Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:-- Motion re Presentation and Circulation of Revised and Second Further Revised Estimates [Votes 11 to 19, 23, 24, 26 to 30, 32 to 34, 39, 42 and 43] (without debate and any division claimed to be taken immediately)

- Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension) Bill 2025 - Financial Resolution (without debate)

- Motion re Third Report of the Standing Committee of Selection (without debate)

- Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025 (Second Stage) (to conclude after 3 hours and 34 minutes)

- Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Financial Resolution (without debate)

- Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025 (Second and remaining Stages) (Second Stage to conclude after 3 hours and 34 minutes and any division claimed to be taken immediately; Committee and remaining Stages to conclude within 60 minutes)

- Mental Health Bill 2024 (Committee Stage, resumed, section 43) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 9 p.m. or after 2 hours and 30 minutes, whichever is the later)

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(a) the Dáil may sit later than 10.48 p.m.;

(b) the time allotted for Government Business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business, with consequential effect on the commencement time for private members' business, which may be taken later than 6.12 p.m.; and

(c) private members’ time shall in any event be taken on the conclusion of the Second Stage of the Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025, with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following in the ordinary routine of business, namely, Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, and topical issues;

2. the proceedings on the Motion re Presentation and Circulation of Revised and Second Further Revised Estimates [Votes 11 to 19, 23, 24, 26 to 30, 32 to 34, 39, 42 and 43] shall be taken without debate and any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately;

3. the proceedings on the Motion for a Financial Resolution relating to the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner’s Pension) Bill 2025 shall be taken without debate;

4. the proceedings on the Motion re Third Report of the Standing Committee of Selection shall be taken without debate; and

5. the proceedings on the Second Stage of the Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025 shall be brought to a conclusion after 3 hours and 34 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply:

(a) the arrangements for the first speaking round shall be in accordance with those contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down);

(b) on the conclusion of the first speaking round or where speeches conclude before the 3 hours and 24 minutes have elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, whereupon proceedings shall be brought to a conclusion; and

(c) members may share time.

	Gov	SF	Lab	Gov	SF
Mins	20	20	20	12	4
	SD	Gov	SF	IPTG	Gov
Mins	20	12	4	20	12
	SF	ITG	Gov	SF	OM
Mins	4	20	12	4	20

1. the ordinary routine of business as set out in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders is modified to the following extent:

(a) the Dáil may sit later than 9.30 p.m. and shall adjourn on the conclusion of the weekly division time; and

(b) the time allotted for Government Business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business, with consequential effect on the commencement time for the weekly division time, which may be taken on the adjournment of the resumed proceedings on the Mental Health Bill 2024: Provided that where the proceedings on that Bill conclude within the allotted time, the weekly division time shall be taken on the conclusion thereof, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the proceedings on the Motion for a Financial Resolution relating to the Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025 shall be taken without debate;

3. in relation to the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025, the following arrangements shall apply:

(a) the proceedings on Second Stage shall be brought to a conclusion after 3 hours and 34 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the arrangements for the first speaking round shall be in accordance with those contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down);

(ii) on the conclusion of the first speaking round or where speeches conclude before the 3 hours and 24 minutes have elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, whereupon proceedings shall be brought to a conclusion;

(iii) members may share time; and

(iv) any division claimed on the Second Stage proceedings shall be taken immediately; and

(b) the proceedings on Committee and remaining Stages shall be taken on the conclusion of the Second Stage, and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes by one question which shall be put from the Chair and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and

	Gov	SF	Lab	Gov	SF
Mins	20	20	20	12	4
	SD	Gov	SF	IPTG	Gov
Mins	20	12	4	20	12
	SF	ITG	Gov	SF	OM
Mins	4	20	12	4	20

4. the resumed proceedings on Committee Stage of the Mental Health Bill 2024 shall be taken on the conclusion of the proceedings on the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025 and, if not previously concluded, shall be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 9 p.m., or after 2 hours and 30 minutes, whichever is the later, and shall not be resumed on Wednesday.

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that topical issues may be taken earlier than 7.24 p.m. and shall in any event be taken on the adjournment of proceedings on Second Stage of the Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) Bill 2025, or where those proceedings conclude within the allotted time, on the conclusion thereof, with consequential effect on the commencement time for Second Stage of the Healthcare (Transparent Payments) Bill 2022 and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil; and

2. in relation to the proceedings on the Second Stage of the Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) Bill 2025, the following arrangements shall apply:

(a) subject to subparagraph (ii), the proceedings shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned after 3 hours and 24 minutes and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

(i) the arrangements for the first speaking round shall be in accordance with those contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down);

(ii) where speeches conclude before the 3 hours and 24 minutes have elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and

(iii) members may share time; and (b) the proceedings shall not be resumed on Thursday.

	Gov	SF	Lab	Gov	SF
Mins	20	20	20	12	4
	SD	Gov	SF	IPTG	Gov
Mins	20	12	4	20	12
	SF	ITG	Gov	SF	OM
Mins	4	20	12	4	20

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Are the proposed arrangements for the week's business agreed to?

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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Not agreed.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Chief Whip will have been party to an email from us regarding Committee and Remaining Stages of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill tomorrow evening. Sixty minutes just does not cut it. We are going to need two hours. I am asking that the Government allow two hours for that. Whatever way the Government does that, we need to have at least two hours.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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I support Deputy Mac Lochlainn's request. There is also an issue of workers' rights within our very House in terms of the broadcast unit workers who are being paid well below the average pay for skilled work in that industry and who, in the summer recess and at Christmas, do not get paid and have to sign on or get alternative employment.

This is something a majority of the Members in the House support and-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I do not mean to interrupt, but I think that is a matter for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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I think it is a matter for everyone in this House. I do not think it is anything we can stand over.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. I call Deputy Gibney.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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Under Standing Order 35(3), I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business. Grocery prices are currently out of control and are continuing to soar. Compared to 2021, families are now spending about €3,000 more in the supermarket. Along with all the other increases we are seeing in the prices of energy, rent and houses, this is having a devastating impact on families who are having to choose between heating and eating or simply struggling to put food on the table. We need statements and we need them this week. We would like to see them on Thursday afternoon. We need to hear what the Government is going to do to tackle this.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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We need statements on education. Primary schools are going through a serious crisis. I met with representatives of the INTO last week, as others probably did too. We need to look at class sizes, but the capitation grant was the big issue. Basically, schools cannot pay the electricity bill. If we cannot at least give them proper funding to allow them to continue their proper functions as primary schools, then the State is failing. We therefore need a debate on education in the Dáil.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I certainly do not agree with the Order of Business. We need to reflect on what is happening in the Middle East. We have had an unprovoked attack by Israel on Iran and the language around this is simply shameful.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Hear, hear.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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It is an unprovoked attack on a sovereign, independent country and we are not talking about it or making space for a debate. This is an attack by a rogue state, which the Government has agreed is committing genocide, that has now gone into Iran, and is suddenly the moral conscious in relation to nuclear armaments, which Iran does not process-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Israel is not even a member of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy Connolly, please respect the timeline. I call Deputy McDonald.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I propose an amendment to the Order of Business under Standing Order 35(3) for Thursday afternoon-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Please state the amendment.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I believe we need time for statements on the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. Today, Israel has slaughtered-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Please state the amendment, Deputy.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----51 Palestinians at a food distribution point in Khan Younis. Israeli tanks fired shells at hungry-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I ask the Deputy to state the amendment.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----and desperate Palestinian refugees queuing for aid.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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This is now a daily occurrence. It is diabolical-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy McDonald-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----and it is sick and it is a genocide.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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-----please state the amendment.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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We need statements on this matter and to ensure no arm of the Irish State is complicit in this genocidal, diabolical act by Israel.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank Deputy McDonald. I call the Government Chief Whip.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I have heard what the Whips said. Regarding what Deputy Mac Lochlainn said, an additional 60 minutes will be provided for Committee and Remaining Stages of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025. Second Stage of the Bill will be 214 minutes, or 3 hours and 34 minutes, and a further two hours will be provided for the Committee and Remaining Stages, which is a total of 5 hours and 34 minutes tomorrow afternoon.

I am hearing what all the Deputies are saying about additional statements. We might have to look at having sittings on Fridays because there is just not enough time - three days a week - to facilitate everything required.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I second that.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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That is fine.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am already very much minded to have legislation Fridays in the next few weeks. We can discuss it at the meeting of the Business Committee on Thursday. I will not be accepting the proposed amendments.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Chief Whip will not be accepting the proposed amendments.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Why does the Government not want to have statements on Gaza?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Are the proposed arrangements for the week's business agreed to?

Deputies:

Not agreed.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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We now move on to Questions on Policy or Legislation. I call Deputy Mary Lou McDonald. I ask Deputies to leave the Chamber quickly and quietly.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Government has made a bags of the sale of the State's shares in AIB, although it tries to spin it as a success. This was a botched deal for the taxpayer from day one. In its rush to get the bank back into private hands, the Government has cost the State €5 billion. This is the money that would have been generated simply by holding onto the shares. In 2022, when the Government began the sell-off, shares in AIB stood at €2.32. Today they stand at €7. The Government was told at that time that this increase in value was very likely but it still chose to plough ahead and effectively throw this money away. We know what comes next will be gold-plated salaries and bumper bonuses for the top brass at AIB. Government incompetence in this is astonishing. When is the Government going drop the spin and accept it has botched this up? More to the point, how does the Taoiseach explain this €5 billion loss to Irish taxpayers? Remember them? They are the ones who bailed out this and other banks.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Increasingly, Deputy McDonald's use of language-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Never mind my language, answer the question.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----is lacking any credibility. We have words like "botched", "made a bags of" and "astonishing". There is nothing astonishing about it. I pay tribute to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, who has handled this very well. Approximately €29 billion was invested and €29 billion has been recovered. We have a fully functioning bank. Europe-wise, legislation and the regulatory environment have been transformed. They have been transformed in this country also. In my view, of Bank of Ireland and AIB are two healthy, functioning banks, which is good for the country, in order that we can modern banking and payments systems that can underpin our economy and society. Most commentators have a different view from that articulated by the Deputy.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I want to raise the pressing issue of institutional abuse. We know that survivors deserve justice and fair redress but for far too long institutions, and religious-run orders in particular, have been able to evade accountability for abuse carried out under their watch. Last year, we saw the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church recording more allegations of abuse than in any other year since it was established. We know there is still a great deal of historical legacy that needs to be tackled. Many disclosures have been made, in no small part due to the courage of many survivors who have come out publicly. I am thinking in particular of Mark and David Ryan, the brothers who precipitated the powerful "Blackrock Boys" television programme. I note the sad passing of Mark Ryan in September 2023.

We know that religious orders have moved or are moving their assets to lay-run trusts, out of the reach of the survivors to whom they owe redress. Nearly a year has passed since the then Taoiseach and now Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, committed to working with me and the Labour Party to ensure our Bill would be passed. We have a Bill that would end that cynical invasion of accountability. Will the Taoiseach give a commitment that the Government will look again at passing the Bill?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Where is the Bill at the moment?

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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It will be introduced.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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You are proposing to introduce it. We will certainly examine it and look at it positively. We believe that the religious orders, first and foremost, should be accountable and contribute redress, even though this will never compensate for the appalling abuse inflicted on any individual or group of persons. Compensation or redress can never do so, but they constitute an aspect of accountability. Certainly, we are interested in exploring every avenue to make sure that there is accountability.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I will write to the Taoiseach.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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Like the Taoiseach, I believe Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. Given that is the case, what are we doing allowing uninspected flights involving private jets linked to military contractors and carrying dual-use goods to transit through Shannon Airport en route to Israel? These flights are not covert. The are documented and trackable. The Taoiseach might be aware that under EU customs law, Ireland is obliged to carry out risk-based inspections. This includes flights using known arms routes. Right now, Ireland is clearly not complying.

The moral failure speaks for itself, but we are potentially in breach of EU VAT enforcement rules, which raises serious questions. Today, my colleague Senator Patricia Stephenson and I have written to OLAF, the EU's anti-fraud body, and to the Attorney General to seek legal clarity on the Government's position for non-inspection of these flights. If the Taoiseach does not have an answer today, he might commit to providing a written response to me on this matter to explain what steps, if any, the Government is taking to ensure that Ireland is meeting all its legal obligations when it comes to the inspections of aeroplanes.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government does fulfil its legal obligations. In respect of aviation, there are international conventions that the Government and all other governments have to adhere to regarding inspections or state flights as opposed to commercial flights. The Government is adhering to and observing those obligations. I have not seen the Deputy's letter to the Attorney General. If it is okay, I will ask him to forward a copy of the letter to me.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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Yes. I would appreciate a response.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I raise the serious matter of the closure of a dental practice in Oranmore, County Galway, more than three years ago. Approximately 200 patients and families have been left in an utter predicament and have been subjected to partial treatment, no treatment and so on. They have engaged. All of the TDs at the time had a meeting with the Dental Council. There is utter frustration and anger that the people involved have been left in this predicament. They are asking for a number of things. The first and most basic is that the Dental Council would come before the health committee. They are also asking for the gaps that exist in relation to the monitoring of practices be looked at. Obviously, the orthodontist involved had serious health problems. I am not going into that; we will take it as a given. However, the consequences of this mean families were left with nothing. It is three years later. Other colleagues and I have raised this in the past and done our best. We have got nowhere. The families are still struggling for accountability in respect of what happened.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I presume the Deputy has approached the HSE on the matter. If she could forward the details to me or the Minister for Health, I will certainly follow it up with the Minister and HSE. Was it a private practice?

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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It was.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The public health service has some remit there-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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It is almost an identical concept.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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----- and the HSE would too.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Tom McHugh was the assistant chief officer of the A-Block in Portlaoise Prison. The block houses the most dangerous criminals in the State. He was asked to investigate drug trafficking in the prison. He carried out his job and reported the information to the management. One morning, a prisoner, who was an enforcer for a well known criminal gang and was well known for knife crime, told the governor that three staff approached him and asked him to cut Tom McHugh up. The Naughton report vindicated that particular situation, but since then Tom has been living in fear. He has undergone a number of near life-threatening attacks and has received threats on a near daily basis. He is off sick and is unable to work. He is facing poverty. He has made a protected disclosure. He has been left to hang with no support from the State after serving it in a difficult situation. Will the Taoiseach make sure that he has an income until his protected disclosure case is heard?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is a set procedure for how protected closures are dealt with. I am not familiar with the full details of this case. I do not know whether the Deputy has raised it with the-----

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I have raised with two Ministers for justice and two Taoisigh.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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With the Ministers for justice. That is fine.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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You are the third Taoiseach with whom I have raised the matter.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I cannot intervene in every case, but I will ask the Minister for justice for his perspective on this to see what the situation is and what help can be given.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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On 8 June, Sunday Independent journalist Mark Tighe wrote an article with the headline, "FAI ‘too slow’ to act over allegations of former national team manager’s behaviour towards female footballers". The article alleged a number of things. The first was that the FAI agreed a financial settlement with its former director of public relations to keep details of his complaints from becoming public. The second was that despite the FAI stating publicly that it only learned of the allegations in early 2024, its former director of public relations made what he thought was a protected disclosure, alleging that it knew of these concerns in May 2023. This is important because the person at the centre of all these allegations was allowed to coach in the period from May 2023, when the former chief executive queried who he was, the point at which he was stood down by the association in March 2024.​

My concern here is safeguarding protocols and whether they were adhered to. Having seen the same evidence as that of the journalist, I have serious concerns about the FAI's actions and have written to the chair of the sport committee, the Minister for sport and the FAI to that effect.

Is the Government and Sport Ireland satisfied with the time lapse between the matter being brought to the FAI's attention in May 2023 to the standing down of the coaches at the centre of this controversy in 2024?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this very serious and important issue. It is important to detail the timeline of events and steps taken by the Football Association of Ireland regarding these allegations. As the Deputy said, and as is my understanding, an internal email was sent by a former FAI CEO in May 2023 regarding rumours relating to a former coach and alleged historical inappropriate behaviour.

This is the subject matter of a current Garda investigation and it would be inappropriate for me to comment in any greater detail than that other than to say that once the FAI received the formal complaint in January 2024, it acted swiftly and contacted An Garda Síochána and Tusla in accordance with mandatory reporting requirements and its own safeguarding and child welfare regulations. Following the revelations, the FAI introduced an anonymous reporting mechanism to allow players and others to flag concerns and report inappropriate behaviour and to raise a concern to-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Taoiseach.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----an independent complaint-handling firm. I will raise this matter with the Ministers for sport and for children, obviously.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Community care workers and home carers are essential to Ireland's healthcare system, supporting older people and those with disabilities to live independently at home. Increasing demand means carers are working under tight schedules with limited hours per client. It is essential they have proper training in all areas of elder care and must have good communication skills to support clients and families.

Many carers work through private agencies but oversight varies. This raises concerns about the quality and accountability. There are many issues here: workload, pay, travel expenses, standards of care and absenteeism. We need to reform the community and homecare system. We need to improve working conditions and training regulations and we must standardise the level of care for people being minded at home.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate Deputy Aird raising this very serious question. I agree with him. Approximately 24 million hours-----

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Some 24 million hours have been delivered this year.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----of home care were delivered last year. This is all the more reason for a proper regulatory framework to govern it. We intend to place this on a statutory footing in terms of home care entitlements and so on. However, training and supports are vital. Quality of healthcare must be at the centre of this and the legislation will be published shortly.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach said earlier utilities need certainty and so do people. Residents and businesses in Ballymahon and Ardagh in Longford have had enough. Last year, Ardagh's water supply failed 13 times and there were five more failures this year, excluding storm-related outages. It is a long-standing problem and is unacceptable. It is upending the daily lives of ordinary people, families, farmers and businesses.

Despite countless complaints and reports to Uisce Éireann, answers are scarce and solutions are even scarcer. The communities feel ignored, neglected and that their water needs are an afterthought. Investment in rural water infrastructure is vital. Towns and villages like these cannot continue without a basic, safe and reliable water supply. They are not looking for miracles; they are looking for a clear plan and timeframe for when their water service will be restored to something reliable. Is the Taoiseach in a position to give those towns and villages that commitment today?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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First, there will be increased investment in water. I have had discussions with Irish Water in respect of some rural towns or where there are certain developments where bespoke arrangements have to be arrived at between developers, for example, who could develop waste water treatment facilities and supply in accordance with guidelines issued by Irish Water and subsequent inspections-----

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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There is not.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I know that but I am saying this will have to happen.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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But there are none.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The demand is growing all the time and we must develop innovative ways of meeting that demand.

Grace Boland (Dublin Fingal West, Fine Gael)
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Child poverty in Ireland is reaching crisis levels. The Children's Rights Alliance annual report revealed a staggering rise in the number of children living in consistent poverty. We must ensure families have the financial support they need to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

I very much welcome the Taoiseach's comments yesterday in which he stated that nothing is off the table when it comes to social welfare payments for reducing child poverty. Last week, the Taoiseach would have seen the ESRI reported that introducing a means test second-tier child benefit payment of €285 per month could lift 55,000 children out of poverty.

Can the Taoiseach confirm the Government will seriously consider implementing this targeted second-tier benefit to support Ireland's most vulnerable children and families? To alleviate concerns and provide certainty to parents, can the Taoiseach also confirm there will be no reductions to existing child benefit payments in budget 2026?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Deputy will understand I am not in a position to outline the budget today - that will be in October. I have made it very clear since my appointment - and I have spoken to the Minister for Social Protection - that child poverty is a key priority of Government. I have asked for specific proposals in relation to it in the forthcoming budget. I said yesterday that nothing is off the table. Obviously, it must be considered in the broader public expenditure limits that will be set and envelope for the budget but I am determined to target resources at those children who are most vulnerable so we can lift children in those circumstances out of poverty.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I raise the recent report by the Department of Transport regarding the cost of congestion in the regional cities of Waterford, Cork and Galway. The report highlighted the cost of congestion in Galway will double between now and 2030, from €54 million currently to €107.4 million in 2030, which is an astronomical figure.

In the following decade, from 2030 to 2040, the cost for Galway is expected to stabilise to €106.9 million. This stabilisation is based on the assumption the Galway city ring road will be operational post-2030. We heard already during Leaders' Questions how the Taoiseach values this project and wants to see it being promoted.

Despite this, Galway is still projected to be the city with the highest cost of congestion in 2040 - higher than Cork and Waterford. The report states the planned interventions - other than the road - are not sufficient to offset the increase in congestion in the city centre and wider metropolitan area. The report also highlighted the rate of public transport usage among commuters was five times the rate in Dublin as opposed to the regional cities.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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This reflects insufficient scale and coverage of public transport. The Taoiseach needs to examine the NTA and its role in regional cities.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The cost of congestion in Galway is particularly high and the failure to get the ring road system through has been a significant contributing factor to this. It is currently with An Bord Pleanála but we need that ring road developed, and parallel with that, investment in public transport. There is investment under way in public transport in Galway both rail and through the NTA but I take the Deputy's point. Much consultation takes place. The NTA, in its BusConnects approach, creates much angst out there and then hence a lot of consultation. Then it takes a long time before we can get an agreed position. The Deputy has raised these serious issues which point to the need to try to get consensus. There needs to be consensus in Galway on public transport and the ring road issue.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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There are reports the Citywest complex in Saggart will be purchased by the State to become a public IPAS centre. Citywest currently accommodates 2,000 people seeking refuge. It is deeply disappointing residents and elected representatives only heard this from newspaper reports. Deputy Ó Broin and I have contacted the Minister for Justice to try to get answers on behalf of residents and none have been forthcoming.

We are strongly of the view no decision should be made about the future of Citywest without real and meaningful engagement with local residents, community and elected representatives. Following a meeting with the Saggart Village Residents' Association, we have written to the Minister urging him to have a meeting with the local community as a matter of urgency to discuss their concerns. Is the Government considering purchasing Citywest as a public IPAS centre? Can the Taoiseach ask the Minister to meet the people of Saggart?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Last year, the Government initiated a policy of purchasing or establishing State-owned centres as opposed to relying entirely on the private sector, which has been criticised a lot by the Deputy's party and the Opposition more generally, in terms of housing asylum seekers pending adjudication of their asylum applications. In respect of City West, it is fundamentally a value-for-money consideration as to which makes greater sense, namely to continue to lease indefinitely for years or to purchase. I will ask the Minister for justice to engage with the Deputy. I will alert him to the fact that he has raised the issue.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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Has the decision been made?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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This is not a back-and-forth. I call Deputy Danny Healy-Rae.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The cost of building a new house is somewhere around €400,000 for a young couple or whomever. One third of the actual building cost comprises VAT, other taxes and levies. Will the Government consider doing anything about that?

Would it be possible to increase the first-time buyers grant if people were incentivised to build smaller houses, like we used to do in the 1970s and 1980s. I refer to any house under 1,350 sq. ft in area built at that time. I am not saying that we should base the bar around there, but maybe somewhere in between. People are building houses that range from 2,500 sq. ft. up to 3,000 sq. ft. Every square foot costs somewhere between €250 and €300. This is increasing the cost of houses. People are burying themselves in debt. The Government should incentivise them to build smaller houses by giving them another grant in addition to the first-time buyers grant. I ask the Government to consider doing so.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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On costs, we waived the development levies for a significant period. This resulted in unprecedented levels of commencements over the two years prior to this year. The commencements in 2023 and 2024 were significant. There was a massive increase because we waived the development levies for a restricted period. After that, we have had a lower level of commencements. The Government is doing a range of initiatives on housing. Everything is being kept under constant review. I will look at the Deputy's proposal, but the help to buy scheme and the first home grant are quite generous as matters stand. Combined, they give significant supports to first-time buyers. We will certainly examine the proposal.

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The waiving of the levy is gone now.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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It is not a back-and-forth, Deputy.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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I want to raise an issue that is having an impact on many of us on both sides of the House but is manifesting quite acutely in my town of Swords. I refer to the deteriorating nature of the public engagement on the part of Irish Water with public representatives, both local and national. At Swords wastewater treatment plant, intermittent outages are impacting a lot of residents and Fingallian's GAA club. I have been trying to engage with Irish Water but I have not been getting answers. I have been trying to get an on-site meeting for six months. I was told that the company does not do such meetings, even though I have attended two over the past ten years. It does not do the reputation of Irish Water any good. We are solutions focused in trying to solve these problems. Will the Taoiseach to engage with Irish Water and bring his powers to bear in order to ensure that it re-engage with local politicians in order to help us solve issues and allow us to communicate effectively with our constituents?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Irish Water should engage with the Deputy on the issue. It should engage with Oireachtas representatives on issues of similar significance to that in his constituency. I will certainly convey my views to Irish Water in that respect.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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A total of 159 healthcare workers with long Covid have been in receipt of payments over the past four to five years. Those payments are in recognition of the fact that they contracted the virus in high-risk settings such as hospital wards at the peak of the pandemic. They were often without adequate PPE. They have paid an enormous price in the form of symptoms such as debilitating post-exertional malaise. This can mean that a person might struggle to lift a cup of tea after what most of us would consider mild exertion or having to go back to bed with exhaustion after their children to school. Their quality of life has been ruined by this condition, and they are not able to work. Despite the sacrifices that these healthcare workers made on our behalf, they now face the loss of financial security at the end of June because this payment will be coming to an end. Many were infected in early January 2021, following the so-called meaningful Christmas, during which restrictions on movement were crudely lifted by the Government against the advice of public health experts. Will the Government provide these workers with an occupational injury scheme that will remove financial insecurity from the many burdens they carry?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am familiar with the issue. The payment was extended on a number of occasions previously. I will talk to the Minister for Health in respect of this. I will have to check if it would be possible to do a separate ring-fenced occupational scheme. However, I doubt it because doing so would open up precedents for a range of other schemes. These workers put themselves on the line for the country and its people during a very trying time. I have always advocated on their behalf regarding maintaining the existing payment as long as we possibly can. I will talk the Minister for Health in that regard.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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This month's update on the M20 Cork-Limerick project outlines plans for a new tolled motorway, with a barrier-free, distance-based tolling system, stretching from Blarney to Limerick. I want to specifically raise the concerns of the communities of north Cork, particularly those in Mallow, Blarney and surrounding areas, who fear that they may be penalised for everyday local travel. Given the lack of viable transport and alternatives in the region, will the Taoiseach give a commitment to the House that no tolls will apply on the stretch of motorway between Blarney and Mallow? If he cannot give such a commitment today, will he outline what measures will be taken to protect local residents from an unfair burden?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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There has been a long-standing commitment to the M20, and we are making progress. The route design is due to be published today, I think.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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It came out yesterday.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Which is good. We will go stage by stage. This is a key piece of infrastructure. We will examine the issue of tolling and the impact on local populations in particular, because there can be a significant impact on those who travel short distances to and from work, etc.