Absolutely. It is crucial and a priority for the Department. Within budget 2026, we included a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment. That goes to €254. There was a €20 increase in the monthly rate of domiciliary care allowance increasing to €380 a month from 1 January. There were the highest ever increases in the child support payment - a €16 increase for children aged 12 or over, bringing it to €78, and an €8 increase for children under 12 years old, bringing it to €58. There was a €5 increase in the fuel al…

There are a number of issues. I made it very clear that we are working on introducing a permanent cost-of-disability payment. I look forward to hearing people's proposals on this with a view towards budget 2027. In relation to the employability issues raised by Deputies McGreehan and Ó Murchú, we have made changes to the wage subsidy scheme. At the end of November, we had 1,550 employers and 2,615 employees participating. I have made administrative changes, in particular in terms of centralising the decision-making…

What Deputy Murphy is not acknowledging is that we have responded with a €10 increase in the weekly rate of payment. We have responded with the highest ever increases in the child support payment. We have responded with a €20 per month increase in the domiciliary care allowance and a €5 increase in the fuel allowance, all of which are permanent and none of which will be changed from year to year. That is why we are doing the work on the permanent cost-of-disability payment, on which I look forward to hearing Deputy…

We are working on a process. We have introduced extra payments through budget 2026. We cannot just dismiss services and the extra investment in services in the way Deputy Murphy has done. That is also crucial and we continue to work on this process.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Cooney as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú inniu. I thank Deputy Cooney for raising this issue. The employment support scheme was run by FÁS. It offered financial support to employers to cover a disabled employee’s employment. The scheme was open to the private sector only. The wage subsidy scheme came into operation as a pilot scheme in September 2005. It replaced the pilot programme for the employment of people with disabilities and the employment support scheme, both of which were…

I thank the Deputy. As I outlined, when the employment support scheme closed in 2005, there were 474 employees in respect of 404 employers. Today, we have 1,518 employers availing of the scheme and over 2,500 employees. We are a long way off where I want to be, however, and I will be very focused on getting people with disabilities into the workforce because they have extraordinary skill and talent to offer. I am constantly reviewing the wage subsidy scheme. In budget 2026, we provided an increase in the base rate …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teach as an mBille tábhachtach seo a thabhairt tríd inniu. Gabhaim buíochas go háirithe as an díospóireacht a bhí againn oíche Chéadaoin. Tá sé suimiúil agus tá obair le déanamh againn. I thank the House for its co-operation in passing the Social Welfare and Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System (Amendment) Bill 2025. I thank Senators for their input and contributions on Wednesday night and at the social protection committee. I thank the officials in my Department who have worked in…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach, le Ceannaire an tSeanaid agus leis na Seanadóirí as suí chomh déanach seo le haghaidh an Bhille thábhachtaigh seo. Ar dtús, I congratulate the new Clerk of the Seanad, Martin Hughes, who is a fellow Ballina and Mayo man. I always knew Seanad Éireann had good taste and it will be in very good hands for the running of the House. I thank the Senators for accommodating the time slot for the Bill. It is a great honour for me to present my first social welfare Bill of five to Sean…

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí as ucht páirt a ghlacadh sa díospóireacht seo anocht. Gabhaim mo leithscéal as an vóta sa Teach eile. I will deal generally with the Bill, and I will try to deal with some of the queries. I will come back to Senator Cosgrove's specific queries on childcare. There are €1.15 billion worth of new measures in the Bill. I would love to have the luxury - and I had it, although I will not call it a luxury - of being in opposition and being able to do everything. When you are negotiating…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist. Is é an sprioc atá leis an bpróiseas pleanála teanga ná an Ghaeilge a láidriú mar theanga phobail. Déantar é seo trí phleananna teanga a fheidhmiú i limistéir aitheanta a chuirfidh le húsáid na Gaeilge i réimsí áirithe sa phobal, mar shampla, sa teaghlach, i measc na hóige, sa chóras oideachais, san earnáil ghnó agus san earnáil phoiblí. Cuirtear tacaíocht ar fáil do na pobail leis na pleananna sin a chur i bhfeidhm agus fostaítear oifigigh phleanála teanga, OPT, le ta…

Tá brón orm nach raibh seans agam mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta as a chuid oibre mar oifigeach pleanála teanga. Mar a dúirt mé, tá sé i gceist go mbeidh na pleananna atá in éag cheana féin, nó iad siúd a bheidh ag dul in éag idir seo agus deireadh na bliana seo, bailí go deireadh na bliana 2027 nó go dtí go n-aontófar pleananna nua, cibé acu is luaithe. Beidh aon phlean a théann in éag tar éis dheireadh mhí na Nollag 2025 bailí go ceann dhá bhliain tar éis dó dul in éag nó go dtí go n-aontófar plean nua, …

Mar a dúirt mé sa fhreagra, tá an t-uafás oibre ar siúl ag na hoifigigh phleanála teanga. Baineann cuid den scéal agus fuinnimh atá sa teanga lena gcuid oibre. Tá siad an-láidir sa scéal sin. Tuigim go mór an brú atá orthu agus ar na ceanneagraíochtaí, ach tá muid ag foghlaim agus muid ag cur an clár seo ar siúl sa tír. As an bhfoghlaim agus an cleachtadh sin, beimid in ann rudaí a dhéanamh níos fearr. Tuigim an brú atá ar na hoifigigh phleanála teanga agus na ceanneagraíochtaí, go háirithe ó thaobh oifigigh pleaná…

Tuigim go maith na dúshláin atá ann i gceantair Ghaeltachta tithíocht a chur ar fáil ar phraghas réasúnta do dhaoine áitiúla. Is dúshlán é seo a ghabhann níos leithne ná an Ghaeltacht féin ach tuigim go mór an brú atá ar cheantair Ghaeltachta. Agus é sin ráite, níl sé i gceist ag mo Roinn ag an bpointe seo na scéimeanna tithíochta faoi Achtanna na dTithe (Gaeltachta), a cuireadh ar athló roinnt blianta ó shin, a thabhairt ar ais. Ó cuireadh na scéimeanna sin ar athló, tá scéimeanna eile bunaithe ag an Rialtas le ta…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, is é seo an fáth go bhfuil an Bille nua faoi ligean tithíochta gearrthéarmach chomh tábhachtach is atá sé. Beidh treoirlínte ag na húdaráis áitiúla. Aontaím leis an Teachta go bhfuil brú ní hamháin ar chúrsaí tithíochta sa Ghaeltacht, ach ar an teanga. Táimid ag obair ar a lán rudaí ach níl sé simplí. Caithfimid a admháil nach bhfuil sé simplí. Táim ag bualadh leis an údarás chun obair leis maidir leis an talamh atá aige ag an bpointe seo agus chun a fháil amach an bhfuil an talamh sin ullamh …

Beimid ar ais ag an mBille go luath san earrach. Roimh an mBille sin, tá mé ag obair leis an údarás. Níl mé i mo shuí ansin. Tá mé ag obair chun go mbeidh tuiscint idir mé féin agus an t-údarás faoi stádas pleanála na talún atá aige i ngach chuid den Ghaeltacht. Níl aon fhadhb agam cumhachtaí a thabhairt don údarás don talamh atá aige ag an bpointe seo ach tá sé tábhachtach go dtuigfimid céard é stádas na talún sin ag an bpointe seo agus cén athruithe atá déanta. Níl aon phointe cumhacht a thabhairt don údarás mura…

I thank the Deputy for his question. My Department implements a wide range of schemes and supports that are available to community organisations and groups across the country. While my Department does not have a scheme specifically for community or homecoming festivals, there may be an avenue of support under the LEADER programme or potentially the local enhancement programme. In respect of the LEADER programme, in line with the programme for Government, LEADER has a strong focus on rural tourism and funding has be…

I absolutely appreciate the role of any festival or gathering in any rural community. That is why we support the rural shows to the extent of €1 million right across the country, with over 130 of them. Fáilte Ireland, which is the predominant domestic tourism development agency, has a range of schemes in place for supporting local festivals and local community events, as do the local authorities. As I said, the LEADER programme supports festivals. There is one in Portlaoise and others in Ballinakill, Cullahill and …

Absolutely. We did try to provide that information, but that feedback is coming back to me quite often, so we will consider a one-stop shop for that information. I acknowledge that it is predominantly volunteers who organise these festivals. These are people who are very busy elsewhere in their lives and are probably involved in multiple other organisations in their communities at the same time. We will try to ensure we have a one-stop shop to provide the information. I wish to bring the attention of every Deputy h…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Tabharfaidh mé seans dó a breath a fháil. Is í an Chomhairle Aireachta Thuaidh-Theas a cheadaíonn buiséid bhliantúla na gComhlachtaí Forfheidhmithe Thuaidh Theas, an Foras Teanga san áireamh. Cuireann Rialtas na hÉireann 75% de bhuiséad Fhoras na Gaeilge ar fáil agus tagann an 25% eile ó Fheidhmeannas Thuaisceart Éireann, de réir an chóimheas maoinithe a aontaíodh nuair a bunaíodh an Foras Teanga. D'fhreastail mé ar chruinniú de chuid an Chomhairle Aireachta Thuaidh-Theas i gCampas…

Tá muinín agam anois mar gheall ar an airgead breise. Níl aon chúis ann go gcaillfeadh aon ghrúpa am nó airgead. Bhí mé soiléir le m’oifigigh agus leis an bhforas nach raibh mé ag iarraidh go mbeimid san áit céanna a raibh siad sa tréimhse dheireanach. Mar a dúirt mé sa fhreagra, tá cinnteacht ag Foras na Gaeilge faoin airgead breise atá acu le caitheamh ar ghrúpaí agus eagraíochtaí Gaeilge. Leis an gcinnteacht sin, beidh bord an fhorais in ann plean gníomhaíochta agus plean gnó a aontú leis na heagraíochtaí. Mar g…