The legislation has gone through. It is about how we can encourage people to do remote working. The best place is in remote working hubs. Employers know that. They are in a safe environment. There is good security. In these remote working hubs, there are good firewalls in place. People can have separate rooms if they need confidentiality. We will have our second ever national hub summit in Tullamore, County Offaly, next Wednesday, 22 November. It follows on from last year's event, which was in Athlone. These are th…

There is about 74% occupancy in the hubs at the minute. The strategy will look at how we can strengthen the hubs and maybe how they can get further occupancy. Some of them will need money to keep them running and I want to support them in that too. We have the infrastructure. We need to make sure we maximise their use and use them as effectively as possible for the benefit of communities. We are liaising with Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. We work closely with Grow Remote. Remote working hubs have turned into …

The Department recognises the importance of playgrounds in communities throughout Ireland and applications for the delivery and upgrade of playgrounds are welcome under a number of schemes operated by the Department. The Department's funding for playgrounds is provided primarily through the CLÁR programme. However, funding is also available under the town and village renewal scheme, the LEADER programme and the community enhancement programme. The CLÁR programme provides funding for small-scale projects in rural ar…

I thank Deputy Dillon and point taken. The Department's approach to funding schemes allowed local communities to identify the types of projects of most benefit to them and to seek support for their development. This is not always with regard to new playgrounds. As Deputy Dillon said, sometimes we need to upgrade playgrounds. I have to say when I was first Minister with responsibility for rural affairs back in 2016 I saw an application coming in from Cavan County Council for an adult playground in Drumgoon. I wonder…

I thank Deputy Dillon. There is the community enhancement programme, of course. This provides small capital grants to community groups to enhance their facilities, including playgrounds in disadvantaged areas. Funding is allocated by the Department to each local authority. The local community development committee, with support from the local authority, administers the funding. We also have the community recognition fund. In May the Department approved €50 million for more than 880 projects. This fund is specifical…

The town centre first policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being and development. The town centre first national office is key to the success of the policy. It supports town regeneration officers, funded by my Department, in all relevant local authorities in driving imp…

This is what we are trying to do. We are working with the local authorities and the town centre first town regeneration officers to identify these properties. For example, I was in Castleblayney on Friday and there is a brand new library in that town. It is in an old building that has been restored. An annex has been added on to it which is brand-new. The library is now a combination of the old and new, and it really will bring footfall into the centre of that town. There are also so many examples of really good pr…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As the Deputy will be aware, access between the islands and the mainland is the most fundamental requirement for those living on our offshore islands and is a lifeline for island communities. Access impacts on every aspect of island life, including health and welfare services, education, employment, social and family life and business. Affordable, frequent and safe transport services by both sea and air, as well as safe piers and airstrips, are vital to island communities.…

Regarding Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr, in July 2023 I gave approval to issue a request for tender for the development of the Inis Oírr pier and Galway County Council is currently undertaking the process. I am determined it will be completed and that we will be in position to appoint a contractor in the first half of 2024. It is my understanding that officials from Galway County Council are preparing the necessary documents to appoint consultants to assist in preparing a preliminary business case. This is required unde…

I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire for raising this matter. The Government committed as part of the roadmap for social inclusion to develop and consult on proposals to restructure long-term disability payments and to simplify the system. The consultation process has begun through the publication of the Green Paper. The Green Paper sets out the issues facing people with disabilities. Those issues include high levels of unemployment and poverty and a complex system of payments that has evolved over decades. In addition, and …

I am glad the Deputy raised that because I agree with him. This has nothing to do with the UK system. Cutting costs was what they were doing in the UK. That is not the case here. This is about trying to increase people's payments. In fact, based on a conservative estimate, the Green Paper measures, if introduced, would cost in excess of €130 million extra per year. It is well documented that people with disabilities face additional costs, and Ireland's employment rate for people with disabilities is below the EU av…

To be clear, there is no question of anybody having his or her payment decreased. My objective here is actually to increase payments, not decrease them. This is a difficult and very sensitive area, and I reassure people that there is no intention to cut anybody's payment or to cut people off payments. That is not the intention. What I am doing is putting out very clearly in the Green Paper an opportunity to have an honest and frank discussion. I am happy to engage with the stakeholders. I have already had two meeti…

Census 2022 data indicates that there are 1.1 million people with at least one long-lasting condition. While I would love to be in a position where I had unlimited resources, providing a weekly payment of €350 to such a large number of people would not be sustainable. Even if I could, such an approach would also be unfair because people with disabilities are not one single group with identical challenges and needs. Disability exists across a spectrum and also affects people from all walks of life and backgrounds. T…

I will watch it.

This is a Green Paper and it is for consultation and discussion. We usually have strawman proposals but we actually spoke to some of the groups and they said that they wanted to call it a Green Paper. The Deputy knows what is done with a strawman. Bits are taken out and put in, everything is moved about and we come up with a different man when we are finished. That is what this is about. It is about hearing the views of the stakeholders. These are the people with whom we talk, their representative groups and the di…

The background to the Green Paper is the The Cost of Disability in Ireland report, which was produced after extensive consultation. It was probably the biggest consultation on any report carried out by the State. We extended it a few times because people wanted more consultation. It is recommended that the levels of payment and allowances should be changed to reflect the very different costs associated with the severity and the type of disability. As the Deputy will understand, people on disability payments range a…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is important to say that means tests are used to target our resources to the best effect in support of those who need them most. The rules for means-testing vary depending on the nature of the payment being claimed. The amount of income that is disregarded for carer's payments is the most generous within the social welfare system. As Minister, I have been concerned not just to protect this position but, in fact, to increase these income disregards: Last June, the weekly…

As part of the work of social protection, reviews are always carried out. The Department carries out checks on an ongoing basis to ensure resources go to those who need them most. To respond to the Deputy's question, the revised carer's allowance does not kick in until June 2024. That decision was taken and I will implement it in the social welfare Bill. I do not think I will be in a position to implement it any earlier, to be quite honest. At that stage, when the limits have changed, people can reapply. One of my …

I take the Deputy's point about carers who, on getting a review, are cut off. While I cannot make any promises now, I will look at that. I am ensuring that long-term carers who have spent 20 years or more caring will be able to access the State pension from January 2024. Legislation has to go through the Houses and I am hoping to get it passed very quickly. It will be a big change to the social welfare system. We will provide carers with paid contributions for the time they spent caring and those who missed out wil…

I am working on it now. We have these changes to make on the carer's pension and we will get the Bill through before the end of the year. It will take effect from 1 January 2024.