I have a few practical questions on that. When the Minister is doing this, can he make it easier for parents to formally set childminders up as employees, or whatever mechanism is appropriate? People are not used to doing that and to creating businesses. It is relatively straightforward but is not easy. People want to be compliant and to ensure that everything is done correctly, so I ask that the Minister might remember that point. There is also an ongoing question on the status of au pairs as people are not sure w…

The number is 5,575. It is not all 40,000 people with epilepsy. The impact of the diagnosis is that the State says a person cannot drive for a year. If there is a breakthrough seizure, a person cannot drive for a year. There are many people who have controlled epilepsy and are on the long-term illness scheme already but those whose illness is uncontrolled, about 30% of people with epilepsy, will never drive. Many of them are on other schemes but many are not and they continue to work. However, they need access to t…

There are have been huge advances in the carers' allowance, including the means test for the carers allowance, and I want to thank the Minister and congratulate her on that work. It is transformative to have changed the means test and the disregard in the way she has. I am sorry if I came in early. There are a series of linked questions.

My mistake.

I acknowledge the Minister's great work on this, particularly her work to change the income disregard and expand it. That will bring in people who are already caring and doing massive work for their families, work that otherwise might have to be done in other contexts. What efforts has the Department made to let people know about the change, in particular people who may have applied previously and been refused based on the old arrangements? Is the Department preparing to contact those people proactively, that is, t…

I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Cannon to request the Minister for Justice to give her views on the level and trend in the detection rate for sexual offences in Ireland.

I thank the Minister for her reply. What she said about the child sexual abuse report line is important. I ask her to restate the telephone number when she has the opportunity. I ask that because I am thinking in particular of a couple who were in touch with me, and with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, when she held this portfolio for a time. Their complaint was that they had realised that a child had suffered sexual abuse, but that they did not know where to turn. They said as well that the system was well placed …

I return to the child sexual abuse report line, because the disparity in power is so great between the parents of a young child and an alleged perpetrator. I refer to the example of a well-documented case, which has concluded and was in the papers over time. The initial hours in this regard are crucial. I refer to being sent to the right hospital, the child being interviewed in the correct way at an early stage and receiving the right supports. That is what will make the difference, potentially, in some cases, in a…

I am very pleased to be able to discuss this matter along with my colleague, Deputy Bruton, and I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. The difference between the provision of supports for children with special educational needs in their schools and their having to go somewhere else after the school day finishes is transformative for the children, for their convenience, for how natural it is for them to stay in their own school environment and for the comfort with which they can access additional ser…

I absolutely concur with my colleague, Deputy Bruton. I keep thinking about this child-centred focus from the perspective of the child and the child's needs. Speech therapists, occupational therapists and psychological supports should be brought into the child's school rather than the child having to be othered or made different by travelling to another place. I keep thinking this is a little like children in hospital with ongoing additional health needs who have to turn up again and again to multiple different typ…

Will copies of the Minister's speech be circulated?

I thank the Minister of State for sharing time and Deputy Gannon for bringing forward this important Bill. Everything we are doing to have this conversation more openly and in this House contributes towards getting this work done quickly. I have raised this issue at least 12 times here since June 2020. The Minister of State is aware of the campaign of almost sort of low-grade harassment that I have engaged in with her in respect of letters, parliamentary questions and requests for further information in this regard…

Deputy Tully correctly raised the current pressures in regard to rental properties. We clearly need large-scale residential development, public and private, in this State. Legislation is in train for the development. Can the Taoiseach give me a timeline for the delivery of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021 and what is his view on Sinn Féin's objection last night to 853 homes proposed for north Dublin?

This morning on radio, the Minister for Education suggested to parents that they should not organise play dates or birthday parties. This is in important information to get to parents. The reaction in my emails and phone calls so far is about the question of schools more broadly. There is a concern about where this will go. Parents are seriously concerned. They are already juggling so much. Will the Taoiseach take this opportunity to set out the information he has to provide certainty or clarity? Stopping birthday …

I thank the Minister of State for dealing with this issue. According to Irish Water, in the four-year period from 2017 to 2020, a total of 8.875 million cubic metres of untreated sewage and storm waters have been discharged into Dublin Bay from overflow tanks located at the Ringsend wastewater treatment plant. That figure does not include other significant discharges from the 410 storm water overflows in the Dublin region, which are not measured but are thought to exceed the discharges in the Ringsend plant. This e…

I thank the Minister of State. Obviously, my question is in respect of the fact that Irish Water is going to operate the ultraviolet filter at Ringsend for a period outside the bathing season. As the Minister of State is aware, the bathing season lasts for three months in summer. My question to the Department is about how long Irish Water will operate the filter. Will that be publicised and constituents informed of it? As regards the Irish Water upgrade, the Minister of State is absolutely right. I met representati…

It is great to see the Minister back in the Chamber dealing with legislation. I appreciate the points she made about the Commissioner being the person who allocates resources, and that is based on the division of the organisation between the different pieces of legislation. Nevertheless, as a constituency Deputy in Dáil Éireann, it is important for me to raise issues in my area relating to appropriate Garda representation. A town of 30,000 people is being built in Cherrywood in my constituency and no physical space…

I wish to raise again the importance of a new relationship and sexual education programme. We know there is a problem with gender violence and domestic abuse in this country and all the advocates for change agree that a relationship and sexual education programme is essential. We have spoken to the Irish Second-Level Students' Union, ISSU, and the Union of Students in Ireland, USI. It is essential that there be a new programme. There is worry about the timeline from the Department. It is going to have the first mat…

I wish to speak on the same issue. I have raised the question of Cherrywood Garda station. I thank the Minister of State for his clarification on distribution being a matter for the Commissioner. On Garda strength, it has been the case over the past 20 years that the number of gardaí has been between 11,000 and 14,500. It is very welcome that recruitment has recommenced, with the reopening of Templemore in 2014. I thank the Minister of State for the continuing commitment to increasing the number of gardaí this year…

I thank the Minister for her response. This morning, I spoke to a woman experiencing coercive control. She told me of the difficulties she is having in that regard that continue to follow her through the family law system. The use of the family law system by perpetrators of abuse to continue to exercise control is something about which we have to be really concerned. I ask that where awareness and training is provided, that it be made available to family law judges, solicitors and others working in the family law s…