This morning, unfortunately, I was not selected to speak to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, about the Passport Office. I have to raise it today because I have received several telephone calls about the telephone lines not being answered, the live chat and the emergency number and whether it is 24 hours. I am dealing with a case and I feel very sorry for the man concerned. On Tuesday, his wife and daughter flew out for a holiday, but he could not fly out because of his daughter's passport. The Pass…

Yes.

I would like to inquire if there will be an increase in the level of funding to local authorities to ensure that the current level of fire service is maintained. In addition, are there plans to bring a voluntary fire service into full-time service and retain a fire service scheme in the Carlow fire service? Virtually every town in Ireland has a local fire brigade made up of experienced first responders who are advanced first aid officers and are tied to the town, particularly when they are on call 24 hours a day or…

I thank the Minister of State and I am aware of his commitment and that of the senior Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. My first concern is that it is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts. That should be addressed and all local authorities should look at this. I ask the Minister of State for a commitment on this. It is about resources and saving lives and it is something that can be done. If this can be done in some of the local authorities, it should be rolled out across…

I am delighted to join my colleague, Deputy Ó Cuív, in bringing forward this Bill in the House today. It is an important Bill for the thousands of householders excluded from support for the maintenance and repair of their septic tanks because they did not register their septic tanks by a prescribed date. A registration and inspection scheme was introduced in 2012 for domestic wastewater treatment systems such as septic tanks. A homeowner with a septic tank or similar system must have registered its details with his…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I welcome any legislation that seeks to provide a framework for regulating surrogacy and addressing the gaps in the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015. It is good that the Bill will provide, for the first time in Ireland, regulation of this wide-ranging and technology-centred area of healthcare. Nevertheless, it is sad that the time spent waiting for this legislation to pass has no doubt seen many couples pass the age when they could have had a child via AHR. Almost none of the recommendations of the Govern…

As the Minister knows, carer's allowance is means tested for people living in the State providing care and attention to a child or adult with such a disability that he or she requires full-time care as a result. I know the Government's budget 2022 introduced new measures that will take effect in June. Family Carers Ireland estimates that only one in five of Ireland's 375,000 carers receive care allowance due to the strict eligibility criteria attached to the payment. We do not acknowledge how families are really gi…

The Bill provides for the reopening of the employment wage subsidy scheme, EWSS, for certain businesses that would otherwise not be eligible and for such businesses to continue to be supported until the expiry of the scheme. The objective of the scheme is to support employment and maintain the link between employer and employee. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government has adopted a proactive and dynamic approach to supporting businesses and individuals during those challenging times, and they reall…

What does the Government intend to do in the short term to alleviate the impact of rising fuel and energy costs on businesses and consumers? I am aware this is a very serious issue for the Taoiseach and that, from talking to all of us, he is aware of it. I also want to talk about Ukraine. It has had an effect on fuel costs. I have had contact with a family in Carlow regarding a case that I am sure the Taoiseach is aware of, namely, that of a medical student, Racheal, who is trapped in Ukraine. The good news is she …

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle very much. As we celebrate International Women's Day, I am thinking of the women and children fleeing war in Ukraine. We are all thinking and praying for Racheal Diyaolu who will hopefully be out of the country as soon as possible. We must also think of those who have fled war in the Middle East and in Africa. I am thinking of women who flee violence in their own home and I am grateful for the hard work that is under way to put a refuge for County Carlow on the priority list. I kno…

I welcome the investment the Minister and his Department have committed to the south-east region under the national development plan. Where are we at in terms of the full integration of Carlow College, St. Patrick's into the higher education system? Will it be possible to expedite the integration process following the establishment of the technological university from 1 May?

Now that Covid restrictions have eased, I have been happy to meet with groups around County Carlow. An issue that has come up often is the lack of gardaí in communities. I want to discuss with the Minister the number of community gardaí in Carlow and Kilkenny because there certainly are concerns that there are not enough of them. I have written to the Garda Commissioner to ask about recruitment in my constituency. I am very concerned about this since we are now centralised, with Carlow seeming to be the poor relati…

I thank the Minister of State. It is great to welcome the recruitment of 800 gardaí and staff members. The Minister of State said 97 community gardaí were assigned to the Kilkenny–Carlow division but did not actually tell me how many gardaí are in Carlow. Although Carlow is smaller than Kilkenny, I am a Deputy for Carlow-Kilkenny and believe it is important that I get the figures for Carlow. It is good to see the increase but it is important that Carlow is never left behind. I always feel it is because it is a smal…

I thank the Minister. Before I continue, I acknowledge how engaged the Minister and his staff have been. He listened to families, survivors and the wider community and made changes in this legislation that were recommended to him. We had a very lengthy process at committee but it was good that we did so. The Chairman, Deputy Funchion, and committee members from all parties worked extremely hard. We were honoured to listen to the stories we heard and we were all affected by them . There is no question about it. I kn…

I have had some calls from older people in Carlow who are no longer allowed to drive a school bus because they have turned 70. I have repeatedly asked why Irish citizens can serve as public representatives after the age of 70 in either of these Houses yet other people cannot drive a school bus at that age. It is policy that retirement age is currently 66 at Bus Éireann but part-time school bus drivers and drivers nominated by the private operators as school bus drivers may continue in this role subject to completin…

The Minister for Transport.

It does. I thank the Taoiseach.

I thank the Minister for his statement. More than half a million people, most of them women and children, have already fled Ukraine. It is the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. In this age of social media, we are watching the horror unfold on our devices. I was especially concerned to hear 19-year-old Rachel from Carlow, a medical student in Ukraine, tell her experience today. We need the Minister's assistance to get her home. I have emailed him and the Taoiseach on this matter and I have more inform…

I thank the Minister of State for the sports capital grant in Carlow, and particularly for St. Leo's College. The Minister of State gave his commitment to women in sport and they got their full grant of €300,000. On the appeals process, I have written to the Department. There are three clubs in Carlow that had originally been requested to provide further information and they did not get the grant. Will the Minister of State contact them or do they have to contact the Department? Communication is key here to ensure …