Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is €250,000 earmarked for air quality initiatives. That is the lowest of the seven spends on climate initiatives and is half of what was spent on the recent court case. What are those initiatives? Ireland had one of the highest rates of respiratory disease in the EU even before the onset of Covid-19. People will now be experiencing long Covid and there are high hospitalisation rates and emergencies. The Irish Thoracic Society has stated we are facing an unprecedented crisis in respiratory health because we have so few specialists. Will the Minister tell me what are the initiatives and why is the amount designated for them so low?

I wish also to ask about incontinence waste supports. There is €400,000 designated in that area. I am interested because a Sinn Féin motion in Kildare County Council several years ago started looking at this area when the pay-by-weight approach was coming in. The Minister has allocated €400,000 but stated there are complex issues at play. What means will the Government use to get these supports out to people in need? Carers who are looking after incontinent adults have heavy waste. Would the Minister consider bringing domestic waste collection back into public ownership? The privatisation of domestic waste has failed. Three different companies come into my estate in Maynooth on three different days. That is a waste of energy and increases petrol fumes and litter. We should consider bringing waste back into public ownership and I would like to hear the Minister's comments on that. I confirm that I am on the premises.