I was at a very positive event last Friday in south Kildare that the Tánaiste, Deputy Harris, attended, and he was very welcome. Ballymore Eustace was proclaimed as the first age-friendly and climate-friendly town in the country at the event. Ballymore Eustace was chosen mainly because of its wonderful community spirit and because so many people are actively involved in the community. It was also chosen because among its 1,700 residents, it has the highest age range within the county. We had a wonderful event organised by Ms Carmel Cashin from Kildare County Council. Mr. Stephen Deegan, Ms Janet Deegan and Mr. Tommy Deegan from the Tidy Towns are all related and did a wonderful job getting the town ready for this. A beautiful sculpture by Beth Murphy was unveiled and the sun came out. It really was a heavenly day. Every day in Ballymore Eustace is really good.

However, it struck me as slightly ironic that the town was awarded this status and this celebration for being very age-friendly and yet it has a complete lack of GP services. I tabled a Commencement matter on this about six months ago. Essentially, there is a clinic but there is no GP service. There is a GP from Blessington, who is assigned to the clinic and is an excellent GP according to people who go to the clinic.

While clinics run from the Blessington clinic were meant to be held in Ballymore Eustace, these have ceased. People are now forced to go to Blessington for that service. We are talking about older people who may not have access to private transport and who may find it difficult to use an irregular bus service. These people need to be better served. There is another practice willing to take over the clinic in Ballymore Eustace to ensure that there are clinics up to three times a week in the town. I have brought this up several times but nothing has changed. It really needs to and that is why I have brought it up in this House again.

I also want to again bring up the issue of illegal encampments on the Curragh, which I have raised a number of times. The Curragh is an absolute jewel. It is a place that people in the area like to access, particularly in this nice weather. We have golf courses, horse racing, the Army and sheep farmers but, unfortunately, at the start of summer every year, we have illegal encampments. Millions of euro have been spent on gathering the waste afterwards. There has been antisocial behaviour. Greens in Cill Dara Golf Club have been damaged. This is not the first time I have raised this issue. A court order was given on 9 April 2026, and it is good to see that sort of action being taken but we need to have a permanent solution. I and other representatives from County Kildare do not need to be standing up and talking about this year after year. I seek a debate with the Minister for Defence, Deputy McEntee, in relation to the Curragh. A plan with very strong recommendations was put in place and nothing has happened or is happening at a snail's pace. I wrote to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, directly, but I want a debate in this House in relation to this issue.