I thank the Deputy. The primary responsibility for the delivery of housing rests with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which is taking new measures to put in place additional accommodation to mitigate the impact of the end of the eviction ban. Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make additional needs payments to help to meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. The scheme is demand-led and there is no budget cap. Payments are …

My Department provides the additional needs payment, which can be for rent or a deposit if needed. The scheme is demand-led, and payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into consideration the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance. A person who is working can still have access to additional needs payments. Where someone who works is on a low income, an additional n…

It is demand-led.

To be very clear, the additional needs payment is available to support people who need it. As I said to the Deputy earlier, it is a demand-led scheme. There is no budget cap.

It is a demand-led scheme with no budget cap.

It is there to support people when they need it.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important issue of the carer's allowance payment. I thank the Independent Group for bringing forward the motion. It is a timely discussion. I meet carers all the time through my constituency office and I see first-hand the unbelievable work they are doing. Since my appointment as Minister, I have made a number of improvements within the social welfare system to enhance the supports available for our carers. Would I like to go further? Of course I would. I assure Deputies th…

I thank the Deputy for raising this. I assure her that my officials are engaging and will continue to engage with the staff in EmployAbility services. I acknowledge the good work they carry out. I have visited many of the centres and the work they do in getting people who have disabilities back into work is wonderful. I assure the Deputy that my officials are engaging with them.

I thank the Deputy. I am pleased to say that as part of the cost-of-living measures, we are going to extend the hot school meals programme to all DEIS primary schools and all special needs schools. We are actively working on expanding it. It is so important that young children avail of a hot school meal, particularly in the middle of the day. We all know the benefits of that. It helps their educational attainment and it means they get a staple meal. Some who may not get it at home get that staple meal every day whe…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As he knows, this Government is committed to rural Ireland. There has been unprecedented investment across the country in various ways. Local Link has been expanded to provide much-needed infrastructure and transport services for people living in rural Ireland. That is something I am obviously very conscious of as the Minister for Rural and Community Development. I will continue to work with my colleagues across the Government to ensure that rural Ireland gets the service…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We have carried out a number of reviews of the community employment schemes. We have changed some of the criteria, in consultation with them, to expand it and to allow them to keep workers on for longer. There have been a number of good and very positive changes in that regard. It is almost a year since the first Ukrainian refugees came to this country. We are opening up the community employment scheme to them now. We look forward to working with them and getting them on …

Before we begin proceedings, I wish to send my thoughts and prayers to Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, the police officer shot in Omagh last night. A decent man, he was volunteering and training young children at sport, as happens in every community, North and South. He was off duty when he was shot down in front of his son. When he was on the ground, he was shot again. I condemn the cowards, as I know everyone in the House does, who carried out this reprehensible and heinous act. I implore anyone who has …

The development of a rural proofing model is a key commitment in Our Rural Future. In conjunction with other Departments, the work on it is progressing well. We have identified the areas we want to focus on as part of a pilot, including sustainable tourism, which has a significant impact on rural economies. We have also launched the national outdoor recreational strategy, which will have major economic benefits. One need only consider the benefits of the Limerick greenway and the mountain biking trail in Kinnitty. …

I do not have all of the figures to hand, but there has been unprecedented investment in the north and west. Like the Deputy, I am familiar with the region, given that we both live there. We have worked with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. For example, there is a good remote working hub called the Spool Factory in Boyle, County Roscommon. I have spoken to its management a few times. People who are coming home to Ireland on holidays are able to stay for much l…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Community centres are the cornerstone of community life in towns, villages and parishes across the country. Since my appointment, I have placed a key focus on the development of these important facilities. In 2022, I launched the new community centres investment fund, with grants of up to €300,000 available for the upgrade and renovation of existing community centres. The types of work that are eligible for funding include upgrades to kitchen and toilet facilities, energy…

The project in Newcastle has been brought to my attention by the Deputy. I have met him and his Oireachtas colleagues to discuss the matter. I fully understand and appreciate the need to support new communities. We need these facilities because communities are very much at the heart of areas. It is important that they have community centres in which they can meet, engage in sporting activities and so on. We are targeting areas of population growth and will be looking for shovel-ready projects. Those applying to the…

I thank the Deputy. As I stated, I met the Oireachtas Members to discuss the issue. The project in Newcastle seems to tick a lot of boxes but it has to go through a competitive assessment process. I am sure there will be plenty of demand for this fund of €21 million. As we all know, it costs a lot of money to build a community centre. It will be competitive. I knew there was an interest in community centres but €75 million in applications came in for the previous scheme. It was unbelievable. Helping communities is …

Ar ais linn arís. As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to publishing an islands policy in line with the programme for Government commitment and the commitments made in Our Rural Future. I received a draft copy of the policy before Christmas. While it is clear that a lot of work has been done in getting the draft policy to this point, I am of the view that more work is needed to firm up the text and, more importantly, the actions. I have committed to publishing an action plan along with the polic…

I thank the Deputy. In fairness, she has asked me about this islands policy a great deal. There has been extensive consultation on it. We have the policy. Policy is fine but we need the actions. I want to hold other Departments to account. I do not want fancy, flowery language. I want time-bound actions so that when Departments state they will do something, they will do it. From my experience, the only way to keep other Departments toes to the fire is to get it down in writing. I will meet with Ministers in the var…

I have the policy but I need the actions. A number of Departments are critical in this regard. We all know them. I met representatives from Comhdháil Oileáin na hÉireann. There are issues around planning, sewerage, water, education and health. We need more nurses in particular and we need more GPs, primary care services and services for older people. There are many issues. I have been doing a lot through my Department. On Clare Island, for example, we are trialling a new initiative in areas such as e-health. We are…