Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services will meet next. [7768/24]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services will next meet. [8205/24]

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services will next meet. [8696/24]

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services will meet next. [9013/24]

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services will meet next. [9022/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services will meet next. [9317/24]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services will meet next. [10386/24]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 1 go 8, go huile, le chéile.

Déanann an coiste comh-aireachta um ghnóthaí sóisialta agus seirbhísí poiblí maoirsiú ar chur i bhfeidhm ghealltanais chlár an Rialtais i réimsí an bheartais shóisialaí agus seirbhísí poiblí. Clúdaíonn an coiste raon ábhar le béim áirithe ar chomhionannas agus athchóiriú an tseirbhís phoiblí. Mar aon leis sin, tá coiste comh-aireachta ar an bhfreagairt dhaonnúil don Úcráin. Déanann sé maoirsiú ar fhreagairt dhaonnúil an Rialtais do dhaoine ón Úcráin a bhfuil cosaint shealadach á lorg acu anseo.

Other topics covered by Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services include sport, social protection, arts and culture. It also covers justice issues, including policing reform, community safety, and domestic sexual and gender-based violence. The committee met on six occasions last year. Among other items the committee discussed were the proposed referendums on gender equality and implementation of the third domestic sexual and gender-based violence strategy. The Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services last met on 20 November and will meet shortly in the period ahead.

In addition to meetings of the Cabinet I have regular engagements with Ministers at Cabinet and individually to discuss issues relating to their Departments.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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There will be seven contributors who will have up to one minute each, starting with Deputy Ó Murchú.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I want to bring up the issue of John Molloy, whom I met with Councillor Pearse McGeough earlier today. John Molloy is the retained station officer in Dunleer fire station and, on 24 May, he turns 60 and will be forced to retire. The crew at Dunleer is at its minimum of five. There is no one who can replace him as fire station officer, so we are in a real predicament. Obviously, it has an impact on him. We know there is an ongoing interdepartmental review on this issue but we need some sort of stopgap solution to this. I will be honest, I have requested a Topical Issue debate on this and hope I will be selected for that. Given its particular importance, both for Mr. Molloy and the wider fire service in Louth and Dunleer, I ask that the Taoiseach would involve himself in trying to bring about a solution. There is an unfairness in the sense that assistant chiefs can be there until they are 70.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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Last Sunday the fishing vessel, Ambitious, sank off the Galway coast, thankfully without loss of life. Four of the rescued crew were Ghanaian nationals who approached the International Transport Workers' Federation, ITF, for assistance. The documents provided to the ITF by these fishers showed they had been recruited illegally. They were bogusly given the impression they would be working on UK flagged vessels and were issued UK deckhands contracts promising €1,300 per month. This enabled them to receive a UK seafarers transit visa. However, once they landed in Belfast, they were put working illegally on an Irish flagged vessel. The ITF has reported these and other matters this morning to An Garda Síochána, the Workplace Relations Commission, the Marine Survey Office and the Marine Casualty Investigation Board. However, the vessel owner is attempting to send the four men back to Ghana in quick time before any of these authorities have an opportunity to hear of the men's ordeal. Does the Taoiseach support the call of the ITF that these fishers be permitted to remain in this State so that proper inquiries can be made?

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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Teastaíonn uaim labhairt leis an Taoiseach maidir leis an caighdeán uisce úir i dtuaisceart chathair Chorcaí. Le timpeall sé mhí anuas, ní féidir le daoine an t-uisce a úsáid le haghaidh iad féin a ghlanadh, chun a gcuid éadaí a ghlanadh nó chun é a ól. I would like to raise with the Taoiseach the issue of water quality on the north side of Cork city, particularly areas right across Ballyvolane, Dillon's Cross, St. Luke's and over towards Blackpool into Deputy Barry's turf.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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It is all my turf though.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has a bit wider than that, to be fair. People there cannot use the water for washing their clothes, washing themselves or for drinking. It is going on for months with little or no let-up, and in fact I would say things are getting worse. We all get the stock answers from Irish Water about how it is monitoring the situation, working as part of a water quality group, and thanking customers for their patience. However, it is a public service at the end of the day, and people need to have faith in the quality of water they are drinking. It is clear that they cannot drink this water and I urge the Taoiseach to engage with Irish Water to help improve the situation.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim ceist inniu faoi na rothair scrambler, and I am sure the Taoiseach welcomes the news that across north Dublin, 32 scrambler bikes have been seized following the recent changes in legislation, and the additional powers which that gives to gardaí. Along with the additional powers, it also places an onus to provide additional resources. I ask that the Taoiseach would ensure that the Government would continue to do that for gardaí to allow them to deliver further results. I also note the concerns where gardaí say that these bikes are being used in the sale of illegal drugs, and that not only are scramblers being used but also e-scooters, often by very young children. I thank the Taoiseach for his personal support with regard to the changes on scrambler bikes but I also ask for his continued support on this issue.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Taoiseach said earlier that with regard to children with special needs, he is open to ideas in addressing the deficiency in services, supports and resources. I will give him one instance where he could intervene. I met this morning with Sallynoggin Killiney Educate Together National School, a school in existence for two years. It has two mainstream classes and one autism class. It has very well-trained and enthusiastic staff who have delivered this autism class. It has 25 people looking to get into that autism class for next year, and you can only have six in a class. It is ready to open a second autism class but the Department of Education's building unit has told the school there is no way it is getting a second class until it moves from the current temporary site to the permanent site in 2027 or 2028. That is crazy because the temporary building is set up to have a second floor with a second autism class. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has approved the second class but the Department of Education is saying, "No, we are not giving it to you". I ask the Taoiseach to intervene. This is siloed thinking and those children with autism will have nowhere to go if this second class is not provided.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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In Celbridge, in my constituency, the local hotel is where refugees have been located for the past number of years. There had never been an incident but unfortunately there was an incident last week, which was totally unrelated to anything happening at the location, and was obviously done deliberately to cause trouble. I have received quite a number of calls from local people who are concerned about the proposal whereby the people located there at the moment have been told that the contract is up, that they must move on, and that they will be replaced by homeless people from Dublin. Both are very pressing issues and equally in need of compassionate response. Would it be possible to postpone the relocation until such time as an alternative accommodation is sourced, so that nobody is displaced in a way that is inconsistent with their needs?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for their questions.

Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of Mr. John Molloy in Dunleer. A decision was made by Government today to increase the retirement age for those in uniformed services to 62 but I am not 100% sure if that will apply in this gentleman's case or whether it will kick in in time for him. If the Deputy wants to pass me on some details, I can check that out. In principle, we decided today to raise the retirement age for uniformed services to 62, although for the Defence Forces it will be initially 60 rising to 62 because a change has to be made in legislation. Some of the others can be done by ministerial order.

Deputy Barry raised the very real and ongoing issues around the abuse of immigration law and employment law in the fishing industry. I do not know enough about the particular case to comment on it. It is the first I have heard about that case.

Deputy O'Sullivan raised the issue of water quality in the north side of Cork city. I am very much aware of the issue. It has been raised with me by Deputy Colm Burke as well, and the Tánaiste is aware of it too. I have not made direct contact with Irish Water about the situation but I will make inquiries. Perhaps that might prompt a better response than Deputy O'Sullivan has had to date. I will make sure that is done today.

I want to join with Deputy McAuliffe in welcoming the seizure of scramblers. The new laws were a long time coming but I was delighted to see them being used now that they are on the books. I agree that we need more gardaí, Garda staff and Garda reserves. I have to say that I am very encouraged by the fact that 6,000 people applied to join the Garda in the most recent recruitment campaign. That in itself will not turn into 6,000 gardaí but it is encouraging, and the increase in the retirement and entry ages means we will see fewer people leaving and more people joining. That will allow us to get to 14,500 gardaí by the end of the year, which is the target, and 15,000 by the end of next year.

On the issue that Deputy Boyd Barrett brought up regarding Sallynoggin Killiney Educate Together National School, I am glad to hear that it is willing to open a second class. There are some schools that will not. It is great to hear of a school that is willing to do so. I know many are and I will certainly make inquiries with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan about that and see if there is anything we can do. There may be reasons I am not aware of but I will certainly make inquiries.

Deputy Murphy raised the issue of the post office in The Square in Tallaght, which I do know. I am advised by An Post that there will not be any diminution of service as it moves from direct labour to the franchise model. That is ultimately a matter for An Post rather than Government but I know the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers has met the CEO of An Post to discuss it, given some particular concerns around the loss of iconic buildings in New Ross, Roscommon and some other places.

Deputy Durkan raised the issue of Celbridge, and I am not familiar with the exact plans there but I will make some inquiries about it. Certainly, anyone being asked to move out of accommodation should be treated with respect and given some time to do so and find somewhere else appropriate. I am confident that will be done but I will ask my people to make further inquiries during the day.