I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue again today in the House. The Government acknowledges that the cost of living is rising. It is rising very fast at present, faster than it has in 20 or 30 years, and people are feeling the squeeze. Whether it is the shock of looking at a gas bill, whether it is the electricity bill or whether it is the rising cost of filling a tank of diesel or petrol, everyone is feeling it in their pocket and, of course, those on lowest incomes are feeling it more so than t…

The Government acknowledges that inflation, in particular the type of inflation that we have at the moment, which is very much driven by higher energy prices, is impacting on those with lower incomes more so than those with higher incomes. That is clear. People on lower incomes spend more on energy and fuel, or a higher percentage of their income on energy, fuel and groceries than those on higher incomes. As a consequence of that - the Deputy is right about this - inflation impacts on different households in differ…

Yes, but what about somebody who has a mortgage or somebody who is not on social welfare? His proposal would not help them.

I saw some media reports on the report in question. I have not had a chance to read it, and it would not be fair to comment on it until I have had a chance to do so. When I said in 2018 that Ireland was a climate laggard and our ambition was to be a climate leader, I meant that. At the time, an NGO that scores countries on where they stand in terms of climate action and environmental commitment placed us in the lowest tier of countries. We have now moved up slightly. We are in the second-lowest tier. We are certain…

Big investments on which I have worked very hard were nearly lost to Ireland because of the delays caused by judicial reviews. Some were lost. That is a real consequence for real people who lose out on jobs and lose out on investment, and we have to take that into account.

I thank the Deputy. The thinking behind the SHDs was to speed up planning and to get planning permissions through more quickly for housing and apartments. It did not work which is why we had to change our policy on strategic housing developments by going back to something similar to an older system where the application is made to the council first and then there is a right of appeal to An Bord Pleanála. From the Deputy’s contribution it sounds to me that she thinks judicial reviews are all about housing. They are …

I thank the Deputy. I will discuss this with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and will provide the Deputy with a more considered response a little bit later on. I had a chance to read the article about Laura Newell and her family in The Sligo Champion . I express my condolences to the family on Laura’s loss and to her two daughters aged 18 and 15 who have been left behind. I want also to express my thanks to the Newell family for being willing to talk about this issue a…

I will have to double-check with the Minister for Health and the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, as to exactly what the legal position is on this matter. There are two regulators in this area, as the Deputy knows. The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland regulates pharmacists and is responsible for making sure that pharmacists do not hand out these medicines too easily, while the Health Products Regulatory Authority is responsible for the regulation of medicines, including controlled drugs such as these. I am not s…

I am not at liberty to tell the Deputy what was and was not discussed at Cabinet, but I can tell him that the Government is seized of this issue. I had an opportunity to meet with the Irish Farmers Association, IFA yesterday, alongside the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. It raised a lot of issues, including climate action, the Common Agricultural Policy, its concerns around the dairy forum, which I share, and the problems the pig industry is facing. One of the matters raised was the very high price and cost of fe…

We would all agree that reduced use of fertiliser would be beneficial. It would be beneficial environmentally and would also help reduce costs for farmers. I do not think we should dismiss Teagasc in trying to give advice to farmers on how they can do that. I am sure the vast majority know all of this already but there may be people who benefit from that additional advice and I do not think it should be dismissed in that way. I acknowledge that reducing fertiliser use is not going to solve this problem. We need to …

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I spoke with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, this morning, and she confirms that fees for both the leaving and junior certificate exams are being waived for this year. As the Deputy knows, some families are exempt from payment, but for those which are not exempt, this will be a saving of €116 in the case of the leaving certificate and €109 for the junior cycle exams. It is a small act but perhaps it will help some families with the high cost of living. It is som…

I thank the Deputy. We all know what happened here when we had a banking and financial crisis ten or 11 years ago. The banks, the construction industry and housing supply collapsed, and as a consequence of inadequate supply, houses prices started rising again and are now very high and out of reach for many people. It is a social disaster, quite frankly, that people in their 20s and 30s who would have been able to own a home 20, 30 or 40 years ago simply cannot now. One of the biggest challenges facing the Governmen…

No.

I believe the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte, made a statement on the staff of section 39 agencies yesterday. I have not seen the detail but I will ensure it is transmitted to the Deputy.

The coroner, Dr. Myra Cullinane, is independent in her functions. There are very strict rules around the extent to which a politician can intervene with the coronial process. As the Deputy is aware, a bespoke courtroom was built in the RDS to facilitate the inquests. The contract for this special courtroom is due to expire at the end of this month. The Government recognises that this is a sensitive situation and wants to assure the families that it is committed to ensuring that a new venue is in place to permit the…

I very much identify with Deputy McAuliffe's comments on illegal dumping. I also had the chance to visit Dunsink Observatory and it really is a hidden gem. We should make better use of it and I hope people will have the chance to visit if they have not already done so. It is in one of those interface areas that crosses sometimes into my constituency and sometimes into the Deputy's. It is currently in Deputy McAuliffe's constituency, and it might be in mine yet again. It is high time that Dunsink Lane was reopened s…

I met with the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, last night and at my request this was one of the issues on the agenda. I am very committed to the project of directly elected mayors. It was always the intention that the mayor would not just take on most of the functions of the chief executive of the local authority but would also have additional functions that would be devolved from central government. The legislation is progressing well, and it is intended that it would be in the House well before the summer, and h…

No date.

I thank Deputy Cannon raising this issue. It is a big item on my plate at the moment and that of the Minister of State, Deputy English. There has been a 50% increase in work permit applications this year compared with before the pandemic in 2019. This is driven by a labour shortage for employers who cannot get staff. It is not just in Ireland; it is also in the European Union and in the European Economic Area. We have an action plan to reduce the delays. Currently, it is 19 weeks, which is totally unacceptable. We …

I know the Deputy has a real interest in this matter. We spoke on the phone about this not too long ago. At the moment, through my Department and through the Department of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, we have helped to fund remote hubs and community hubs. To the best of my knowledge, however, currently no Department or Government agency rents desks. I may be wrong about that, but it is something that we need to give consideration to. We want to see more people working remotely in rural town…