Pádraig O'Sullivan
Cork North-Central · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Imagine being the father of two boys who have Friedreich's ataxia and one of them passing away. I know the Tánaiste is familiar with the case of Craig Coady. I normally do not personalise stories in here but he spoke about this quite openly on Red FM in Cork on Tuesday.”
“I am not asking anybody to comment on the process itself as I know we have to respect it, but is it possible that the review committee can be brought forward and convened as quickly as possible to see this through one way or another because of the mental trauma, anguish and emotion? Many people travelled up on Tuesday.”
“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.”
“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.”
“It was remiss of me not to welcome members of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland. I am struggling to see through the glare of the glass. I can see a Limerick man, Kevin Quaid, up there. It is not too often that a Cork man would welcome a Limerick man but I welcome Kevin. I can also see Siobhán. I think Andy Heffernan was there as well.”
“I have asked many parliamentary questions on this over the past few years. Very little has changed. The only thing that gives me hope is that the company has since met the CPU and submitted a commercial offer that remains under consideration. I am not asking for special treatment for any drug.”
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“Some 25,770 pups were listed for sale on dogs.ie in 2024. Annually, we are told the figure of registered pups bred in licensed establishments is typically 7,000 or 8,000. How were there 25,500 pups for sale on dogs.ie in 2024? That is something we need to reconcile and correct. Some of the practices in the sector are very concerning. It is an industry estimated to be worth around €150 million per annum. We need to look at legislation that will restrict the number of breeding bitches we permit dog breeders to have. At present one can have six breeding bitches. That needs to be revised downwards, in the context of the capacity of these establishments and animal welfare being at the centre of it. We need to tighten up on alleged tax avoidance by those breeders, particularly in non-registered or backyard breeding establishments.”
“Nearly 7,500 dogs entered Irish pounds last year, according to the Department of Rural and Community Development. The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates that the numbers of cats and dogs surrendered between January and November last year were up 49% and 44%, respectively, and that 30,000 pups are bred in licensed establishments every year. Other animal welfare groups estimate the figure could be anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000 pups per annum . To give an example of how big and lucrative the industry is in Ireland, the UK has a population 15 times larger than ours and yet we produce half the number of pups that are bred there. That shows the extent of the dog breeding in this country. Much of it is done properly and correctly by responsible breeders, but, unfortunately, much of it goes under the radar.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for coming in to take this matter. It relates to dog-breeding establishments. I am looking for details on the number of pups bred in the country every year and the numbers exported. I listed in the text of the Topical Issue I submitted the various bits and pieces I am seeking. I have dealt with many animal rights groups and charities in recent years. Some of the stuff I have seen has been eye-opening. Some of the facts, statistics and images I have seen at first hand are appalling. The State and the Government have a great deal to do to ensure that dog-breeding establishments are compliant and regulated and that where issues arise, the repercussions are felt by those offending or not in compliance.”
“We could not go into it for two and a half years because we could not get certification. That is just one example of the pressures and demands placed on boards of management. Whether they are equipped or not to deal with those specific situations, they will require the expertise and leadership of something like the ETB.”
“I recognise that the Department is always proactive in my engagements with it. As an educator, though, I have concerns, and the Minister may have touched on something there. Cork ETB has a skill set that many voluntary schools would not have. While all schools are not under the patronage of Cork ETB, it has a specific set of skills. It might be worth considering in future that large-scale projects could use the local expertise in the various ETBs across the country. I remember teaching in a school a decade ago. The Minister might recall that the Sammon construction company had a number of projects in the country at that time, but it collapsed. Our school was 90% complete at the time, but because of difficulties surrounding that situation, we were left looking out the window of the old school at the new school that was nearly finished.”
“I raise this question because I am looking at voluntary boards, boards of management and school principals that do not necessarily have the expertise. I know the powers are devolved and they get a team to work with them. I think it is worth a rethink in how we do these projects because these people do not necessarily have the expertise, yet they take so much upon themselves and there is pressure with that. Will the Minister register that in her response?”
“I thank the Minister and I would appreciate a list in writing. The reason I asked the question was not to come in here to backslap and say we were all doing great. I taught for 15 years. I was deputy chair of Cork ETB for five of those, and the rate of capital expenditure has been phenomenal in the past number of years, particularly in Cork. That has to be recognised. We have seen projects in my constituency like the new special school in Carrignavar, which the Minister referenced. I think Scoil Mhuire gan Smál in Blarney cost in the region of €80 million. The biggest school campus in the country is in Carrigtwohill in my neighbouring constituency of Cork East. These are massive infrastructural projects. The boards of management and school managements in those circumstances have fought and worked hard for them.”
“If I understand the Minister, some ETBs are deferring. The issue still needs to be dealt with. Are we just kicking the can down the road and, in essence, just leaving the issue for the Minister to solve in the next budgetary cycle? He has said he became aware of this a month ago. Given the numbers of apprentices at the various stages, this should have been identified an awful lot sooner. If the Minister was only made aware of this a month ago, I would ask how whoever was responsible, whether inside the Department or elsewhere, missed this? It is quite significant. In essence, the Minister has said that we are facing the distinct possibility of many courses being deferred. As far as I am concerned, that is just kicking the can down the road. Ultimately, the only solution to this is additional funding in the budget.”
“If there is funding pressure as a result of people moving forward from stages 4 and 6 of their apprenticeships, I assume that will have to be addressed in the forthcoming budget. Will the Minister identify how he hopes to do that?”
“I thank the Minister for being straight and upfront on the issue. I am glad that he has acknowledged that there is a dynamic between SOLAS and the ETBs and that this is probably an annual thing but there are still issues. If I went on the Internet tonight, I would see that there is allegedly an issue in Donegal. It is reported that there is a shortfall of €2.1 million. In Louth and Meath ETB, with which the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach is involved, a shortfall of up to €12 million has been identified. That is quite significant. The Minister has said this is a funding pressure that was brought to him and that he is doing his best to work through it. When did it first come to his attention?”
“We all understand the importance of workforce planning, nowhere more so than in the area of children, education and health. I heard something concerning last week. It was that pay and numbers are yet to be agreed between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and the HSE. TDs like myself come in here every week talking about delays for speech and language therapy and physiotherapy and about the delays inherent in the assessment of need system. If pay and numbers have not been agreed yet or the Department of children has not submitted something to the HSE, I am concerned we will be back here next year with further delays and posts not being filled. It is fundamental we get to the bottom of it immediately.”
“The migration pact that has been proposed and that we have agreed to move forward with is at this moment in time the only show in town when it comes to dealing with migration in this country in a fair, equitable and compassionate way.”
“At EU level, a country may only be designated as a safe third country where non-nationals' lives and liberty are not threatened in that country on account of race, religion, nationality or membership of a particular social group, non-nationals face no real risk of serious harm as defined in the qualification regulations, and non-nationals are protected against refoulement in accordance with the Geneva Convention and against removal and violation of the right to protection from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This is, as I said at the outset, an emotive issue. I urge that all people engage in this debate in a responsible way. Our system has had its challenges and, let us be honest, it needs reform.”
“It is not, as perhaps has been implied in the House by some, that we are going to be indiscriminately dropping people back into random countries. It is clearly defined in the amending regulations what way this process will happen. Section 72A of the International Protection Act 2015 also provides for the Minister to designate, by order, a country as a safe third country. Section 21(2)(c) of the 2015 Act provides that, where an applicant for international protection arrived in the State from a safe third country, there are grounds for determining the application to be inadmissible.”
“Additionally, the proposal will also designate Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia as safe countries of origin. In relation to the regulation amending the APR as regards the application of the safe third country concept, the safe third country concept as provided for in the EU asylum legislation allows member states to determine that an international protection application is inadmissible when the applicant could receive effective protection in a safe third country that is considered safe for the applicant. Current EU and Irish law requires a connection between the applicant and the safe third country concerned on which basis it would be reasonable for the person to be returned to the country.”
“They will obviously be done in a compassionate and sympathetic way. I think the way the Minister has started is the way he means to go on, and I have full confidence that he will do that in an unbiased and neutral manner. It is also proposed to designate all EU candidate countries as safe countries, namely, Albania, Bosnia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine. They would be designated safe countries except where the following circumstances apply: there is a serious threat to civilians by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict; restrictive measures or sanctions have been adopted in view of the country's actions; and the EU-wide recognition rate pertaining to the applicants from the country is higher than 20%.”
“A country may only be designated as a safe country of origin at Union level in accordance with the APR where, on the basis of the legal situation, the application of the law within a democratic system and general political circumstances, it can be shown that there is no persecution. The designation of a country as a safe country of origin may be made with exceptions for specific parts of a territory or clearly identifiable categories of persons within that jurisdiction. The assessment of whether a country is a safe country of origin in accordance with the APR must be based on a range of relevant sources of information, including information from fellow member states, the EU Agency for Asylum, the European External Action Service or even the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. These decisions will not be made on a whim.”
“Fifteen countries have been designated as safe countries of origin under section 72, namely, Albania, Algeria, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, India, Kosovo, Malawi, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Serbia and South Africa. The asylum procedure regulation, APR, provides for the first time in EU law for the possibility to designate safe countries of origin at Union level and sets out conditions for the designation of a country as a safe country of origin. The possibility for member states to designate countries as safe countries of origin at national level is retained. That is crucial. There are fears that sovereignty and decision-making powers are being taken from us, but the situation could not be further from the truth. That designation of authority will still be retained.”
“By any “neutral observer” standard, since the Minister has assumed office, he has looked at various circumstances where those designations are appropriate and where they are not. In deciding to make such an order, the Minister has to be satisfied on the basis of the legal situation, the application of the law within that democratic system and the general political circumstances, that it can be shown there is generally and consistently no persecution, no torture, no inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and no threat by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.”
“It also establishes a more coherent approach across the EU to migration, asylum, integration and border management. It is expected to come into force sometime in 2026. The EU migration and asylum pact upgrades the common European asylum system to provide a consistent, fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure in ordinary times and, as I said, in times of migratory pressure. It is obvious that in recent years we have experienced peaks of that migratory pressure. The pact will also ensure a fair sharing of responsibility through stronger governance of asylum and migration policies across the EU. It is envisaged that the Bill will be published in June 2026. Under section 72 of the International Protection Act 2015, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration may make an order designating a country as a safe country of origin.”
“The motion relates to the establishment of a list of safe countries of origin at Union level, the application and definition of a safe third country concept and the proposal for a Council recommendation on a co-ordinated approach to the transition out of temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine. It also covers an opt-in to the proposal for a regulation establishing a common system for the return of third country nationals staying illegally within the EU. I know the Minister is due to introduce an international protection Bill in the coming months to give effect to these proposals. The proposals stem from the EU migration and asylum pact, which creates an efficient asylum procedure in ordinary times, as well as in extraordinary times of migratory pressure.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House to deal with what is, at times, a divisive debate in the country at the moment. I have been listening to the previous speakers and, above all else, the one thing I would ask and expect of people in the House is that we would have an informed debate without the usual scaremongering and hyperbole. Let us just get down to discussing what is contained in the motion. Since the Minister's appointment, he has always said that we need a fair and firm asylum process. That has been reflected in his work since he took over while, at the same time, he has to be cognisant of and compassionate regarding the circumstances in which people are potentially arriving into the EU and this country.”
“Over the last number of weeks many ETBs across the country have expressed their concern about funding shortfalls and are saying that they are being squeezed. I have read articles about same related to Louth and Meath ETB and in my own county, Cork City and County ETB has experienced a similar shortfall in funding. I am guessing - the Minister can correct me if I am wrong - that this is related to the increased allowances for apprentices that were committed to last year. I ask the Minister to explain the squeeze and what he intends to do to make sure all ETBs are adequately funded to deliver the courses they have been prescribed to undertake.”
“The community was actually in favour of the proposal and supported it because it was necessary infrastructure. However, we are expressing the community's genuine concerns about hundreds of thousands of acres. The Minister’s concern should be about the knock-on effects on the agricultural and food sectors. There is a scoping exercise and there will be a public consultation on the guidelines, but we are all here long enough, so let us be honest about it - that will take two or three years. Meanwhile, there will be dozens more of these applications with essentially no guidelines in place. That is the most concerning thing for us.”
“The Minister is restrained in what he can say. He is the Minister for agriculture, not energy and communications. I take his point about solar that the Department is providing for rooftops. That scheme is very much welcome. However, we are seeing the landscape transforming in front of our eyes. I took my kids for a walk in Leamlara in east Cork a couple of months back and as far as the eye could see, there was panel after panel in what was probably the most productive land in the country. That is the concern we are expressing. We are not saying we are against solar farms; we are clearly not. They are as necessary as wind energy. A large, industrial biodigester was built in my area of Little Island a numbers years ago. Nobody objected to it.”
“They are indisputably part of what we need to do in generating energy for the future. However, the nature of the developments is erratic and concerns are being expressed by communities, particularly in my own parish of Knockraha into James O’Connor's area of Leamlara and Lisgoold. There are multiple applications. These farms are transforming the landscape from largely agricultural to what we would argue is a commercial enterprise.”
“I thank the Minister. I am aware of the scheme he outlined and the number of farmers who have availed of it. It is a very good scheme. The designation of land, land use policy and so on is really a matter for the Minister for local government, but one of the reasons Deputy O'Connor raised this matter with the Minister for agriculture is its potential impact on farming, particularly the dairy sector in the part of the world the Deputy and I represent. We are seeing large solar farm proposals now in the absence of any guidelines or any instruction from the Government. The Minister has said it is in the programme for Government that we will be bringing forward guidelines. They cannot come soon enough. There is concern that some communities are being swamped by these. Nobody here is saying we do not need solar farms.”
“We are talking about the late-night economy in Cork city centre, in particular, but to facilitate that, we will have to put on extra buses through BusConnects and extra trains on the newly developed electric lines. That needs to be scrutinised. I know that light rail is not exclusively covered under this plan, but we have a problem in Cork that is similar to the problem in Dublin. There is talk of bringing the metro to Dublin Airport. People might consider the heavy rail option of connecting Clongriffin station to the airport in Dublin. That could be achieved in a relatively quick time compared to the plan for the metro. The situation is similar in Cork. We have no plans to connect light or heavy rail to the airport. It is about providing connectivity and giving people the option. That needs to be reflected in the review.”
“At the new Dunkettle station, in an area called North Esk, there is due to be a park-and-ride facility. We have spoken about that facility for 20 bloody years at this stage but I am hoping that the National Transport Authority, NTA, will finally give Irish Rail the funding to deliver it and to alleviate some of the traffic problems Deputy Quaide spoke about, particularly at the interchange. A bugbear of mine is that even though we talk about the increased frequency from which we are all going to benefit, lazy people, such as me, still opt for the car. It is partially out of laziness, and I hold my hands up in that regard, but the timetable can be very rigid. I hope when we have the full benefit of electric lines and double-tracking that we will be able to move having a train later at night.”
“I am being told that at least three, if not four, of those can be delivered by the end of this decade. That will predominantly benefit my constituency. We are looking at the possibility of an additional station at Tivoli. There will definitely be additional stations at Dunkettle and Blackpool and there will possibly be another at Blarney. That is without mentioning the stations that Deputy Quaide referred to in east Cork. For us, that allows travel every 15 minutes. We also benefit from the double-tracking to which Deputy John Connolly alluded. To be fair, it has been transformative for people on the eastern line, in particular, where I am living in the Little Island area. In conjunction with that, we are also looking at the additional park-and-ride facility.”
“I am sitting here kind of amused though I probably should not be. There is obviously a regional disparity in the investment in rail services. I listened to the contributions of the Social Democrats and there is obviously a Cork bias because the Cork representatives, even within my own party, seem reasonably happy with the level of investment we are receiving. Things in the west are starkly different from what is happening in Cork, where it is predominantly a good news story. We are getting massive investment not just in heavy rail but also in the light rail system for the future. There is much to be hopeful about. Speaking strictly geographically and with a geographical bias, it is clear that in Cork anywhere up to 11 new stations are planned.”
“The Estonians speak about our inability to get over the bureaucracy and how we are strangled by certification. It is necessary but this is three years after she first flagged it as an issue. That is something that frustrates me. Between the Custom House and Department of public expenditure we get bogged down in bureaucracy and administration. Hopefully some day we can break free from it and get on with delivering these units.”
“I am someone who is about to embark on a journey with my family to build our first home. If there was a genuine modular offering for us as a family, we would look at it but, unfortunately, it is just not there for us as one-off house builders. I am lucky to be in that position. Still, there are significant barriers there. I was at a lunch today with the Estonian ambassador and she spoke to me about a conference she attended, which I believe a number of colleagues attended as well as part of a trade mission in the past few years, where there had been issues with certification. They are able to build these houses to scale in central and eastern Europe. Obviously, a house being built in Estonia will be different from one being built in Ireland. I assume climate plays a role in that.”
“The Minister referenced the fact that the Department has made a good deal of progress on MMC. Will he quantify that for me if he has the figures available? How many units have been built since 2023 or whatever date he referenced? I understand a target of 1,500 was mentioned, but will he quantify the number of units that have been delivered via this method? A much-maligned project took place in Mahon in Cork two years ago that turned out to be more expensive and took longer than a conventional build. It is very easy for us to react negatively to MMC and modular housing but my belief is that it has a crucial role to play in the future. A company was established in my area in recent years which deals with a specific type of modular housing, namely, the conversion of shipping containers.”
“It is not the same model as the HSE uses, the clinical model we have become accustomed to. The Rainbow Club model should be the footprint for what we do providing special education needs into the future.”
“The one thing that gave me a bit of optimism or cause for hope in the past few months is that, despite the legislative changes that might come down the line, we are talking about giving people access to therapies at source and that it will not be contingent on diagnosis. I hope we can continue that. There is a requirement to expand reading classes. I taught in a school for 15 years. Why have reading classes and early intervention classes not been expanded? These could provide early intervention to students without a requirement for a full diagnosis. They need to be expanded. We need to look at models. The Minister of State visited the Rainbow Club and will probably visit it again with me. We need to look at how it provides therapies and interventions to students of school-going age.”
“I welcome the review. We have been waiting for it for a while. I do not want the House to be in this position again of debating legislation from 2004 and 2005. I do not want to pass legislation that we cannot live up to, as we have done with the assessment of need process. There are timelines in the Act that the State is consistently failing to deliver. Whatever we do with this review, we need to ensure that people can avail of the resources and supports required in the area of special education, schools can deliver those supports to students and we do not find ourselves in this position again as regards the assessment of needs process, where we cannot implement the very legislation we are attempting to introduce. I have issues with the assessment of needs process and I will use the couple of minutes I have to talk about them.”
“Within the health Act there are specific deadlines for the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE, to make decisions. It is supposed to make a decision within 180 days. A recent report by the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, IPHA, stated that 86% of all applications are not being dealt with within the legislative times provided for in the health Act 2013. Some 86% of all applications are going overdue. The NCPE administers all this. The NCPE makes the decisions. I am not casting aspersions on anybody in that organisation. It has handled hundreds of millions of euro in taxpayers' money over the past decade but there is no oversight, no governance, no independent chair, no SLA, nothing. That was a recommendation in the Mazars report a number of years ago. That needs to be done.”
“The Tánaiste referenced the number of staff that the State has put in, as one example. Despite the number of staff increasing from four to 30-odd at this stage, the length of time it takes to assess a drug is actually lengthening, not shortening, despite the additional staff. That is one point of clarity. The Tánaiste also referenced the heel prick test. The decision to add those two extra conditions was made in 2022, as he said. That was largely down to Les Martin in Wicklow, a constituent of the Tánaiste's, who was right behind that campaign. That decision was made in 2022. Fast forward to 2025 and the two conditions referenced are still not being tested for despite them being recommended in 2022. It has not been implemented.”
“On funding in the wider sense in terms of LSSIF and putting money into facilities, not only for the elite athletes but also the amateur athletes who aspire to one day make it to professional or international status, will the Minister of State give us a run-down of the next round of the LSSIF and when he anticipates that might be?”
“I do not think I need to recite them all but I will give a few examples. Paul O'Donovan, who we all know from the rowing world, is practising as a surgeon. Sophie Becker was working in a full-time job in a pharma company until recently. Phil Healy was working as a software engineer. They are all doing this while competing at the top level in their sport. The dedication those people demonstrate is immense. I do not think anyone in this Chamber could give the commitment and dedication they do to their respective trades.”
“The nation gets a lift every time our athletes go out and perform and bring home the goods. Our job is to continue to highlight that they always need additional funding.”
“It must be recognised initially that, as the Minister of State outlined, since the previous Olympic cycle funding has dramatically improved, which is very welcome, but he will be aware that there are probably more challenges facing our elite athletes than ever before. I speak specifically about aspects of social media and the pressures that brings. Many athletes are having to try to find alternative streams to support them in taking time of work or, in some cases, giving up their jobs and dedicating themselves to sport. Built in with those pressures are mental health concerns as well. There is the possibility of burnout because athletes are training at such an immense level. The dramatic increase in funding is welcome but, obviously, the job we have here is to ensure that we bring home more medals in the future, which is what we all want.”
“Does the Taoiseach think, as per those reports, that the HSE and the NCPE are adhering to those guidelines? It is important that he clarifies that today.”
“The Mazars report stated that the HSE has not been implementing the legal timelines for the reimbursement of medicines. I can refer to at least four studies commissioned in the past year that show legal timelines are not being adhered to. In February last year, the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association published a paper showing that 86% of all reimbursements did not adhere to the 180-day timeline as outlined in the legislation. The Taoiseach knows I am a long-term advocate for reform in this regard. I am asking that the HSE, its affiliates on the drugs group, the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE, and others just implement the current legislation. Patients with unmet needs are waiting years for decisions in Ireland while the majority of our European counterparts wait months.”
“McGuinness - To discuss funding for fisheries ports and harbours in County Waterford. Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss the closure of the tenant in situ scheme in Cork city. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire - To discuss the issue of school secretary and caretaker pension entitlement. Deputy Rory Hearne - To discuss the maintenance of council homes. Deputy Conor Sheehan - To discuss policing and Garda resources in Limerick city. Deputies Pearse Doherty and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn - To discuss the future of Letterkenny University Hospital and the necessity to provide a surgical hub. Deputy John McGuinness - To discuss N25 road project. Deputy John Lahart - To discuss the purchase of Citywest hotel by the State. The matters raised by Deputies Alan Kelly, Rory Hearne, Danny Healy-Rae, Louis O'Hara and Colm Burke have been selected for discussion.”
“Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss the need to increase the number of training places for Irish students who wish to study dentistry. Deputy Mattie McGrath - To discuss the funding of Cluain Training and Enterprise Centre in Clonmel, County Tipperary. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú - To discuss changes to the operation and funding of CAS and CALF schemes, and how this impacts on the provision of disability housing. Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the need to improve the consumer protections of home buyers arising from a case in County Meath. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss a change to the enrolment criteria for specific speech and language disorder special classes. Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss the reduction of mortgage interest to be in line with EU average rates. Deputy Conor D.”
“Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the ongoing closure of Dunguaire Castle, Kinvara, County Galway. Deputy Claire Kerrane - To discuss the Government response to recent wildfires in Gortaganny, County Roscommon. Deputy Erin McGreehan - To discuss the use of Louth County Hospital in Dundalk as a surgical hub for the north east. Deputy Donna McGettigan - To discuss the need to roll out Jigsaw in more locations in County Clare. Deputy David Cullinane - To discuss the funding requirements of community specialist neurorehabilitation services in the south east. Deputy Louise O'Reilly - To discuss the need to expand services for people with disabilities in Lusk. Deputy Aidan Farrelly - To discuss the provision of safer school routes and road safety arrangements on the regional roads network in north Kildare.”
“I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Catherine Ardagh - To discuss the need for all special schools to accept children at different levels on the autism spectrum. Deputy Duncan Smith - To discuss a lack of primary school places in Portmarnock. Deputy Paul Murphy - To discuss the merging of classes in St. Kevin's school in Kilnamanagh. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore - To discuss the funding promised for cancer support services across Wicklow. Deputy Alan Kelly - To discuss the need for greater investment in An Garda Síochána. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae - To discuss when the promised appeal process will be implemented for business grants where a business was misclassified.”
“I ask the Minister of State to ask the departmental officials if they have the information that I have in my possession. If they do, I think they will have a very different view of what we are discussing here this evening. The Minister of State mentioned Sport Ireland in his response. I would also ask that in any investigation or examination Sport Ireland has done here, the same information that I have in my possession is also brought to its attention because that will also inform its future outlook on this. I can only ask the Minister of State to reflect on what I have outlined here this evening. I do not do it lightly. I will bring it to the committee tomorrow in private session and I hope representatives from the FAI will come in to address the concerns.”