Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The cost of living is putting enormous pressure on households. A report by Barnardos published this morning highlights the sharp impact on families and children. Nearly half of parents say they or their children have gone without or cut back on the basics over the past six months. This includes food, clothes, medicine, electricity and heat. Some 47% of parents say they are forced to cut back on social activities for their kids. The vast majority of those surveyed say they worry about not being able to provide the daily essentials for their children. These are the stories I hear from families as I canvass around the country. Speaking on radio this morning, Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly captured the real stress and worry for parents, saying:

Can you imagine what it is like living in a household where you are having to make those type of choices about whether to have the heating on or to have variety in your diet in terms of food? Can you imagine what it is like for parents having to say to children, 'We cannot do what your friends are doing ... we cannot afford it'?

That is the reality for so many workers and families. For many of them, the cost of living has never been higher and getting by has never been more difficult than under this Government. People are paying hand over fist for sky-high energy bills, housing costs, food, insurance - everything - while big, super-rich companies make record profits and the Government stands idly by, allowing rip-offs to happen. People who work very hard to provide for their families are being squeezed every single day.

Having failed to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, the Taoiseach is now talking a big game nine days out from an election. He sat at the Cabinet table as the Government chose not to introduce permanent supports for struggling families, which would have made a long-term difference. He was there as the Government chose not to increase the core rate of child benefit or the qualified child payments to the levels needed. Last month, the Government chose to increase the price of petrol and diesel and it has proposed to do so twice more once these elections have passed. Despite the Taoiseach's stated concern and instead of making every effort to reduce costs for households, he proposes to increase them. He will forgive many for not believing his big talk on the eve of an election.

Tá géarchéim an chostais maireachtála fós ag cur brú ollmhór ar theaghlaigh. Tá an Taoiseach ag caint ar chluiche mór naoi lá amuigh ón toghchán. Ní mór anois aige ach fáil réidh leis na hardaithe peitril agus díosail atá pleanáilte.

If the Taoiseach is genuinely concerned about struggling families, why would he make them struggle more? He must know that raising the cost of petrol and diesel again and again will hurt these families, so he should not do it. If he is serious about tackling the cost of living, he should start by scrapping plans to hike the price of petrol and diesel in August and October.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the opportunity to discuss the important issues highlighted by the Barnardos survey published this morning. I am very grateful to Barnardos for the work it does and the survey it produced. I thank its dedicated staff and volunteers. Objectively, Ireland is making progress when it comes to child poverty. The consistent poverty rate for children is now lower than it has been at any other time since measurements began in 2004. Similarly, the at-risk-of-poverty rate for children is now lower than at any other time since we started measuring it in 2004. The data also shows the positive impact on child poverty rates of the cost-of-living measures taken by the previous Government. The Barnardos report today has 12 indicators. Of those 12 on page 2 of its statement issued this morning, eight have shown significant progress over the course of the past year. That is why I said this week at the national economic dialogue that cost-of-living supports must also be a focus of the next budget.

It is also why we held the first child poverty and well-being summit in Dublin Castle last week. It had more than 300 participants, including Barnardos, to ask what next do we do in Ireland. We do not want any child in Ireland to be hungry. We do not want any family in Ireland to struggle. How do we work together on both universal supports and more targeted measures? I must say to the Deputy that by any fair analysis, we have taken a number of measures that have already made a positive difference to families, whether that is reducing the cost of childcare, increasing parent's leave and benefit, providing free schoolbooks to all children in primary school or providing an expansion of the hot school meals programme and making sure we have hot school meals for all primary school children in 2025. Moreover, we have provided access to free GP care and the Government took a really important initiative last week called Equal Start. The Children's Rights Alliance called this initiative one of the most important measures you could take if you were serious about tackling child poverty. This is a new Government-funded model to ensure there are extra supports for disadvantaged children in early learning and childcare. There is of course much more that we want to do, both on the universal side and the targeted side.

However, the Deputy specifically mentioned the fuel issue. Here is where I think there are a number of inconsistencies in her approach. First, she travels the globe, most recently to Massachusetts, talking to the next generation about the importance of climate change. Yet, she comes in here and - I think many of the Opposition would agree with me on this - refuses to take every single opportunity she has to show leadership on climate. She opposes every single measure put forward, while telling young people across the globe that she wants to address the climate emergency. Perhaps more hypocritical is her position on petrol and diesel. She is misleading people again. To the men and women at home, driving to and from work, collecting children from school later today, I say that while the Government keeps future rises under review, including the August one, the Sinn Féin alternative budget proposed restoring all of the carbon tax by April. Stop trying to cod people. The people are not thick. They can see through this single gear Sinn Féin has, which is to sow outrage, shout and roar, go rah rah rah and stick a video up on Twitter. When push came to shove, at decision point, and Sinn Féin had to present its alternative budget to this House, it proposed to extend the reduced rate of excise duty for petrol and diesel to April, not August.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The report makes absolutely clear that half of households, both parents and children, struggle, go without and worry.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Yes, and let us talk about it.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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That is the upshot of the Barnardos report. It is an echo of Social Justice Ireland, which equally recorded those stresses and strains. Insulting me does not take from that reality. I have put to the Taoiseach that he has made and stated his intention that he wishes to tackle the cost of living. He has made quite a production around this. That is good and he should do that. I am saying that hiking diesel and petrol prices in August and then again in October will not achieve that aim. On the contrary it will make a difficult situation far more difficult, particularly for families that live in rural and isolated communities, and for other families who must rely on their car for all sorts of reasons. Why would he do this? I am asking him to put his money where his mouth is. If he believes he will tackle the cost of living, he should start by scrapping and being explicit that there will be no hike in diesel and petrol costs in August or October. It is that simple.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy must not be a sensitive soul. When I talk about holding her to account for what she said, it is not insulting. I would never insult her. I have great respect for her as a person, but this is what she said about the budget. That is what she said and I can only judge her on the figures she produces and so can the Irish people. I want to motorists to know that, as a Government, we keep this under review and have great form in this regard. Reversals on reductions that were due to come into place as far back as August 2022 have been rolled over.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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So, he is not doing it.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please. The Taoiseach, without interruption.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We are keeping it under review and will make those decisions and continue to keep it under review. However, I am glad the Deputy has also referenced the issue of child poverty today. Child poverty is a really important issue, and we need to do more, but let us look at our record versus Sinn Féin's. In the last budget we extended child benefit, benefitting 60,000 more children. Sinn Féin did not wish to benefit one extra.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Not true.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We put €45 million more into hot school meals, they put a paltry €15 million in. We increased the domiciliary care allowance. Sinn Féin did not think those parents deserved any more.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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We did.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We provided a lump sum payment for families on qualified child payment. Sinn Féin did not.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I can feel another fact check coming on.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We increased the income threshold for working families, and Sinn Féin did not do that either. In Northern Ireland, where Sinn Féin is now leading the government longer than I am leading this one, it does not yet have a strategy to tackle child poverty. The Deputy can read what the Northern Ireland Audit Office has said.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you, Taoiseach, time is up.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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When is the Sinn Féin First Minister going to deliver a child poverty strategy in Northern Ireland?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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On behalf of the Labour Party, I call Deputy Ó Ríordáin.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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You are all very quiet over there.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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I was privileged on Monday to visit the SAOL Hub-----

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Another fact check coming.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can we have a little order please?

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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More lies.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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I want to talk about disabilities-----

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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More lies.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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-----if people would give me the opportunity.

On Monday, with our local Labour representative Patrick Dempsey, I was privileged to visit the SAOL Hub in Ballyfermot Community Civic Centre run by Stewarts Care. We heard first-hand the challenges facing young adults with disabilities - the under-resourcing and lack of opportunities. As the Taoiseach knows, disabled people are at a much higher risk of poverty and social exclusion. They are more likely to be out of work and to leave education early. In 2015, I was proud to be involved in the creation of the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. Yet almost ten years on, Ireland still has the highest disability employment gap in the EU at almost twice the European average. There are many reasons for this, but a failure to support people to overcome barriers is fundamental to Ireland's poor outcomes. There is still no recognition of the cost of a disability and if a person takes up work, he or she may lose their medical card.

However, many parents cannot even think about future employment when they are swamped with the difficulties of accessing services and supports for their children. When the Deputy became Taoiseach, he said disability would be one of his priorities and we welcomed that. He knows this is a burning issue for many families. There are huge delays in assessment of needs for children with almost 15,000 on waiting lists. There is a lack of supports for young adults when they leave the education system. There is huge disquiet about the resourcing of additional complex needs in schools, and the chronic failure to ensure access to occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists and so on. A few weeks ago, we had a national discussion about the rights of disabled people, yet it has fallen off the political radar again. It is the last week of May and no allocations have been released yet for special needs assistants. It shows enormous disrespect for educational staff. Principals of special schools have highlighted the need for therapists to be in their schools, rather than allocated to the HSE's children's disability network teams. This mistake, introduced six years ago, is now being reversed but there are huge barriers to recruitment because they were not being offered permanent contracts. The Minister now has to go to the Department of public expenditure and reform to get sanction for what should have been obvious in the first place. There was no consultation with disability organisations about the removal of complex needs criteria from the allocation of special educational teachers. Yesterday, the Minister had to admit that an additional 1,000 teacher hours would have to be allocated. Schools are being forced to go to the NCSE to fill the gap when they do not have alternative supports. Inclusion Ireland has said that all policies should be rights proofed and child centred and this needs to be revisited.

These are the questions I have for the Taoiseach almost two months into his term. The Ceann Comhairle might allow some latitude as I was interrupted at the beginning. What has been done to address the cost of disability, and will there be a new comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities? Will the Taoiseach consult disability organisations and reverse the removal of complex needs hours from schools? Will he guarantee every child will have a place in September? When will allocations for SNAs be made? It is getting later and later every year.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I acknowledge the work of SAOL, and people are happy to engage with that organisation. There are a couple of issues, and I would like to address each of them. On comprehensive employment and the need to do more for people with disability to access the workforce, I acknowledge that it was a former colleague of the Deputy's, Fergus Finlay, and others who set up the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities. It is quite inspiring what they have done, because it is not just access to education but crucially access to employment after. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that from September, that model or a similar one, will be rolled out to approximately one dozen more higher education complexes and institutions across the country. I think that link between education and employment opportunities is important, and we can learn much from the Trinity centre. There is also a funding allocation for that.

I am not happy with where we are on assessment of needs and neither are the Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Naughton. That is why we announced an additional €12 million last week to try to address the backlog in families waiting for an assessment of need. Many families are waiting far too long. I again acknowledge the Deputy's constructive role in the Labour Party in this area. I am pleased that, in the short term, private capacity will be used to try to help address some of that backlog. I think that may have arisen from a motion tabled by the Deputy.

A recruitment campaign is now under way for the children's disability network teams. From memory, about 161 people have been offered jobs in those teams as result of that recruitment campaign, and phase 2 of the campaign is due to commence later this year.

In respect of the special education teaching hours, the Deputy is right. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, has reminded me that, as a result of a review, about 1,000 additional hours will be announced in the coming days. There are learnings regarding this model and the lack of consultation and engagement, which the Department should reflect on. I am pleased the review is showing that some of the concerns that had been highlighted are now being addressed. The Minister of State is working intensively with the Minister for Education to ensure every child with a disability will have access to an appropriate school place this September. We are also working to put on a permanent basis the 39 therapy posts the National Council for Special Education now has sanction for.

As for a new comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities, that will be considered as part of the new national disability strategy. There is due to be a very significant engagement with stakeholders on that later this week, I think on Friday, and I have now decided to personally chair a Cabinet committee on disability. It has met twice in my seven weeks in office and will continue to meet monthly, to try to break down silos and bring people together.

I could quote statistics for extra investment and so on but that would kind of miss the point. I accept there are still very many challenges in the delivery of services here and I hope some of these measures will provide some hope to people and some positive momentum.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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The Taoiseach has accepted some of the Government's failures but I would not put them at the feet of just the Department. The Minister stood here and said 33% of schools would have a disadvantage in their allocation of hours under the model that was suggested and there was no adequate consultation but the Taoiseach is working to correct that.

On the rates of people with disabilities in employment, a person with a disability is more likely to be at risk of poverty, be socially excluded or fall into addiction. Our rate of people with disabilities in the employment force is 32%. The European average is 51%, so it should be a Government priority to reinitiate the comprehensive employment strategy for people with disabilities. We in the Labour Party understand absolutely the power and dignity of being in work and how important that is. If the rate is 32% here and 51% in most European countries, we obviously have a huge amount of work to do, and the danger is more people with disabilities will fall out of mainstream society and not feel as empowered or as loved and cherished as they should feel.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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There is sometimes a difference in the classification of disability across the EU but that does not take from the broader point the Deputy made about our participation rates of people with a disability in the workforce not being where they need to be. At a time of full employment, we need to address areas of underemployment where people with a disability would like to access the workforce. Employers need people in the workforce and the Deputy's suggestions are sensible.

I do think the approach we are taking, though, in the linkage between the educational opportunity and the employment opportunity is important. The career guidance strategy review that I published in my previous role with the Minister for Education, which talks about putting career guidance supports into special educational schools, has to be a priority and will be a personal priority of mine for the next budget.

In terms of education in general and some of the points the Deputy made about access to places, the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, intends to increase the number of special educational needs organisers, SENOs, the people organising services on the ground and organising education, from 73 to 120, which is a very important support for parents and teachers. We are happy to continue to constructively engage with any suggestions in this area.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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I raise the issue of community cancer support centres. A diagnosis of cancer can bring with it a myriad of changes. Life can suddenly become a roller-coaster of medical appointments and hospital stays, being unable to work, financial worries, a loss of independence, unintended isolation and a tsunami of fear and uncertainty. These all-consuming changes come at a time when a person is already feeling vulnerable, worried and sometimes even angry. Their world and that of their families and loved ones become plagued with questions and concerns. In the midst of these changes, patients and those close to them can become overwhelmed. Their minds are flooded with worries and fears that they often feel unable to discuss with one another. Questions that need answers go unspoken and worries stay silent for fear of magnifying this worry in others. Individually and collectively, they are crying out for support. They simply want someone who will listen and hear their fears, someone who can guide them along the unfamiliar path on which they find themselves and walk with them when times are tough or overwhelming. Medical professionals cannot adequately offer this support. Demands on their time do not allow them to do so.

For more than 30 years, community cancer support centres have been providing this invaluable and vital service in many locations across the country. These centres are partnered with and recognised by the Irish Cancer Society for the instrumental role they play in the lives of patients, their carers and their families. The national cancer strategy identifies community cancer support centres as a key service for cancer patients. They provide psychological, emotional, educational and practical support in a warm and welcoming environment to people with cancer and those who care for them. Their services are confidential, professional and caring and are provided free of charge. They offer a supportive role during and after a journey with cancer. They spend quality and precious time with all those in a family who have been impacted by their loved one's cancer diagnosis. It would be impossible to estimate the magnitude of the role they play, yet despite this, community cancer support centres have operated as registered charities since their inception and rely solely on fundraising. They received no designated funding until this year, when they were awarded €3 million in a one-off fund from the Department of Health to support the 16 centres they operate across the country, including Suir Haven, Thurles, North Tipperary Hospice, Roscrea Outreach Centre and the Circle of Friends cancer support centre in Tipperary town. This funding has allowed them to sustain and increase the incalculable role they play. However, the demand and the proven need for community cancer support centres will not end in 2024. One-off funding cannot sustain the demand for such services.

The community cancer support services have more than proven their worth. Will the Government support their call for annual funding to enable this service to continue its crucial work?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Lowry for raising this really important matter. As he started speaking, I was reminded of a delegation he brought to see me many years ago, when I was Minister for Health, from the Circle of Friends group in Tipperary town. He will remember that at time, the late, great Sarah Gleeson came to see me with Jennifer Jones Hickey and others, and I think of Sarah and her family today. She made an incredible contribution and legacy to cancer services and to the Circle of Friends in Tipperary town, and I thank her and others. I remember visiting the Circle of Friends and Sarah being too ill to attend but in her memory, we were all able to work to provide very significant funding, with community and the Government, to deliver that state-of-the-art centre. I was just reminded of those meetings as we are talking here today.

The Deputy is right about the role of community cancer support centres. There is not a Deputy in this House, regardless of party affiliation, who does not know the incredible benefit of them, and I am really pleased the current national cancer strategy, which runs from 2017 to 2026, recognises that important role. There is stuff the State must do, and there is stuff the State does well and stuff it must do better, but alongside that there is that partnership approach with the voluntary centres. More people in Ireland are now living after a cancer diagnosis and, therefore, the supports of our community cancer centres are growing in importance. As the Deputy rightly said, they are voluntary organisations, and many of them are legally charity organisations as well. They deliver a range of services directly to cancer patients, as well as to their families and carers, and this emphasises the importance of, and facilitates, improved quality of life during and after cancer treatment. The services are free of charge and are delivered in a community, non-hospital setting, and the idea a patient is not just a patient but also a person who is able to access services that look at all of their well-being in the community is really important.

The national cancer control programme established in 2022 an alliance of community cancer support centres and is now working closely with these centres on the psycho-oncology model of care and its implementation. I am pleased to say an additional €3 million in funding was allocated to the community cancer support centres in the most recent budget, which will help these voluntary and charity organisations to deliver services directly to cancer patients and their families.

All centres that were full members of the alliance were invited to submit applications for that funding this year. The national cancer control programme advises that letters with funding amounts for 2024 have now been issued to all of the centres and grant agreements are currently being signed off. I believe those grants are due to start to be paid this week and that grant payments for all of those who have received funding through the alliance centres will be completed in early June.

As we move towards budget 2025, I want to see how we can put that funding on a sustainable footing.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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The most important element of this is that the €3 million was very welcome and it sustains those organisations throughout this year. Their difficulty is that they cannot plan ahead and they need an annual budget. I ask the Government to ensure that an additional €3 million or whatever the figure is included in the budget at the end of this year for next year, that is, the year 2025.

An estimated 42,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Ireland every year and the good news is that more people in Ireland are surviving cancer than ever before. Investment and support under the two national cancer strategies have helped significantly in improving outcomes.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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We provided €6 million in our budget.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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You did.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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It was permanent, as well.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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However, this has declined somewhat due to what has been a reduced investment and funding priority in the 2017 to 2026 strategy the Taoiseach just referred to, so I ask the Taoiseach to address that and ensure adequate and proper funding is put in place to keep the organisations doing the tremendous work they do.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy and as he will appreciate, the €3 million was the first time we provided this model of funding to the alliance. I have met many of these organisations and I know many of them in my own county. I have met a number of these organisations around the country and the funding was welcomed as an important step. I accept it is a first step. I accept the organisations want to have an ability to be able to plan beyond year to year or beyond having to apply on a recurring basis. Let us now see how we can make that happen in terms of the delivery of the health budget for 2025. The level of investment is very small compared to the level of community investment and I do not think it is too much of an ask from the communities that raise so much that the Government would provide a greater level of certainty of funding for the years ahead. I am happy to work with Deputy Lowry and any like-minded Deputy on this in advance of budget 2025.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I wish to raise road safety schemes in County Kerry. Over a long period, Councillor Jackie Healy-Rae in the Castleisland electoral area has raised this very important issue. In 2024, Kerry County Council and our excellent director of roads and transportation, Frank Hartnett, have only received €550,000 to progress road safety schemes in the entire county. This is an increase of just €7,000 from 2023. In one municipal district in Kerry that stretches from Scartaglin back to the west of Dingle, the Castleisland - Corca Dhuibhne MD, will only be able to progress one safety scheme this year due to this allocation. Kerry County Council requires €30,000, which is a small sum of money, to progress a safety scheme at Lisheen cross in Gneevgullia where there is an extensive accident history. Recently, there was another major accident at this junction involving five people and it is only a matter of time before someone is killed at that location. That project is shovel-ready but is starved of funding.

A sum of €60,000 is required to progress a safety scheme in Castleisland town at the junction of Church Street and Main Street. An extremely busy mart is located down this road and it is heavily trafficked. Another scheme requiring funding for traffic calming measures and a pedestrian crossing at an extremely busy crèche facility in Firies along with further traffic measures in Firies village where there is a big residential development. A recent traffic survey found cars going in excess of the speed limit there.

The junction at the very busy Gortatlea Mart, which provides a great service on the N21, requires a right-turning ghost island to facilitate traffic turning right. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, in its infinite wisdom burned off the road markings a number of years ago. Another right-turning ghost island is required further up at the Glanshearoon viewing area on the N21. There have been multiple fatalities along that road.

The point I am trying to make is the Taoiseach and his Government - and rightly so - are concerned about traffic safety on our roads. The Government continuously looks at different ways, and I do not disagree with the Government looking at it. However the Government is looking at certain issues, such as driver behaviour and saying speed limits should be reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h, 80 km/h to 60 km/h and 60 km/h to 40 km/h. I do not agree with that. I would never vote for that and I will tell the Taoiseach why. I have no monopoly of being right in this House and I am not waving my hand at the Taoiseach and saying he is wrong. The Taoiseach's heart is in the right place but I say that what I would call simplistic political reactionary actions such as that are not what is required. What is required is to fund us, for instance in County Kerry and every other county in the country. Every other Deputy in this House has the same issues. They could stand up and name crosses, junctions and locations. Why is the Government not seeing to those accident locations where people are being injured and putting themselves in danger?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I ask the Government to look at the bigger picture, the deer roaming onto our roads and the fact local authorities are not cutting hedges and keeping trees back to gives us sight distance on our road. I am asking the Government to look at the bigger picture and when it comes to road safety and the RSA-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy. We are way over time now please.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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-----to not just be looking at the one thing all of the time - penalty points and driver behaviour on the roads. Look at our responsibilities. It is all of our faults that we are not spending money at those locations. I am not blaming the Taoiseach; I am blaming all of us.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Please Deputy, we are way over time.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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We should be doing more to help people on the ground.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. At the outset, as we approach another bank holiday weekend, I am sure everyone in this House will join in calling for people to be very conscious of driver behaviour on the roads this weekend. I will get to the Deputy's direct point in a moment.

Let me actually get to it now because I agree with the Deputy to a point. I definitely agree that road safety is not down to any one thing. If we are extraordinarily serious about road safety and reversing the worrying trend we have seen in deaths and injuries on Irish roads this year, we need to look at every lever at our disposal and every thing we can possibly do. I will come back to that in a moment.

What we also know, and I am sure the Deputy will not disagree on this, is that driver behaviour - what the RSA calls "killer behaviours" - accounts for a very significant majority of deaths and accidents on Irish roads. We need to be very conscious of that. Speed, drink driving and drug driving kills. There is the importance of wearing a seat belt. The basic things we have been trying to ingrain in Irish culture and psyche for many years are as important, if not more important, than ever. Not using a mobile phone while driving is another major one. I have met a lot of people on this issue over the last number of weeks, including the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority, local authorities and TII. We need to continue at every opportunity to get that message out about driver behaviours and the impact they have on road safety. I know the Deputy gets that.

I will clarify the Government's position on speed limits. In legislation the Government passed, local authorities are empowered with regard to final decisions on speed limits because I believe in local government and that local councillors will always have good and important knowledge that we perhaps would not have here in the Dáil. Speed limits and speed limit levels are important but allowing that understanding that the local authority would be pre-eminent is also quite important.

The Deputy is also right that the quality of roads, investment in roads, road repairs, road safety and working with the local guys is also very important. It is a sad state of fact that when we see accidents happen on roads we often see them happen on the same stretch of road or bend in the road - what used to be known as the accident blackspots back in the day. That is why we want to continue to invest more in safety schemes as well.

I have a list of a number of allocations the Government has made to Kerry County Council, including in 2024. Allocations of €30.14 million were received by Kerry County Council for works to be conducted under various grant types. Under safety schemes specifically, the Government has provided funding for five safety schemes. The Deputy may have referenced some of them already. They are Whitebridge, Two Mile school, Abbeydorney village, Castlegregory village, Tailor's Row and Ardfert village. We have also provided capital funding of €9.7 million, which has been allocated to the protection and renewal of the national road network in Kerry.

With regard to the specific issues and stretches of road the Deputy has raised, if he provides those details to me in the context of road safety I will also ask that the Department of Transport and TII look at them and work with Kerry County Council on these matters.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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If the Government is serious about saving lives on our roads, the local authorities will need a massive increase in funding for road safety schemes. The RSA recently spent €800,000 on one single television advert for its 30 km/h town campaign which in my personal opinion was a glorified tourism advert for the town of Clonakilty. Yet Kerry County Council only received, again, €550,000 for the entire county to progress road safety schemes in 2024, schemes that will have an impact on our roads.

Money is being squandered on TV adverts that have little or no effect. It would be far better spent by the Frank Hartnetts of Ireland in our county councils to effect real changes on our roads.

I want to pay tribute to the great soldiers and people on the ground working for Kerry County Council, and for local authorities throughout the country. They are the people who are out in bad weather trying to keep roads clear, filling potholes, doing tarring and skirting, laying surface dressing and doing maintenance work on all of our behalf. I want to compliment every one of those people here today and acknowledge their work in wet and inclement weather.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am trying to be agreeable on this because the Deputy raises valid and important points about road safety and we want to build a political and societal consensus around road safety which is a major issue. I have a point of difference with the Deputy to TV adverts. There is behavioural science that shows the importance of those impactful ads. Everybody in this House and anybody watching this debate at home can think of some of the impactful ads that have been broadcast over the years and the impact they have had in generating conversations around kitchen tables, in the workplace, at the water cooler and all of that. That is good.

On roads, I would respectfully say that the €550,000 refers to five specific roads projects under the title of road safety schemes. The totality of funding we provide to Kerry for regional and local road networks, which has a contribution to road safety, is €30.14 million for this year. We have also provided €1 million in current funding to Kerry County Council to fund regular maintenance operations, including winter maintenance and route lighting. The past number of months have been horrific in terms of rain. That has had a real impact on roads. I join the Deputy in paying tribute to all local authority staff for the work they have done and I hope Government in the coming days is in a position to recognise the impact that the weather has had on roads and support our local authorities in a practical sense in that way.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That concludes Leaders' Questions. Please adhere to the one minute allowed for Questions on Policy or Legislation.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will endeavour to do so. I want to raise an important issue that affects hundreds of former Waterford Crystal workers, some of whom join us in the Gallery. It is a group that has campaigned on this matter for years. The workers said Waterford Crystal Limited failed to properly inform them of their pension options when they were taking redundancy. This left them without an occupational pension and reliant on the State pension. I met a group of workers in Waterford recently. They are very angry and they believe, with good reason, that they have never gotten a fair hearing. The workers say the company misinformed them by offering them only one pension option, that is, the return of their pension contributions. By accepting this, workers claim they were unknowingly signing away their pension rights. The workers say they have never received any paperwork whatsoever outlining all of their options. Surely if proof exists of options being afforded to them, it should be produced but it has not been. I ask the Taoiseach to intervene in this very serious ongoing saga. I ask him to meet these workers, hear their case fully, have that case fully and independently examined and give these workers what they deserve, namely a fair hearing.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is one that has been brought to my attention in this House in recent weeks by her colleagues and colleagues on the Government benches. I am happy for my office to make arrangements in the coming weeks to have that meeting. I am also happy to ask the Minister for Social Protection to perhaps join me at that meeting as well. I have a note on the issue, but I am not sure the note captures some of the concerns, quite frankly, that have been expressed by workers. I want to hear from them directly and I am happy to work with you on this matter.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I join in welcoming the Waterford Crystal workers to the Gallery and the Taoiseach's commitment to meet them.

This week saw more grim news on climate, with the latest projections from the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, showing starkly that we are not going to meet our emissions reductions targets, have no chance of achieving a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030, even though this is our legally binding target, and that in a best-case scenario greenhouse gases will only be reduced by 29% by 2030. Friends of the Earth called this alarming and disappointing, yet today there are reports that a memo was presented to Cabinet by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, setting out a list of additional measures that he says could close the gap and that were not modelled by the EPA, measures that will, apparently, be contained in a revised national energy and climate plan to be published this week. The list of measures sounds somewhat like magical thinking to me, but I would like to know whether the plan will be published this week and whether we will have time to debate it in the Dáil. I understand it is to be submitted to the EU Commission next month. How does the Government propose to take the urgent action that is necessary to ensure we meet our essential and legally binding emissions reductions targets to avoid what we know is a climate catastrophe?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. To the very best of my knowledge, the plan is to publish that plan this week. Let me confirm that. It would be timely, subject to the agreement of the House, to have a debate on climate, the EPA report and the new national plan the Minister will publish and submit to Europe to fulfil our requirements. The EPA will acknowledge that it has not yet been in a position to model actions that are about to start. For example, yesterday we agreed a new national biomethane plan. There are changes proposed around Dublin city relating to traffic. The impact of such changes is obviously not yet represented in the 29% figure. There are also plans to bring forward a new national adaptation plan. I will talk to the Minister for the environment and seek clarity on when the report will be published. The Government will be happy to have a debate on this.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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On the same issue, the EPA stated that even if every measure in the Government's climate action plan was implemented, the reduction in emissions would only be 29% by 2030. As the Taoiseach knows, the legally binding target is 51%. We are no closer to meeting our targets than we were 12 months ago. His colleague Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications was on the defensive yesterday. He was annoyed that members of the Opposition were reading from the EPA report and quoting it accurately. We all know that the consequences of this failure will be catastrophic, particularly for rural and coastal communities. It will also expose us to multibillion euro fines from the EU, billions of euro which could be used to take climate action to retrofit homes across the country, restore biodiversity and improve water quality. Instead, the Government is going through that opportunity away. The biomethane plan is welcome but it will not bring us up to 51%. Has the Government any plan or intention to reach our legally binding targets?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We have every plan and intention and as you said it is a legally binding target. That is why a debate in this House would be timely on that. While I accept we have a gap to close, any fair analysis of the EPA report would show that we are now on track to reduce emissions by almost 30%. Prior to this Government, we were increasing our emissions by 10% a year. To the credit of sectors of the economy, society and the public sector, we are now in a position whereby we are on track to very significantly reduce emissions. We have a climate tipping point. This is not something that will happen in the future. We need to get to 51%. It is our legal requirement to get 51% and we will work across this House on that. We can come back to some of these issues during the debate as I dot not have time now, but we are taking, and proposing to take, a number of actions that will bring that figure beyond 29% or 30%. We are very eager to engage with the Opposition on how we get to 51%.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Last week, 40 workers in the Newpark School of Music received the shock announcement that the school, which has 600 students and has been located on Newpark school grounds for 40 years, was to shut down with a week's notice. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving us an opportunity for a Topical Issue debate on this tomorrow, but I want to flag this issue now because these workers' jobs are gone. This cuts across Departments. At a workers' right level this is Debenhams Mark II. It would seem to me to be a flagrant breach of liquidation rules, so it needs intervention at that departmental level. It also requires the involvement of the Departments of Education and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. It is a non fee-paying school and a not-for-profit charity on the grounds of Newpark. It does outreach and provides music teaching. It is self-financing and it is now gone. I want to flag this issue. Some of those affected by this will probably be here for the debate tomorrow.

I want urgent intervention on this because it just makes no sense that this should happen. I am asking for urgent intervention.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of Newpark School of Music. I am pleased that there will be time in the Dáil for a topical issue debate on it tomorrow. The Deputy has been constructive in flagging it with me today and I will certainly ask, in advance of that debate, relevant line Ministers and agencies to see what role the State may have in this, in order to be able to give the Deputy a comprehensive answer then.

Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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The fall in the number of taxis is having a detrimental impact on towns and villages across rural Ireland. In County Tipperary, according to the most recent figures, there has been a drop to just 220 taxis, despite a population growth of more than 4,000. This has an obvious negative impact on hospitality and retail services. Pubs and restaurants are struggling as people are forced to stay at home. Securing transport is also a major issue for people who need to get to medical and personal appointments or, in some cases, simply to get to their nearest town. Without a local taxi service, many people are left isolated at home or stranded if they leave home. This growing issue was brought to the Government's attention at the start of this year. There was an agreement to explore the existing prohibitive regulations that deter people from entering the taxi industry, particularly the onerous local knowledge test, which up to 75% of applicants failed. Considering that GPS can direct drivers to given locations, should that regulation be removed? What is the current position on that review?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I will get him a specific answer from the Minister for Transport on this but the Government is very eager to take steps to increase the number of taxis and hackneys available nationally, particularly in rural areas. For a variety of reasons, these steps have not yielded the numbers so further actions are planned and some are under way. I will write to the Deputy in that regard but the Minister for Transport has recently written to the advisory committee on taxis and hackneys to request its consideration of how taxi availability can be assessed and to make recommendations on relevant data. A driver recruitment campaign ran on national radio and digital platforms and applicants for new vehicle licences can apply for funding under a variety of schemes. I will get a specific update for the Deputy on the regulation.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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As the Taoiseach can imagine, many young constituents in County Donegal go on to study in the North given its close proximity to home and given the housing shortage in Dublin at the moment. At the beginning of this yea,r it was announced that funding would be made available for 25 additional medical students qualifying to study medicine in Queen's University from September 2024 and that, as part of that arrangement, students will pay the €3,000 fee charged in the Republic, with the State covering the rest of the tuition costs. This is great news for students in Donegal and across the country looking to study medicine, many of whom will want to come back to the Republic to practise once they graduate. Will the Taoiseach ensure that this project is extended to the rest of the universities in the North, such as Ulster University, to allow more students to study medicine, given the severe lack of GPs and the needs that we have here in the South?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. This is a great initiative. It is great for the island of Ireland, for the north west in particular, for medical education and for opportunities for young people. The Minister for further and higher education is in Ulster University, on the Magee campus in Derry, today. We are willing to expand this. Obviously, there has to be two partners and a willingness to do it, although I am not suggesting there is not. From a funding point of view, we see this as a win-win in terms of education, medicine and opportunities for young people.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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A young man, Seán, came into my office last week. He works full time, is separated and has two children. He has a good job but is living with his parents because he cannot afford to buy a house. He has saved every penny he can and has substantial savings. He applied and was accepted for an affordable housing scheme run by Cork County Council but even with all of his savings, a gift from his parents, a good job, and a mortgage offer from a bank, he is still €20,000 short. He does not qualify for social housing. He cannot buy a house. This Government promised that he could buy a house but its scheme is failing. This is a man with two children who has a good job and good savings but the Government's affordable housing policy is in tatters. The affordable housing that the Government is providing is not affordable. What do I tell Seán? What will the Taoiseach tell him? Where does he and his two children go? He is in his thirties. Must he live with his parents for the rest of his life?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am sure what the Deputy definitely does not tell Seán is that if Sinn Féin was in government it would get rid of the help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers-----

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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It would be affordable. Our scheme would be affordable. That is the difference.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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-----and the first home scheme as well. I am sure he did not mention that to Seán. It is very hard to comment on the floor of the Dáil without knowing people's specific financial situations but this Government is seeing, every week, 500 people buying their first home. Every working day we are seeing 350 new homes being built. That is the progress we are making. That is what I would say to Seán. We are increasing supply and increasing supports. There are a range of supports now in place. If the Deputy wants to send me Seán's particulars-----

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I will.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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-----I would be very happy to come back to him with more comprehensive reply for his situation.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise an issue that is very important to people across the north Cork area including in Fermoy and Mitchelstown. Unfortunately, I am meeting a huge number of people who are retired or who have complicated healthcare needs and who want access to GP services across the north Cork area. In north Cork, we have two primary care centres but they are under serious pressure because of a lack of GP services. My siblings all work in the healthcare setting, in pharmacy, and others are studying medicine. Indeed, I am the only one that is not in healthcare. They tell me, as do others working in the sector, that they are under fierce pressure to get additional GPs across the north Cork region. I ask the Taoiseach to have a conversation at Cabinet with the Minister for Health to see if we can get additional resources to address the issue of access to GP and primary care services in the north Cork area for people who are so desperately in need.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for making that important point for his constituents in north Cork in terms of access to GP services. I will certainly discuss the matter with the Minister for Health and the HSE. We are now seeing a very significant increase in the number of training places for GPs. We are also now looking at other pathways that we can put in place in universities but I do recognise that in certain parts of the country, there may be particular challenges. There is an option available now in terms of having salaried GPs in those areas. Without knowing the particulars, but that is definitely one option that is available to the Minister for Health and the HSE. I will talk to the Minister and will revert to Deputy O'Connor on the issue.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the establishment of the task force to rejuvenate Dublin city centre to make it thriving, attractive and safe. David McRedmond will come up with innovative ideas and will integrate across agencies, including, local authorities, the NTA and the HSE. The key to success will be the provision of a budget to fund cross-sector and cross-silo initiatives. I would be keen that, in preparation for the budget, significant moneys would be made available for this particular initiative as well as for the community safety plans that will be a feature of every community in the country.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his constructive suggestions with which I agree. I am very clear, and I said it on the day that I launched the Dublin city centre task force, that this is going to come back with a list of practical actions and a list of responsible owners for those actions. Then there will be a requirement for government, both national and local, to fund those initiatives. This is something that I am personally championing and running from my own Department and, therefore, it is something that I intend to deliver funding to deliver in budget 2025.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I want to welcome more than 45 women from all over County Kerry, especially east Kerry areas like Barraduff, Headfort, Glenflesk and Rathmore. These women have created homes and reared fine sons and daughters. However, many of their sons and daughters are forced to leave Kerry for places like Australia, Dubai and Canada. These are 28- to 32-year-olds who cannot afford to purchase a house. The other sad thing is that they will not even be considered for planning permission on a site next door to them owned by their family, or even if they could purchase a site from a neighbour because of the designation, enforced by the Government's planning regulator, of the areas as being under significant urban influence. The sons and daughters of farmers can get permission and that is fine but lots of other people are being excluded.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Your time is up.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Large tracts of land far beyond Killarney, Killorglin and Kenmare are being excluded from these people who will build a house themselves.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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They will create employment and spend money. All they want is planning permission but this designation is hurting the whole lot. I will just mention one father-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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No. Please.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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-----of five, the Kellehers, who are musicians but none of them can get planning permission.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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You are out of time, Deputy.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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They are a wonderfully gifted family but they are going to have to leave our shores if we cannot house them.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy, please. You are out of time.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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This is very serious.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I know it is very serious, but keeping the time here is very serious. Resume your seat.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am raising a genuine concern.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I know you are.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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These people will build the houses-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Will you let the Taoiseach answer?

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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----- if they get planning permission.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy, you are out of order.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am sorry.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue with passion. It is an important issue, as is planning reform. Everyone on this side of the House, like everyone on that side of the House, wants people to be able to live in this country and wants young people to know that their future is in this country. That is why we are working so hard on housing and why we are seeing 350 new homes go to construction every working day and 500 people per week buy their first home. I take on board the specific point on planning and have two suggestions for the Deputy. The draft national planning framework will be published in June, which will provide an opportunity for people to make an input into such issues and the planning Bill, which will overhaul planning law, will be in this House again in the month of June.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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In the past number of days, there have been reports in the media about people having adverse reactions to cannabis. This is quite concerning but where there is no regulation, someone will fill the gap and that is the black market. It is in everyone's interest in respect of harm reduction and regulation that there would be a different model for cannabis. In the absence of regulation, people will have adverse effects from cannabis use because of the potency and because they do not know what they are consuming. Does the Taoiseach agree that we have to change course on the laws around cannabis and that a regulatory system would be better than what we have at the moment, where there is no regulation?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue as he has sincerely on a number of occasions. The best way to proceed on this from a policy point of view is via the Oireachtas joint committee that will consider the outcome of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use. That was an honest and genuine effort to get civil society together to debate what is a difficult and important issue. There are real health concerns around the use of cannabis and there is also a need to ensure we support people with addiction. A variety of issues need to be addressed and the new committee is best placed to bring forward its view on the citizens' assembly.

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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The Taoiseach said that road safety would be a priority of his tenure. We have had significant loss of life on the roads this year - 79 people to date with a bank holiday weekend looming. Beneath that headline are many accidents, collisions and injuries, many of which are life-changing. The Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, has commissioned a report on the Road Safety Authority to make recommendations on the future structure and operation of the authority, including potential legislative changes to ensure it delivers on its mandate. When can we expect that report to be finalised and see the light of day?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Road safety is a priority for me and the Government. Since becoming Taoiseach seven weeks ago, I have chaired two meetings on road safety, we have allocated an additional €3 million to public awareness campaigns and we are working with local authorities to see what more we can do on road safety. We all have to amplify the message around killer behaviours, especially as we approach this bank holiday.

The point the Deputy made on structure, governance and the role of the RSA is important. The Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, is fully committed to this. I need to check that I am right about the timeframe, but I know the work is well under way. We will see the output this year. I will ask the Minister of State to come back to the Deputy with a specific time.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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As the Taoiseach knows, Louth-Cavan-Monaghan Garda Division has a long land Border with the neighbouring jurisdiction and this creates additional and unique policing demands on the gardaí in our area. For a number of years, I have continually expressed my concerns that, with resignations and retirements, we are not getting nearly enough of the new Garda recruits into our division. The inadequate allocation of Garda personnel must be addressed. I welcome the recent re-establishment of the Cavan-Monaghan Garda drugs unit. Again, that unit's demanding role needs to be supplemented by more gardaí. The scourge of drugs is causing desperate problems for individual families and communities in every parish. Our Garda division needs an adequate allocation of Garda personnel to ensure day-to-day policing needs in our communities are met, while also taking into account the absolute need to have appropriate mobile patrols and other policing measures to deal effectively with criminality that occurs on a cross-Border basis and ensure the laws of our State are not flouted and abused.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am pleased the Cavan-Monaghan drugs unit was able to recommence. I share his view and that of everyone in government that we want to see Garda numbers increase. We are seeing progress on that. The college is back open and busy.

The fair distribution of new Garda recruits is important. I will share the Deputy's views with the Minister for Justice. I am aware of the particular issue the Deputy raised for counties near the Border and the importance of strong collaboration between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána, particularly to prevent any abuse of the common travel area in respect of immigration. We have seen some good progress on that only in recent days.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Over the years we have had the refusal of the Galway bypass, the refusal of planning permission for the road from Maam Cross to Clifden, massive delays relating to the road from Maam Cross to Oughterard, the refusal of Páirc na Mara, which was a development by Údarás na Gaeltachta, and recently a court case about Ros an Mhíl. It is beginning to become evident that it is becoming nearly impossible to get any basic infrastructural or economic projects through in Connemara.

I have no doubt that when Europe brought in environmental rules, it never meant to strangle any region economically or socially. Will the Government, therefore, consider setting up a review as to why so many public infrastructural projects in Connemara seem to fail on environmental grounds and how it can be tweaked to get a better balance? I ask that the review be done and if the issue that comes up is in Europe, it be dealt with in Europe and if it is an issue we can deal with, it be dealt with here. We cannot go on forever living in a region that is bereft of adequate infrastructure and economic development.

The Taoiseach: The Deputy will understand why I do not want to comment on any specific case, but I will take the broader point he made, which is fair, about constantly keeping under review the impact of regulations and directives. We are part of the decision-making around the European table. We will ask the question the Deputy fairly asked: is it a matter that we need to speak about at a European level regarding a need for reform or is it how we are implementing it at a national level? I have seen a number of examples. I am concerned about the situation in Lough Funshinagh, where there are unintended consequences, if I can put it politely. Let me take the Deputy's suggestion away and I will come back to him directly on it.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I raise the issue of Bord na Móna's plans to sell off its waste management business, as was reported recently. This risks further concentration of waste management services, which is potentially bad for workers and customers. It is further privatisation when the opposite should be happening. Is the Taoiseach aware of the plan and has he or the Government assessed it in terms of competition, terms and conditions of employment, workers' rights and State provision of services?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Truthfully, I am not across the detail of it. It has not been brought to my attention, but I will speak directly to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about the issue. Any such matter would have to comply fully with competition law and other laws of the land such as employment law and an impact assessment should be considered. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly.