The question I have for the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health is regarding stroke victims in Laois, Carlow, north Tipperary and Kildare, who appear to be left with a very precarious service since the stroke unit closed in Naas hospital. People coming to Portlaoise hospital with strokes were being sent to Naas but in the past month or so that has stopped. Apparently there is a very precarious service at the moment. The expectation was that Tallaght would take them but apparently Tallaght is not obliged to because it is a voluntary hospital. Patients are being diverted to Kilkenny, which is in a different hospital group, which itself is problematic. There is no certainty for those patients. It is a serious situation. As a doctor, the Taoiseach will know that they need to be seen in a specialist stroke unit within the first four hours. Can he address this very serious situation?

The conditions of our fire brigade personnel buildings leave a lot to be desired. Independent community activist, Mags McKenna, in Ballincollig tells me there is no fire brigade service in Ballincollig to cover 28,000 people. In Clonakilty we have a serious crisis in spite of many announcements having been made that there is a new fire station. They tell me it is rat-infested and pigeon-infested. There is a lady after being taken on recently, which is brilliant, but she is sharing changing rooms with men. The Clonakilty fire station is outdated and needs to be replaced. It is covering a huge area from Bandon west to Clonakilty, Timoleague, Barryroe, all that area. When will the sod be turned for Clonakilty fire station? That is what they want, not another promise.

On a number of occasions I have raised the need for special provision for people with epilepsy during State exams. We are about a month out from the leaving certificate and there is no clarity received yet from the Department of Education on what will happen to individuals who have a seizure during exams. Can the Government commit to providing clarity as a matter of urgency?

I thank the Deputy for his brevity.

Many families and workers are continuing to struggle as a result of rising costs. Among those suffering most are those families who have no option but to use their car to get to work or bring their children to school or other activities. There has been some reduction in petrol and diesel in recent weeks but they are still 27% higher in cost than they were in December 2020. Bizarrely, the Government's stated intention is actually to increase the costs further in next month's carbon tax hikes. Will the Taoiseach review that decision, understanding the pressures that many families are under?

I am pretty sure the carbon tax increase in May does not apply to petrol and diesel, it applies to solid fuel and kerosene. I will double-check on that.

The Government is restoring the charges next month.

On special provision for students who have epilepsy, it is an important issue and I thank the Deputy for raising it again. It would be a matter for the State Examinations Commission and for the Minister, Deputy Foley. I will ask her office to contact the Deputy directly. I appreciate the exams are coming and it is important to make provision for people.

There is an investment programme for fire stations. I do not know where Clonakilty is on it but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to come back to the Deputy directly on that. I might ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to respond to the question on stroke services in the midlands.

If there are specific service-level issues such as those the Deputy has raised, he might send me a note and I will get him a response. The Deputy will be aware that we are investing in stroke care. We have rolled out the first national stroke strategy this year. There is a lot more money going in, both in terms of the acute services and the very quick responses, which are making a huge difference to patients' recovery, and also in community rehab including neurorehabilitation teams. It is growing but if there are specific local issues I ask the Deputy to let me know.

I thank the Minister, there is a very serious issue.