Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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I thank the Minister and her staff for coming today. I appreciate it. I have two questions for the Minister. I will be brief. According to mental health research conducted at the University of Ulster by Professor Karen Kirby and Oisin Keenan, there is a severe mental health crisis in Donegal among children who live in homes built with defective concrete. We estimate that this is impacting between 2,000 and 3,000 children, although that is a rough estimate. Some 90% of homes built in Carndonagh are destroyed and the children in the school there are all suffering. Professor Kirby did a survey and it was shocking to say the least. I would appreciate it if the Minister would engage with these children in Donegal to see if we could get some kind of counselling or something off the ground. When we are dealing with this defective concrete crisis and the children involved over the long term, we have to take steps now to put in place counselling services for them to avail of down the line. That is my first question.

Moving to my second question, in her opening statement, the Minister said she intends to address childcare capacity. How exactly does she plan to add capacity? Has she considered childcare facilities that have been impacted by defective concrete? I ask because we are potentially dealing with between 40 and 50 areas in Donegal where childcare facilities have been affected. We are trying to keep things going but, as these buildings deteriorate, there is no scheme in place for them. There is a childcare facility in Raphoe that cannot be used at the moment. The service is moving to Volt House in Raphoe. The stuff must be packed up in the evening and taken across to a storage facility. The children are impacted by this because some of them are living in defective homes. I look forward to working with the Minister on this in the long term. We can make progress.