I thank the Minister of State for his response with respect to the fact that local authorities can apply to the Department for more funding to appoint more full-time vacant homes officers. I stress the word "full-time", that they do not do any other job but that, and that would be a condition of this. In the past, I was told they had ten other jobs and this was the bottom of the list. We need these officers to go out there and to tap on the shoulders of people who own houses that are empty and properties that are d…

One of the biggest and best resourced IDA sites in the country, in Ballyadam in east Cork, has been locked up for the past 15 years. Provision of thousands of houses in Midleton is at risk because of the very busy and totally inadequate N25 between Carrigtwohill and Midleton. When will the Minister give the go-ahead to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and Cork County Council to carry on the essential work of upgrading this road which was halted and paused in 2021?

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this Topical Issue matter and I thank the Minister of State for being here. I recognise the huge efforts and work she is doing in this area. I am sincere about that. I know what is going on. I know the work the Minister of State is doing and I commend her on it. I was contacted on 20 December last by a family in my area. It is best to give an example here. This family has two children, twin boys, who will be three years of age next week. The parents noticed an issu…

I thank the Minister of State for her response and acknowledge the work the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is carrying out in this area. A number of issues arise. The externally provided private services, as far as I am aware, in this and other cases were not made known to the parents. If the Minister of State could organise a pathway to be made available and known to parents in such cases, it might resolve issues pretty quickly. If these two boys are not seen for two years, they will be five. Now is the time.…

I thank the Minister of State for attending. It is a pity the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Ministers of State at that Department cannot be here but I know they have been on their feet all day. There is a major problem affecting water supply for 10,000 people in east Cork and impacting on areas south-east of Midleton such as Ballinacurra, Cloyne, Aghada, Ballycotton, Churchtown, Trabolgan and all of the rural areas inbetween. The problem has been there since early January 2016, which i…

I thank the Minister of State for her response and for her usual honesty and straightforwardness in dealing with this issue. I will give the Minister of State some idea of what is happening here. On 1 February 2021, a boil water notice was issued. On 12 March, it was lifted. On 28 October 2021, it was issued again. On 5 November, it was lifted and on Christmas Day 2021, a boil water notice was issued. On 3 June 2022, it was lifted and was again then issued on 29 October this year and is still in place. Trying to ke…

In Midleton, there are plans to build over 5,000 houses just west of Water-rock. It is virtually a new town. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage was there recently turning a sod and Irish Water is doing major infrastructure work to make it happen. However, the N25 between Carrigtwohill and Midleton needs upgrading. A lot of money has been spent on it but this time last year the plug was pulled, I am told for budgetary reasons. The Amgen site is up the road and is one of the finest the IDA has in…

I join my colleagues in congratulating the Minister on this initiative, which will make a massive difference. Both of my colleagues have alluded to the need for information so that people know about this. It would be a shame if people did not know about it and missed it. I draw the Minister's attention to the fact that some of the citizens information outreach centres have still not opened since the pandemic. The Minister might ask her officials to have a look at this and to make sure the citizens information outre…

I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Alan Farrell. He is seeking from the Minister an update on the work of her Department with regard to the auto-enrolment workplace pension scheme, and a statement on the matter. This is a very progressive scheme and it is very welcome. I am giving the Minister an opportunity to comment on it.

I thank the Minister for all the work she and her officials have been doing on the system. The system is very progressive, important and welcome. Does the Minister have any idea of the initial cost to the State, year on year, when the system will be introduced in 2024, and in 2025, 2026 and so on? Has any work been done on that yet? Perhaps it is premature for the Minister to know that. Of the 65% or 750,000 people who have no private pension at the moment, can they opt in to the system as it develops or does it on…

I ask the Minister about the cost. Can people who are already working opt in to this system as they move forward? I have seen some literature which has given rise to some confusion in that regard. The Minister referred to investing the pension into a managed fund. Is she happy that it will be safeguarded and will be robust, people will not lose the money in that fund and the State will back it up as well?

I came across an intriguing notice on the Department's website highlighting the danger of scam phone calls and text messages. I am interested in hearing from the Minister about the extent and impact of such calls. What should people be wary of? I give the Minister an opportunity to give us some more detail as to what is going on in this regard. For instance, have people already been defrauded in some way by others pretending to be from her Department?

I thank the Minister for her response and for the work she and her officials are doing in this area, which is very serious, especially given, as she told us, there were 1,500 such calls last year. I wonder how many of them caused damage to people and managed to defraud them, although she might not have that information to hand. I welcome the fact that, as she noted, the figure has fallen to 100 this year, which shows that progress has been made and that the work she and her officials are doing is bearing fruit. Has…

I fully agree with the Minister that this is very important. I suggest she might ask, if it has not been done, that notices be placed in post offices, where people collect their pensions and other payments, outlining the risk. Sometimes people receive messages and they are not sure about whether they should respond. Most people are well-meaning and good-natured and want to be polite when they get a phone call or message, but we have to emphasise that not everybody at the other end of the phone always has their best…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to respond to this topic, which is something I feel strongly about. A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, with all due respect to the Minister of State, I did not receive notice that the housing Minister would not be here but that is something you might come back to me on, please, at some stage. The issue I raise has to do with clubs, organisations and communities trying to find land for football, hurling, camogie, running or whatever activity it is. Across the country there is a pro…

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive and well put-together response. I will pick one or two things out of it. Her written response states that a "local authority may take such measures" and, subsequently, that the "local authority shall include" provision of both indoor and outdoor playing pitches and so on. When this does not happen, who pulls the local authority up on it and says it should do it? Is it is the Planning Regulator or the Minister? Is there any recourse when it does not happen? I draw …

I want to ask the Minister when the next campaign to enlist people into the Reserve Defence Force will commence. What shape will it take and will it be a dynamic campaign?

I thank the Minister for that response. I will also say "well done" to the Department and the military authorities for the work they have done in this area. However, it seems that 88 inductees to date out of 1,000 applicants is quite a small number. Will the Minister indicate what is going on with the other people who have applied to join but have not been taken on? Have people withdrawn? Is it a matter of fitness issues or other issues? A figure of 88 out of 1,000 seems quite small. Is the new recruitment campaign…

The other question I asked was about diversity. Is that a factor in the recruitment campaign? Will the Minister give us an indication as to when the office of Reserve affairs will be up and running?

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue and the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, for being here this evening to respond. I congratulate the Minister for Justice and the Government on the publication today of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill. That is landmark legislation that marks a new departure for policing in Ireland. I will focus on community safety. It is central to the reforms in the published Bill today. It talks about ensuring that people are safe and feel safe. For decad…