I raise an issue facing thousands of middle-income workers and families. This cohort, the so-called squeezed middle, earn too much to qualify for many State supports and pay a larger proportion of their income at the higher tax band. The Government needs to focus on targeted measures to cut rising costs and increase supports for the so-called squeezed middle. It is crucial that we now recognise the change in costs facing families across Ireland, whether in energy bills, in the supermarket trolley or at the pumps. I…

I welcome these statements on special educational needs. The need for investment in special education has been highlighted time and again in my constituency. We have made significant progress in recent years on increasing the number of places in special classes and special schools as well as the number of special education teachers and SNAs to record levels. I compliment the Minister of State on her work in this area, including in the Department. In my county of Mayo, we are fortunate to have recognised special edu…

I want to raise the issue of the extension of the youth travel card to commercial operators. Students and young adults who use private bus operators are at a severe disadvantage to those who are able to avail of the 20% discount on public transport and the 50% discount on the youth travel card. This is very significant for the thousands of young people who rely on private operators every day. Clarity will allow people to make decisions based on fair prices about future commuting plans in this cost of living crisis.…

I welcome today's debate on transport. It is a hugely importantly topic. The recent capacity issues at Dublin Airport demonstrate yet again the need for a national aviation policy. What happened to people left stranded was outrageous. We need an all-Ireland approach to aviation as distinct from a Dublin Airport-centric policy. The sooner we have that debate the better. I come from a rural constituency, Mayo. A majority of people living there are reliant on private cars. We do not have the frequency of public transp…

This question is for the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. For months now I have been working with communities from Ceathrú Thaidhg, Porturlin, Srahataggle and Portacloy in north Mayo who are all desperate to avail of a new community water connection. It is hard to believe that in 2022, rural dwellers in County Mayo are still without a piped water supply. This is severely impacting their living standards and quality of life. Hundreds of signatures have been gathered from local residents allowing Mayo County Council…

Childcare is a massive issue for young parents in every constituency. The cost of childcare here is one of the highest in Europe. We need clarity on how it is proposed to reduce fees for parents, improve pay and conditions for staff and increase the number of places available for children. Fine Gael's policy lab has done excellent work to accurately reflect concerns and preferred solutions for a wide range of diverse groups in the Care of the Child policy paper. Last Friday, I visited two brilliant childcare and ea…

Ireland faces a challenging time in meeting its climate action, EU and COP26 obligations. The need for climate action is clear and the changes we need to make to address climate challenges will affect all aspects of the way we live our lives. The move to green enterprise services and energy use in public and private transport has already begun. Many operations in Ireland in the manufacturing, services, and retail sectors are making major advances in the positive climate action policies implemented. The climate acti…

I welcome this important legislation. It is timely. When speaking on this Bill we should remember that we are talking about the men and women of An Garda Síochána who protect and serve us all. That is very significant. The Bill provides for a major reform of the compensation scheme that is currently in operation. I compliment the work undertaken by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in this area. The key aims of the Bill are to reduce the length of time it takes for Garda compensation claims to be dealt with from the in…

I welcome the Minister's latest update on the live register figures, which shows a far more positive outlook as unemployment rates continue to fall. I will raise the issue of the continuing challenges faced by our hospitality and tourism sector that is struggling to fill significant numbers of vacancies ahead of the tourism season. Long delays in getting work permits and personal public service, PPS, numbers are slowing down recruitment of restaurant, hospitality and tourism workers. In some instances, it is taking…

I thank the Minister of State. Deputy Ó Ríordáin is sharing with Deputy Sherlock. They have five minutes each.

Next we have, for the Rural Independent Group, Deputy Michael Collins.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate and acknowledge the work of the Labour Party in bringing forward this Bill. The timing of this discussion could not be more appropriate in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation. I welcome also the Government's commitment to move from a minimum wage policy to a higher living wage that is designed to take into account the proper cost of living. This Bill is broadly in line with these objectives. The Low Pay Commission, which was set up by a Fin…

It is reassuring to hear of the work that is under way to deliver efficiencies and to provide a more resilient passport service. I also want to acknowledge the staff in the Department and the Passport Office and thank them for their sterling work. I wish to raise an issue relating to the 39% of applications that are incomplete, namely the frustration of parents with the action that occurs with the estimated due date within the eight-week period. It is causing huge frustration when, at the eleventh hour, parents hav…

Issues in respect of housing and affordability of housing in County Mayo are at crisis point. There is a shortage of affordable homes to rent or purchase in parts of the county, especially in towns such as Westport, Castlebar and Ballina. The national affordable housing delivery targets were published but I was disappointed to see that Mayo County Council was excluded and that the Department’s five-year targets were allocated to only 18 local authorities. No scheme has been approved in Mayo County Council to provid…

I thank the Minister for his response. As he outlined, the issue for young people and families seeking home ownership and trying to get onto the property ladder is that the average house price in Mayo is below the 5% affordability constraint for access to the affordability scheme. As he outlined, the issue boils down to the calculations on a county-wide basis. Mayo has the fourth-lowest market house price in the country but that is certainly not reflective of the open market price of new-build homes in areas such a…

I welcome the Minister's support for and engagement with Mayo County Council. It is hugely important. We have a very good housing team in the local authority and I am working closely with that team. However, housing policy in Mayo has been dictated by financial interests rather than by the needs of the locality and that certainly needs to be reformed. We should pursue affordable housing initiatives not based on the risk or the cost but based on the needs of people who want home ownership. With social housing, counc…

Family carers are the backbone of care provision and an essential pillar in our healthcare system. It is increasingly clear the classification of carer's allowance as a social assistance payment does not recognise the uniqueness of family carers within our social welfare system. Many family carers I have spoken to feel strongly the means test for the allowance needs to be overhauled. As the assessment of needs for carers is applied to gross rather than net income and does not consider mortgage repayments, dependent…

I ask Deputies to be conscious that we have four more speakers and there are three and a half minutes on the clock. Do we want to add additional minutes onto this question and take from the next, in order for the Taoiseach to respond?

I thank the Taoiseach. We have a final set of questions.

Ten minutes.