Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh na mná ón Ríocht. There is a group of women in the Gallery from an Ríocht, the Kingdom of Kerry. Fáilte.

In May 1997, Sean Brown, a father of six, was abducted and murdered by the Loyalist Volunteer Force gang while locking up the gates of Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAA club in County Derry. Sean's courageous wife, Bridie, and his family have fought for almost 30 years to uncover the truth about his murder. Last year at an inquest hearing, it emerged that more than 25 people had been linked by intelligence to the murder, including several British state agents. The British Government has refused to hold an independent public inquiry into Sean's murder, as previously directed by the High Court. Last week the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled that the British Government's refusal to hold a public inquiry into his murder cannot stand and is unlawful. Will the Taoiseach directly engage with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and urge him to accept the unequivocal High Court ruling and grant a full public inquiry into the murder of Sean Brown?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I pay tribute to the family of Sean Browne for their advocacy and for pursuing this case to seek justice and full transparency and truth surrounding it.

In my engagements with the British Government, both as foreign Minister and now as Taoiseach, I have already sought an inquiry. The Court of Appeal has ruled and I think that the British Government has to respond to that ruling.

I hope that we could get to a conclusion between the British and Irish Governments on the legacy question more generally so that we would have a permanent structure in place to investigate atrocities committed on all sides. This would be a full and transparent investigation. In parallel but separately, there would be information retrieval for the benefit of families of victims and loved ones who have lost their lives. This level of grief and trauma is generational. A younger generation are coming forward representing families and communities who have not got closure in any shape or form.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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The horrific killing is continuing in Gaza with reports of 29 more people, including several children, killed overnight in Gaza City by Israeli bombardment. The Gaza Strip lies in ruins with no sign of any renewal of the ceasefire. I support the calls for an independent international inquiry arising from the cold-blooded killing of 15 humanitarian workers at the end of March in Gaza who were buried in a shallow grave and found a week later. We should remember that the Israeli military said first that they were militants and then had to change its story after a video emerged of the emergency workers in their uniforms and their clearly marked ambulances which were fired upon. This is yet more evidence of clear crimes against humanity by Israel. We are seeing children, journalists, aid workers and medics all being slaughtered and no humanitarian aid has entered the Gaza Strip in over a month. More than 1 million children have no access to food, safe water, shelter and medical supplies. Will the Taoiseach back calls for an international inquiry into that specific horrific killing of the humanitarian workers? What more can Ireland do to push for aid to enter the Gaza Strip?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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First of all, I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Yesterday, in response to a similar question, I condemned unreservedly the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. There has to be an independent, prompt and thorough investigation into the killings of 15 emergency responders. As far as I am concerned, they were murdered. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, tweeted about the matter this morning. I think his words sum it up:

More than a month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have reopened. It's time to end the dehumanisation, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure life-saving aid and renew the ceasefire.

In remarks to journalists he also said, "Gaza is a killing field and civilians are in an endless death loop." What is going on here is horrific. It seems that the Israeli government is hell-bent on collective punishment of the people living in Gaza - it has been doing this for a while - but also on making life a living hell for anyone who lives there.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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Young people are despairing. They are giving up hope that this country will ever provide them with the fundamental need and human right of a home. The people we need - nurses, teachers, doctors, tradespeople and therapists - have emigrated because of the lack of affordable housing. At a housing summit yesterday, Sherry FitzGerald said it is likely that just 25,000 homes will be built this year. That is only half of the minimum of 50,000 homes needed. Rather than turning a corner on housing, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are driving us in circles on a roundabout that is going nowhere. We have yet to see an emergency response from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to this disaster. The one scheme that is working - the tenant in situ scheme - is being restricted and already we are hearing that local authorities will not have sufficient funding to implement it this year. Will the Taoiseach commit to allocating emergency capital funding to Uisce Éireann, to the not-for-profit bodies and to local authorities to ensure they can deliver homes?

The Taoiseach also said during the election that the target for housing delivery for this year is 41,000 homes. Will the Taoiseach confirm that that is the target and if he expects to deliver it, or is it another misleading claim like he made during the election?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is the ESRI, figure, as Deputy Hearne well knows. All Members will be aware that a figure of 50,000 homes a year was identified as being required over the next five years. Very few of the Opposition Members identified how to get there. The tenant in situ scheme does not build houses.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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It keeps people in their homes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Yes, but it does not build houses. Let us not conflate the two. It is important to prevent homelessness but that scheme does not build houses. The focus has to be on how we get houses built faster and as quickly as we possibly can.

I note that Deputy Hearne is quoting Sherry FitzGerald. When the Government used similar private sector bodies last year to identify projections, his party subsequently ridiculed the reliance on private sector agencies for doing that. The Deputy cannot have it both ways.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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We are only highlighting the baseless election claims on it.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am absolutely focused, however. As far as I am concerned, it is a crisis. Young people need to be able to afford to buy houses and be able to rent houses at affordable prices. That is the Government's agenda and we have already allocated an additional €800 million in the first two months of this Government over and above what the provision was for housing.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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Kate spoke on RTÉ radio about her trauma of being raped by three men and then the trial that followed and the intimidatory atmosphere at it. Sophie was interviewed on "Prime Time" about her abuse as well. Kate said that we have an epidemic of gender-based violence and that people are being retraumatised in the legal system as well. The manosphere is operating unchecked and unregulated and is spewing violent misogyny such that 54% of men believe power and control over women is very important, and 46% believe they should not care about a woman's feelings. Two out of five men have trad views.

The Taoiseach's Government accepted a motion that I put in Private Members' business time on a ten-point plan on gender-based violence. Did he actually mean to leave it to gather dust or is he serious about this very serious pressing issue? Survivors have written and are joining a growing movement now. They wrote to the Minister for Justice seeking a meeting to progress that plan, in particular regarding the issue of counselling notes which the DPP has said are not necessary. I ask the Taoiseach when we can have that meeting with the Minister for Justice.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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First of all, I listened to that interview from Kate this morning on "Morning Ireland". It was absolutely horrific what Kate had to go through. The behaviour of those involved was beyond any comprehension that such violence and violation of a young woman could happen in modern society. We have to deal with that on a whole-of-society level, through programmes in education, through the social, personal and health education programme and so forth, and also in terms of the journey of a victim through our courts. The O'Malley report was a watershed. There have been improvements. As I listened this morning, it was still very clear that the experience of Kate was intimidatory and was very challenging and difficult. Although a conviction was secured and people were sentenced, from that perspective it is a reflection of some of the progress that has been made.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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What about the ten-point plan and the meeting?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I want to pay tribute to the previous Minister, Deputy McEntee, who did a lot of work in this area over the past number of years. The current Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, is absolutely focused on this and will be hosting a national forum on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence at the end of March.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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I asked about my meeting.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will ask the Minister and I will engage with the Deputy on that.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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Newport is a beautiful town on the west coast of Mayo that is nestled in the stunning Clew Bay. Newport has no wastewater treatment plant and, as a result, raw sewage is being pumped into Clew Bay. This is affecting fish stocks and the ecosystem, with a foul odour in the town. Indeed, it is robbing the town of its potential in terms of economic development, housing development, tourism and recreational activities for the community.

This facility has been promised for decades, but it keeps getting pushed back and back. The people of Newport and its committee deserve transparency and progress updates on this. We cannot arrive in 2030 to realise that it has been pushed back another decade. Will the Taoiseach agree to engage with Uisce Éireann to provide regular updates? Who is responsible for this wastewater treatment plant? Will the project manager responsible meet with the committee on a quarterly basis to outline the schedule of events and the progress on this?

1 o’clock

It is crucial that the town gets the wastewater treatment plant it deserves.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is on the way.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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This is in Newport, County Mayo.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is on the way.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Lawless, please conclude. I call the Taoiseach for a response.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I know Newport. I have visited Newport. It is a beautiful town. When a treatment plant is on the way there should of course be full engagement with the business committee or the people living in the town, through the various structures, to identify the progress that has been made and the timelines. This is what Deputy Lawless's question is about. I will check with Irish Water. Deputy Lawless is saying the project is on the way but there is an absence of any clear timeline or explanation for the public. I will work on it and I will speak to Irish Water. If I am not mistaken, and I do not want to be facetious, there is a good black pudding in Newport.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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Not as good as Clonakilty.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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It is in a lovely corner of the town. There is a lovely café there with the little manufacturing unit for the black pudding there also. Am I right?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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He will send you down one. I call Deputy Séamus McGrath.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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We need regular updates on this.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy McGrath please.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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Will Uisce Éireann meet the committee?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Quiet, Deputy. Deputy McGrath, please pose your question.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise the issue of driving tests and the unacceptable delays in securing an appointment. This issue has been raised numerous times but, unfortunately, it does not seem to be improving. If anything, it is worsening. Someone applying for a driving test in the Wilton test centre in Cork this morning will be given an estimated date for the end of November 2025. This is a wait of more than seven months. I have heard stories from constituents who have been waiting more than eight months in reality. If people are unfortunate enough to fail, they will face a longer unknown wait for a second test. This issue disproportionately affects young people. It interferes with their plans for study, work and travel. It is impossible for them to plan their lives. In many cases their lives are on hold while they are waiting for a test. I ask for urgent intervention on this issue. I know recruitment is taking place as is the training of new testers but, unfortunately, the situation is quite grave at present. I ask for further urgent intervention. I ask the Taoiseach to follow up on this.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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That is a fair point. For some time I have been hearing Deputies in the House articulating the problem with the delays in getting driving tests, which are crucial for people seeking a job. For the want of getting a test they can be stymied and undermined in this respect. I will speak to the Minister about what we can do in the interim. I appreciate Deputy McGrath raising the issue because it is a real issue for many people out there at present.

Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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On childcare and early learning, new regulations are being put in place for home-based care but continued consultation with the providers is essential. There is major frustration among childcare providers who face great financial pressure and bureaucracy. I engage with experienced operators such as Brigid Fleming in Riverchapel and Frances Burke in Arklow and they are not alone as this is a national concern. There is a conveyor belt of passionate, highly qualified staff leaving the sector due to multiple issues, including poor wages and complicated social welfare procedures. They are generally disillusioned with the profession they love. Last week I met a delegation from the Early Days Academy and Imagination Station in Arklow. Emer Kavanagh is highly qualified but she is being paid less now than she was as a lounge girl. This is simply not correct. Why is there such a gap between the pay and conditions of these highly qualified workers and those in mainstream education? These are the very people we trust to care for those who matter most, namely, our children.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this issue. There was what was perceived to be a big breakthrough two or three years ago when the then Government allocated substantial funding to enable the first-ever agreement between unions and employers in respect of childcare and a JLC was established. I take Deputy Brennan's overall point. Compared with primary education we are still not anywhere close in terms of comparable pay grades or career pathways in early education. This is not something that can happen overnight but we need to have a fundamental look at it. People are studying and it is a very important area. The child is key in this and any experience for a child in any setting must be developmental and not only involve childminding. We have a distance to go on this. Although real progress was made in the past three years on the pay side, the gaps are still there. There is also the issue of places and freezing fees.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Yesterday we had the publication of the HIQA report into CHI, which was discussed in the House at length. The report was damning and outlined a litany of management, clinical, ethical, and informed consent failures. This was not only about use of unauthorised non-medical grade springs, which, of course, was the substance of the report, as the systemic failures go wider than this. Teachta Ó Murchú received an email from a family in County Louth about the hip dysplasia issue. Their child was three or four years old at the time, in 2019. The family was told the child would need hip dysplasia surgery, which would involve cutting into the bone of the child. The family got a second opinion in the North and they were told the child did not have the condition. We have several emails like this. What I am concerned about, and I genuinely need to say this to the Taoiseach, is that the audit under way at present as far as I understand it covers the period from 2021 to 2023. Families are coming to us about issues outside of this time period. There needs to be a much wider look at this. There are many systemic failures in CHI. We know families have been calling for a wider review.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Time Deputy, please.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I must also put it to the Taoiseach that I accept the chair of CHI stood down yesterday. I genuinely believe the board needs to be stood down, given the gravity of the issues which have been raised.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Cullinane. I am very happy to look at any case. Deputy Cullinane appreciates I have not formally received the report yet but I am absolutely open to any case being brought to me. I would greatly appreciate if Deputies throughout the House might do so in the earliest course.

Separately on the board of CHI, there is a statutory structure around it. I note the chairperson stepped down yesterday. I need to get the other two reports and I need to consider governance in the round. As the Taoiseach said earlier, we need to have a functional system to be able to work towards the opening of the National Children's Hospital. I am open to looking at everything in the round but I would like to receive the other two reports first.

Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise the issue of rural housing. In County Louth I am dealing with an incredible number of young couples struggling to get planning permission for their homes. Often I find they are almost demonised for asking and having the audacity to want to build on their own land and create a future for themselves in their own communities. Couples who grow up in an area expect to be able to send their children to primary schools and secondary schools in the area. Quite often we see they are not allowed to do so and are asked to move to places to which they have no connection. The Taoiseach has made commitments on this. We cannot allow the future of so many young couples to be halted. I know of families living in caravans while they wait for planning permission. This is a crucial issue, particularly in County Louth where we have a large number of people being denied planning permission for their future homes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I accept fully what Deputy McGreehan is saying. The existing sustainable rural housing guidelines date back to 2005. The national planning framework fully supports the sustainable development of rural areas. The updated rural housing guidelines are being prepared by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. We are looking at the guidelines to change them and make them more amenable to getting more planning permissions through for people. I do want to say that approximately 6,000 one-off houses on average get planning permission every year. We all know of cases involving people on their own land. One-off houses comprise 20% of housing completions in Ireland in the past five years. These are interesting figures despite all of the commentary. Given the housing crisis we are in, the guidelines have to be reviewed with a view to enabling. Elements such as cost are a factor.

Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Government's commitment to the Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030. How are we leveraging technology and what are the timelines for when the Traffic Watch online reporting form will have the capacity for video or photographic evidence to be uploaded? With regard to the alcohol interlock programme, how is the working group getting on? Are there timelines for when we might get the benefit of this technology? Today is national slow down day and it is disgraceful that by 10 o'clock this morning more than 120 drivers had been caught speeding, with one travelling at more than 44 km/h above the limit.

In Mayo so far this year we have already tragically lost five lives on the road. There are no excuses for speeding.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue, particularly on national slow down day. I do not have an up-to-date position on where the working group is at. I will talk to the Minister about the Deputy having raised this issue and will ask him to come back to her directly on both issues, namely, the technology and the working group. We are losing too many lives on the road. We changed the dial significantly in the past, particularly in the early 2000s when significant legislation was introduced, against a lot of opposition in the House and so on. It was the then Minister, Noel Dempsey, who led the way with the late Gay Byrne, who was the chair of the Road Safety Authority. They just went ahead and did it against a lot of political opposition and all of that, but it led to a significant reduction in road deaths, as did the investment in motorways, better roads and so on.

Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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I raise the issue of the flood relief scheme in my home town of Enniscorthy. The Government committed to deliver the scheme in 2014, almost 11 years ago. People and business owners living beside the Slaney are constantly apprehensive and on the alert, especially in winter time and high-tide season. We were told that funding was ring-fenced in 2014. However, to date no progress is forthcoming. I ask the Taoiseach, who is well aware in his own county of the disruption and financial hardship flooding causes in people's lives to ask his Ministers to deliver the scheme, which is long overdue and to fulfil the promise given 11 years ago to the people and town of Enniscorthy.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. Flood relief schemes are taking far too long. There is a structural issue in terms of permits and various planning procedures. All across the country the delivery of flood relief schemes is snarled up. There are planning objections, and while people can object, it is taking far too long, with judicial reviews. It is serious because climate change is now. Its impact is being felt through severe storms and flooding. Life itself is in danger and loss of life happens in the context of terrible storms, or indeed potentially of terrible floods. The pace at which flood relief schemes are going is in my view out of kilter with the rapidity of climate impacts leading to more storms and floods. That is something on which I will be working with the OPW, local authorities and the Government more generally.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Le tús a chur, tá mé chun rud éigint a chur amach faoi Ghaelcholáiste Reachrann. It is still waiting for an update. The Department was saying that the design team is looking at it and it is a priority for the Department. I am in a group chat with 450 concerned parents. All we are asking for is a written update on the current status of the permanent school and an urgent update on what is holding it back. I would also like the Taoiseach to look at the KRC school campaign in Clontarf, Raheny and Killester, where 1,231 parents representing almost 2,500 children were interviewed. From it, 73% are looking for a coeducational secondary school and 60% are looking for a non-religious school in north Dublin. Is it a priority for the Government to deliver that in north Dublin?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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First, on Ghaelcholáiste Reachrann I will come back to the Deputy. He is looking for the current status and that there will be ongoing communication with the school, which should be happening, and with the parents community in particular. In the case of KRC, the Government has been favourably disposed to any applications for coeducational schools. I will certainly ask the Department and the Minister for Education to look at that specific request as articulated by the Deputy.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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When the Taoiseach was asked yesterday about a public inquiry into the practices at CHI, he appeared to rule that out. I believe jumping to that conclusion without considering the facts, the impact and the outcome is a mistake. Parent groups and patient advocates have for many years been calling for transparency and accountability. We have to be clear that there are many fine clinicians across Temple Street, Crumlin and Tallaght hospitals, but there are also serious concerns. Such is the depth of systemic dysfunction I believe a major inquiry is required.

My question to the Taoiseach concerns one of those inquiries at the moment, which is the Medical Council inquiry into surgeon A. It is taking place behind closed doors. The doctor does not have to appear in person. The families cannot go face to face with the doctor and there is limited access for the media. This is not in the public interest. Some 20 years ago, the patients of Michael Neary fought tooth and nail to have the Medical Council inquiries in public. Covid obviously made the inquiries go online and it is not acceptable five years on that they are still behind closed doors. That needs to change.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister for Health is here but the Deputy asked me about the public inquiry. I did not jump to the conclusion. It has been a view of mine for quite some time. Of the last two inquiries published, the inquiry on Project Eagle found nothing in the end. Do not get me wrong, that in itself can be a finding, but it cost millions of euro and took years. We need to be honest with advocacy groups and with everybody who talks to us and say that this could take between five and ten years. I genuinely think there has to be a better way to do it. In many ways we are discussing what happened with the spinal operations and the use of non-alloyed springs. We kind of know the essentials now.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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We do not.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We know the essentials in that something unbelievable and incomprehensible happened and it should not have happened. Yes, there are issues around that. We then need to deal and engage on the governance issue. Let us work through. There have to be better ways than the formula of public inquiries, which are not giving people closure or satisfaction.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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There is the matter of the Medical Council.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will come back to the Deputy on that.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Taoiseach about the N72, the main artery road from Waterford to Killarney. There is a section of that road in Meenskeha near Cullen in my constituency of Cork North-West in respect of which funding is sought from the Department of Transport and TII. We have received an allocation this year for phase one of €2.5 million. That has been completed in recent days and the money has been drawn down by Cork County Council. It is looking for more funding to do the phase two element. Cork County Council executives have written to the Department and TII seeking further funding. I would appreciate if the Taoiseach would discuss that with the Department to see if we can get more funding as the year goes on.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. It seems all roads lead to Killarney at the moment. There are a lot of requests in. I will follow that up with the county council. There are a lot of requests in from different local authorities in respect of roads. The costs of them are increasing in terms of when they go to tender and so on. There was a major investment yesterday of €450 million. I will look at the issue and see where we are at. The objective is to try to progress through the different stages as best we can.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I need to raise the issue of delays in the delivery of home care packages to vulnerable people, particularly in the Cork and Kerry region. Across the county more than 5,000 people are waiting for home care packages, with more than 1,000 of them on waiting lists in the Cork and Kerry region. Very often these are people who have been assessed as needing a home care package and the HSE is not able to find somebody to deliver the service to them. In the meantime, these older people are struggling at home alone. They may be caring for an elderly loved one or they may be stuck in an acute hospital waiting for discharge. The HSE has identified various black spots where it is not able to deliver the service itself and neither is it able to get independent services to do that. It means that in the meantime these people are stuck while they are waiting for the service. It is hugely important that they be able to live independently with dignity and that those services be delivered in a timely manner. Can the HSE ensure that service will be delivered, especially in the black spot areas?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I do not disagree with the Deputy. We have a problem in the Cork area. I have a well-informed Minister and Minister of State here who confirm that. Notwithstanding the fact that 24 million hours were allocated for home care packages this year, which is an increase of 7 million hours compared with four years ago, that does not help the Deputy's experience and that of people in his constituency. There seems to be an issue in the Cork and Kerry area that we have to address.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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Last night in the Dáil, the Minister for Education doubled down on her intention to continue with the accelerated roll-out of senior cycle reform and a start date of September 2025. This is despite the significant concerns raised by school leaders across the State, including the tens of thousands of teachers who protested on this issue last November.

On the current trajectory, they say we are building advantage on advantage and disadvantage on disadvantage. That is before we think of the impact of artificial intelligence. Last night the Minister talked more about engagement with unions but teachers, school leaders and unions are looking for a pause because some of their concerns cannot be addressed if the Minister pushes ahead with September implementation. Will the Taoiseach commit to that pause?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister will engage with all concerned. Curriculum reform, generally speaking, has worked well in Ireland through the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA. There have been many innovative and good and positive developments. I will talk to the Minister in respect of the issues that have been raised. I have no doubt the Minister will engage with the social partners on this matter.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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There are real concerns.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. As highlighted last month on "The Neil Prendeville Show" on RedFM, can the Taoiseach explain how it is acceptable for a man who identifies himself as Sarabjit Singh - my Hindi is not very good - is now registered at two addresses in Mallow, County Cork, under the State-funded international protection system and appears to be quite a successful businessman? Mr. Singh owns 20% of a hospitality company, Mohsin Manzoor Hospitality Limited, with a turnover that jumped from €25,000 to €900,000 in the past nine months. He is also linked to two other properties in which he owns a 20% share, which have €150,000 outstanding to Revenue with a collection debt on that. He also owns a luxury home in Cork with a pool.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy O'Flynn should not be raising separate issues on individuals. I ask him to refrain from that, please.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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I will just say the individual. The company also owns a luxury property in Cork with an indoor pool and cinema. More concerning, the main business-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Can you conclude, Deputy?

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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The main business of Mohsin Manzoor Hospitality Limited is in providing accommodation for international protection applicants, the very system he is living under himself. Does the Government believe-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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You are out of order, Deputy.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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-----that this is fair on the taxpayer? Is it satisfied that it is not a part of a greater scheme that exploits the system-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Does Deputy Whitmore wish to ask a question that is within the remit?

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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-----that is meant to support the genuine and the vulnerable?

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Does the Taoiseach wish to comment on that?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Just to say to the Deputy, I am not aware of the specifics of what he has said.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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I will write to the Taoiseach in this regard.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am not going to comment on individual cases, but if there is anything untoward - and the Deputy clearly believes there is - there are authorities to which all of that can be reported and properly investigated.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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Some 61,000 children will sit their leaving certificate in a couple of months’ time. While this is always a stressful time for students, this year, when those students are doing their leaving certificate and are getting ready to compete for higher education courses, not only are they competing against the 61,000 within their cohort, but they are also competing against 15,000 students who were given predictive grades over the Covid-19 period. Those students are hugely advantaged by the predictive grades given during Covid-19. While I know the Minister is currently trying to phase that out – and it needs to be phased out - it needs to be done fairly. The students of 2025 will be down potentially 15 to 20 points in comparison with students who did their leaving certificate last year. That could mean the difference between getting a course and not getting a course. There is a way to do this. Predictive grades students could be weighted in the CAO applications for this year. This can be done in some way. There is a way of dealing with this fairly. It really cannot be the case that the students of 2025 are going to be so disadvantaged by this.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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This is an issue with which the Department has been dealing with in recent years with regard to how one exits the unique circumstances that pertained in Covid-19. It has not been easy and it is not easy. There is no easy way to phase out the predictive grades system. I will communicate to the Minister that the Deputy has raised this issue. I have no doubt that the Minister is engaging with all concerned at the moment. To be fair to the Department of Education, the State Examinations Commission and the expert people involved in the grading, it is a complex and evolved process. I hope they will do everything they possibly can to be fair to the students of this year.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Tógfaidh muid sos 60 nóiméid anois.