Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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It has been almost a week since a horrific attack on three school children and their carer. As a mother and a proud Dubliner, the events of last week have shocked me to the core. How have things got to this point where our school children do not feel safe, nor were they safe in our capital city, when they leave school in broad daylight? I send my solidarity to the young five-year-old girl who is fighting for her life, to her family and to the whole school community in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. I have a simple question for the Minister. Has she visited the school? Has she met with the principal, the teachers and the parents of the school? When did she visit the school? What did she say? What commitments is she making to the school environment and the parents of the children?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I have engaged with the school. I have spoken to the principal numerous times. I have spoken to parents. I have spoken to members of An Garda Síochána, which is liaising with the school. I have spoken to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Foley, who is engaging directly with the school as well. We are providing whatever support is necessary, being asked of us and that they need.

What is important for these children and for their staff is that they are, in so far as is possible given what has happened, able to return to normality and are able to go to school like every other child on every other day. We are here to support them and we will stay here supporting them.

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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You have not visited the school, Minister, or met the principal. No, you have not.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Gabhaim buíochas. Today, we saw news that Australia has offered a state apology to thalidomide survivors. There is now a pressing need for similar action to be taken by the Government here in respect of thalidomide survivors, approximately 40 of whom in Ireland have endured years of neglect and denial. The Australian apology underscores the moral imperative for us to take action now to provide the necessary care, support and recognition for survivors. This is not just for survivors but for their parents, some of whom are still alive but are now of advancing years and really need that apology. It means so much, particularly for the mothers of thalidomide survivors.

I pay tribute to Finola Cassidy and to her colleagues who have campaigned so tirelessly on this issue, and for the parents as much as for anyone, and whose pictures appeared in such a moving way in The Irish Timeslast Saturday. I am appealing to the Minister and I have raised this many times before in this House that the Minister and the Government would commit to making that apology and to ensuring that a package of recompense could be offered to survivors. The Government should move on that, now that the Australian Government has done so. It is long past time. I know that there has been engagement with the Government and I have spoken with the Tánaiste and many others about this, but we need to see a resolution for survivors of thalidomide now.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I join with Deputy Bacik in acknowledging the unbelievable work of Finola Cassidy and many others who she represents. I too have met her, as have many of my colleagues. I know that significant engagement is happening, not just with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, but also right across the Government. I do not have an update as to where that is at now for the Deputy but I will certainly raise this with the Minister for Health. I know that the Minister is absolutely committed to supporting Finola in whatever way he can, and not just the members of the families but those who are impacted by this. I will get him to come back to the Deputy.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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The Minister claims to have full confidence in the Garda Commissioner. She also claims that no one could have anticipated the appalling violence in Dublin on Thursday. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, was on "Prime Time" last night trying to push the line that none of this was foreseeable. He said that far right activists had used sophisticated communication online to rally their supporters - sophisticated communications. Far right ringleaders were posting public messages on Twitter, Telegram and on other social media platforms from lunchtime on Thursday. The messages were there for everyone to see. The question is was anybody in Government or in Garda HQ reading them. Apparently not, according to Detective Garda Niall Hodgins. Front-line gardaí were reliant on random WhatsApp messages sent by colleagues to try to get reinforcements. He said there was no plan and that it was absolutely chaotic. How does the Minister still have confidence in the Garda Commissioner when she hears that? How can anybody, particularly the people in the north inner city, have confidence in her?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I spoke to a detective in Pearse Street on Saturday who was actively engaged with the social media companies throughout Thursday. She was actively engaged with TikTok, Meta, Instagram and Facebook, and was actively engaged with Twitter or X. She said very clearly that social media companies, in particular TikTok and Meta, were responding and engaging with an Garda and were taking down these vile posts as they come up.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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They are still up there.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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X was not. It did not engage or fulfil its own community standards-----

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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In terms of foreseeing the protest-----

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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-----and that is why we are moving to a situation-----

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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It is not just taking the posts down.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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-----where these companies do not get to-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please, the Minister without interruption.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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-----self-monitor and that is why Coimisiún na Meán has been established to make sure that these companies are held responsible. While some were responsible, others were not. I reassure the Deputy that An Garda were seized of this and were engaging directly with the social media companies. When it comes back to the overall operational matter, it has been made clear to me that, yes, as part of the mobilisation plan, this did include WhatsApp. How does one get in touch with somebody if they are out and about on their phone?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Today is the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Quite honestly, there are double standards in this Government and the western world with regard to their attitude to the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the massacre which Israel has visited and the people of Gaza, the brutality which it continues to visit on the West Bank, the ongoing apartheid for decades, the illegal occupation, ethnic cleansing and the killing of Palestinians with impunity. I know that these are only symbols but the contrast is summed up with the fact that today, for two years, we have had the Ukrainian flags flying here, but we cannot fly the Palestinian flag, even though the local authorities in Dún Laoghaire, in south Dublin, in Fingal and in Cork are flying the Palestinian flag in solidarity with the suffering of the Palestinian people. Why is the Palestinian flag not flying outside on a day when they have suffered genocide at the hands of Israel?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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It is clear as a Government that we have continued to support the Palestinian people in the position we have taken on a two state solution. We have consistently called for a ceasefire and for humanitarian aid to be provided. That is the position we have taken and we have clearly shown, not just by our actions or by flags, but by the actions we have taken and the direction that the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have taken, to ensure that we do everything in our power to protect those who are currently under fire, quite literally.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I know the Deputy is absolutely completely committed to policing in his own community and to the wider county. As the Deputy will know, changes are taking place and a new operational model is being rolled out right across the country. The sole objective of that operating model is to ensure that we have better and more focused policing, with more members on the ground and that we have a stronger community policing presence. That is what every one of us in this Chamber and what our communities want, which is to have that Garda member on the ground, that person one can pick up the phone to. This reorganisation and these new divisional models are the focus and priority here. Of course, we all want more Garda members and numbers and that is why every effort is being made to ensure that we have the highest number of recruits coming out of our college which is possible.

Obviously, the Deputy’s specific question is around these areas and I will relay that concern back to the Commissioner.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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There is now a chronic situation in the Department of Health and the HSE with many families waiting for crucial appointments and procedures. We now have a situation going on for ten weeks where the Fórsa trade union is on a kind of work-to-rule. We cannot get answers to parliamentary questions or to our representations so that the public out there are being left bewildered. We cannot get answers. This is not good enough. Will somebody in the HSE or in the Department of Health please resolve this issue? It was bad enough before but it is appalling now that we cannot get any answers or replies with a ten-week delay. This is ongoing with no sign of it improving. It is not acceptable in a modern day democracy that we are being shut out of doing our work on behalf of our constituents and it is time that the Government sorted it out.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I agree with the Deputy that it is absolutely imperative that we as public representatives have the ability to be able to represent the constituents who come to us. I am happy to come back to the Deputy and to ask the Minister for Health to respond to this particular query.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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During the Covid-19 lockdowns and since there was an increase in violence and in antisocial behaviour on the streets of both the north inner city and the south inner city. That was ignored and we saw where that leads to. I want to bring to the attention of the Minister the increase in anti-social behaviour on the streets of Ennis, which as Deputy Lowry said is now part of this new Clare-Tipperary division.

There has been a marked increase in antisocial behaviour, perhaps linked to people being moved out of other areas and into Ennis. Very recently, a market building, which was built at huge cost to the Exchequer, has been closed because the Garda, for whatever reason - perhaps it does not have the resources - cannot prevent antisocial behaviour occurring there. I refer in particular to congregation for the purpose of drug-taking. What is going to be done to ensure that people in Ennis feel safe going about their business, that public facilities can remain open and that antisocial behaviour is prevented there? It is a very basic requirement of policing in this State that buildings like that can be protected and people can feel safe on the streets of our provincial towns.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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What I do not want to do is conflate antisocial behaviour and particular types of behaviour with what we saw on Thursday night, which was-----

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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One leads to the other.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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-----absolute vandalism and criminality.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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You have abandoned the streets.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We need to make sure that those who engage in particular types of behaviour are stopped and prevented at the earliest stage and supported and directed in a new path. That is, again, not to conflate this in any way with what happened on Thursday night because no situation encourages or forces somebody to go out and loot, riot and vandalise property and other public supports. We have invested in our youth justice services. We have doubled the amount of funding that has gone into our diversion programmes. We are investing in our probation services to make sure that for those who get caught up in the law at an early stage, there is strict monitoring and oversight and gardaí are working with them. However, it is also about making sure we have as many gardaí on our streets as possible. Time and again, with every new class coming out of the college, we are seeing increased numbers. That is how we will respond to many of the challenges we will have.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise again the unacceptable delays in children with additional needs getting appropriate follow-up treatment following an assessment of need. There are very long delays in children obtaining therapies such as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy. We all know of the absolute importance of having early interventions to support a person with a particular health need but very regrettably, this is not happening. We have a critical shortage of such clinicians in County Cavan, which impacts very adversely on the work of the local children's disability network team. We need a very strong and robust international recruitment campaign for therapists. There must be a shorter process in validating qualifications for persons who train abroad. In the longer term, we need to train more people in such disciplines in our own colleges. These professional positions must become attractive enough to retain qualified personnel. Recruitment and retention of such clinicians must be improved. Families with very limited means are incurring huge costs in accessing therapies for children with additional needs on a private basis.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and I are acutely aware of the huge pressures that are faced by our community disability network teams around the country and the impact this has on parents and, ultimately, children as well. That is why the issue has been prioritised by the Minister of State and I since responsibility for disability moved to my Department in March of this year. We published the PDS roadmap focusing on recruitment, retention and increasing the number of places in third level courses for those therapist posts about which the Deputy spoke. We have focused on conversion masters programmes funded by the HSE to upskill people as therapists more quickly. We are also focusing on the introduction of a new therapist assistant grade at level 5 that can bring more people into the system more quickly to actually get interventions for children and their families.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Sadly, one in four pregnancies ends in loss. The State supports women in terms of leave from work who miscarry from 26 weeks on or who tragically experience a stillbirth. However, if someone experiences early pregnancy loss, they do it in isolation and without access to State leave. I have campaigned for early pregnancy loss. One of the challenges I have come up against is the lack of available data. Now, however, thanks to the Department of children and youth affairs and Professor Keelin O'Donoghue, Professor Ruadh Kelly-Harrington, Dr. Marita Hennessy, Professor Mary Donnelly and the almost 1,000 women who shared their experience and feedback, we have the data. Some 77% of those women took time off work. More than one quarter had to resort to annual leave or unpaid leave and 95% said they would have availed of statutory leave, were it available. Where is the compassion for these women and their partners? Will this Government look at introducing statutory paid leave for early pregnancy loss?

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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We are all acutely aware of the trauma of pregnancy loss. It is something that probably was not talked about enough in Irish society. Maybe that is why it has not gotten the degree of focus it needed. We wanted to change that. We felt that we needed to take a first step in undertaking that. As the Deputy said, we brought forward a detailed piece of research, which I think Deputies will find useful. If they get time, they should look at it. This will form the basis of decisions by the Government in terms of the next steps. I cannot give any absolute commitments today, but we have some very useful data and that can inform the next steps.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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The illegal use of scrambler motorcycles remains a problem within my constituency of Dublin North-West. With Christmas approaching, I encourage parents not to buy scramblers for their children. The full implementation of the recently enacted legislation, which includes provisions for tackling the scrambler problem, would help to discourage such purchases. There is an understandable frustration in communities that this legislation has not been implemented in Dublin North-West and elsewhere. Can the Minister let me and the communities I represent know when this legislation will be fully implemented?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department and An Garda Síochána have worked with the Department of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, to ensure we have strong laws to prosecute those who are misusing scramblers but also to confiscate where it is necessary. Much of that legislation has been enacted and commenced. It is being used by gardaí already. We saw only recently in Limerick a significant number of seizures of scramblers. Obviously, that is very welcome in the communities that are being terrorised. I am not sure of the exact timeline for the remaining parts of it but I assure the Deputy that the gardaí have more powers than they had previously to be able to respond to these crimes and take these quite dangerous vehicles off our streets, where necessary.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise a very serious issue that is brought to my attention on a regular basis, namely the problems encountered by parents and guardians when they travel abroad with their own children. Mothers who may have chosen to keep their maiden name after marriage are being stopped by security, in some instances, because their surname does not match the surname on their children's passports. They are being detained by immigration officers and are being interrogated, in some instances for hours, simply because their surname does not match their children's surname. It is absolutely ridiculous that this is happening in 2023. Families have to bring extra documentation with them such as birth certificates. In some instances, and this is true, women are choosing double-barrel names just so the name matches that on their children's passports. The solution is very simple. If we were to make a provision on children's passports so that both guardians' or both parents' names were included on the passport, that would solve the problem. Can we make it happen?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I have no doubt this is a problem. I will be very honest; I am in that very situation in that I have a different surname from that of my children. It is not a problem that has arisen for me. At the same time, I do not doubt that it has been a problem for others. I am very happy to raise this concern directly with the Minister with responsibility for our passports to address any problem that might present.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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To date, 9,278 citizens have died from Covid-19 in this country. Residential institutions have accounted for 28% of those deaths, or 2,642 to date. The Irish Timesreported that the Garda is investigating up to 30 nursing homes for possible gross negligence and manslaughter. The Government has promised since 2021 to have its own separate inquiry into these deaths. I appreciate that the Minister was not aware that I would be asking this question today. Therefore, I ask that she get back to me on when the inquiry will be announced as to how we responded, what we did right or wrong and how we can better prepare for a new pandemic into the future.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I know this is an issue the Deputy has raised throughout his distinguished career, if I may say. He has very much advocated on behalf of the elderly people in our community. I will, of course, raise his question directly with the Minister to make sure he has the right timeline and response.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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We are weeks away from Christmas. For many young people, this will be an incredibly difficult time because it will be their first time away from home for Christmas. These are young people who have been forced to go abroad because they feel they have no ability to build a life here. Some families will have the delight of having their children home only to have the gut-wrenching experience of them leaving again after Christmas to return to Australia, Canada and beyond.

We have heard again today that more young people are leaving our shores. This is the legacy of the Government. Why is the Government continuing to fail our younger generation? Many of them feel they have no choice but to leave.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I think more people are coming home than are leaving.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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That is correct.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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More people are choosing to come back to this country to work, start families and set down roots. We can choose whichever facts we want but there are more people coming home. To answer the Deputy's point, we built more houses last year, are building more this year and will continue to build more next year to respond to the demands and needs that are there and to ensure young people have an opportunity in this country not only to have their own homes but also to buy their own homes.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the significant crash in crab prices, shellfish producers are currently left in an unprofitable position with greatly reduced turnovers. Live markets are under severe pressure from the extra product that is being funnelled into them to try to compensate for the problems with the cooked crab market. The inshore sector desperately needs financial assistance to sustain itself through the winter period. Without financial assistance, hundreds of farmers across Donegal and the rest of Ireland are at risk of not being able to pay their bills or put food on the table this winter. The inshore sector provides vital employment in some of the most isolated parts of the country where there are little or no other employment opportunities. That is particularly the case in our island communities, such as Arranmore, and other areas, including Port, Inver, Cladnageragh, Shalwy and Loughros Point, to name but a few. Will the Government provide immediate financial support for our inshore fishermen?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. This is a matter on which I have been engaging with the inshore fishery sector. Christopher O'Sullivan TD, who has just left the Chamber, has been discussing the pressures in the sector with me over the past week or two. There has definitely been a real challenge in respect of the market. I met all the inshore fisher representative organisations yesterday and had a thorough discussion with them. I am fully assessing the situation. I am aware of the challenges inshore fishermen are facing. The inshore sector is massively important to our fisheries and to employment in coastal communities. It is a sector I have sought to support strongly. I will continue to engage with them over the coming short period of time.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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John Donoghue is 15 years old. He loves boxing. He was due to fight for a bronze medal at the Junior World Boxing Championships in Armenia but was forced to withdraw because he was up against a Russian opponent. He is not the only one. A number of young boxers have been forced to withdraw and unless the policy is changed, a number will be forced to withdraw in the coming days. No other country is doing this, as far as I understand. This policy is not being applied to Israel. It is only being applied to Russian and Belarusian fighters. Those who participate in international events have received an email from the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, IABA, to state that participation is subject to the non-negotiable condition that should an Irish boxer be drawn against a Russian Federation or Belarusian Federation boxer, he or she must withdraw from the contest. This has been done by the IABA on the understanding that if it did not, significant funding would be withdrawn. If that is not the case, can we have a clear statement that if boxers fight Russians or Belarusians, there will be no negative consequences from the IABA for the fighters or local clubs?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. Of course we want to ensure our young athletes, be they involved in boxing or any other sport, are allowed to reach their full potential and are allowed to take part in any competition, wherever it might be. Apart from what the Deputy has said, I am not aware of this particular strategy. I will, of course, raise his concerns and those of John Donoghue directly with the Minister for sport.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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During last week's flying visit to Ireland, the EU environmental Commissioner ruled out any movement on nitrates reduction in this country. This was astonishing given that in my constituency, the leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil came to west Cork to meet farmers who had ticked all the boxes environmentally, thereby leaving them with hope of some movement. These farmers and others were keeping thousands of in-calf heifers throughout west Cork and elsewhere in the country in the expectation of at least an extension of the derogation deadline. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil politicians continued to offer hope in west Cork until the hammer blow from the Commissioner last week. He stated clearly that no one in Europe should hold out any hope for movement on this issue in Ireland. He said there was never any such hope. The Commissioner would not even visit a farm due to his frustration. I have since been inundated with calls from farmers in west Cork who are set to lose tens of thousands of euros. A text I received earlier said that a farmer has already lost €20,000 due to keeping in-calf heifers on false promises. A politician in west Cork said some time back that compensation packages would be put in place for these farmers. Will the Minister announce when a compensation package will be put in place for farmers who will have to cull thousands of animals? What are the terms of the compensation package?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. As he knows, this is an issue on which I have been working for a significant period. The derogation is massively important to our dairy sector and is particularly important to many Cork farmers, given the strength of the dairy sector there. The Taoiseach and I invited the Commissioner to come to Ireland to fully assess the great work that farmers are doing. He came last Thursday and met all the key farming stakeholders. He was once again clear, as he has been since my meeting with him in early September, that it is not possible to change the derogation we have. That means a number of farmers have to drop to 220 kg N/ha this coming January. A massive effort is now required of all of us to ensure we hold to that derogation and ensure it is renewed. I will work in every way possible to support farmers to do that. In the recent budget, I announced up to 70% grant aid for storage facilities to aid the transfer of slurry. I also announced a separate ceiling under TAMS grant aid for farmers to increase slurry storage.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I raise the ongoing row between Coillte and the forestry sector in Ireland, which is causing devastation in that sector and a lot of trauma for the landowners and people who are involved. It is a contractual issue and has to do with payments and landownership. The process at present does nothing other than to muzzle those who are trying to raise issues. Coillte is not responding. It is forcing everyone through the legal system. It is time the Department appointed an independent group to look at what has been going on in Coillte over recent years, to ensure there is transparency and to ensure the people involved in these contracts get paid. We must ensure there is a better relationship between Coillte and its partners. It is simply not good enough the way it is.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I will take up with Coillte the fact that he has raised this matter as an issue on the back of the comments he has made. It is a matter for Coillte to engage with its contractual obligations. I will certainly engage with its representatives and discuss the matter.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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Today marks the UN International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Solidarity is needed more now than ever before in light of the unchecked slaughter being visited upon the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank by the Israel Defense Forces and illegal settlers. It also comes at a time when Israel is poised to vote on budget plans to further expand the illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. While the Irish position recognises the illegal nature of the settlements, this Government has made the Irish taxpayer complicit in the illegal enterprise by holding shares in business entities operating within these illegal settlements. Will the Government finally do the right thing, take action and stand up for international law by supporting the Sinn Féin Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. We will continue to do what is right and will continue to call for a ceasefire. That is the most important response-----

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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That was not the question.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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-----that Palestinians, innocent civilians, children, men and women need from us at the moment. They need to ensure this fighting stops and the best way we can ensure that is by using our voice around the table and not isolating ourselves by partaking of other actions that would only isolate us.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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That was not the question.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We need to stay around the table, use our voice and make it count.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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That was not the question.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are out of time so I will take two 30-second questions from the remaining Deputies.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Athenry town and its environs are thankfully experiencing major population growth. However, it is putting major pressure on enrolment in the post-primary schools in the town. Arising from accurate data pulled together by school leaders in Athenry town, we now know we are potentially going to have a shortage of up to 100 secondary school places next September. This was flagged to the Minister and her officials as much as two years ago. I urge the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to engage immediately with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, so we can look for a solution that will work for Athenry and that will be live by September next year. It is possible to do that and it needs to be done.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I raise the issue of the high level of vacancy in the CDNT in Cavan, which is operated by Enable Ireland. There are currently more vacancies than staff in the team.

There are 10.32 whole time equivalents employed in the service but 14.78 vacancies. I know of one couple who have spent in excess of €15,000 for private therapy and assessments for their children. The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, have produced a road map for service provision and I am hoping those actions will make a difference but they will take time. What services and supports can be put in place now to help children who require the help now?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I will ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to respond immediately. It is really important that our children have school places and I acknowledge that. I will get a response as quickly as possible.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Deputy Brendan Smith raised this earlier. The road map sets out short- and medium-term solutions. On the shorter term solutions, it is the international recruitment that we are undertaking right now to look to bring in those therapists, the OTs and speech and language therapists, to relocate them here to Ireland to staff-up teams like that. We are doing that along with the introduction of the new assistant therapy grades, which are level 5 grades that can come in quickly and provide some interventions under the instruction of a therapist to help children and ultimately help their families as well.