I am asking people and unions to re-engage with a process that has worked very well. We are close to its finalisation. Sometimes things can get tricky towards the end. That can happen just before an agreement but I believe that an agreement can be made and I am open for that to happen.

I do not accept the Deputy's charge. It is important to note that last year, one in two new homes that were purchased were bought by first-time buyers supported by the schemes that this Government brought forward. I will remind the Deputy of those schemes, which include the help-to-buy grant, which is €30,000 of people's own tax back in their pockets to help with the deposit, which the Deputy and his party opposed. He said his party would scrap that support. The first home scheme has helped 1,700 householders in le…

The fact of the matter is-----

Deputy Doherty needs to calm down a little.

I have given the facts about everything the Deputy's party has opposed. He does not want an answer and he does not like to hear the truth. He is opposed to first-time buyers and home ownership. It is as simple as that.

I share the concerns regarding the omission of the partial remains to which the Deputy referred from the list of unidentified remains. In recent weeks, for the first time, we saw data being produced. That is important. I will engage with my colleague, the Minister for Justice, to see whether a more comprehensive list can collated. I agree with the Deputy's concerns regarding the specific case to which he referred.

Last year, my Department spent €3.5 billion on housing alone, which is more money than has ever been spent on it in the history of the State. As the Deputy knows, there were issues with supply chains, particularly following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, that led to some projects falling out of 2022 and into 2023. That is just the reality of what happened. Even though it happened, we still managed to deliver more new social homes last year than we have done since 1975. Affordable homes are being provided for t…

I absolutely recognise the result of last night's vote. As the Deputy knows, a review of the 2018 Act is under way and we await its findings. The Bill that passed last night will go to the health committee. It will be a matter for the committee to schedule Committee Stage hearings.

I did not watch the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts this morning but I will review it. I respect the committee greatly. I served four years on it as Vice Chairman. I will raise directly with the Minister for Health the situation regarding the 97 beds in Wexford and ask him to respond to the Deputy.

I am glad the Deputy and others have raised this matter, which shows the importance of the retained fire services. I commissioned the review to which the Deputy referred and the Government has accepted its 13 recommendations. We have been working with all stakeholders to move the process forward. We are very close to achieving that. The best place for any of the outstanding issues to be resolved is within the existing infrastructure of the State. I ask the retained fire service representatives to take that on board…

Workers deserve to be treated well, to have the pay that is due to them paid, and to have conditions upheld by any employer. I am not sure whether that meeting has happened but I will speak directly to the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, in that regard. I will get the Minister of State to contact the Deputy directly to provide the Deputy with an update on the situation and how the meeting went with the owners of the Iceland company.

A commitment was given in 2022 to close the driver testing centre at Marian Park in Drogheda by the end of February, as the lease on that site expired. This test site was always a temporary solution. There is no question, however, that with a town and region as large as Drogheda and the surrounding areas, the provision of alternative driver testing facilities is very important. I do not have an update for the Deputy right now but I will speak to the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, about it and get him to respon…

There is no prejudged outcome to the consultative forum on international security policy. That has been convened with a view to initiating an open and evidence-based discussion on the State's foreign and security policy. The consultative forum will take place in three different locations across four days this month, that is, at University College Cork on 22 June; at University of Galway on 23 June; and at Dublin Castle on 26 and 27 June. The Government is committed to investing in our Defence Forces and in our Defe…

The allocations for the housing adaptation grants for all local authorities, including Louth, have been issued to the local authorities, with a further increase in that regard. The issue of a backlog of applications in Louth County Council has been raised by other Deputies too, including Deputy O'Dowd who is here also. My Department officials are engaging directly with them. We overspent our budget last year on housing adaptation grants. I fully support this roll-out. We will do that and we are engaging with Louth …

As Deputy McAuliffe has rightly said, the grant will be paid out for 125,000 carers. The overall cost of this grant is expected to be in the region of €260 million. Very importantly, the Government is committed to enhance the State pension provision for carers who have spent more than 20 years of their lives caring. This is part of our response to the Government's Commission on Pensions, recognising that our long-term carers deserve support in that regard. We will see details of this coming forward over the coming …

I agree with Deputy Nolan completely. Carers carry out an incredible role across the State in looking after loved ones. Even if we set aside the financial costs, the work they do and their commitment to it is something we absolutely support. In my response to Deputy McAuliffe just now I mentioned the additional grant payment that is being paid out to 125,000 carers at a cost of €260 million. We are going to enhance pension provision for carers, which is a really important step forward. We will also look at other su…

I thank Deputy Cannon for recognising the increased investment in public transport the Government has made over the past nearly three years. Regarding the specific matter he raises, there is no question that it is an issue that needs to be looked at when for people living in Loughrea, a half an hour away from the city, the bus services ceases at 6.30 p.m. I will speak directly to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and ask him to correspond with Deputy Cannon directly on the matter.

I thank Deputy Cronin for raising this issue on behalf of two of her constituents. If she sends the details through to me, we will certainly look at it. We are committed to providing accommodation for people, be it assisted living or independent living. That has increased in recent years. I do not know the specifics of the case, as Deputy Cronin just raised it here with me.

I am offering to do that now for the Deputy. In fairness, the family has given Deputy Cronin permission to raise the case here. If she gets me the details, I will raise it with the Minister of State directly and ask him to respond to Deputy Cronin.

Deputy Cronin should send me the details.