I wish to ask the Tánaiste about the temporary business energy support scheme. I understand it is still being designed. I was contacted by a business in Roscommon town that has been in existence for almost 30 years. It uses oil, not gas. We know that oil has increased in price by about 145% since January 2021, and oil is currently excluded from the scheme. This will no doubt impact other businesses in Roscommon, Galway and elsewhere. Will the Tánaiste ensure that oil is included in order that we support as many bus…

I will begin by welcoming the Bill. It is absolutely essential given that it implements everything announced on budget day. As always, I welcome every increase to every payment and every move that is positive in the Bill. In my contribution I want to raise a number of issues. Some of these I have been raising for some time and there are others on which I hope the Minister might be able to give us some clarity. An issue I have raised many times is the additional needs payment. I have been unable to get a reply from …

Rural communities that have welcomed Ukrainian refugees in recent weeks are under pressure, particularly when it comes to healthcare and education. This is of course mainly due to the lack of and loss of services in rural areas, which existed long before the war. I see it in my own hometown of Ballaghaderreen, which welcomed Syrian refugees as far back as 2017. We were one of the first towns to welcome them here. Greater resources are needed in all our rural communities. Yesterday on the radio, the Taoiseach said t…

Earlier this week, contract cleaners, security personnel and catering staff working in our public hospitals came to Leinster House with their union, SIPTU. They told of horror stories of their time working on the front line during the pandemic. I have heard similar stories from contracted staff in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe. Yet, 11 months on, they are still waiting for the Covid recognition payment. Home care workers and those in private nursing homes and others are also waiting. Will the Tánaiste please co…

Galway County Council is in a funding crisis. This is not news to the Minister of State. It has been raised in this House many times over many years. The question is why. It is because it is not getting its fair share of funding from central government. The facts speak for themselves. Galway is the second largest county in Ireland and it has the third highest population across the State, only behind Dublin and Cork. The funding allocation it receives makes no sense. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and He…

With regard to the one-off payment allocation of €2.75 million for Galway, can the Minister of State advise whether that one-off payment will go to all local authorities? Of course, it is just a one-off. When we look at the discrepancies that exist with regard to funding, there is a clear issue. I do not hear the Government or Ministers acknowledging the issue regarding the level of funding Galway is receiving. There is a very obvious issue and I do not feel the Government recognises that. The last time we raised t…

Over 300 people in Roscommon and Galway have been approved for home care and are waiting to receive it. Some have been waiting up to 18 months. They want to and can be cared for in their own homes, but this can only happen where the care is being provided. They and other families are being let down. I raised the crisis in home care during Leader's Questions last December. At the time, the HIQA report had been published. It concluded that home care is currently not sustainable or meeting people's needs and a complet…

I ask the Minister for an update in relation to the development of a rural-proofing mechanism, as committed to in Our Rural Future.

Last month, the Minister provided an update on this. She said the report was completed and that she hoped to receive it shortly. Will she tell us more about the next steps? She also mentioned this is to be done within the lifetime of the policy, which is until 2025. Will she provide us with more information on the timeframe? The implementation of a rural-proofing mechanism is very important. The EU Commission has again downgraded the west and north west for a second time, which it now considers a lagging region. Th…

In her response, will the Minister outline the next steps in relation to the report, which I presume she has received by now, and the work done by the consultants on that rural-proofing mechanism? It is important it is a cross-departmental approach and that all Departments are held to account. That brings me back to the point about the emergency situation in the west and north west, where we are now seen as a lagging region. We need to turn that into something positive and take as much additional funding as we can …

I ask the Minister about the ongoing backlog within the local improvement scheme. We are all aware of the scheme and the demand for it. I know the Minister has increased funding to it, which is welcome, but there seems to be huge demand that is not being met in counties throughout the State. Will she provide us with an update on that?

I thank the Minister and acknowledge that she has put a focus on the scheme and there has been additional funding. She said the same thing last year about her Department reaching out to local authorities to see what they had on their books, what had not been completed and what they could complete by the end of the year. I presume from the response of the Minister that is happening again now. It would be useful for all of us to have the figures, local authority by local authority, regarding what is left and what can…

I presume the Minister does not have figures on the backlog and the number of applications that are live and have not yet been completed. I understand that is what her Department is gathering and the information would be helpful. Perhaps "resistance" is the wrong word, but I know the Minister has raised this matter a number of times with the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Obviously, all of us have a job of work to do in putting it across to him nicely that funding is badly needed. If we could clear the backlog, perhaps the…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. The Minister began his contribution by saying that nobody in this House had a monopoly on caring. Surely, if this Government cared, the one most basic thing it would do is to ensure that a ban on disconnections is introduced in the State as a very basic measure to show that this Government cares as people face into an unprecedented winter in many cases. I find it quite incredible that in the midst of one of the greatest energy crises that many of us will have seen and…

The purpose of this question is to ask the Minister for an update on the report completed by the child maintenance review group, which, I understand, was furnished to her at Easter. Perhaps she might be able to tell us a little about that report, what stage it is at and when it will be published.

As the Minister stated, lone-parent families are in deep poverty. They show very high levels across the board, from at risk of poverty to risk of deprivation, living in deprivation and experiencing deprivation. The consistent poverty rate remains far too high. It is much higher than it should be in any case. The Minister will also know lone parent organisations, both One Family and Single Parents Acting for the Rights of Kids, SPARK, have voiced deep disappointment in respect of the budget. Many of the measures the…

The report is done. The Minister has had since April to consider it. I believe that she will move on it. I welcome that. However, it would be good if we all, especially the organisations involved, could see the report because up until now - and certainly up until the group was established in 2020 - there has not been that sense of urgency around child maintenance and the establishment of a child maintenance service can only be positive. When maintenance is paid, all evidence shows that it can play a role in lifting…

Will the Minister provide an update on the processing of additional needs payments? These are very important in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis. I presume demand will increase and I am sure the Department expects demand to increase further as we come into the winter period.

I am glad to hear the online option is being progressed. This will be important. It is something I have raised with the Minister previously. It would be welcome because it may allow a person to ensure every bit of information is uploaded and provided before an application is submitted. There would then not be an over and back between the Department and the applicant. In September I was alarmed when I was advised that at that point 95% of applications were being processed within five to eight weeks. That is far too …

To be fair, I do not think that is very fair. What I wanted to see was the ramping up of those supports to ensure that people knew they were there in order to access them. Of course, if numbers were low earlier in the year, such as in February and March when they were between 4,000 or 5,000, there was concern. The Department did all that work on advertising and campaigning. That is what I wanted to see and that is welcome, but when ramping things up, demand will obviously increase, and we need to make sure people a…