I stand to be corrected but I believe many of the grants available through the SEAI, which are welcome, are part payments. In many cases, households simply cannot afford to put any money aside to try to retrofit their homes or make them warmer. I agree, however, that it cannot just be about spending money on and adding to the fuel allowance every year; it has to be about making the homes warmer in the first instance in order that people do not have such high bills. We must acknowledge that cost is a factor. We have…

The Minister has a draft of the report on the impact of the carbon tax and low-income households. When might the report be published?

What steps does the Minister intend to take to address the growing regional inequalities, specifically in the northern and western region, which has been downgraded from a developed region to a region in transition? I know this is not news but with the new funding stream coming from 2021 to 2027, we need to make sure the northern and western region takes full advantage of that funding that will be in place in co-operation with the EU, and our downgraded status needs to be reversed.

The north and west of Ireland were not downgraded to the status of a region in transition for no reason. It did not happen by accident and we all know this is the result of decades of underinvestment by previous Governments and this Government in infrastructure west of the Shannon. We are the only region in Ireland that has been downgraded by the EU Commission and that is because we are lagging behind. When one looks at the west and the north west, we are bottom of the table when it comes to Government investment, …

I am glad the Minister has referred to the plans that are being considered by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that would essentially see these regional funds being centralised in Dublin. That is an outrageous proposition that should have never come to the desk of any Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. As I said, we are looking at the impacts of Brexit and at the fact that we are no longer designated as a developed region, which is so serious for our region going forward. The level of invest…

This issue has been ongoing for approximately six months. That is six months of workers not knowing their income from one week to another and struggling from one week to another. These are workers with families and with mortgages or rent to pay. They have been under immense pressure in the past few months. They have been told one thing by their local Intreo offices and another thing at work. Aer Lingus has actively blocked employees at every turn from accessing their social welfare entitlements. These are entitleme…

We all appreciate the process that is in place for these workers but the issue is with the Minister's reference to when the employers signs the forms. That has been the entire issue here: the employer has not been signing the forms and that has left employees in an awful situation. I reiterate that this has been going on for months. The Minister indicated that Department officials have been engaging with Aer Lingus since last week. Is that correct? This has been going on for months and it would seem extraordinary i…

Before the recess, I tabled a motion calling on the Government to extend maternity leave for mothers who had babies during the pandemic, a challenging and difficult time. The Government's amendment stated that it would possibly look at extending parental leave and benefit in the next budget at some unknown time next year, a proposal totally irrelevant to the issue at hand. Earlier this week, I was contacted by a mother who had her baby at the end of April. She has since been suffering with post-natal depression. Bo…

On the matter of special schools, I bring to the Minister's attention St. Teresa's special school in Ballinasloe. It has twice applied for an extra autism spectrum disorder, ASD, class but it was refused on both occasions due to "time restraints", to use the Department's term. However, at the same time 39 schools in Dublin have been ordered to reopen in September with ASD classes. It seems there is one rule for Dublin and another for the likes of Ballinasloe. I ask the Minister to consider the matter as the school …

I was first contacted by local retained firefighters concerned about the continued closure of Castlerea fire station long before I was ever elected to this House. The retained firefighters did not see their role as just a job. They served their community with pride and that pride can be seen in speaking to them. I saw it the first time I met them. Castlerea fire station was closed in 2007. The only reason given for the closure at the time was staffing issues. A statement from Roscommon County Council in January 201…

Does it not seem strange to the Minister that he has cited staffing issues in his response when the fire station was not permanently because of staffing issues? It was permanently closed because of this new report. The decision was solely based on that. There is a statutory obligation on local authorities to provide a fire service, as the Minister has said. That obligation is not being met. I mentioned the prison. There are 12 prisons in the State. Castlerea Prison is one of the largest, with capacity for 340 priso…

Will the Minister specify the number of people, including the self-employed, who will face a reduction in their pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, due to the changes in rates outlined in the July stimulus, and if those changes in rates were poverty-proofed?

I specifically referred to the self-employed in my question. I would appreciate it if the Minister could give me a figure on the number of self-employed people who will see a reduction when these rates change. I know from a reply to a previous parliamentary question I asked that approximately 15,000 self-employed people had their payment reduced from the €350 to the €203 when the first change was introduced. An issue I raised with the Minister yesterday and I raise again now is that the rate the self-employed are b…

The Minister might come back to me on that constituent who is working part-time, which is the income being taken into account with regard to his PUP rate, but he is also self-employed and that is the bulk of his income. I have contacted the Minister on that and I would appreciate a response. On the new condition now introduced that people in receipt of PUP have to seek work, again, do self-employed people on the PUP now need to seek work? During the debate last night, the Minister said that the Department would tak…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Can the Minister provide an update on the tendering process as part of the review of contracted public employment services? Can the Minister state if she or her Department has had any engagement with the JobPath providers to date in 2020?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. First, can the Minister give any indication as to when the consultants’ report will be completed and published in order that we and the Minister can examine it? I am glad she mentioned value for money. I ask that she look at JobPath and the costs associated with the scheme, if it is to be extended as part of what has been mentioned in the July stimulus, and focus on contracted services as part of getting people back to work. This time last year, 226,851 people had been referred to Job…

Will the Minister outline clearly the engagement between departmental officials and JobPath providers? I appreciate that it is consistent. Have there been discussions about extending referrals to JobPath? I would appreciate an answer in that regard. I raise this matter because I met representatives of the Irish Local Development Network recently, which has clearly demonstrated its capacity to take 150,000 client referrals through job clubs and local employment services. I really want us to take a not-for-profit and…

I would like to ask the Minister her plans to address the ongoing issue of 65 year olds being forced to sign on for a jobseeker's payment on retirement.

I thank the Minister. I acknowledge the commitment in the programme for Government and I am glad this will be a focus of her Ministry. That is welcome. However, all the commitment in the programme for Government does is change the name of the payment. I welcome the revocation of the requirement for those who go on jobseeker's payments at 65 to seek work. It was a very silly rule that expected people to go around with CVs at 65 years of age, after working for 40 or 50 years and paying 40 or 45 years of contributions…

I thank the Minister. It is always said by Ministers, especially when we discuss the abolition of mandatory retirement ages, that there is no statutory retirement age in the State. We know that, but so many employment contracts stipulate retirement at the age of 65. There would not be almost 5,000 65 year olds on jobseeker's payments if the age of 65 was not contained in their employment contracts. That is the issue. The Minister must also acknowledge the difference in payments. When a person retires they can fall …