Does the Minister agree that, as the Deputy has said, the conditions of the scheme were ludicrous? People in areas such as west Connemara were refused on the basis that there were already taxis in the area. Taxi drivers who lived in rural areas and who went to the towns or cities to provide a service were considered to be providing a local service. As the Deputy has said, many areas have been left totally without hackney services as a result. The idea was that the hackney that got the licence would be tied to the a…

It is not happening a lot of the time.

When you raise the issue under a Standing Order - I am not sure of the exact Standing Order but the Ceann Comhairle will know which one - the Deputy then has an option that a lot of Deputies do not seem to be aware of.

They can either take it, or have it deferred one day and have it taken by a Minister from that Department. Of course, that does not work if you are not told beforehand.

The first comment I have to make is that I found out there is more than one CDNT 4 in the country. It is a funny way of naming things. The one I am talking about is in Connemara and covers all of Connemara. It is based in Spiddal and Connemara is as big as most counties on its own. It is a huge geographic area, particularly when you have to drive around the inlets, bays, mountains and hills. We all know that early intervention is really beneficial for young people and children. The earlier the intervention and the …

The one answer I did not get is the only answer I want. When will this child and all the other children get a service? If what is being done is not tackling it fast enough, what will the services do to tackle it faster? They have not got through the 2021 list yet. There is always a way. Do they need to pay more money? I do not know what they need to do. There is one thing they could do. I know one person from the area with one of the named skills who came home to live here. That person worked for the NHS in London …

Will Deputy Smyth ask how many on the shortlist are for CDNT 4? It seems peripheral areas were once again left out.

Yes.

A week ago, a republican prisoner was taken out of Maghaberry Prison for an urgent medical appointment. On the way out, a full body scan was carried out and was clear. The prisoner was handcuffed to a prison officer and taken to the hospital, where he was examined by medics. During the examination, afterwards and at all times, the prisoner was handcuffed to a prison officer. When he returned to the prison, another scan was carried out and the allegation was made that there was something in his stomach, and he has b…

I regret that I must again raise an issue I have raised many times on Questions on Policy or Legislation. I refer to the issue of Travellers on halting sites living in substandard trailers or caravans. There is a very limited pilot scheme called the caravan loan scheme whereby local authorities are given an allocation of caravans every year for replacement purposes. That scheme only provides for replacement with second-hand caravans and is not based on need. This is quite a limited problem but it needs to be dealt …

I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution to this debate. Unfortunately, I did not get an opportunity to read the report placed before the House but I will certainly do so because I hope it will be very informative. In the speech the Minister gave here today, she said "The report also provides a brief assessment of the security situation" before going on to outline that there are constraints on what she can say. However, she did say: It is clear that the so-called dissident republicans, who have their origin…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom fíorbhuíochas a ghabhadh leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach tráthnóna. Tá a fhios agam nach bhfuil sé éasca teacht ag an am seo den oíche ach tá mé cinnte mar iar-chúlbhinseoir é féin go dtuigfidh sé an tábhacht a bhaineann le Aire ón Roinn a mbaineann an t-ábhar leis teacht isteach agus freagraí a thabhairt go chúlbhinseoirí ar na Saincheisteanna Tráthúla. The digital economy is vital to the entire Irish economy. We have built up over the last generations a modern, vibra…

I thank the Minister of State for the very clear and precise answer that actually addressed the issue I raised. We often get a page and a half of irrelevance and five lines of relevance. In this case, however, the issue was addressed head on. My concern is that in the long term, the CRU will take it upon itself to ignore the wider picture. I agree that every new data centre should have a road to sustainability. I fully accept that but this might not be possible in the short term. This is where the dilemma arises fo…

Educational outcomes at third level and beyond are often determined in primary education. As has been mentioned, schools are facing a cost crisis due to inflation, insurance costs, etc., but the capitation grant of €200 is basically at the same level it was 13 years ago. I am not looking for a firm commitment today, but will the Tánaiste confirm whether an increase in the capitation grant, minor works grant and ancillary grant will be a priority in the consideration of the forthcoming budget in the autumn?

For a long time, as the Minister for Social Protection is aware, I have been making a case for the reform of the means testing of social welfare payments and how the system operates. Many of the provisions in that regard date back a long time and a lot of the disregards have not changed over time, although some have. I did very much welcome the setting up by the Minister of a review of means testing, which was initially promised by the end of last year. Will the Taoiseach or the line Minister outline when it is int…

Over the years we have had the refusal of the Galway bypass, the refusal of planning permission for the road from Maam Cross to Clifden, massive delays relating to the road from Maam Cross to Oughterard, the refusal of Páirc na Mara, which was a development by Údarás na Gaeltachta, and recently a court case about Ros an Mhíl. It is beginning to become evident that it is becoming nearly impossible to get any basic infrastructural or economic projects through in Connemara. I have no doubt that when Europe brought in …

The Minister for Transport is always boasting about the Connecting Ireland programme and, on the surface, it looks good that we are, at last, getting some rural public transport services. There are two services in Connemara from An Cheathrú Rua to Claremorris and from An Cheathrú Rua to Clifden. So far, so good. There is only one snag, which is that, with a bus service, you need bus stops, but some of the bus stops are up to 10 km apart. That means, having got to the main road, people have to walk up to 5 km in one…

We were promised months ago that more bus stops would be provided. Bus Éireann will pick people up-----

-----at any safe spot along the road. When will we get action in dealing with this problem?

Go maith.