I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2024 on Second Stage. This Bill provides a clear statutory framework for transferring Microfinance Ireland, MFI, into State ownership, placing it under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. It does this by amending the legislation that established MFI, the Microenterprise Loan Fund Act 2012, to transfer the authorised share capital from the Social Finance Foundation, SFF, to the Minister for Enterprise, …

I also welcome all our guests in the Gallery.

To keep with tradition, we would love if your teachers could afford you the opportunity of having no homework today.

For the rest of the week, which is even better again. I thank all the Senators who have contributed to this debate and for their constructive and positive tone in regards to the transfer of Microfinance Ireland into State ownership. Many Senators have outlined the vital role the organisation plays in supporting small businesses with the challenges that many of them have when starting out through assessing their financial model and ensuring they have access to capital when it is required in order that they can bring…

Sit down, you fool.

Good electioneering there, Paul.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that the Government: — remains deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Gulf; — continues to seek de-escalation through dialogue and diplomacy so that these issues can be resolved; — recognises and understands the pressures that have arisen due to rising fuel costs as a result of war in Ukraine and the Middle East, on all families and businesses; — affirms that energy affordability is a pr…

I thank Senator Cathal Byrne for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity the provide the current position regarding the planned school building project for Ramsgrange Community School, County Wexford. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minster for Education, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. The school referred to by the Senator was approved to enter the Department's pipeline for school building projects under the additional school accommodation scheme to provide ten general classro…

I again thank the Senator for raising this important matter and raising his concerns around the need to accelerate this project. For the 630 students he represents, their parents, the board of management and the principal, Tracey Edwards, those concerns have been heard loud and clear. I will bring back to the Minister the need for the Department to examine the project and carry out ongoing engagement and consultation with the school. Through continued engagement with Ramsgrange and the school management body, I wil…

I thank the Acting Chair. I welcome all the Seanadóirí. I am pleased to introduce the National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) Bill 2026 to the Seanad. The Bill gives the necessary legal basis for a reduction in the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, levy from 2 cent per litre to a nominal amount for a two-month period. The reduction will come into effect from 1 April 2026, until 1 June 2026. The Bill also provides scope for the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to amend this time period at a later …

I acknowledge and thank all the Senators for their contributions. These are not normal times and this is not normal price fluctuation. This is a severe geopolitical shock that has immediate consequences, not just in Europe but globally. Certainly it is a lot more volatile and severe than what we envisaged following the invasion of Ukraine. We have seen significant damage to key infrastructure in the Gulf and the Middle East. We see huge disruption and direct threats to global oil supply. The International Energy Ag…

I thank the Senator for the amendment but we will not be accepting it as a matter of course. Our Department assesses the impact of various policy measures for which it is responsible on an ongoing basis. The Government has established, as I said earlier, the national energy affordability task force. That has a core job in identifying, assessing and implementing measures. There is that element of feedback in terms of enhancing energy affordability for households, delivering key renewable commitments and protecting s…

I thank Deputy Sherlock for raising this matter and for the opportunity to update the Dáil on the modification and expansion of the buy and renew scheme. I am taking this question on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Department has a number of schemes in place targeted at increasing the supply of social housing and working towards ending dereliction. That is a key priority of the Government’s housing policy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. We are all aware of the existi…

I thank Deputy Sherlock for the constructive points she has raised this afternoon. Certainly I feel there are many good local authorities that engage in these types of schemes very proactively. There are also local authorities that fall behind and do not promote them. The modified and expanded buy and renew scheme is a positive and the new parameters are very welcome. The inclusion of the contractor-led approach will give certainty to many local authorities and approved housing bodies. There is a challenge to get s…

I thank Deputy Gibney for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity to update the Dáil on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Critically, the management and maintenance of local authority social housing stock is, first and foremost, a matter for the respective local authority, in this instance Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966. This includes activating and funding pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, im…

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for her contribution. We are in agreement that the standard of social properties being rented out by local authorities should be such that tenants have a good quality of life and their well-being and mental health are being protected. It is not acceptable for anyone to live in damp, mouldy or substandard conditions. That is why the Government has stepped up with additional funding for 2026, with the provision of an extra €60 million for the planned mai…

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of the HSE's public dental and orthodontic service in south Tipperary. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. The HSE oral healthcare service aims to provide an oral examination and necessary treatment for children at ages approximating to second and sixth class and, in some cases, fourth class. Emergency care is provided for children of all ages up to 16 and for those with complex and additional needs. The HSE provides orthodontic treatment …

I have listened to the Deputy and taken on board the points he has made. I will bring them back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. The Deputy has advocated for his constituents to ensure they have better dental and orthodontic treatment services. I assure him that improving access to dental care for children is a priority. We need an accelerated response to the staffing deficit that Tipperary is experiencing. We must also ensure that waiting lists are reduced significantly over the time ahead. The Government…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Health. It is great to get an opportunity to provide an update and acknowledge the extraordinary role played by healthcare workers in protecting us during the pandemic. In recognition of those exceptional circumstances, a special scheme was introduced in July 2022 to support eligible public health sector staff who developed long Covid. This was a temporary and exceptional measure, unique to the health sector, designed to acknowl…

I acknowledge the extraordinary service of our healthcare workers during the pandemic. The temporary special scheme for long Covid was an exceptional measure that was introduced in recognition of the unique risk faced by staff in those early days and uncertain times. It provided sustained support for nearly five years, which was a level of protection unmatched in any other sector. The Deputy is dressing this up in another way that is not reflective of the level of support that has been provided to date. Although th…