Fáiltím roimh an díospóireacht anseo inniu agus an deis chun cúrsaí Gaelainne a chur chun cinn. Ar ndóigh, ní hamháin i rith Sheachtain na Gaeilge a bhíonn gá cúrsaí teanga a thabhairt chun cinn, ach go minic i rith na bliana chomh maith. Fáiltím roimh an deis inniu. Tá Fianna Fáil gníomhach le fada an lá ó thaobh cúrsaí teanga. Mar shampla, in 2003, thugamar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla chun cinn. Rinneadh leasú ar an Acht sin le blianta beaga anuas, agus spriocanna móra cosúil leis an sprioc go mbeidh 20% d'earca…

Tá Foras na Gaeilge ag freastal ar phobal na Gaelainne ar fud na tíre agus tá sé ag feidhmiú le maoiniú ón Rialtas anseo ó Dheas agus ón bhFeidhmeannas ó Thuaidh; 75% den mhaoiniú ag teacht ón Rialtas anseo agus 25% ón bhFeidhmeannas ó Thuaidh. Is é sin an leagan amach atá ann de réir Chomhaontú Aoine an Chéasta. Tuigim go bhfuil an Rialtas anseo lánsásta a sciar a chur ar fáil ach go bhfuil buairt ó Thuaidh. Tá an-bhuairt ar phobal na Gaelainne roimh chiorruithe agus sa chás nach mbeadh an foras ábalta feidhmiú ga…

The well-being framework sets out the things that are important to us as a society as distinct from economic indicators such as GDP or inflation. It focuses, for example, on the quality of our housing, educational attainment, biodiversity and so much more. The aim is that it would steer funding priorities in the budget. On the climate front, for example, we are seeing stark warnings from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council of up to €26 billion in fines coming down the tracks. It is recommending that we should spend t…

I congratulate the Minister and Ministers of State on their appointments and wish them every success in the new roles. I will focus on the availability of land in Cork and the opportunity to develop enterprise there. Will the Minister outline the discussions between the council, the Department and the IDA to ensure there are adequate opportunities, land and sites available for growing enterprises in Cork?

It sounds like there is a great deal of background work going on. I will focus on one sector of enterprise. Cork County Council has had successful sites in which it supported smaller enterprises: Macroom E, for example, and a number of others across the county. As these smaller enterprises grow, they need additional space to expand. Enterprise Ireland and IDA's focus is international and large scale, so this group of businesses falls between two stools. They are not big enough for IDA or Enterprise Ireland and they…

Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go ndíreofaí isteach ar riachtanaisí phobal na Gaeltachta agus comhlachtaí Údarás na Gaeltachta chomh maith. Tá an cheist cheannann chéanna le réiteach. Tá an t-údarás dírithe ar Gteic units i mBaile Bhuirne, i gColáiste Iosagáin agus mar shampla, i mBéal Átha an Ghaorthaidh. A similar situation arises in the Gaeltacht area with Údarás na Gaeltachta and the smaller enterprises it has supported in its gteic units. It does that in Gaeltacht areas across the country. Has a similar conversation b…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire Stáit. Many congratulations to the Minister of State on her appointment. I am delighted for her and wish her every success with the new role. AI is very much part of the present and future and the programme for Government commits to upgrading the national digital strategy to take into account the situation around AI and its possible future uses. Can the Minister of State give an outline of the up-to-date situation concerning the development of the strategy fo…

I thank the Minister of State. Very often a whole swathe of concerns is expressed by people in the context of the debate around AI. These include from an ethical point of view, climate change concerns and a whole broad range. Equally, though, there is excitement regarding the opportunities existing here. One area I would like to focus on is ensuring another generation is empowered and in a position to know how to use artificial intelligence and make the best use of it. What level of engagement is there with the edu…

The debate last night was very useful and a huge range of topics were discussed. One area I would like to focus on is the AI advisory council established last month with a view to providing independent expert advice to the Government. Can the Minister of State give an outline concerning the advisory council, how often its members have met and who they are meeting with? I ask this to get a flavour of their direction of travel. Are they, for example, meeting with education bodies to ensure that any advice and emphasi…

First, I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. I wish him every success in his new role. I want to ask the Minister about the roll-out of broadband by NBI in the area west of Macroom, in particular the switches in Carraig an Ime, Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh and Dunmanway. They serve a large rural community from Clondrohid through Cill na Martra and Inchigeelagh on towards Kilmichael and Coppeen. It is a large community that has been very patient and is keen to see that implementation on it soon.

I thank the Minister of State. People in the area west of Macroom and the communities there feel they have been very patient in waiting on the NBI roll-out - maybe too patient. We were provided last year with data suggesting that the surveys were to be completed last summer and last September in those particular areas. The online monitor suggests that it has not started yet in the Carraig an Ime switch area, which will cover the Baile Bhuirne, Clondrohid and Carraig an Ime area. I am pleased to note that the Minist…

I recognise that you have to start somewhere and finish somewhere and that some communities will be served faster than others. However, as I mentioned earlier, we feel we have been very patient in our communities. There is also one on the Minister of State's own doorstep which appears to be toward the latter part of the roll-out. We are sick of waiting. We are sick of it at this stage. Is there some way of digging the boot in on NBI and making it clear that it needs to get on with that roll-out and make it happen f…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. Since its inception two years ago, the rent tax credit has provided significant assistance to people who are renting. Can the Minister give an indication on the take-up of that credit, particularly with regard to County Kildare, and also County Cork if he has those data available? As the rent tax credit was recently increased at the last budget, can he give an indication whether the increased value of that credit has increased its take-up?

I appreciate that the Cork figures may not be as readily to hand. I look forward to reviewing them later. The credit has been a real support for many people who are renting and it is easing some of the burden. We have included in the programme for Government that there would be further improvement on the credit. I am trying to get an understanding on any engagement or discussions the Minister has had up to now on making improvements and enhancing it, be that through doing it over five budgets or in one or two of th…

Is mór an cabhair é an faoiseamh cánach dóibh siúd atá ag tógáil áit chónaithe ar cíos. Tá sé mar chuid den chlár Rialtais amach romhainn go gcuirfí leis seo agus go gcuirfí breis cabhrach ar fáil do dhaoine. An bhféadfadh an tAire insint dúinn cén plean nó comhrá a bhí aige go dtí seo ar conas é sin a leathnú amach agus forbairt a dhéanamh air? The programme for Government also commits to helping renters who are seeking to become home buyers with a series of targeted measures, both in the tax system and in the fir…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil le gach éinne a chabhraigh liom le linn an feachtas toghcháin ag deireadh na bliana as ucht na slite a bhíodar páirteach ann, idir mo chairde agus mo theaghlach go háirithe. Míle buíochas leo. Is mór an onóir a bheith anseo mar Theachta thar ceann mhuintir Chorcaigh Thiar Thuaidh. I thank the voters of Cork North-West for supporting me in the recent election. I have the huge honour and privilege of being sent her…

The council is conducting farm-by-farm inspections in the Castletown-Kinneigh and Coppeen area. Farmers who are well familiar with Department of agriculture, Bord Bia and a myriad of different inspections are finding these county council inspections are far more intense and are being conducted on every farm, even though the expectation was only 5% would be inspected. Even a one-cow farm is being inspected. The inspections are being driven by water quality. Where pollution and noncompliance are identified, there are…

I will focus on a group of people who work day after day and at the end of the week and month still find it hard, despite that modest, reasonably decent pay cheque, and struggle to make ends meet. They are not looking for benefits. Often, they are not eligible for them. They are keen to hold on to a reasonable portion, and more, of their hard-earned pay. Economists might know them as the middle four deciles; whatever level we put on them, they are people with modest incomes who work and are keen to spend on their f…

Before we continue, I welcome to the Gallery Coachford Active Retirement who are here today. Muintir ó Achadh Bolg, Réileán agus Áth an Chóiste atá tagtha chuig an Dáil inniu chun bualadh leis na Teachtaí agus na proceedings a fheiceáil. Tá fáilte rompu.

You should not name people.