Deputy Bacik expressed her concern regarding the consolidated planning and development Bill, which the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will bring to Government on 13 December. I have repeatedly stated that we will publish the Bill before the end of the year but that it will go into the pre-legislative scrutiny process because it is a major legislative measure and will require such scrutiny. The Minister will be bringing forward the planning and development and foreshore (amendment) Bill in respe…

The union representing the workers is very clear.

The union representing the workers has been very clear that this is something it welcomes on behalf of the 20,000 workers it represents.

I am not spinning it. The Deputy just wants to grab a headline.

I accept that; I am just responding to the points that were made by the Deputy. The matter to which Deputy Boyd Barrett referred has been raised previously.

There is no time for statements. The bottom line is that it is coming forward. It will be increased by €5,000. There is a look-back facility.

We will see if we can or not, through the Business Committee, but there is limited time for a whole lot of things.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn has asked for an update on mica. I will ask the Minister to forward an update to him.

To be fair, Deputy Boyd Barrett has been raising this matter in the House for about three months. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has engaged with him on the matter. As Deputy McDonald stated, Dublin City Council is engaging with the residents. Every effort will be made to get a satisfactory outcome.

Yes, I know. What is the problem?

No, I did look at Deputy Boyd Barrett and I referenced the fact that he has raised this issue and he has been asking about it for some three months.

I do not think that is objectionable, because it is true.

Then I looked at the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, for confirmation and affirmation that he is indeed continuing to engage with Deputy Boyd Barrett on it, and Deputy McDonald, now that she has raised it, and also, more critically, with the council in order that we can get a resolution of the matter.

The Deputy should calm it down.

She is getting too sensitive.

It is an average cut of 25%. It is €121 million this year. We want to increase it again next year and do better. Overall, it is €259 million this year in core funding. Again, if the Deputy has specific issues, I invite her to take them up with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth as well. We are getting some concerns articulated by some areas in the wider childcare sector but, by and large, the funding has gone up exponentially in the past two years. Last year, it was used to impro…

As a basic principle, I think teachers and special needs resources should stay in special needs.

They should. I am just saying what is my basic principle.

Every child is entitled to a pupil-teacher ratio irrespective of whether he or she is a mainstream or special needs pupil, and resources should always be ring-fenced for special needs students. That is a principle to which I have always held strongly ever since I brought in special classes in 1998, SNAs and so on. On the broader question, there is an issue with supply in certain areas, but the Minister for Education has taken a raft of initiatives, as the Deputy is probably aware, to try in the short term to provid…

Can the Deputy tell me-----