There is a lot happening in the pensions place in terms of auto-enrolment. There are a lot of big projects going on too. We are looking at legislation for that, and it could be next year before we see a lot of the big changes. That is a broad response to the specific question asked by the Deputy. Between child benefit, the homemakers scheme, the home caring periods and this new measure, I would be hopeful that all foster carers will be covered in terms of PRSI contributions. If that is not the case, it is important…

The Deputy got an extra shot at it there, but the point is well made. I absolutely take the point.

Since the beginning of 2022, Ireland and many other European countries have been experiencing a significant increase of new arrivals seeking international protection. As of the 25 June, more than 21,570 people are being accommodated in the International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, system as a whole, compared with 12,000 people at this time last year. Combined with that is the arrival of more than 76,000 displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the largest displacement of people in Europe since the …

I will be meeting with officials from the Department of the Taoiseach in the next week to firm up and finalise the plan. The message that will be communicated will be similar to what we consistently communicate in terms of outlining the wider context of what has happened, underlining our international responsibilities and the situations people face, and recognising what communities have done. It is important we recognise that the dominant story has been one of welcome. I held an event in Croke Park two weeks ago, w…

I will certainly bring that request to the meeting next week. I think it is a reasonable one. I want to point to a few statistics that are relevant. In the last three months, we have opened 33 new international protection accommodation centres and 88 beneficiaries of temporary protection centres. That is a total of 111 centres that have been opened in the last three months. The response has, by and large, been very good across communities. I thank An Garda Síochána for providing us with updated statistics on protes…

I am pleased to take this Commencement matter on behalf of my senior colleague in the Department of Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. Currently, there is no requirement to register wills with any State authority. The Private Members' Bill was the fourth attempt to introduce legislation that would allow for the voluntary registration of wills. The argument is being made that significant problems arise for families where there is a belief that a will exists but that it has been misplaced or lost. When this matter …

I apologise for not having a copy of my response available.

From the recommendations made by the working group, based on the submissions made by key stakeholders, it is clear that the introduction of the form of registration of wills would be counterproductive and would create more difficulties for individuals than it would seek to resolve. The Bar of Ireland has pointed out that data from the Probate Office indicated that as few as 100 out of 15,000 wills processed involved missing wills and that in almost every case, the experience was that the High Court would admit proo…

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this issue. The Central Bank has put in place a range of measures to protect customers who take out a mortgage or have another loan. This consumer protection framework seeks to ensure that all Central Bank regulated entities are transparent and fair in all their dealings with borrowers and that borrowers are protected from the beginning to the end of the mortgage life cycle. This includes, for example, through protections at the initial marketing and advertising stage and assessing…

I thank Deputy Durkan for the opportunity to speak to the House on this issue. All regulated entities, including banks, other regulated mortgage lenders, loan owners and services are required, as a matter of law, to follow the statutory Central Bank codes of conduct, including the code of conduct on mortgage arrears and the consumer protection codes. These codes are not voluntary and there can be no question of the regulated owners not following them. Failure to do so can result in the Central Bank using its range …

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for allowing me the opportunity to provide an update on this matter. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provides funding to local authorities under the suite of housing adaptation grants for older people and people with a disability, to assist people in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. These grants are available to people with an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual disability…

On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Deputy Gould for raising this matter with reference to the situation of Michael Barry. It is an issue that is of importance to many children and their families in CHO 4. The HSE provides an extensive range of medical aids and appliances to individuals living with a wide variety of different medical conditions. These aids and appliances support individuals to continue living within their communities and enjoy a greater quality of life than would otherwise be the case. Th…

I have listened very carefully to the points made by the Senator. The funding available for these grants in 2023 has been increased by almost €2 million on the original 2022 provision bringing it to a total of €83 million. Given the real benefits of these schemes to people who rely on them to continue living their lives independently in their own homes, our objective is to continue to provide further increases in funding every year as part of the Estimates process. Further increases will be in line with commitments…

I again thank the Deputy, on behalf of the Minister, for raising this matter of great importance to children and their families in CHO 4. The aids and appliances provided by the HSE under the community-funded schemes support individuals to continue living within their communities. They are prescribed on the basis of an identified clinical need and provided in line with established criteria. The HSE advises that age is not a factor when a clinical need is identified. However, vacancies in the children's disability n…

I thank the Senator. He will be aware that the Department of Education's statement of strategy sets out the vision and mission of the Department for an educational system where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured in reaching their full potential. It sets as a goal to ensure equity of opportunity in education and that all pupils are supported to fulfil their potential. Since June 2020, and over the past three budgets, the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, has secured …

The introduction of the free primary schoolbooks scheme is a historic moment in education and helps us live up to the promise of free education. I thank the Senator for raising this matter and emphasise the significance of the funding for this groundbreaking scheme. I also acknowledge the enormous amount of work that has taken place since the scheme was announced in March. It is ongoing to ensure children and young people in primary and special school have books in place for the beginning of new school year. I than…

As the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, mentioned in his opening remarks, this year marks an important milestone for LGBTQI+ equality. It is important that this week, as Pride celebrations enter a period of high activity, we reflect on the progress we have made in Ireland while reaffirming our commitment to the protection and promotion of LGBTQI+ equality as we move forward. We know that Pride means different things to different people. However, at its essence Pride means a protest, a celebration and a remembrance. It is…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on the Department of Rural and Community Development's Our Rural Future plan. As someone from a rural, small-farming background, I am familiar with many of the issues facing those living and working outside the main urban centres. I am pleased my roles at three Departments each give me the opportunity to contribute something positive towards rejuvenating and helping maximise the potential of rural Ireland. At the Department of Rural and Community Development I oversee…

I understand the submission from Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign to the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use makes a number of suggestions for key areas of action, including further investment in community development responses and the need to enhance the voice of communities in tackling deprivation and its links with drug abuse. The Deputy will appreciate that some of the actions called for in Citywide’s submission are cross-governmental and go beyond the sole remit of my Department. What is clear throughout Citywide’s s…

I will flesh out a little my Department’s responsibilities on the national drug strategy. My Department has two main goals within the strategy, both of which are implemented under SICAP. These are to provide supports, including homework clubs, additional tuition and career guidance counselling and to support community awareness of drugs programmes and youth work in collaboration with schools and other youth programmes and second, to use SICAP to improve the life chances and opportunities of those that are marginali…