I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I extend my deepest sympathies to the Wheelock family for their terrible loss, and the pain Terence's tragic death has caused to them. I am very conscious that yesterday, 2 June, was the 16th anniversary of the events which led to Terence's death in September 2005 and I know that this will be a difficult week for the family. My Department has recently written to the Wheelock family in response to a request they made for a public inquiry to be established to examine the cir…

What can I say, but that this is another very sad situation for a family? I note the Deputy mentioned the cells being upgraded, which they have been. The programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda accommodation is progressed by the Garda authorities, as the Deputy will be aware, in close co-operation with the Office of Public Works, OPW. I am informed by the Garda authorities that all cells have been risk assessed for ligatures, and that was one of the findings, as I understand it, and recommendations in r…

Again, I want to express my sympathy to the family. As I said earlier, Terence's tragic death was the subject of a comprehensive GSOC inquiry which was published in 2010 and is available on the GSOC website. A settlement was also reached in the courts. As Minister for Justice I cannot comment upon or intervene in the outcome of any GSOC inquiry, nor can I comment upon the outcome of any court proceedings. The independence of GSOC and the Judiciary is a key part of our democracy and I cannot interfere in any way wit…

Before I answer the Deputy's question, I thank Deputy Cathal Crowe for his kind comments. I know the rest of the Deputies will join me in congratulating the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on the birth of her lovely son, Michael Shane. We wish her well in her maternity leave. I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for raising this matter. As she will be aware, retirement of all members of An Garda Síochána, including those at the rank of chief superintendent, is governed by legislation that sets the mandatory maximum retirement age…

I thank Deputies Conway-Walsh and Calleary. The Garda Commissioner, with the consent of the Minister, can extend the age of retirement of a Garda member where this is in the interests of the efficiency of the Garda Síochána due to special qualifications or experience in policing possessed by that member. In terms of the Covid-19 pandemic, Garda members who had reached the age of 60 and had significant experience in policing, and the particular skills to support the Commissioner's urgent policing priorities during t…

I agree absolutely with Deputy Calleary. We need to be proactive and look at things through the lens of a modern world, where we are all living longer and are much healthier, thank God. My Department is currently carrying out a review of the mandatory maximum retirement age of 60 for the Garda Síochána. This review is taking account of retirement ages that apply generally across the public service and that apply in other uniform services, such as the Defence Forces and the Prison Service, the physical nature of the…

This question relates to the training An Garda Síochána receives with regard to autism. In reply to Deputy Conway-Walsh's previous question, I am happy to look at any case and recommendation the Commissioner makes to me. I understand that he advertised to see if people wanted to stay on and it was up to them to make an application. I do not have the figures here but I can provide them. Some people applied but I believe it was not as many as we thought. If the Commissioner recommends that it is necessary for somebod…

The Deputy is absolutely correct that Adam Harris is a great advocate for people with autism. There is great work going on and great co-operation between his organisation and the Garda. We are very supportive of that. As I said, a specific training programme on autism awareness is expected to be released on the Garda learning management system on 1 July 2021.

It is good that this work is ongoing, including on another phase of training for the human rights champions initiative. That will involve representative bodies, including Mental Health Ireland, ADHD Ireland, AsIAm, Merchant's Quay Ireland, the National Office for Suicide Prevention, and the National Disability Authority. The Garda Síochána has carried out a number of changes to its website to make it more accessible to people with disabilities. It has provided an accessibility assistive toolbar solution, Recite Me,…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Our Rural Future is the new rural development policy for the period 2021 to 2025. It is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in Ireland for decades, focusing on sustainability and optimising opportunities for individuals, communities and businesses. The policy provides a framework to set out a vision for rural Ireland and contains more than 150 measures for delivery over the lifetime of the policy, for both short-term recovery and longer-te…

We published Our Rural Future at the end of March. It is a very ambitious five-year policy. In fairness, it has been received extremely well, not just here in Ireland but also internationally. When the World Economic Forum, the Financial Times, CNBC and The New York Times comment on our strategy, and to see it described as the most ambitious plan of its kind in Europe, it is very encouraging. We have a very strong policy, which is acknowledged by everybody, but the challenge now is in delivery. I assure the Deputy …

I am in regular contact with the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications. He is trying to accelerate the roll-out of broadband. I also live in rural Ireland. There is a lot of broadband appearing now in areas where we had very poor coverage. The private operators are moving in now, as well as National Broadband Ireland. The acceleration and the roll-out of broadband has somewhat speeded up in the past months. As we know, Covid delayed some things, unfortunately. We are working on the actions, as I said…

The primary objective of the connected hubs call is to support and complement the development of the national hub network, which is a key action of Our Rural Future and the national remote working strategy. The connected hubs call targets shovel-ready, small capital works that will increase the capacity of existing hubs and benefit the wider economy in support of the network. The call was launched on 29 April. The scheme document and application forms are available on my Department's website. Expressions of interes…

The connected hubs call is open to existing public and private hubs. The grants available can range from €10,000 up to €250,000. Through the fund, we want to expand the capacity and the quality of our existing hub facilities, providing more hot desks, office pods for when one needs some privacy, and audiovisual facilities. Some of the funding can be used towards marketing costs, which is important because we want people to know the hubs are available to them. In areas where there are no hubs and there is very poor …

Funding is available through the town and village renewal scheme, in which there is a big focus on derelict buildings that could be renovated and used as co-working spaces. There is an opportunity for people to apply for this funding. There is a great project in Donegal, which was funded through the rural regeneration development fund. An old Ritz cinema in Donegal was converted into a hub. The Deputy is familiar with the Ludgate hub in Cork. Not that long ago, €206,000 in funding was allocated to create the rural …

The refurbishment of vacant properties is being addressed through a number of funding streams delivered by my Department, in line with the commitments contained in Our Rural Future. In April, I announced investment of €81 million for 25 landmark projects for funding under the rural regeneration and development fund. The projects will combat dereliction, increase the vibrancy of rural towns and villages, and regenerate town centre buildings to provide remote working hubs, libraries, e-learning, cultural, enterprise …

I thank the Deputy. We had the pilot study and all of the information has proved to be very valuable in terms of developing the town centre first initiative. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, chairs the committee. The Department feeds into it and we are looking at a number of initiatives. I am working very closely with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on what we can do to address dereliction in town centres. The town and village renewal scheme has been repurposed this year, with €15 million additional…

With regard to the particular scheme the Deputy has mentioned, it is funded by the Department through the local authorities. It is up to the local authorities to consult with communities to have a clear path forward as to how to address the issues in their villages. The Deputy knows that I am very much in favour of a bottom-up approach. I like to engage with communities and identify the problems on the ground. My job as Minister is to provide the funding to facilitate the growth of these town centres. Deputy Kerran…

I do not have that question on digital poverty. That is Question No. 6.

That is a different question the Deputy is asking. The Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, can answer Question No. 7.