Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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To add to the sentiments expressed earlier, there is no doubt serious sadness, shock and disbelief at the discovery of the remains in Donabate yesterday of the young boy, Daniel Aruebose. I think we all send our deepest condolences to everybody who loved Daniel. The community is grieving and everybody right across the island is horrified at what happened, and heartbroken. It is a very sensitive matter, as the Tánaiste mentioned, but we cannot ignore the issues it raises in the form of serious questions about child protection, Tusla and the Minister.

We still do not have an independent chair to oversee the checks of children involved in Tusla cases that were closed during the pandemic. That has to be done urgently. These 42,000 case reviews need to be done without any more delay. However, it simply does not go far enough and our spokesperson, Claire Kerrane, has been calling for this for quite a period of time now. She has asked that these checks should be a normal part of its work. We should not have a situation where in the space of a year, two children who had been in touch with Tusla have been missing, presumed dead, and gone for years. Beyond the 42,000 case reviews, which just relate to cases closed during the pandemic, does the Tánaiste now accept that as a matter of course there has to be a lookback and check for those children who have been in contact with Tusla? What action will the Government take to make sure that this never happens again?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Those are all very fair questions. My understanding is that the independent chair for the lookback on the cases that were closed during the Covid pandemic is due to be appointed very shortly. We will certainly keep everybody across the House updated on that. The Deputy is right that this case raises very significant issues. In the first case we need to try to establish as many facts as we possibly can. We then need to work collaboratively across this House to make sure that our legislative basis is right. There will be a couple of opportunities to do this: the commitment in relation to the Child Care Act to increase the powers of Tusla and provide for interagency co-operation; and also the commitment to put the national review panel on a statutory footing.

I do not want to overcommit until the facts are established. The point the Deputy made about the need for those checks to just become somewhat automatic is not unfair. We live in a world and a country that are much more transient. While I am not talking about this specific case, I am not sure we could just take the word of somebody that someone was just in one school and presume that they moved to another. How we close those loops is a legitimate policy question and we would be happy to work constructively with the Deputy on it.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I again express my solidarity with the Tánaiste and his family in the face of the horrible threats made against him, which I have condemned. Indeed, they are profoundly anti-democratic. We know that the online space plays a huge role in fomenting this sort of hate. In that context we should all be concerned to see the exposé on RTÉ's "Prime Time" tonight, which will show the serious national security threat arising from the sale of real-time bidding location data. "Prime Time" investigators were handed RTB data showing movements of individuals, including family members of prominent individuals around their homes and other spaces. The Tánaiste's experience highlights just how serious and how appalling this could be.

It is no surprise tech companies are doing this but what is surprising is that the Data Protection Commission has been aware of this illegal behaviour since a whistleblower informed it in 2017. It is not about lack of legislation or lack of money. We understand the DPC has received €162.3 million since 2017. Given that the DPC has been aware of the use of RTB location data for eight years, how can we continue to have confidence in the DPC to protect people in the face of what could be a very serious threat to individual privacy and indeed could amount to a national security threat?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for her kind words. On this matter, very serious issues have been raised here. I am reluctant to overly comment on them because I am trying to establish all the facts of this case. I am concerned over what I have heard and read this morning. My understanding, based on a note provided to me, is that the DPC first became aware of the matter when contacted by "Prime Time" and is extremely concerned by it. That is what I have been told here. Location data can obviously reveal a very significant amount of information about individuals, including information about an individual's habits and personality, information that is inherently sensitive. It can be more sensitive in relation to people carrying out particular jobs or duties in our State. Of course, any individual's location information in that regard can pose a serious risk to the security and well-being of an individual.

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is aware that the Data Protection Commissioner is looking into these matters. I have no doubt we will require further answers on this in the days ahead. It raises a broader issue, which I hope we can have time to discuss in this House, about online regulation. There are new things coming in about political regulation and regulation of online political content, which is grand, fine and no problem, but that is not really what is threatening our democracy, in my view. The problem is not with political parties taking out ads on Facebook; it is with those people who are not political parties often with anonymous accounts threatening to subvert our democracy and spew the place with misinformation. There is a need for a debate on this also.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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As we have heard today and as will be on "Prime Time" this evening, it has been reported that the location data of tens of thousands of Irish people is being sold online. This data tells the buyer where people live and their place of work even if it is some sensitive location like a military base or a women's refuge. It tells them when people went to the doctor, where the park is that they take their kids to play in and whom they met there. That buyer is anyone who can reasonably pose as a company that wants this data for analytics. That could be a vengeful ex-boyfriend, a disgruntled former colleague or anyone on the Internet who wants to know exactly where someone is.

The reason that these companies believe that it is okay to sell this information is that with every app we download and every website we visit, we accept terms and conditions. In the thousands of words of legal jargon that they do not want us to read, they give themselves the right to sell that location data to whomever they want. The Tánaiste just gave a response indicating that this is new but it is not a new issue. It is something the DPC has been aware of for many years and has failed to act on. Why is our regulator unable to regulate when it comes to our most personal information? How can the Tánaiste stand over the DPC as a credible organisation? The Government's answer to any of these issues relating to online safety is to work with big tech companies and not to limit them. When will it enforce and properly police the behaviour of these platforms?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We should work collaboratively on this. When is anybody going to bring forward proposals or ideas? As this is a legislative Chamber, I am interested in the Deputy's ideas on this. I am interested in working constructively with people on this as well. This is information that I am trying to respond to in real time. The Data Protection Commission has advised that it is taking the assertions made in the programme very seriously and that it is investigating the operators concerned. Key issues will be whether these operators are complying with data protection law and whether the brokers concerned are based in the State, elsewhere in the EU or in third countries. This raises very significant issues. There is also the point that every time someone goes onto a weather app, they agree to give their location. There is a very significant issue here with the information that people are providing perhaps without full knowledge because of the jargon and the amount of material people have to read.

Based on the initial reports that I have read, although I reserve the right to see the full programme and have all the facts established, I am also concerned when I hear of particular references to this place and other institutions in the State and the potential issue that Deputy Bacik raised as well. I look forward to having more detailed briefings from the Minister for justice and the Data Protection Commissioner in due course.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I welcome the focus the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach have placed on child poverty in their public comments in the run-up to the budget. However, will they take steps to address child poverty among that cohort of children who are most vulnerable, the 9,000 children in the international protection system? Children in the international protection system get €29.80 per week; that is it. This figure was last increased in 2018. The Tánaiste knows the child poverty unit in the Department of the Taoiseach drafted proposals to address this. He will have seen them, I saw them and the now Taoiseach would have seen them last year. Money was actually put aside last year to address this but we never got it over the line. Does the Tánaiste agree with me that €29.80 per week is not enough to give any child a decent standard of living? Will this year's budget contain financial measures to address child poverty among children living in the international protection system?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy O'Gorman. I appreciate his sincerity and his work on this, including in his previous role. The Taoiseach and I have both said there will be a particular focus on child poverty in this budget. The child poverty unit is doing good work for us on that. We have had a Cabinet committee meeting which had an initial discussion on the matter. We should be endeavouring to tackle child poverty regardless of who the child is, where the child is from or where the child is living, once the child is residing here in our State. I am certainly open to considering that proposal but the specific measures will be a matter for budget day.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Daniel Aruebose's remains were found in Donabate yesterday. He had been in State care but he was returned to his family and it appears that there were no follow-up checks. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see such a young boy lose his life. Since 2014, 239 children in State care or known to State care have died. Ten of those were murdered and 51 died as a result of drug overdoses or suicide. Today 37 children who are in State care or are known to State care are missing. Judge Simms wrote to the Government about child protection issues before and the Government shredded those files for GDPR reasons.

Judge Fottrell said it was shocking and appalling that Tusla had failed to inform the courts that 250 children were without the assigned social workers. The children's ombudsman has slammed the absence of a statutory power to investigate these deaths. Some national review panel reports are not being published and many of the recommendations are not being implemented. UCD has completed a study which shows that children in State care are being exposed to sex exploitation by gangs.

I have raised the Kyran Durnin case, as well as the cases of Hugh, Niamh, Eva and Luke. I also raised the case of the 14-year-old girl who, within an hour of being put into State care, went missing and was found locked in a brothel one year afterwards. I and so many other people have been raising these issues for the past six years. The reality is that the Government has not been listening to the experts on this. Will the Government ensure we have the power in this country to protect children?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Tóibín. I acknowledge this is an issue he raises frequently in this House. I also acknowledge that we have taken a number of steps to try to improve child protection in this country, such as the referendum we had and the establishment of a dedicated Department and of the stand-alone State agency Tusla. There is a hell of a lot more that needs to be done, however. After the shocking developments of recent hours in relation to Daniel as well as the other cases the Deputy referenced, the Government will wish to engage constructively with the Opposition on what steps can be taken next. I have already outlined to the Deputy the Government’s intention to bring forward legislation around the Child Care Act, which will be looking at the powers of Tusla and how it operates with other State agencies. I will be very eager to engage constructively, as will the Minister, with Opposition parties in that regard.

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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The new Nenagh community nursing unit was taken over by the HSE last year to be used as a step-down facility for UHL. A private company, Bartra Healthcare, was contracted to run this facility for one year. That is now due to end at the end of this month. Bartra wrote to its 74 employees on 3 July of this year informing them that their contracts of employment and status as employees would transfer over to the HSE under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment), TUPE, Regulations 2003. However, 41 of those employees wrote to me last Friday informing me that the HSE has still not confirmed whether this is the case. There are 74 employees in this facility who have done excellent work as healthcare workers. Most of them are international workers who came to this country on visas to do this exact work. They now do not know where they stand.

I wrote to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, on this matter and her private secretary responded. I appreciate it is not the job of the Government to directly employ these people; it is the job of the HSE to do so. However, we need clarity on this urgently. Three things are needed. First, we need to know whether Bartra Healthcare and the HSE have an agreement on this. Second, we need to know whether the TUPE regulations stand in this case. Third, while this is happening and while we are finding these things out, we need confirmation, as a matter of urgency, that this will not delay the transfer of the community nursing unit back to the people of Nenagh.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. Yes, he wrote to me on this issue and we wrote back. A number of months ago, the Deputy sought confirmation that this was going to revert to a community nursing unit. Obviously, we are discussing that is now happening. There are a number of administrative arrangements that need to take place. Let me not comment on Bartra Healthcare and the transfer of undertakings, but what I can say is that there is active recruitment across the HSE in all cases to try to bring more people in. I responded to the Deputy privately on this matter. We are desperately seeking more and more people to apply for positions within the HSE. We want to employ all of those people, whether by transfer of undertakings or by means of a different recruitment process. We want all of those people to be facilitated and productively employed within the HSE.

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to tell the Tánaiste how much it is costing students to go to college this year. I will tell him about a student in my constituency of Meath West who goes to college in Galway. Last year, she paid €8,632 to go to college. This year, it will cost her €10,380 for the same room, just moving across the hall. How is that happening? There is an additional €350 in rent. Last year, they were talking about charging in utility bills. This year, it is service charges. They just change it. Last year, the utility charges totalled €1,100, while this year they are €2,000. That is an increase of over 80%. In addition, the Government is putting up students fees by €500. That will cost this student €1,748 more than last year to go to college. How is that affordable? This is happening to thousands of students right across the country going to college in Galway and other places. I was talking to someone this morning who has two kids going to college. That is an additional €3,500 compared with what they paid last year. At the same time, the Government is imposing another €500 in student fees.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Guirke. I do not doubt those challenges are real for families. We have taken a number of measures to try to help students and their families. We expanded the rent tax credit and ensured that students could qualify for it, as that was not originally the situation. We have reduced college fees for the past three years in a row. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government on the direction of travel in which the Minister wants to go in the time ahead.

While I heard the Deputy and different people mention the €500 figure, there has been no budgetary decision made on any aspect yet. Let us see where the budget gets to on 7 October. We have also increased the students grants.

While I do not know the individual in question, many students who are entitled to student grants often do not realise or think such grants are for them. Many families qualify. Similarly, the Minister and I were just talking about how many people, including students, qualify for the GP access card, which can help with costs too. We are committed to helping students with the cost of living. The budget will show a way forward in that regard on 7 October.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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According to data from the Department of children, there has been a 25% reduction in the number of State-supported crèches taking babies under one year of age since 2022. Baby rooms in crèches outside of core funding are not subject to fee caps, meaning parents are likely paying over and above for services they are desperate to secure. These are damning figures and should be a wake-up call to those who constructed core funding and batted off questions last year, insisting supply of places was broadly meeting demand. These figures reflect the reality for parents. Mothers start to look for baby rooms in early pregnancy, delay their return to work and leave work as a result.

In Ireland in 2025, mothers are still penalised. They face a 27% earnings drop after their first baby is born, according to research from Maynooth University. Mothers should not be penalised. The Government must intervene to address the sharp decline in baby rooms in State-backed crèches, which encompass 92% of crèches in the country.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Currie very much for raising this issue and for the focus she rightly keeps on early learning and childcare. I thank her for her work in that regard. Certainly, we will discuss this with the Minister, Deputy Foley. The Government will be publishing an action plan on childcare, which endeavours to knit together the 21 programme for Government commitments on childcare. I expect that to happen in the coming weeks, either just before or, perhaps more likely, just after the budget.

I wish to make one broad point that is slightly linked. While I fully accept the point about baby rooms and the need for us to do more in that regard, I am also proud of a number of the steps we have taken to help parents have more time with their child in that first year. Obviously, we know babies benefit most from individual attention from loving and responding caregivers, enabling them to form strong bonds and foster that parent-child relationship. I am pleased that the combination of maternity, paternity and parent’s leave and parent's benefit now equates to 46 weeks’ paid leave for a two-parent family. This is supplemented by an entitlement to 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave and 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave for a parent, as well as annual leave entitlements. I wish to provide that context of the importance of the child’s first year of life.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The programme for Government sets out a clear commitment to bringing in an unsewered villages scheme. In 2022, a fantastic investment of €50 million was announced to bring some of these villages that do not have sewage facilities back into use, such as Craughwell and Clarinbridge in Galway. These were fantastic announcements. Three years on, however, we do not have plans, sites or, ultimately, execution. When is the Government going to bring forward the renewed sewerage investment scheme for unsewered villages?

It is important for me to say that right now, in counties like Galway, there is an artificial constrain on land supply. As a result, prices of homes in Athenry, Loughrea and Gort are going up. Our villages have not seen homes built in more than 15 years.

I would appreciate any commitment that can be given to investigate why Craughwell and Clarinbridge have seen no action to date, because we have had the money in place for three years. It is an opportunity to make it happen.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Dolan. He is entirely right on this. I remember vividly the day the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, in his former role brought these proposals to Cabinet. It was seen as a reforming step to identify that there were a number of relatively small villages and townlands that would take forever and a day to get there through the traditional Irish Water way and to put ring-fenced funding in place.

It is appalling that this has taken so long. It is an example of where bureaucracy, red tape and sometimes a lack of willingness from various stakeholders have led to this. I will ask the Minister to get back directly to the Deputy about Craughwell and Clarinbridge. I know this is a particular issue in east Galway because I read some data about a number of townlands and villages there where, as a result of this, no houses can be built in the middle of a housing crisis.

Directly in response to the other two points, as a result of the NDP. investment plans will be published by all Ministers in the coming weeks, showing exactly what the additional money for water and sewerage will be able to do. As a condition of giving Irish Water a hell of a lot more public money, we have said it needs to get on and allow developer-led infrastructure schemes as well. It is really important that it now deliver on that commitment.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I want to raise the debacle that is the school transport scheme, in particular the scheme for children with special educational needs in Louth and east Meath. My constituency office is inundated with parents, some worried and some livid, as their children have not received a place on the school bus, even though they received their tickets some months ago. Very late notice was given to parents, in most cases on the Friday afternoon, with school due to start on the following Monday. This has caused major distress to both the children and the parents.

Young Kate in Drogheda, who has Down's syndrome and is trying to develop her independence, has still not received a school place. We need to implement the school transport review recommendations and just get the bloody buses on the road. It is absolutely scandalous for us to be told at this stage, this week, that a public procurement process is under way to find a solution. I am sorry to say it, but the Minister has failed to prepare. She has failed to act and, sadly, she has failed to deliver for these children.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Byrne very much for raising this issue. I know this is a priority for both the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan. They tell me that 178,945 tickets have been issued to children and young people for this school year, including 23,300 children and young people with special educational needs. That is an increase of 3%. However, that is no use to the child Deputy Byrne references if she is still waiting for this service. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to directly engage with the Deputy on the matter to see if anything more can be done to assist the family. I will ask them to get back directly to the Deputy.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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I join with my colleagues here today in condemning any threats to the Tánaiste and his family that he has had to put up with which, to say the least, were shocking and sickening. I hope the full rigours of the law will be applied. Independent Ireland will do anything it can on this side of the political divide to help to support him in that regard.

I presume the Tánaiste was at the very successful ploughing championships in recent days, as I was. We were in our tent with Ciaran Mullooly, MEP. A huge number of tillage farmers spoke of the severe stress they are going through as prices have dropped to 1985 levels, with costs rocketing. If immediate aid of up to €250 a hectare is not forthcoming, tillage farmers will have to walk away, which will result in a further crisis down the road. A public meeting last week in Naas with the Minister for agriculture did not yield any clear indication of whether a rescue package is being brought forward by the Government. What hope can the Tánaiste give today to tillage farmers of a much-needed compensation package for them?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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First, I thank Deputy Collins for his kind words and solidarity. I appreciate it. Second, he is right; anybody at the ploughing who did not hear very clearly about the tillage issue probably needs their ears cleaned out because the IFA and farmers have been very clear about it. He is correct that my colleague the Minister for agriculture was at the crisis meeting called by the IFA in Naas last week, which around 1,100 farmers attended, or at least several hundred of them. There was a very clear message. We often have debates in this House about climate versus agriculture. To be honest, I think they are silly debates, as we should not put them against each other. This is an area where they work together. Helping tillage farming also helps our climate objectives and it helps on every level. There are clear commitments in the programme for Government on financial support for the tillage sector. Obviously, specific measures are a matter for budget day. The Minister is working very hard on this. I met the IFA on this at the ploughing championships and in my own office a couple of weeks ago. We will endeavour to bring forward proposals as part of the budget.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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The annihilation of Gaza is apparently under way. We are seeing a ground attack, the blowing-up of high-rise buildings and the orphaning of children. I am in an Ireland-Palestine solidarity WhatsApp group in Dublin 15. The videos Gazan people are sharing are absolutely chilling. We are in a new phase of the genocide. There is a global day of action today. There will be a protest at the Dáil at 4.30 p.m.

This has been a shameful exposé of the EU. For 23 months, it has been willing to allow preferential trade treatment for Israel at a time when it is carrying out genocide and killing at least 60,000 people, although I am sure it is a lot more. Even now, all that is being spoken about is not ending the trade relationship with Israel but ending the preferential treatment it has been getting. It does not even look like that will pass, because big powers like Germany are likely to oppose it. This is the same Germany whose police state is beating the likes of Kitty O'Brien, an Irish citizen, and many other activists on a regular basis. We all agree it would be much better and more powerful if the EU acted in concert. I heard the Tánaiste speak a short while ago on that. Given that the EU has shown that it is going to put imperial interests ahead of human rights-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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-----will the Irish Government now act unilaterally? The UN has now come out and said that this is officially genocide. The Government is legally obliged. With this body coming out with that recommendation, no more excuses are available to any government. Will the Government, for example, pass the occupied territories Bill in full, undiluted, and not just tell us that it will report back? It should be clear what needs to be done.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Coppinger. First, I was very angered to see how Kitty O'Brien was treated. My Department and our embassy have conveyed that to the German authorities. I say that on the record of this House.

I am not fully convinced. Deputy Coppinger may end up being right but I hope she is wrong. I know she will hope she is wrong that we cannot have a majority in Europe voting to implement the sanctions. The coming days will tell us whether that is the case or not. We are advocating very strongly to try and build a coalition. I believe there is a majority of member states. The question now is whether we reach the threshold of there being a qualified majority. It is certainly a possibility. We all need to try very hard on that.

Ireland will introduce its own occupied territories Bill. The detail of the Bill will be clear when we publish the legislation. I will meet Senator Black when I return from the UN high-level week, which is the week after next.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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I have a letter in my hand from Dr. Derville O'Shea, consultant haematologist, in respect of a constituent of mine, Aishling Thornhill, who, unfortunately, has relapsed refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. It is a complicated condition. My understanding is that treatment would be available to her if she was under 25 but because she is over 25 it is not being made available. I understand some progress was made on it this morning. Could the issue be clarified? Where a consultant prescribes that the treatment would be of benefit to a patient over 25, why is a barrier put in place for them? Could the issue be examined in the overall context?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Burke very much. I know he has been in direct contact with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, on this issue. She has looked into the matter. My understanding is that the treatment has now been confirmed, which I am very pleased is the case, and that she will confirm that directly to the Deputy. I wish his constituent, Aishling, the very best in her treatment. I know that the Deputy, everyone in Cork, and those of us here are thinking of her. The broader policy issue is something the Minister and the HSE will reflect on, based on the best clinical advice. I am pleased that the treatment has now been confirmed in this case.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I join with colleagues in expressing my horror and revulsion at the experiences of the Tánaiste and his family and the intimidation inflicted on them earlier this year. I think the solution to that particular problem rests in following the advice of the Ceann Comhairle yesterday and proceeding to build on the work of the committee on safe participation in public life, led by the former Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan.

Governments in this wonderful little country of ours have on occasions in the past got things wrong. We have made mistakes. We have proven that we can resolve those problems but, very often, the victims of the mistakes tell us that they have had to drag the Government and the public service screaming and crying to the table to find a solution. I am talking today about thalidomide victims. This was raised here on 10 July by our colleague Deputy Barry Ward. That was the anniversary of the appointment of Mr. Justice Gilligan to address the concerns of thalidomide victims, 60 years after their mothers took this drug and the State failed to act expeditiously to have it withdrawn. With the numbers of people who are victims steadily reducing, when oh when will both the Tánaiste, as a compassionate Tánaiste, and the highly compassionate Minister for Health move to ensure that the problems of thalidomide victims are once and for all resolved?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for his kind words and solidarity. I thank him for the work he did as Ceann Comhairle on the issue of public safety. He led on this with the appointment of former Commissioner O'Sullivan. I was grateful to the Ceann Comhairle for her leadership yesterday as this Dáil term resumed. I wrote to her last night about her suggestion of convening party leaders to look at this wider issue. I appreciate Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's comments in relation to myself and my family. As I said in my statement, it will be me today and someone else tomorrow. We need to act together on this in the interests of our democracy and the safety of everybody involved in public life.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of thalidomide. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and I have discussed this. I discussed this with the Taoiseach as recently as one week ago. This an area we really want to see a resolution to. I accept it has gone on for far too long. Deputy Barry Ward has regularly raised this issue as well. We decided in September 2024 to appoint Mr. Justice Paul Gilligan to facilitate a thalidomide resolution process. I know the judge is continuing to engage with survivors and their representatives and is expected to revert to Government as soon as that process is completed. I can assure the Deputy this is an area that is receiving priority attention at the highest levels of Government. We all intend to pull together on this and try to get this resolved for once and for all.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I, the Tánaiste and the Fine Gael Party campaigned in relation to the cost of childcare at the election last year. I was pleased that we made sure it was central to the programme for Government that we would reduce the cost for parents to €200. We know that has not happened yet, but I understand that work is taking place in that regard. We also know that some childcare providers are leaving the sector in anticipation and because it has not happened yet. Can the Tánaiste provide us with an update on how progress is going on that? Is there a timeline for when it will be delivered?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. He is right that this was a big part of the general election. We all put forward our stalls on it. There was almost political unanimity around the figure of €200 per month per child. We certainly had it in our manifesto and our colleagues in government did too. It is also in the programme for Government. I always say to people at every opportunity that these are commitments in terms of projects we will get delivered over the lifetime of the Government. We all want to see progress made as quickly as possible. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is working her way through 21 commitments on childcare in the programme for Government. That gives the Deputy an indication of the priority - 21 specific commitments. She will produce an action plan that will go to the Government on childcare. We will have to decide the sequencing in a logical way in terms of capacity, fees and the impact of a reduction on one in terms of capacity and the likes. I expect around budget time that we will have greater clarity on the next steps. I know this is a hugely important issue for so many people.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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The EU studies have shown harm to reproductive health of people working in medical settings caused by nitrous oxide. These studies showed there is a decreased level of fertility in these workers. My fear is that people who are misusing nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, are taking much more concentrated doses than those who took part in these studies. There has also been a 175% increase in the number of young people who are presenting to the HSE with problems from nitrous oxide in the past year. It can have fatal consequences. I did a quick search online today and I can buy any amount of nitrous oxide. There are very few balances and checks. It comes in flavours, similar to vapes, such as strawberry and apple. It is targeted towards children. Is the Minister aware that the EU passed a delegated Act that classified nitrous oxide as harmful to reproductive health and it plans to prohibit the sale in 2027? Will the Government wait for the EU or will it act now in the best interests of our communities?

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this matter. I will discuss it with the chief medical officer. Perhaps, the Deputy will share with me some of the correspondence that he referenced. We are very keen to ban all the inhalation products that we know are bad for people. We are trying to get ahead of that, never mind catching up with it. I would very much welcome a conversation with the Deputy and we will see what we can do to progress that.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I wish to join in condemning any violence that the Tánaiste has faced. No one from any side of this House should experience that. I stand with anyone experiencing that. He has my complete solidarity.

Is mian liom labhairt faoi rud atá i mbéal an phobail faoi láthair, is é sin, an méid airgid atá ag dul don Ghaeilge. It is a shame that more than 100 years after the foundation of this State Irish speakers and members of the Gaeltacht will be protesting outside these Houses this Saturday for basic rights for our native language. During the formation of Government, the regional Independents showed our priority for more funding for the Irish language. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil an tAire ar an eolas faoi seo. Bhuail mé leis ag an gcruinniú sin. The founding mothers and fathers of this State would be turning in their graves if they knew only 0.01% of the budget was going to the Department with responsibility for the Gaeltacht. We need to put more money into that. It is something we need to get down. There will be more jobs and opportunities for people. I was a presenter for TG4 before I was a politician. Let us put more money into TG4. Let us put more money into the Irish language. Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. It is important we nurture our native language because that is it. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Heneghan. Is mór an chaill é do TG4 go bhfuil sé anseo sa Dáil. Tá muid ag iarraidh go mbeidh airgead breise ann, ach caithfear a rá freisin go bhfuil an méid airgid is mó riamh i stair an Stáit á chaitheamh ar chúrsaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta. Tá muid ag iarraidh seasamh le daoine a bhfuil suim acu sa Ghaeltacht agus leo siúd a labhraíonn an Ghaeilge nó a bhfuil cónaí orthu sa Ghaeltacht le go mbeidh cúrsaí níos fearr. Níl an t-airgead atá á chaitheamh ar TG4 san áireamh sna figiúirí sin. Tá muid ag obair i gcomhthéacs an chéad cáinaisnéise eile.

We are working to increase the budget for the Gaeltacht and Gaeilge activities. I have the support of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and our colleagues in government. We have serious ambitions in this Department over the course of the programme for Government. Beidh muid ag obair i gcomhthéacs an chéad cáinaisnéise eile agus clár an Rialtais, an Rialtas a bheidh againn le haghaidh an chéad ceithre bliana eile.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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I wish to raise real concerns about Mayo University Hospital. The Minister for Health will know that last month the hospital was in a crisis situation, experiencing over 160 presentations daily despite the fact that just four or five nurses were rostered on a given day. This month we are way off peak in terms of the winter period but Mayo University Hospital has been forced to cancel elective procedures. That is how bad things have become. We are experiencing a significant and dangerous level of understaffing. In August, a patient was in the back of an ambulance for over 13 hours. That is a verified story that the Minister will be aware of because she attended the hospital on that week.

There has been an audit done in relation to safe staffing. I have researched this audit. My understanding from speaking to Saolta and the management group is that this could provide an additional 30 nurses who are desperately needed for the hospital in Mayo. It must be sanctioned. The audit is there; it is sitting in the HSE. I am asking and pleading with the Minister, on behalf of all of the doctors and nurses who are worked off their feet, working under incredibly difficult situations and experiencing burnout on a daily basis, to implement the safe staffing framework as quickly as possible. I want her to do it this week, if possible. It could take several weeks to get those people on the ground.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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How? Let us discuss Mayo University Hospital. The first thing is in relation to staffing. Mayo hospital has had a 30% increase over the past five years. When I saw some of these figures I did an analysis of a sample of nine model 3 hospitals. Mayo hospital has the second highest rate of staffing of those model 3 hospitals. The difficulty with Mayo hospital is not the level of staffing. I have also included a maternity leave analysis and a sick leave analysis. Mayo hospital is not understaffed. However, Mayo hospital is imbalanced. I will give the Deputy two examples of that. I was there on an unscheduled visit when there were 47 patients in the emergency department. Of those patients, 20 had been admitted for beds, but there was no discharging going on up the hospital. Mayo University Hospital remained red all through August, which is completely unacceptable. Last weekend, there was not sufficient work being done to discharge during the weekend. There were 16 discharges in the hospital on Saturday, there was one on Sunday and there were 47 on Monday. I ask the Deputy to explain that to me. There is not a single person in this room who can explain that except that there is an imbalance in staffing. I was there on a random Saturday in August and the emergency department was absolutely overwhelmed. There was a serious patient safety issue there. The rest of the hospital was completely empty.

There were practically no diagnostics going on. There were not even people in the diagnostics area. The hospital is not understaffed but it has an understaffing area in the emergency department, specifically because it is not being correctly staffed on the other side. I asked Bernard Gloster for an analysis of this and I have the data back. It is my intention this week to write to every TD and councillor in Mayo to specifically outline exactly what the staffing issues are, exactly what the patient flow issues are - which are a whole-of-hospital responsibility - and what we need to do within Mayo to make this better. Let us not confuse ourselves; this is not a staffing issue in Mayo hospital. It has one of the best staffing ratios of all of the model 3 hospitals. What is not happening is that this is not translating from a patient flow perspective into making sure the patients are safe and the staff in the emergency department are appropriately supported to make sure they can do their jobs in the way they need to do them. We will stick with the facts here. It is not understaffed; it needs to be balanced.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. That concludes questions on policy and legislation. I join with other speakers in condemning the threats to the Tánaiste and his family and indeed the threats to other politicians. I join with the Ceann Comhairle in supporting her remarks.