I join the Deputy in praising the work of the TFI Anseo pilot. I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, for choosing Achill Island. I encourage people to use it because it is a pilot not just for Achill but for the entire rural community. It is Local Link on demand, effectively. We are very aware, and engage regularly, with Joanne Carroll and her committee on Clare Island and Sinead Cahalan and her committee on Inisturk. The two development organisations on Clare Island and Inis…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cearúil agus leis an Teachta Connolly. Aithníonn an Rialtas go bhfuil fáil ar mheascán oiriúnach de thithe cuí ríthábhachtach chun inmharthanacht pobail rathúla Gaeltachta a chinntiú. Dá réir, foilseofar ár ráiteas náisiúnta pleanála do thithíocht sa Ghaeltacht chun soiléireacht agus leanúnachas a chur ar fáil den chóras pleanála maidir le cosaint na Gaeilge. Gealltar sa chlár Rialtais go leanfar ag obair le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta agus le páirtithe leasmhara eile chun a chinntiú go…

Aontaím leis an Teachta agus táimid ag iarraidh é sin a phlé. Ar mhiste leis an Teachta McGuinness na sonraí sin a chur chugam go díreach agus déanfaidh mé iarracht breathnú orthu? Is é sin an saghas ruda go gcaithfimid obair air; áiteanna a bhfuil talaimh agus sites cosúil leis sin ann. Pléifidh mé an píosa le príomhfheidhmeannach an údaráis nuair a bhuailim leis. Tá sé tábhachtach go mbainfear úsáid as an talamh atá ag an údarás nach bhfuil sé ag úsáid do chúrsaí tionscal. Tá sé tábhachtach freisin go leanfaidh s…

Táimid ag obair leis an údarás ach tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil na húdaráis áitiúla ag obair freisin agus go bhfuil siad ag cur béime ar chúrsaí pleanála sa Ghaeltacht agus ag obair leis an Roinn tithíochta. Beidh mé ag obair leis an Aire tithíochta ar an bhfadhb seo agus ar an dúshlán. Tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil cinnteacht againn faoi stádas na talún sin agus faoi stádas na sites atá ag an údarás agus fios a bheith againn an bhfuil siad réidh don pleanáil. Luaim ní hamháin cúrsaí seirbhíse, cúrsaí uisce nó séarach…

I thank Deputy Scanlon. He is constantly putting pressure on. He will be pleased to know that since 2020, Sligo has been allocated in the region of €57 million and Leitrim nearly €66 million in funding from various schemes and programmes administered by my Department, which includes €7.5 million for Sligo and €8.5 million for Leitrim in 2025 alone. Sligo and Leitrim have secured significant funding under my Department's rural regeneration and development fund, including €1.1 million for the National Surf Centre in …

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí as na leasuithe agus as an seans an Bille tábhachtach seo a phlé. I gcomhthéacs na leasaithe ón Teachta Hayes, ní bheidh mé ag glacadh leis an leasú seo. I will not be accepting the amendment. I absolutely reject the Deputy's assertion that we are not prepared for the launch of My Future Fund. In respect of the amendment, section 10 of the auto-enrolment Act relates to the establishment of the board of the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority, NAERSA. Section 1…

I would draw the Deputy's attention to section 74 of the Act, which requires the investment managers to invest participants' contributions - the same people we are talking about - in the best long-term interests of the participants. We share the same thing. The function of NAERSA includes arranging for the investment of contributions. The board of NAERSA will have an oversight role in ensuring that this function, as set out in section 74, requires investment managers to invest participants' contributions in the lon…

With the permission of the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, I would like to thank the officials in the Department for their work on this social welfare Bill, in particular the officials who are implementing it as we speak across the country in terms of investing €28.9 billion next year in our social welfare funds. I want to put on record my thanks to every one of those officials both at Department headquarters and across the country who are investing this money as we speak.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus an Roinn as ucht an Bhille seo a fhoilsiú. I welcome the publication of the Bill. I agree with everyone else. Deputy Conway-Walsh and I have worked with families on this issue. It has caused huge distress, and that does not only apply in the past tense because it is still causing massive distress. This process is being accentuated. I want to make a number of suggestions to follow up on conversations I have had with the Minister around this issue. First is the question of how. How …

Gabhaim buíochas as an gceist. The auto-enrolment savings system, known as My Future Fund, will commence on 1 January 2026. My Department has had extensive engagement with employers, including those in the community and voluntary sector, and with Government Departments, since the release of the automatic enrolment strawman public consultation in 2018. Its impending implementation has been well flagged to all those groups since the enactment of the auto-enrolment Act in 2024 and extensively throughout this year. The…

The position is that automatic enrolment is a legal requirement. Therefore, the employers will have to give access to My Future Fund to employees aged between 23 and 60 and earning over €20,000 who do not have an existing payroll-connected pension. We have made it very clear in the Department that this is happening. The point has been made at official level, including to the Department of public expenditure, that this is happening on 1 January and that people need to make provision. We have also made the point to a…

All employers have had seven years to get ready for and get used to this. We listened to their feedback on stepping the contributions and not introducing big contributions from the beginning. I confirm that in the Department of Social Protection, the Estimates in respect of payments to the organisations do include costs for, say, community employment and Tús where they arise. We have engaged at senior official level and with the Secretaries General of other Departments advising them that automatic enrolment was com…

I thank the Deputy. The criteria for the fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources that are available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the fuel allowance payment, a person must satisfy all of the qualifying criteria, including a household composition test. This ensures that the payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have addition…

I will be raising the issue the Deputy raised last night. I do not believe there is any targeting of any group. There will always be controlled measures, but I do not believe there is any specific targeting. Once again, I point out that in relation to any particular case, additional supports are available, particularly where there is an illness or disability. We have extended fuel allowance eligibility to working family payment recipients, and that is a big change. Over 50,000 families will now become eligible for …

I will certainly engage with the Deputy in that regard. We also have a commitment in the programme for Government to examine key benefits such as the fuel allowance, households benefits and the living alone allowance. That is an ongoing activity to make sure they are as relevant and targeted as possible. The household benefits package is specifically targeted at older people. It is paid at a rate of €35 per month for 12 months of the year. I wish to ensure it is as effective as possible and people get the benefit o…

The programme for Government, as the Deputy knows, commits to increasing the carer’s allowance disregard, with a view to phasing it out over the lifetime of the Government, which is another four years. Removing the means test is a significant shift in policy direction and, therefore, this is a prudent and sustainable approach for us to take. I announced further improvements in budget 2026 to the carer’s allowance means test. They will be introduced in July 2026. For carers who work, the weekly income disregard will…

I cannot give the Deputy that breakdown immediately but I will try to get it to her. I think she is just looking for a breakdown. It is hard to know because many people, who are not currently in receipt of carer’s allowance and never submitted an application because they did not qualify, will now apply. As I said, expanding the threshold to include couples with an income of €104,000 means there will be a lot of people, who never engaged with my Department before, engaging with it for the first time. We will give th…

I will engage with the Deputy in that regard. I want to abolish the means test over the course of this Government and during my time in this Department. I am also focused on those existing payments and ensuring those who are existing carers are properly rewarded for their extraordinary work. I am trying to reach a balance. If I have four years in this Department, I will abolish it, but I am also trying to work with the carers’ organisation on those existing carers.

This is not just words and ambition. There was a 60% increase in the budget for the carer’s allowance income disregard. That has never been seen before. That means that households with an income of €110,000, and up to €138,000, become eligible for a social protection payment. That is actually happening. It will happen from 1 July next year. That is real and I want to continue with those kinds of levels of increases. As I said, I also have an eye to existing carers. I wish to ensure they are properly regarded. That …

I thank the Deputy. I take this opportunity to wish him well. I look forward to working with him. This is his first time attending parliamentary questions as his party's spokesperson for social protection. We will introduce automatic enrolment, My Future Fund, from 1 January 2026. The aim is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in our country and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement income. There will be two separate fee elements.  First, there will be an admini…