Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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There is chaos in our courts as a result of the justice Minister's mishandling of the criminal legal aid scheme review. We now see solicitors resigning from the criminal legal aid panel, increasing numbers of cases being adjourned, people going without legal representation and others with no legal expertise attempting to represent themselves. This is a criminal justice system on the brink of collapse, and the justice Minister seems entirely satisfied to let this continue.

Will the Government allow this to continue or will it intervene to ensure the complexity of this issue is recognised? Will it suspend the changes made by the Minister, engage in real consultation with all stakeholders and deliver a criminal legal aid scheme that is efficient for court services, prudent with public finances and has the confidence of the Irish people?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I am very much aware of how important solicitors are to our criminal justice system and our constitutional right to representation, which is the undercurrent of any constitutional democracy. Every Government has to reform, however, and it is key that in working with the Minister for justice and having dialogue with the parties concerned, we get an agreement here. The Government has to be very clear. If we look at the data over the last number of years, there has been a 115% increase in fees in the criminal justice system, yet the number of cases has reduced.

We have to tackle the issues with reform in that regard. I am sure the Deputy would support that when he sees data like that. Critically, we have countered the current offer-----

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The engagement has not taken place.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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-----of it equating to five appearances in the District Court plus an additional 8%. We need to have a landing zone for this as a Government. We need to ensure that gardaí and solicitors can do their jobs and that the criminal justice system can function but a Government has to reform and we cannot be held back from doing that.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Will engagement take place?

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
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I am heartbroken to be standing here today having learned of the disgraceful decision to continue with the plans to build in Bessborough. For 923 children, being born in Bessborough was a death sentence, and the burial sites of 859 of those children have never been found. If this development goes ahead, their remains could be lost forever. I pay tribute to Councillor Noelle Brown and everyone who has been advocating to prevent this from happening. This decision is unfathomable and we need the Government to step up on this. Last week, Deputy Cairns asked the Taoiseach what would happen if it was granted and if it should be compulsorily purchased. He said a decision would be made afterwards. What is that decision? What will the Government do? A decision has been made to grant that permission. Will the Government issue a compulsory purchase order to buy it? I know the Minister said earlier that his heart is broken. We can say that but we have to have action, and we need to make sure that something happens. There needs to be full understanding of what will happen now and how the Government can step in to prevent this from happening.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Cummins for her important question. As I said earlier, this is an important time to support and work with victims. Obviously a legal process was under way with the competent authority, which was An Coimisiún Pleanála, making its determination. Now we need the space to liaise with victims, and to support survivors, which is very important. It would be a huge disservice to them if I was to make a decision on the hoof on the Dáil floor without having the imprimatur of my Government colleagues. It is not my responsibility to do so but I will absolutely raise the concern the Deputy has brought forward with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the respective Minister.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Today is No Wait Card Ireland Awareness Day. It is supported by Crohn's and Colitis Ireland, Spinal Injuries Ireland, the Irish Cancer Society and the Continence Foundation of Ireland. I thank Kildare woman Maria Crowe once again for raising the importance of this card. The Minister will know that, with the support of the Labour Part, I have a Bill on Second Stage to make this card widely available and recognised. I take the opportunity to thank the Minister's colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, for her continued support and advice on this card, and the Chief Medical Officer and her staff. Raising the awareness and acceptance of this card would be a life-changer for hundreds of thousands of Irish people who suffer from bowel and bladder diseases and medical conditions, of which I am one. It would give us all independence and freedom to plan our lives better. I ask the Minister and Government to continue to support the development of such a card and ensure the Minister for Health has all the supports that her Department needs to bring this life-changing card to the hands of those who need it most, giving hope to young and old and changing their lives for good.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Wall for his very important intervention. I heard part of the interview this morning, which was exceptional and very courageous, showing leadership in an area which affects so many people in our society. I know the Minister for Health is supportive of the Deputy's initiative and remains so. I hope that we can all work together to make society a better place for people who struggle with these life-limiting conditions and give them the opportunity to function as normally as they can, notwithstanding the challenges that they have, and make society a better place for us all. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is very supportive. I hope the Minister and Deputy Wall will continue to work together. I commend Deputy Wall on his work and leadership in this regard and the exceptional interview that we heard this morning.

Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Across Ireland, 624,000 people provide regular unpaid care to children and adults with additional needs. A recent 2026 report on care shows that 75% of carers never received respite, 49% cut back on essentials such as food and heating, and 48% experienced severe loneliness. Of course, these carers saved the State millions of euro annually. I have a specific question arising from a family in my constituency. This family's severely disabled teenaged son passed away last year after a long and traumatic illness. The dad had to give up work but is now in a position to return to work. He is being penalised by way of a reduction of his working family payment because his wife's carer's allowance for another family member is assessed against him. This is deeply unfair and I would ask that the Minister ensure the carer's allowance payment is disregarded for purposes of assessment of the working family payment.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I ask the Deputy to relay my condolences to his constituent at this very difficult time. As Minister of State with responsibility for disability, we are doing a huge amount of work to increase residential and indeed respite placements across the country. Just this week, the HSE announced funding for alternative respite to take place through the summer months.

The Deputy's particular query about carers is something that I will raise with the Minister for Social Protection, regarding payments and thresholds. The Deputy will know that, as of last week, carers' payments thresholds have increased, so more people are now eligible for this. If the Deputy wants to pass his case on to me, I can raise it with the Department of Social Protection or he can raise it directly with the Minister for Social Protection.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Adina Constantin, aged 50, was found dead in her home in Portlaoise on 5 July. Jamey Carney, aged 43, a mother of a teenaged girl, was found dead in her home in Killarney on 7 July. Masumeh Manojan, aged 31, was murdered in Clifden on 28 May. Eight women have been killed in this State so far this year. There has been a shocking increase in the rate of murder of women in Ireland and genuine alarm is taking hold. Boys are growing up on a diet of hardcore and violent pornography. The Government has the brains to stop the advertising of junk food because it knows that it leads to obesity but it does not seem to have the brains to stop the provision of hardcore violent pornography to young boys, despite the overwhelming evidence that it leads to violence against women. On one side of the debate, people are blaming toxic masculinity. On the other side of the debate, some people are blaming immigration. Will the Government create a speedy, detailed, evidence-based investigation into what is causing the surge in violence against women, one that is not ideologically predetermined but is based on facts and figures?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising this important matter, which the Government takes with the utmost seriousness. I outlined the legal reform we are doing, with penalties and harder laws to ensure that those who perpetrate such heinous crimes face the maximum penalty, and, critically, that those victims and survivors who are left behind are supported. I know we supported the Private Members' Bill in the Seanad in connection with online activity and protecting young people in particular in that regard. We absolutely have much more work to do to protect them. I am to the forefront in calling for that to happen, particularly for a pan-European approach, which would be more structurally sound, to have the maximum impact.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Given the fact that stamp duty went from 4% to 9% in the period between 2005 and 2007, and collapsed by over 80% when the crash happened in Ireland, we look now at multinationals paying corporation tax accounting for over 30% of Exchequer revenue. Does Government see a danger in this given that 90% of that corporation tax, paying 30% of Government's income in a year, is being paid by just 10% of companies of scale in this country? To me, this is an alarming risk over a three to four-year period. Is Government spending based on that assumption? Have we a contingency plan or is one being worked on in the event that something should happen if there is international disruption to the profits of multinational companies?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Stamp duty was linked to construction, and construction is not as beneficial to revenue, because there is no export. We are doing three things to support and underwrite the vulnerability of the State. We have record capital expenditure, of €19 billion this year, which is up 54% in two years. We are paying down our debt, which is critical to keep our balance sheets strong. We have reduced it by 40 basis points since the pandemic. We are investing in our future. We have over €24 billion in two funds that are investing based on the fact that 1 million people in our country will be over the age of 65 by 2030. The capital infrastructure we have to put in will be transformational. If we keep doing those three things, that will make our value proposition very strong to attract investment.

Critically, it will improve the chances of our indigenous economy. I always point out that the top ten Irish-born firms in Ireland employ 450,000 people globally. Enterprise Ireland has had a record year with €38.86 billion in exports for the €3 billion spent in the economy. We are in a strong position in our indigenous economy. I welcome Deputy O'Connor, as Chairperson of the enterprise committee, and the ideas he has brought forward to do more and to support Startups Ireland, which will be critical, as well as the national acceleratory unit we will have next year, again ensuring that all our entrepreneurs, start-ups and high-performance units get the support they need.

Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A recent report from Barnardos shows that children are going without activities and sport due to a lack of money. A total of 44% of parents surveyed said that they are cutting back on social activities and entertainment, 19% are cutting back on local sport activity participation and 16% are cutting back on school activities and trips. We must close this participation gap. As Chair of the children and equality committee, we recently published a report on child poverty and deprivation that had 60 recommendations, six of which we outlined for priority implementation. One of those is an activity card to tackle play poverty and remove the cost barrier to children in learning to play a sport or an instrument. We must ensure our children in low-income families, IPAS facilities or emergency accommodation do not miss out on the opportunity for friendship, confidence and physical development that play and extracurricular activities bring. There is a programme for Government commitment on a culture card, but the activity card must go beyond arts and culture to capture sport, music and the right to play and participation.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy quite rightly outlined the challenges in this regard and how important it is to get equality of access and opportunity, which is a key theme. I support the Deputy's call to ensure that we have activity, regardless of age or socio-economic status. We must also progress the commitment in the sports for all approach, which is key on behalf of the Government. I will raise the Deputy's ideas in that regard with the Minister for sport. I commend her on driving this issue forward. This gives people opportunity. It is an investment in our children, our future, to be active and, essentially, bring them into the community, integrate them more and give them the best possibility of living a healthy life, which has huge additional benefits. We do not want any child to be held back by poverty. There is a poverty unit in the Department of the Taoiseach now. In relation to budget 2026, we focused on the child support payment and having a separate budget for child poverty, which we need to accelerate in the years ahead.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The conversation on Irish unity is well under way, but there is no point saying this was not a disappointing week for those who have an interest in furthering that conversation and making sure the preparatory work is done. A considerable number of people in the North felt let down. We are talking about sensible preparations, a Green Paper and a citizens' assembly - a forum instructed by that Green Paper as a means to have the conversation on what a united Ireland would look like. At the end of the day, a united Ireland is about Irish freedom, self-determination and delivering on the promise of 1916. It is also about delivering sensible all-Ireland solutions on health, housing and every other issue that impacts on us. I cannot understand the position of the Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, and his implacable opposition to this. I have spoken to many across Government parties who are open to this conversation and who dislike the position that was taken. I listened to the Tánaiste who spoke about working across this House in relation to delivering on Irish unity. I want to know what that looks like. I welcome the fact that Fine Gael is working on a blueprint, but we need to do the preparatory work. The other thing is the British Government is not going to offer up a date on a referendum if an Irish government is not willing to have a conversation.

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I am grateful to Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this once again. I welcome the comments by his party leader this week when she declared that this is a great State and a great place to live in. It makes a welcome change from most other days of the week. There is a considerable amount of preparatory work going on from political parties across the spectrum. The Deputy referenced our own work in Fine Gael, but also the work of the Labour Party and the Social Democrats, who appeared at the SDLP conference last week. Crucially, that work is combined with the ongoing work of the shared island unit, which has delivered over €1 billion worth of investment through real reconciliation.

Another thing that must be looked at when discussing a united Ireland is that a lot of work has to be done to show example from political representatives on the base level of sectarianism that at least two other colleagues on these benches and I put up with every day. If the Deputy looks at the profiles of those who are putting that out there, who bedevilled Heather Humphreys when she ran for President, the emblems and the people they support, it would be welcome if all parties and all representatives in this Chamber made it clear that any sort of united or new Ireland cannot be delivered, but we will continue that work.

David Maxwell (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Hear, hear. Well said.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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How about the Tánaiste working along with this House?

Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Our Lady's Hospital in Navan is extremely important to the people of Navan and County Meath generally. We are proud of the excellent staff who work there and the management team who run the hospital and work together every day to provide good outcomes for the patients in our county. The opening of the surgical hub in Swords was welcome news, not just for Dublin but for surrounding counties like Meath. It is a dedicated facility that will deal with high-volume, low-complexity elective procedures and day case surgeries. It has the potential to significantly reduce waiting lists and improve access to same-day planned procedures. This investment in Swords will complement and strengthen the role of Our Lady's Hospital in Navan. It may lead to the expansion of services in our county hospital. I ask the Minister and the Government for continued investment in Navan hospital. It is already a regional hub for rheumatology. Perhaps the Government might consider endoscopy services for expansion.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Dempsey for advocating on behalf of her constituents and, critically, calling out the work that the staff do in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan in supporting the community, often in challenging circumstances. I assure the Deputy, working with the Minister for Health, that we will support additional services to the hospital and, critically, support our community in the record budget that our health service now has. We expect significant delivery over the years ahead. I will bring the Deputy's comments to the Minister for Health as well.

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Councillor Pat Dunphy and I visited O'Shea Farms in Piltown, County Kilkenny recently, alongside the Minister, Deputy Heydon. On their behalf and following extensive conversations with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, I have a proposal to put forward to help address labour shortages that are affecting businesses such as O'Shea Farms and others across horticulture, manufacturing and hospitality during their peak season. They cannot get the staff to work overtime. This is not because the staff do not want to do the work, but because overtime pushes them more often into the higher tax bracket and they end up with less money in their pockets rather than more. France has recently introduced a tax relief on overtime earnings, allowing workers to keep more of their hard-earned money that they receive for additional hours worked. I believe that this could work well here in Ireland too. Would the Minister support a work-more, keep-more initiative in Ireland whereby overtime earnings could be made tax free up to a reasonable annual limit or maybe have a flat rate on all overtime at 20%? This would allow workers to keep more of their earnings. It would also help businesses fill vacancies, improve productivity and help them to grow. The proposal is a simple one. If people are willing to work extra hours, they should be keeping more of that money in their pocket.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Callaghan for raising this important issue. Critically, we all know in society that work must pay. We must ensure that we are rewarding enterprise and people who are working because their contributions keep the economy going, pay for all our public services and, ultimately, protect the most vulnerable. That is why, in budget 2027, the Government collectively needs to make a big statement on income tax. It needs to support so many working families and ensure that they are getting more of their hard-earned money back - their own money back in their pockets - to demonstrate the Government's absolute clarity that we want to continue growing our workforce, supporting working families, ensuring that work will pay and that we reward enterprise.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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Last week, I was at a conference with the Minister and the EU Commissioner. We discussed various topics, including healthcare and the development of a life science strategy in Ireland. I know it is something that he and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, have worked intensively on. We met with people in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and industry, as well as patient advocates. There will be an important meeting of the HSE drugs group next Tuesday, which will discuss Skyclarys, and recommend it, hopefully, for approval for reimbursement. I do not expect the Minister to intervene or comment on that specific case, and we have to respect the process, but I am sure the Minister will agree that as part of a wider strategy, we need to inculcate that wider ecosystem where patients get access to this care upfront and early access to drugs, where needed. I am sure the last thing we will be encouraging here is more cohorts of patients having to come and bare their soul, either in the audiovisual room or outside the gates of Leinster House. I am sure he will agree that this needs to change.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this very important issue. We need to support families and patients who have rare conditions. I know the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has significantly enhanced the approval process through the Health Products Regulatory Authority. More work is being carried out and a tender process is ongoing in that regard.

One in every eight euro we spend in the State is on medicines. We have increased our spend very significantly but we have more to do, particularly in relation to rare diseases. The work in our strategy sets out very clearly where we want to get to. I thank Deputy O’Sullivan and his colleagues for the work he is doing highlighting this very important issue for some very vulnerable people.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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It is a very significant challenge for the Government to deliver a successful Presidency. My informal meeting commences today when all the European Ministers will come to Dublin Castle to discuss issues that are at the core of Europe’s policy and future, which is so important to our country.

I will talk to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade about the specific circumstances around the businesses the Deputy mentioned. I am not aware that they have been on to me specifically about the disruption the Deputy rightly pointed out, but I am happy to raise his comments with the Minister to see if we can put any mitigation measures in place as we deliver a highly successful Presidency.

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I raise the situation concerning the 25 perfusionists employed across our health service. They plan an indispensable role in cardiac surgery, operating the heart-lung machines that keep patients going during some of the most complex surgical procedures carried out in our hospitals. Their expertise is critical to these surgeries. I understand the HSE has confirmed it will restore the long-standing pay link between perfusionists and medical scientists retrospective to January 2024. This is a positive development and I am pleased that the proposed industrial action has been suspended as a result. Can the Minister indicate when affected staff can expect to see this reflected in their pay and if the restored pay link with medical scientists will be placed on a permanent footing to prevent similar disputes arising in the future?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue for perfusionists who are at the forefront of supporting some very complex surgeries and ensuring patients can get back on their feet and partake in society again. This really demonstrates how our industrial relations system works and its value. Fórsa, the Health Service Executive and the Department of Health came together and worked through the Labour Court and ultimately got an agreement where Fórsa has suspended industrial action and the dispute has been resolved. It is critical in terms of the public service pay agreement framework that we operationalise that resolution. I will bring the Deputy’s comments to the Minister for Health.

Work is to commence on a new public service pay agreement which is so important for the cohesiveness in society. I am sure our public services remain agile and productive which is key to a successful economy.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal East, Labour)
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I raise the lack of ASD classes in my constituency in Fingal, the youngest and fastest growing area of the country. Towns like Swords, Donabate and Portmarnock have ASD classes at primary school level, albeit they are vastly oversubscribed and there are huge waiting lists, but in Malahide there are no ASD classes in any of the primary schools. When Sam’s dad emails my office asking where his son is going to be able to go to school to get an education in an ASD class, I have no answer for him because there are no classes in his town. Frankly, in this day and age, that is not good enough. I am asking the Minister to go to the Minister for education and the Taoiseach and ask if they can work to provide an emergency ASD class – at least one but preferably more – for a town the size of Malahide and, where needed, all over the country.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The issue Deputy Smith raised is very important in protecting the most vulnerable children with additional needs and helping them progress in society. We can see the benefits of the investment by the State in special education over the last number of years, critically, the growth in special needs assistants and the growth in support for additional special classes. I will raise the Deputy’s concerns about Malahide to the Minister for education. It is very important and considering the scale and size of Malahide, I understand his concern. Hopefully, he can have a meeting to resolve the issue.

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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It is absolutely reprehensible that planning permission has been granted for apartments on the site of the former mother and baby home at Bessborough. We have 19 mothers and 859 infants associated with Bessborough still missing. Now 140 apartments are going to be built on a mass grave. We need statements on this next week. The Labour Party has sought that. I have gone through the report myself. It is disgusting. Its language is callous. It minimises the horror and the suffering of the poor people who were incarcerated and died at Bessborough. The State needs to intervene. The Taoiseach was clear when he said Cork City Council should have bought the site. What needs to happen now is for the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to meet the survivors as soon as possible and the Government needs to intervene and make a compulsory purchase order for the site and bring it into public ownership.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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We need a compassionate response from the Government that really puts survivors and victims to the fore in this case. I have not read the report from An Coimisiún Pleanála but I will relay the Deputy’s concerns to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Obviously, I cannot make a statement on the floor of the House unilaterally that requires action without the imprimatur of my government colleagues but, as I said, victims and survivors come first in a very dark history of our State.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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As we are always in firefighting modes trying to meet the unmet additional needs of children in schools, we have lost sight of what inclusive education is. I want to bring that to life with stories of two constituents.

One is the parent of a child who has finished eight years in primary school without a single friend or connection made. She wrote how her daughter "was enrolled in the school, walked the same corridors and was invited to whole-school events. Yet she had very little meaningful time with her mainstream peers and very few opportunities to form friendships or be known by the wider school community." That is a loss for her but also for them; they never really got to know the wonderful person she is. The second parent’s child was forced to travel but has now found a school that matches her needs. She is thriving in a school that believes that every child belongs. The difference was not her - the difference was the school. She is now in a school with an inclusive culture led by an exceptional principal.

How is inclusive education defined and measured in schools which have autism classes? What guidance is being provided to schools on peer integration, shared routines, friendship, communication, access and participation? Will the Department and the NCSE outline clear expectations for meaningful inclusion of children who are in autism classes?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I will raise those concerns with the Minister for education. It is critical to give every child in society the opportunity to realise their ambition in life. In my own hometown, I have seen the growth of special education facilities and new special schools. We need to ensure every child in the State gets that opportunity. It is a huge challenge for the Government. I will raise the Deputy’s policy question with the Minister for education and ask her to come back to her directly.

David Maxwell (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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What legislation is the Government bringing forward to support our homegrown indigenous companies to grow, scale and compete internationally? For example, in my constituency one company, Combilift, is providing key employment. It is owned by two local businessmen. They are supporting jobs in the region and stimulating our local economy. This one company has a workforce of over 800 direct jobs with hundreds of indirect jobs as well. It has an annual turnover of around €500 million and they want to grow this to €1 billion in the future. They export internationally and are global leaders in technology in forklifts, straddle carriers and similar machinery. What are Enterprise Ireland and the Government doing to help them grow further internationally? How are we supporting the next generation of homegrown companies to come through and have similar success?

As we know, we need further employment and industrial development in rural Ireland, especially in places like Cavan and Monaghan.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Not a week goes by that Deputy Maxwell does not mention Combilift to me. I know it has now reached its 100,000 milestone of machine-making in Monaghan, which is very significant. It provides huge employment. I know Martin and Robert there do exceptional work. It is really a lighthouse company for what we want in Ireland: innovation, an indigenous company, Irish born, exporting, growing its footprint in Ireland and operating in 85 markets around the globe. I absolutely assure the Deputy that Enterprise Ireland will be to the forefront of supporting that company's growth trajectory, which is very important to me as Minister because I want to demonstrate to others that this is what you can do when you have vision and ambition, working in partnership with Enterprise Ireland. I really commend the Deputy on the work he is doing, putting the company first and putting the workers first in Monaghan because jobs of that scale in a rural community like in Monaghan is so important. I put them at a premium and will do all I can in my Ministry to protect them.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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Over the past two weeks we have had a number of serious accidents with e-scooters and e-bikes, with people being seriously injured, including six children who are currently in intensive care in Temple Street. One of them is from County Laois. It is one accident after another. Ten people have been killed on e-scooters, two this year so far. It is time to act. Fifty years ago, to drive a Honda 50 with a top speed of 35 m/h, you had to pass a test, wear a helmet and have tax and insurance. We need to stop kidding ourselves that these e-bikes and scooters are capable of only 20 km/h; some of them can do 60 km/h or 70 km/h. Let us be clear: these are mechanically propelled vehicles just like petrol-driven scooters. There must be a requirement to do the following: to know the rules of the road, pass the test, have insurance and wear a helmet, and for the current laws on driving them on footpaths to be enforced. People are going around this town with no lights on their vehicles. Can we make this a priority in the next term of the Dáil? When will we see proper legislation for these mechanically propelled vehicles? These are not toys. This week we had a garda in court because he pursued one of them in a Garda car. He finished up in front of the court over it.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Stanley for raising a very important issue. Critically, he is quite right about the capacity and power of e-scooters. They are a huge risk to public safety. The Government is taking this very seriously. I echo the Deputy's calls that we have to make it a priority. I know there is an enforcement unit with An Garda Síochána and I know the work it has to do. It takes time because the prevalence of e-scooters now is very significant. We can all see that in our communities and in our daily lives. We have a huge body of work to do. I was absolutely shocked to hear the number of children who were in ICU last week directly as a result of e-scooters. Any parent would be so shocked to hear that. We have to turn that shock into action and ensure that we have enforcement-----

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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In the autumn?

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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-----and that we take action. I will raise the matter with the Minister for justice.