I reiterated the Government’s position that we have communicated, and I have spoken personally and formally to the British Prime Minister and the authorities in this regard, that there can be no amnesty. When we listen to the victims and the families of the victims especially, it is clear that the British Government must change tack here.

I did see that programme last evening. I thought it was powerful in revealing the horror and brutality of domestic violence. The programme’s power was that it allowed the victims to speak and speak truthfully about the manner of their experiences. It was the most effective way as a medium to bring home to us the enormous suffering that people have endured. The report covered the criminal justice system in the context of the victim’s journey and how unsatisfactory for some victims that turns out to be. On refuges an…

Again, I am intrigued by the degree to which the Members opposite attempt to misrepresent what I have said, and then try to establish it as a fact by continuing to repeat it in order to embed it in the public consciousness as a fact. I told the Deputy that wages have increased and that is a good thing, especially when linked to productivity. Wages have increased and I have no issue with that at all. We have controls on rents. Rent increases are now controlled by legislation. Increases are limited to 2% or the cost …

The Government has said it is going to bring in measures to try to help people and to cushion the blow imposed by this inflationary cycle. We acknowledge that and we are going to deal with it.

An organisational capability review of the Department of Defence has been conducted over the past year by the organisational capability review team based in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is part of a Civil Service-wide process being overseen by the Civil Service management board. It is, as the Deputy knows, completely separate from the Commission on the Defence Forces. As is the established process in such reviews, the Department will prepare an action plan to address any recommendations made.…

Again, the Government is looking at a range of measures in terms of dealing with the current inflationary cycle to see what we can do best to target particular people on low incomes who are clearly under pressure as a result of this price cycle increase.

The public consultation is obviously on the strategy and that will impact on the refuges and places. In those counties that do not have any refuge centre or proper centre, work should proceed with the local authorities in those areas to see if we can do something in the interim.

As I said to other Deputies, I am not going to go into specific measures but there will be a range of measures we are looking at, particularly for people who are on low incomes and people who are finding it very hard on a weekly basis right now, to try to help them in their current situation.

I will talk to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage about that specific issue in Galway and I will come back to the Deputy.

As I said earlier, my view would be that if the county council, for example Cavan County Council, and Tearmann services could combine and approach the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with a view to providing such a centre, these are the interim approaches we have to take while the strategy outlines the more medium term. I think we would be forthcoming in responding to the county council working with the local service provider there to accelerate the provision of a centre.

Again in respect of that report, it would have to feed into the budgetary process of the next budget. Proposals will emanate from that and will fall due for consideration in the Estimates for next year.

As I said earlier, I am not going to go into the specifics. There is a number of measures under consideration by the Government in respect of this issue and we will be revealing those in the next couple of days.

These are operational matters for the Garda. I do not have the details of that specific issue here with me today, as the Deputy will appreciate.

There is a judicial review in respect of the proposal. Is that what the Deputy is talking about?

For repairs.

Maybe the Deputy might reveal the local solution to me.

Look, the council wants to take this over, does it not?

So they should get on with it.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change last met on Wednesday, 8 December, and is next scheduled to meet on Monday, 21 February. This Cabinet committee oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for Government commitments on the environment and climate change. The key climate change commitments are now reflected in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, which sets out challenging carbon reduct…

On Deputy McDonald's points on green hydrogen and offshore wind, the Government is of the view that offshore wind energy has enormous economic potential in this country. It could do a great deal to redress the imbalance in economic development between the eastern and western seaboards. It will commence in a serious way off the east coast. Wind energy generation off the west and south-west coasts could be the equivalent of the Irish Financial Services Centre in Dublin for the regions. The Government, therefore, is r…