I want to push back on the Deputy's assertion that people are being lied to or are being told mistruths and untruths. It is very problematic and, frankly, it feeds the people who are spreading lies. What the Deputy said is simply not true.

When we have information that is available to share, we share it. These are fluid circumstances. Sometimes circumstances change regarding capacity, in what the provider is able to do and as to what we are able to tell people. There are fluid circumstances. We have unaccommodated people. We are trying to move as quickly as we can. The problem with that is when we give people information as soon as we can, the process can change. As we are telling people information early, the situation very often changes. If we were…

I again refute the word "lie". The Deputy was not lied to. What happens is, because these situations are fluid and because we move early, that information can change. What little bit of knowledge I have of the situation to which he refers, information changed and was not communicated in a way it should have been. That is very different from being lied to. Members of the CET are trying their best. When they get information, they communicate it out as best they can, but as I said, situations change very often. I tota…

I can only talk about the community engagement team and how it is working. It is working very well because there are lots of places opening and there is not an issue because the information is getting out. It has not worked perfectly everywhere but we are learning as we go along and it is improving.

If the Deputy does not want there to be tripe and rubbish, why does he not stop talking tripe and rubbish?

I thank the Deputy for the question. Matters relating to foster care, including any criteria relating to work, are the responsibility of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and of Tusla. The State contributory pension is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through the contributions paid by workers. The payment rate reflects the number of social insurance contributions paid over a working life. However, it is recognised that people may have periods out of the workforce for reaso…

I thank the Deputy. I should have opened by acknowledging the work that foster carers do in Ireland. There is an exceptionally high rate of foster caring for children who need care in Ireland and we must ensure that maintains. In fact, we need to grow it, which we can do by further supporting foster carers. It is important to say that the foster care allowance is payable by Tusla to foster carers on behalf of, and to offset expenses relating to, the child in foster care. The foster care allowance is not assessed as…

I am coming at this question from the point of view of my role in the Department of Social Protection and my knowledge of the foster caring side of matters is being added in, to be honest. It might be appropriate to send the question to the other Department to get more detail. The Deputy mentioned children over 12 and a disability requirement. I do not think the situation is that rigid. Different language is used in respect of the level of care required and the word "disability" is not specifically mentioned in the…

I acknowledge the important role community employment schemes play in providing valuable opportunities to participants and in supporting the delivery of key services to local communities across the country. I can confirm that in March the OECD published an impact evaluation of Ireland's active labour market programmes for long-term unemployed people finding positive labour market impacts for both the community employment and Tús programmes. The evaluation was carried out by the OECD in partnership with the European…

I thank Deputy Stanton. From my point of view I see the benefit of community employment as threefold. It supports many very important community services. As I have said, and as the OECD has said, it helps bridge the gap between the labour market and people who have found it difficult to break into it. It also has a very important social inclusion aspect for many individuals who access it. It helps them to feel part of the community and part of something important. We have come across many extraordinary examples of …

I thank the Deputies. It is important to say that this year is 30 years since CE was first started. The impact it has had on Ireland over those 30 years has been extraordinary. They are often very low profile but there are 800 CE schemes around the country. We have some of the best community people working on them and they are doing some extraordinary things for people who need a hand up. We have full employment but, as I said, there are groups that we have not reached yet. Some particularly good schemes have been …

It is a very significant and important day when a state formally recognises another. It did not really hit home for me how significant this was until I saw the Palestinian national flag flying on my way into Leinster House today. More than four years ago, when my party was negotiating for a commitment to recognise the State of Palestine in the programme for Government, we never thought it would be under such circumstances. Nevertheless, this formal expression of solidarity is hugely significant. I know from my own …

I thank the Deputy for the question. As soon as a Government decision was made last week, the community engagement team informed local TDs and councillors in Dublin Fingal. The site is close to me. I will check to see what was done there. We are operating on the basis that we give representatives all of the information when we have it. The reality of the situation is that it is a staged process. There will be stages where we do not have information. The community engagement team will set dates. I understand there a…

I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senators Ruane and Black for their question. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important topic with Members of the House today on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I tried to get myself up to speed on this issue before the Senators' question. I do not know all the ins and outs of the Act in question or what level of information the Senators have already. We will have to supply some material that I suspect the Senators may have received already. The important point to start …

Absolutely, I will follow up on it. My understanding through a conversation less than an hour ago is that no formal application has been received. I wish to take the opportunity as well to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to the International Criminal Court. I welcome the decision by the chief prosecutor to pursue arrest warrants. We also hold steadfast in our commitment to recognise the Palestinian state and we are currently co-ordinating with our partners on the most appropriate and impactful date in which th…

I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising matter and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to update the House in relation to the Ballyteague blueway. Waterways Ireland is a North-South implementation body established under the British-Irish agreement of 10 April 1998. It is funded by the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. Waterways Ireland owns a…

I thank Senator O'Loughlin for her contribution. The Ballyteague blueway initiative is designed to promote well-being through opportunities for walking, cycling and enjoying the water on paddle boards and powered craft. That needs to be available and accessible to everyone. Apart from increasing people's well-being, a greater level of use of the waterway and its towpath by visitors to the area is intended to improve the local economy and support local services. My colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Governme…

I thank the Deputy for this question. I acknowledge the efforts of the people of Borrisokane over the past four or five years in helping people feel at home. Ireland and many other European countries are experiencing a significant increase in people seeking international protection. The arrival numbers remain significantly elevated. In the first 20 weeks of 2024, nearly 8,000 people arrived in Ireland seeking accommodation from the State, averaging 398 per week. This was more than five times the average from 2017 t…

Notwithstanding the letter the Deputy has, unfortunately there have been other situations around the country where, because international protection applicants have been in IPAS accommodation and because the community has been supportive, the community has not been happy when we have had to move them.

I heard about the letter in question and I tracked it down today. I am glad it was the Deputy who read the piece into the record, rather than me. My analysis of that commitment was that it showed an incorrect understanding of the different between our mainstream housing supports and IPAS housing supports.