I thank the Senator. I appreciate his point that if the toll is set too high, it could lead to traffic entering city centres. Unfortunately, I was not at the Cabinet meeting today to know whether a decision was taken or whether there was a discussion on this, but I will update the Senator on the matter later today. The Government has identified transport as an area to target for cost-of-living mitigation measures. There was a reduction in public transport fares, both a 20% reduction for everybody and a 50% reductio…

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this issue in the House. The Deputy will appreciate of course that the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the allocation and distribution of resources. However, I can inform the Deputy it is anticipated that the Garda Reserve recruitment process will launch in the coming year. As the Deputy may already be aware, the launch of a new Garda Reserve recruitment campaign is a priority of the Garda Reserve Strategy 2021-2025, whi…

I thank the Deputy. I have listened carefully to his initial comments and it is clear he has been following up on this issue, which is close to his heart. He can see the benefits of the Garda Reserve and he has been persistently trying to follow up on when the recruitment campaign will start. The information I have been given is the information I have passed on to him, but I can pass on any further questions to the Minister. I agree with the Deputy's view that this can lower the fear of crime. My experience with th…

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for raising this issue. While recruitment to An Garda Síochána has faced challenges in recent times, this has been due in the main to public health restrictions in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. The effect of the restrictions has been a slower than anticipated flow of new entrants into the Garda College. While the Minister for Justice has no direct role in the recruitment of Garda members, she and the Government are committed to building str…

I thank the Deputy. He mentioned that we in the Oireachtas are good at creating laws, but we have to take into account that those laws have to be implemented and that every law we pass creates new requirements and burdens on the Garda. Where possible, we should remove some of the laws that are on the Statute Book. He made the point that any recruitment campaign we run should be vibrant. Such campaigns should be competitive with other positions for which people might apply. The State, although perhaps not the Garda,…

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. LEADER is a key programme within Our Rural Future and, as announced recently, the expression of interest stage to select the groups to deliver the next LEADER programme is now open. The allocation for each LEADER area was also announced as part of the process. The programme has made an immense contribution to the development of rural Ireland, including the offshore islands. The funding allocation commitment of €180 mi…

I believe the Deputy has asked about this issue previously, and I will follow up on those questions. I have been told there are now requirements that these subregional groups specifically include actions relating to the islands, that they have a specific budget for the islands, and that they have representation from the islands. I presume that is on foot of the Deputy's requests or demands. I am not sure whether that was present in the last round. His point is that there is only one subregional area for Galway and …

I thank Deputies for raising these important matters and allowing us time to discuss them today. I can appreciate the Deputies' concern, which is shared by all of us, that significant increases in the price of wholesale gas have led to an unprecedented rise in energy prices that has put financial strain on households and businesses in Ireland and across Europe. Clearly, the significant increases in energy bills and the cost of living are matters of very serious concern. The Government is keenly aware of the growing…

Historically, over many decades, the Office of Public Works, OPW, has held a statutory remit for the care and conservation of Ireland’s heritage estate. In tandem with this statutory role, the OPW has a mandate to engage in the presentation to the public of heritage sites entrusted to its care. The increasing popularity of heritage sites with visitors, to a point where it is estimated that visits to Irish heritage sites number in excess of 20 million annually, is highly encouraging and represents a strong endorseme…

The OPW, along with the other agencies, has formed a steering group which has been investigating a number of sites for a potential visitor centre. It has been working with the local community and tourism representatives to determine where a site should be placed. Along with its partners, it has engaged international expertise and carried out a scoping report which has been presented to my Department for consideration. A number of sites have been visited and identified. Consideration is being given to existing arran…

I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. Cashel is one of the most important sites in the country and was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and others. The next step is to assess the identified site locations. They will be matched against defined criteria to be agreed by the project steering group. The group will have regard to the conceptual spatial model, which will encompass requirements for the proposed new facility. If the outcomes of this study are favourable, this will le…

I thank the Deputy. I have set out in tabular form in the following link the detail on the amount of funding approved for each local authority under the OPW minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme in each of the years 2018 to 2021 and to date in 2022. As the Deputy will be aware, the purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised fluvial flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative …

The Deputy is correct about drawdown. Much of the funds are not drawn down. Roughly half the funds approved have actually been drawn down during the five-year period we were looking at. The budget itself is not entirely applied for. There is always much more money in the budget than is applied for by the local authorities. I would encourage the Deputy to ask his local authority to apply for the funding for minor works schemes and then to make sure that it does draw it down. There must be a role for county councillo…

On the approach to sea level rises all around the country and its effect on critical infrastructure, housing and so on, the Climate Action Plan will continue to address that. There will be specific actions relating to flooding. People will pay particular attention to that in the current environment. On whether the local authorities need extra capacity, I know the OPW will act in an advisory capacity to anybody who has been allocated money. If local authorities feel they do not have the capacity to draw it down they…

The purpose of the Office of Public Works' minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised fluvial flooding and coastal protection problems within their administrative areas. The scheme was introduced by my office in 2009 and applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short timeframe. The works to be funded are carried out under local authority powers and ongoing …

I will take those two schemes in Cavan to the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan and raise them with him directly. Any local authority should apply for funding where needed. There is a very low refusal rate. I think only about 10% of schemes are refused. Also, as we discussed, there is a low rate of drawdown on the projects. Sometimes projects are approved but the funding is not drawn down. The question was phrased in such a way as to ask if there will be sufficient money for next year. There is always sufficient …

I commit that I will bring those two projects in Cavan to the Minister of State and ask him to look into them and contact the Deputy's office directly to liaise with him to make sure the schemes are met. I understand that flooding is devastating for anyone who has a home that is affected by it. It causes great distress to families and also great financial distress. Sometimes you cannot wait for a major flood-relief scheme to be carried out and need remedial works that provide relief in the short term, so I will do …

In the first instance, local flooding is a matter for each local authority to investigate and address. Where necessary, local authorities may put forward proposals to relevant central government Departments, including the Office of Public Works, for funding of appropriate measures depending on the infrastructure or assets under threat. As there is no application on hand in the OPW for the location mentioned in the Deputy's question, my office contacted Cork County Council and it has advised that the area around Ard…

As this is not a case where property is at risk, but where a road is concerned, it is therefore a matter for the Minister for Transport. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, has committed to speak to the Minister for Transport about the issue. The area is located in a special area of conservation, SAC, and that makes it harder to get the consents. As to the question of whether it would be possible to have a fast track for planning, the only fast track that exists is emergency planning in case of bridge collapse…

I will take the Deputy's thoughts to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan. The estimated cost of the project is in the region of €150,000, to give an idea of the size of it. I appreciate the impact this has on people in Dunmanway and in the west Cork and central Cork areas.