Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Táimid i ngéarchéim costais bhreosla anois le trí seachtaine anuas agus ní a dhath déanta ag an Rialtas chun céim shoiléir a ghlacadh go fóill chun praghsanna a ísliú. Níl gníomh amháin déanta ag an Rialtas agus tá sé ag streachailt ón mbrú leanúnach ó Shinn Féin agus an reachtaíocht atá tugtha chun cinn againn. In ainneoin sin, níl a dhath déanta aige go fóill agus tá gnáthdhaoine ag fulaingt dá bharr. Inniu amháin, tá praghas díosal ardaithe 8 cent in aghaidh an lítear agus táthar ag meas go n-ardóidh sé 12 cent eile san oíche amárach. Tá méadú €100 tagtha ar an bpraghas chun umar a líonadh le hola teochta tí inniu agus táthar ag meas go n-ardóidh sé €120 breise amárach.

We are now in the third week of the fuel crisis and the Government has still not taken a single concrete step to bring down prices. Let us be clear, the Government has not acted. It has been forced onto the back foot by sustained pressure from Sinn Féin, including through the legislation we brought forward. Despite that, however, the Government has still done nothing. It could have acted at any point but it chose not to. Instead, it waited and dithered and people paid the price.

Fuel prices are not standing still. They are skyrocketing. Today alone, the price of diesel has increased by 8 cent per litre and it is projected to rise by a further 12 cent tomorrow night before VAT is even applied. The cost of home heating oil has increased by €100 per fill today, with a projected increase of €120 expected tomorrow night. While costs surge again, what is the Government's message to ordinary people out there? The message is wait until Tuesday. Wait for another meeting. Wait while prices climb. Wait while families fall further behind.

We know what delay means in real life. A pensioner told me he is sitting at home with no heating for a week because he cannot afford electricity and heat together; it is one or the other. Another family told us that they have just run out of oil but the price of a minimum order has gone from €280 to €600. Another person with arthritis is living in a damp, mouldy house and needs to keep warm but cannot afford to put on the heating. People are going cold in their own homes. Unbelievably, however, the Government will be pressing ahead with increasing the cost of home heating oil through higher carbon taxes in the next number of weeks.

The Tánaiste should not come back with guff about these tax increases being necessary to fund retrofitting because that is simply not true. The money is available. There is a multibillion euro surplus. If the banks were paying the 12.5% tax rate on the €3.6 billion in profits they generated last year that they should be paying instead of an effective rate of 1%, there would be even more resources available. Let us be honest about it. This is not about necessity; it is about political choice. The Government is all over the place on this issue. It is slow to act, reluctant to intervene and telling people to wait while their bills spiral.

Will the Government act today to reduce the cost of petrol, diesel and home heating oil? Will it scrap the planned home heating oil increases? Will it support Sinn Féin's legislation or is it going to continue to send the same message as costs go out of control? Will it ask people to wait for another meeting, to wait for it to get its act together or to wait for another week and maybe it will do something on Tuesday, Wednesday or whenever?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It will be on Tuesday. The Deputy said Tuesday, Wednesday or whenever, but there is quite a lot of clarity from Government in relation to that. We intend to bring forward an appropriate intervention at our next Cabinet meeting, which will be on Tuesday. Work is under way in relation to that right now. As recently as the past hour or so, the Minister for energy and transport met with the Irish Road Haulage Association. It was a very good and constructive meeting. The association outlined to him some of the challenges its members, who are a critical part of our economy and our supply chains, are facing. We will work through some of those thoughts and proposals in the coming hours.

The Government is absolutely clear that there is real pressure on families and businesses. People are feeling it at the pumps and in the cost of a fill of oil. As I confirmed last night, we are finalising what we believe to be an appropriate intervention for the areas in which there is the most acute pressure and challenge. In the Sinn Féin proposal, there is no talk about the fuel allowance. That is rather interesting, given that the people who are most at risk of fuel poverty really rely on that support.

There is significant international volatility. I was reading about what the Italian Government is considering doing today. It is talking about doing it for just 20 days. This is because governments right around the world, and I presume oppositions, are not able to predict where this conflict in the Middle East and the Gulf is going to bring the global economy. As I said last night - I reiterate it today - any measures that the Government takes next week need to fulfil two primary objectives. They need to ensure that assistance can be applied quickly and that we keep the space to adapt the response, should that be required, in the weeks and months ahead. We need to be honest that there is very little certainty in terms of where this conflict will go and what the economic impact could be, particularly when we consider that the length and depth of the conflict is such an important aspect.

The Government has already taken a number of actions. We have increased the fuel allowance to €38 per week. This means that the fuel allowance is now worth €1,064 per year to households. We are also expanding it in order that more people can qualify. Just last week, thanks to the intervention of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, we expanded the fuel allowance to ensure that 50,000 families on the working family payment can benefit. This has been backdated to January, with many families getting lump sum payments of up to €308. Some 50,000 real people have benefited. We live in a country where over 470,000 households, or over one quarter of all homes in Ireland, now qualify for the fuel allowance. We have also reduced VAT on gas and electricity to 9% out to the end of the decade. We are supporting over 500,000 householders, many of them pensioners, with an allowance of €420 annually towards their gas and electricity bills under the household benefits package.

It is not correct to say that we are doing nothing. In fact, this year alone we are spending over €486 million on fuel allowance, €317 million on the household benefits package and €640 million on retrofitting. That is €1.5 billion on just those three measures alone.

I heard Deputy Doherty's interview on radio this morning. When he was asked where all the money was going to come from, his answer was that we should just take it out of the surplus. He knows that if you keep taking things out of a surplus, it becomes a deficit.

I also heard the Deputy say that the State is making a fortune on this and that it is estimated that it took in €38 million in taxes in one week alone as a result of these fuel costs. That is the annual cost not a weekly cost. Revenue estimates the cost at around €3 million per week. Accuracy is important, figures are important and getting this right is important and that is exactly what this Government intends to do.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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While the Government dithers, the prices double and what the Tánaiste said is cold comfort to people on the street - people who are going cold at this point in time because they cannot afford to heat their homes. I have put the prices on the record. The Tánaiste talks about waiting another week, into the fourth week of this crisis, and about how the Government will come up with something and maybe reveal it all on Tuesday but people in the here and now are facing these prices. Diesel went up by 8 cent this morning and it is projected to go up by 12 cent tomorrow night. Home heating oil went up €100 this morning when it is already sky high. It has gone up by another €100 and is projected to go up another €120 tomorrow night. This is happening in real time and the Government dithers and thinks people can wait another week while it gets its act together. People cannot wait; they demand action now.

There are solutions that can be put forward. The Government can reduce the taxes on petrol, diesel and home heating oil. It can do what we have set out in our legislation. This could happen right here right now. We could bring a financial resolution before the House and tonight we could cut the cost of petrol, diesel and home heating oil but the Government refuses to do that. The Tánaiste says the Government hears where people are at but it refuses to act. We have the resources to do this, so why does the Government delay while the price of home heating oil doubles? Why does it dither when people are under so much pressure? Why will it not introduce the measures today for which people the length and breadth of this State are crying out? They are looking for action and leadership from Government and not more meetings, more delay and more dithering.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Because we want to get it right and a little bit of humility from the man who went on "Morning Ireland" this morning and got his figures out by €35 million a week would not go astray. The Deputy quoted an annual figure and said that we took in €38 million in windfall last week when it is €3 million. That is not a couple of million. The Deputy was out by €35 million a week.

We are going to get this right, we are going to take it step by step and we are going to work with European counterparts. The Taoiseach is at the European Council, the Minister for Transport has just finished a meeting with the hauliers, the Minister for Social Protection is considering how we can assist because most in need and my Department's economics team is trying to present the best macroeconomic analysis. The only place where there is dithering is where there is a Sinn Féin finance minister. Sinn Féin has powers in Northern Ireland to expand the fuel poverty funds but the only assistance, and it is a small bit of assistance, for people in Northern Ireland so far has been from the British Government. The Northern Ireland Executive, the Sinn Féin First Minister, the Sinn Féin finance minister and Sinn Féin economy minister have brought forward exactly zero euro and zero cent in measures to help people in Northern Ireland. This Government will act and act in the here and now. We are finalising our proposals and we will work with people and support them in the time ahead.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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I raise a deeply serious and sensitive issue, namely, children with additional needs and their rights to an appropriate education. In recent weeks, I have spoken directly with parents who are anxious and in many cases still without clarity on where their child will go to school this September. The Tánaiste knows it himself. Every parent asks the same simple question this time of the year, "Where is my child going to school in September?" However, for these families, that question is still unanswered. When I raised this with the Taoiseach, he spoke about the exponential growth in demand but could not guarantee that every child will get an appropriate place.

The Government cannot say it was not aware of this. At a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts three weeks ago, I put it directly to Department officials and they confirmed that a memo was going to Government on this increased demand. When I asked whether Government was aware of the situation, I was told clearly that the leaders of the Government are aware that a substantially increased need is coming but I had to press this point because while awareness of the need is one thing, the real issue is whether resources match that need. Despite repeated questioning, the answer was clear, that the analysis is still ongoing to ensure the State can meet that need. In other words, we are not yet in a position as a State to say that resources will fully match demand. This is not just about growth. This is about the gap between rights and resources.

I acknowledge there has been progress but too often provision remains reactive. Families are still facing uncertainty about long distances and last-minute placements. We know a memo is going to Government to address this but families do not deal in memos. They deal in deadlines. They need to know now whether their child will have a school place, whether it will be appropriate and whether it will be close to home. If I can put it plainly, parents are not asking for perfection; they are asking for certainty.

There is also the wider issue of planning. The State still does not have a fully centralised system to measure and forecast need, which means we are constantly reacting instead of preparing. Does the Tánaiste agree we need a centralised system through the National Council for Special Education? There are three direct questions for the Tánaiste. Will he put it on the record today that every child who requires a special class or a special school place for this coming academic year will be provided with one? Second, how many children are seeking places and how many still do not have one? Third, has this memo Department officials told me about gone to Government and what actions will follow? This is about rights and resources and unless those two things are aligned, families will remain stuck in the gap between them. Every child deserves not just a place but an appropriate place and every parent deserves certainty not stress.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Kenny for bringing up this issue and not for the first time. I know his professional and political interest and priority in relation to this, and he is right. This is a real time of anxiety for many parents across the country and we are acutely aware of that. I am aware of it as are the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan.

The Deputy's comments have been quite balanced because, objectively, we have seen some progress when it comes to special education. We now see special education funding of more than €3 billion this year, which is about 58% higher than it was in 2020. We see the majority of children with special educational needs supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. That is as a result of a very significant uplift in special education teachers and SNAs. We have made a decision, which the Deputy and I debated in this House previously, in relation to only proceeding with the review where there was an upward lift in SNAs. That means we were planning for about 1,700 or thereabouts additional SNAs this year. That figure will now be around 2,200, which means we will have over 25,000 SNAs in our schools this September.

We have already provided funding for over 400 new special classes and at least 400 new special school places for the 2026-2027 school year. It is intended that would create around 3,000 new special education placements for September 2026.

I think there will be a further memo going to Cabinet, probably in April, but the Deputy is right that people do not live by memos. It is the kind of thing we do in this place but in the real world, it is what is about happening in the here and now. Yesterday, we saw 36 additional special classes announced by the Minister and Minister of State. At our weekly leaders' meeting on Monday, there will be a special focus on education with the Minister and Minister of State where we will be updated on a number of these issues in relation to special education, SNAs and classes as well. That is important.

What I can say is we are working around the clock to make sure no child will be prevented from starting school and to make sure every support possible is and can be in place. I do need to be honest. I do not like the word "demand". We are seeing a very significant increase in need. These are needs. Parents are not going around demanding things. These are needs their children have. We are seeing a very significant increase in that need.

In fairness to the Department, the Minister and the Minister of State and their predecessors, there was a real effort to try to get somewhat ahead of it this year with the opening of the portal in October but through no fault of any parent, even after that, a significant number of additional children came forward. I can understand why that is the case. What we are trying to do now is work our way through that. I do not have the exact numbers to hand right now but it is a somewhat fluid situation.

I think the Deputy's idea of a centralised portal is a good idea and I will certainly talk with the Minister about that. I know she will engage with the Deputy as well. We want to have the best data possible but the priority in the here and now is to make sure we prepare as best as we can for September and that we put in place robust plans to make sure no child is prevented from starting school. I am very conscious of the point the Deputy made about how being close to one's community is vital for people.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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I appreciate the Tánaiste's response. I return to what Department officials have confirmed. They said the Government is aware of this increased need but they also made it clear further analysis is needed to ensure that need can be met. The Tánaiste referenced that with regard to not using the word "demand". He said that the level of need has increased significantly. The question that is being asked by parents is very simple. Will their child have an appropriate place for this September coming? Can the Tánaiste guarantee to parents today on the floor of the Dáil that every single child who requires an additional needs place in a school will be given an appropriate one?

We must also ensure the SNA debacle does not arise again. The Tánaiste is now Minister for Finance. Do we know yet where that €19 million is going to come from? When will those schools that were told they would be allocated additional SNAs be given the go-ahead to appoint those SNAs?

On that memo that will to go to Cabinet, when will families see those outcomes from it? Families cannot wait for more analysis. They need certainty and they genuinely need it now.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I agree with that but I stress that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, is certainly not waiting for any further piece of work to be done. Of course, there are lots of further pieces of work under way but in the here and now, the Minister is working to make sure more classes are put in place and opened, with a particular focus on schools where they have a physical ability to open another class and where there are not longer lead-in times. I thank schools right across the country which are stepping up and showing real flexibility and leadership on this. The Minister does too.

I am pleased the Deputy raised the issue of the €19 million because I want to say two things in relation to that. First, where it will come from is total voted expenditure of €118 billion. Some €19 million was a lot in the context of the SNA situation; it is very manageable in the context of total voted expenditure. Second, we have contingency funds and the likes built into our overall €118 billion. I said two points but I have three points. Third, it will be additional funding to the Department of education. It will not be a question of robbing Peter to pay Paul within the Department of education.

Our absolute commitment is to work to make sure every child due to start school in September can start school then with the maximum levels of support possible. I am conscious when it comes to "appropriate", that is often, I suppose, not subjective but based on the best information available at the time to a family and a school. We will certainly be working to open more classes and with schools and parents through the NCSE. We will have further engagement in government on this on Monday evening.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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The Government's hands-off approach to the energy crisis is callous and cruel. For weeks now, the Tánaiste has failed to intervene as prices have spiralled. When the Social Democrats asked the Tánaiste to act, he refused. Instead of there being support for people, the Tánaiste has been missing in action.

Individuals, families and businesses do not have the luxury of sitting back and monitoring the situation. For them, the impact has been immediate and unavoidable. Petrol and diesel prices are soaring, home-heating oil has shot up by 80% and gas prices are rocketing. These are not abstract fluctuations on international markets. These are astronomical price increases that ordinary people are being forced to pay today and for many, they represent a tipping point.

People were already struggling to pay sky-high energy costs before these latest price shocks. In December, nearly 320,000 households were in arrears on their electricity bills. That is hundreds of thousands of people all over the country who are already in crisis, for instance, elderly people sitting at home in freezing cold homes because their pensions simply do not stretch far enough, disabled people who are making choices between eating and heating, and parents of young children going into huge debt just to keep a roof over their heads. That was before Trump and Israel launched their illegal war on Iran causing carnage across the whole region and causing economic chaos across the globe.

The Tánaiste has now said the Government is finalising an appropriate intervention to deal with those struggling with the surge in costs but we must wait until the next Cabinet meeting on Tuesday before that is signed off on. There is no clear indication yet of what those measures will be and exactly when they will be implemented. Where is the recognition of the huge pressure people all over the country are facing right now? Where is the urgency? The Tánaiste could act today, if he wanted to. The Tánaiste could clear the Dáil schedule and get this done, as he did when he had to appoint Ministers. The Tánaiste cleared the Dáil schedule to fill up his ranks. Will the Tánaiste not do it today on this?

The Government may not have a plan to help people but the Social Democrats do. We need a targeted €400 energy credit, which can immediately be brought in and provided to 800,000 households who are struggling the most, and we need to cut excise duty to reduce prices and ensure the State is not profiting from this crisis. Can the Tánaiste tell people who are watching at home whether he will adopt our proposals and when exactly is he going to take action?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy O'Callaghan. I will address each of his points. First, when this Government acts next week, I believe we will be among the first to act. There certainly are many countries in the European Union who are still pondering what to do. I mentioned only a few moments ago the Italians are looking at what to do for a 20-day period. There is huge volatility. I was in the UK the other day meeting the Chancellor of the Exchequer. From memory, they have announced an intervention of roughly £53 million, which is roughly the equivalent of €5 million in terms of Ireland's population. Lots of countries are trying to work out what is the best thing to do here. I have to be honest with the Deputy that it is not straightforward because we cannot predict with any sense of certainty how long this will go, how deep this will go and even if the conflict ends - we all want to see this conflict end and de-escalated - what the economic hangover from that will be.

I have certainly been very hands on. I have been at meetings of the Eurogroup, ECOFIN, and with the Commission, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Taoiseach and Government colleagues in relation to this as well as with my own economic team in the Department of Finance as we seek to get this right.

I take the point in relation to energy costs already being very high in Ireland. That is one of the reasons we have expanded the fuel allowance to a further 50,000 people. The Deputy mentioned the number of people in energy arrears. They are real numbers. I accept that. However, a real number also is that now 470,000 households, more than ever before, are now getting direct help with their fuel costs. For the first time, 470,000 people receive help. That is real as well. The Deputy asked when. The when is Tuesday. When the Cabinet meets, we will act.

The Deputy asked how quickly will the measures come in. He has to allow me finalise the measures but I said in my comments in the Dáil last night, and I said it again today and I repeat it, that we will attach a premium to measures that can come in quickly. The Deputy has mentioned some measures that could potentially come in quickly.

I have heard the Deputy's idea in relation to the energy credit. I know it is put forward in good faith. Nobody should be dismissing anybody's ideas that are brought forward in good faith because I do not doubt they are. We are all trying to achieve the same thing here. The only point I would make is that I am not sure the speediest or most effective way, being truthful, with the time of the year we are coming into, that is, bringing in temporary energy credits - and I am not saying this to be flippant - in a summer period that would not be in place in a winter period. There are other ways, more quickly, we can alleviate and help. I know this idea is brought forward in good faith. As I say, we all need to approach this with humility, and I certainly do too. However, it would require primary legislation and the likes. There may be quicker ways of helping people and possibly achieving the same aim the Deputy is trying to achieve as well.

We will finalise our proposals. The Deputy asks, why not right now? Literally, only an hour or so ago, the Minister for Transport finished his latest engagement with the hauliers. He is working through some of their proposals. We need to make one intervention here that tries to address the areas most under pressure. Whatever we do should be for a short sharp period of time in the first instance to provide us with the flexibility as a State to further respond to an evolving situation.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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In December there were 320,000 households in arrears on their electricity bills. They need a targeted energy credit and the Tánaiste is saying he cannot do it because we are coming into summer. Is that for real? Then the Tánaiste is saying that he cannot predict the future. We are not asking him to predict the future. We are asking him to recognise the reality people are living in now and that things have been getting worse day after day, and he is delaying on this. Does the Tánaiste not recognise the difficulty individuals and households are in, in that they cannot heat their homes, cannot getting get their home-heating oil tank filled and that they are making decisions as to whether they can put the heating on or go to the supermarket to get the groceries? Does the he not recognise that and that every day he delays and every day he makes excuses is pushing people further and further into hardship and poverty? Will measures be brought in on Tuesday? Is the Tánaiste effectively ruling out an energy credit? Do I take that from the Tánaiste's comments?

There will be measures brought in on Tuesday. What will those measures be? Will they help the 320,000 households already in electricity arrears? Will they be targeted? The Tánaiste has often said we need to have targeted measures. Will they be targeted at those who need them most? Will there be measures on the excise tax on petrol and diesel?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am genuinely not trying to be argumentative or provocative in relation to this because we need to work together on this but I have to say what we do now has an effect on what we can do in the future. The Deputy knows that, I know that and we all know that. The point I am making is, of course, we need to look at what we can do in the here and now. I get that, and that is what we are doing. However, we also need to be conscious, as we stand here in the Dáil in the month of March, of where the global economy could be in the month of September or July. What if the Deputy comes into the House then and says all of a sudden that we are not talking about energy but are talking about this or that. We need to look at this in the round.

The Irish economy approaches this moment of global challenge from a position of relative strength but we have also got to be conscious of leaving ourselves as a country with the flexibility to adapt our response, depending on where the situation goes.

We all hope this de-escalates very quickly, for humanitarian and economic reasons.

The Deputy asked about targeted measures and then made a proposal on excise, which obviously is not targeted. What I would say now is-----

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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At least the Tánaiste knows that.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I have said very clearly that we should, in the first instance, always target those most in need. I have referenced the fuel allowance as a useful vehicle that we have used in that regard, but I have also made the point that there are real challenges at the pumps. In the past, we have made interventions around excise that have been of assistance to people. We are looking at what we can do in the round across a number of Departments. What we do has to be sustainable, it has to be proportionate and it has to be time-bound, because we have gone down this road before of thinking-----

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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The Government had no problem giving back cuts to investor funds and developer funds in the budget but it will not give them to people who need the money.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am trying to have a substantive conversation with the Deputy's deputy leader about energy.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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That was a substantive point.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am acting in good faith and saying I want to work with people, and Deputy Hearne is just shouting at me.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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I am not shouting. I am making-----

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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But the Deputy is interrupting me, and that is his choice.

We will bring forward a package on Tuesday that will endeavour to target measures at those most in need and assist those feeling the pressure at the pumps. However, the package will also have to be done in a way that provides flexibility for this country to adapt to the unknown.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Shortly after Christmas, what we would classify as a fit young woman of 39 years of age was in a gym in Athlone. When she came out with her two young children, she fell to the ground. I compliment the paramedics and air ambulance staff who brought her to Beaumont Hospital, where they found a bleed in the brain. I compliment Beaumont Hospital for all of the work it did. The hospital stabilised her and did a lot of work but, unfortunately, where walking and speech are concerned, her speech and one side of her body were affected. Physio and rehabilitation were required.

She was told that going to Dún Laoghaire was an option, but the wait there was very long. Then, she looked at Clontarf. Peamount was out of the area. Unlike what often goes on in here with the bickering, I want to be a bit different. I want to compliment my constituency colleague, Dr. Martin Daly, because both of us know the family. This is not about votes or politics. This is about two people working together who have at heart the interest of a young person with young children and who has been left in a situation that is very difficult.

Since then, we have been frustrated by the HSE systems. Under them, Beaumont cannot transfer a person to Merlin Park. You have to go through another hospital in the west of Ireland, such as Ballinasloe. In fairness to Deputy Daly, thanks to the calls he has made, the girl has been transferred to Ballinasloe. However, it is an horrific situation. An insurance company has walked away from the insurance the lady had. One top of that, this woman is trying every day. Her husband goes up and they go for walks. She is powering on, so determined to make a full recovery. The problem here has to do with a bed space, speech and language therapy and physio.

I ask the Tánaiste to work with us and to ask the Minister for Health to work with us. This needs resolving for someone who has gone through a tough situation. She is a determined, fit, young person of 39 who wants to make a full recovery. She has worked all her life, as has her husband, and they are in the hospital every day trying to defeat the hard situation they have come through. She walked with a Zimmer frame, then threw that away and walked on her own, but the hand needs help. Speech and language therapy is the big one. Once again, I compliment my constituency colleague for the work he has done because I might know a lot about agriculture, but I have to hand it to him on health in the way he would guide you.

This is not about me, him or anybody else. This is about a person - a human being - with young kids of seven- and eight-years-old whom we want to see has a future that makes them better and gets them what they need. I ask the Tánaiste to help us in this situation.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is important to say that Deputy Fitzmaurice knows about a lot more than just agriculture. He knows about being a decent human being as well. I thank him for the way he is approaching this issue and working with his colleague, Deputy Martin Daly. That is one of the finest contributions I have heard in here in awhile.

I obviously do not know the young woman the Deputy is talking about, but I can only imagine the absolute nightmare she, her husband, their young children and their wider family have endured. I hope one day, when she recovers, that I will get to meet her because she sounds like she has an extraordinary determination in her recovery journey. As we all know, albeit without knowing anything about the clinical situation, the progress people can make after the most incredible injuries is quite remarkable. I appreciate and will pass on the praise the Deputy has levelled on the air ambulance and Beaumont Hospital, and the many interactions the woman has had with the health service.

The short answer is I will ask the Minister for Health to engage with the Deputy and Deputy Daly on this woman's pathway of care and what can be done. As a rule of thumb and for good reason, we do not comment on individual clinical plans in the Dáil but I can certainly ask that the Minister engage with both Deputies and the HSE on this. Based on what the Deputy has said, it sounds like much progress is being made, but there are clearly pinch points in key areas. Deputy Fitzmaurice referenced the speech and language therapy, physio and other areas. The Deputy mentioned a transfer to Ballinasloe, which I think has happened. I am hoping that transfer helps. I will try to work out what that means with regard to Merlin Park.

The best thing I can do is ask the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to engage with both Deputies and the HSE on this. I offer the woman every good wish.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I thank the Tánaiste for his response. The one thing I will say is, in the overall context, for people who go through a traumatic injury like that, it is about the facility. It is not about that one person alone; it is about people right around the country. If you leave a person in a hospital that does not cater for something, then you are holding a bed that may be able to help someone else. It is a question of putting in resources around the country.

I am appreciative of what Beaumont and all of the paramedics have done, but when the family looked at Peamount, whatever system that is in place in the HSE said it was outside the area. Ironically, if a person came from Roscommon or elsewhere in the west, you would imagine that the likes of Beaumont could ring Merlin Park and ask it to facilitate this, but no. The Tánaiste might bring this to the Minister's attention. The systems here mean that you have to go to one place in the CHO 2 area before you can jump into another place there. That is the problem. Neither Deputy Daly nor I might have a lot of hair left, but we are pulling our hair out trying to get around this to help this family.

I thank the Tánaiste for his comments and I ask him to get the Minister to please engage with us, because we want to get this person back to full health, which I believe will happen.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I hope that is the case. Certainly, I will ask the Minister to engage with both Deputies Fitzmaurice and Daly.

I will just make a couple of comments. The point the Deputy made about the physical environment was a very important one. One of the happiest days I had as Taoiseach was the opening of the newly refurbished National Rehabilitation Hospital, NRH. It has always been an incredible hospital in Dún Laoghaire. To a layman like me, it has performed miracles in people's rehabilitation journeys. However, the facilities were not where they needed to be. For somebody who has to spend a long period in a hospital on that journey, you need to have your bit of privacy, space, an en suite and access to therapy spaces. Real progress has been made in that regard.

I take the Deputy's point, and will bring it to the attention of the Minister and the HSE, regarding the system and the need for more co-ordination. My own view on this is that there are certain areas where it is so specialist that there needs to be a national approach whereby people can move seamlessly to the most appropriate place across the country. I will certainly ask the Minister to engage with both Deputies on that.

I wish the woman all the very best.