I apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. She is at a conference in Cavan today for rural development Ministers from the OECD. I thank Deputy Stanley for raising the issue. The supplementary welfare allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system that provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient. The community welfare service, CWS, remains a flexible service which meets the varied needs of vulnerable people and the Minister wants to be a…

I omitted to say in my earlier remarks, although Deputy Stanley is probably aware of this anyway, that in the Laois-Offaly constituency there are no CWO vacancies and there is a full complement in Laois of six and in Offaly of five. In respect of the changes that have been made around modernisation, it has been in response to a lot of calls from Oireachtas Members and public representatives, including a colleague of Deputy Stanley's, Deputy Kerrane, who on a number of occasions in this House has called for communit…

-----for customers who do not want to meet face to face. If I could finish, it is very clear in the earlier response I made that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, is committed to a blended format, making sure that it is accessible. It goes without saying that of all Ministers in the Government who are rooted in rural areas, everybody on both sides of the House would fully appreciate the commitment she has to the maintenance of rural services.

At the outset, I want to thank Deputy Matthews for raising this issue. My office had, through the offices of the other Ministers for whom I am deputising, reminded them to tell colleagues if they were not available, so I do not know what happened in respect of the other issue. I want to thank the Deputy for raising this issue, as it provides me with an opportunity to outline the current position on retrofitting and sustainable energy in school buildings for the Department of Education. The Department is at the fore…

I will ask the Department of Education, through the office of the Minister, Deputy Foley, to respond to the Deputy directly. On the retrofitting of older buildings, Deputy Matthew’s commented that the OPW is steeped in this. Every old building presents its own challenges. In many cases the buildings the Deputy referred to are listed buildings. This includes primary and post-primary schools, that are either listed on the city and county development plans or, in some cases, are protected structures. That creates a di…

I am delighted the Government has continued to support the work of the Office of Public Works in 2023. Our gross allocation of €609 million demonstrates the confidence the Government has in the Office of Public Works to continue to perform our key infrastructure delivery and protection role. The Government support on the back of the significant allocation of investment funds in the national development plan, NDP, leaves the Chairman and staff of the Office of Public Works well-positioned to deliver the programme fo…

I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for raising this. As she is aware, the future of the historical houses at 14 to 17 Moore Street has been fraught with difficulty over the years. A significant amount of time and effort has been devoted by a large number of people, organisations, the State and volunteers to try to resolve some of the issues so we can make progress. There have been a number of entities involved in this issue over the past several years, including the relatives, the Moore Street stallholders, the Department…

What I can confirm is what I said already, which is that the OPW has been involved in this for the last three years, two of which were locked down with Covid-19. I can also confirm that this has been fraught with issues. The most important thing we have to do now is stabilise the buildings because if we do not, given our experience of doing work on the Four Courts, the Custom House, Kilmainham Gaol and other important buildings across Dublin, they could be at risk of further erosion or worse. The first and most imp…

However, I would not stand here and suggest that the OPW has been anything other than respectful to the monument and all the associated monuments. We will look after them. The role of the market, the associated street infrastructure and so forth are primarily matters for Dublin City Council. I have to say, having walked there less than a fortnight ago, I was less than inspired.

Supported by councillors.

Right on cue.

Was Gerry Adams in the IRA?

Because of the outcome, with people like you in it.

A load of partitionists.

I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Commencement matter the Senator raised. The Office of Public Works undertakes the acquisition of paintings, sculpture and drawings on behalf of the Department of the Taoiseach. To the Senator's first point, there are no plans at present for any additional sculptures, monuments or anything of that nature for anybody associated with the War of Independence or the Civil War because we have to await instruction from the Department of the Taoiseach. The OPW commences the acquisi…

The answer to the Senator's final question is "Yes". It is my intention to follow it up because we are inundated with requests from community groups. In some cases, community groups even volunteer to gift us statues. As the State organisation that looks after commemorative events and sites, we cannot take statues. There is a process and protocol that must be gone through because otherwise it would be at the whim of the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW to put up everything and anything across the co…

The Glashaboy River flood relief scheme at Glanmire and Sallybrook in Cork is being progressed by Cork City Council. The Office of Public Works, OPW, in partnership with the council is engaging proactively to progress the flood relief scheme for Glanmire. The scheme was confirmed in January 2021 by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy McGrath, under the Arterial Drainage Acts 1945 to 1995. The scheme is being funded from the €1.3 billion in flood relief measures under the national de…

The Deputy is right. This scheme was the first to be approved under the new arterial drainage regulations, which came into force in 2019. It is important to state on behalf of the Department that Cork City Council, as the Deputy said, is the lead authority in this and is the negotiating authority in the appointment of a contractor, which is commercially sensitive and confidential. I am precluded from uttering anything that would in any way interfere in that, other than to say the Office of Public Works is committed…

Regarding the Government's commitment to the council as the lead authority, I wish to make it clear that the Office of Public Works is committed to this scheme. There are residents, traders and representatives who are anxious, but the scheme has planning permission and is ready to go. Any commercial discussion around the appointment of a contractor is a matter for the council, which will receive guidance from the Office of Government Procurement. The council has also been in discussions with our officials. We hope …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I have been here for 12 years now representing the people of County Limerick. In response to Deputy O'Donoghue, I do not need to be reminded of my job. I am well capable of being reminded of that by the people of County Limerick. Having been returned by them three times now, I must be doing something right. A number of questions were asked. I will try to do my best. Most of the Deputies who asked them are not in the Chamber now. Many of the questions pertain to different Departments. We…