Sorry, ten minutes was on the clock. The Deputy can have 20 minutes.

Many children will be in a more vulnerable position because of the cost-of-living crisis. A Barnardos survey recently revealed that 26% of parents felt they did not have enough food to feed their children over the past year and that the cost-of-living crisis had led to 41% of parents cutting back on food spending. I welcome our budget. In July 2022, the Government report, Food Poverty: Government Programmes, Schemes and Supports, told of €89 million spent directly to address food poverty, with €400 million spent on…

I greatly appreciate the efforts of the Government to reinforce new social welfare measures in the context of this legislation. It is good to see the goals of our recent budget fully realised and put into the legislation. After all, families who rely on welfare need as much help as they can get, and sooner rather than later. We can see the rising costs in the context of prices. Even for the immediate future, we are seemingly going to have a very harsh winter inbound. I welcome the €283,000 in social welfare support…

Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 was agreed at a meeting of the Council of Energy Ministers on 30 September 2022 and came into force on 8 October 2022. This regulation places a cap on market revenues for non-gas technologies in the electricity sector and introduces a temporary solidarity contribution based on taxable profits for fossil fuels production and oil refining, as well as reduction targets of 10% of overall electricity consumption and 5% of consumption during peak hours. I am pleased that we will implemen…

Budget 2023 proposed €65 million for section 39 funding and yet I am still waiting to see any action on that funding. I met with representatives from Holy Angels in Carlow this week. As the Taoiseach knows, the funding is to support community-based voluntary organisations in the provision of disability, nursing home and hospital services across the country. I was told the funding would be there by the middle of the month. We are now in the middle of the month but I spoke to the HSE last week. I rang them and they t…

I thank the Taoiseach.

I am aware that the interdepartmental steering committee is making domestic violence service provision a priority. I am told there is funding available to support action at local level while we wait for a women's refuge in Carlow town. We are moving on it. It is a bit slow but we have the funding and we are getting there. However, we are struggling with the provision we have for emergency accommodation for those fleeing violence and experiencing homelessness. This is not just a women's issue. Men's Aid Ireland has …

As the Minister knows, I love having a chance to discuss Carlow people and Science Week allows me to talk about County Carlow's great 19th-century scientist, inventor, educator and mountaineer, John Tyndall. As one of Ireland’s great scientists, he discovered, among many other things, the science of climate change and why the sky is blue, developed the sterilisation method called Tyndallisation and published what is considered the first book in English on mountaineering. Even a crater on the planet Mars is named in…

Could I ask the Minister about funding to assist students as they cope with the cost-of-living crisis? In Carlow, we now have the South East Technological University and Carlow College. However, while students in the university can access Government supports to combat the cost-of-living crisis, those in the college cannot. Some third-level students can receive funding for laptops under the assistance scheme but Carlow College students cannot access that scheme. The college loses out on mental health funding and oth…

I have told several Ministers about the state of services for medical cardholders and working people with PRSI contributions. Dental services for medical cardholders are already under significant pressure in all areas. I am now seeing a worrying development that causes me to question the model of contract used. I am acutely aware of the pressure on dental services for medical cardholders in Carlow because I have been on the phone to dentists in my area asking for help with emergencies and severe cases. Subsidised d…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I welcome that consultation with relevant bodies, including the Irish Dental Association, will be undertaken as soon as possible. During the Covid pandemic, older people and those with medical cards found it hard to get access to their dentist. In fairness to the dentists, they worked extremely hard. Following this consultation, we need to ensure that the most vulnerable people in our communities are looked after. They need to be able to get the full benefit with their m…

I welcome and fully support the Bill to legislate on hate crime and hate speech. My party introduced hate crime legislation in the Seanad. It is long past time for proper legislation in this area. Hate crime is real and has real impact. In 2021, An Garda Síochána recorded 448 hate crimes and hate-related non-crime incidents. I pay tribute to An Garda Síochána on its work. I am always asking the Minister about Garda recruitment. I know how important a role the Garda plays. It is important that we have as many gardaí…

I have welcomed the revised planning exemption for the installation of rooftop solar panels. However, there is an issue regarding support for the installation of these panels. We have discovered that farmers who want to avail of solar panel grants can only use the electricity generated from those grant-aided panels on the farm they sit on and cannot pass on the benefit. I spoke to a businessman in Tullow about this issue this week. Murphy's Butchers has won the award for the best pork sausages in the world. I congr…

His name is Laz Murphy and his business is Murphy's Butchers in Tullow. As the Taoiseach knows, this is a business that relies heavily on refrigeration. Mr. Murphy inquired about solar panels and, following a survey, decided to double his planned amount of money for installation. He was told he would not get the extra grant approved. He was very disappointed because he wants to install all these panels, on which he really relies. As I said to him, this is part of the programme for Government so I know the Taoiseach…

Next time.

I will.

We are delighted to have you back, a Cheann Comhairle. You were sorely missed. Welcome back. It is great to see you looking so well. I welcome, in budget 2023, the secured funding of €1.68 billion for the delivery of water services. While this involves a significant increase in many areas, there are many challenges. One of them that I have been on about for years is the Bagenalstown wastewater treatment plant, the upgrade of which has been listed for quite a long time in Irish Water's current capital investment pla…

The Deputy's time is up. Deputies Michael Collins and Mattie McGrath are sharing the next slot.

I want to talk about householders in Carlow who contact me every day. A homeowner contacted NBI, the Department and me several times regarding concerns about the change of ownership before a project was completed. He believes he will be forgotten. The original contract specified 200,000 connections by the end of January 2022. The man lives on Coppinaugh Road in Tullow. There are 34 houses on a 3 km stretch of road which is not served by broadband. His area was surveyed two years ago and he was meant to be connected…

My question on the Garda Reserve is the same. When will recruitment commence next year? There is a significant shortage of gardaí in my area of County Carlow. I have written to the Garda Commissioner to ask about recruitment in my area but the Garda Reserve plays a significant role, particularly in communities. The biggest issue that comes up in our joint policing committee is the lack of gardaí in communities. The Garda Reserve has a significant part to play and does a great job. I ask that this happen as soon as …