If we could get an indication of the number of evictions, that would help us to work on the issue. There should be no excuse for not bringing vacant houses back into use because unprecedented funding has been allocated to local authorities to bring the voids back into use quickly. The Residential Tenancies Board should be used by those who are being threatened with eviction to make sure that all their rights and entitlements are adhered to. If the Deputy can send the details, we will follow up on that.

I take the point that the Deputy has made. Legislation was passed in the Oireachtas some time ago, by a previous Dáil, stating that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, can recommend that the Minister mandatorily instruct a school to have an ASD class. That should be more streamlined and simplified. The Minister should not have to tell a school that it needs to have an ASD class. Every school should take all children irrespective of need. In my view, particularly in the mainstream setting, children wit…

That legislation is progressing. It should be, hopefully, through the House this session, but that is ambitious. I have been consistent in my view with regard to objections to good housing schemes. Eight hundred and fifty homes would have been available if that scheme had got the green light. I do not understand why people are objecting to schemes that have been worked out for a considerable length of time. This has been going on for a long time in respect of the development at Oscar Traynor Road. The scheme has ha…

I will ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to revert to the Deputy on the matter because I do not have the background to the situation he raises in terms of whether there was a legislative change. I will ask the Minister to clarify the situation for the Deputy.

Decisions have been made.

Yes, it will, but it will be fine-tuned for the early childhood sector. In respect of Shannon Heritage, decisions have been made in terms of its future. I take the Deputy's point. We need to progress those and to get them embedded and delivered.

Yes. That is very important.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. Social impact assessments, SIAs, are an analytical framework that is designed to examine the demographic profile of public services users and how they are impacted by budgetary policy decisions. SIAs seek to answer questions about the impact of Government expenditure, such as whether the policy change in question resulted in a quantifiable gain or loss to existing recipients, who gained the most or least and whether the profile of recipients was altered.…

I thank the Deputies for the questions. First, on equality budgeting and the general approach of Government under the social impact assessment framework, approximately 17 papers have been published since 2016 under the social impact assessment, SIA, framework, embracing education, childcare, energy, poverty, disability and health, including mental health. I mention the assessment of living standards, results of the 2019 survey on income and living conditions, SILC, the SEAI programmes targeting energy poverty, in 2…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 11, inclusive, together. The European Union and the international division of my Department works on all aspects of European Union and international policy within my Department, including issues relating to the European Union and the United Kingdom relationship. The division assists me in my role as a member of the European Council and in my other European Union engagements. It provides advice and briefings for meetings of the European Council and other European Union and Unite…

On Deputy Martin Kenny's questions, Europe has to be consistent and is consistent. It has been consistent on Ukraine and has had unity of purpose on Ukraine and other neighbourhoods in terms of activities. The situation in Spain is difficult and challenging. I welcome the fact that the situation has de-escalated and that the politicians have been released. No one ever likes to see politicians who would ordinarily be going about their parliamentary business and referendum activity in prison as a result of their acti…

-----it is still a regressive move. I am also aware of reports that Palestinian human rights defenders were hacked using Pegasus spyware. We attach great importance to the freedom of civil society and people's ability to act without surveillance. We have also asked Israel to respect international law and to avoid loss of life in the context of Palestinian prisoners who are currently on hunger strike in protest at their arrests under the Israeli policy of administrative detention. We are aware of the concerns raised…

The only commissions of investigation for which I am the specified Minister under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 are the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation commission of investigation and the National Asset Management Agency commission of investigation. Both commissions are fully independent. The IBRC commission was established in June 2015 following consultation with Oireachtas parties. It is investigating certain transactions, activities and management decisions at the IBRC and in its first module it is…

In response to Deputies Tóibín, Boyd Barrett and Kenny, I would point out that it was the Deputies opposite who called for, if not demanded, the investigation. It was not about kicking the can down the road, as Deputy Tóibín suggested. There was a demand from this House, and I was in opposition at the time, that the Government establish an inquiry. All in opposition wanted an inquiry into this. The Deputy is correct that the Department has estimated that it could cost €30 million but there are no precise figures. T…

It is a topic that needs serious discussion, but we must build up the existing capacity of the system to deal with these issues in a substantive way and avoid the necessity for inquiries that take an inordinate length of time, by any yardstick, to come to a conclusion and at great cost.

Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach agus leis na Seanadóirí as an gcuireadh labhairt leo tráthnóna inniu. Is mór an t-áthas orm agus an phribhléid dom a bheith sa Seanad chun labhairt leo. Ar ndóigh is ócáid thráthúil í mar go bhfuil muintir na hÉireann faoi láthair ag dul trí ré dhúshlánach chasta nach bhfacamar riamh i saol an lae inniu. Is ar an ábhar sin ba mhaith liom labhairt faoi ghnéithe éagsúla dár bpríomh pholasaíth atá lárnach d’Éirinn anois agus san am atá amach romhainn. I am delight…

That will be fine.

I thank all the Senators for their varied contributions. I may not be able to get through every contribution in my reply but there are common thematic elements to the debate to which I can respond. Quite a number of Senators spoke about the broader issue of this island and its future. I think Senator Doherty started off in that vein when she referred to the shared island initiative and the importance of listening. That is a skill set we could all do better with and one I could improve on. It is the most fundamental…

-----but also understanding the pressures they are under. The resolution of the protocol issue is about that same exercise. To be fair to Commissioner Šefčovič, I asked him to go to the North and he did, as did the Minister, Deputy Coveney. Commissioner Šefčovič went to the North, listened to the people on the ground, came away with a different perspective, to be fair to him, and persuaded colleagues in Europe, some of whom believe he has gone too far with the package he has produced. The UK Government is engaging.…

I will turn to antigen testing and Covid-19. We are going through different phases of Covid-19 and learning all along the way. The vaccination programme has been very successful and it is because of that that the country is still open. The majority of those who end up in ICU are unvaccinated, and most of those who are vaccinated have underlying conditions. Consequently, making sure that those who are immunocompromised and who have underlying conditions get vaccinated first is essential. I cannot overstate the impor…