What steps will be taken to address the additional cost of living for people with disabilities? Could the Minister of State let us know what is happening in that regard? People are very anxious to know. This is not about the cost of living as a result of inflation and the war in Ukraine. This is about the cost of living with a disability, as set out in the Indecon report.

It is very important to note that all of those measures were as a result of the increases in the cost of living and inflation. They were nothing to do with the cost of disability, which is a separate issue. It is important that we separate those things. We should not conflate this by saying we gave money because that money was given as a result of the increased cost of living due to supply chain issues and whatever else. It was nothing to do with the additional cost of living with a disability of over €9,200, as se…

There are enough of ye at it.

I agree wholeheartedly with that and I commend the Department on what is happening there but I will say one thing. When a person who is getting disability allowance gets married or partners with somebody who is working, their disability allowance is reduced to about €40 on the basis that their household income has now changed. That flies in the face of everything we are trying to achieve. There is also a lack of transport supports for people who want to go to work. The primary medical certificate is a disaster. We …

Will the Minister of State detail the steps taken to support people with disabilities and their families? How tangible is that support on the ground?

I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply. Many parents of children have been waiting a long time for diagnoses. This week, I came across the case of a parent whose child was taken off a mainstream bus going to school due to behaviour. The parent is going back and over like a little ping-pong ball between the Department of Education, the school, the special education needs organiser, SENO, and God knows who else. They are all looking for reports from one another. It is completely disjointed. The mot…

I thank the Minister of State. It is great to hear this. While we have all of the strategies, what kills parents such as the woman who rang me this week is that she could not talk to somebody. It was all bloody emails. There is no personal contact. It is important that we stop for a minute. We have to say, for instance, that it is not right and that we should not be proud of it. We do not necessarily need a strategy. We need people to have a bit of common sense between their ears to try to get this done, whatever i…

As a friend of Noel Treacy for a long number of years I am honoured to have the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of the regional group. Deputy Grealish will also say a few words. What I am going to say is a personal approach. We know his record here and we know all of his achievements. We know of all the elections he has fought. Mary his wife walked through every occasion beside him. I am delighted to see Mary here with their family. It is a great to see you here. If one was to describe Noel, one would desc…

I welcome the opportunity to speak and compliment those who brought forward this motion. As a member of the Committee on Disability Matters, I have been listening for two and a half years to a litany of complaints from service users with the lived experience of disabilities. They bare their souls in public before the committee. It is not pretty. The courage and determination they show is great but all we are giving them is just platitudes, telling them they are great and brave to do what they are doing. What is wro…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill. First, it is important we recognise that the outdoor dining space and all that goes with that has been a positive step and gives more of a socially attractive position to many of our towns. We brought in this because of a particular circumstance and to help the hospitality sector. It is important we get it right for the future so that we do not end up having an ad hoc arrangement going forward. One of the points I would like to address in particular is the …

I welcome the opportunity to speak. It is important that, as Irish people, we take stock. We have an incredible challenge in front of us in this country. We have seen many thousands of people come from Ukraine, we have asylum seekers and, of course, our own people who cannot find housing. We have the perfect storm. I will address the issue of asylum seekers and Ukrainians first. I commend the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, for the work they have been doing in the past 18 m…

I want to raise the issue of the retained firefighters' negotiations for better pay and conditions. I understand that when they met the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, very little progress was made because no discussions could take place on the substantive issue, which is about pay and conditions, because neither the Government nor the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform had given any authorisation to talk about money. This is a worrying trend. The model for the…

Is the Deputy okay with that response?

The Deputy will get another opportunity.

I too welcome the opportunity to speak on the very important Bill. We have had a lot of discussion about all of the atrocities happening in Ukraine and our attitude towards them. There has been a lot of suffering there. For some reason, we seem to not want to talk about what is happening on the other side of the world and what is happening between Israel and Palestine. We have to talk about it, however. As a neutral country and a country that suffered a lot over a long period, it is time we stand up to the plate, l…

Has the Minister's Department conducted any study of the rate of drop-out from secondary school education? If so, can she provide the statistics on the number of students that have left school early in each of the past ten years and to date in 2023?

I thank the Minister. It is good to see that the retention rate is improving and reaching that level. I would cite what the Minister herself said about DEIS schools and the fact that the retention rate there is not as good. I welcome that she is looking at that. It is important to make sure that as many people as possible have the highest possible level of educational attainment because that would be reflected in their job opportunities in future. According to the European Commission country report in 2022, Ireland…

I thank the Minister. It is important to acknowledge that education is a fundamental pathway to employment. Maybe other schools have applied for DEIS status. Maybe that could be looked at. Some schools have many Ukrainian or foreign students who have come into the country in the past year. The dynamic has changed and there are challenges. It is important that every child who comes into our education system gets the best possible support. I had the experience at third level, where I lectured, of seeing students come…

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. It is important we discuss it. First, many towns and villages around the country have housing estates that were built back in the boom times, with private wastewater treatment plants. Irish Water, local authorities and the Government have walked away from them. They are refusing to recognise them. They are leaving it to the people who own those houses to maintain those treatment plants. Furthermore, the local authorities will not allow any furthe…

I compliment Sinn Féin on bringing forward this motion. It is important we debate what is a very pertinent issue for many people in the country. As a member of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, I want to say a few words about people with disabilities during this debate on the cost of living, the cost of food and everything else. The Indecon report, which was commissioned by the Government, clearly demonstrated that, on average, the cost of living with a disability, is €9,200 per person per annum. The repor…