Noel McCarthy
Cork East · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank the Minister for her response. There have been some positive developments recently with the approval of a safe routes to school programme application. This was good news for the school as it will greatly help its future expansion.”
“I thank the Minister for her response. I am unsure if she is familiar with the history of Kilcredan National School. It has been the central point of three smaller parish schools - Ladysbridge, Kilcredan and Ballyburden - since they merged in the 1970s.”
“An additional school accommodation scheme application was refused on the basis that Kilcredan national school has sufficient accommodation within the existing school buildings to cater for its local demand.”
“I have written directly to the Minister to highlight this. With this in mind, I ask her to provide an update on the progress of the long-term proposal for Kilcredan National School, which would see the construction of one much-needed mainstream classroom and two SEN classes.”
“I wish to address the ongoing need for the repair of the Fermoy Weir in my constituency of Cork East. I brought the matter to the Taoiseach's attention as recently as March, so I know he will be familiar with this situation, and I thank him for that.”
“I thank the Taoiseach for his positive response. It means a lot to the people of Fermoy, as I said already. The Taoiseach mentioned Councillor O'Flynn. I want to acknowledge all the councillors in the Fermoy municipal district for all the work they are doing.”
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“I wish the Minister well in her new role. I look forward to working closely with her. I raise the urgent need for the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant in Mitchelstown in my constituency of Cork East. An upgrade of the existing plant has been acknowledged by Uisce Éireann and is badly needed to ensure extra capacity is created to further housing development in the town. The current housing situation in Mitchelstown is forcing those seeking to buy a house to look elsewhere. This has been ongoing for a number of years. We need certainty that extra capacity will be created to meet future housing need when large areas of the town remain undeveloped.”
“I again thank the Minister of State for his response. I previously mentioned his predecessor and the good work he did within the Department. When he visited areas in east Cork last year, unfortunately, he did not get the opportunity to visit Rathcormac. Following the Minister of State's response, I would appreciate it if he could get an opportunity to visit. The people of Rathcormac would be very grateful for that. His visit would reassure them that work will be done in the near future. I thank him very much for his response. It is very positive that he will visit as soon as possible.”
“I have no doubt that those who were impacted will continue to be fearful of a repeat whenever the area is subject to prolonged rainfall. I acknowledge that Rathcormac is included in tranche 2 of the CFRAM programme, but is there a possibility of it being prioritised for works and included under tranche 1 of the programme?”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response and for the update. I commend the officials in the OPW and Cork County Council, and the previous Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, on the work done to date, and the establishment of the individual property protection scheme for east Cork. While I acknowledge that areas such as Midleton, Castlemartyr, Mogeely and Killeagh were devastated by the flooding caused by Storm Babet in October 2023, I must highlight the plight of Rathcormac, which has long been identified as a flood risk. This, unfortunately, came to pass following Storm Babet, with many properties devastated by flooding. This is something that will forever be remembered in the community.”
“I wish both the Minister and the Minister of State well in their roles. I look forward to working closely with them. Could I get an update on flood prevention measures being undertaken in Rathcormac, County Cork, and if he will make a statement on the matter?”
“With a certain number of passports printed in the Passport Office in Mount Street, Dublin, and the majority processed in the printing facility in Balbriggan, is the Tánaiste considering the possibility of establishing another printing service in the Cork Passport Office? This would greatly benefit those attending the Cork Passport Office rather than the Dublin one and reduce the burden on the other offices in the capital.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply. I welcome staff increases and a reduction in the turnaround times for a passport. Many people have been in touch with me regarding passports during my time as a councillor and now as a Deputy. While things can sometimes be very touch and go in respect of whether people can travel on time, I have always found the passport service very accommodating when it can be. Does the Department hire additional staff at peak times of potential demand for passports, such as during Easter break or the summer holidays?”
“I want to congratulate the Minister and Minister of State on their appointments. I want to inquire about the staff numbers employed by the passport service in each of the years 2020 to 2024, inclusive, and the steps being taken by the Department to reduce the turnaround times for a decision on first-time and renewal passport applications. I would also like to know the number of first-time and renewal passport applications received in each of the years 2020 to 2024, inclusive, and the number of applications approved and passports issued over the same period.”
“This is my first speech in the Chamber. I thank my supporters in Cork East for showing their faith in me, and my family and supporters for believing in me. I wish to bring to the Taoiseach’s attention the R624. Cork County Council is producing an assessment report on the proposed options for the access road to Cobh, the only road access to Great Island. A crash there lately cut off access to the island for over two hours. Belvelly Bridge is over 200 years old and not fit for the traffic volumes using it. Cross River Ferries has reduced its service and a second service is needed. I understand the operator is private but different access options need to be explored, including the possibility of creating a harbour taxi service. Does the Taoiseach agree that this serious problem for the people of Cobh must not continue?”