Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Dec 2023

I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:

- Motion for a Supplementary Estimate for Public Services [Vote 26] (without debate)

- Motion re Confidence in the Minister for Justice (to conclude within 2 hrs 27 mins and any division claimed to be taken immediately)

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2014/62/EU as regards certain reporting requirements (to conclude within 57 minutes)

Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Renters, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday's business shall be:

- Statements pre European Council meeting of 14th-15th December, pursuant to Standing Order 124 (not to exceed 112 mins)

- Planning and Development Bill 2023 (Second Stage, resumed) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 6 p.m. or after 1 hr 21 mins, whichever is the later)

- Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 (Report and Final Stages) (to commence no earlier than 5 p.m., and to conclude within 90 mins)

- Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023 (Report and Final Stages) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn after 60 minutes)

Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Immigration, selected by the Rural Independent Group.

Thursday's business shall be:

- Motion re Delivery of a Rights-Based Care Economy in Ireland (to conclude within 2 hrs 2 mins)

- Planning and Development Bill 2023 (Second Stage, resumed) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn either at 7 p.m. or after 3 hrs 16 mins, whichever is the later)

Thursday evening business shall be the Second Stage of the Tenancy Protection Bill 2023.

Proposed Arrangements for this week’s business:

In relation to Tuesday’s business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the Dáil shall sit later than 10.32 p.m.; and

(ii) the time allotted to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business, with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following in the ordinary routine of business, namely, private members’ business, Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, and topical issues;

2. the proceedings on the Motion re Confidence in the Minister for Justice shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 2 hours and 27 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with-

(i) the Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 135 minutes, and

(ii) the Resolution of the Dáil of 20th September, 2023, in relation to 2 minutes for non-aligned members,

and a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time; and

3. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2014/62/EU as regards certain reporting requirements shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 57 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply thereto:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- speech by representative of Sinn Féin - 10 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People-Before-Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 5 minutes per party or group;

- speeches by non-aligned members – 2 minutes;

- a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; and

(ii) members may share time.

In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the SOS pursuant to Standing Order 25(1) shall be taken immediately following the Statements pre European Council meeting of 14th-15th October, pursuant to Standing Order 124, which shall be taken on the conclusion of Parliamentary Questions to the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 46(1), with consequential effect on the time for commencement of Government business immediately following the SOS; and

(ii) the weekly division time may be taken earlier than 8.45 p.m., and shall in any event be taken on the adjournment of proceedings on the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023, or where those proceedings conclude within one hour, on the conclusion thereof, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the following arrangements shall apply in relation to the Statements pre European Council meeting of 14th-15th December, pursuant to Standing Order 124:

(i) the statements shall not exceed 102 minutes, and the arrangements for that time shall be in accordance with the Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, and the Resolution of the Dáil of 20th September, 2023;

(ii) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and

(iii) members may share time;

3. the resumed proceedings on Second Stage of the Planning and Development Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 6 p.m. or after 1 hour and 21 minutes, whichever is the later;

4. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023 shall be taken no earlier than 5 p.m., and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 1 hour and 30 minutes by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Social Protection; and

5. The proceedings on the Report and Final Stages of the Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned after 1 hour and shall not be resumed on Wednesday.

In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that topical issues may be taken earlier than 7.24 p.m., and shall in any event be taken on the adjournment of Second Stage of the Planning and Development Bill 2023, or in the event Second Stage of that Bill concludes within the allotted time, on the conclusion thereof, and the Second Stage of the Tenancy Protection Bill 2023 shall be taken on the conclusion of topical issues, with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Motion re Delivery of a Rights-Based Care Economy in Ireland shall be taken in Government time immediately following the SOS and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 2 hours and 2 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply thereto:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

- opening speech by the proposer - 10 minutes;

- speech by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- speech by Government representative – 10 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People-Before-Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 10 minutes per party or group;

- speeches by non-aligned members - 2 minutes;

- a speech in response by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes; and

- a speech in response by the proposer - 10 minutes; and

(ii) members may share time; and

3. any resumed proceedings on the Second Stage of the Planning and Development Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned either at 7 p.m. or after 3 hours and 16 minutes, whichever is the later.

Yesterday, "RTÉ Investigates" broadcast a documentary with some very serious revelations about our planning system. It showed two individuals involved in what can only be described as an appalling breach of that system and who may well be subject to future criminal proceedings. Yesterday morning, theditch.ie revealed that one of the individuals at the centre of the documentary was, of course, a former Fine Gael election candidate.

I am sure the Taoiseach agrees that yesterday's revelations were deeply disturbing. We have no idea how widespread, if at all, they are in our planning system but, clearly, we need to make space at an appropriate time for statements, not just to discuss the matter but for the Government to outline what it is going to do to ensure that those responsible at the heart of this programme are dealt with appropriately and that this does not continue to happen elsewhere.

I also raise the issue of the "RTÉ Investigates" programme broadcast last night. We in the Labour Party have signalled our intention to table an amendment to the planning legislation going through the Houses seeking to address this practice of manipulation and abuse of the planning system and of the withdrawal of appeals. We would like to ask whether the Government will work with us on this because, clearly, this practice, if it is allowed to continue, will continue to strike a real blow to the confidence in our planning system.

Separately, will the Taoiseach facilitate a debate on the funding of the Land Development Agency? We have real concerns, again, about the lack of clarity as to where funding is coming from. We see The Irish Times reporting today a new deal for funding of this agency, with up to €3 billion to be provided, but that is only half of the €6 billion announced as part of a half-baked announcement by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in the wake of budget 2024. We need a debate on funding for the Land Development Agency to ensure it will have the capacity to deliver the much-needed homes to address the housing crisis we currently face.

I requested at Thursday's meeting of the Business Committee that before the Christmas break an urgent discussion about the shameful levels of child and family homelessness as we head towards Christmas. Every single month we have seen a new and shameful record in the levels of child and family homelessness. While many might be looking forward to Christmas, for many mothers, children and families, some of whom have endured three and four years in homelessness, this is going to be a pretty difficult, if not traumatic, time.

We need a discussion before Christmas, and to hear from the Minister, on what new and additional measures he will take in order to address this truly awful and shameful situation of nearly 13,000 people homeless, 5,000 of whom are under the age of 24.

I, too, ask for a debate on the nitrates directive and the change in those nitrates, as Deputy Healy-Rae did. The Government is being dishonest with farmers and unfair. Above all, we need honesty and certainty, as they do. The thought of slaughtering 40,000 in-calf cows and heifers is appalling, as is forcing farmers into that situation. The Taoiseach's party used to be the party that represented farmers and now everybody just demonises them. Why does the Government not call the EPA to account to look after the pollution that is coming from public authorities and systems throughout the country, including the village I live in, which has no system whatsoever, and other industrial pollution?

Farmers have become an easy target for people in the House and everywhere. Irish farmers are clean and have made huge investments in mitigating issues but they are not getting the time to see them realised. It is an easy, cheap trick to blame the farmers. When people are hungry for food, then they will know what will happen. We need a full debate on this foolish derogation that will take place in January. We only have two weeks left so we need a debate on it.

We need an urgent debate this week on the underfunding of the health service for next year. Both Bernard Gloster and Robert Watt issued dire warnings about the implications of the underfunding for patient care next year.

Last week's supplementary allocation of €1 billion goes some way to plugging the hole in the budget for this year, but that has to be carried over to next year. There is a mechanism for doing so. It happens from time to time that a Supplementary Estimate goes into the following year's base. Will the Taoiseach consider using that mechanism, which is open to him, in order that we can avoid the worst implications of the underfunding next year? Those implications and warnings have been completely ignored by the Minister for public expenditure and his Secretary General. It is now open to the Taoiseach to take steps to address what is likely to be a major problem for patients next year. Will he consider doing that?

Last week, the new Planning and Development Bill was discussed for the first time. It is a very large Bill, as one might expect. It runs to 712 pages and contains many new legislative proposals, although much of it is also a restatement of existing law. The problem is it is not clear which is which.

The Standing Orders of the House are very clear on the matter. Standing Order 175 states: "A Bill shall be printed only [there is no discretion in this regard] if accompanied by an Explanatory Memorandum which shall, in clear terms ... set out ... in the context of existing law ... the changes proposed [and do so] on a section-by-section basis." Instead of that, the explanatory memorandum, which is only 120 pages, despite the fact the Bill is 712 pages, is vague. It references provisions that are "largely unchanged", and includes non-exhaustive references to things such as "principal changes", "changes include", and "shall include", but it is not systematic or comprehensive.

This was raised last week by Deputy Cian O'Callaghan. The Taoiseach said he would look into it. This is important legislation that will give rise to a lot of litigation one way or the other. That litigation will cost the State a lot of money and will slow up the development it hopes to accelerate. Will the Government withdraw that Bill until there is time for a proper explanatory memorandum to be put in place? This is not a criticism of the parliamentary draughtsman. It is the pressures under which that office works. If the Government does not do that, will the Ceann Comhairle apply the Standing Orders of the House without fear or favour?

I appreciate the Deputies have raised some very important issues, which merit debate in the House. I point out, however, that there is dedicated Opposition time every week in the House and Opposition parties choose what they want to prioritise for discussion every week. The Government will use Government time for legislation. We have a lot of legislation to get through before the Christmas recess. The Opposition is free to use its time as it sees fit.

On the three important points that were raised, I will have to ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to come back to Deputy McNamara on the explanatory memorandum. An explanatory memorandum of 120 pages is pretty big. I am not sure I have ever seen one that big.

I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly on that and to make sure that it is as good as it possibly can be.

In relation to what we saw on "Prime Time Investigates" last night, let me be very clear: people seeking money to withdraw planning objections is not acceptable at all. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the Attorney General and the Minister for Justice are examining the matter. Section 17 of the Criminal Justice Act states: "It shall be an offence for any person who, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, makes any unwarranted demand with menaces." We also believe that sections 6 and 7 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act may apply as well. It probably is the case that this is already illegal. Of course, evidence and proving things are a much harder thing. Perhaps it needs a specific provision in the Planning and Development Act. I know the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is willing to examine that and to work with the Opposition on it.

The Land Development Agency, LDA, is ramping up the construction of new homes, in particular, affordable housing. The LDA currently has access to €1.25 billion of capital from the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, of which it has drawn down €625 million. It expects to draw down the remaining €600 million by the end of the year. It also has the ability to borrow up to €1.25 billion. For the LDA to carry out what it wants to do next year, and what we want it to do next year, it will require additional finance. It will not need €6 billion or €3 billion, though, for next year. What we are working out now is how much the LDA needs and when, in particular for next year.

I do not think it is common practice to put Supplementary Estimates into the base. It may have happened once or twice in the past, but it would not be standard budgetary practice to do that. It is, unfortunately, the case that for almost every year that I can remember, the Department of Health has required a supplementary budget. I think the place to resolve this is in the service plan.

Having obliterated northern Gaza, massacring thousands of Palestinians, including children, Israel now intensifies its assault on southern Gaza. Palestinians are being pushed into an area one third the size of the Gaza Strip. People ordered to evacuate now have literally no place to go. They have no food, no water and no safety.

It is a humanitarian disaster. The Taoiseach used the words "disproportionate" and "counterproductive" to describe the bombardment of Gaza and the slaughter of civilians and children. I suggest that more appropriate language is "savage", "depraved" and "criminal", as the international community continues to watch all of this unfold. Given that the Government's position is for a full and permanent ceasefire, as the Taoiseach has articulated, what is he doing now to arrive at that result? The Taoiseach set out earlier what he cannot do. Can the Taoiseach inform the House of what he is doing and what he can do?

I appreciate the Deputy's passion on this issue and I know she feels strongly about it. If she thinks there is something the Irish Government can do to force the Israeli Government and Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all those groups to agree a permanent ceasefire, that simply is not the case. We do what we can. That means assisting our citizens in Gaza to get out, and most of them are out now. It means working to secure humanitarian aid to make sure that can get into Gaza to relieve the suffering of the Palestinian people. It means using our voice as strongly as we can at EU and UN level to achieve what is achievable. If the Deputy is asking me is there something that the Government can do to make Benjamin Netanyahu change his policy in relation to Gaza, there is not. I think the Deputy knows that. If she does not know that, I am a bit worried.

Today, we saw at last welcome progress on the long-promised gender equality referendum and announcement by the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Taoiseach of the wording proposed by the Government to change the Constitution. As the former Chairperson of the Committee on Gender Equality, I very much welcome that we will see progress. It is a year since our committee presented a report to Government with a cross-party framing of wording to create a more expansive definition of family beyond the family based on marriage and I very much welcome that similar language is being used in the Government proposal.

We also proposed a particular text around the new provision to replace the current sexist language around women and mothers with a gender neutral provision recognising and supporting care, but we had proposed, as the citizens' assembly did, that this would recognise care both in the home and in the wider community. It is fair to express disappointment on my own behalf that the definition of care presented by the Government in its own proposed wording is more restrictive. Can the Taoiseach say why the Government did not follow the gender equality committee and the citizens' assembly recommendations on this?

It is something we gave careful consideration to. The first thing we are proposing is to delete the archaic sexist language in the Constitution with regard to women's duties in the home and to replace it with a new article which gives constitutional protection and recognition to care within the family. It does not necessarily have to be within the home but it does have to be family care. We took the view that family care is different. It is different to care provided in nursing homes or by commercial home care providers, for example. We took the view in the round that while it made sense to give constitutional protection and status within the family, extending that protection to commercial operations in the main, such as nursing homes and home care providers, would not have been the right thing to do.

Despite the huge housing emergency, the staffing levels at An Bord Pleanála have been insufficient to deal with appeals. This has caused unacceptable delays and it has caused a huge bottleneck. In the "RTÉ Investigates" report last night, we saw a situation where those delays were disgracefully exploited for financial gain. Go-away money was being demanded couched as consultancy, which really looks more like extortion.

One of the key issues is staff shortages where there is permission to have a complement of 300 staff. Only 40% of the new staff complement has been filled. Will the Taoiseach accept amendments to the new planning Bill that would close off the opportunity to extort money and will he ensure that the recruitment happens as a matter of urgency?

I had a very good meeting with the acting chairperson and the chief planner of An Bord Pleanála only last week or the week before. They have a full complement now of 15 board members. Their staff now is well above 300.

They are starting to get on top of the backlog, which is encouraging.

On the Deputy's question, we believe that requesting go-away money in order to withdraw a planning objection - I have a heard a less polite term for it, which I am sure the Deputy has heard too - but we will stick with that one for now - is already an offence under the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. However, we are open to considering a specific amendment to the Planning and Development Bill that would make this a specific offence. The difficulty will always be getting sufficient evidence to carry out a prosecution.

Israel's actions in Gaza are not "disproportionate", as the Taoiseach suggests. It is a massacre and genocide unfolding in front of the eyes of the world. Leading genocide experts and historians of the Holocaust, including many Jewish historians of genocide and the Holocaust, are saying this is genocide. This Saturday is the day the UN marks the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. I asked the Taoiseach a number of weeks ago to look into the obligations - this is not the International Criminal Court - that every state that has ratified that convention has, including Ireland, to take all measures necessary to stop and prevent the crime of genocide. I asked the Taoiseach to look into that; has he done so? Genocide is the most obscene crime it is possible for any state to commit.

I have looked into that. The advice is as follows. Ireland is party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as are Israel and Palestine. All contracting parties to the convention undertake to prevent and punish genocide. If a party to the convention considers that another party is failing to meet its obligations, the injured party should initiate a dispute resolution process against that other party. We are not aware of any plans at this point by the Palestinian Authority to initiate a case under the Geneva Convention.

I want to raise the fodder scheme that has been announced for the Shannon Callows by the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. While the scheme is welcome, there are a number of issues arising, including the fact that some farmers' land was flooded that may not be visible from satellite pictures but was saturated to such an extent that the grass could not be harvested. These farmers may be excluded from the scheme. Likewise, there are some farmers whose lands flooded along the River Suck, just up from that, and again they are not included in the scheme. Will the Department and the Minister consider reviewing the scheme to ensure that those people who had a loss of fodder in that region would be compensated?

As Deputy Canney knows, any time a scheme is announced there have to be terms and conditions for it. There can be challenges around the edges in regard to that. If the Deputy has information on particular cases then I ask him to forward them to me and I will have them considered. We have to have terms and conditions for what is eligible and what is not. It was generally a wet year but in some parts around the Shannon Callows there was significant flooding, which really impacted the capacity of farmers to make a living this year and, in particular, to save fodder. I ask the Deputy to forward those cases to my office and I will have them considered in that context.

There are 12,157 children waiting on primary care appointments in community healthcare organisation, CHO 5, with 4,210 children waiting 12 months or more. These figures include: 1,533 children who are waiting for psychology services; 2,189 children waiting for occupational therapy; and 4,139 children waiting on speech and language therapy. I raise this continually with the Taoiseach and it is a shocking matter. In south Tipperary, the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, are practically non-existent at this stage. What is worse, some children who had been receiving primary care treatment have been sent on to the CDNTs and they are getting no call at all. This is shameful and it is abuse of children. The HSE and the Department have to pony up here. It is just not good enough that children who badly need these services are languishing. Some have had some services but they were transferred to a different team and now they are getting none. It is not acceptable in this day and age and I have asked the Taoiseach about it countless times.

I have heard the Taoiseach describe offshore wind generation, in particular floating wind generation, as our "moonshot", notwithstanding that the industry was taken aback by the announcement in February that phase 2 would be limited to the south and east coasts and to anchored wind only. Nevertheless it is hoped to have 2 GW of offshore wind generation in development by 2030. That will require a phase 3 policy to be announced and that is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. It will also require the announcement of routes to market, which is scheduled for 2024. Most importantly, it will require a designated maritime area plan, DMAP, or the mapping of areas off the west, as well as the south - although currently it is limited to the south - to be done quickly. Where are we with that? Other countries are moving ahead and investment is going to other countries. We are letting this apparent opportunity pass us by as a State.

Energy independence and all of the benefits that arise from that are our moonshot for the 21st century. That involves offshore wind, onshore wind, solar energy, interconnection, battery storage and all of those things put together. It makes sense to do this in a plan-led way, doing what is cheapest and quickest first and then doing what is most expensive and hardest to do thereafter. That is the general approach we are taking as a Government. People often ask why we have not done more offshore wind generation to date and it is because we have done so much onshore wind generation. About 40% of our electricity comes from onshore wind but the next big step is offshore. The Deputy asks a technical question, which is a valid one. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, has a paper on that which I have seen but I do not want to give the Deputy an answer that might be inaccurate. However, we will come to the Deputy with some more detail.

I also want to raise the wind energy issue. Back in the summer the Taoiseach launched the Shannon Estuary economic task force and it is estimated that the cumulative value of all of that wind energy coming in from the most ferocious wind corridor in Europe could be €78 billion. The wind on the Atlantic will never let us down but there is a worry that policy could let us down.

The future framework policy is coming up for consideration in spring 2024 and the ask is that phase 3 includes floating offshore wind, and in particular that the Wild Atlantic Way is looked at. There is also an ask for designated maritime areas where wind can be facilitated. In specific, the Taoiseach needs to give a role to Clare County Council and other local authorities along the western seaboard to lead some of this. It does not all have to be led by the Department; give the council the competency. Let us have a marine planning unit within those western local authorities. I ask the Taoiseach to give us some hope because we have huge faith in wind energy, what it can do environmentally and the revenue it can bring to the State. However, hope is fading a little on the policy and regulatory framework and we are hoping the Taoiseach can give some renewed hope to the region.

We will give any suggestions that the Deputy has proper and full consideration. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, is at COP28 but I know he will want to engage with the Deputy when he gets back. From talking to other Heads of Government all around the world, I hear that everyone is doing this. Everyone is doing solar energy and everyone is installing wind turbines, onshore and offshore. It makes sense to do this in a plan-led manner, not a developer-led manner because that would just make it more expensive. Doing it in a plan-led manner and doing what is cheapest and easiest to do first will be the way we meet our targets quickest

I ask for an update on the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction Bill) 2022. I know this was paused during the summer due to a diversion of resources but I understand that the Department officials are working collaboratively with the Attorney General on this important legislation. The Taoiseach and I know how long families, particularly families through surrogacy, have been waiting and now they are told that things were deprioritised over the summer and legislation we were expecting a number of months ago still has not arrived. Urgent legislation was the clear recommendation of the Committee on International Surrogacy, for which I was Leas-Chathaoirleach. It is also the ask of Irish Families Through Surrogacy and it is the advice of the High Court. Is it possible to get an update, given how long families have been waiting for this important legislation that will have a genuine impact on their day-to-day lives?

In June 2022, I stood in solidarity with Traveller groups outside the Dáil as they called for a national action plan for Traveller mental health.

Today, I stood with them again. Some 11% of all Travellers will die by suicide. This is shocking. It is over seven times more than the general population. While we can all get lost in statistics, each one of these is a man, a woman or a child with hopes, dreams and ambitions. Last week, we all watched the RTÉ documentary that showed the really upsetting and deeply personal story of 12-year-old Patrick McDonagh, who died by suicide, and the broader challenges faced by the Traveller community. It showed how much life and potential young Patrick had, and the impact that had on his family. It was absolutely heartbreaking. Today, I met Patrick's parents, Michelle and Pat, outside the Dáil. They had one ask, which is for the Government to finally commit to a fully resourced national action plan on mental health.

The HSE is actively working with Traveller organisations, providing a variety of supports. I recently met the National Traveller Mental Health Network. I was outside to meet those who were outside. I also met Patrick's parents. I have to commend the bravery of Patrick's parents, Michelle and Pat McDonagh, who allowed the cameras into their home and showed the distress and anxiety that they are going through.

We are spending quite a lot of money on Traveller mental health supports. This year alone, €1.3 million is going to Pavee Point and €325,000 is going to Exchange House, which is funded through the National Office for Suicide Prevention. I was delighted recently to launch an initiative for them, called Mind Your Nuck. It is an online support for young Travellers which is designed by young Travellers. I agree with the Deputy that there is still much more to do and significant issues relating to suicide. We are working actively with Traveller organisations.

I bring to the Taoiseach's attention an issue that has been constantly raised by numerous distressed cancer patients concerning their experience when applying for medical cards. In discussion with the staff and volunteers of the Irish Cancer Society, it has become even more evident with the numerous challenges faced by individuals who received devastating news of cancer diagnosis and who subsequently have to go through the process of applying for a discretionary medical card. In these extremely challenging situations, it is crucial that we offer enhanced support for those who are confronted with weeks and months of intensive treatment, therefore alleviating the stress associated with mounting medical bills and financial hardship that often follows such distressing news. I ask the Taoiseach if the Government would consider providing immediate assistance in the form of discretionary medical cards to those cancer patients for the duration of their illness.

Medical cards in Ireland are means-tested, so it is in almost all cases based on income. Medical cards are given to people who have a terminal illness. There are about 180,000 discretionary medical cards for other reasons. We did much work on this when I was Minister for Health. It is a detailed report and it is worth reading. It is over 100 pages along and was done by all the medical and other experts. They came to the conclusion that it would not be right to automatically give discretionary medical cards for some illnesses and not others, because who is to say that one illness should qualify and the other should not? Even within an illness, there are different types of illness and different levels of severity. There is the whole issue of comorbidities, where a person might have two or three illnesses. They came to the conclusion that listing some conditions that would automatically qualify for discretionary medical cards and others that would not, of the 1,000 or so conditions that exist, would not be the right approach. Like I say, I think the HSE is as sympathetic as it can be when it comes to cases such as this. As the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, pointed out, over 180,000 discretionary medical cards are currently active in the State.

For nearly six weeks, residents in Macroom and Carrigadrohid have endured another boil water notice, similar to last year, and again due to turbidity. At that point it was lifted and modifications were made to the system that were to make it more resilient, yet we are back in a situation with the same problem again this year, with the associated costs for residents who are having to boil water. Is there a way of raising it with Irish Water to have it get on with the large-scale modification and upgrade of that plant at this stage, if it is going to keep re-occurring like this?

We all know how important foreign direct investment and large social media companies are to the economy. The Minister for Justice made a serious charge last week when she said that X, formerly known as Twitter, was not co-operating with gardaí about the Dublin riots and that company's responsibility. This has been categorically refuted today by the company. It is not a good situation where a major employer is in dispute with the Minister for Justice. Can we get clarity from the Minister? Did the company not co-operate with the gardaí or should the Minister come in and correct the Dáil record?

Before I begin, I welcome Comhairle na nÓg from Offaly, who are here on a Dáil visit today.

My question relates to the urgent reinstatement of funding for the N52 Kilbeggan to Tullamore link project. This was a project that was on track but, unfortunately, the Minister, Deputy Ryan, has withdrawn funding. It is extremely dangerous. I attended a meeting last night where numerous concerns were expressed about near-accidents. I call on Government to intervene immediately to make sure that the funding for this road is reinstated. We need this bypass between Kilbeggan and Tullamore.

The Government is going into battle with hundreds of landowners in counties Meath, Cavan and Monaghan about the North-South interconnector. There are 409 pylons, 51 m in height, some of them only 13 m from people's homes. There is serious fear about the damage that could be done to health, the value of the properties, businesses, the equine industry and the tourism industry. Has EirGrid bought material for these pylons before it has actually got permission from the farmers to get on the land? Some 97% of farmers said they do not want EirGrid coming near their land. Has EirGrid spent money on material that may not be used, like the ventilators and electronic voting machines in the past?

Ireland, as a small and open economy, needs friends. We saw the value of friendship during the financial crisis. In that context, we need Irish people in key positions in international institutions. Will Government reconsider its position and allow the Minister for public expenditure and reform to formally engage and put his hat in the ring, should an opportunity arise to lead an international institution?

Last Thursday night, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, organised a meeting. The subject was the nature restoration law that the European Commission has published and proposed. This EU nature restoration law proposes to restore at least 20% of the EU land and sea areas by 2030. This will obviously be detrimental to our farmers. Irish farmers are looking for a guarantee that this will not be imposed on them. Much play has been made by the Government about how lands owned by Coillte and formerly by Bord na Móna can be used but we want an assurance that our farmers will not be driven out of existence by this law, which was agreed by all MEPs, including from Ireland.

I thank the Deputies for the various issues they raised. Deputy Moynihan mentioned the ongoing issue of boil water notices in Cork North-West. I agree that is not satisfactory. I will alert the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to the issue once again and ask him to engage with Irish Water on it.

On Deputy O'Reilly's question about X, formerly known as Twitter, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has sought a meeting with that platform and wants to discuss with it what was said to her by the gardaí. I do not know if it has agreed to that meeting or not. I think Deputy O'Reilly and I would be united in calling for it to agree to meet the Minister in order that she can set out to it what was said to her by the gardaí. I was present at that meeting, by the way, so I know what the Minister, Deputy McEntee, was referring to. I would say to anyone that most of us are active on social media. Every major platform has community standards. We all know which platforms are good at implementing and respecting their own community standards and which are not. I will let people draw their own conclusions in that regard.

Deputy Nolan asked about the N52 between Kilbeggan and Tullamore. We have a €1 billion road budget every year. It is never possible to fund every project every year. It never was. That particular project will, of course, be considered in the context of the roads programme for 2024.

I assure Deputy Tóibín that the Government is not trying to go to battle with anyone. We are just trying to build a North-South interconnector, which is important for energy security, the environment, North-South co-operation and the all-Ireland electricity market. I cannot answer any questions about purchases EirGrid has or has not made but I will pass the question on to it for reply.

In reply to Deputy Shanahan, the IMF has a managing director, Kristalina Georgieva. There is no vacancy. She has yet to decide whether she will seek a second term but if she does, she will have a lot of support for that.

On Deputy Healy-Rae's question on the EU nature restoration law, we believe that can be done entirely on State-owned land. It will be up to each member state to do their own national plan, which we will do. It can be done on state-owned land so any use of private land would not be imposed on the private landowner. They would have to agree to it, be compensated, or paid to make any changes.