As well as that, the Minister absolutely butchered the postgraduate rates. There has been a dramatic regression since 2008 but the Minister very cleverly glossed over all that. This is despite my having asked a very specific question as to where we were in 2008 and where we are today, even allowing for the miserly increases that were given in the budget for 2022–23. We have gone back again to the great ploy that has been employed for ten years: the review. This means the poor students in college in 2021–22 get noth…

The great announcement of €200 per annum means a very small increase to the income threshold at a time when, because of inflation, incomes are rising. We are a country mile away from where we were in 2008. The Minister might tell me what was available for postgraduate students in 2008 by comparison with what is available under his fantastic package for 2022–23.

Sorry, but-----

I am a member of a Government party but I do not have to agree with everything members of the Government do. That is just a fact. It is one of the unfortunate parts of coalition. What were the rates in 2008, and what are the rates now? I believe third level education is incredibly important, as is making it accessible to those on low and medium incomes. The Minister might tell me the year in which he expects to get the big money to at least get us back to the rates of 2008, not to mind making all the other improvem…

There was an economic crisis-----

But the economic crisis is long gone, according to yourself.

Will the Minister publish that?

I know that, but I would make sure it is well published.

Has the Government published that information in places where people will read it?

That is not much joy to the students in college now.

I did an awful lot.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for coming in to take a matter that pertains to his personal responsibilities. On 1 December 2016, the then Minister said in the Dáil select committee: The Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 is important legislation. The bringing forward of this Bill is a commitment in the programme for a partnership Government. After that, the Bill went through the Dáil and the Seanad, where it was amended. When the Government collapsed in 2020, the Bill fell, as all Bills do at the end of…

I would be very interested to hear if there was a meeting with Deputy Fitzmaurice. There was certainly no meeting with me and both of us had a big interest in this Bill. I am still totally baffled. The Government was formed at the end of June 2020. It is now nearly December 2021. It has had a year and five months to resolve the issue. In my little simple mind, there seem to be two quick ways around this. The first is to change the Standing Orders of the Dáil to deal with this eventuality because I presume what happ…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí and Teach and I congratulate her on the birth of her son. I welcome this legislation because if it had not been introduced, we would be going over a cliff at the end of the month. This must be the beginning of moving forward on this matter because as we move through generations and life gets more complicated, the question of rights by long-established usage becomes a vaguer and more difficult concept. The reality is that as long as people agree, we can all keep away from the court…

As the Taoiseach knows, there is a major issue with An Bord Pleanála not delivering decisions in good time. There is a statutory objective, for example, of four months, and in many cases the decisions are not given within that time. I have a case of a person who applied for leave to apply for substitute consent over nine months ago and does not yet have a decision. Major infrastructure projects are taking years. There is a planning and development (amendment) (No. 2) Bill on the priority legislative list. When will…

One of the ways of increasing taxes is to leave tax thresholds the way they were. A threshold was introduced some time ago where people could give a gift to a child of €3,000 per annum and it was not assessable as part of the lifetime gift to that child in terms of inheritance or gift tax. My question is twofold. When was that threshold set and is it intended to increase the threshold?

As I pointed out, not increasing thresholds is actually increasing taxes. The Minister might tell me what is the increase in the consumer price index since 2003 and, in other words, in the real value of a gift. Would the Minister not agree that many parents give gifts to their children at a time of crisis for their children, at a time when there are childcare costs or child costs that were unforeseen, or at a time when they want to get their own property and furnish it, and so on? It seems it is an awful lot of bur…

Does the Minister have any idea what an increase to €5,000 would cost the Exchequer?

This is just going to ordinary people who are giving a gift because many parents are now supporting children. Will the Minister give me an outline of what is the total tax take of the State? Thereafter, we will do a little sum in our head as to how much €1.1 million would be out of the €60 billion, €70 billion or €80 billion income and revenue the State is taking in. The Minister might tell me what the tax take of the State is.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as teacht isteach cé go bhfuil díomá orm nach bhfuil an tAire Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta anseo anocht. The problem with the current system of distribution of the equalisation fund is that it is neither open and transparent nor equitable. Persistent questions from me over the years have failed to get the rationale behind the current system. This has left a number of councils underfunded, even with the distribution under the equalisation fund, and they now have a…