Just think about all those people who collect the stamps or who pay their bills and have done so for years. It is an insult and a kick in the teeth for them. The oddest thing in the policy is the proposal that we continue to pay €12.5 million a year to An Post for not collecting the charge when it is abolished. I am all for supporting An Post but giving people €12 million a year to collect a charge that does not exist anymore-----

-----really is comical.

The HSE hired 8,000 extra staff last year, which was probably the biggest increase in a very long time. The HSE service plan next year provides for it to hire an additional 2,000 to 3,000 staff. I do not know what the Deputy's definition of a recruitment freeze is but 8,000 extra staff last year and another 2,000 or 3,000 this year, to me, is not a recruitment freeze. However, it will not be the free-for-all we have seen in previous years. It cannot be and it should not be. As part of the plans, 400 more beds will …

We will continue to do what we have done to date, namely, use our voice and vote at the UN and EU in support of the Palestinian people and increase funding for agencies, such as UNRWA, when other countries have suspended their funding. We are working with other countries on the possibility of statehood recognition. We have clearly called for the EU-Israel Association Agreement to be on the table because we believe Israel may have breached the human rights clause. We will continue doing all of these things and we wi…

We are not going to introduce a digital tax. Ireland is a hub for digital and we have huge investments and huge numbers of people working in digital and tech. I do not want to undermine that by imposing a tax on them. There are levies for regulation but that is a different thing. We have also provided emergency funding to RTÉ, precisely because we want to protect employment there and continue to fund public service broadcasting but I accept that is not sustainable into the medium term. We will make a decision on a …

The capital budget for this year, which is money invested in public infrastructure like schools, hospitals, roads and transport, is €13 billion. That is four times the amount when I was first appointed to Government in 2011. That is the extent to which we have ramped up investment in public infrastructure in recent years. The additional amount to be allocated is €2.25 billion over the next three years. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is currently in negotiations with Ministers about how that will be allocated and to …

I thank the Deputy. We are opening primary care centres all over the country, including in his constituency. We have increased the number of GPs being trained every year to more than 300. Two GPs are now qualifying every year for every one who retires. I appreciate that is against the backdrop of a rising population and increased demand. There are particular challenges in disadvantaged parts of our urban areas and also in rural areas. The particular challenge in rural areas is that times have changed and GPs want t…

I am not aware of that but I will certainly make inquiries. It has not been brought to my attention to date.

Let me get the facts first and then I can let the Deputy know.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. A number of years ago, the Department of Foreign Affairs commissioned a report on this and set out a number of actions that can be taken to assist Irish people returning home. Roughly 30,000 Irish citizens come home every year - 90,000 in the past three years. In many cases, they have not been away for long and so it can be straightforward but where they have been away for a long time, it can be much more challenging, as is often the case in moving to another cou…

I understand those allocations will be made on Thursday. I think the information the Deputy has been given is probably incorrect. I am not referring to national roads here; they are a separate pot. I am talking about local and regional roads. Sometimes restoration and maintenance of existing roads and funding for new local and regional roads get mixed up in the one pot which can create the appearance of a cut. For example, in County Kildare, which the Ceann Comhairle will know very well, the fact that the Athy bypa…

I am afraid I do not. A number of BusConnects projects are progressing around the country. I am not fully up to date on that one and do not want to mislead the Deputy but I will let the Minister, Deputy Ryan's, team know she raised it today and ask him to come back to her directly.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a cuid ceisteanna agus gabhaim buíochas leis an ateangaire. I am advised the planning system in Ireland recognises the importance of continued daily use of the Irish language, especially in Gaeltacht areas. Section 46 of the Bill places an obligation on planning authorities to prepare, as part of a city or county development plan, a strategy relating to the creation, improvement and preservation of sustainable places and communities. This includes a provision relating to the prot…

I am afraid I do no have the information Deputy Collins asked for. That sounds like a very good service and I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to come back to him directly during the week. On Deputy Clarke's question, I am advised there has been a change to the special education teacher allocation model. However, there are not cuts. There is an increase of 1,000 special education teachers to 14,600. While some schools will see a decrease in the number of hours, 67% of schools will see an increase in their al…

Just to clarify, I should say that increase of 1,000 special education teachers for the school year coming is compared to the school year in 2021, not last year.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together. The work of the child poverty and well-being programme office is to prioritise action across government in areas that will have the greatest effect for children and families experiencing poverty. From Poverty to Potential: A Programme Plan for Child Well-being 2023-2025 was published last year and is the initial programme plan for the child poverty and well-being programme office in the Department. The programme builds on six focus areas identified by Go…

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of child and family homelessness. Assisting individuals and families facing homelessness is a major focus for the Government and increasing the supply of housing, particularly social housing, is critical in responding to homelessness. We are now seeing record levels of investment being provided through Housing for All. In 2024, more than €5 billion is being provided for the provision of housing and we anticipate more social housing will be provided this year than in any year sin…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 15, inclusive, together. The Programme for Government: Our Shared Future committed to establishing four citizens’ assemblies on the following topics: biodiversity loss; the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin; drugs use; and the future of education. Three of those four citizens’ assemblies have concluded their work and submitted their reports to the Oireachtas. The Dublin Citizens' Assembly concluded its meetings in October 2022…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. In response to Deputy Ó Murchú, I understand what he is saying about complex and chaotic cases. I have come across them myself but as every case is different, it is difficult to comment without knowing the circumstances. I know the Deputy appreciates that. A number of Deputies raised the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use, which was discussed at Cabinet today. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, brought a memo to Cabinet establishing a dedicated committee, which will be ma…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 25, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on children and education oversees the implementation of commitments in the programme for Government in the area of children and education, including further and higher education, with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being. The Cabinet committee provides for a greater focus on improving the lives of all children in Ireland and giving them the best start possible, ensuring every child has the opportunity to fulfil their …