Last week The Ditch published an article on the business interests of Sinn Féin's finance director. He is more than a mere employee; he is one of the eight grey eminences who manage the Sinn Féin Party, North and South. He was the executor of the estate of William Hampton, the Englishman who left millions of pounds to Sinn Féin in the Republic of Ireland, only for the money to turn up in the accounts of Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland. It is a murky story of planning irregularities, substandard rental properties and …

I agree that people should be able to get their driving tests in a timely manner. People in rural areas in particular need their cars to get to work, get to college and go about their business. This is a really big problem. I would be reluctant to make any commitment on waiving the requirement to have an accompanying driver. That is a road safety issue, and I would be reluctant to make any changes there, but we are investing in the service and hiring more driver testers. Like the work permit delays and the passport…

I have had the same experience the Deputy has had and have met many people in my constituency who have been really shocked by some of the utility bills that have landed in their letterboxes in recent weeks. These are the winter bills. They are extremely high. Unfortunately, there is another one on the way. The Government is acting. We have extended the 9% VAT rate on electricity and gas until the end of October. There is another €200 energy credit on the way and, of course, we have provided for targeted welfare pay…

I will have to ask the Minister for Transport to engage with the Deputy on that matter. Local authorities do not need to entirely rely on central Government for funding for local and regional roads. Local authorities have other income, including income from commercial rates, the local property tax and other sources, and there are councils in Ireland that do not rely entirely on central government grants for roads. That has to be taken into account as well.

The NORA levy is there for a reason; it is there to fund the operations of NORA, which ensures we have energy security and we have supplies of petrol and diesel on hand if we need them. It is paid by everyone, including people in urban and rural Ireland and people who live beyond the M50 and commute long distances. That includes most of my constituents, who are beyond the M50. The levy is paid by everyone. I appreciate that people travelling long distances, whether it is commuters or people in rural areas, will pay…

I am not across the detail of this so I will have to ask the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, to engage directly with the Deputy. As a general point, I do not think people should be afraid of competition or going out to tender. I have seen this happen with other services and in the vast majority of cases the existing provider got the contract because it was doing a good job. In some cases it did not get it because it was not doing a good job. People should not be afraid of being accountable and bei…

That is duly acknowledged.

The Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, and the Government, remain committed to a reimagined senior cycle of education where the student is at the centre and where students are prepared for the modern world of work and the modern world in which they live. The decision to defer the move of paper 1 to fifth year was done following reflection on the views provided by stakeholders in answering a call for clarity from students. The Minister has decided to defer the change in the scheduling of paper 1. Taking this step…

There is a planning process.

Before any offshore wind farm gets permission, there is a planning process and the planning authorities have to listen to what the developers have to say. They also have to listen to what the fishers have to say. I am sure that they will do so and that they will take account of what the best thing to do is. I would not dismiss their concerns whatsoever. The fishing industry is important to Ireland, as is the offshore energy sector, which certainly will be important to Ireland because it is the key to our energy ind…

It does not make sense.

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 1 go 7, go huile, le chéile. The role of the social policy and public service reform division is to assist me, as Taoiseach, and the Government, in fulfilling programme for Government objectives to help create a socially inclusive and fair society. Specifically, the division assists the work of the newly-established Cabinet committees, as follows. The Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services and the associated senior officials' group oversee programme for Government commi…

I thank the Deputies once again for the questions. Deputy Ó Ríordáin raised the issue of senior cycle or leaving certificate reform. I assure the House that we are committed to ensuring that the leaving certificate is reformed and that it meets the needs of Irish students and the broader society and economy. Any system that does not evolve, no matter how highly regarded it is, will be overtaken by other countries where systems have evolved to prepare students for the ever-changing modern world. For example, the vol…

On the serious point, both Ministers of State, Deputies Richmond and Calleary, are working on changes to company law and employment law with regard to insolvencies, workers' rights, redundancy and the interplay therein. I am familiar with some issues around the energy credit, particularly for people living in mobile homes and caravans. I am not particularly familiar with the one around the DG6 meters but I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about it. If all else fails, the way around this might be to us…

I can. Could the Deputy send me a note on it? There are a few anomalies that I am not 100% sure on; I am not fully across that one.

I thank the Deputies for their questions and I propose to take Question Nos. 8 to 12, inclusive, together. The high-level action plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, agreed by the Government in July 2022, sets out that the initial implementation and oversight structure would comprise a high-level steering board chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, an independently chaired implementation oversight group and an implementation management office. The high-level st…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. Regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, the high-level action plan sets out the initial implementation and oversight structures. The high-level steering board is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, and that oversees delivery. The implementation oversight group has been established to monitor the implementation of the recommendations approved by the Government. The group, chaired by Ms Juli…

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 13 go 17, go huile, le chéile. The national security committee is chaired by the Secretary General of the Government and comprises representatives at the highest level from the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Defence, Environment, Climate and Communications, including the National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. The committee is concerned with ensuring that the Government and myself are advised of high-level security issues and the respons…

I thank the Deputies. The Government has invested considerably over the past number of years in the National Cyber Security Centre, which is currently operated at a high state of preparedness and response due to recent cyber incidents and the Russian invasion of Ukraine and related cyber and hybrid threats arising from that conflict. The NCSC monitors potential threats and is in ongoing contact with our counterparts in the European Union, the UK, the US and other countries to share information and monitor the impac…

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 18 agus 19 le chéile. The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for Government commitments on the environment and climate change. The Cabinet committee considers matters relating to climate change, biodiversity loss and the quality of our water and air. It is a forum for consideration of potential policies or interventions posed at a national or EU level to improve Ireland's environmental performance. The updated c…