I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 to 33, inclusive, together. The social dialogue unit, part of the economic division of the Department, co-ordinates and assists the Government's overall approach to social dialogue. Social dialogue takes place through a variety of mechanisms. This includes the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, which engages with representatives of employers and trade unions on economic and employment issues insofar as they affect the labour market and which are of mutual concern. The most rec…

I was heartened and encouraged to see the very good turnout at the rally at the weekend. People were saying no to racism and that refugees are welcome in Ireland. The numbers who turned out dwarfed the attendance at any anti-migrant protest we have seen to date. Everyone was encouraged by the number of people who were willing to be there. I will say two things in addition to that. I really believe that, for any anti-racism campaign to be as strong as it can be, it should be inclusive of everyone and of all parties.…

-----for its part in that injustice providing a scheme that is-----

Regarding the 382 deaths among those using homeless services in Dublin in 2018, we need to recall that behind every number there is a person. We must always remember that with any death of a person experiencing homelessness, there is a family and loved ones who are grieving the loss of that person. Of course, just as is the case for people who are not homeless, people who are homeless can die for any number of different reasons. I am advised the article is based on information released by the Dublin Region Homeless…

In the darkest days of our country's history, faced with famine, violence and the loss of our independence and freedom, we clung to a single hope. We endured, fought for, dreamed of and died for the promise of a better future, a better life for our children and for ourselves. In the same period, we fled in our millions to other parts of the world. Some were lucky and were able to breathe freely and create new lives for themselves. Others were discriminated against, despised, abused and rejected. As a country and a …

I will take a moment to pay tribute to Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, who announced her resignation today. I met her many times in Dublin and also in the context of the British-Irish Council. I always found her to be an impressive, competent, articulate and thoughtful politician, a true European and a friend of Ireland. Certainly, she will always be welcome at our table. Táimid fíorbhuíoch de Nicola Sturgeon, Céad-Aire na hAlban. Is polaiteoir cliste, misneach agus láidir í. Bhí sí mar chara na hÉi…

I am not in a position to be specific today. Ministers will have to meet later in the week to look at all the options, come to a decision on them and then bring a recommendation to the Cabinet on Tuesday. I will be able to be specific in a few days' time, once we have made those decisions. I do not think it is unreasonable of me to point out what has been done. It would be a more gracious Opposition leader who would be willing to acknowledge what has been done. I have pointed out what has been done. I have been a b…

Even with Sinn Féin's 13 tax rises, it cannot afford to keep all those promises. People are starting to see through Sinn Féin.

We had a budget in September and it was passed by this House in the form of the Finance Bill, the Appropriation Bill and the Social Welfare Bill by very clear majorities. We will not have a mini-budget. That is not necessary. The budget set out the fiscal parameters for this year, and anything we do or announce between now and the next budget will be done within the confines of those parameters. However, we have some room to manoeuvre. There has been an underspend on the temporary business energy support scheme, TB…

I do not want to make promises today that I may not be able to keep-----

-----and I encourage Opposition parties to follow that policy and not to make promises they cannot keep. People will have clarity no later than next Tuesday. Ministers will meet over the coming days and we will be in a position to set out what we will do on Tuesday. It will probably require a short finance Bill, perhaps next week, or if not next week-----

-----within the next few weeks, to do what we propose.

As to what the measures will look like, they will be both universal and targeted. They will be targeted because pensioners, people on low incomes and people in receipt of social welfare payments are suffering the most from the rising cost of living, particularly because groceries and energy costs have gone up the most. There will therefore be targeted measures and there will be a welfare element to this, as I said on Sunday. There will, however, be universal measures as well because all households, including middle…

I can assure people that there will not be a cliff edge on 28 February when a lot of the measures are due to expire. We will make decisions no later than the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday, we will inform the Dáil and the public next Tuesday and then any legislation that has to be done between now and 28 February will be done. I know we will have the Deputy's co-operation with that matter. On the Mandate report, as the Deputy knows, we are moving from a national minimum wage to a living wage. This is year one of the …

It is the objective of the Government to build safer and stronger communities. In order to do so, we need more gardaí and we need to properly train and support them. We also need to invest in our Defence Forces, the Courts Service and the Irish Prison Service. I appreciate that gardaí are working hard, they are under a lot of pressure and their jobs are much more challenging than they would have been in the past for lots of different reasons. We need to increase the number of gardaí we have. In the budget we alloca…

I assure the Deputy that I will take it in hand and it is a priority for me as Taoiseach and for this Government to build safer and stronger communities. That involves increasing the number of gardaí and investing in our Defence Forces, the Courts Service and the Irish Prison Service. It also involves dealing with the underlying causes of crime which are very much linked to poverty and deprivation, and other matters too. We are making a priority of this. As I mentioned earlier, the Garda is funded in the budget to …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue of neurology services, generally and particularly in CHO area 8 and in Laois-Offaly. It is a specific question about a specific branch of medicine in the Deputy's part of the country, which is the midlands. I do not have a detailed note on it right now but I will try to get the Deputy more information in writing this week or next week. What I can say in broader terms is that we acknowledge that neurology services are nowhere near the standard that they should be. …

I again thank the Deputy. I am advised that we have funding this year for 23 neuro-rehabilitation nurses. These will be permanent positions, not once-off ones. As I mentioned in my earlier reply, we have a new consultant contract that is being offered. I hope the bodies that represent doctors will accept that. It will allow us to take some significant steps forward in terms of retaining and hiring specialists in neurology and other areas over the next couple of years. In relation to CHO 8 which, I appreciate, cover…

I do not have a date for the publication of the Bill, but it is a priority to ensure courts are resourced to administer justice efficiently and effectively. The Minister for Justice is optimistic that both the implementation of the working group report and the commitment by the Courts Service in its strategic plan for 2021 to 2023 to maximise the use of digital technologies to provide a more efficient and user-centred service, will lead to improved efficiencies and shorter waiting times.

We anticipate having this assembly up and running by the middle of 2023. I welcome any input the Deputy may have between now and then as to how we structure the assembly properly to get the best outcomes from it. As is the normal course, the citizens' assembly will be allowed to hold its meetings, deliberate and make its recommendations. These recommendations will be sent to an Oireachtas committee that will study them in a bit more detail and report to the Oireachtas and Government as to what the next steps should…