I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss this legislation, which has been long awaited by many people. It follows years of activism by survivors of mother and baby home institutions to get the recognition and redress they so badly deserve. The critical need for this legislation has been recognised by all political parties, all stakeholders and all groups. I welcome the work the Minister and his Department have done on this legislation and on making it such a key priority for this Government. We have heard the t…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor - to discuss plans to change the model of contracts for services between the Departments of Social Protection and Health, and dentists. Deputy Jackie Cahill - to discuss the public use of the swimming pool in Garda Síochána College, Templemore. Deputy Denis Naughten - to discuss the need for children with a rare genetic disord…

Like everyone else here, I know of a number of people whose tenancies have recently been terminated through no fault of their own. They are facing into a winter of uncertainty. Of course, I welcome any attempt to keep families in their homes and provide them with security. For families who feared losing their tenancy or perhaps felt a notice to quit was imminent, this will buy them time and eliminate the worry of eviction in the coming months. It also buys the sector time to increase delivery of new homes; somethin…

Housing is the biggest societal issue of my generation and every day I meet people who are struggling to pay their rent or losing hope of some day owning their own home. This week, I heard from many prospective first-time buyers and from people saving for a deposit, who are finally seeing light at the end at the tunnel. They are encouraged by the Central Bank's decision to relax lending rules from January next and they feel that owning a new home is now something that is closer and within reach. Among the changes a…

My question is on the feasibility of extending child benefit to children who are aged over 18 years but are still in full-time post-primary education. Is this something the Minister has considered?

I thank the Minister for outlining all the supports and measures that she introduced in this budget. People are grateful for them and they have gone down positively in my community. I thank her for that level of investment. It was interesting to hear the Minister talk about 16 years of age being the cut-off point for child benefit, with an extension once people are still in full-time education. Was 16 years of age set at a time when many people chose to leave school at 16? I started college at 17. I was part of a g…

I thank the Minister for her response. This really was a cost-of-living budget. It was about targeting help towards people who most need it and also providing universal assistance. Every family throughout the country is struggling with the increase in the cost of living. It was good to hear the Minister talk about those low-income families who received the targeted support of the qualified child payment up to the age of 23 while in full-time education. A universal support measure could be to assist people during th…

This question relates to providing a timeframe for the introduction of the cost-of-living payments announced in the budget. It has possibly been publicised since this question was tabled but will the Minister talk us through that please?

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive response. It has been an absolutely historic budget. As the Minister said, it has been the largest ever package to get money back into people’s pockets. That has been welcomed by an awful lot of people. The Minister has done a great job of supporting people on low incomes who need help, support and intervention the most. She has also catered for the squeezed middle who were once considered to have decent jobs and wages and are now finding that they are struggling to make …

I thank the Minister for her explanation on reviews. As I said, a constituent of mine has been in touch on this. She is working two seasonal part-time jobs and she is a lone parent. In situations such as hers and in all situations, we absolutely have to have control measures and means-testing. However, I hope that our means test will not be mean enough to discourage people from going out, working and bettering their lives and circumstances. I thank the Minister for all that she has done. The increased payments and …

I welcome this legislation and the work that the Minister, his Department and the committee have done to shape the scheme. In recent weeks, it has been great to see many people coming forward to register their interest in receiving information on their time in mother and baby institutions and their adoptions. It is fantastic that those records have been made available. I have been contacted by someone who spent less than six months in an institution. It would be great if this issue were considered in terms of redre…

This question asks for an update on the engagement the Minister has had with childcare providers in Dublin regarding core funding and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I welcome our distinguished guests. I thank the Minister for his response. The core funding scheme, Together for Better, which, as the Minister stated, started last month, is a significant move in the right direction. I believe it is the first important step in revolutionising the childcare sector and how we treat and value childcare providers. I am really pleased to hear that update that over 4,000 childcare providers have already signed up, a quarter of which are in Dublin. As a result, these providers will see a…

I welcome that we are able to increase capacity. The baby rooms and the toddler rooms, as the Minister says, are where the new need is arising and coming on stream. We have an under supply of childcare in many areas within my constituency. Newcastle is a prime example of that where many parents are not able to get their children into childcare providers and, therefore, cannot go back to work or must make alternative arrangements. As the Minister said, this funding was also there to help support people who want to m…

I raise with the Tánaiste the unreliability of Go-Ahead bus services. Since BusConnects in Lucan, we have new local routes, but they are not reliable. In Lucan, we have the L51 and L52 routes, as well as the 175 route from Citywest to UCD. These are Go-Ahead routes, and all problem routes. When these buses do not arrive, that has consequences. People are left stranded and stuck. I have been told by older people in Lucan that they are not going out at night any more because they have been left standing at a bus stop…

If I might, I will start by saying that I am a Fine Gael Deputy and I know that my party and all the Government parties are safe and welcoming spaces for us all to vocalise our own views. We all have the opportunity to do so in this Chamber as well. I believe all our colleagues do this. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate today. This Bill contains many exciting and progressive measures that I welcome wholeheartedly. They will have a very positive impact on society in general and on ou…

Is that agreed? Agreed.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this measure today. In recent weeks we have all started to notice a chill in the air, darker mornings and evenings closing in. For most people when it is colder and darker, we use more electricity. Those spikes in electricity usage are being compounded by the spikes in electricity prices as is being seen up and down the country. Lights are going on earlier, the heating is being switched on probably for the first time since summer in many households. However, it is also …

I thank the Minister for taking this Topical Issue at this late hour. It concerns the need to progress the delivery of new school buildings for schools in my constituency. Dublin Mid-West is a thriving and rapidly growing area that includes communities such as Lucan, Clondalkin and Palmerstown, and the communities and villages of Rathcoole, Newcastle, Saggart and Brittas. The need for capacity in our schools has simply never been greater, in particular at post-primary level. Far too often I am contacted by panicked…

I thank the Minister for that response and those helpful updates. Her commitment to delivering for students in Dublin Mid-West is welcome and we all hope those tenders and construction projects go according to plan. I will take the opportunity to put on the record the primary schools in my area that are also due new buildings. Those include Scoil Chrónáin in Rathcoole; St. Thomas's and Scoil Áine Naofa in Lucan, which are part of the ADAPT programme to accelerate delivery; Divine Mercy junior and senior in Balgaddy…