The child guarantee will sit as a part of the broader successor framework to Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures. It is the national policy of the State in respect of children. I have asked that child poverty be a key element of our new national policy. The EU child guarantee will sit within that. The guarantee is a little narrower in its scope; it is targeted at children who are most in need. The two documents will progress together. I was at a meeting of EU ministers for children some weeks ago at which we discusse…

We are very aware of the impact this brutal war has had on so many civilians, but particularly on children, and we will in the coming weeks have to provide supports to those children as they arrive. As I stated earlier, right now the response has very much been towards getting accommodation. It is currently about getting shelter and safety for people and making sure they have a bed, but wider supports will have to be put in place. I spoke earlier about the work Tusla is doing with some of the most vulnerable childr…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 15 together. Significant investment is being made by my Department to support parents with the costs of early learning and childcare. The national childcare scheme, NCS, is currently supporting thousands of families to offset their costs. A recent review of the NCS showed that 38% of families had more than half their early learning and childcare costs covered by the NCS. Some 56% of families had more money to spend due to the scheme and 28% of families were working more becau…

The Deputy has raised a wide range of questions there that I probably will not be able to address comprehensively in one minute. The core funding is there this year to ensure that childcare workers are supported, reflecting the point that the Deputy has made that they are not getting adequately paid. It is also to support the sustainability of services in order that the 4,500 facilities that are open remain open and that there is encouragement there for new services to open. It also begins advancing that affordabil…

I thank the Deputy for his contribution. That is the reason that I am bringing forward a package of €221 million in core funding for the childcare sector in a full year. That money is primarily designed to address the issue specifically raised by the Deputy on the rates of pay that our fantastic childcare professionals receive at the moment. Core funding, dependent on the employment regulation order that is being negotiated at the joint labour committee right now, will deliver increased rates of pay for those child…

I thank the Deputy for his question. Last week, I visited the United States to undertake a series of engagements as part of the State’s annual St. Patrick’s Day programme, as well as to head the delegation attending the UN Commission on the Status of Women as Minister responsible for equality. These engagements bolstered the Irish Government’s support for the large Irish-American communities in Philadelphia and New York, particularly after having been suspended during the pandemic. I was also afforded the opportuni…

I found the bilateral engagements with a number of ministers particularly beneficial. I met ministers from Belgium and from Sierra Leone where we discussed the support that Irish Aid is giving there. With Belgium we discussed issues to do with their approach to domestic violence. I met the British minister on women's issues and it was a very useful engagement there. In particular, I had an engagement with the vice president of Iran, where I took the opportunity to discuss issues to do with the response to the refug…

I thank the Senators for inviting me here today to talk about my Department's response to the continuing crisis in Ukraine. Like the Senators, I am gravely concerned by the ongoing situation. I am sure they will all join me in condemning in the strongest possible terms the illegal actions of Russia, whose military strategy at this stage appears to be one designed to cause the maximum suffering for civilians. I am sure they will also join me in extending our hand of welcome to the many Ukrainians who have already ar…

I thank all Senators for their contributions. The generosity expressed in this room is reciprocated all over the country. I know it is appreciated. I know that from Ukrainians who just turned up at my Department in the early days of the crisis because that is where they were directed to. I had a chance to meet and have a brief conversation with them and I also met Ukrainians in my constituency of Dublin West today. There is a real sense of gratitude and acknowledgement of how the Irish people are seeking to support…

That is a very specific question and I do not have the answer for the Senator today. I can follow-up with the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Fleming, if that is all right.

The Leas-Chathaoirleach has stolen my opening line because International Women's Day is an important part of my calendar, given that I am the Minister with responsibility for gender equality. In reality, it is a day of significance for all of us, both men and women. Gender equality remains a profound challenge, as the Leas-Chathaoirleach alluded to, despite significant changes and improvements, and the progress that has been made in recent years. As a Government, we are committed to taking real and practical measur…

I thank all Senators for their very detailed, knowledge-based and passionate contributions to our debate today. I have a pre-prepared speech listing out all of the great things the Government has done over the past year, and the plans for the next year. I believe a couple of reflections might be a little bit more useful. I was struck by Senator McGreehan saying that here we are asking for the same thing again. I was also struck by Senator Hoey's contribution about it feeling a bit hollow to stand up and talk about …

Nearly all the Senators touched on the issue of Ukraine. It is something that the Government and, more importantly, the entire country are united on in terms of our open and generous response. Almost 10,000 pledges of support have come in through the Red Cross portal in the past number of days. Irish women and Irish men are saying what they will do, for instance, giving a spare room or providing meals. That is an enormous support. I hope that the Ukrainian ambassador can draw some comfort from that degree of solida…

I thank all Deputies for their very detailed and serious consideration of this legislation, which deals with potentially one of the most difficult matters we will see in this session of the Oireachtas. As the Deputies have said, the legislation is technical and detailed, but when we get back to the essence of what we are doing, it is law that provides for the removal of the remains of infants from a septic tank where they were placed inappropriately. Words almost fail us sometimes when we speak about the magnitude …

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". I am pleased to bring the Institutional Burials Bill 2022 before the House. This legislation will provide us with a legal basis to finally exhume the remains of children so tragically interred at the site in Tuam, reunite them with their loved ones and afford them a dignified burial. What happened at Tuam is a stain on our national conscience. Since coming into this role I have met with many of the families affected. In those meetings I have heard that sense of urg…

A fund is available for such projects and the Deputy is welcome to discuss it with me.

It is all set out in the legislation.

We all share the revulsion at the actions of the Russian Government in invading Ukraine. Over the past week, what we have seen unfolding before our eyes are acts of violence and cruelty, and an attack on the most fundamental principles of sovereignty, self-determination and democracy. Few of us every expected to see scenes like this unfold in our lifetime and on our continent. We have also seen the resolve of Ukrainian citizens, in Ukraine and abroad, standing up against Russian aggression and this existential thre…

I thank the Deputy. My Department funds the NWCI. This year, we funded it to the tune of €611,000, a 10% increase on last year. We will continue to fund the NWCI and look to continue to grow the level of its funding. My Department and I, as Minister, regularly meet it regarding a wide range of issues, as do many colleagues. We value that working relationship with the NWCI.

I thank the Regional Group for this motion, which gives us the opportunity to discuss these important issues. I emphasise, on behalf of the Government, our commitment to support people with disabilities and to the progressive realisation of our UNCRPD commitments. There is a real complexity in the issues discussed. They include issues we are already working on to address so we can improve and strengthen the transport supports available to people with disabilities. I am glad that work is ongoing within the framework…