On the pandemic payment, which was the subject matter of the first two questions, 122,000 staff have now received the payment, representing the vast majority of those who are eligible and employed by the HSE. The HSE's figures reported for the week ending 9 September 2022 show that 85,078 eligible HSE staff and 37,589 eligible section 38 staff in voluntary hospitals have received the payment. I am told that the total at the moment is 122,667. That is the figure I have been given via the Department from the HSE. How…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4, inclusive, together. My Department's annual report for 2021 was published on gov.ie and laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas last July. The report sets out the work of my Department in 2021 to deliver under the strategic priorities set out in the Department's three-year statement of strategy. My Department continues to work at the centre to ensure that the policies developed support the Government's commitment to developing Ireland in a sustainable way that supports econ…

Yes. A whole range of issues were raised there. Deputy Bacik raised the issue of childcare. The difficulty is that if we were to move completely to a State system, it would involve very significant engagement with stakeholders to dramatically and radically transform the area. As I said, we dealt in the last budget with a significant allocation for pay and conditions. Working between employers and employees, an agreement was arrived at in terms of the two employment regulation orders. This was good, but this year we…

Deputy O'Callaghan raised the question of renters. Housing for All is our strategic response to housing. It is the most substantive housing policy. I have seen nothing near it from any Opposition party in terms of substance, breadth or depth. The reality is we will need a range of measures to deal with housing and homelessness. Unfortunately-----

The population is rising and is more than 5 million. There are more Irish people coming back than Irish people leaving. The housing issue is not just Irish; it is European. It is an issue everywhere, basically.

The Deputy made his points. I am addressing all the points he made, because I have written down what he said. We need to study the facts. The bottom line is that a number of factors have really conspired against us, Covid being one, but more importantly, the war and the increase in the cost of commodities. However, we are responding to that. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform reformed the public tender framework so that builders would not be caught for the entirety of the inflationary increase and they …

I am coming to them. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of the transport service in south Dublin. The funding was obviously coming through some agency prior to that, was it not?

I know, but what agency are they dealing with?

The Government did not meet as a Government and say they were not getting funding. The Deputy should know that. He made the political point that the Government refused it. We did not.

Who did they ask?

Normally, in terms of groups in that specific area, funding is provided through a particular agency or whatever. I do not know the full background to the case.

Well, there must be other reasons and factors we need to tease through.

Deputy Barry raised the issue of the minimum wage, which is a 7.6% increase. Last year's increase was higher than inflation, actually.

That is my understanding, yes.

In terms of the year it applied to, yes. This is just narrowly lower. It is an independent commission, not the Government, that decides the minimum wage. We want to move up as quickly as we can to a new living wage. For the first time in the report, a living wage has now been identified, so progress has been made. The Deputy is aware the vast majority on the minimum wage are not the main income earners in families. We have to continue to improve, and we will. We all agree on that - maybe not all. There is an indepe…

The practice has been to accept the recommendation of an independent commission. However, in the budget and the cost of living package, we will be taking other measures to help people on the minimum wage to get through the current crisis.

I have an official State event here on Saturday.

The parliamentary liaison unit in my Department assists the Government in its relationship with the Oireachtas. It works with the Office of the Government Chief Whip on issues that arise at the Business Committee and the Committee on Dáil Reform and Standing Orders, including Dáil reform proposals and amendments to Standing Orders. The unit supports the Office of the Government Chief Whip in the implementation of the Government’s legislative programme. In addition, the unit assists the office of the leader of the G…

There are a number of issues there and, in fairness to Deputy Martin Kenny, I did not answer his last question-----

-----in the last bout, for which I apologise. There is national implementation board oversight between the Department of Justice and my Department and that is working well. We launched and published the strategy itself just before the summer recess and that will report to the Cabinet subcommittee on social affairs and equality. We have outlined that to the Deputy’s party leader and to the other party leaders when we consulted them prior to the publication of the strategy, so we have to give it time.