I thank the Minister of State. In August 2023, it was reported that Carlow-Kilkenny Garda district had the third fewest Garda members per capita , at 312. Of these, only 107 Garda members are assigned to one of the six Carlow stations, down from 116 in 2017 and 113 in 2019. Additionally, only 15 Garda staff have been assigned to Carlow. Garda staff are essential in freeing gardaí from desk duties, allowing them to go back into our community. If we want to build stronger, safer communities, we need sufficient and su…

I welcome that. I understand 746 trainees entered Templemore last year, representing the highest intake to the Garda College since 2018, which is welcome. Even so, in 2020, ten graduates were assigned to the Carlow district but that fell to two graduates in 2021, five in 2022 and three in 2023. We really need to address this. I understand and welcome the ongoing recruitment campaign and we will, I hope, see higher numbers go into Templemore. Everything is changing. The world is changing. The population of Carlow, a…

What plans does the Minister have to tackle food waste?

Globally, a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. The EPA estimates that, in Ireland, we waste approximately 750,000 tonnes of food each year. According to its 2021 research, most of that wastage occurred at the manufacturing and processing stage, representing 29%, and at the household stage, another 29%, with 25% of waste generated by restaurants and the food service industry. I welcome the Minister’s comments about what has been launched, but where household waste is concerned, I am …

The Minister spoke about the hard work done by our farming community. The same applies to hoteliers and everyone else across the board. Food is important to us. According to the EPA’s 2021 report, the Government funded the efficient food project, which estimated the amount of food waste and loss in primary production in Ireland for the first time. It is important that the Government has recognised this issue. I pay tribute to my farmers in Carlow-Kilkenny. I see the work they do. I met them at the rally two weeks a…

Sometimes the public gets very frustrated when we have the Opposition motions we do not agree with, but then they see the countermotion put forward that leads to a Bill like this. In March 2023, the Government approved a countermotion to a Private Members' motion regarding the eviction ban which included a commitment that the Government would extend the rent-a-room scheme disregard for social welfare recipients, extend the disregard into medical card criteria from 1 May 2023, and allow local authority tenants to ac…

It shows the commitment of the Government that the three Ministers are in front of us this morning to answer all our questions. That is important because sometimes we come in for questions and find it hard to get the Ministers we want to address. I welcome the Ministers. My question, as always, is on Carlow - as if the Ministers did not know when they saw me. I am looking to know the number of vacant social homes returned to active use in Carlow from 2020 to 2023 and the expectations for same for 2024.

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the 144 between 2020 and 2023. This year in Carlow, 33 properties got the funding and that is really important to us. The €50,000 grant for a vacant property has played a huge part in this. It is really good and has been really positive for us, as has the €70,000 which is being given to derelict properties. There have been huge game-changers. All these grants and all these properties that are now being done up are so important and I welcome it. On Barrack Street in Carlow, h…

I again thank the Minister of State. I welcome this because I see all the good work that is being done in Carlow daily. I want to raise HAP. Previous speakers raised homelessness and just since January we have had 45 cases of homelessness in Carlow. The HAP rates are being reviewed at the moment, which I welcome, and seemingly we will have a decision on the changes to them in April. That is what the Department is telling me. I am meeting with Carlow County Council and if someone is homeless, it only has a 30% discr…

Child poverty is a huge concern for the Government and I know the Taoiseach is committed to addressing it. I always go back to Carlow and Kilkenny as I know so much about the issues there. A few years ago, Fr. Dunphy, I and other members set up what would technically be called a soup kitchen but which we call St. Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen, through which we give food to families and children and give out food parcels. However, we do not get a grant and we cannot get funding from the Government. That needs to be ad…

I know schools in Carlow that have been told they are getting new builds. A commitment has also been given to one school in Castletroy, Limerick, which my own grandson attends, but there has been no further word on that. My concern is that while we have done a lot with schools and building, we cannot get any communication from the Department on delivery, timescale or if there is a priority list and who is on it. Lack of information is my big concern. Schools are told that they are getting a new build and then cost …

I too want to speak about fatalities on the roads in the last few weeks and months, which are very concerning. There were 188 road fatalities in 2023, the highest since 2014, when the figure was 192. As of 13 February, there have already been 22 fatalities and 20 collisions on our roads in 2024. One fatality is too many but 22 already in February is worrying. There are families at this moment who are absolutely heartbroken. Their lives have changed forever. We need to work on this. I welcome the change of default s…

I would like to ask about the number of Carlow businesses that are likely to qualify for the increased cost of business grants. As the Minister will know, and as previous speakers have said, small businesses are very heavily impacted by payroll, taxes, the higher minimum wage, PRSI, paid sick leave and now the new deposit scheme. This tax is an issue that has been raised with me a lot recently. Businesses are under pressure and there is no doubt about that. I have seen a few recently closing in my own area in Carlo…

I also welcome the Minister's full support, particularly for the smaller businesses that are feeling all of the extra costs. In rural Ireland and in small towns and villages in counties Carlow and Kilkenny and other areas, small family businesses are part of the community and the environment. They play such a huge part and we do not want to see them closing. We want to keep all of our small businesses open. The Minister said he now realises that smaller businesses are under so much pressure. I know that he will con…

It is for both Ministers.

This issue was raised by previous speakers. Many people who come to my clinics in Carlow cannot get access to GP services. This has become a major issue. As the Minister is aware, if you have no GP, you have no medical card. I am finding that this is becoming a regular occurrence. The Irish Medical Organisation has stated that attracting GPs to rural areas has become significantly more difficult in the past decade. A HSE nurse range me yesterday. She told me that she applied for an internal post as a schools public…

I will come in for a second. I thank the Minister. I want to address, as previous speakers have done, the number of fatalities on our roads. I want to speak about road safety, proper infrastructure and signage. As the Minister is probably aware, in the early hours of this morning in County Carlow, three young people lost their lives, and one has gone to hospital. This is very serious, and we need to address it.

The Deputy can go on.

Carlow has been a leader in research and innovation since the scientist John Tyndall first asked if the sky was blue. He was a great Carlow man. I always bring him up in the House. We witnessed the success of students from Tyndall College, Tullow Community School and St. Leo’s at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition just this month. We in Carlow are punching way above our weight in science. I welcome that Carlow’s South East Technological University, SETU, which has campuses in Carlow, Waterford and Wexfo…

I, too, welcome this. It is important for communities. I have spoken to the Minister several times about Carlow County Council's submission of an application regarding the Tullow Road community hub. The cost is estimated at €4.1 million, which has been requested. The project is shovel-ready. The Tullow Road in Carlow has a lot of housing but there are not many facilities there. This community hub would play a huge role for the people who live there. I ask that we be one of the successful candidates. I know the Mini…