Results 341-360 of 1,025,130 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett) in 'Committee meetings'

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Michael Ring: It is not good enough.

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

David Cullinane: -----with regard to senior Ministers not coming in. Particularly when people are putting forward very substantial motions, the senior Minister should be here. That is what Opposition time is for. Time and again we are seeing it where a junior Minister is sent in and senior Ministers seem to think it is not their role, but it is. It is their job to be here and to answer the questions that...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Louise O'Reilly: I join my colleague, an Teachta Cullinane, in saying it is very disappointing the senior Minister is not here. This is an important matter, it is Opposition time and it is a time when the Opposition have, or should have, a chance to address senior Ministers directly. It is very disappointing he could not make himself available for this. I listened with some interest to the Minister of...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I thank my colleague Deputy Shortall for her work in bringing forward this motion. It is very disappointing that the Minister for Health is not here and that the second junior Minister who has just come to join this debate is not connected to the Department in any way. The response the Minister of State has just read out does not address many of the fundamental issues we have listed in the...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Catherine Murphy: I will read back to the Minister of State one line that he read. He stated: The HSE public dental service also provides oral examination and treatment identified as necessary for children at three intervals, at ages six to eight years, 11 to 16 years and subject to capacity, nine to 11 years. Why are we hearing from parents and on the doors that children in certain locations have never...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Colm Burke: I thank the Deputies for tabling the motion and giving us the opportunity to discuss oral healthcare services, to provide some updates on developments in the sector and to outline the Government’s priorities to fundamentally reform these services over the coming years. I am taking this debate on behalf of the Minister. To be clear, this Government allocates over €200...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Holly Cairns: Dental services have been collapsing for years. There is no excuse for the complete neglect of the sector when it has been crying out for reform and regulation for decades. Dental services are out of reach for many people. Preventative care, regular check-ups and minor dental services are only available to people who can afford to pay. There are many failures in the current system but...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: The Ombudsman for Children has issued a report this week to highlight the many ways in which children are being failed in this country. The report states that children are competing for attention at a time of crisis in many areas. Dental health is one of those areas where children are being forgotten so I want to focus on children in this contribution. We have 104,000 children on a...

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Dentistry Services: Motion (22 May 2024)

Róisín Shortall: I move: That Dáil Éireann: acknowledges that access to dental care is in crisis and that urgent action is required by Government to address the many aspects of this crisis; notes that: — there are an estimated 104,000 children on a waiting list for the school screening dental service, out of an eligible 208,000 children; — in the past five years there has been a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (22 May 2024)

Colm Burke: I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Education. The Minister asked me to thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides the Department with an opportunity to clarify the position regarding the development of Fermoy Educate Together National School and, more specifically, the school's request for further accommodation. The Deputy may be aware that Fermoy...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (22 May 2024)

Catherine Connolly: We are way over time.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (22 May 2024)

Colm Burke: Officials in the Department of Education have been engaging with the school patron, Educate Together, in respect of the current and future needs of the school.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (22 May 2024)

Pat Buckley: I know the Minister of State is only taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Education. In the written response he has provided - I am blessed with power reading - it states, "Fermoy was one area surveyed in 2012 and 2013 under the patronage divestment process where there was sufficient parental demand to support changes in school patronage." The response further states,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (22 May 2024)

Colm Burke: As already outlined, there are 19 primary schools in the Fermoy planning area. I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Department has ongoing communication with the school's patron regarding the accommodation needs of the school. The Department of Education continues to liaise with the school and NCSE regarding the provision of accommodation for pupils with special...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (22 May 2024)

James O'Connor: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. However, the reply given in the House this morning makes no reference to the location affected. Considering that the location is in the title of the question asked, that is not acceptable. I ask the Minister of State to bring that back to the Department of Health. When a Deputy comes in here from a constituency and asks a question about an...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (22 May 2024)

Colm Burke: I note what the Deputy says in relation to the specific vacancy in Youghal and I will take back his concern to the Minister. The Minister fully acknowledges the frustration of those waiting too long to access vital primary care services and that of their families. He agrees that much more needs to be done to address waiting lists for speech and language therapy in addition to other key...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (22 May 2024)

School Accommodation

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (22 May 2024)

Pat Buckley: I thank the Minister of State for being here this morning. At the outset, I want to welcome the fact that Ireland joined Spain this morning in recognising the state of Palestine. It is nice to have a bit of good news amidst all of the doom and gloom. To get back to the issue at hand, I want to read from an article published recently in The Echo which states that pupils at Fermoy Educate...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Energy Policy (22 May 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister of State for his reply but I have to say, while it is useful information, it does not address the issue I am raising here today. My sense of things is reflected anecdotally and I can give some examples in my own area. A lady contacted my office who moved into a new one-bedroom unit in December. Her first energy bill for six weeks in the house was €615. That is...