I can confirm it is the Government’s policy to improve vital pieces of infrastructure, and a number have been mentioned in the House. I will raise the issue of the N17 with the Minister for Transport. I appreciate that, as the Deputy said, it is a main artery to a hospital.

Deputy Cannon knows a lot about ChatGPT and the wider artificial intelligence area. He has raised concerns about it and I fully understand that. This issue is being looked at by the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and we are awaiting advice from the NCSC. I will make sure to raise the issue and the important points made by Deputy Cannon with the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth.

The Deputy makes a reasonable point and I will certainly raise it with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who has responsibility for this area.

I thank the Deputy. I agree with a lot of what he said. I understand that a number of pilot schemes have been rolled out across the country. I will raise the matter with the Minister for Health and get him to come back to the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy. I am familiar with Waterways Ireland in that it is a cross-Border body and it does a lot of good work in making sure that our waterways systems are kept in good order, as the Deputy will know particularly around Athlone and the Shannon system. The Deputy has asked me some detailed questions. I cannot give her an answer but I am happy to raise it with the Minister and get him to come back to the Deputy.

I thank Deputy Duffy. As much as I might like to give him commitments on how the money is going to be spent, I do not think the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform would appreciate my assistance in this matter, but I will certainly raise it with him.

Deputy Verona Murphy raised the pollution in Waterford estuary. I will raise that with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and ask him to get the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to look into it. I did not get a chance to read the article Deputy Healy-Rae referred to, but there are pressures on different aspects of our society. However, it is all part of an economy that is growing. We have more people working than ever before. It is nearly like the growing pains of a country that is ge…

The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 children.  The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them.  The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement. Budget 2023 provided €94.4 million for the programme.  The Government recently approved a…

The SAFE registration process, which my Department uses to authenticate a person's identity, is a face- to-face process which results in the issuing of a Public Services Card (PSC). I can confirm that an individual’s adoption certificate is not required for the purpose of a SAFE registration appointment. The individual referred to by the Deputy has been contacted by officials of my Department and she attended for a SAFE registration appointment on 26th April 2023. A PSC will be issued to her shortly. I trust this c…

Pension entitlement can only be assessed on the basis of the eligibility conditions applicable on the date an individual reaches State Pension age. Currently, a person who has 2080 paid or credited contributions, or who has in excess of 520 contributions with a yearly average of 48 or more contributions since they entered the social insurance system, would qualify for the full rate State Pension (Contributory).  A person who does not meet the requirements for a full rate pension may be paid a lower rate commensurat…

Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions. I can confirm that my Department originally received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the person concerned on 8 February 2023. 8 The application was examined and, based upon the evidence submitted, it…

My Department is committed to delivering excellent customer service as pledged in the Customer Service Charter. This includes providing the highest quality of services, including information provision, to all customers and to treating customers with courtesy and respect. My officials aim to ensure that all persons are served in a fair, courteous, and timely manner, and provided with full and clear information regarding entitlements. The department strives at all times to ensure that our customers’ experiences in de…

A person in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance can make an application for Carer’s Allowance. However, they will then not satisfy the available for full-time work condition for a jobseeker payment as they are declaring on their Carer’s Allowance application that they are caring for another person in a full-time capacity. Once the application for Carer’s Allowance is made, a revised decision is carried out on their Jobseeker’s Allowance claim and the person is advised to apply for a Supplementary Welfare Allowance pay…

My Department provides a comprehensive package of carers’ income supports including Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Combined spending on all these payments in 2022 is estimated to be almost €1.6 billion. The Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers in the community. Carer’s Allowance is a means tested social assistance payment awarded to those carers who are caring for certain people who require full-…

Community centres are the cornerstone of community life in many towns, villages and urban areas around the country. This Government recognises the important role they play in community life in Ireland, bringing people together and engaging with those who may be marginalised or disadvantaged. With this in mind, my Department has put in place an integrated programme of supports for the establishment and development of community centres across schemes such as CLÁR, LEADER, the Community Support Fund, the Town and Vill…

You did.

I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising this matter. This was a lump-sum payment of €200 on the primary payment. It was different from the Christmas bonus and the October double payment because they were both double payments. This was not a double payment. It was a lump sum of €200 paid out to 1.2 million people at a cost of more than €250 million. I suspect that the cases the Deputy has raised with me involve people on qualified adult payments. If she will send me on the specific details, I will be happy to lo…

We have identified areas that we want to focus on as part of the pilot. Sustainable tourism is something that has a big impact on rural economies. We have launched the national recreation strategy. That has huge economic benefits. Let us consider, for example, the benefits of Limerick greenway, the mountain biking trail in the Slieve Bloom Mountains and Mount Congreve Gardens in Waterford. Only last week, I opened a new walkway in Newtownforbes, County Longford. The national planning framework is another important …

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing an islands policy in line with the programme for Government commitment, as well as commitments made in Our Rural Future. The process of developing the policy has taken longer than I would like. However, I am determined to take the time necessary to get it right. That is no more than our island communities deserve, because it is more than 25 years since the Government last published an islands development policy. I received an initial draft of th…

We are talking about a matter of weeks. I want a policy that, when it is launched, can be used to hold other Departments to account. I do not want a pile of flowery language. I have said this previously; I want time-bound actions in order that when Departments say they are going to do something, I will be able to hold them to account. In fairness, in both my Departments, I have shown a commitment to the islands. I was the first Minister for Social Protection for many years to increase the islands allowance in my fi…