I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. The Department of the Taoiseach, in line with the rest of the Civil Service, actively encourages equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The Department is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all staff and recognises that a diverse workforce helped by an inclusive culture can improve organisational capacity, boost creativity and innovation and lead to better decision-making. The 2022 gender pay gap report for the Department of the…

As I mentioned, Ireland's pay gap is 11.3%, which is a narrower pay gap than the EU average. I am happy to say this is less bad and not better than, if Deputies prefer. It would be in line with some of the Nordic countries, which are often held up as examples for us to follow in terms of gender pay. My view is there should be no gender pay gap at all. The objective, therefore, must be 0%, or at least as close to statistical 0% as can be achieved. This will take some time. Very often, many factors are at play. Among…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 15, inclusive, together. Government has been working to implement the commitments in the programme for Government, which are advanced through the co-ordinating mechanisms of the Cabinet committee structure. The ten Cabinet committees recently established by Government reflect the core policy areas set out in the programme for Government on which it will continue to focus. Cabinet committees will meet regularly to accomplish their work. Strategy statements, currently being prepa…

On the final matter raised, we completely accept we will need to increase staffing and resources given the large increase in the number of people who have applied for asylum and international protection here. We will need to ensure we are properly staffed to make decisions quickly and to enforce them. On the question raised by Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, I put on record my strong support for the RDS project. I am a big supporter of it and have met with the RDS. It has planning permission and is ready to go quite soon. …

On the home ownership issue, I acknowledge what Deputy Cian O'Callaghan is saying, that homeownership rates have fallen in recent years, and we want to reverse that. We made significant progress in the past year, where more than 16,000 people, couples and families bought their first home. That is the highest figure we have had in 15 years, and we have to go back to the Celtic tiger era to find an era when so many people bought their first home. We have a long way to go yet and there needs to be a great deal more th…

If we are going to extend the ban,we have to bear that in mind.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 23, inclusive, together. The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social and environmental development in Ireland. The NESC work programme currently includes six main areas, which are as follows. The first is housing, land and sustainable development. In 2022, the council discussed housing at its June and September meetings. These discussions led to a focused council report on the role of private re…

On the last matter, we are scoping out the Covid inquiry at present. We hope to have it established by the Oireachtas mid-year. It will not just be about the State's response; it will be about the wider response from all society, including the private sector. It is impossible to put a timeframe on it but given the scope and scale, it could take a long time. That is the truth of it. I cannot possibly put a time on it. With regard to the first matter raised, it is important and was not acknowledged in the questions t…

There is also the energy credit, with another €200 being knocked off people's bills in March. Research by the ESRI and others has shown that for a lot of people, these measures largely or fully insulate them from the cost-of-living crisis but I absolutely acknowledge that is not the case for everyone. Certainly when it comes to deciding what we do in the March, April and May period, we will have regard to the fact that we need to target those who are suffering the most. To be very frank, I do not think price contro…

I accept Deputy McDonald's point in relation to domestic violence leave in Northern Ireland but I do not think we can view things in isolation. If one take's sick pay for example, what we offer people in terms of sick pay is more per day than people get per week in Northern Ireland. One has to look at things in the round. The same also applies to the minimum wage, for example.

To be honest, I have read a bit about that matter but I am not fully across it. Decisions on ticketing are ultimately a matter for the organisations concerned but there should be some provision for cash. One of the issues that came out of the report on the retail banking sector, led by the former Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, was that while we do want to have electronic payments and make them the norm, and they are the norm now, cash is still legal tender and we should make some provision for the use of cas…

I am sorry but I will have to ask the Minister for Transport to respond to the Deputy on the air connectivity issue. I will have a chat with Deputy Brendan Smith afterwards about the matter he raised because I did not fully catch what he said while I was trying to jot down the other questions.

Ceann Comhairle, Cathaoirleach, President Metsola, distinguished Members of the Dáil and Seanad, Irish MEPs and former Members of the Oireachtas, thar mo cheann féin agus thar ceann mo chomh-Theachtaí, cuirim fáilte ó chroí romhaibh. Ina cáil mar Uachtarán Pharlaimint na hEorpa, is ionadaí chroí daonlathach an Aontais Eorpaigh í. Merba. Grazzi afna. Ireland is marking 50 years of membership of the European Union this year. It has transformed our country and been a powerful engine for economic and social progress. T…

Ceann Comhairle, Cathaoirleach, President Metsola, distinguished Members of the Dáil and Seanad, Irish MEPs and former Members of the Oireachtas, thar mo cheann féin agus thar ceann mo chomh-Theachtaí, cuirim fáilte ó chroí romhaibh. Ina cáil mar Uachtarán Pharlaimint na hEorpa, is ionadaí chroí daonlathach an Aontais Eorpaigh í. Merba. Grazzi afna. Ireland is marking 50 years of membership of the European Union this year. It has transformed our country and been a powerful engine for economic and social progress. T…

Is ionann Lá Fhéile Bríde, nó Imbolc, an chéad lá de mhí Feabhra agus an t-earrach agus an tús nua. Beidh lá saoire poiblí nua againn ar an Luan seo chugainn. It bookmarks the start of the traditional Celtic new year as we move from winter into a period of light and hope. In this pause for peace, we are asking people to come together to be inspired by the life of Brigid of Kildare, Brigid the peacemaker, the protector of the natural world and a formidable force for justice whose light shines ever more brightly toda…

I still cannot fathom why the Deputy always feels the need to misrepresent what I say in this House and what the Government says. Obviously, I stand over what I said yesterday in regard to me being briefed and I am still trying to get the documents around that. What I can say is that regarding a document that appeared in the newspapers yesterday in relation to 2016, we have confirmed from the Department of Health that I was not circulated on that document, and on the agreement between the Minister and the Attorney …

I think Deputy McDonald is conflating two different issues, and they are different, namely, the historical nursing home charges and the issue of the DPMA. The legal advice is different. The legal advice on the DPMA was that the State did not have a leg to stand on. The legal advice on the nursing home charges is that those charges were not illegal.

That has never been established.

Deputy McDonald is making an assertion that has not been established. She also made an assertion that people were prevented from going to court. Nobody is prevented from going to court. One cannot prevent somebody from going to court in Ireland. That is an entirely false statement.

There were cases that were settled and there are cases that have not been settled and they may yet go to court. That assertion is also false. I have been a member of three governments. More so than ever, and more so than other governments have done or governments around the world have done, we have put a huge amount of time, care and resources into putting right some of the wrongs of the past, whether it is Magdalen laundries, mother and baby institutions, mica and pyrite, or the apartment block defects. The Govern…