I thank the Deputy. I have provided €100 million for local improvement schemes since 2017. I know we are making inroads into the long list and some counties have opened up their schemes for new applications. I do not know if that is the case in County Kerry. Some counties kept them closed until they got the list reduced considerably. I will be announcing the LIS schemes at the end of January and have no doubt, like every other year, that Kerry will get more than its fair share.

I thank the Deputy. This is an issue on which I know the Deputy has been very proactive. I agree with him there is no reason we would not just get this sorted. The whole area of work permits for bus drivers from non-EU and non-EEA countries has been the subject of engagement between the Departments of Transport and Enterprise, Trade and Employment. In December 2022, as Members will know, the Minister, Deputy Coveney, announced changes to the permits system to help ease the recruitment challenges being faced in the …

First, in reply to Deputy Connolly, I said earlier that Ireland will make a decision on whether to intervene at the appropriate juncture, after the court has made its order on preliminary measures. In the past, we have never been found wanting. The Tánaiste is very much involved in this. Any of us who watch our televisions see what is happening in the Middle East. It is awful. It is heart-wrenching and sickening. We have done everything in terms of our diplomatic efforts at both the UN and EU and in the Internation…

I do not propose to accept these amendments. Regarding amendment No. 1, I refer the Senators to a report already prepared on this matter at the request of Deputy Kerrane, which I laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 27 June 2023. This amendment arose on Committee Stage in the Dáil, where I informed Deputy Ó Laoghaire I would be happy to provide him with a copy of the report. I can also provide the Senators with a copy if that is acceptable.

I acknowledge the issue raised. Senators Craughwell and Burke have raised it with me on several occasions. I know there are other interested parties here also. They have long-running concerns regarding the payment of class K contributions by public office holders. The introduction of class K for public office holders was a solidarity measure introduced among other income-generating initiatives in budget 2011, during the financial crisis, with PRSI acting as the mechanism for collection. Several other measures were …

There are. There are 100,000 across the board, and I have checked that. There are other people who use the benefits of class K in the private sector as well, so it is not just ourselves. What we are dealing with specifically is the issue where people who had served in this House found themselves out of a job, with no income and no prospect of a job during Covid. I am well familiar with the case that the Senator has referred to at times and I have great sympathy for the person involved because they did not get back …

Senators will be aware that the work of the Vincentian MESL Research Centre, which is sponsored by my Department, is an assessment of the minimum income needed to partake in everyday life. The work of the MESL research centre also highlights issues that may be better solved with greater access to services, rather than increases in income. In this regard, having access to secondary benefits such as medical cards and supports in the areas of housing and childcare has a huge impact on well-being. Therefore, using the …

I am pleased to inform Senators that I have already committed to a wide-ranging review of means-testing in my Department, which is ongoing. I expect that to be completed in quarter 1 of next year and I hope to have it early next year. The review will cover the treatment of income and disregards across the social welfare schemes generally. It will include the examination of thresholds and their impact, the blind pension and the disability allowance, including in respect of self-employed workers. For those reasons, I…

I thank the Senators and take the point Senator Burke raised. That is a case that fell between the cracks and we should look at it. That one was just unfortunate. It is important that we review the means test. It has not been reviewed in a long time. A lot of work has gone into it in my Department, looking at the different assessments for the different payments. There are many different ones. I expanded the fuel allowance last year for the over-70s. I changed the income limits. I also increased the limits for the c…

The Senator will be aware that I responded to a similar amendment on Committee Stage in the Dáil. I committed to looking at this area and to preparing a report for Deputy Ó Laoghaire. I have asked my officials to look at the matter and complete a report on it - I even put a timeframe on it - by June of next year. As the Senator said, I am familiar with this case. While I have huge sympathy for the person involved, it is fair to say that a collection agent collects the payment for the recipient. They are not the per…

No.

No, I am not accepting the amendment. I did-----

I will do the report.

I will speak on amendments Nos. 8 and 15 together. Is that okay?

I propose to take amendments Nos. 8 and 15 together. I am not accepting them and I will explain why. We just had the biggest report ever on pensions, which is the Pensions Commission report. We responded comprehensively to that by retaining the pension age at 66, introducing the new flexibility to allow people to defer their pension, providing a pension to long-term carers and the small, incremental increases in PRSI over the next five years, which will make the system more sustainable. We always said that in keepi…

I thank the Senators for their comments. I will speak to amendments Nos. 13 and 14 together. I do not propose to accept them. The Pensions Commission concluded its detailed analysis of the State pension system in late 2020 and recommended that long-term carers, which it defined as caring for more than 20 years, should be given access to the State pension contributory by having retrospective contributions paid for them by the Exchequer for any gaps in their contribution history arising from caring. The measures cont…

I thank the Senators for their comments. I do not propose to accept the amendment. As I said in respect of similar amendments requesting reports, legislation is not the appropriate vehicle for seeking reports. I understand why the Senator tabled the amendments, however. As they will be aware, pension deferral will only be introduced for those who reach age 66 on or after 1 January 2024 and it is entirely voluntary. We are giving greater flexibility in order that people have more choice. They know best what suits th…

The age of 66 remains the core rate and it is the bedrock of our pension system. International experience is that very few people actually defer but we wanted to give them the flexibility as to whether they want to make those choices. The deferred pension is not a higher pension. It is an actuarial adjustment because people are obviously not drawing down their pension and they are working that bit longer to increase their contributions. They are paying more contributions into the system. I am happy that what we are…

I met one of the Garda representative associations on the matter. It specifically relates to the Department of public expenditure and reform. Apparently it was some agreement that was entered into some time ago. I may be corrected on that but it was not with my Department. It is a matter for that Department. I am happy to raise it again with the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

I thank the Senators for their co-operation. I wish them all well as we head into the Christmas season. It means the Bill will now go to the President and everyone will get an increase on 1 January.