Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I ask Members to take a maximum of one minute for a question and less if possible for an answer.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to raise the terrifying case of Najwa Alsabbagh, who is 74 years old and is trapped in northern Gaza which has been and remains under deadly bombardment. An Irish visa was granted for her to travel here back in February and eight months later she is still trapped in Gaza. I have raised this with the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach several times, and I have also raised it with the Tánaiste's Department. Her daughter Sherin, an Irish citizen, living in Ballaghaderreen in my constituency is at home waiting for her. Sherin has said, "She is 74 years of age but she has to run for safety like a mad woman through the streets, through dead bodies." How does the Government propose to get Sherin's mother here to Ireland as per her visa? We are not looking for direct travel to Ireland; we are just looking for a way out of Gaza to bring her to safety - to Egypt or somewhere else. I know arrangements are being made to bring children from Gaza to Ireland. Can an arrangement be made that she could travel with them?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Given the terrible circumstances the Deputy referred to and the obvious sensitivity of the case, again I wish the Deputy had given me some indication of her question because a specific question deserves a specific answer. Given the lack of indication on it, all I can do is give a general commitment. I know the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Tánaiste and our diplomats have spared no effort in trying to assist those who need and deserve consular support. Given that the Deputy has raised the issue, I will make sure they are aware of this issue. I am sure they are doing their best. As she knows, probably better than I do given her engagement with the family, this is a difficult and sensitive area at the moment. I will pass on the issue she has raised.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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We are all aware of the terrible impact on children of long waiting lists, particularly for those with scoliosis and spina bifida.

As we head into flu season, all of us are thinking about healthcare and the health of our children, and we all know how much we need a new national children's hospital. Last week, the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and members of the board of the national children's hospital appeared before the health committee. In response to questions from my colleague Deputy Alan Kelly, some issues emerged which I wish to raise with the Minister. First, we understand there have been several design changes to the project since the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, said he agreed a handing-over date of June 2025. Second, we want to understand better the relationship between the board and the independent standing conciliator. At last week's meeting, the chair of the board said the board has no confidence in the standing conciliator. Third, we learned that the board signed off on continuous professional development courses for senior executives on the project. As the Minister for public expenditure and national development plan delivery, does the Minister still have confidence in the board and does he believe the hospital will be handed over in June 2025, the date we are currently being told is likely?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I very much support the board and the work it is doing and I have confidence it is managing a very difficult situation on our behalf well. It is making the kinds of demands and putting in place the kinds of arrangements that taxpayers and the children of Ireland deserve. Yes, I expect we will see the hospital handover at that point but I know also, given all the difficulty we have had, that it is important we support the board in ensuring the timeline and deadline are observed. The work of the board is central to that and I support it in its efforts, particularly with regard to the contractor.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I think the Minister and I share the belief that, in the round, the BusConnects plan for Dublin city will be largely positive. However, I cannot step away from the fact that two of the five bus services being lost will impact the community of Drumcondra. I ask specifically about the No. 11 bus route, which serves an older population and a population with disabilities. As the route goes from north to south, it used to go through the city. Its replacement, the No. 19 service, will stop at Parnell Street. The Minister knocks at the same doors as I do and he understands the fears of people in Drumcondra arising from the loss of that option to get from the north to the south of the city. Has this plan been disability proofed? It has been several years in the making but there has been a change in circumstances around Parnell Street. The Minister will understand the fear in the community. Can there be an intervention to disability-proof this measure, which will render so many people in our constituency unable to leave their communities?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the issues the Deputy referred to with regard to the Nos. 11 and 19 bus routes. As to whether these changes been disability proofed, my understanding is that Dublin Bus does that. It does so with particular regard to the buses and bus stops to allow the kind of access the Deputy and I want to see for our constituents with disabilities. I know this is an issue for many of the people the Deputy and I represent in Drumcondra and I will raise it, as I know the Deputy is raising it, with Dublin Bus. I believe overall, and I thank the Deputy for recognising this, that BusConnects will make a positive difference but I know also that changes like this can cause concern.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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What does the Minister say to those families who are facing yet another 10% price increase in bin charges by Greyhound? It is outrageous price gouging. Going back three years, the company was charging €16.50 per month. Now it is up to almost €30 per month, or €300 per year. Incredibly, Greyhound is claiming that one of the reasons it is increasing prices is that people are returning their bottles and cans under the deposit return scheme. People are doing as they are asked and behaving as we want them to, yet the consequence is that their bin charges go up. This underlines the fact that organising waste collection on the basis of profit does not make sense from the point of view of the environment and that of households. We need to scrap bin charges and return bin collection to the control of councils.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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It is ludicrous to suggest that bin companies are putting up their prices because of the deposit return scheme. They are absolutely capable of putting up their prices, and often did so before the deposit return scheme was brought in. People have said to me that they are not happy about the number of bin companies operating on the same streets around the country and that this is not the normal way that bin services or waste collection operates in other countries. I have commissioned a study of the market structure to examine whether the local authorities should switch towards a franchise model under which there would be one waste collection company in each local authority.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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That will help pay the bills.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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A very serious incident is being reported in Wexford this morning by journalist Dan Walsh and South East Radio. On Monday, 23 of the councillors in Wexford County Council voted to increase the property tax and 11 voted against it so that the hard-strapped mortgage payers would not have an increase in their property tax. What actually happened was that at yesterday's Gorey district meeting, the chair of Wexford County Council, who is a Gorey councillor, Pip Breen, brought a proposal to stop the 11 councillors who democratically voted against an increase in property tax from having any share of that increase in their discretionary fund. It was actually seconded and proposed further by a Fine Gael councillor, Anthony Donohoe, that the €77,000 that would have been shared by the 11 councillors be disbursed to the other 23 councillors. I am aghast. It would appear this is something new that people are not aware of. The Galway tent is not only alive and well but it is being pitched in Wexford. We have a scenario where we are robbing people of their money and giving it to councillors to buy votes. I would like to know what the Minister has to say and what he is going to do about it.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy uses language like "robbing". She is condemning what is happening in Gorey - I was there recently - but, on the other hand, she is not making the situation any easier by using the word "robbing". What is happening here is people who have been elected, like the Deputy and me but at a council level, have made the decision that they want to make a change in the local property tax and invest that back into the communities they represent. One thing in general that I am certain of is that those councillors who opposed the change to the local property tax will still be full of views regarding how that money should be spent. The change to the local property tax is in line with the powers our local authorities have and is the kind of decision that local politicians should be able to make.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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It is a disgrace.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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I am sure the Minister has heard the song, "It's a Long Way to Tipperary". Tipperary town has been forgotten by successive Governments. We were promised and had great hopes for an outer relief road or bypass. The N24, which is to be the M24, is trudging along ever so slowly, and God knows when we will see the funding for it or see it developed. Tipperary town is choked with trucks, lorries and cars and business cannot flourish there either because it is choked with trucks on a daily basis, from early morning until late at night. The infrastructure is bursting at the seams. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, gave us great hope that we would have a bypass of the town as part of the footprint of the M24 or an outer relief road. Nothing has happened in design or anything else. We are on the eve of an election and Tipperary town is languishing and left behind once again. It is very frustrating. Jobs for Tipp and March for Tipp were all organised together six or seven years ago and there were great hopes but they have all been dampened and left behind by the Government once again.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. The money made available for new roads, bypasses and the kinds of changes the Deputy referred to has increased. I am not sure what specifically is delaying the project the Deputy referred to but I will raise it with the Minister and my colleagues in the Department of Transport.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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The are real fears about the danger facing Irish troops from Israeli forces. We still have flights carrying munitions through Irish airspace to arm a country that is pointing tanks at our troops and firing on UN positions. We recognised the State of Palestine and that was an important act of solidarity. The next step is to immediately pass the occupied territories Bill and ban all trade with illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. To trade with such a brutal system engaged in such blatant brutality makes us complicit in the murder of every child, woman and man in occupied Palestine. The Government has guillotined the planning Bill and is rushing through the Social Welfare Bill and the Finance Bill. Why can Government policy be rushed through but such haste is lacking when it comes to sanctioning illegal settlements by a state that is threatening our troops while targeting civilians in Lebanon and committing genocide in Gaza? Senator Frances Black has pointed out that the occupied territories Bill has been passed by the Seanad. Will the Government now allow a vote on the Bill in the Dáil and deal with it at the Business Committee tomorrow?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Let me emphasise again that any targeting or threatening of troops, particularly Irish troops who are fulfilling their UNIFIL duties, is to be condemned and should cease.

Regarding the issue the Deputy raised about the status of the occupied territories Bill, the Tánaiste, Taoiseach and Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, received a briefing on this matter at the start of this week from the Attorney General. My understanding is that the Cabinet will be briefed on this issue as soon as next week. We will receive an update on it. I am sure after that, the Tánaiste, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, will be able to outline if a further course of action is needed. At the moment, the Taoiseach is attending the European Council in Brussels where he will again make clear the views of the Government, Dáil and people of Ireland regarding the violence that is now engulfing the Middle East.

Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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We will wait until next week and then see what the report is.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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I met a mother of three young children who has recently gone back to work two days a week. She was contacted and advised her medical card will be removed. Her going back to work for two days a week is good for her family, her mental health and the local economy, to which she is contributing. I know financial thresholds in respect of the medical card have not changed in the past ten years. She is facing a cliff edge when she tries to transition back into the workplace, something which should be seen as very positive. Can the Minister outline his plan to help those who are trying to transition back into the workplace and are facing that cliff edge?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy acknowledged in her question, access to medical cards is means tested. It is the case that some people who go back to work retain the card. I am afraid I am not in a position to fully answer the Deputy's question because I do not know the details. I am sure the Deputy knows them, but it would not be appropriate to raise them here. I do not know to what degree the means of the constituent have changed in any way resulting in the loss of the medical card. We have changed thresholds for medical cards in recent budgets. I have worked with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and other Ministers on this. The thresholds have been increased so that people are able to go back to work and be in some form of paid occupation while keeping their medical cards. If the Deputy passes the details of her constituent on to me, if she is willing to do so, I will ask whether the issue can be looked at again. We have made changes in the past.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I have raised this issue on a number of occasions. Since 2016, a boil water notice has been in place in west Cork, affecting 9,000 customers. To buy bottled water costs between €500 and €1,000 per annum per household, when water should be free. It will be another two years before this issue will be resolved. I understand the UK is introducing a compensation scheme when this happens. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, recently told me that he is considering such a scheme in this jurisdiction. Can the Minister report on further developments in the House today?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I know this is a very important issue affecting the Deputy's constituents. As Deputy Stanton has said, a €22 million upgrade is now underway at Whitegate water treatment plant. I understand it is due to be completed in 2026. I know 2026 is a long way away for up to 10,000 people who are affected by a boil water notice. I will raise the issue with Uisce Éireann to see if any mitigation measures can be put in place while the boil water notice is in effect. Any steps that can be taken to ensure the funded upgrade happens sooner will be taken. I fully understand the huge inconvenience and difficulty a boil water notice of this scale has on the people the Deputy represents.

Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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There are three items of real importance in my constituency of Waterford that should come across the Minister's desk in the Department of public expenditure. The first concerns the PPP project and engineering building that was promised for SETU in Waterford. We have been awaiting a decision on it for months. The second issue also concerns the technological university sector, namely the decision on professorial roles. If we want technological universities to function as centres of research, they are critical. The third issue is whether the Minister has been in touch with the Department of Transport to hear its assessment of the business case for Waterford Airport. Surely that is a decision that will come to the Department of public expenditure. Has the Minister engaged with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, regarding an initial update on the business case assessment?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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That is three for the price of one. You are only supposed to be speaking on one issue.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Me as well.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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They are questions that have more than one owner. Let me try to deal with them. Regarding the Department of Transport, I recollect that funding was made available for the airport project a number of years ago. I remember the circumstances in which it happened because of the role the airport can play in supporting large employers in Waterford, the Deputy's county, and beyond. The issue has not been raised with me recently by the Minister, Deputy Ryan. I am sure engagement at official level is underway with regard to it. I will check up on that.

Regarding the professorial roles and PPP in respect of the engineering facility, I have not yet received a proposal regarding the PPP but I know work is being done on it by the Department of Further and Higher Education. I will have to check on the professorial roles to which the Deputy referred.

Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Our retained firefighters came off the picket lines recently in anticipation of a decent financial resolution for their claim. They set great faith in our commitments to them, but it is fair to say that they are less than enthused by discussions at the WRC. As it stands, the offer to them is €750. That is a derisory amount; no more than €14 a week. I have met several retained firefighters in recent days. While the union has pitched the claim at €10,000 per annum, I feel there is a sweet spot of about €5,000, or €100 per week. It is important that the situation is not allowed to fester and be dragged out. These firefighters perform an important service, in particular in rural Ireland. We need to do right by these highly valued employees, recognise their work and duly reward their efforts in what are often dangerous and life-threatening situations.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. Our retained firefighters do important, dangerous and difficult work. In their absence, communities such as the one the Deputy represents would not get the support and safety they need. The Minister, Deputy Dara O'Brien, has put huge effort into trying to resolve this issue. The Deputy has said there is a WRC process. Therefore, it is best that that is the way in which the issue is dealt and that I do not interject on the floor of the Dáil. The only issue is that there are full-time firefighters who are not retained, and we need to be fair to them in terms of pay and conditions. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and colleagues in my Department are working to see whether we can resolve this long-running issue.

Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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I want to raise the issue of the Rock of Cashel, in my town. It attracts just under 400,000 visitors every year, but locals and tourists have complained about foliage, weeds and so on growing at a height which are not accessible from ground level. This vegetation can be seen from a distance and takes from the look of the site. We hope to get it on the list of UNESCO sites in the next couple of years. The OPW has spent €336,000 on a bicycle shed. Perhaps some of that money could be redirected so that we can get the Rock of Cashel looking the way it should. Can the Minister instruct or ask the OPW to address this as soon as possible?

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. Given that I do not have the information on a wastewater treatment plant, I hope the Deputy will forgive me if I cannot tell him the status of the weeds around the Rock of Cashel. I also know it is an important tourist and community asset. It is important and valued by the Deputy's constituents and I am sure he wants it to be looked after in the way it deserves. I will of course raise this issue with the OPW. The OPW does a very good job looking after properties and State facilities, whether that is Farmleigh, Cashel or Kilkenny Castle. I am sure it would not want the appearance of the rock to be less than it should be. I will of course pass that issue on.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I am glad the Minister is here. I raised this issue last night in the context of a debate on a motion tabled by Sinn Féin. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, listened carefully. I refer to the absence of respite services in Galway. I hope the Minister takes this, with his background in finance and public expenditure and reform. When we speak about millions being allocated for services, it is a postcode lottery and is not based on rights. I have a letter here, with the name removed, which speaks of there being no respite services.

When the HSE wrote to the organisation, Ability West, it advised that its respite service is at full capacity and is waitlisted. Listen to those words, "is waitlisted". We have no idea when that child will get a service and that child is not alone. What are the feedback mechanisms for the data that is necessary to inform policy and the spending of money? What data is coming back from Galway city and county about the absence of respite services?

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising that issue. The data on the particular organisation the Deputy spoke about was that it had a number of houses that were not running at capacity. That was relayed to my Department and the Department of public expenditure and funding was secured to ensure it could go full tilt. It is now able to provide children's services seven nights a week, 52 weeks of the year. Some of its service houses were not in operation seven days a week. Funding was secured and it has been given to the new interim CEO of Ability West, who is actioning that across both children's and adult services.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Last week, I raised and named a fund that persisted in pursuing borrowers who have so-called impaired mortgages, loans and so forth. I raised its activities and the manner in which it is putting extraordinary pressure on vulnerable people in the hope it would abate its insistence in some shape or form. Regrettably, that has not been the result. In fact, with renewed vigour, insistence and aggression, it has proceeded in the meantime. It has failed to inform third party representatives as it is obliged to do and has proceeded regardless. That leads me to call for a review of its licence. I urge the Minister to ensure that is done.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising an issue I know he has a long-standing interest in. I have constituents who have difficulties similar to those the Deputy referred to. We come across them during our public work. Their loans have been sold and are now owned by a fund or entity which they feel is adding to the challenges they face.

The licensing of those funds and organisations is handled by the Central Bank. It is not handled by the Government, the Department of Finance or any individual politician. What should be happening is that those funds should be subject to the code of conduct on mortgage arrears, in the same way as any bank. The Deputy named the fund previously and I hope that his continual raising of the issue will be of some comfort to the constituents dealing with the matter.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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I raise the issue of autism assessments. I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, in putting autism assessments front and centre, putting a focus on them and trying to reduce waiting times for children. We have a lot more to do. Will the Minister of State put in place measures or reforms to ensure these autism assessments happen more quickly? I am speaking on behalf of a constituent, Laura, whose son Harry was referred for an autism assessment back in May. He is still on a waiting list for it and will have to wait much longer before it happens. I plead with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Government to ensure that the likes of Harry do not have to wait any longer and are dealt with and assessed in order that they can get the important supports they need.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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It is important to say that in every budget in recent years we have secured funding for assessments of need. However, in July this year we changed the approach and secured additional funding which was approved by the Cabinet to enable the provision of private capacity for the delivery of assessments of need for our longest waiters. To date this year, we have increased the number of assessments by 23% on this time last year. It is important to note that more than 1,400 assessments of need have been delivered through private capacity since last July, which shows that the funding secured by the Cabinet has been well used.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I was contacted this morning by a family in mid-Kerry who are desperately seeking help for their child to fulfil its potential, but the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, clinic has been closed. In the past fortnight, I have been contacted by therapists and families from all over the county, families using the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, whose hurt because of the bad treatment they received has been exacerbated by a refusal to help fund their cases. A family in the Tralee area was told via an answer to a parliamentary question that the current waiting time for an autism assessment is 30 months from the date the referral was received. A family needs paediatric occupational therapy, OT, services where the waiting lists in west Kerry and Tralee and in south Kerry have 206 children and 286 children, respectively, on them. I was contacted by a physiotherapist in the Killarney area who told me there has not been any physiotherapist in Kenmare since May 2023. The Killarney service has stopped taking on patients because its waiting list has 600 people and the semi-urgent list is taking 28 weeks when it should take six. It seems as though the Government does not care and that the whole county is underfunded. When will the Government stop neglecting therapists in County Kerry?

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his questions. I will answer on the ADHD piece. The Deputy stated that the clinic is closed. My understanding is that it is not closed but it is not taking any additional referrals at the moment. I have written to the mental health unit there because I do not agree with that approach. Approximately 40% of all children referred to CAMHS will be diagnosed with ADHD. It is important that those children have access to supports. I only became aware of this in recent days. My understanding is that the clinic is not taking any additional referrals, but I will revert to the Deputy on the matter.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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It is closed to that family.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Sharon is 66 and has just retired. Her husband John is 66 and will retire in December. They have worked all their lives and paid their taxes and they are both homeless. They were evicted because the Government lifted the eviction ban and were made homeless in August. They are relying on a day-to-day basis on the emergency telephone number and on couchsurfing with different relatives between Lucan and Wexford. Their income is over the threshold for social housing. They are in a desperate state and their story could be repeated for many older people. What will the Government do for people such as Sharon and John? They should be entitled to some kind of support to help them. They are looking for private rental accommodation but cannot get it because it is too expensive, but they cannot get any financial support from the Government to access it.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am sorry to hear about the plight they are facing at this stage of their lives, not having a home, not knowing whether they will have a roof over their heads. I can only imagine the difficulty they are facing at the moment.

Please allow me to reiterate what we are doing. We are doing two things. First, this is why so much effort is being put into building public and social housing and we are building more homes than we have built at any point since the 1970s. Second, it is the reason that such investment has been put into our emergency housing services-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is a freefone number.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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----- to try to support people who are at risk of becoming homeless. It is also why the housing assistance payment, HAP, is available-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is not available to people whose income is above the threshold.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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-----to provide support. The Deputy is against the HAP anyway. That is my understanding.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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No, I am not against the HAP. I am against it as a substitute for social housing.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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On one hand, Deputy Boyd Barrett-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Give them the HAP.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I have been present in the Dáil on several occasions when the Deputy has spoken against the HAP.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I am against it as a substitute for housing.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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In any event, it is not my desire to politicise the plight of the two people Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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You just did.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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It is not my desire because they want to be helped and supported and I am sure if he has any information about them, they are already getting support from their local authority. I hope they are. Housing executive bodies are in place to try to prevent people becoming homeless.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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They are using the freefone number.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I hope the housing executive body is aware of the issue and is trying to help.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise the issue of home care.

As the Minister of State is aware, the Cork-Kerry region has approximately 1,300 people on its home care waiting list, accounting for nearly one quarter of the national list of 6,000. I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has done in recent years and she has received additional funding in the most recent budget, but it has not trickled down to Cork and Kerry. At the most recent meeting that TDs from my area attended with the HSE, we were told that it took nine months to hire a home care worker on average. Much can happen in nine months and people's career paths can take different directions. Will the Minister of State please outline what the additional money she has secured in the budget will do to tackle this backlog?

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. Improving access to home support is a priority for me and the Government. The overall budget for home support in 2025 will be approximately €838 million, €122 million more than was secured in budget 2024. I thank the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, for his support in that regard.

I am disappointed to hear that the waiting list in the CHO 4 area, which has always been longer than anywhere else, is in or around 1,300, accounting for approximately one fifth of the country’s entire waiting list. At the moment, I can fund all of the home care that is necessary. We delivered an additional 1 million hours from July 2023 to July 2024, but the problem lies in trying to get the staff to deliver that support, especially in rural areas and at weekends. We will continue doing more. Next year, we will deliver 24 million hours of home care. Every additional hour that is delivered makes a significant difference to the people living in their own areas.

The situation the Deputy described is disappointing. There are areas in north County Dublin where there are no waiting lists for home care, yet there are other areas that account for one fifth of the national waiting list. It is challenging.