I did. I will mention it again.

As the Senator is aware, as matters currently stand, councillors can claim for the installation of a security scheme under the local representation measures that are available to them. In addition, they can get a percentage of monitoring costs thereafter. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission came forward with its own stand-alone scheme for which Deputies and Senators now qualify. That scheme is up and running. I committed at the time that we would consider putting in place a sister scheme for councillors. My off…

I thank the Members for their insightful contributions and look forward to continuing to work with them.

The Deputy has raised an issue that is particularly relevant to Ballingarry, which he represents. He will be aware the Department and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, are reviewing the nature of schemes and what is happening. The Deputy raised a dual issue: one relates to the EPA and the other is Ballingarry. It is something the Department will consider and I will speak to the Minister specifically.

As the Deputy is aware, we are looking in the Department to ensure that where people have particular issues in terms of fire safety within the buildings, works can take place and that they will be compensated for works that are done. That work is currently being finalised by the Department. As the Deputy is aware, there is legislation to follow as well. It is a matter I will take up with the officials and look for it to be expedited.

That is one thing we can agree on.

I am delighted to contribute to this debate on the impact of the Government’s five-year policy for rural Ireland. In the limited time I have I will touch on some aspects of the plan. It is a cross-government plan and I commend the work of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. I am travelling the country to visit all the local authorities at the moment, so I am seeing first-hand what is happening on the ground. First, I will mention the Croí Cónaithe scheme. We are very proud of the scheme. As of today, we have received 2…

I thank Deputy Collins. I am aware of the point the Deputy is raising and note his genuine concern. It is a matter the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, is very aware of and is one I will take back to him. I think the Deputy wants to highlight the matter again. It is something which is under constant review in the Department and I will take the matter up with the Minister, Deputy O’Brien.

I thank the Deputies for tabling this debate. I was reflecting on the fact we all know retained firefighters. They are our neighbours and friends. They are in every town and village in Ireland. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, said two key things here tonight. No one wants this dispute to continue. We want to find a way out. We recognise the phenomenal work retained firefighters do. Deputy Connolly made reference to the report. It is a good and concise report which makes 13 recommendations that are all cogent and to t…

With due respect-----

With due respect, I am more interested in finding a solution and a pathway to resolving this issue and concluding the dispute. I have spoken to retained firefighters. They do not want to be out on strike. They are perfectly entitled democratically to go out on strike, but those I have met do not wish to be out on strike. We want to find a pathway to resolve the dispute effectively. We want retained firefighters to stay in the service and we want to recruit more. The Minister commissioned the report to get to the fa…

Has the Deputy read the report?

Yes, absolutely. This report forms the basis for discussions. SIPTU was involved in formulating it. It makes the issues crystal clear.

It is simple. We have to find a way out of this dispute with the retained firefighters. We cannot continue to have disputes. It is not good for retained firefighters or for dealing with issues on the ground when there are fires. What is being put forward is that the Government is asking SIPTU to make use of the normal industrial relations machinery, which is the WRC, to re-engage and talk to the LGMA on behalf of the local authorities, which employ the retained firefighters, to find a way to get this resolved. It i…

It is correct. The report lays out exactly in its 13 recommendations what we need to do by working with Departments, retained firefighters through SIPTU, the employers through the LGMA and with the Government to find a mechanism to deal with this. There is a national pay agreement that applies across the entire public sector. Negotiations on a new agreement are about to commence. The Minister has given a firm commitment to advocate for retained firefighters to deal with the issue of increased pay for the retained f…

Deputy Stanton has raised this important matter and he is very committed on it. Certainly, our Department is actively looking at the submission that was received from Cork County Council. I have asked my officials to look specifically at it on a case-by-case basis and that work is currently under way. I hope we would be able to come to a conclusion on that to provide additional resources to Cork County Council as quickly as possible.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — through the implementation of the Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland (September 2021) and the Housing for All Action Plan Update (November 2022), the Government is actively supporting and promoting home ownership and affordable housing to reverse the change in historical patterns of home ownership evident in the past decade; — the long-term solution to the decline in home ownership remains an i…

Apologies.

There is the Croí Cónaithe scheme.

Give me the details of that lady-----