedicated mortgage advisers who are …

I commend the Regional Group on bringing forward this incredibly important and thorough motion and thank Deputy Sherlock and the Labour Party for sharing time with me. Why is pre-emergency care so important for people living in rural communities? It is because they struggle with access to primary healthcare in their communities. They are the ones who have been losing GPs for the past number of years. For example, in my constituency of Clare, the number of GPs available is 25 below the national average. That is acco…