I thank the Deputies. I fully appreciate what they are saying. They make a good case and I understand it. I intend to meet with Epilepsy Ireland to discuss its proposal in detail. The group wrote to me about much of what the Deputies are saying. I am not going to make any promises because it would be wrong of me to do that but I will meet Epilepsy Ireland and hear what it has to say. We need to discuss this with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his Department to get its views on the matter. I am a…

I propose to take Question Nos. 9, 16 and 53 together. The carer income supports provided by my Department include carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance, and the carer's support grant. More than 135,000 carers are supported by regular income payments and spending on these in 2021 is expected to be in the region of €1.5 billion. As part of budget 2022, I announced significant changes to the means test for carer's allowance that will allow carers to have a higher weekly household income and a…

One of my priorities since I became Minister for Social Protection is to do whatever I can to support our carers. I know very well the huge work they do and the contribution they make to our society. As I said, in last year's budget I increased the carers support grant to €1,850, the highest level ever. This year, there is an increase of €5 in the carers allowance, as well as all of the other measures I outlined. The Deputy referred to a specific case. The person concerned has the right to apply for social welfare …

I want to thank Deputies. Many have raised issues with me and I have been able to make changes in the budget this year. It is important that we support carers. We have been doing that and will continue to do so. Family carers and the Care Alliance have warmly welcomed the changes we announced in budget 2022. I accept that there is more work to be done. I will continue to work with Deputies and examine other issues that need to be addressed. I thank them for the suggestions that have been brought to me.

I thank Deputy Higgins for raising this issue. The treatment benefit scheme is available to insured workers, the self-employed and retired people who have the required number of PRSI contributions. It is also available to their dependent spouse or partner, if applicable. Those who are eligible can avail of dental, optical and hearing services under the scheme. As part of budget 2022, I announced an expansion of the range of services provided under the treatment benefit scheme to provide for a new grant towards the …

As I said, this is an issue that has been raised with me. It is something that is particularly hard for women. Some people who lose their hair due to chemotherapy may be able to get support for the cost of a wig if they have a medical card. People with alopecia have no automatic entitlement to a medical card. Alopecia can often be a lifelong condition and at present there is no support to help people. I wanted to change that. Some of these wigs are, as the Deputy said, very expensive, in particular if people are we…

I acknowledge the great work carried out by the volunteers in Alopecia Ireland. This is something they have called for, in particular, for people in alopecia. They do much good work to support people. Some people may decide, for whatever reason, that they do not want or need a wig. For those who need one, I want to help them. That is what the grant is about. It is a support for working people. Those who do not qualify for a medical card will have to have the necessary PRSI contributions in order to qualify. The Dep…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 68, 98 and 101 together. My Department provides a comprehensive set of income supports for carers. These include carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. Through these schemes over 135,000 carers are supported by regular income payments. Spending in 2021 on these payments is expected to be approximately €1.5 billion. I announced a number of measures in budget 2022 which will enable carers to have a higher weekly household inco…

I thank the Deputies for highlighting the issue. The average time to award carer's allowance after receipt of application in 2021 is four weeks, as compared with seven weeks in 2020 and 12 weeks in 2019. The average time to award carer's benefit after receipt of application in 2021 is four weeks, as compared with five weeks in 2020 and 12 weeks in 2019. Therefore, we are making good inroads and we want to continue to turn around those applications promptly. I know some people find themselves in very difficult circu…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 67 together. The current position is that any paid employment after a person’s 66th birthday is not reckonable for contributory State pension purposes, nor is the employment liable to any PRSI contributions. The Government established the Commission on Pensions in November 2020 to examine the sustainability of the State pension system and the Social Insurance Fund. The commission's report, published on 7 October 2021, sets out a wide range of recommendations, including allowi…

The issues the Deputy mentioned are among those the Commission on Pensions considered. It has set out comprehensive and far-reaching recommendations. All the recommendations were unanimously agreed by the commission, with the exception of the increase in the State pension age. The member nominated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, disagreed with this. The recommendations can be broken into three broad interrelated groupings, covering many of the issues the Deputy has raised. The recommendations to make t…

The Government is committed to bringing the recommendations in the report of the Commission on Pensions to the Government. I will bring a response and recommended implementation plan to Government by the end of March 2022. I am also progressing the issue of auto-enrolment, another aspect we have committed to introducing during the term of this Government. Much work can be done to improve the situation for people when they retire. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter with me.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I assure him that I recognise the ongoing pain and anguish of the O'Farrell family on the tragic death of Shane and I deeply sympathise with them on their loss. As the Deputy will be aware, a highly respected retired judge, Gerard Haughton, has been conducting a scoping exercise into the tragic circumstances surrounding Shane O'Farrell's death. The purpose of this exercise is to advise as to whether any further investigation or inquiry beyond those already carried out is n…

I thank the Deputy. I, too, understand what this family has been through. I know Deputy Carthy, who is sitting behind Deputy Martin Kenny, has been speaking to the family, as have I. It is not easy for them but it is fair to say that this process is in place and that the judge is doing his work. We have to wait until he produces his report. As far as my Department is concerned, we will support him in carrying out his work in any way we can. The judge's final report on the outcome of his scoping exercise is awaited.…

I thank the Deputy. As I said, and as I know the Deputy will appreciate, the judge is completely independent in conducting this scoping exercise and it is not open to me, as Minister, to comment on any aspect of the judge's work or the process of compiling the final report. I understand that Judge Haughton has been in contact with the O'Farrell family throughout this scoping exercise. He recently wrote to my Department seeking comments on a number of sections of his draft report. The Department further understands …

I thank Deputy Catherine Murphy for raising this matter. As the Deputy will be aware, I consider any inappropriate cancellation of 999 calls a very serious matter. This falls significantly below the high standards that the public expect from gardaí and the high standards that An Garda Síochána sets for itself. I am particularly concerned that anyone experiencing domestic abuse or anyone in a vulnerable position who summoned the courage to seek assistance may not have received it. The Policing Authority was asked by…

I thank the Deputy. The Policing Authority was asked by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to oversee the review being carried out by An Garda Síochána. There have been a number of engagements between the authority and An Garda Síochána since March this year. Regarding the exact date that the Minister was made aware of this, I do not have the information to hand but I will make sure it is provided to the Deputy. I share the concern of the authority about the continuation of the inappropriate cancellation and classificat…

Regarding the protected disclosure, the Deputy will appreciate that there is a duty of confidentiality regarding protected disclosures as set out in the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on a protected disclosure.

There have been. I will get my officials to provide the Deputy with that information. The Commissioner is taking this very seriously. The management of An Garda Síochána is a matter for the Commissioner. The Commissioner is due to appear before the authority next week, as the Deputy will know. I expect that this issue will be raised at that meeting. This is oversight in operation. That is exactly what this is about. That shows the structures are in place to ensure that when there is a problem there is oversight in …

I thank Deputy Calleary for raising this matter. It is important to acknowledge that significant and necessary reforms have taken place in An Garda Síochána over the past few years, and Garda superintendents have played their part in these reforms. I am conscious that the publication earlier this year of the general scheme of the policing, security and community safety Bill represents a major milestone in the ongoing process of reform, and is particularly vital in providing a legislative framework for the implement…