Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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How is it that 100 electric buses costing €10 million of taxpayer's money are purchased and then sit idly for up to two and a half years? Why did this happen? It happened because when purchasing said electric buses, it was overlooked that you had to have chargers for the electric buses. We have seen a litany of incompetence from the Taoiseach's Government - the bike shed cost hundreds of thousands, 14 steps in a park in Dublin cost €700,000 and I do not have the scope to describe the fiasco of delay and waste that is the National Children's Hospital. Now, there is this. Is this the most incompetent, wasteful Government in the history of Irish Governments?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely not. If you take Iarnród Éireann, for example, it has been extremely efficient, on budget and on time with all its rail projects. This is unacceptable. The agencies involved here should not have allowed that to happen. Across the board with public transport, some very significant investments have happened within budget and on time.

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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That is not what the question was.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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There are 50 buses in Galway as well.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I know Deputy McDonald wants to keep attacking the Government, its agencies, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann and so on like that-----

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Electric buses.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----but a hell of a lot has been done in this country in the last number of years in terms of infrastructure. You know what? An awful lot more will happen as well.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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He sounds like Bertie now. Ominous words.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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The European State of the Climate report released today shows that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth. From the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle, the Earth is heating in ways that are no longer subtle or gradual, with forest fires, destructive storms, heatwaves in the Arctic and snow cover in Europe that was 31% below average in March. We know that islands, like Ireland, are particularly vulnerable. We need to start delivering real measures to support people to move away from fossil fuels.

In doing so, we will reduce energy costs for households. At a time of a global energy shock, inflation looking to surge and fuel and energy prices rising astronomically, we know moving to renewables with the renewables revolution will significantly reduce household costs as well as reducing carbon emissions. Can the Taoiseach say how his Government will address this new and really alarming finding from the European State of the Climate report? How can we deliver that renewables revolution?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I agree 100% with the Deputy in the sense that this is an existential crisis. I have noticed that, in the House, there seems to have been a drop in the contributions on climate in terms of political discourse. That may be due to other events. Ireland now has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions in 35 years. It is important to point that out when you look at the extraordinary increase in population. There has been a concurrent increase of about 1.5 million people over that 35 years. There has been more than 1 million new homes and over 1 million extra vehicles on our roads, and we still have the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in 35 years.

This suggests that we can have economic growth and reduce emissions. This is the direction of travel and we have to rededicate ourselves to the issue.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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The CSO recently released data on rising levels of poverty among our older population. The consistent poverty rate for those living alone aged 65 years and over and was 9.6%, which is nearly one out of every ten, compared with 5.2% in 2024. This is a staggering near doubling in just one year. More than 30% are now at risk of poverty. I know the Taoiseach was in Stoneybatter yesterday evening and I was not so far away, canvassing in Phibsborough. As he went door to door, did the Taoiseach meet the pensioners who are struggling to heat their homes, the ones who stay in bed until a bit later to save on gas or home heating oil? Just an hour ago I heard from family carers telling me the cost of energy for them at home has tripled and the Government is overwhelmingly failing them in the support they have in their hand. Pensioners need supports, carers need supports and disabled people need supports. Will the Government finally implement the Social Democrat's proposed €400 targeted energy credit for older people and disabled people and those who care for them?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I was out knocking on doors and I did meet pensioners. We had very good conversations. In the last budget we increased the pension by €10. That was significantly above the going rate of inflation at that particular time.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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Not for energy.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We have increased the fuel allowance. We have substantial provision for pensioners in our social protection frameworks. We allocated an additional €2 billion. There is a sense in the House that we can literally allocate billions more to everybody. We do need some conversation around targeting. I think targeting is important for pensioners as well, which we have done and which we will do more of. In terms of child poverty as well, we targeted it in the budget and it gets ignored because people want universality left, right and centre. As Deputy Hayes knows, there was a €16 increase in the child support payment for children aged over 12, bringing it to €78. There is a danger in the House that we are going to lose the importance of targeting in the political debate about the cost of living.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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This is a targeted measure.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Over the weekend the Tánaiste stated he was exploring one-off payments towards environmentally friendly energy measures such as heat pumps and efficient cars. I welcome the fact the Government is giving consideration to how it can do more to protect households and how it can make them more energy efficient and cut their bills. However, when it comes to offering new grants there is a problem with floating an idea and then taking a long time to deliver on it. If there is talk of additional financial supports coming down the track, no one will buy an EV or invest in a heat pump when they think something extra is coming down the line. If the Government is not planning to introduce these new measures until the budget in October, the Tánaiste's remarks risk pulling out the rug from under new EV sales and new heat pump sales over the next six months. Will the Taoiseach confirm when households will know what are the new energy efficient measures the Government is proposing to bring forward, and when will they be able to get the benefit of them?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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To be fair to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, he has already brought forward substantial improvements to retrofitting measures. The heat pump system grant, for example, now totals €12,500. He expanded this grant and increased it substantially by up to €6,500 for a heat pump. He did that last February. He also introduced measures on central heating upgrades and a new €2,000 grant. There are increased grants for attic and cavity wall insulation and attic insulation top-up grants for first-time buyers. There is the windows and doors measure in particular. By the way, the take-up has been quite significant with regard to the numbers in the first quarter availing of the attic and cavity wall insulation of up to 80% of median cost and up to 100% for first-time buyers. There are already substantial measures and a lot of people are availing of them. There were huge increases in the numbers in the first three months.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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Many years ago a young girl from Oldcourt in Bray had a dream. At a time when women were not even allowed to box, Katie Taylor dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal for Ireland. She went on to achieve that dream in London in 2012 and in doing so she changed Irish sport and world sport forever. Katie has been the driving force behind the rise of women's boxing, helping to bring it to where it is today. As an amateur she won multiple world titles and Olympic gold medals. As a professional she has achieved everything there is to achieve, becoming an undisputed champion and widely recognised as the greatest female boxer of all time. Now, as an extraordinary career draws to a close, Katie has one final dream which is to fight one last time in Croke Park. Will the Taoiseach and the Minister for sport do everything possible to make this happen as a mark of appreciation for her dedication, her achievements and everything she has given to this country and to women's sport? It is what the people of Ireland want to see, and it is what Katie Taylor deserves.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I salute the achievements of Katie Taylor. She has been an outstanding boxer and an outstanding representative of people, dignified in her approach. Certainly I hope her dream of boxing in Croke Park can come to reality. No proposal has come to the Government or has been proffered by anybody to the Government in respect of this. Any proposal generally that seeks public funding for a major sports event is considered by the Department of communication, which is the Department of sport essentially. There is a division in the Department that examines major international sports events and it has a policy and framework to deal with it. Some of it deals with tourism potential and some deals with sports legacy. Without question, Katie is an exceptional talent and has been an outstanding ambassador for Irish sport and for Irish women in sport.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise the issue of the possibility of an air ambulance for the mid-west. There was some good news for the north west the other day, as it now has an air ambulance based out of Sligo. There is real need to have one in the mid-west. Recently I was part of a delegation of TDs from the region who met the National Ambulance Service. It costs it at around €4 million per annum to have an operational service. It is really needed. For many people in the western and northern extremities of County Clare there is no golden hour. They are simply too far away from University Hospital Limerick. I cannot hide my personal disappointment that the new hospital site for UHL was chosen in Raheen in Limerick and not in Clare. We very much need something that deals with the peripheral parts of our county. If the north west has it, given that the annual budget for healthcare in this country is €29 billion surely €4 million could be facilitated to run an operational air ambulance service in the mid-west, specifically out of Shannon Airport in County Clare.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Crowe for raising this issue. I fully understand his desire for the location of an air ambulance service for the mid-west. I do not know what the response was from the National Ambulance Service but a lot of work has to go into such a proposal, in terms of researching it and making sure we have the human personnel, the expertise and the evaluation of how it is working across the country, with a lessons-learned approach. I will ask the Minister for Health and make some inquiries in terms of where we are in respect of this proposal.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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The Government provides funding to the FAI. A memorandum of agreement was signed in December 2024 with €6 million a year paid to it. Back in 2011 and 2012 Cork County Council engaged with the FAI with a view to providing land to it. Eventually in 2017 it leased 30 acres in Brooklodge in Glanmire. This land has lain idle since, even though a sport complex was to be built there. My understanding is that there was to be further engagement about the use of these 30 acres. Glanmire is an area where we have Sarsfields GAA club as well as a camogie club and Glanmire football, soccer and rugby clubs. They are all looking for space for a growing young population. This 30 acres is lying idle and I ask that the Taoiseach's Department would engage with Cork County Council and the FAI with a view to the lease being surrendered back to the county council so we can start from scratch with developing 30 acres of sports facilities, which are so badly needed.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I remember well when all of that happened. In fairness, the county council entered into all of that in very good faith with the FAI. My understanding is that a local soccer club, Riverstown, is on the cusp of entering a lease agreement, and the council will go out to public consultation on all of it to engage with all of the interested parties in terms of the utilisation of the land.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The 35th anniversary of the murder of County Donegal councillor Eddie Fullerton on 25 May 1991 is just weeks away. For all these years, Eddie's family have campaigned for truth and justice. They have been badly failed by An Garda Síochána and the State. An Garda Síochána has been aware of the names of all those who murdered Eddie since late 1993. It had most of the killers names in late 1991. One of those killers went on to oversee 17 murders, including the massacres at Castlerock and Greysteel in 1993. He was a sectarian serial killer and a British military agent, and he has been shielded from justice for all of these years. The family of Eddie Fullerton have requested to meet with the Taoiseach, as they did with one of his predecessors, Bertie Ahern, in 2007. Will the Taoiseach listen to their compelling story and act on their demands? Will he meet with them?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I do not think I have received correspondence. I will check. I do not want to be-----

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Taoiseach will receive it.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will receive it. Obviously, when people seek meetings, I do my very best to meet with them. My understanding is that, generally speaking as opposed to in just this case, An Garda Síochána does everything it possibly can to get to the bottom of murders of this kind, which are reprehensible, and to try to bring the culprits to justice. I certainly will examine the situation.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Before I call Deputy Callaghan, I welcome the staff and pupils from Bishop Murphy Memorial School in Fermoy who are here with Deputy McCarthy. They are very welcome, even if they are displaying the Kilkenny colours.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Careful now.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Careful is right.

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I would like to speak on behalf of those in Carlow and Kilkenny who are in receipt of the State pension. As we all know, State pensioners worked hard their entire lives. They paid into the pot to ensure that they have in income to help them sustain not an extravagant lifestyle in retirement but to have enough in order that they do not have to worry unnecessarily about household bills and everyday essentials in their later years. Bearing in mind that their income is fixed and in light of the ongoing war in Iran that is looming large on the horizon, many of the State pensioners I have spoken to in Carlow and Kilkenny over the past couple of weeks are genuinely worried about how they are going to manage in the winter time. I have spoken to my party leader about this matter, but I want to ask the Taoiseach directly if the Government will commit to prioritising a significant increase in the State pension in budget 2027. Will it prioritise a targeted support package for the duration of the war for, in particular, State pensioners in order that they can enjoy their later years?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We extended the free fuel allowance for a month. Obviously, the Government, as a collective, will address this. Every party in government will have to work collectively to prioritise things for the budget in terms of having a targeted approach and how, in general, we alleviate the impact of the undoubted pressure that those in society who are most vulnerable are feeling as a result of the war. We increased the State pension last year by about €10, which was a high increase relative to the rate of inflation. We have been doing that successfully over the years. We have also put in place other supports for pensioners. This is an issue we will certainly be focusing on in the context of the budget.

In passing, I wish to extend a particular welcome to the students from Fermoy. You come from a very good county. Take care.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Very good. We move now to Deputy Aindrias Moynihan.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I need to raise with the Taoiseach the situation at Coachford College. There is a major plan for a new 1,000-student school, but it is not on the Department of education's priority list. It really needs to be. Two and a half years have been spent on getting planning permission, with the education and training board, ETB, going through issues with the council and Irish Water. There is real concern that once that is resolved, the project will still have to wait to go through tendering and so on with the Department of education or that we will even have to wait for a new programme and that, as a result, the planning permission will expire. There is a real need for the Department to review the priority list and include Coachford College on it.

Irish Water also needs to step up to the plate in respect of Coachford. There is a brand new treatment plant, and the existing Coachford College has a connection to it. The new school should be given access to water services. Coachford College has great standing. It serves a huge community in Ovens, Aherla, Cloughduv, Crookstown, Canovee, Farran, Rusheen, Rylane, Aghabullogue, Donaghmore, Berrings and Dripsey-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Deputy's time is up. The Taoiseach to respond.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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-----and they really need to get access to a school of the best quality.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy very much. It is a great school. I was there many years ago in my capacity as Minister for Education and so forth. My understanding is that the Department of education is awaiting the submission of stage 2b material from Cork ETB in respect of this project. When that is received, it will be looked at from a technical and cost perspective. Obviously, as the Deputy said, there is an issue about the overall prioritisation of the project in terms of the school capital programme. The issue relating to Irish Water is also a factor. The note I have states that it is expected that the stage 2b material will be submitted in quarter 3. That needs to happen as quickly as possible.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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As the Taoiseach knows, a new 96-bed unit was opened in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, last October. That was very welcome, but it has not addressed the issues at the hospital in the way that some people had forecast. To date, 7,554 people have been on trolleys in UHL. That is a reduction of less than 2% on what was seen last year despite opening that 96-bed unit. UHL has doubled the number of people who attend the hospital in Waterford, which has more consultants, and good luck to it. UHL needs a lot more to be done. One of the small pieces of fixing the jigsaw of the health service in the mid-west region was opening the surgical hub. That was due to open next month but has been delayed until December. That is not the worst thing that could have happened. The worst thing is that it was designed to deal with 20,000-plus day cases, which would take people out UHL and helped to alleviate the issues there. The real kicker here is-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Is there a question?

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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-----that we heard from the HSE on Monday that it is only getting 50% of the budget for the surgical hub.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Time is up. The Taoiseach to respond.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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I am asking the Taoiseach to intervene and make sure that the HSE Mid West gets the 100% of funding it needs to open the new surgical hub.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Taoiseach to respond.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister is very committed to the surgical hub concept. The previous Minister, Stephen Donnelly, did a lot of work on that. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has engaged with the hospital, and the funding support will not be there for the surgical hub.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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It will not be.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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There has also been significant investment in the hospital, as the Deputy knows, and-----

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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The surgical hub will not be open. The hospital will not have the money.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Let the Taoiseach answer.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has had regular engagement with the hospital because it needs two fundamental approaches. One is reform of the management of the hospital and how it is run, both of which have happened,. The second is investment, which is also happening. Funding of €47 million is involved. In any event, the new location in Raheen is a huge boost to the future of tertiary healthcare in Limerick.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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That will take years.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The Government announced fuel supports and a reduction in fuel costs for particular sectors. I understand the package amounts to €750 million in total. Let us that put that in perspective. A reply to a recent parliamentary question stated that the Government took in €4.3 billion in fuel taxes and €1.2 billion in carbon tax last year. Both of those were the highest amounts ever. The justification the Government uses when it comes to carbon tax is that it ring-fences it and uses it for carbon reduction measures. Of course, like a lot of what the Government says, that is completely untrue. The reply to an Aontú parliamentary question shows that between 2020 and 2023, 39% of all carbon tax collected was not spent on climate action schemes. I am sure the Ceann Comhairle has heard it said a million times in this Chamber and in the media that this money is going to be spent on climate change issues. It is not, in many cases. Some 19% of that money was simply went into the State's coffers and 17% of it was spent on social welfare. A massive proportion of carbon tax is simply a tax by any other name-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Deputy should ask a question.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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-----except poorer people spend more of their income on it than other people.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Time is up, Deputy. You have not posed a question.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Will the Taoiseach axe carbon taxes in this fuel crisis?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy wants to axe €1.5 billion in revenue, and he has dismissed the social welfare dimension.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Rhetorically.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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We have all always said that one third of it goes to fuel poverty measures. That is how we have been able to expand the fuel allowance-----

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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That is not true either.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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-----and to bring in working families for the first time. An extra 50,000 working families are now entitled to the fuel allowance.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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That is simply not true.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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In the context of the agriculture sector, a significant amount of money goes to farmers under the agri-climate rural environment scheme. That scheme costs about €1.5 billion.

Sixty per cent of that money comes from the Exchequer. The Deputy wants an each-way bet on everything. Is he against the carbon tax revenue going to farmers?

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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It is very frustrating. Only 40% is only going through carbon tax.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Is the Deputy against it going to the poorest households in the country? If he is, he should say so.

Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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I want to raise the tragic death of a young man in east Cork last year and the serious issues that have emerged from the HSE's review of his care. The young man's family made an emergency call during a prolonged seizure event. The National Ambulance Service was unable to reach him until 47 minutes after that call was made. It is also a matter of public record that the HSE has acknowledged omissions in aspects of the clinical care provided. Behind that careful language is a devastated family, a precious life lost and serious questions about emergency response capacity and accountability. The HSE has said that local ambulance service provision is funded to 95% capacity. However, the family involved have told me they have been informed that service cover in east Cork remains compromised due to funding constraints.

The measure of the response to this tragedy will be whether anything changes. The family have requested to meet the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and the CEO of the HSE, Ms Anne O'Connor. They need reassurances that emergency response capacity is being addressed as a matter of urgency. Can those assurances be provided to them?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have the background to the specifics of the case, but I will inquire with the HSE and the National Ambulance Service in respect of what the Deputy has said about omissions in clinical care and a failure of the ambulance service to get there within the allocated timeline. Investment in the National Ambulance Service continues to be made and has increased year on year. Personnel are coming through on an ongoing basis.

If the Deputy can send a note, I can forward it to the Minister and ask her to maybe to engage with the Deputy on the matter.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I want to ask about the national vaccination programme. Yesterday, HIQA issued its health technology assessment on the respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, vaccine stating that it is clinically effective for small babies but that the cost is too much to continue the mass roll-out. Last week, we had officials from the HSE and the Department of Health tell us that they very much believe in the clinical effectiveness of the shingles vaccine but, again, HIQA has stated that it is too expensive. Last winter, HIQA also talked about the clinical effectiveness of the enhanced flu vaccine but, again, cost was an obstacle.

Vaccines are crucial to public health and to reducing health inequality. The shingles vaccine costs over €500. In the context of cost being the issue, of course we need to drive a hard bargain with the pharmaceutical companies. In that context, why was there no reference to vaccines in the framework agreement reached with pharmaceutical companies in March? The latter is a three-year agreement governing the sale of drugs to this country. Is there no emphasis on future vaccines on the part of the Government?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Health has agreed the scope of the RSV infant immunisation pathfinder programme for 2026-27, which will involve the same eligibility criteria in place for the 2025-26 season. A health technology assessment on RSV immunisation for infants and adults was undertaken by HIQA and was published on 28 April. HIQA stated that the assessment provides robust evidence that RSV immunisation, particularly for infants, can deliver significant health benefits and reduce winter pressures on the health service. I am in favour of vaccination programmes.

The position in terms of the adjuvanted flu vaccine was not as clear-cut. Nonetheless, the Minister is examining that as well in terms of the next winter period.

We will continue to work with HIQA and the HSE to look at the findings, the options and, obviously, the budgetary impacts. Shingrix is extraordinarily expensive, but it is effective.

Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I want to discuss a live issue relating to Gorey Hill School and plans the Department of education has in respect of lands currently being used by Gaelscoil Moshíológ and the Irish play school on the site. I preface my remarks by stating that the three schools in question play an essential and hugely positive role in the community of north Wexford, which is a credit to the management, the staff and the students. Gorey is a prosperous town and a victim of its own success. We continue to witness a surge in population there. What is needed is increased capacity in Gorey Hill School, but this simply cannot come at the expense of the Gaelscoil and the play school. I am asking that the Minister for education and officials from her Department meet the three schools involved, listen to their concerns and not put on the table again the quick-fix solution that is currently there. What we need is a long-term solution for the schools and the children of Gorey and north Wexford.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. His colleague Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised it a number of weeks ago as well. Obviously, it is a pressing issue for Deputy Brennan and his colleagues in Wexford and in Gorey in particular.

The Department has stated that site at Gorey provides a good location for expanding capacity in the form of a permanent modular extension for the school. That modular accommodation will be delivered under the Department's devolved special education needs reconfiguration and modular accommodation programme, which involves the use of project management supports. I will ask the Minister to engage with the Deputies in the first instance. There has been engagement with the patrons of both schools, An Foras Pátrúnachta and Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board. I will ask that there would be consultation with the Deputies.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise the question of dereliction and the inconsistency of approach between local authorities. The Taoiseach is aware of the impact of the scourge of dereliction on our towns and communities. In Gorey, Wexford County Council has taken a very active approach to deal with the problem of derelict buildings. In Arklow, however, Wicklow County Council has not taken an active approach and, as a result, there is a serious problem with dereliction, particularly in the centre of the town.

I will frame my question in terms of the data. Wexford is much more active in tackling dereliction than Wicklow. Obviously, I want dereliction in Arklow in particular to be targeted. How can we ensure a consistency of approach between local authorities? How can we ensure that Wicklow County Council will use the powers at its disposal to tackle dereliction?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this. Arklow certainly needs that sort of focus in terms of eliminating dereliction. The Deputy's observations are exactly correct and conform with those of the Government. The Minister has produced data in respect of this matter. Some local authorities do far more than others., which motivated the decision in the recent budget to move enforcement in respect of dereliction to Revenue . The view is that this will, in its own way, bring consistency. A lot of mapping, etc., has to happen. I hope the process in that regard accelerates as quickly as possible. The view would be that Revenue being involved might concentrate minds a bit more and bring about a greater level of performance across the board. Local authorities should still be actively pursuing this issue. Limerick did very well on dereliction. Other local authorities did very little on it.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Most days, the Taoiseach and I fight and argue about policy and politics. Today, is not one of those days. I come in here today to speak on behalf of Craig Coady. He had a family, a wife and two sons. His wife now is in long-term hospitalisation. She has Huntington's disease. They buried their 13-year-old son Rory, who died as a result of Friedreich's ataxia. Their second son Paudie, who is 15 years old, is dying of the same disease. Skyclarys is not a perfect medicine. It is not a cure, but it has been shown repeatedly to have clinical benefits in slowing the disease. I am asking that under the compassionate access programme, as happens in France, this drug be provided to Paudie.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Can I just say this?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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No.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I spoke to-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Taoiseach will respond.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I spoke to Craig this morning. He is pleading from his heart that the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health see to it that this drug is provided.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy Gould is really making it difficult for other people.

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Gould for raising the issue. He is correct in that this is not an issue that anybody wants to have a dispute over. Deputy Paudie O'Sullivan raised it this morning. I spoke to the Minister about the case last week. My understanding is that there are ongoing interactions with the company involved. There has been a health technology assessment and so on. This has proven problematic.

My heart goes out to the Coady family. They have lost their son Rory. The situation is very challenging for Paudie unless he can get access to this drug. I will work with the Minister to see what we can do to try and help the family. I appreciate the Deputy raising the matter in the manner in which he has raised it.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Every week, month and year, working people who have been waiting on social housing lists for years are being thrown off those lists because they get a pay rise or an increment or, as was the case for one civil servant I spoke to this week, are awarded family income supplement. They lose their years on the housing waiting list as a result. They do not have enough income for cost rental. They cannot afford affordable housing or to bid on the open market. When will the Government, as I have asked repeatedly, raise the social housing income thresholds in order that working people in this situation will have some chance of being housed?

Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I have spoken to the Minister for housing about this matter, which is under active consideration in the context of raising the income thresholds. It was raised a number of years ago, but the Minister is examining it. I hope to be back to the Deputy before long.