We all will herald in the success of that cost-of-disability payment and want that payment to come through. The Minister articulated clearly the increases that have been put forward but there are so many people who are the working poor and who do not qualify for so many of those grants. Whether it is lower employment rates or lower income rates, or higher costs of living for people who need extra heat, who cannot travel work or for whom there is a lack of access to transport, there are extra charges on those people…

How many jobs in each county in the mid-east region did the IDA support in 2025? How did this compare with each county in that region in 2020? Will the Minister of State make a statement on the matter?

I thank the Minister of State for that overview. As he knows, jobs matter. Our previous speaker, Deputy Fleming, spoke about jobs in Laois. Jobs matter to families, communities and to the long-term viability of each region. I am particularly talking about Louth. Distribution of IDA-supported employment across Louth, Meath, etc., is not just a statistical exercise; it is a test of whether regional development policy is working. It was mentioned previously that IDA companies employed over 4,000 people in Louth. That …

I ask if a new north-east regional enterprise plan is forthcoming and if the Minister will make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister of State. It is very encouraging to hear all the work that is going into the new plan. The previous plan for County Louth and the rest of the region demonstrated a real commitment to multi-agency co-operation between Government enterprise agencies, local authorities, higher education institutions and the private sector. We see that when they work collaboratively, we get results. I will repeat that Louth, in particular, has unique strategic opportunities that need to be reflected in the new plan…

I absolutely agree with the Minister of State. It is really important that we look at that inter-county connectivity between the counties in each region but also at how, in this new plan, we can utilise what we have in each area. I refer to our higher and further education institutions and investment in driving innovation and research, not only in the bigger companies and IDA companies but also in our small SMEs to see how we can make them more efficient and support them to scale up. If we are talking about a regio…

I thank the Minister, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, for taking this matter. It is great to have her here this evening. I congratulate the Minister on her new position and I wish her the very best of luck in the term ahead. I raise this Topical Issue matter on behalf of Monksland National School in County Louth, a local school to me and just down the road from where I live. I raise this because the same queries could be replicated in many schools across County Louth and across the country that are struggling for space…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. The modular buildings, I have to attest, are high-quality buildings, but they are separate to the school. They are not part of the school. I would appreciate it if the Minister of State could get one of her officials to visit the Monksland school to see the incapacity in the school when trying to fit the students into where they are working. The principal's office has to double up as an ICT room. They have no staffroom. It really is unacceptable in this day and age th…

I join my fellow colleagues in wishing everyone a very happy Christmas. I thank everyone for their collegiality, co-operation and friendship over the year. I also thank our staff of Leinster House who keep the show rolling all year. Tomorrow marks 50 years since the Dundalk bombing that claimed the lives of Jack Rooney and Hugh Watters. Many more were injured. Half a century later, their families still wait not just for justice but for basic answers. Investigations remain but let us be honest: as the Tánaiste knows…

Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 have been ruled out of order as they are in conflict with the principles of the Bill.

Amendment No. 4 in the name of Deputy Ó Snodaigh has been ruled out of order as it is in conflict with the principles of the Bill.

The Bill, which is certified to be a Money Bill in accordance with Article 22.2.1° of the Constitution, will be sent to the Seanad.

As there are no amendments tabled for Report Stage we now proceed to Fifth Stage.

We are coming to the end of the debate and have less than ten minutes left as per the schedule of business. Is it agreed to bring in the Minister to respond?

We are time limited. Is it agreed that I bring in the Minister to respond?

I will give two minutes each and we will get it done. Is that agreed? Agreed.

I appreciate the chance to raise an issue that deserves far more national attention. It is the future of volunteering in Ireland and the need for a national volunteering strategy that delivers for communities and for the country. I applaud my local volunteer centre in Louth. It does incredible work. Our volunteer centre recorded 40,000 volunteering hours last year, an equivalent of €1.2 million in economic value. The team in Louth, like many across the country, is outperforming the investment the State provides. It…

I thank the Minister of State. I am glad to hear of the ongoing work and I appreciate he cannot pre-empt the second national strategy. I reiterate that we want to be ambitious about what volunteerism is and can be and to future-proof it. It is not just about standing in a gap, standing collecting money or standing ushering crowds. There are many different skills that we need now, including digital skills for community groups, sports clubs, etc. An incredible amount of intellectual capacity in our communities. If we…

Online dangers are not abstract but are absolutely real. It affects us all in our real lives. The truth is that so many treat it as a remote thing, as academic and as someone else's problem but as I said, it is real, and the harm is absolutely happening to all of us, not only to children. I agree with other speakers. The culprit is not just social media but the business model behind it, the personalised, algorithm-driven platforms pushing content to children and vulnerable adults, not because it is good for them or…

I would like the Taoiseach to outline whether the Cabinet committee discussed the cross-Border economy, particularly in counties such as Louth where these issues are felt most acutely. Will there be specific actions in relation to tax and administrative complications facing cross-Border workers, including the differentiations between the pricing of alcohol and fuel between both jurisdictions and the impact of that in the distortion of local trade and the undermining of businesses and broader communities? I support …