Are the said arrangements and proposed arrangements for the week's business agreed to?

Not agreed.

The Taoiseach will know the international activists on board the aid ship Madleen have been kidnapped in international waters and taken to Israel. Some have been deported and others will be deported, but at least they took action. All we hear from the Taoiseach are words. He said in the Dáil the Central Bank is not facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds. Will he correct the record? Will he support the motion coming through the Dáil tomorrow, reverse his position and at last take definable action in support of the Palestinian people?

In the programme for Government, there is a commitment to publishing a national policy on adult safeguarding in the health and social care sector. The Taoiseach states a considerable amount of work has been done. Given the revelations in "RTÉ Investigates" about our older and more vulnerable residents in nursing homes, can we please have a debate this Thursday on the issue, when the Taoiseach can outline where he is with this and when we will see legislation? Can we please all acknowledge that the outsourcing of our residential care for older, vulnerable people to international conglomerates has been an absolute failure?

Last week's "RTÉ Investigates" again highlighted the failure of successive Governments to enact safeguarding legislation for vulnerable adults. We were promised this 20 years ago after the Leas Cross scandal, in 2014 after Áras Attracta and more recently after the Grace report, the Brandon report and the Emily report. We urgently need to implement the recommendations of the Law Reform Commission report into safeguarding. The safeguarding Bill on the current legislative programme is too narrow in scope.

"RTÉ Investigates" made for really harrowing watching. We saw people treated without any shred of human dignity, treated like burdens. We need to debate this in the Dáil this week. We need to implement adult safeguarding legislation and mandatory reporting. We also need to deal with the fact we are the most privatised system in the European Union in terms of nursing home care. That did not happen by accident; it happened through tax incentives from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. That is the root cause of the problem.

About two weeks ago, the Government announced plans to buy Citywest hotel. That is a huge concern to the constituents in the surrounding area. A debate has to happen in the House. Before the purchase of any hotel, a debate should happen in the House, regardless of what it is needed for. This is a huge issue and concern for the public.

Under Standing Order 35(3) Aontú proposes we amend the Order of Business to remove the lines referring to the motion regarding the proposed negotiations between the European Union and Kazakhstan and replace them with "Statements on nursing homes, to conclude after 1 hour and 50 minutes". It is absolutely scandalous what has happened in this country in terms of older people-----

You have made the amendment, Deputy. Resume your seat, please.

-----and the neglect and abuse they have suffered. We need to have a debate on it.

Thank you, Deputy. I call the Chief Whip.

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Many statements referred to "RTÉ Investigates" last week. I think everybody was horrified and scandalised at what we saw. I am in talks with the Minister to secure time to have this debated. I will revert back to the various whips.

We discussed the Citywest hotel at the Business Committee the week before last. Time will be found for that as well.

In relation to Aontú's proposal, it is not accepted.

When will the nursing homes be discussed?

Will the Taoiseach correct the record on the Central Bank's role------

Excuse me, Deputy Mac Lochlainn. The question is whether the proposed arrangements are agreed to.

The question was not answered.

I cannot compel an answer.

Okay, fair enough. We will have a vote then.

We will move to Questions on Policy or Legislation. I call on Deputy McDonald.

More than 100,000 children are now living in consistent poverty. That number has jumped, astonishingly, by more than 45,000 in just 12 months. These were the alarming figures reported by the Children’s Rights Alliance this morning. This is particularly shocking at a time when the economy is performing well and public finances are very, very strong. It comes at a time when the Government refuses to tackle the soaring cost of living. Prices are out of control, from rents, which we have discussed, to groceries, energy bills and essential toiletries such as shampoo and toothpaste. Working families find it harder to keep up with the basics and children are suffering and being hit the hardest. The Government has to bring forward cost-of-living supports urgently. It has the means to help and it is unacceptable to sit back and do nothing.

Hear, hear.

These figures are serious and of concern but they are from 2023, the year the data was collected. The Government had not yet, at that stage, brought in free school meals for all primary school students or free schoolbooks at second level. I am sure the Deputy would acknowledge these measures have had a significant impact on many families and are making a real difference to children in poverty, but we have to do more. We have had a series of cost-of-living packages but we need something better than cost-of-living packages on an annual basis. Unlike any other government in Europe, we have been in a position to bring in those kinds of cost-of-living packages, but we need a sustained, targeted child poverty initiative, which I am working on with the child poverty unit in my Department to prepare for the forthcoming budget.

Yesterday's arrest by Israel of those aboard the Madleen freedom flotilla ship while in international waters was a flagrant breach of international law. Those taken by Israeli forces are brave activists, bringing symbolic aid to a people who have been abandoned by the world. The activists hold EU citizenship and one is an MEP. I hope the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste will raise this kidnapping of activists at international level.

I also ask that the Government do more at international level to ensure Israel is subject to some consequence and some sanction for its continued brutal and genocidal bombardment of Palestinian civilians. I am really concerned to see reports that representatives of Israel will be in attendance on 23 June at an EU southern neighbourhood ministerial meeting. This is a concern at a time when we should be able to see Israel being isolated by the international community for its actions in Gaza, a genocide before our eyes. I know Ireland has been strong on this at international level, but we must do more.

At the weekend, I was in Nice for the United Nations Ocean Conference and took the opportunity to meet with a number of people in respect of this issue. The crew of the Madleen deserve our recognition. I pay tribute to their bravery and courage for profiling and keeping in the public and international spotlight the shocking situation in Gaza and the deprivation and starvation there. It brings to mind the absolute necessity and imperative of substantial aid being allowed in. I spoke to the King of Jordan and the foreign minister of Jordan, who are working flat out to try to get structured aid back into Gaza. I also engaged with the French Government and others on this issue.

I will attend a UN conference next week in New York, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, in respect of a two-state solution.

Saudi Arabia?

I hope we can leverage significant international support for pressure to be put on Israel.

For sanctions.

Then there will be the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting after that and then an European Council meeting-----

What about the meeting on 23 June?

This is not a back and forth, Deputy. Deputy Gibney is next.

Fifty-four thousand people have now been killed in Palestine. Eighteen people were shot today while waiting for food and another eight were killed in a bomb explosion in central Gaza. These are bombs and bullets that are partially funded by the sale of Israeli bonds. Two weeks ago, the Government was offered the opportunity to adopt legislation which would enable the Minister for Finance to cease Ireland's approval, and that of the Central Bank, of the prospectus which permits the sale of Israeli bonds here in Europe.

Tomorrow we will use our time to bring another cross-party motion to facilitate the same thing. Will the Taoiseach support our motion and will he and the Tánaiste allow their colleagues in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael a free vote on this to allow them to vote with their conscience and to stop Ireland’s complicity in this genocide?

The reference to complicity in genocide is shocking and wrong. I genuinely mean that.

It is true.

It is not true.

Please.

I do not in any way underestimate the Deputy’s sincerity on this issue. I respect it. She has been very consistent on this, but it is wrong to say others in this House are complicit in genocide when they most certainly are not.

Will there be a free vote?

It is a phrase that is thrown around too cheaply, and violence and criminal acts can emanate from that. Certain people are already engaging in criminal damage of TDs' offices and the Department of foreign affairs because of that handy phrase used to label everybody as complicit in genocide. Ireland is doing everything it possibly can on the key platforms for us to try to put pressure on Israel. What Israel is doing is fundamentally wrong and it is breaking international law. We know that. We condemn it.

Why is the Central Bank still accommodating warmongering?

Please, Deputy.

The legislation last week would have done nothing to change that.

That is not true.

The Central Bank may be in a position over time to do something.

There is no time.

There may be a route there, but that in itself is not going to change what is happening now.

The Deputy’s time is up. I call on Deputy Coppinger.

The Madleen humanitarian flotilla was illegally intercepted by Israel in international waters. This is piracy, it is kidnapping and it is a crime to stop aid being delivered to starving children and people. Four people have been deported, including Greta Thunberg, and eight detained, and we commend their bravery. Three ambulance crew and a journalist were among the murdered last night. The Taoiseach gets annoyed when we say the Irish State is complicit, but he and the Tánaiste have both recognised that there is a genocide, yet they have done nothing active to stop it. For example, did the Taoiseach lodge an objection to what the Israelis did last night? Would he agree to the Naval Service going there to try to deliver humanitarian aid? He is shaking his head. What else should the Naval Service be doing, as part of a neutral country, other than trying to take part in humanitarian endeavours like that? If 12 activists can go on a ship, how can a professional navy not do that? Will the Taoiseach ask the EU?

I thank the Deputy.

Will he commend the march to Gaza taking place-----

Excuse me, the Deputy’s time is up.

----- this Thursday by thousands of people, including from Ireland?

I do not want to be facetious but under the triple lock arrangements at the moment, it would not be possible for the Naval Service to go overseas. In any event, I applaud the crew of the Madleen -----

It was an humanitarian mission, not a military mission.

-----because they acknowledged themselves that it was a symbolic gesture.

It was not symbolic; they had aid.

It is not a back and forth.

As the King of Jordan said to me at the weekend, we need trucks and trucks of aid, not drops. We need absolute, unimpeded aid going into Gaza at huge scale. On the other hand-----

He has done nothing for the Palestinian people.

Deputy, please listen to the answer.

He has, actually and in fact, the European Union remains the largest donor to Palestine and the Palestinians. Apart from all that, the international community, particularly the EU-Israeli association agreement, is something we have to focus on. That would have impact. As I mentioned in response to Deputy Bacik before I ran out of time, the Foreign Affairs Council will be meeting the week after the UN conference, and the European Council will meet after that.

I thank the Taoiseach.

We will do everything we can to endeavour to get an outcome in respect of the EU-Israeli association agreement. It will be difficult, because a lot of countries in Europe do not have the same mindset that we do.

On Sunday, in Kinsale, hundreds of people turned up in opposition to the granting of a 62-acre mussel farm licence, equivalent to 36 soccer pitches, off Kinsale Harbour. This was first proposed in 2019, when I raised concerns with the then Taoiseach and the relevant Minister. The new licence granted leaves many unanswered questions on the planning process for this specific licence. First, there was no transparency with regard to the licence awarded. Second, there was no public consultation for local concerns to be raised. Third, there was a lack of information on the risk assessment for Annex IV-protected species. Fourth, there was no social impact assessment. Fifth, no monitoring of the environmental impact assessment is evident. Sixth, there is no information regarding lorries taking away the mussels produced. Seventh, there is no information on the environmental impact assessment of the effect of dredging. Eighth, there is no sign of the terms and conditions of the licence, and so on. Simply put, this planning application, which will destroy marine, leisure and tourism activity in Kinsale, is flawed, and this flawed process is aided and abetted by the Department of agriculture.

Will the Taoiseach urgently look into this matter with the Department of agriculture to stop this damaging plan going ahead in Kinsale until proper planning guidelines are adhered to?

My understanding is that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has determined to grant an aquaculture licence to Woodstown Bay Shellfish Limited and that the licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisers as well as various statutory consultees. I am informed that the legislation also provides for a period of public consultation, which for this application was apparently held in 2019 and was rerun in 2021. In total, 609 public submissions were received. I am told the decisions in respect of aquaculture licence applications are only taken following the fullest consideration of all consultations and public interest elements of each application, including environmental considerations. A public advertisement outlining the decision was printed in The Southern Star newspaper on Saturday, 31 May 2025. The public notice said that an appeal against the aquaculture licence decision may be made in writing within one month of the date of its publication to the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board in Portlaoise, County Laois.

Thank you, Taoiseach.

There is a process here. I do not interfere in every single process. I do not have executive authority to do that. I think the Deputy knows that.

I raise the serious concerns people have in Dundalk and north Louth in particular regarding Uisce Éireann. We have huge deficits when it comes to water infrastructure. Wastewater treatment plants are over capacity and are not working to purpose. We have brown water constantly in Dundalk and all over north Louth, where people cannot wash their clothes. Their clothes are actually dirtier after the wash. After years of engaging with Uisce Éireann in good faith, we are getting nowhere as public representatives in County Louth. Toilet paper and foul waste are being washed onto the shores in County Louth, in Carlingford Lough and Dundalk Bay. It is really a time of crisis at the minute. Toilet paper is present and it is not safe to bathe in Blackrock at the minute. It is not only an environmental and personal risk but a huge blockage to house building in County Louth.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue, which is obviously of huge concern to those in County Louth, in Carlingford and Dundalk. The additional investment in Irish Water, or Uisce Éireann, is a key priority for the next national development plan for clean water but also for housing supply. We will be ring-fencing quite substantial capital allocations for housing supply but also, as is clearly needed judging by the issues the Deputy has instanced, in wastewater treatment. One of the challenges with wastewater treatment is that there are inevitably a series of objections at all levels, right up to appeals and judicial reviews, which significantly slow down the advancement of wastewater treatment plants, even though these plants substantially enhance the environment and clean the water.

I raise the process of approving housing whereby we have to go through voluntary housing agencies, then through the Department of housing and finally through the Department of public expenditure. I am dealing with one project with 217 apartments for which the process started in September last year. It has gone through Clúid, the housing agency, through the Department of housing and is now in the Department of public expenditure. I fully understand Departments have to make sure taxpayers are getting value for money, but can we put a process in place that can expedite approvals for projects like this? This is 217 apartments. It is a project in the Taoiseach's constituency, but a number of other projects in a similar vein have been approved by the Department of housing but then have to go through the Department of public expenditure for final approval. Can we set a process in place that is faster than one that takes from September to June or July? There are challenges as regards meeting timeframes with builders.

There are challenges. Nonetheless, earlier this year, the new Government allocated up to €700 million additionally over the Estimate for a whole variety of schemes to give them the green light. It allocated about €450 million for new projects and then approximately €300 for the tenant in situ scheme and for further acquisitions of housing and so on by local authorities. Other schemes are coming through all of the time. It was interesting to listen to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC, this morning, which is concerned about additionality in public expenditure. Nonetheless, housing remains a priority for us. I hear what the Deputy says and we will see what we can do to deal with these issues.

I appreciate that.

Each year in Greystones, children are being left without secondary school places. This year, up to 29 students have no place, including one student who repeated sixth class after missing out last year. This student still has no offer of a school place and that is an absolute disgrace. We need a common enrolment policy, but there is another simple solution and that is building a post-primary school in Newtownmountkennedy. The Minister for education recently informed me that there are no plans for a school there, citing demographic growth as a key factor. However, Newtownmountkennedy has seen a 32% increase in primary enrolments and is one of the fastest growing towns within the State. Land has been zoned in that town for educational purposes, for a secondary school, as far back as 2002. Will the Government finally take action to deal with the annual battle for school places for students and go ahead with the long-awaited secondary school in Newtownmountkennedy?

First, the Department makes its assessment in respect of new schools in terms of demographics, existing schools in the area that may be absorbing a lot at second level, and future trends. I am not in a position right here to question the work the Department has done on this. I will raise it with the Minister and indicate that the Deputy has raised this issue in Greystones on the Order of Business. I will particularly ask about the 29 students who are, from what the Deputy is saying, still awaiting places. I would hope progress could be made in respect of those 29 students for next September.

The waiting times for driving tests are increasing at my two local centres in Tallaght and Deansgrange, which serve constituents in Dublin South-West. I had a call to my office this morning from a constituent whose son has been waiting over nine months for a test. He represents Ireland in athletics and his father, who works in a hospital, has to accompany him or drive him around the country to races. All his son wants is his independence to drive himself, but he cannot as he is still waiting for his test.

Second, pass rates are very concerning, at just 40.3% in the Tallaght centre and 53% in Dún Laoghaire-Deansgrange, highlighting the urgent need for better support. We know too that there has been a rise in unaccompanied learner drivers and in vehicles being seized. Most tragically, though, 82% of fatal collisions involving learner drivers between 2019 and 2023 involved unaccompanied drivers.

Thank you, Deputy Lahart.

Could we institute a learner driver programme to try to address those really-----

Deputy Lahart, your time is up.

I accept fully the frustrations as articulated by the Deputy in respect of this issue. As far back as September 2024, the Department of Transport sanctioned an additional 70 permanent positions for driver testers and this increases the total permanent posts sanctioned for testers to 200, which is a doubling of permanent posts since June 2022. A recruitment process is under way, with the first tranche of new testers now being deployed into the service. We hope that as additional testers enter the system, testing capacity will increase and progress should be seen in reducing waiting times in the months ahead.

I would be concerned at those pass rates. There needs to be a review of that. Is it overly strict? I do not know. There are a lot of people driving today who, if they were to sit down and do those tests young people are doing today, might not pass. I do not want to be flippant about it but when we are getting a 40% pass rate, something is wrong somewhere.

I note that the Minister, Deputy Chambers, who is responsible for infrastructure, is beside the Taoiseach. The issue I raise today is the need for a second bridge in Celbridge. Celbridge, a town very close to where I live, has required a second bridge for decades. The population was 1,500 when the current infrastructure was put in place. It now has a population of 23,000. When I was a councillor, it was put down on our local area plan in 2017 that a bridge would have to be installed before any further development would take place. A certain element of funding was put in place for that bridge.

When will we see a significant level of funding being put in place for infrastructure in counties like Kildare, where there is a bridge ready to go, where there are plans and we are going through the phases with An Bord Pleanála? I want to ensure that the funding is ready to go in that case, which is akin to Maynooth, where LIHAF funding is required for a relief road. I am interested to hear where we are in relation to those situations.

Deputy Neville is correct. We need to see a specific focus on basic, strategic infrastructure in the review of the national development plan. That is why the Government has set out prioritisation around transport, energy, water and housing in particular. I am familiar with Leixlip as it borders my constituency. Clearly the area has grown significantly, with infrastructure that was built some time ago. These are the types of broader infrastructure projects which are needed to manage the increase in population we have seen in areas like Leixlip and elsewhere. They are needed to further unlock additional housing supply in the commuter belt and that will be the strategic focus of the overall national development plan. It is about getting the basic infrastructure needs of the economy right to really deliver housing supply.

An estimated 90% of Travellers report ongoing mental health difficulties while 11% die by suicide, which is over seven times the national average. Four out of five Travellers say they have been directly affected by suicide, with nearly half losing someone in their own family. These are not just shocking statistics; these are families devastated, communities grieving and lives lost far too young. We cannot talk about mental health without talking about discrimination. Discrimination against Travellers is widespread and absolutely normalised in this State, with 36% of people in this State saying they actively avoid Travellers and 97% saying they would not accept a Traveller into their family. This is the reality and it is shameful. When will the Government stop dragging its feet and bring forward a proper national Traveller mental health strategy? Will the Government underpin it with legislation to guarantee that it is not just another plan that gathers dust but one that delivers real change on the ground in services, outcomes and in respect?

I take this issue very seriously. I have met with Traveller organisations and agree that it is a very serious situation. I will ask the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health to respond.

I thank the Deputy for her question and for raising the issue of mental health supports for the Travelling community. It is great to hear it being raised on the floor of the Dáil. I have worked very closely with the Travelling community, including visiting Pavee Point on many occasions. We also fund Exchange House in Dublin, specifically in relation to suicide prevention. I am pleased to say that we have seen the suicide numbers trending downwards. The preliminary figures we received for 2023 indicate that the numbers are down 25% on the previous 20 years, to 302. That said, it is still 302 too many. This year I have supported community workers in relation to mental health across the entire Travelling community. We also have suicide bereavement supports in place across the country. There is a huge amount more to do and I am happy to engage with Deputy Ní Raghallaigh on it.

Caretakers in our schools are committed, dedicated and very hard working people. Along with school secretaries, they are the engine of any school. My question relates to the delivery of a package for caretakers. I acknowledge that there is a commitment to deliver a package for caretakers similar to the one delivered for school secretaries in the near future but at this point, caretakers need clarity. They need definitive clarity. When will the package be delivered for caretakers?

I accept the Deputy's point and a lot of progress has been made over the last number of years in respect of caretakers and school secretaries in terms of salaries and so forth. We are committed to ensuring that grant-funded school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of an agreement similar to that offered to grant-funded school secretaries. There is more work to be done on both fronts but we will work with the trade unions involved, in the context of public expenditure constraints and so forth. I will come back to the Deputy, having spoken to the Minister for Education on the matter.

At a recent residents' association meeting in my constituency in Sandymount, it was reported to me that only one flood insurance provider is left providing coverage in the community. This week research from the University of Galway was reported in The Irish Times showing that storm surges during Storm Éowyn were the "highest ever recorded" and would have been twice as high had the storm landed a week earlier during a particularly high tide. Earlier this month the EPA's national climate change risk assessment also noted a "significant risk" of coastal flooding in Dublin. I note with surprise that there is no reference to flood insurance in the programme for Government. Does the Government have a policy for engaging with insurance providers on this issue? What is the Government's policy on addressing gaps in the flood insurance market, particularly in coastal communities like Sandymount, Merrion, Ringsend and Irishtown? Will the Government consider State-backed flood insurance and reinsurance schemes to protect livelihoods and homes in these areas?

There is a commitment in the programme for Government to draw up a new action plan on insurance. We did a lot of good work in the previous government in respect of insurance. Insurance companies have to come to the table as well and respond to the reforms that have occurred, which industry and others sought, in terms of awards and all of that. More crucially, in terms of flood areas, there are issues without question. The State has to be cautious in the sense that the insurance industry has to play its role. Where flood relief schemes come in and are provided for by way of significant infrastructural investment, there is an onus and obligation on insurance companies to then insure again. The State, through compensation schemes, will do everything it can to underpin people who are impacted negatively and destructively by storms and flooding events but, fundamentally, we need a State agreement with the insurance industry. Primarily, where we do invest and create new infrastructure to prevent flooding, those houses or business should then be able to get flood insurance. The Minister of State, Deputy Troy, is dealing with this. I will alert him to Deputy Hayes's interest in the subject.

We are out of time. However, there are two remaining Deputies so I propose to give them both 30 seconds to pose their questions and the Taoiseach will respond to both together.

Today The Guardian newspaper reported on the up to 13,000 survivors of mother and baby homes living in Britain who risk losing access to essential means-tested benefits if they accept compensation. A campaign led by our British Labour Party colleague, Liam Conlon MP, shows that if the compensation is taken up by survivors it is considered to be savings and therefore disqualifies them from the means-tested social welfare supports they receive. I ask the Taoiseach to engage with his UK counterpart to encourage people there to take up the scheme and to ensure that survivors do not lose their benefits.

I refer to a recent An Bord Pleanála decision to refuse permission for the development of 800 new homes in Cork docklands in the Taoiseach's constituency. The area has seen substantial investment, including commitments exceeding €600 million for the regeneration project. Would the Taoiseach agree that An Bord Pleanála's refusal to outline case 313142 undermines these efforts and hampers Cork's potential to deliver urgently needed houses? Does the Taoiseach accept that this planning rejection not only stalls the housing project but also sends conflicting messages to investors and the community itself?

I will have to look into the background. An Bord Pleanála is saying that the site is designated for a school. The docklands will have to have a fairly extensive campus for a primary, further, post primary and special education. The city council identified that as the site for the school but perhaps more engagement needs to occur with the owners of the site. I will discuss that further with the council. In my recent interactions, that site did not emerge as a topic for discussion. Broadly speaking, development has been going well in the docklands. The earlier debate on rent pressure zones and trying to get a balanced package is about future investment in the area but I take the Deputy's point on that specific planning application.

Will the Taoiseach respond to Deputy Kenny?

Apologies. The Department of foreign affairs, along with the Department of Health and others, provides financial support for centres in London, in particular, where there is a service to engage with survivors of mother and baby homes, advising them, counselling them and giving them the wherewithal to apply for the schemes. We will engage with our UK counterparts in respect of trying to ring fence that and avoid any loss of benefits.

That concludes questions on policy or legislation.