I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising the important issue of the well-being, safety, protection, mental health needs and so on of children in State care. The broad point the Deputy makes is about the need for those of us who hold positions of authority to take an active interest in the lives of those who may find themselves without a voice within the system. On foot of what the Deputy has raised in the Dáil, I will specifically and directly raise with Tusla the issue of the 200 children who have died in State care over…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 12, inclusive, together. Last month, I chaired the Government’s inaugural competitiveness summit. In attendance were relevant Ministers, together with the chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, a senior representative of the OECD, and the chief executives of IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland among others from those organisations. The summit saw discussion on the challenges facing our own country in maintaining our competitiveness in a changing interna…

I thank colleagues for their questions. I turn first to Deputy Boyd Barrett's question on Cherrywood. I will inquire with the Department of housing about the situation with the town centre. I can say without getting overly involved, as someone who does not live a million miles away, that I know the scale of development that has happened there. There is no doubt a requirement for residents and workers to have access to community facilities, open spaces and the like.

What I do not have, and what I cannot cut across are the planning conditions, but I will certainly inquire with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and ask that we revert to the Deputy on the issue. I thank him for highlighting it. On Deputy Murphy's question, the issue of housing was raised at the competitiveness summit and the issue of housing is raised in all commentary and engagements I have with people making decisions to invest and grow their business in Ireland. There is of course the supply of housing, wa…

You cannot.

You will never be Taoiseach anyway.

First, I am concerned to hear Deputy Barry would like to have a vote on my movements and where I can or cannot go. That certainly does not work. Second, I could have easily done what many taoisigh do regularly when attending official business and sent someone in here to deputise on my behalf. What I did was to ask the House to agree to take Leaders' Questions early because I need to leave the House. If the House does not wish me to take Leaders' Questions, I can leave the House and someone will deputise on my behal…

I represent the people of this country-----

-----a hell of a lot better than you do.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I begin by recognising, as she did, the very important role carers play in society. We all know it from our families and communities and there are widespread views across the House and society about the need to continue to do all we can to support our carers. I note the likes of Family Carers Ireland, a representative group for family carers, spoke in acknowledging a number of the positive steps in this budget for carers. I accept there is always more to do, but…

We often have an argy-bargy in this House, but on this issue, there is a broad consensus that we need to do more to support our carers. I acknowledge that, and it is why I have outlined a number of the steps the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has taken and that I am proud of those steps because I know they have made a real difference because I have met the people who are benefiting from them. There is recognition that changes to the means test are required. That is why, under Heather Humphreys as Minister, we have see…

I would love to know which of the cost-of-living payments that will be paid to people in all of our constituencies between now and Christmas the Deputy would like us to cancel. If he would let me know, I would like to hear those proposals. Does he want me to stop the double child benefit payment in the first week of November? Does he want me to stop the double child benefit payment in the first week of December? Does he want me to stop the €300 fuel allowance payment? Does he want me to stop the double payment to c…

Tell me which of the payments you do not want, please, and let me know. Any other Opposition parties can email me at simon.harris@oireachtas.ie and let me know me what payments they do not want. I would really like to hear from them in relation to that. I stand by every single decision we made in the budget last week. This was a budget that did a number of things. It provided a cost-of-living package in the here and now – more than €2 billion of people's own money – quite rightly. It is not bribery. It is called li…

What I say to them is this Government is delivering a record number of new schools and new school extensions. The Department of Education has a record budget for capital. Throughout the country people can see new schools being built. I will ask the Minister for Education to engage directly with Deputy O'Callaghan on the specific Gaelcholáiste he referenced in his constituency. It is overly simplistic – in fact, it is misleading – to suggest that by providing some money in the here and now, we are stopping an abilit…

Excuse me. Deputy O'Callaghan does not need any help. I listened to them talk on the radio about the benefits of the pouches. The school principals have seen a big transformation. The schools in Northern Ireland have benefited from such a scheme as well.

I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this matter. Yes, I do acknowledge that I hear the frustrations of your constituents as articulated by you. You have made specific reference to claims or information in respect of Donegal County Council which I have yet to see. I will certainly ask the Minister for housing to pursue them with the local authority and to revert to you directly. I would like clarity on the matter myself. You specifically raised the issue of IS 465. The NSAI is Ireland's official standards body. It is…

In respect of Donegal County Council and the specific issue the Deputy raised, which has just come into the public domain, I will ask the Minister to revert to him and to engage with the local authority. I take the point about not wishing to see any further slippage and the importance of adhering to timelines, and I will certainly keep a very close eye on that. I think we have a bit of balance in regard to this. I can only imagine the frustration, the stress, the sheer trauma that people must be living with if thei…

We are up to seven or eight issues. In the limited time available to me, I will do my best to help the Deputy. First, the challenges he outlined have nothing whatsoever to do with immigration, including the shortage of GPs and the like. That does not stand up to scrutiny. The same is true of the issues in the hospitality sector and the like. In fact, many parts of the hospitality sector significantly benefit from people coming to our country and working in those facilities. It is important we are factual in our com…

Sorry, Deputy, the way this works is you ask seven questions in one and then I try to answer them. In the budget, we did our best to respond to and support those businesses. I know how important tourism and hospitality are to Killarney and County Kerry. Even as recently as today, the Cabinet considered the detail of the €170 million power up scheme. Under this scheme, all retail and hospitality businesses that previously received an increased cost of business, ICOB, grant will receive a flat energy grant payment of…

I do not know where to start there other than to say I hear Deputy Healy-Rae's passion for the people of Kerry, one that we share here. There are a number of things we have done in the budget that I know will make a real and meaningful difference to people in County Kerry. I can list a number of projects we have worked on, many of which the Deputy has been at the openings of, whether it is the delivery of a university for Tralee - Kerry is now a university county and Tralee is a university town - or whether it is t…