I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. On a more general level, budget 2023 announced a record level of investment in the early learning and childcare sector. This will exceed €1 billion next year. Core funding is distributed to services based on the number of child places offered, the hours per week, the weeks per year that the places are offered and the age group of children for whom the places are available. There is also additional investment for graduates in leadership roles. To date, with the scheme in ope…

The information I am receiving from the Department is that the Federation of Early Childhood Providers, FECP, is seeking an increase in capitation for the ECCE programmes to €76 per child per week. The argument is that capitation has not increased in line with inflation. Data from the FECP show that capitation rates from 2010 of €64.50 per child, adjusted in line with inflation capitation rate would be €76. With core funding, however, the weekly capitation for a child would be at least €78.75 per week. That may not…

Does the Deputy mean the National Transport Authority, NTA?

I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about this. Generally speaking, we are of the view that we should provide proper transport for people with special needs, including children with special needs and people with disabilities more generally. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to see what is the best model to do that and how best to do it through the NTA.

Since this Government came into office, it has worked very well to get rid of a backlog occasioned by serial objections. This is a matter of which the Deputy will be aware. Those objections were not from his quarter, but there were-----

-----serial objectors across the board and this impacted on confidence in the forestry sector. A new strategy is being worked on by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, and the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. That strategy is nearing completion. Hopefully, we will be in a position to publish it very shortly. Meanwhile, huge resources have gone into the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which has issued 3,914 licences, or 92% of the projected average at this point …

On the broader issue of staff recruitment, there has been substantial recruitment in the health service over the past two years. I have not seen the documents the Deputy referred to but every effort is being made to streamline the recruitment processes more and to have more effective recruitment programmes in the HSE. The last two years have seen record numbers recruited but we need more and to do it more expeditiously.

The latest projections from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland indicate that we are on track to achieve our target of 27,000 home energy upgrades this year. This compares with 15,500 upgrades last year. Many people are applying for the scheme, and it is up 150%.

Will the Deputy send a note to me on the specific house types he has identified? We want as flexible a scheme as possible.

I am trying to be helpful. If the Deputy sends on the details of the house types he has become aware of that are outside the scheme, we will see what we can do to include them in the scheme. Is that fair?

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has this matter under active consideration. He made proposals-----

The question is asked with remarkable precision.

The Minister brought proposals to the housing committee. He will bring it to the Cabinet-----

It actually is for the Minister. I do not pre-empt him.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2, inclusive, together. The north-east inner-city, NEIC, programme implementation board, chaired by an independent chairperson, meets on a monthly basis to oversee and progress the implementation of the Mulvey report and the next strategic plan 2020-2022. Members of the board include representatives from relevant Government Departments and agencies, businesses and the local community. The chair of the board reports to an oversight group, chaired by the Secretary General of my …

First, I am taken aback by Deputy Gould's comments. The north-east inner city initiative has not been going at a glacial pace. It has been very effective. I think that is widely acknowledged. I was recently at the restoration of Fitzgibbon Street Garda station and saw the community room in the station. There has been tremendous focus in the north-east inner city initiative. This year, €7.5 million will be allocated to it. He did make points on the broader issue around task forces more generally. Yesterday, at the C…

It is not that the Government is dragging its feet on that.

Well, no. If a planning application goes in and it is refused by the independent planning authorities then I do not think that we can blame the Government for that. In any event, I would be interested in consultations or engagement as to how we can progress a facility like that and in learning lessons about why it has not happened to date and the obstacles that it faced in planning and the issues around all of that. On the broader issue of O'Connell Street and anti-social behaviour more generally, the budget has al…

There are issues around that too, and the Deputy knows that.

Would you support - through the Chair -----