There has been a consistent annual allocation and an increase in the annual allocation to this area. Local authorities know full well that there is a follow-through in funding which will enable them to deal with cases, such as the one Deputy Guirke raised. It did not stay eight weeks on anyone's desk.

I did not quite catch what Deputy Collins said. He speaks at a rapid speed that defies-----

I understand that but it is a directive that is coming down the tracks. Work is under way.

Discussions between the Commission and the Government are ongoing. These issues are negotiated at EU level as the Deputy will be aware. Regarding Deputy Hourigan's case, today the Government approved a strengthening of the consultation process for redundancies to ensure companies fulfil their obligations under the legislation to engage in proper, detailed and timely consultation with workers who are going through the traumatic experience of losing their jobs, the announcement of redundancies and so forth. That is t…

Some 15% of all home help hours are now dedicated to people with dementia.

We have more to do.

I cannot comment on individual cases.

I do not believe there is huge concern that this is an initiative to undermine military neutrality. It might be a huge concern to some who are contriving that huge concern, but nobody is afraid of debate in this country or of a broad conversation about the international situation in terms of Irish foreign policy and the international security policy of the State. In order to build a deeper understanding of the threats faced by the State and the links to and between our foreign, security and defence policy, I have c…

I regret the knee-jerk antagonistic approach the Deputy is taking to this. As soon as I announced it, the Deputy was out like a flash saying it was a threat to military neutrality. Why is the Deputy afraid of such debate? Why is he afraid of this country having an informed, open and public discussion about broader issues of the international threats facing the world and which Ireland has to work within? This consultative forum is not about a binary choice between military neutrality or joining or not joining an all…

I hope we are not going to go down that path. I anticipated this approach: attack the initiative in an immediate way without giving it due consideration, which the Deputy has done. He immediately attacked it. Now he seems to be focusing on the person, which is wrong.

We are talking about a distinguished academic with tremendous credentials, an Irish person who did exceptionally well and, in my view, is an excellent choice to chair the forum. The chair will be asked to compile a report. There is no preconceived or predetermined outcome. It is a consultative forum. It will be open to the public. The public will be able to attend and people will make online submissions, which is the way of the modern world in terms of technology. Government will consider that and then it comes bac…

I thank Deputy Lowry for raising this matter. Addressing the status of undocumented Irish citizens in the US remains a priority for the Government. Immigration matters are raised on an ongoing basis with the US Administration and US political leaders. The recent visit of President Biden to Ireland reinforced the strong historic, economic, cultural and family links between our two countries. The visit included exchanges with the President on matters of shared importance to both countries, including peace and economi…

I agree. Last year, there was a bipartisan reintroduction of the E3 visa approach in the US Senate and House of Representatives. This is a welcome development. However, the Bill lapsed with the conclusion of the last session of Congress at the end of 2022. We are discussing options how to potentially move forward the Bill into the new Congress. This was a key theme of my meetings when I visited Washington in February. There has to be a bipartisan dimension to this. It is very challenging. On the previous occasion, …

The embassy is very seized of this issue as is our ambassador in the US. I favour the approach of our diplomatic network in the US pursuing this issue and not having two strands of approach. I do not want to personalise this but when we appoint people as ambassadors to the US it is experienced high-calibre diplomats who end up in Washington. Over the years they have cultivated strong relationships with both sides on the Hill. This is continuing. When I was last there in February, we concluded an agreement to extend…

I thank Deputy Carthy for the question. As a result of the strategic planning under way in my Department since last year, the passport service is meeting the current high demand for passports. Almost 350,000 passports have been issued to date in 2023. Just under 1.1 million passports in total are expected to be issued this year. There are no passport application backlogs and all turnaround times are at their target levels. Staffing remains a priority and recruitment will continue in the coming months. Approximately…

I will be dealing with that matter in more detail later. We are continually focusing on improving the situation for first-time applicants. I have outlined the significant innovations to facilitate that, particularly in terms of birth registration in respect of which there has always been a delay. There will now also be lower costs through avoiding the need for physical birth certificates to be supplied. The system does have the impact that the Deputy has outlined in terms of applications going to the bottom of the …

In the normal Estimates process, they require the approval of the Dáil.

Yes it is.

That is not training belligerents, to use the Deputy's language. I met representatives of the International Red Cross recently who told me that one of the most appalling consequences of the kind of war that Russia is waging in Ukraine is civilian casualties from unexploded ordnances, mines and bombs that have levelled parts Ukraine. Children can walk into playgrounds and have their limbs amputated-----

We want to provide training to give additional de-mining capability to the Ukrainian military. The other area would be that of medical responses to injuries that occur in combat situations.