Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach to report on the publication of Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-Being Framework 2024. [36690/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach to report on the publication of Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-Being Framework 2024. [41380/24]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach to report on the publication of Understanding Life in Ireland: The Well-Being Framework 2024. [41383/24]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the well-being framework launched by his Department. [39726/24]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together.

Ireland's well-being framework is a programme for Government initiative to measure progress and policy impact in Ireland in a more holistic way. The framework consists of 11 dimensions which reflect different aspects of well-being. It is supported by a dashboard hosted by the Central Statistics Office, CSO, and made up of 35 indicators which bring together economic, social and environmental statistics in an integrated way. Each year, Understanding Life in Ireland, which assesses Ireland's well-being performance across those 35 indicators, is published. Similar to last year, the 2024 assessment, published on 31 July, shows that Ireland’s overall performance is positive, in particular in areas including work and job quality and our social connections and community.

Only one of the 11 dimensions, namely, the environment, climate and biodiversity dimension, shows a negative performance. The analysis also highlights that there is much more work to do, in particular for some groups in our society for whom progress is unequal, including people with long-term illnesses or disability, single-parent households, households with lower incomes and households in rented accommodation.

We are integrating the framework into the budgetary process to assist in expenditure decision-making. As was the case for the previous two budgets, the well-being framework featured this year at the national economic dialogue and as part of the summer economic statement. Analysis of the dashboard was also included in the budget day documentation, specifically in the Department of Finance's Budget 2025 Beyond GDP - Quality of Life Assessment publication. The Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform has recently published a working paper that uses the framework to show how selected expenditure measures presented in budget 2025 are enhancing well-being. Departments across government are working to use the well-being framework for policy development and for decision-making. The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for our citizens, of course, and the well-being framework will support this commitment as it helps us to better understand the economic, social and environmental impact of decisions.

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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Last week, I showed the Taoiseach the horrible, discoloured water the residents of Mount Farran in Blackpool on the northside of Cork city were having to put up with. When I put the video of our exchange up on my social media, I got messages from people in Gurranabraher, the Glen, Mayfield, Spring Lane, Dublin Hill, Ballyvolane, Shanakiel, Blarney Street, Wellington Road and elsewhere, to say they have had that too. One woman said her water used to be like Tanora but now it was like Beamish. This weekend, the Mount Farran residents had a brief respite. Hopes were raised a wee bit but they were dashed this morning as it was back again as bad as ever. I understand the residents are now writing to the regional operations manager for Uisce Éireann in the south west to request a face-to-face meeting with the company's executives in Cork. This is a fair request and it should be granted. What is the Taoiseach's own opinion on that? Does he think that after three full months of more or less non-stop discoloured water for these residents, local Uisce Éireann management should grant their formal, simple request for a sit-down meeting?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The well-being of many, if not most, of our students is not in a good place. The email that Holly, the student nurse from Athlone, sent to all of us is emblematic of the crisis facing many students. She talks about something on which we put a motion forward during Covid, that is, the failure to pay student nurses on placement. You can add to that those in mental health nursing, early childhood education, medicine, social care and many other areas, where they are being exploited working in our health service and paid nothing. Does the Taoiseach know how much student nurses in Scotland get? They get £10,000 sterling per year. Here, people doing the same thing get zero. It is disgraceful. As Holly points out, it is any wonder that people qualifying in these areas then leave the country because they feel totally undervalued. I was at the IADT, which I am sure the Taoiseach is familiar with, at the student union protest last week. One of the big features of the student protest and the speeches was the accommodation, cost-of-living and financial crises huge numbers of students are facing. The cost and the unavailability of accommodation, but also the mental health stress they are suffering, the lack of supports for students' mental and physical health and the pressure mean it is just too much.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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When we are suffering chronic shortages in so many areas of healthcare, construction and other areas of the economy, why are we not giving these students the support and valuing them in the way they deserve, in the way, for example, they do with student nurses in Scotland and everywhere else in Europe where they do far better for students?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I note the Taoiseach is quoted as saying the introduction of €90 fines for people on job seeker's payments who refuse to engage - so-called -with employment services is common sense. I put it to him that it is not good sense anyway. It is really Tory sense. This is another attempt by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens, to introduce "I, Daniel Blake"-style social welfare reform. They tried to do it with the Green Paper on disability payments and that was defeated by an active campaign. Now, they are going again, without much fanfare, trying to get this really cruel cut through. This is something that is tried and tested in Britain. What the results from Britain show is that immiserating people who depend on social welfare will not force them into work. It just drives them further into poverty and misery. In England, it has led to suicide, even starvation, among people who have had their benefits cut. That will be on this Government if it happens here.

The main point I make to the Taoiseach is that cutting someone's dole does not just hurt the adult involved; it hurts their kids even more. It is not the kids' fault if their parents are crushed by mental health issues, unable to face going to one of these awful private companies such as Seetec or Turas Nua to get themselves out to work. It is not their fault. We have one in seven children who are growing up in poverty, one in eight parents using food banks, and one in four parents who cannot afford to put food on the table. This cut is going to make things worse. I urge the Taoiseach to withdraw it even at this late stage.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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I ask the Taoiseach about the well-being of students in Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. As I am sure he would agree, the staff in this great coláiste are very dedicated. The students have been left in prefabs for more than 20 years, however, having been promised permanent school buildings. That is more than 20 years of waiting. There are students in prefab classrooms every day without any heating, wearing their jackets and coats trying to stay warm while they are getting taught. This is completely and utterly unacceptable. When I raised this with the Taoiseach a few weeks ago, he said he would speak to the Minister for Education about this and that she would engage directly on this. What is the outcome of the Taoiseach speaking to the Minister on this? Is she going to visit Gaelcholáiste Reachrann? When are the permanent school buildings that are badly needed going to be provided?

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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First, I bring up the really tragic story of Kyran Durnin, the missing child and subject of the murder investigation. We obviously hope this investigation continues, the child is found and we get some element of truth and justice. There is a wider issue regarding child welfare and child protection, but that is for another day.

I also bring up the issue of Michael Reade of LMFM, whom, sadly, we lost. He was a top-class interviewer and broadcaster. He was tough, sometimes a bit too tough, but very fair. He will be sadly missed.

I put on record an issue that has been brought to me regarding CAMHS Dundalk and north Louth. People have not been able to get through on the phone and they are getting a recorded message. How it was put to me was that CAMHS north Louth is experiencing a crisis in administration where its administration staff has been cut and only one person is working three days a week. Calls will only be answered between 10 and 12 on Monday and Friday mornings. Clinicians will try to continue with their appointments and will be answering the door for appointments, but that is all. This is causing a huge issue regarding medicines and all the rest of it. My office has had a number of people come to it. We have been able to deal with those issues one by one but this is an issue that definitely needs to be resolved. We know the issues there are regarding mental health services across the board but this is one that can be dealt with quickly and needs to be.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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"Yes" is the answer to Deputy Barry. I absolutely agree that Uisce Éireann should accede to that request for a face-to-face meeting. I have written to the chief executive on behalf of the Deputy's constituents following his representations in the House last week where he showed the Dáil the horrific situation his constituents are experiencing with water quality. I have written directly to the chief executive. I attached to the letter I sent a copy of the transcript of the discussion we had here in the Dáil and asked what action Uisce Éireann intends to take. I certainly support the Deputy in his request for that meeting to take place on behalf of the residents.

In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, as I said earlier on Leaders’ Questions, we tried to take a number of measures to assist student nurses post the Covid period. Fourth-year student nurses get paid in Ireland, and while first to third-year students do not, there are supports available. There has been a significant increase, and rightly so, in the level of that support since Covid, according to the Minister for Health when speaking earlier in the House. The Minister said to me today he is happy to engage further with nurse representative bodies on this issue and I would like to see that happen.

On the issue of mental health funding, I accept there is a real mental health challenge for our young people, which was exacerbated by Covid, although it was there before. I certainly know that during my time as Minister for further and higher education, we significantly increased the mental health funding to universities following engagement with student unions. I will inquire further on that. We have taken a number of measures. The Deputy will argue it is not enough, and I take his point, but the student assistance fund and the SUSI grants have increased well ahead of inflation, college fees are being reduced and the renter’s tax credit has been extended.

In response to Deputy Murphy, I want to be clear that this is not about somebody who has a mental health challenge and cannot go to work or is sick and cannot go to work. This is about people who have not been certified as sick and who will not engage with any form of education or training after a protracted period. I take very seriously the point the Deputy makes about children in a household led by a jobless parent being more at risk of child poverty. That is a truthful statement and is factually correct. That is why we have taken measures in this budget, led by the evidence of the child poverty unit in my Department. We have increased the qualified child income payment, and I think it was the largest increase ever. After the weekly payments in the budget for social protection, the next largest total amount of increase was in regard to those child poverty measures. We have also increased working family payments as a result of this budget. This is a measure that is the opposite of how the Deputy characterises it. There has to be some degree of correlation between the benefit people receive for a sustained period of time and their ability to either enter the workforce, enter training or education or certify they are sick or have a disability. I certainly do not see it as in any way drastic or dramatic. I see it is a common-sense measure, although we may disagree on that.

Deputy O'Callaghan raised the issue of Gaelcholáiste Reachrann. I corresponded with the Minister for Education after the Deputy and I spoke and I will follow up as to where that is at. Given the context of the very significant extra funding that has been provided to the Department under its capital budget, I asked if it could provide timelines and progress in that regard. It is an extraordinarily long period of time and I can only imagine the frustration. I will again follow up with the Minister for Education directly on the concerns of students and the staff working in Gaelcholáiste Reachrann, which the Deputy outlined. I am happy to come back to the Deputy directly on that.

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising the issue of Kyran Durnin. There is not a person in this country, including myself, who can think about this case without getting extraordinarily upset. This is a devastating situation. Not only have we a criminal investigation and a Garda investigation - we will let that run its course and we all hope for progress - but we also have an eight-year-old child who was utterly failed by child protection services for a sustained period of time when he effectively disappeared. The Deputy is right to say there is a serious child protection issue of absolute concern and, parallel to any Garda investigation, that needs to be looked at. It horrifies all of us, as public representatives and as parents, and it is deeply concerning. I cannot put it stronger than that.

I join with the Deputy in expressing sympathy to the family of Michael Reade, his wife, Sandra, his son and his extended family, and all the listeners at LMFM. Michael was definitely a tough and robust interviewer, and I was on the receiving end of that a number of times, but he was always fair. He was a strong and powerful voice for the people of Louth and Meath in making sure the issues, good and bad, were brought to their attention and keeping politicians in the region on their toes. The loss of him at such a young age is tragic. He is a huge loss to journalism and to LMFM, and he is in all our thoughts and prayers, as are his family, his colleagues in LMFM and his many listeners. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

With regard to CAMHS in Dundalk and north Louth and the challenges concerning administration, I will ask the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health to see if that issue can be resolved and to revert to the Deputy directly.