I will raise the issue of the free school books scheme with the Minister for Education. We are increasing the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance from the autumn. We are also significantly expanding DEIS provision from next September, with an increase of approximately 20% in funding. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department is currently going through a detailed process, including consultation, in selecting which schools should benefit from the DEIS status that we are committed to providing the funding…

I have heard the Deputy raise this issue on a number of occasions, along with others. It is being actively worked on. I know that because I am a member of the Cabinet committee on housing, where it has been an agenda item. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has presented on it. I will ask him to respond directly to the Deputy with an update on the timeframe for the outcome of that work.

Undoubtedly, there will be a look-back at our experience over the past two years and how the pandemic was handled by the Government, State bodies and others. The Deputy will be aware that the Minister for Health recently announced the establishment of a public health reform expert advisory group that will initially focus on identifying the lessons to be learned from the public health components of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic in Ireland, with a view towards strengthening health protection generally and fut…

I thank Deputy McGrath for raising this issue. It is something we are all experiencing and all of us are being contacted by employers who are struggling to recruit staff as well as to bring staff in from abroad. We have an internal market within the EU of approximately 450 million people. Even within such a large pool, it is proving very difficult to attract people with the requisite skills into Ireland. We acknowledge that the turnaround times for employment permits are too long, and the Tánaiste and his officials…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the IDG report on offline services for post offices. I am aware of the work of the IDG and I discussed it recently with the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, as well as with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. I expect the Minister of State will publish the report shortly. I do not believe it will provide an immediate quick-fix solution to the problem that a number of post offices face. As the Deputy will be aware, there was an extension to the transformation payments from …

The allocation from the URDF to Carlow town was particularly welcome. What I am hearing from the Deputy is a frustration about the process and the time it is taking to advance it. Perhaps it is an issue about which we can have a direct discussion. I would be happy to take this up with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to see what we can do to bring about a faster delivery of this vital project for Carlow.

I thank Deputy Higgins for raising this issue, which I know is so important for so many pregnant women all over the country. I am aware the matter has been raised with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, on a number of occasions. He and his officials in the Department have been working with the HSE to bring about a solution. I believe he is optimistic that a solution can be implemented. I anticipate he will have something to say publicly about that very shortly.

I acknowledge there is an issue here that needs to be addressed. The Deputy referred to the work that has been ongoing for some time now, but that is being intensified. The Department of Health and the HSE have invited the Irish Dental Association to further consultations beginning on 28 February and are currently awaiting a response. As the Deputy knows, the Department of Health in recent days received the report, Improving Access to Dental Care for Medical Card Patients, by Professor Ciaran O'Neill. That is now a…

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú. I am not familiar with the specific development in question. The Deputy referred to the group heating scheme and the role of the CRU. I suggest the issue might be taken up with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in the context of housing.

I thank Deputy Carroll MacNeill. What I can confirm is we as a Government, in the course of the Estimates process for the previous two budgets, have significantly increased the level of resources for special education services across our education system, as is right and proper, including further increases in the number of special needs assistants, SNAs, much-needed increases in the number of special school places and additional supports within mainstream schools. I will examine the specific issues the Deputy has r…

I thank Deputy Smith for raising what is a very important issue for so many school secretaries and caretakers throughout the country. As she knows, there is to be a further hearing of the WRC on Thursday of this week. There have been intensive discussions in the lead-up to that. There was a WRC hearing last September at which much progress was made on a public service pay scale, with the clerical officer grade 3 pay scale being applied across the board. At present, we have a patchwork quilt of a system in which som…

I thank Deputy Collins. Fair play to him for managing to mention very many of the coastal communities of Cork South-West in his contribution. I will raise the issue he brought up today with the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, and he will revert to the Deputy directly.

I thank Deputy Cahill. Again, I very much welcome the Supreme Court decision on the Glanbia plant. It is very good news for the region, farmers and country. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly with an update on the Banagher meat plant in County Offaly.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is a serious one for the people who are impacted. Those who qualify for a driving licence should have access to one in a timely manner within a reasonable period of time. It is important that there is good quality customer service in all of our State organisations and across the wider public sector. I will ask the Minister for Transport to respond to the Deputy directly with an update on the National Driver Licence Service.

I move the following Revised Estimates: Vote 1 — President's Establishment (Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €4,750,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2022, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Secretary General to the President, for certain other expenses of the President’s Establishment and for certain grants. Vote 2 — Department of the Taoiseach (Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €38,025,000…

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue and for their contribution to the Second Stage debate on the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill yesterday in the House. I look forward to working with them in a spirit of co-operation, as I said yesterday, on the passage of this Bill over the months ahead. Many of the issues they raised this morning are the very issues we need to tease out in considerable detail on Committee and Report Stages. We in this House can all agree on the importance of protecting whistleblowe…

I will reiterate the point I made with regard to retrospective application. In passing legislation, it is always difficult to seek to have its impact made retrospective. We will take it as far as we possibly can. We will stretch the boundaries within the legal parameters that are there. That is why I am engaging with the Attorney General. I look forward to discussing the issue with the committee. I know that many whistleblowers who have made protected disclosures are looking to this Bill with hope. They see it as a…

I move: That Dáil Éireann, noting that the Government agreed on 7th December, 2021, to propose, for the approval of Dáil Éireann, Síona Ryan to be a member of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority on the nomination of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and pursuant to section 9 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015, approves the appointment by the Government of Síona Ryan to be a member of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority to fill a casual vacancy pursuant to section 10(9) of the said A…

I move: That Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Finance Act 2004 (Section 91) (Deferred Surrender to the Central Fund) Order 2022, copies of which have been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 8th February, 2022.

I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, setting out the rota in which Questions to members of the Government are to be asked, or in the Orders of the Dáil of 1st February, 2022 and 8th February, 2022, Questions for oral answer, following those next set down to the Minister for Justice, shall be set down to Ministers in the following temporary sequence: Minister for Finance Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Minister for Environment, Climate an…