Michael Moynihan
Cork North-West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I cannot emphasise enough the respect that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and I have for special needs assistants and the contribution they make to education. In March, we met the SNAs to have further engagement and consultation with them and to understand their roles.”
“We are very conscious of the issue. A huge number of groups that I have met over the past while, particularly on the dyslexia side, have all been discussing assistive technologies. That is also the case for children who are non-communicative and non-verbal. Assistive technologies are extremely important for them.”
“By way of background, 85% of the applications processed for assistive technology between January and June have been approved. We are always conscious of those who fall outside the scheme.”
“The approximate cost to the State per mainstream pupil is currently €1,400 annually, while the cost to the family is €100 per pupil. The total cost of the school transport system in 2025 was €537 million, equating to almost €3 million being spent on the provision of school transport per day.”
“I thank the Deputy. We are looking at ways to ensure that if there is a ticket issued, it will be used. Anecdotally, the Deputy and other colleagues tell us about school routes the length and breadth of the country that have spare capacity but, when we look at the system, all of the tickets on that particular school route are occupied and…”
“Under the current scheme, schools receive funding towards computers and specialised equipment required for educational purposes. To qualify, a student must have a diagnosis of a physical or commutative disability and a professional assessment confirming the equipment is essential to access the curriculum.”
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“If we continue to invest in specialised education as we are - one third of the budget is being spent on specialised education - in the years head we will see great benefits for the children, their families and wider society. I am delighted to accept this report. I encourage the committee to continue its work. It is hugely important.”
“We have a lot of very good practice in our education system, however. The challenge is to ensure that we replicate that best practice across the country. The committee's report speaks to the many challenges and issues we have to face up to across education, including teacher training, reduced timetables and exclusion, which is important at school level. I spoke about transition and inclusion. The Chair raised the issue of sign languages and co-ordination. We are best able to implement policy by collecting data and ensuring that we have the relevant data across the education system. Governance is also important. I cannot but congratulate the committee unreservedly on its work. I appeal to all the members of the committee to continue with that work.”
“I could not but have been impressed by what has been done at Maynooth Community College. It reached out and set up a sports day for every special class in Leinster. Students in special classes in post-primary schools across Leinster were all invited to take part. I was there on the morning of the launch. No matter the challenges, you would have to be extremely impressed by the co-ordination involved, by the people in Maynooth Community College who were driving it in the first instance, by their understanding of the concept in having the special classes involved in their own day - all other students have their sports days - and by their energy, commitment and dedication. Those are some of the great practices. When I was first appointed, people said we should look at best practice across different countries.”
“The latter was developed over 20 years ago and was reviewed in the context of how we make sure that we have the best possible education system and the next steps. I was Chair of the education committee 20 years ago when people were talking about mainstreaming and the challenges involved Education has evolved enormously in those 20 years for the better. We must now look at the next 20 years in the context of what is the right thing to do with the review of the EPSEN Act. The Government is holding a forum on special education and ensuring that the various stakeholders are talking about the next steps. We all have to understand that our schools are our future. It is important to ensure that we are engaging. In every role across the education system, we see great practice.”
“Some practitioners in education have been extremely capable in pushing the boat out and challenging me and other policymakers as to the best next steps for education and how we can be more inclusive. We have been engaging thoroughly since I took up this role, for example, with the National Council for Special Education, and the work it does. Over the past number of years we have increased the number of special educational needs organisers, SENOs, from 60 to 120. There are now more SENOs who liaise with families to ensure that they make the best possible informed decisions for their children. Last year, we had the 51 recommendations regarding the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act.”
“On one of the days I was there, people had travelled from as far north as Ennistymon in County Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and beyond to get an hour or less of equine therapy. Such therapy is of huge benefit to the children. You could not but be impressed by the work ethic of the teams at Liskennett and by the services they provide for the children involved. It supplements and supports special classes and inclusive education. We are starting inclusive special classes this year. Other countries tell us that they do not have special schools but that they have very inclusive models. Not every child, because of their needs, can meet the strict criteria. We have to have special schools, special classes and integrated classes across the system.”
“That number will increase over the coming years. We are listening carefully to what is being said. I was delighted to meet members of the committee in Liskennett recently. Everybody who was at the centre in Liskennett was really impressed with the service provided there and the ongoing work being done by St. Joseph's Foundation in Charleville. I congratulate the Joint Committee on Disability Matters on visiting the site to see the work being done at first hand. The service in question works with 80 schools across the region. It provides therapy sessions to special classes and special schools. It is an integral part of those classes and schools in the context of the wider community.”
“We sat down with them for four or five hours on a Friday to see what the challenges are for them in their school communities, including what they, their teams, their leadership, teachers and SNAs face on a daily basis and to feed that back to ensure that we are doing the right thing. One of the big issues they were looking at was career guidance. What we have done is ensure that hours are provided across the special schools to support students and their families into the future. We also worked extremely hard in relation the SNA workforce development plan, the workforce redeployment plan and the circular which will replace the 2014 circular. The 2026 circular has been brought out. It gives certainty to many thousands. This year alone, over 26,000 SNAs will be employed in the education system.”
“I passionately believe that if we invest properly in special education, we will improve the life cycle of the individuals who has special educational needs and their families. We will also improve a variety of issues societally.. That is fundamental. As a country, we have invested hugely in education over the past 100 or so years, which has served us well. We have to ensure that we continue the level of engagement and support across the special education system to ensure that the best possible outcomes for children with disabilities. Over the past five or six weeks, in five locations across the country, we met the principals of the special schools.”
“We have also introduced the new inclusive special classes at post-primary and primary, which have been welcomed by the school communities. We have to embed them and ensure that we are doing the right thing. The one thing that I constantly I push is that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is an overarching document with overarching reach. The optional protocol was one the issues that we addressed in our committee and to ensure it was signed during the term of the previous Government, which it was finally. It is only as good as how the Republic of Ireland will interpret that and ensure that we have the supports in place to ensure that every child matters and that every child that goes through education who has special educational needs has the best possible outcomes within the education system.”
“They are a hugely important piece in it. If we compare September 2025 and September 2026, we will have close to 1,000 extra special classes opened across the country at primary and post-primary level. These classes did not just come about. A lot of work done by the Department, Deputy McEntee in her time in the Department, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, myself and the school communities over the past 12 months to bring this to fruition. With the engagement that the committee has had with school authorities and school communities, it is important to note that there is a huge openness across primary and post-primary schools to engage with specialised education and to improve and make sure that we have more inclusivity and classes within that. That is a work that is being done.”
“In any child's life who has a disability when they enter preschool, go from preschool to primary school, then go to primary to post-primary and then onto adulthood, those key points are hugely important. In my engagement, not just as chair of the committee, but as a public representative for a number of years, families have been in contact with me. They are the key points or the key difficult moments in family's lives. It is important that we have the right resources in place there. Over the past week or so, I am pleased that we have secured additional funding, particularly on special schools, and there will be extra resources given to special schools to guide the students and their families as to what the future looks like when they leave the special school, whether it is into supported employment, day services or beyond.”
“The committee is led by Mairead who had a huge influence. There is a great team on the disability committee. I thank them all for that. There are a number of issues that were raised in the report on inclusive education. In his opening remarks, the Chairman mentioned a school in his constituency in Limerick. If there is proper investment in education for people with additional needs or disabilities, they can flourish in all those settings. It is about how we pathway that to grow. Since my appointment to this role, I have taken on this role extremely seriously and I have worked with all stakeholders to ensure that we have the best possible education system. A number of the points were made in the report regarding the transitions in education.”
“I express my gratitude to everyone and thank all the members of the joint committee for their work in preparing this report. I know full well the work that they are engaging with. As I was the chair of the committee in the previous Dáil term, I am aware of the work, effort and preparation involved. I have watched a number of the committee's meetings over the past year or so. The dedication, commitment and the depth of knowledge within the committee is a joy to behold. The seriousness that members take their role as advocates in the committee for disability matters is hugely important. I congratulate each and every one of them for their input into it. It is one of the most important committees in the Houses of Oireachtas because one fifth of us now according to the various censuses have a disability of one type or another.”
“The CSO documentation and the data we get through the survey on income and living conditions are hugely important in framing Government policy. This is driven from the Department of the Taoiseach to ensure we are doing everything that can be done across Government to tackle child poverty. I assure all Deputies in the House that we understand. We know that, when you meet parents and families who are experiencing child poverty, you can have all the statistics in the world but you need to be able to point to something that can get them from where they are to where they would like to be or to at least give them a roadmap. Everyone wants the best for their families. This is something that every one of us experiences. The Government is working extremely hard to tackle child poverty.”
“The CSO surveys are hugely important as a basis on which to measure poverty. The investment the Government has made over the past number of budgets, not just those for 2024 and 2025 but also for 2026, and the social protection measures we have put in place, show that not just the Department of Social Protection but all Government Departments are very conscious of child poverty. We are very conscious of the long-term impacts on those children. We are trying to give them the best possible opportunity. You only get one childhood. My Department and Departments right across Government, particularly the Department of Social Protection, are making sure that we are investing as much as possible into capturing the reasons for child poverty. We are investing to make sure we are giving children the best possible opportunities.”
“Reflecting the need for a multidimensional approach, work continues right across Government in other key areas such as housing, employment, childcare, education and health to address child poverty. The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2026-2030 outlines many of these actions, with the aim of achieving our target by the end of the decade.”
“Significant measures included record increases in the child support payment, higher working family payment thresholds, broader access to the fuel allowance and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, and an expansion of the hot school meals programme. These build on important programmes already under way that work to reduce child poverty, such as free schoolbooks, free GP visit cards and early childhood supports. While existing targeted income supports, including the child support payment and the working family payment, are effective at tackling child poverty, the Department of Social Protection is exploring reforms to both the working age and the child income supports. A public consultation on this concluded recently.”
“The Government was pleased to see a reduction in the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions, SILC, 2025 rate of child consistent poverty, from 8.5% in 2024 to 7.8% in 2025. This reduction reflects the impact of Government measures to date. The SILC data has a time lag and is based on income from 2024. It therefore does not yet reflect the 2025 budget and the very significant budget 2026 measures. Despite this, we fully recognise that much more needs to be done to reduce child poverty and to deliver on our target by the end of 2030. This requires sustained cross-government investment and commitment over many years. Budget 2026 reflected this commitment, with €320 million allocated to the Department to address child poverty.”
“It has developed a dashboard of indicators to complement this target and to measure child poverty across health, housing, education, early learning and other indicators. As a developed economy, poverty in Ireland is measured on a relative rather than an absolute basis. A risk of poverty is assessed by comparing a person's income to the average income in society. As a relatively high-income country, this means that some households assessed as experiencing poverty in Ireland might not be considered so in other EU countries. Nevertheless, as we are committed to reducing poverty, it is important to retain this approach. Moreover, the consistent poverty measure that we use is unique to Ireland and captures those both at risk of relative poverty and who self-report deprivation.”
“To take the last point first before I go into it. Not to take it in isolation, that is a completely separate issue. Reducing child poverty is a key aspect of Government policy. The Government has been working on this and understands it. In September 2025, the Government agreed a new target to reduce the child consistent poverty rate to 3% or less by 2030. While an ambitious target, in setting this rate, the Government was clear that no level of child poverty is acceptable, and this is reflected in the programme for Government. The Department of the Taoiseach's child poverty and well-being programme office continues to lead and drive this important work and break down silos across Government.”
“It should complete the work it is doing on the remedial work in getting the water fit to lift the boiled-water notice and then on top of that to come back and say what the project will be over the next while. It should not just long-finger it but make sure what it is in the short-term. The least we want is to have the water systems fit for purpose. I will endeavour to ask both the Department and Uisce Éireann for concise, direct and informative information in relation to what they are doing in Courtbrack, what the timelines are on it and when they hope they can reach those targets and timelines. I will endeavour to get that information for the Deputy from the Department and Uisce Éireann and forward it to him.”
“I thank the Deputy. He has heard all the official answers in relation to what is being done. What he needs to do is to have clear sight of what that is, what that means in simple English, what screening and what work is going on, what levels they have to reach, and what stage they are at. I will endeavour to get sight of the remedial works Uisce Éireann is doing and also what they are considering in the long term. Whatever about the remedial works that are to be done here, the long-term issues have to be put out as well for Courtbrack and all those communities. Irish Water is engaging now with the Courtbrack community and it should not be allowed take its sight off it.”
“There is a bigger issue with it as well. Even if the short-term issues are resolved, Uisce Éireann should not forget about the long-term issues either. I will relay the Deputy's frustration to both the Department and Uisce Éireann again and ask them to complete the remedial work in as short a timeframe as possible.”
“Given the importance of protecting public health, this process must be thorough and evidence-based. In parallel to these shorter-term improvement works, Uisce Éireann is also progressing the assessment of a longer term rationalisation option. This would provide a more permanent solution but is subject to all necessary planning, environmental and regulatory consenting processes. If the short-term works successfully address the issues at the plant, the need for this longer term project will be reviewed. The boil water notice remains in place and will continue until such time as it is safe to lift, based on the outcomes of the ongoing works. The assessment that Uisce Éireann is doing should be completed in a timely fashion so that we can move forward with confidence that the boil water notice can be lifted.”
“They are on a boil water notice and the information I have is that, since taking over the operation, Uisce Éireann has been carrying out technical and detailed operational assessments of the plant to determine the works required to ensure a safe and secure water supply to enable the boil water notice to be lifted. Uisce Éireann has now completed the initial scoping work and the first phase of remedial works has now commenced on site. These works are focused on upgrading and improving the existing plant. Uisce Éireann expects to have greater clarity on timelines as these works progress. Once the outcome of this first phase of the remedial works is fully assessed, the impact will inform the need for any subsequent phases of work, if required, which will ultimately guide the approach to resolving the issues at the plant.”
“I am deviating from the question I was asked but I see the frustration of Members here today and the frustration of Members from across the country. I could turn back and talk about a number of communities I represent and the frustrations I have with it. Irish Water is the statutory body. It has taken charge of this plant. As I understand it, the plant was taken over in January of this year and it was not fit for purpose. It was one of those developer-provided pieces of infrastructure going back a number of years. It is important that we understand the challenges that are there.”
“I thank the Deputy. Three out of five of the Topical Issues have been about Irish Water. I know the Deputy has been talking about Courtbrack and other communities in his constituency for quite some time. In the correspondence we had in the past half hour or so, it covered three constituencies in Kildare, Dublin and Cork, so we can see the frustration of Members about Irish Water, the challenges that are being faced and how we will overcome them. Fundamentally, the availability of water and wastewater treatment plants is one of the most important resources we have to be able to develop further into the future. Over many decades, we have seen as a country the challenges with economic prosperity, but this is one of the key things.”
“As a matter of policy, Uisce Éireann, where disruptions are taking place, should always consider childcare facilities and schools to make sure they are communicated with in timely manner.”
“Now with the extra unscheduled work, there are more difficulties but I will relay back to it what the Deputy has asked with regard to the crèche owners in particular. I will ensure there is full engagement with all the community. While Uisce Éireann is doing a major job in the area, it is important it would engage with all the businesses and householders in terms of leak reduction or anything else. Uisce Éireann is on site now and it should be using that time, fundamentally, to make sure the right things are done and we do not have to go back to it in the future. There was an added piece here and not just the original piece. However, families have had to make decisions on whether to take time off or take annual leave to take care of their children. That is hugely frustrating and it is not acceptable.”
“It is great to see Deputies welcoming their former teachers to the Gallery. They are very welcome and I hope they are enjoying their trip to Leinster House today. The investment is being put in to upgrade the pipe network. A lot of investigation has gone into the pipe network in this area, which is 50, 60 or possibly more years old. In a lot of the upgrading, particularly in urban Ireland, when Uisce Éireann digs down, it finds there are offshoots here and there. Then it finds that is where the leak is and why there was no water pressure. There has been unscheduled work here. As I understand it, Uisce Éireann had communicated what it was doing and the timeframe it was doing it in.”
“In regard to the correspondence we had on getting this question, the most frustrating piece is that where there are works going on, the communities do not know in advance. It can lead to huge frustration. I will take that back as well. There is no way that I can come in here and defend the lack of communication, which is basic. I will ask Uisce Éireann to look at other areas that could be looked at in respect of minimising the disruption, particularly to young people and young families.”
“An Uisce Éireann area inspector has also been in contact with the business and understands that limited storage is available on site. Uisce Éireann is offering the crèche owner the services of its first fix free scheme to establish if there is any leakage on the premises which may be affecting its storage capacity. The Kelly Park and Dun Emer areas are residential areas and it would not be possible to schedule future outages in the evenings or overnight. There are three more outages required to close out the project and Uisce Éireann is working to put in place a detailed programme which can then be communicated to key stakeholders to give more advance notice than normal.”
“Uisce Éireann tells us that very effort has been made to minimise disruption to residents and businesses during these works. Planned supply interruptions have been short in duration. However, the discovery of an undocumented branch off the water main led to unexpected interruptions. Further investigations are now required to map older sections of the network so that redundant sections of pipes can be closed off completely. Customers have been notified about this unavoidable disruption, which is essential to help Uisce Éireann to complete this important work to provide a more reliable and resilient water supply in the area. A contractor liaison officer is now in regular contact with the early years services, including visiting the business on Monday in advance of a planned interruption today, Thursday.”
“I thank the Deputy. These are operational matters for Uisce Éireann but we have been making inquiries in relation to the issues the Deputy raised. I have been informed that works in Lusk have been undertaken between the junction to Hand's Lane and Minister's Road, along Minister's Road and Barrack Lane to the junction at Treen Hill and then Kelly Park. This is a targeted programme of works to strengthen the local water network at Kelly Park and Dun Emer in Lusk to replace old and fragile water mains. These works include laying new water service connections from the public water main in the road to customers' property boundaries and connecting it to the customers' water supply. The project began back in March and work is expected to be completed this summer.”
“What the Deputy said about Leixlip in testimony to the fact that, as he outlined, what is happening is simply not good enough. I will take back what I have heard to the Department and to Uisce Éireann and, in the strongest possible terms, ask them to respond. While the Dáil is the forum in which to raise important issues such as those outlined by the Deputy, we still have to get responses from the statutory bodies. I will communicate the Deputy's frustration to the Minister, in the first instance, and to Uisce Éireann, which I will ask for an update. I do not just mean seeking a response that will come back in a week or ten days; I mean real action on what needs to be done in Leixlip. I assure the Deputy that we will relay what he said to those to whom I refer.”
“I hear loud and clear the frustration in the Deputy's voice in relation to this issue. The points he made are very relevant. Water is a basic requirement for everyday living. The Deputy referred to children, adults and the elderly. Water is a fundamental aspect of everyday living. The Deputy also spoke about businesses and the frustration people have when the water is cut off. The challenge we have is when there is a commitment given that it will be back by 9 a.m. but does not come back until 2 p.m. the following day for whatever reason. People's livelihoods are being put at risk. The Deputy spoke about cafes and other businesses. I hear the frustration, and I know the first port of call for people is their local TD or councillor to ask what they are going to do about it.”
“This programme includes some 30 water projects at an estimated investment of €500 million in treatment plant upgrades, new trunk mains and strategic reservoirs to strengthen supply and support growth across the region. I know this is a matter in respect of which Deputy Neville has been advocating for some time, but Uisce Éireann is engaging in respect of some of the fundamental issues. I accept that more work needs to be done. Uisce Éireann assures us that it is meeting the many challenges that exist in the area to which the Deputy referred head-on as best it can. I will refer to that aspect in my closing remarks.”
“It is important to note that Uisce Éireann is dealing with a legacy of underinvestment in water services and infrastructure across Ireland. The scale of the remedial work necessary in our water and wastewater systems will take a number of years and investment cycles to resolve. Uisce Éireann has delivered significant improvements in the provision of water services. Hundreds of water and wastewater treatment plants have been upgraded, thousands of kilometres of new or rehabilitated water mains have been installed, the national leakage rate has been reduced and the overall quality of drinking water remains very high. As part of its future investment plans, Uisce Éireann has brought together the water for growth programme, which is a comprehensive view of water supply and resilience projects in the eastern region, including parts of Kildare.”
“In the interim, immediate steps have been taken to respond to bursts in the area and to manage supply interruptions as quickly as possible, such as ramping up out-of-hours repair crews and gearing up local stores to ensure urgent availability of materials required. Uisce Éireann is also working with businesses in the area to encourage and ensure on-site storage is in place to limit supply interruptions. Uisce Éireann acknowledges that a long-term solution is required. It is in the process of designing one. In County Kildare, there is a proposed investment of over €170 million in capital projects including the Celbridge and Maynooth leakage reduction programmes and Crodaun wastewater network upgrade that will address some of the most urgent infrastructure deficits, meet environmental obligations and support capacity for housing.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am answering the issue on behalf of the Minister, James Browne, who sends his apologies as he cannot be here. As the Deputy knows, Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services and planning. Neither I nor the Minister have operational functions in respect of the matter. However, we have made inquiries with Uisce Éireann and have been informed that it is committed to solving and replacing the necessary section of the Maynooth-Leixlip mains water network and has a project in place to do so. Design challenges have arisen in the context of reinforcing the existing pipe and routing a replacement, all while maintaining the required capacity to meet demand on the network. Solutions are being investigated.”
“There is the An Post network and then there are the post points which are dotted across the cities and urban and rural Ireland. These have to be a hugely integral part of how An Post delivers it services into the future. I am deviating slightly from the note I have been given, but I believe that An Post will have to evolve into the Ireland of 2026 and beyond as we go forward. With the network, brand and trust that An Post has, we need to ensure that is reachable for all urban and rural communities. An Post is expanding its operations and is recruiting over 300 postal staff. That is great to see, and it is hugely important that our semi-State company makes the right decisions in order to ensure that we deliver for the citizens of Ireland over the next number of years.”
“The point the Deputy makes is one that is being made about urban and rural Ireland by people across the country. An Post has been a very trusted brand over many years. As with everything, life evolves. There is a big challenge for An Post in the context of how the traditional mail delivery service has moved on in terms of the amount of mail being posted, but there has also been a huge uptick in parcel deliveries. It is very important that An Post is properly structured, not just in urban areas but also right across the country, because it is a huge brand that we have trust in. In order to ensure its future, very difficult decisions will have to be made. The Deputy made a fundamental point about the collection of undelivered parcels and so forth.”
“The post office network as a key component of the economic and social infrastructure throughout Ireland. The programme for Government states that the Government will continue to provide a nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and to enhance the value they bring to local communities. The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport is working to deliver on this and an enhanced amount of €15 million per annum has been allocated for supporting the network, subject to all legal requirements being satisfied.”
“An Post states that the move will have little day-to-day impact on local customers because the same postal workers will be delivering on the same local routes as before. An Post advises that it needs much larger premises and-or repurposed facilities to manage increased parcel volumes and to meet the future needs of the city and the changing needs of customers. An Post notes these new buildings also represent an improvement in working conditions for staff and make huge inroads in terms of sustainability around heating, lighting and the day-to-day operations of buildings like the new delivery hub. An Post advises that it is also hiring 300 additional postmen and postwomen across the country, some of whom will be working in this area, to manage the massive growth in volume. The Government is committed to a sustainable An Post.”
“Among these will be the An Post delivery offices in Harmonstown, Dublin 5, and Griffith Avenue, Whitehall, Dublin 9, moving to a new north Dublin delivery hub. An Post states that the proposed move is scheduled for the second quarter of next year and that there is much to be considered before then. An Post states that its delivery office in Finglas, Dublin 11, will also be sharing the new facility which is being completed and purpose fitted at the North City Business Park in Dublin 11. An Post remains in consultation with its staff and unions on the details of the above moves. An Post further advises that it will facilitate the collection of missed mail in local post offices and parcel collection pick up at the post point outlets.”
“Officials have been engaging with the company. An Post has advised in the case of Harmonstown, which the Deputy referred to, that the move is very much in the future and that there is much to be considered in the interim, including the facilities in the local area to be utilised in respect of undelivered mail. An Post has advised that it is in consultation with its staff and their unions on the details of the move. An Post notes that it is consolidating its national network of local sorting offices, which are also known as delivery sorting units, DSU. The company advises that it needs larger and purpose-fitted premises to manage increased parcel volumes. It also advises that as part of a city-wide plan over this year and next, it is relocating a number of its delivery offices to the new city delivery hubs.”
“An Post is a commercial semi-State company with a mandate to act commercially. As such, day-to-day operational matters such as decisions in relation to the size, distribution and future of the network are matters for the board and the management of the company. They are not matters in respect of which either the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, or the Minister, Deputy O’Donovan, have a statutory function. The Ministers are well aware of the impact that decisions relating to changes in An Post operations have on communities and individuals in both rural and urban Ireland. As noted, this is a matter for the company. It would be inappropriate for the Government, as a shareholder, to comment on or prejudice decisions which are for the board and management of An Post to consider. That said, this is an operational matter.”
“I appreciate the importance of this issue but I do not want to mislead the House. There is movement on it. We are pushing it with seriousness at our end. There is a lot of complexity involved but we are working seriously on the issue. I cannot give the Deputy dates but I can guarantee that everything that can be done on the Government's part is being done. We all know families and individuals affected by this. We are bound to ensure we remove any obstacles on our side. That is being done in a very serious way.”
“We must continue to implement the rare diseases strategy with a focus and urgency to reduce delays in diagnosis, improve co-ordination of care, strengthen access to medicines and treatments in a fair, transparent and timely way, and ensure patients' voices remain at the very centre of everything we do. No one should have to navigate these complexities alone. Nobody should have to fight so hard to be heard, understood and to have access to the care they need. Our role, collectively and individually, is to build a system that responds with compassion, clarity and co-ordination. We have made progress. There is more to do but we are moving in the right direction. Working together, in government and right across the House, together with the stakeholders, patients and their families, we can continue to make real progress.”