I recall having this debate on how we count the numbers during the previous Government when Eoghan Murphy was the Minister with responsibility for housing. At that point, the CSO updated its methodology. The methodology the office uses, which is published on its website, was welcomed across the board at the time, including by Deputy Ó Broin, for example, and others. I am a little bit disappointed, now that the figures are showing we are exceeding our targets, some people want to change the way we count them again. …

I am aware of the ongoing dispute. I understand the people concerned are employees of education and training boards. An industrial relations process must be followed and negotiations have to occur. I am not exactly sure at what point they are at, but I will endeavour to get more information from the Ministers for Education, and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and come back to the Deputy today or next week.

I cannot, and will not, comment on individual cases currently subject to litigation.

I appreciate the Deputy is not asking me to do that. The remit of the State Claims Agency is clearly set out in law. Once cases are delegated to the agency, Government and Ministers have no role in the management of cases. That is not the case for every legal case but it is for those referred to the State Claims Agency. Its remit is set out in law and has been agreed by the Oireachtas.

I do not know the details.

Ticketing systems and so on are a matter for the GAA rather than for the Government, although the report on retail banking published a few months ago indicates that the Government believes there should be a place for cash transactions. We want to encourage electronic payments. By the way, many older people and bachelors use cards, phones and Revolut and are well capable of doing so.

However, I appreciate there are some people who want to continue to use cash. Cash remains legal tender in this State and we want to make sure it is facilitated where it can be.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Last year alone, 30,000 Irish citizens came home. As is the nature of migration, a lot of people go abroad but a lot of people come back. At least for the past three years, more Irish citizens have returned than have left. I am not sure that will be the case this year but tens of thousands of people come home every year and they run into some real difficulties, whether it is in getting insurance, finding housing if they do not have it already, setting up bank acc…

I thank the Deputy and I am aware of the hotel he mentioned in Monaghan. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, told me about it the other day. The issues there probably relate more to the investor than the programme itself. The programme itself has produced some really good dividends around the country, both in economic investments and investments supporting community facilities as well.

The programme was originally set up, a long time ago now, with the view to encouraging the diaspora to invest back in Ireland and create jobs here. Over time, it has morphed into something else and not what was intended. For that reason, the Minister, Deputy Harris, on advice, has taken the decision to close entry to new applicants, I think as of close of business today. Having said that, where there has been engagement with the Department already, there will be a grace period of up to three months for applications…

I do not know. I would have to check with the Minister, Deputy Harris, on that.

I thank the Deputy. I heard the Secretary General's words and I share the concerns about the escalating conflicts around the world, not just in Ukraine but also elsewhere. The doomsday clock has been around approximately 70 years now and it has always been at 20 minutes to midnight. I would bear that in mind too. I know it is three or four seconds now but when something has been 20 minutes or less from midnight for 70 years, in fairness one starts to wonder about the clock. Leaving that aside, the serious point the…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue in Craughwell, County Galway. We want to invest in our towns and villages so that every town and village can have a certain amount of natural growth. It is important that we facilitate that. As the Deputy acknowledged, €50 million in funding has been provided specifically for wastewater collection and treatment needs in villages and settlements without access to public wastewater services. Submissions have been made from Craughwell and Clarinbridge, which were sen…

We acknowledge that rents are very high in Ireland. That is why we introduced the rent tax credit in the budget to help renters with the cost of renting. One of the interesting things fin the daft.ie report released yesterday showed that for people who are established tenants, that is, the vast majority of tenants, rents went up by approximately 3.5%, which is slower than average incomes are rising and well lower than the general rate of inflation. However, rents are really high for new-to-market tenancies. Unfortu…

The local improvement scheme is under the control of the Minister for Rural and Community Development. I think she allocated €12 million or €15 million to local authorities for that scheme in the past couple of days. I know it is a very important scheme for resurfacing and improving laneways across rural Ireland, as is the case in Dublin. It does operate in Dublin. It is open to local authorities to use their own resources from commercial rates, property tax and other sources to invest in local and regional roads. …

My apologies if that was the case because we always tell all Deputies where we are going but sometimes we have to wait until the programme is finalised. I have not yet seen the final programme.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. The Government Information Service, GIS, includes the Government Press Office and the merrionstreet.ie content team and works on a cross-functional and collaborative basis to provide the Taoiseach, the Government and the Department with press office and communications services; ensure strong collaboration and co-ordination among press and communications officials in other Departments and agencies; co-ordinate, amplify and create communications around Government pri…

In respect of the questions about the communications function in my Department, I am not personally involved in any decisions on advertising, staffing or the awarding of private contracts to anyone for communications purposes. These are matters for the Secretary General. I hear what Deputy Carthy said about communications staff across Departments and I appreciate he has not had any Executive experience of serving in government. For those staff, who are almost all civil servants, they and their unions might be a lit…

I think that in the round, the community welfare service works well, and we have seen how community welfare officers have responded to the increased need for exceptional needs payments in the past couple of months, with a significant increase in the number of payments being made. Obviously, that is because people have needed them, but it also demonstrates there is capacity in the system to receive applications and make payments. The system at the moment is a mixture - online, by phone and by appointment - and I thi…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 10, inclusive, together. The public service, justice and policing reform unit is part of the wider social policy and public service reform division within the Department of the Taoiseach. The work of the unit assists me, in my role as Taoiseach, on criminal justice and policing reform, public service reform, social affairs and other related matters, assists the Civil Service management board, including the Civil Service renewal programme, and contributes to the oversight and go…