Central government is being incredibly proactive in supporting local authorities. Regarding the additional funding I spoke about, this will be granted on the basis of work done. If additional funding is required by local authorities for work completed, the funding will be in place for them to see the work through.

That is critically important. The register on vacancy and dereliction is down to the local authorities. It is important they continue to maintain that register and there is consistency across all 31 local authorities. The CPO programme is working quite well. I know from experience in the two local authorities in my constituency that both have been very proactive on the CPO programme. Again, we will encourage local authorities to continue to support that. In summary, local authorities need to be proactive and centra…

I thank the Deputy for asking this question on behalf of Deputy Ó Cathasaigh who has raised this issue consistently at every opportunity. On 3 November 2023, the Minister announced changes to the three grants for domestic wastewater treatment systems, commonly known as septic tanks. The changes include increasing the grant amount available from €5,000 to a maximum of €12,000, a 140% increase, and removing the registration requirement. That is welcome. These improvements will help householders to reduce the impact o…

Again, I wholeheartedly agree about a public awareness campaign. Perhaps a lack of public awareness has led to the previous low uptake. A circular will be sent by the Department next week and a question and answer section on the schemes will be available on the Department's website. The Deputy is correct. We will lead off on a new cycle of the river basin management plan early next year, which will be ambitious. It is important that it is. We know from the most recent EPA report that we have a significant problem a…

The Deputy made a valid point about urban areas that have grown into rural areas where there are one-off houses that now need to be connected. It is a priority for Uisce Éireann. The Minister will announce a new scheme next week for villages to upgrade systems. That is vital. We often hear from Deputies in the House about areas, particularly rural areas, where there are challenges around wastewater treatment. It is a priority for the Government in respect of funding Uisce Éireann and the work it has to carry out. S…

The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority in different bands according to the area concerned, with income defined and assessed according to a standard household means policy. The baseline income eligibility thresholds were increased for all local authorities, with effect from 1 January 2023, by €5,000 to €40,000, €35,000 and €30,000 for bands 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The household means policy provides for a range of income disregards and local auth…

There are probably cases like that all over the country. Prior to 2011, there were no income limits and there was inconsistency across local authorities. Some disregarded while some included all incomes. That is why the household means policy was introduced. It sets out the manner by which local authorities should assess the means of an applicant for social housing support for the purpose of determining the household's ability to provide accommodation from its own resources. The policy also provides for a range of …

To refer back to the local authority's responsibility and role in supporting that family, the Deputy's local authority was under band 3. The income eligibility was increased to €30,000. The increase in the three bands was welcome and had been sought for some time. We supported it in government. On the particular case the Deputy referenced, it is unfortunate that the applicant had to opt for that approach but, as I said, the Minister is in the process of reassessing the social housing income eligibility model based …

I thank the Senators for their contributions. I was listening in my office to some of the contributions when the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, was here. I will respond to some of the points raise before I give my closing statement. Regarding the point made by Senator Moynihan about the Land Development Agency, I disagree with her. She states that it is not setting up and that is not the case. I think it will prove to be a very effective organisation over time. She also spoke about more affordable and cost rental homes.…

I thank Senators Malcolm Byrne, Fitzpatrick and McGreehan for their work in bringing forward this Bill. I might reflect back on some of the contributions before I go to the scripted reply, if that is okay. A number of comments were made by Senators Craughwell and Boyhan about their involvement in activism from a very early age. Certainly, my own path into activism began at a very young age of 14 or 15, joining Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, CND, marches. There was no social media back in those days so we were in…

On the issue of maintenance, which I think Deputy McGrath raised as well, it is important that consent processes have to be gone through. As regards the broader issue of the increased number of rainfall events we are having at the moment, we need to look at and are looking at this through the land use plan, which is critical. There are some good agriculture schemes in place, such as the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, that support landowners to look at a catchment management approach. We will have out…

Absolutely. I thank the Senator for bringing this Commencement matter forward after a devastating few days in the southern part of the country and in many other parts of the country too. The increasing ferocity and frequency of these weather events is something that is catching us all. Unfortunately, it seems as though our future has arrived. It is critically important to thank all the local authorities and the emergency services for their action, as well as the local communities, that meitheal that has always exis…

I will take back that ask. A timeline for a localised approach is important. I had family members who lived in areas prone to flooding in Kilkenny city. In the past, local knowledge gave a certain indication of when a flood would breach houses. However, what we are dealing with now is vastly different. A month of rainfall was dumped in an area in 24 hours. It would be useful to have local adaptation measures to protect properties in place that could prevent even a few inches of water coming into a house, which can …

I thank the Senator for raising another flooding-related issue that is also important, on whether provisional arrangements can be made to spread slurry due to the flooding of slurry storage facilities during Storm Babet. First, I take this opportunity to again sympathise with all those who have been impacted by Storm Babet. It has been devastating for communities. These exceptional weather conditions have caused significant challenges for many people. For those farmers who have flooded slurry storage facilities the…

I agree wholeheartedly. The vast majority of farmers have a great duty of care to the environment. Farmers who are unclear as to whether their tanks contain slurry or soil water should contact their local authorities. Going forward, farmers should prioritise emptying their slurry storage facilities as early in the growing season as possible. That is a practical measure. It will boast economic benefits for farmers as well as water quality benefits. The requirement to spread slurry at this stage of the year is avoida…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as an gceist. I thank the Senator for bringing to our attention the concerns of Keadue National School in County Roscommon. Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupi…

I would be more than happy to take the Senator up on his invitation. I was in Roscommon until late last evening. It is a county I love dearly and I would be more than happy to visit Keadue at some point if the Senator sends me an invitation. The difference a new family can make in a community is crucial in that it may achieve the critical point whereby an additional one or two pupils are needed to attain the extra teaching and other supports for a school. Ukrainian families coming into rural communities have bolste…

I thank Senator Martin for raising this important issue. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, who, unfortunately, is not available this morning. As the Senator can appreciate, this is very much an ongoing and fluid scenario and the situation locally at Castletown is changing day by day. I will provide some up-to-date information, taking note of the letter the Senator has just brought to my attention. Castletown House is an 18th-century neo-Palladian country house built within…

I am sure that the Senator will support the OPW in agreeing that while it would be preferable for these lands to be reunited with the historic demesne, this will only be possible where acceptable terms can be agreed. Again, I note the letter that he has brought to my attention here today. The OPW negotiates on the acquisition of lands, leasing of properties and access terms on behalf of the State across Ireland. Commercial sensitivity is key to these negotiations, as I am sure the Senator can appreciate. As these n…

I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The State acknowledged the importance of access to medicines and has made considerable investments in new medicines in recent years. This year, a record of almost €3 billion of public funding will be spent on medicines for patients in Ireland. This represents almost €1 of every €8 spent by the State on healthcare. This is in the context of a total allocation for the health service for 2024 of €22.5 billion, as stated…