The point I am making, one which the Minister has not homed in on, is that we need to protect family farm income in the first instance. We also need to provide front-loaded funding to allow farmers to change their work practices to ensure they are doing so in an environmentally-friendly way. Those are two separate matters. The concern farmers have is that the CAP is being taken hostage to pay for the environmental measures and that their family supports will be lost. To take small farms of 50 acres as an example, o…

The climate action plan is being launched today. I have come across something that flies in the face of trying to get things done. There is a stand-off between local authorities and developers of solar and wind farms. When someone is trying to get a connection to the grid, it may have to be routed along a public road, possibly underground. However, before people can make an application for planning permission, they need a letter of consent from the local authority as part of the planning application. There is a sta…

I compliment Deputy Harkin on bringing forward this very timely Bill. I am very disappointed at the Minister of State's reply. To defer this for nine months is not the way to do this business. During the week - I think it was last Monday - we were at the launch of the Greenify home improvement loan product by some credit unions. The Minister of State was there and spoke. It was very positive. That is a case in point of credit unions coming together to provide packages of schemes for their members across the communi…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Finance Bill. There are some very good directional changes in this budget, first towards the idea of making it more beneficial to work than not to work, that is, to make work pay. It is important that the universal social charge has been adjusted to try to create that difference between not working and working in order that people will feel they can go to work and will not be penalised by having to pay for home services and childcare while at work, then doing the analysis a…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am honoured to move the motion and, with my colleagues from the Regional Group of Independent Deputies, to speak on the matter here today. The State has failed to put a strategy in place since the European Commission approved the charter of rights for persons with autism in 1996. The charter states that people with autism should share the same rights as enjoyed by all EU citizens and that these rights should be enforced by legislation. This has not yet happened i…

I am sharing time with Deputy Verona Murphy. Because of the topic, she is having eight minutes and I am having five minutes.

I call that gender balance. I am delighted to speak on the subject this evening. I spoke earlier with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, about another subject, namely, autism. This is an issue the citizens' assembly has brought to the fore. As a previous speaker said, having a report is one thing, but implementing it to make change happen is the challenge. Sometimes the challenge can cost money, but at the end of the day if we put in services to support women in whatever they want to do in life, we will get the rewards…

She now has seven and a half minutes, so I will leave it at that.

My question relates to the current problem in regard to costs for projects for which money has been already allocated. Costs are rising. Funding has already been allocated. What measures are being put in place to top up the grants already provided to meet rising costs or is such a facility already in place?

I thank the Minister for that very comprehensive reply. I am glad to see she is using the quantity surveying profession, of which I am member, to help her to keep the costs in check. I welcome her clarification that these costs are open for review because normally what happens on projects is when the application is made, applicants perhaps do not have the full design in place or the details done right, in the sense that they are not done fully. The contingency sum that would be built in would reflect that type of s…

Absolutely. I hope and trust the projects she mentioned in Athenry and Portumna, as well as those in Loughrea and Tuam, are not half-baked and the figures are correct, inasmuch as they could have been at the time. It is a picture of a cost at a particular time. I welcome the fact that it is being recognised by the Department that costs rise. I compliment its staff for all the work they have done right through Covid in working with the local authorities. I also compliment the Minister's predecessor, my great friend …

My question relates to women's sheds. I have been contacted by a group of women in Tuam who want to set up a women's shed. They want to know where to go to get State support. Men's sheds groups have been successful throughout the country and have been strongly supported by the Department. In that context, we should consider supporting women's sheds. I look forward to the Minister's response.

Initially when I was praising the Minister, I inadvertently left the Minister of State out of the equation. Every Department needs a good team and I am delighted that the Minister of State is doing a great job in the Department. I thank him for his reply. It is important to ensure that women's sheds get parity of esteem and the same quality of service as men's sheds. Women need to have places to meet, chat, do community work and become involved to give them a sense of belonging. I welcome the fact that funding is b…

I thank the Minister of State for that. When women's sheds are starting out, they do not know where to go for funding. The first port of call for information is the local authority. It would also be important to register with the Public Participation Networks, PPN. It is important to give groups as much information as possible. We will also look into the possibility of getting assistance from the rural development company. The message is clear that the Department supports women's sheds. I invite the Minister of Sta…

I welcome the extension of the help-to-buy scheme but I would like the Tánaiste's comments on how it can be enhanced to include first-time buyers of any of the vacant properties that are splattered around every town and village in this country. We should give young people a chance to bring those homes back into use by extending to them the supports available under the help-to-buy scheme. It is a good scheme but this change needs to be made as a matter of urgency in order that we can start giving some hope to young …

Last night, I highlighted many measures in the budget that were to be welcomed. I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, on increasing his budget for flood relief. He listed out the many projects he hopes to get started next year and they are all very familiar to me because they all featured on plans in 2015 and 2016. The problem with such projects, as he will be aware, is trying to get them from inception to getting the construction started on the ground. I emphasise that the minor works flood relie…

Absolutely.

I better not waste any of my time. I am delighted to be able to speak on the budget. First, I want to do is recognise the fact that the Regional Group produced our budget submission and met with the Ministers, Deputies McGrath and Donohoe, prior to the Budget Statement. They listened and have taken on board some of the issues we raised. I want to acknowledge that because if every issue raised by everybody was included in the budget we would be here six days of the week to read it given that there are a lot of asks.…

I compliment People Before Profit-Solidarity on tabling this very important motion at this time. The increase in the cost of fuel impacts on everybody, including businesses, consumers and especially those in fuel poverty. When we talk about this and about what is going wrong, we sometimes put the cart before the horse. We closed down two power generation stations without having an alternative in place. Likewise, we are talking about offshore wind energy and reaping the benefits of all of this green energy but we do…

I wish to share time with my colleague, Deputy Tóibín. We will have five minutes each.