Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta as ucht an cheist seo a cur. Eligibility for a medical card is primarily based on a financial assessment, which is conducted by the HSE in accordance with the Health Act 1970. The HSE assesses each medical card application on a qualifying financial threshold. This is the amount of money that an individual can earn per week and still qualify for a card. It is specific to the individual’s financial circumstances. As of 1 April, almost 1.6 million people hold eligibil…

I will not be disingenuous and read the script in closing because the Deputy is well aware of the response. The issue he is raising is a much broader issue in terms of the reality of living on the islands in this day and age. It is a broader issue for Government and future governments to consider in respect of the economic, financial and other supports that can be put in place to ensure - it is something we all want to achieve - that we keep families living on the islands but also increase the number of people livi…

The Deputy raises a matter that is of extreme concern to us all, and should be. She is correct that it is not only down to climate change or sea level rise that this is happening now, but this certainly is being exacerbated by it. In many parts of the world, retreat and abandonment are becoming part of climate adaptation strategy. It is something that is with us and something we have to collectively address. If the Deputy is referring to the climate nature fund as the rainy-day fund, it is certainly an important fu…

The scoping report on national coastal change management was approved by Government on 26 October last year. The strategy set out in this scoping report involves an integrated whole-of-government approach, with actions across many sectors. My Department will play a key role in co-ordinating and driving this essential work programme. The OPW has been designated as the national lead co-ordinating body for the assessment of coastal change hazards and risks and an assessment of technical options, including nature-based…

I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak today. I take this opportunity to formally welcome the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Change report on the examination of the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. I express my thanks to members of the committee, who worked collaboratively and very diligently to produce the report in a relatively short timeframe. I also thank the Chair, Deputy Leddin. I followed much of the proceedings and the level of engagement was wo…

I will try to touch on some of the points raised. I really appreciate the contributions of all the Deputies this afternoon. I agree with Deputy Connolly. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to debate the issue. For National Biodiversity Day perhaps the Business Committee could look at having a broader debate on these issues. In this term of the Dáil, it is encouraging that we have had such an intense level of debate on nature. It is only right that we do so but we should try to take up that other opportunity…

I will read the script and then come back with the specifics. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Under Housing for All, there is provision for 200 social housing acquisitions each year. However, with increased pressures on housing and the exit of landlords from the market, the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, reinstated delegated sanction to local authorities in April 2022 to acquire social housing properties for a number of specific priority categories. One of the priority categories was to address homelessness, w…

There are specific questions here particularly in regard to that timeframe. That is a valid question to ask and certainly we can ask the Department to look at that. In regard to the second question, I cannot give the answer to it here, so again I will ask the Department to look at that, about challenging those decisions, if that is okay. Fingal County Council has been quite progressive. In quarter 1 this year it already acquired 25 properties where tenants received a notice of termination. Fingal County Council has…

I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for putting it so well regarding the challenges faced by a strong and growing community in Rush in north County Dublin and the challenges faced by the school. Seventeen years is a long time to wait for this school to be developed. Members of the board have had great patience and tenacity. The school is watching in on this Commencement matter today. For the principal, Mr. Morgan Doran, managing a school of 700 pupils with growing demand in this area, it is vital that the project now proc…

Since 2020 the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.3 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 800 school building projects with construction currently under way at approximately 300 other projects including 34 new school buildings. These 300 projects currently under construction involve a total State investment of €1.2 billion. More than 90 projects are currently at tender stage including a further 28 new school buildings. All of these new school buil…

The Senator will be aware that the Department of Education's 2023-25 statement of strategy sets out its vision for an education system that is of the highest quality where every member of our educational community, including our children and young people, their families and all the staff who engage with them, feel valued and supported. It sets out a goal to ensure equity of opportunity in our education system so that all children and young people are supported to fulfil their potential. The Minister for Education i…

The introduction of the junior cycle schoolbook scheme is another historic moment in Irish education and helps us to live up to the promise of free education. I want to thank the Senator for raising this Commencement matter and emphasise the significance of the funding for this ground-breaking scheme. I also want to acknowledge the enormous amount of work that has taken place since the scheme was announced in March to ensure that children and young people in junior cycle programmes in both mainstream post-primary i…

The light-bellied Brent goose, Branta Bernicla Hrota, breeds in the Canadian high Arctic and winters, almost exclusively, on the island of Ireland. Under the European birds directive, the Brent goose is a protected species, and Ireland has designated a total of 23 special protection areas for the Brent goose, with one further SPA for which the species is listed as an additional special conservation interest. The identification and selection of sites for designation as SPAs was based on monitoring data over the wint…

I absolutely appreciate the challenge this has created. We are in the depths of a biodiversity crisis and it is important. Our urban areas and Dublin have a huge role to play around the species of wetland birds. We know that the Brent goose population has increased by 230% from 1994 and 1995 and from 2018 to 2019. It is quite a significant population increase, which suggests that it is a good thing in terms of the population increase of the birds. As the Senator has said, the appropriate assessment is important in …

Housing for All commits to delivering an average of 33,000 homes annually, rising to more than 40,000 by 2030. These targets are based on independent, peer-reviewed research and modelling by the ESRI. They are the only housing targets underpinned by such a robust evidence base. That said, it was always intended to review these targets, particularly in light of census 2022. The review has commenced, work is well advanced and refreshed targets will be agreed by Government and published this autumn. The revised target…

I join the Deputy in welcoming, Deputy Dillon, our new colleague as Minister of State. The planning Bill is progressing well. The Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, will join us in progressing that important legislation through the Dáil. The targets for 2024 will be met. By all accounts, they will be exceeded. Commencements are at a record high. If you look at the trajectory of Housing for All over the past four years, as the Minister said, it has taken time to build up capacity, which is now delivering. That is why…

The Deputy will appreciate that we have to use an evidence-based approach, including looking at population growth, net inward migration, assumptions regarding housing obsolescence rates and household sizes, as informed by census data. Housing output went from 20,000 in 2021 to 34,000 this year. The Deputy will have to agree that is a significant trajectory upwards. That trajectory will continue. We cannot put a figure on it until we understand and delve into the research carried out by the ESRI. Targets are being b…

Under section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, planning authorities are required, when making a development plan for their area, to include objectives for the zoning of land for the use solely or primarily of particular areas for particular purposes, which can include residential purposes. Section 95 requires that sufficient and suitable land is zoned for residential use, or for a mixture of residential and other uses, to meet the requirements of the housing strategy. Section 96 provides that, where app…

First, the Minister and two Ministers of State share the duties for responding to questions in the House. That has always been the case and the way we manage these questions.

I do not think that is the case.