With regard to the issue-----

-----the Deputy raised on the cost-of-living crisis, of course, I acknowledge that many parents and families are struggling with the cost of living. We are acting on this, however. I will give the Deputy 12 ways in which we are acting in the 16 seconds that remain. We increased the national minimum wage and working family payment for low-income working families. We increased social welfare payments. The one-parent family payment is up by €12 per week, for example. Next month, every child will receive €100, includin…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Let me be very clear. I believe we need more gardaí and more Garda staff. I said so last week when I was asked about it and I stand over it. We need more gardaí and more Garda staff, and that is exactly what we are doing. We have authorised the recruitment of 1,000 new gardaí this year. Of course, there will be retirements and resignations, but that will see a net increase in the number of gardaí this year. I am confident that will be the case. We will do the sam…

I thank the Deputy. He and I can quote statistics back and forth until the cows come home but if we look at the facts and compare Ireland with other European countries, other countries in the western or developed world, this is a pretty safe country. Just look at the murder rate per capita . It is one of the lowest in the western world. That is because of the hard work of our gardaí and the strong society we have built. Crime numbers go up and down but if we take a broad period of time and compare us with other cou…

That is in no way to dismiss the reality of crime or the experience of victims. In terms of recruitment, as I mentioned, funding has been provided to recruit 1,000 new gardaí this year. More than 90 entered Templemore in November. More than 130 entered in the following intake. Another 154 will be in the next intake. We are confident that even when taking account of the challenges in recruitment due to retirements and resignations, we will see a meaningful net increase in the number of gardaí this year.

I am delighted to have the chance, once again, to clarify things or to repeat what I have said before. I have never said we cannot use some of the surplus to increase spending on infrastructure. In fact, I have said the opposite. We can use some of the surplus to increase spending on public infrastructure and that is exactly what we intend to do. I did not catch the interview but I think the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, said much the same thing on "Prime Time" the other night. The Minister for Publ…

It is the State's problem and the State has a role to play in resolving it. I agree with the Deputy on that. I am advised that Spanish Point is regarded as unsewered and relies on private individual systems, such as septic tanks, as there is no public wastewater treatment plant or public sewerage present. Last year, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, announced the commencement of a new funding scheme targeting the wastewater collection and treatment needs of villages and settlements without public wastewater access, suc…

I thank the Deputy. As the Deputy will be aware, we will have a free schoolbooks scheme for all primary schools starting in September. That idea was first proposed by Barnardos. I remember meeting the charity about it several years ago. It was piloted by then Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh. Now the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, will make a reality of it. The charity is now proposing the extension of hot school meals. This is also an idea that we have acted on. The Minister, Deputy Humphrey…

I understand Meta will announce significant job losses affecting its operations in Ireland later this afternoon. It is important the company be allowed to make that announcement and engage with its staff, so I will not say too much about that here today. That would be unfair and inappropriate. Obviously, my thoughts are with the staff who are affected and their families. I assure them we will engage with the company to make sure they are given a decent severance package or redundancy package, which we would expect …

An independent review has been done and published. I am not sure I would describe it as an independent medical review. There are inputs from non-medical people in that as well. That is just a point of fact. The matter is being considered by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health. I understand the committee plans to conclude its deliberations quite quickly and will come back to Government. I can give the Deputy the following assurance. Whatever decision is made on this will be made democratically in this House by …

As the Deputy will be aware, we have increased the social housing income limit by €5,000 in recent months and we now have cost rental, which is an option for people who are above the social housing income limits. We will keep the limits under constant review. We have to take account of rising prices, rising wages and rising housing costs. We will keep them under review, but I would say that when it comes to any income limit or any means test, no matter where you pick or set the level, there will always be somebody …

I thank the Deputy. The overall budget for home care this year is more than €700 million and our target is to provide just under 4 million home support hours this year, which is so important for keeping people in their homes and enabling them to be discharged from hospital in a timely manner, so it is money well spent, in my view. The existing tender for home support services was extended at the end of 2022, initially until the end of April and now until the end of June. The HSE is in negotiations with home care pr…

I thank the Deputy. It is not my practice to agree to meetings on the floor of the House, and I would encourage anyone who wants a meeting to apply for one or write in and ask for one in the normal way. It would not be fair on others to agree to meetings just because they were raised in the Chamber. I do not think that would be fair to others who do not have someone to raise meetings in the Chamber for them. The issue of parental alienation has been raised in the House by Deputy Durkan on many occasions and I know …

I thank the Deputy for raising this. I know how important the issue of school transport is, not least at this time of year. As it is a live tender, I am not across the detail of it, so I would prefer not to comment on it, but I will let the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, know the Deputy raised it in the Dáil today and perhaps she will be able to engage with him directly.

I thank the Deputy. I saw that figure too. An average family buying a house now has an income of about €90,000. The Deputy asked if I knew what the average income for somebody working in Ireland is now. It is €50,000 for an individual so an average income for two people working full-time would be €100,000. Those are the numbers. We are now seeing over 400 first-time buyers every week. It is the highest level since the Celtic tiger period. That figure is probably an underestimate because it counts couples as one. It…

I appreciate that people need to be sensitive in the words they use. That applies to the Deputy and her party as well and I hope she will reflect on that given the many things she has said in the past particularly in relation to victims of violence. I am happy to clarify that was not a reference to disability in any way. I am very happy to clarify that for anyone who may have thought so. It was a quote from Seamus Mallon from 25 years ago.

It will go ahead.

However, as is always the case, there is roughly €500 million for the national roads budget for maintenance and then also for new projects. It is never the case that there is funding every year to progress every project. It never was the case and it never will be the case. Funding happens on an annual basis and what we have agreed is that if funding becomes available through the course of the year because one project has been slowed for some reason, then that can be reallocated to another project.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am no expert on family law but I think it is fair to say that he has highlighted this issue and the report has been carried out by the Department of Justice. It was passed by Cabinet for publication just yesterday and briefings are available to Deputies and Senators who want to know the detail of that and the recommendations.

These things are always part of an industrial relations process and there is a mechanism by which matters such as this can be resolved. The unions talk to the Government on the one hand and then to the WRC and the Labour Court thereafter if needed. That is the way it works. An intervention from me would not change that.