Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the issue of the pension age, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, will bring legislation through the Houses before Christmas to retain the State pension age at 66 years. That legislation will be done before Christmas, so nobody need be concerned that the commitment will not be honoured because it will be.

Deputy Smyth raised the issue of road funding for counties Cavan and Monaghan. Transport Infrastructure Ireland funding is usually released in December and regional and local road funding will be released in January or February by the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The Deputy makes a good point, one that needs to be recognised, that Cavan and Monaghan are very rural counties and have no rail network. That needs to be taken into account in terms of the funding that is allocated to those counties.

I am afraid I do not have any information on Deputy Nolan's question about the primary care centre in Birr but I will check it out. I agree that the town certainly needs a new primary care centre sooner rather than later.

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