-----is putting our country first, representing us proudly and delivering for the people of this country.

My Department is taking action across all aspects of international protection accommodation to ensure we improve value for money, strengthen governance and compliance, and renegotiate contracts with providers. This forms part of the overall reform of the international protection system that is already working to speed up the processing of applications and move away from commercial provision to more State-owned accommodation. This reform will help to drive down costs. The Minister and I are absolutely committed to d…

To outline the position again, we have accepted the recommendations in the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report. We absolutely recognise them. We have put in place contract reviews designed to deliver genuine savings. We recognise that due to the surge that took place from 2022 to 2024, we were not in a position to have the relevant structures in place, but we now are and we are delivering genuine savings. The most important point related to this has two aspects: first, we must ensure that, going forward, we ha…

As I have said to the Deputy, all contracts we are now putting in place have checks and balances in respect of tax clearance certificates.

We are totally transparent in publishing details of all payments made, and we do that regularly. We believe the contracts we are now putting in place are absolutely clear and deliver on some of the things the Deputy is asking about. I understand that, in the case the Deputy mentioned, the water provision issue has been completely addressed and what he described is not happening at this point. However, it is important that contractors provide their service in the correct and proper way to the State. Through the cont…

I thank the Deputy. The programme for Government contains a commitment to publish a national migration and integration strategy detailing how the Government will meet the demands and opportunities facing Ireland’s society. My Department is currently working on that with other Departments with the aim of having it published in 2026. Looking at the international student sector will obviously form part of that work. For many years, Ireland has welcomed international students who travel here to pursue courses of study …

I thank the Deputy for his acknowledgement of the fact that international students make a contribution. They contribute in so many ways to our country. The Government is looking at student visas in the context of our national migration and immigration strategy. For the purpose of clarity with regard to the issue of total registrations, there can be multiple registrations during a year, so the number of total registrations is not entirely indicative of the number of students but it is a reasonable guide. When lookin…

It is important to examine the regulation in this area. There is quite a bit of regulation in this area. There is an allowance of 20 hours that a student can work during term time and that increases to 40 hours. It is very important that is monitored and correctly enforced. We have changed the requirements for students in terms of the income they would have to have to sustain themselves when they come into the country, so they are able to pursue their courses when they come. It is important that we have monitoring …

I thank the Deputy. My Department is taking action across all aspects of international protection accommodation to provide value for money, strengthen governance and compliance, and renegotiate contracts with providers. This forms part of the overall reform of the international protection system that is already working to speed up processing of applications and move from commercial provision to State provision. These reforms will help to drive down costs and curtail the growth seen over recent years in the accommod…

The Department has accepted the recommendations of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report and has put in place a set of updated processes and standards which will appraise offers and manage and oversee contracts. Extensive new checks and balances have been put in place to ensure high standards of oversight on invoicing. Queries and irregularities have been identified through a checklist process. These have been reviewed and recoupments made to the Department. Treatment of VAT is a matter between the relevant …

The Department is always vigilant about taxpayers' money and it is important to note we have achieved €52 million in savings in terms of contracts this year. There is a new rate card in place delivering real savings. One of the most important things we are doing is moving to State-owned, which will bring a real saving in terms of taxpayers' money. When the migration pact comes in, we will be moving to a shorter timeframe in terms of processing people, which will also save money. We are determined to reduce the over…

I thank the Senator. I know Glenveagh and have been there many times. It is a lovely place. It is one of Donegal's great treasures, as the Senator knows well. He has been a strong supporter on this issue. I am here representing the Minister. The National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, within the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has primary responsibility for nature conservation, wildlife protection and the preservation of our national parks. I assure the Senator, on behalf of the Minister, th…

I will, of course, bring the Senator's concerns to the responsible Minister and ensure he hears those concerns. I will also add my knowledge of Glenveagh and how wonderful it is. It is important from the perspective of tourism in Donegal that we seek to maximise accessibility to places such as Glenveagh. I recognise the Senator's concerns and will bring them to the attention of the relevant Minister. I will ensure he is fully aware of what is happening.

I thank Senator Scahill for raising this matter. I apologise that the Minister is not here. I appreciate the Senator's comments on the importance of Ministers addressing these issues when Senators raise them. I am aware Senator Scahill has been very active in raising this matter. The Minister has asked me to make the following statement. At the beginning of this year Storm Éowyn caused unprecedented electricity outages and exposed critical vulnerabilities in our grid system arising from unmanaged vegetation and the…

I very much appreciate the Senator's sentiments he expressed regarding the importance of timing. I will take every opportunity to convey that and the other comments made by him today to the Minister. I have no doubt he will also continue to engage directly with the Minister on this very important issue. I appreciate that it is vitally important to his constituents that they have this type of information and an update on timing. The Government is committed to learning the lessons of Storm Éowyn. As I said, the legis…

As the House has heard from my colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, the justice budget of €6.17 billion for 2026 will support a robust, rules-based immigration system. The additional funding for immigration and international protection will improve our systems, speeding up processing, strengthening the return and ensuring that Ireland is fully ready to implement the EU migration and asylum pact in June 2026. This budget ensures we have a firm, fair and effective immigration system that will also represent v…

That is not true.

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. The Minister has advised that Donegal courthouse will be closed temporarily as a result of health and safety concerns. Work has been ongoing with the Office of Public Works in order to determine the required works and the associated costs. The main and most serious safety issues relate to the entrances for both the public and courthouse users and the judge. Both of the ceilings in the public entrance porch have par…

The Senator has raised this very important issue and made his views very clear. I will make sure that they are passed on to and directly heard by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, as regards the importance of maintaining the courthouse in Donegal. To provide an update, the Minister has indicated that the Courts Service is initially looking at a move to Ballyshannon on a temporary basis. That is approximately 20 km away and 20 minutes by car. I will point out the importance of looking for a suitable venue in Donegal…

I welcome the opportunity to address and talk about migration. We have seen the discourse on migration has become increasingly fraught right across the world, not just in Ireland, but here in Ireland we have not been immune to the impact of this polarising debate. We have seen anti-immigrant protests on our streets, stirred up by social media. We have seen the dark consequences of the anti-immigrant rhetoric in the shocking racist attacks on our minority communities. In particular, I want to express my deep concern…