Thank you, Deputy Durkan. I ask Deputy Murphy not to name people outside of the House.

Thank you, Deputy. Please be mindful of your obligations.

Like every Deputy’s office, my office has been inundated with calls and emails in regard to passports. As we know, there is a serious backlog in the passport application process but there are further problems that have not been addressed. The online application system is welcome and 90% of people are applying online. However, the system is indicating dates of arrival of people’s passports but the passports tend not to arrive for weeks after the date specified on the link. Many people have missed holidays as the dat…

I congratulate the Carlow and Kilkenny groups on their Pride of Place awards. We are very proud of them. I recently had a meeting with representatives of the HSE on children’s services. All of us identified barriers between the Department of Education and the HSE. There seems to be no communication and the system is overwhelmed. I am wondering about the system model. Most children are waiting for over two years to be assessed. The schools are now putting pressure on parents to provide a diagnosis in order to secure…

My question is also about passports and the serious backlog relating to them. We know there is a huge issue with children's passports and new passports. One of the serious problems I am facing is that the online application system is indicating dates for the arrival of people's passports. However, some passports tend not to arrive for weeks after the specified date and many people are missing holidays as a result. I know the staff are doing their best. The other issue, which is also serious, relates to the phone li…

I did not know that. Is it next Thursday?

Lovely.

I raise a financial issue. As the Taoiseach will know, on 1 May, Carlow became a university town and county and the south east got a technological university, but that brings many challenges. Carlow County Council has applied for €12 million in funding for a project to extend the library in Carlow because we need the services. The library is too small and is inadequate for the expanding services now that university status has been awarded. We have received stage 2 approval and we have proceeded to stage 3. Carlow C…

We will now move on to the Labour Party. Deputy Ó Ríordáin is standing in for Deputy Bacik.

We now have two speakers, Deputies Cronin and Stanley, who both have two and a half minutes each.

Deputy Cathal Crowe has four minutes, followed by Deputy Cowen, who has seven minutes.

Deputy Cowen will.

Affordable housing regulations require that 70% of the units advertised must be allocated on the basis of priorities. This only leaves 30% of the units for the local authority based on the local criteria. In the last private housing scheme to come on the market in Carlow, 26% of the units were sold to people who were not resident. It meant that because of the criteria the Carlow people did not qualify. Can the criteria be set so that people in the local area who want to buy affordable housing meet the criteria?

Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan is next.

Deputy Calleary is taking No. 77 and I am taking No. 78.

I have got word.

I agree with the previous speakers. I am concerned that the figures the Minister has given for exceptional needs payments are extremely low. In my area I have met people who find it very hard to get that payment to purchase a boiler, fridge or washing machine. That needs to be looked at seriously. We all know that places were closed during the pandemic. Accessing welfare became a burden for people. This needs to be addressed. I am finding that people are not getting their payments and we must ask why that is the ca…

This question intends to find out the number of those availing of parent's leave and parent's benefit, by county, since the extension was announced on 1 April 2021 and asks the Minister to make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister. I welcomed last year's extension of parent's leave and benefit to all eligible parents of children born or adopted after 1 November 2019. Those five weeks' leave must be used within two years of the child's birth or adoption. These are important payments and help parents to take the time needed to support their children and to help meet the cost of living. As children grow, another benefit that is of great importance for parents is child benefit. We know it is a crucial payment for many parent…

I thank the Minister. I appreciate what she has said and will come back to her with those details. Are parents aware of enhanced supports under last year's announcement for parent's leave and parent's benefit? Does more need to be done in communication of that? We have talked about social welfare and the needs assessment office with our social welfare office, which is doing its best. The Minister has spoken about people not getting their payments. Sometimes the problem may be a lack of information. Different office…