I thank the Deputy for his question. As he knows and referred to, the programme for Government has committed to protect core welfare rates while ensuring that available resources are targeted at vulnerable groups. The programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of my Department's budget planning each year. For example, there have bee…

I endorse the Deputy's comments, particularly regarding rural poverty. I will keep a laser-like focus on it during my time in the Department. I commend the work done by organisations such as Local Link, which is expanding its footprint to address the exact kind of loneliness the Deputy has just referred to. The living alone allowance, or the living alone increase as it is formerly known, is available to those who are in receipt of the qualifying payments. It is a living alone allowance, not a scheme or stand-alone …

I agree with Deputy Burke and we will try to do that. Not just during Covid, but during Storm Éowyn we saw the real value of local groups, hubs and services. With my other hat of rural and community development, I am working within the Department on supporting those local hubs and services. The timing of hospital appointments frustrates me. Even if a person was able to use public transport, the timing of a hospital appointment in Galway or any regional centre does not often reflect where that person has to travel f…

We have had this discussion a few times today and the Government acknowledges the important role that carers are playing and we will continue to support them in that role. The enhanced State pension provision for people who have been caring for an incapacitated dependant for 20 years or more was introduced on 1 January 2024. If a person had more than 20 years of caring for an incapacitated person, long-term carers contributions are included in his or her pension calculations. An online application for long-term car…

I agree with the Deputy. In our preparation for responding to his question, I have asked that we do more work in terms of reaching out to people who may qualify but who may not know. Those figures strike me as low. The Department has been doing a lot of work in this space in terms of trying to bring the scheme to people's attention. Maybe with the support of colleagues across the House, we can do that by way of newsletters and so on. We will be doing more work this year to draw people's attention. Many carers may n…

I thank Deputy Cahill for his question. As he said, the rural social scheme plays an important role in the life of rural communities. I wish to highlight and thank every participant, supervisor and sponsoring company for their work in this space. The RSS provides an income support and part-time employment opportunities for farmers and fishers who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who may be underemployed in their primary occupations. A review of the RSS was published in July 2024 in Newport, Cou…

I thank Deputies Cahill and Conway-Walsh for their remarks. Regarding the review, we have fully implemented five recommendations. Actually, I had a meeting yesterday with officials on the remaining ones, including extending eligibility to people not directly engaged in farming or fishing but who have a connection to a rural community and the issue of two people accessing it. I have asked them to come back to me on those issues. Regarding Deputy Cahill's comments on biodiversity, we are committed to exploring opport…

As I said in reply to Deputy O'Reilly, the hot school meals review was announced when we expanded programme just ahead of the Easter school holidays. With regard to nutrition, the specific standard was set under the nutritional standards for school meals and nutritional standards for hot school meals. A technical nutrition subgroup comprised of dietitians from the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute of Ireland, the HSE, Safefood, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland came together and developed the standards,…

I agree with the Deputy entirely. We want this scheme to work. We will do the final roll-out in September so that every primary school pupil in the country will have had the opportunity to have hot school meals within their school. At that time I intend to stand back and examine at the scheme to see where it has been working and where it has not. I will be very focused on DEIS secondary schools during the lifetime of this Government as well. The review that is under way is on nutritional standards. I will have the …

I totally agree with the Deputy that a five-year-old should not receive the same portion as a 13-year-old and we get that feedback a lot. I suspect there are Members who have seen food come home with schoolbags and probably found it a few days later. Every school has the flexibility, within procurement rules, to choose the provider of the food. There is not some massive corporate monolith. There are a lot of locally-based companies providing services, local employment and the highest standard of locally sourced foo…

The review will absolutely capture all of that. It is very important. There are a lot of local companies involved in this that otherwise would not be providing quality employment and service without this programme.

Bhí sé seo pléite coicís ó shín. Níl aon teachtaireacht dhifriúil agam. Beidh rudaí i bhfad níos fearr tar éis an Bhille seo agus tar éis an toghcháin ná mar atá siad ag an nóiméad seo. Beidh ionadaíocht ann le guthanna ó Chontae Chorcaí, ó Chontae Phort Láirge agus ó Chontae na Mí ar an mbord nach bhfuil ann anois. I gcomhthéacs na gceantar nach mbeidh dírithe ar an mbord, tá na coistí réigiúnacha le bunú freisin. Beidh comhairleoirí áitiúla as na réigiúin ag obair le baill an údaráis ar na coistí réigiúnacha sin.…

Tá a lán ama caite againn ag iarraidh go mbeidh bord níos mó ann agus go mbeidh níos mó daoine á dtoghadh. Tuigim go bhfuil brú ar dhaoine nach bhfuil mórán deiseanna acu tithe a cheannach sa Ghaeltacht. Beidh sé sin á phlé againn. Má osclaímid an bord agus toghadh don bhord go dtí daoine lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht, ní bheidh sé ina údarás Gaeltachta. Is é an dainséar anseo, b'fhéidir, nach mbeidh suim ag daoine a bhfuil cónaí orthu taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht dul os comhair an phobail chun a bheith tofa. Tá mé ag iar…

Is maith gur luadh na córais sin. Níl mé ag iarraidh a bheith greannmhar ach tá réiteach na bhfaidhbe agam: cúrsaí PAS. Tá sé leagtha amach sa Bhille gurb iad an saghas sin daoine - na daoine a bhfuil cáilíochtaí acu agus suim acu i nGaeilge, mar atá leagtha amach go hiontach ag an Teachta McGuinness - a mbeimid ag iarraidh a chur ar an mbord tríd an gcóras PAS atá leagtha amach sa Bhille. Maidir le cúrsaí toghcháin, beimid in ann é a phlé. Tá buairt amháin agam toisc go bhfuilimid sna laethanta ina bhfuilimid. Tui…

Gabhaim buíochas le gach Teachta a bhí páirteach sa phíosa sin. Tá sé an-tábhachtach. Is cuimhin liom an cruinniú a bhí ag an gcomhchoiste le príomhfheidhmeannaigh na gcomhairlí contae. Chun a bheith deas dóibh, déarfaidh mé nach raibh mórán tuisceana acu. Is cuimhin liom go raibh foighne an Chathaoirligh faoi bhrú ar an lá sin. Is cuimhin liom an cruinniú sin go soiléir. Táim ag iarraidh spáis maidir leis seo. Bhí comhrá beag agam leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh. Ba mhaith liom tuiscint a fháil ón údarás maidir leis an…

Aontaím leis na Teachtaí Connolly agus Ó Snodaigh. Leag an Teachta Connolly amach na cumhachtaí atá ag an údarás ag an bpointe seo mar gheall ar Acht 1979. Tá sé in ann tithe a cheannach agus a dhíol. Leag an Teachta gach rud amach ansin, na cumhachtaí atá aige ag an bpointe seo san áireamh. Ceapaim gur dhéileáil an tAcht a bhunaigh Údarás na Gaeltachta, agus a bhronn na cumhachtaí sin air leis na leasuithe atá leagtha ag na Teachtaí Connolly agus McGuinness. Tá na cumhachtaí aige. Leis an mBille seo, tá muid ag le…

Is é sin an fáth go bhfuil mé ag iarraidh cruinniú a eagrú agus cúrsaí a phlé. Beidh cumhachtaí tithíochta i gceist de bharr an Bhille seo. Scrúdóidh mé leasuithe na hoíche anocht arís tar éis an phlé seo. Scrúdóidh mé iad roimh an gcéad Chéim eile agus tiocfaidh mé ais chuig an Teachta roimhe sin. Munar féidir linn aon rud a dhéanamh, fillfidh mé ar an Teachta i bhfad roimhe sin ionas go mbeidh sé in ann na leasuithe a chur le chéile freisin. Tá mé ag iarraidh rudaí a athrú anseo, áfach. Tá mé ag iarraidh ceistean…

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí as na leasuithe. Mar a dúirt mé cúpla am anois, baineann an Bille seo le toghcháin chuig bord an údaráis. Níl mé ag iarraidh saorphas a thabhairt do na húdaráis áitiúla. An bhfuil sé sin á dhéanamh againn? Is é sin an bhuairt atá agam. Tagaim ar ais go dtí sin. Níl sé, agus ní raibh sé riamh i gceist, go leasófaí an reachtaíocht phríomha iomlán, aidhmeanna uile na heagraíochta nó go mbronnfaí cumhachtaí ar Údarás na Gaeltachta. Geallaim don Teachta Ó Snodaigh go mbeidh Bille eile f…

Tá sé tábhachtach go n-aithníonn an Teachta go bhfuil airgead breise tugtha agus leasuithe breise déanta maidir le cúrsaí pleanála teanga an údaráis nach raibh ann roimhe seo. Rinneadh infheistíocht sa phróiseas pleanála sin. Tá ról an údaráis difriúil ón ról a bhí aige. Tá suim mhór agam in infheistíocht i gcúrsaí fiontraíochta an údaráis freisin. Tá taithí orm ar an údarás agus tá an-suim agam ann. Mar Aire Stáit sa Roinn fiontair, chaith mé am leis an údarás in Freudenberg Medical sa Spidéal. Bhí sé sin iontach.…

Táimid ar ais ag an agóid céanna idir bhord Stáit agus údarás. Tuigim an pointe a rinne an Teachta Ó Snodaigh go bhfuil coistí Oireachtais in ann dul go dtí seisiún príobháideach. Bhí an Teachta McGuinness ag lorg sampla d'aon áit ina bhfuil daoine tofa ann ach nach bhfuil ceamaraí ann. Bhí mé ag déanamh machnaimh air, agus smaoinigh mé ar Choimisiún Thithe an Oireachtais. Ní dóigh liom go mbíonn ceamaraí in úsáid ag cruinnithe an choimisiúin. Ní dóigh liom go n-úsáidtear ceamaraí sna Choiste Ghnó anseo ach an oire…