The Programme for Government includes a commitment to "request the Low Pay Commission to examine universal basic income, informed by a review of previous international pilots, and resulting in a universal basic income pilot in the lifetime of the Government". Last year I formally requested that the Low Pay Commission examine this issue.

To inform its considerations, the Low Pay Commission asked the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) to conduct technical background research on issues affecting the introduction of universal basic income and how a pilot might be designed for Ireland. This research was commissioned under the terms of the Low Pay Commission / ESRI Research Partnership Agreement. This partnership delivers high quality research regarding issues impacting on the National Minimum Wage and low pay in Ireland.

The research will examine the universal basic income pilots that have taken place in other jurisdictions to identify what was learned and what might be relevant to a pilot in Ireland. It will also seek to identify which policy objectives a universal basic income pilot could address and its associated risks and financial implications. It will conclude with recommendations on how a pilot in Ireland might be designed and run.

The Low Pay Commission intends to provide a report to me on this research and its recommendations later during Q2 2022.

My Department experienced a significant increase in applications for employment permits in the past year, impacting on processing times. From the start of January to the end of December 2021, some 27,666 applications were received, representing a 69% increase over the same period in 2020 (16,293) and a 47% increase on 2019 (18,811), which itself represented an 11 year high in applications.

My Department issued 16,275 employment permits in 2021, and processed a total of 17,968 applications which represents a significant volume of activity. In addition, the extension of categories of employment permits following the latest Review of the Occupational Lists has increased the availability of employment permits.

My Department and I are very conscious of the current timeframes for processing employment permit applications and the staff of the Employment Permits section are committed to reducing these.

A plan of action has been developed by officials in Employment Permits that is focusing on efficiencies in the processing applications. This plan is currently being implemented to tackle the current backlog, with both human resource interventions and systemic changes identified.

One of the actions in this plan to alleviate the significant backlog was to focus on processing Trusted Partner applications for Critical Skills Employment Permits (CSEPs). Waiting time for all CSEPs have been more than halved in the past seven weeks. The Department plans to maintain processing times for all CSEP applications at approximately 6 weeks for all of Q2, on the assumption that demand remains at current levels.

All flexible resources have now been redeployed to other permit types to ensure that the Department will continue to make progress in reducing these processing times in Q2. However, more rapid progress will be delivered after the completion of the c. 3,000 one-off applications we are currently processing for the meat and horticulture sector, which should take approximately six weeks to clear, in addition to normal processing workload. The Department expects to see a consistent strong fall in waiting times from mid-May, with waiting times considerably reduced by end Q2.

Since the implementation of the Action Plan, the Employment Permits section has made positive progress to reduce the current backlog reducing the number of applications awaiting processing from 11,181 in January 2021 to 8,773 at the end of March this year. Officials expect to see a further significant improvements in this backlog by the end of Q2 of 2022.

As of 4 April 2022, my Department are processing applications received on the following dates for the specific types of applications:

Critical Skills Employment Permit Applications

Trusted Partner 21 February 2022

Standard 07 February 2022

New Applications (All other permit types excluding Critical Skills Employment Permits)

Trusted Partner 29 November 2021

Standard 08 November 2021

Renewal Applications (All renewable permit types included)

Trusted Partner 01 December 2021

Standard 05 November 2021

The Property Registration Authority (PRA) continued to maintain a high level of service to support a robust property market throughout the period of Covid-19 restrictions. In 2021, overall application completion levels recovered to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Notwithstanding this level of activity, there has been an increase in the length of some completion times.

As set out in the PRA Customer Charter, completion times are measured in respect of cases that are in order (are not rejected or queried) and do not involve a change to map. In 2019, 87 per cent of applications were completed within 10 working days and 90 per cent within 20 working days. In 2020 and 2021, the 10-day and 20-day completion rates dropped to 49 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively, in 2020, and to 35 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively, in 2021, on account of the impact of the pandemic and reducing staff resources. The year to date in 2022 shows 45 per cent of cases have been completed within 10 working days and 53 per cent have been completed within 20 days of lodgement with the PRA.

A new Arrears Clearance Programme has already been set in train by the PRA Management Board, and cross organisational multi-disciplinary teams have been established to focus on the elimination of arrears. This programme, underpinned by project management discipline, envisages a structured approach to implementation, with an emphasis on data analysis, innovation and business process improvement. The PRA intends to communicate this intent, and ongoing progress achieved, to both its internal and external stakeholders. One aim of the programme is to achieve the guaranteed casework turnaround times that existed pre-Covid in the PRA’s Customer Charter.

Finally, the PRA is always willing to act on requests from lodging parties to expedite an application pending in the Land Registry, and every effort is made to expedite cases where valid grounds for urgency exist, such as a pending sale or financial hardship.

The staff of the Health and Safety Authority is made up of those in administration and inspector grades. The inspector grades comprise of Grade I (senior inspectors) as well as Grade II and Grade III inspectors. Inspectors operate across all our mandates which include occupational health and safety, market surveillance of products and chemicals.

The Authority currently has 125 Inspectors of which 31 were recruited in 2021 and a further 11 have been recruited so far in 2022. Recruitment processes are ongoing within the Authority to fill a range of positions including Inspector roles throughout 2022. Over the coming months, recruitment campaigns will be launched for various inspector roles at Grades I, II and III.

As an International Labour Organisation (ILO) Member State, Ireland is committed to ratifying Convention C190.

Ratification is being considered in the context of our standard approach to the ratification of international instruments. Ireland does not ratify international conventions until it has been determined that national law is in line with the provisions of the international instrument.

The ILO Convention 190 is the first ever international instrument on the very important issues of eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work. Ireland already has very strong protections in law to combat violence and harassment in the world of work and has ratified the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Officials in my Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment have engaged with all relevant Government Departments and offices to establish the extent to which domestic legislative provisions already provide for the rights and entitlements included in the ILO Convention C190, as well as legislative amendments, if any, that may be required to enable ratification.

My Department is continuing to analyse possible outcomes and is following up to ensure that there are no legislative gaps.

Following this consideration, as part of the ratification process, in the coming months the Department will undertake a stakeholder consultation with trade unions, employer representative bodies and other interested parties.

The views of the Attorney General must then be sought after that consultation phase followed by the formal approval of the Government for ratification.

I would anticipate that the Instrument of Ratification can be signed before the end of the year.

Government is acutely aware of the effect of rising electricity and gas prices on households and on older people. Government’s immediate response to the unprecedented surge in international gas prices, which is correlated to those rising electricity and gas costs to households, is to utilise the tax and social welfare system in Budget 2022 to counter rising costs of living for households.

As set out in the Programme for Government funding from carbon tax revenue is being used over the period to 2030 to ensure that increases in the carbon tax are progressive by tackling fuel poverty and providing for a Just Transition as well as to fund the retrofit programme, including free upgrades for lower income households.  

ESRI research has demonstrated that recycling just one third of the revenue raised from the carbon tax increases through targeted social welfare payments helps the lowest income households and to educe poverty. The Government will continue to be guided by the latest emerging research on the impacts of rising costs on households.

In recognition of the ongoing pressures on households, a further €505m package of measures to mitigate the wider cost of living increases were announced by Government on the 10th February, including:

1. The Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill 2022, that now provides for a credit payment to each domestic electricity account amounting to €176.22 (€200 including VAT). Approximately 2.1 million account holders will benefit from the payment in the coming weeks.

2. An additional lump sum payment of €125 to all households in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment.  It is expected that this additional lumpsum will cost an estimated €49 million in 2022. This means that low-income households will see an increase of 41% in Fuel Allowance support provided during this Fuel Allowance season compared to last season. 

3. A special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households, to urgently reduce energy use and cost.

It should also be noted that under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, a special heating supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have special heating needs, and exceptional needs payments (ENP) may also be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which an applicant is unable to meet out of their own resources.

Government also provides a Living Alone allowance which is a supplement paid to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. Budget 2022 provided for a €3 per week increase to the Living Alone Allowance Increase from €19 to €22 per week with effect from January 2022.

In 2021 I allocated €5m in additional funding for litter infrastructure and awareness campaigns to encourage people to dispose of their rubbish responsibly. The funding added more recycling and litter facilities to meet increased demand but there is an onus on all of us to make a conscious effort to leave no trace. Section 16 of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997, as amended, gives considerable powers to local authorities in respect of imposing special measures regarding litter on certain operations, including takeaway venues.

The Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy commits to substantially reducing the amount of single use plastic cups and food containers we use. Measures to achieve this include the introduction of levies, similar to the plastic bag levy.  Producers have a role to play in cutting down on the amount of these items we use and, under the current Extended Producer Responsibility model, they will be liable for the costs of litter clean up associated with the products they place on the market.

In addition, through the recently published Circular Economy Bill, my Department is also seeking to introduce provisions that will support the use of various technologies, including CCTV and drones, in tackling illegal dumping in a way that is compliant with GDPR requirements.

The Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account. The credit of €176.22 (€200 including VAT) will be applied to all domestic electricity accounts, and will include prepay meters. The majority of prepayment meters will accept the credit in one go. However, I understand that there is a small population of older prepayment meters which, due to their age and inbuilt monetary limits, will require the customer to redeem their credit through three separate transactions over the space of a few days.

There is a ‘hard-coded’ single vend limit of €100 on a small amount of legacy prepayment meters. To redeem each stage of the credit, customers will need to buy a (minimum) €10 top up. When they do this they will receive a new 40-digit code which will credit their meter with the Government electricity credit when entered. Once the credit is applied to the customer’s account/meter they can access it by vending 3 times.

The scheme provides for a credit of €176.22 excluding VAT to be applied to domestic electricity accounts. This means that the total impact for each domestic electricity account will be €200.

The Deputy may also wish to note that information updates, including frequently asked questions, are available on gov.ie at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/4ae14-electricity-costs-emergency-benefit-scheme/.

The Clean Air Strategy is open for public consultation until 3 May, after which all submissions received will be reviewed, with a view to finalising and publishing the strategy later this year. With respect to air quality monitoring, the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme operated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has undergone a significant expansion between 2017-2022, supported by funding of approximately €5 million from my Department. The network has increased from 29 monitoring stations in 2017 to 102 today, with more due by later this year. The network is already more comprehensive and extensive than those in many other EU Members States.

The Clean Air Strategy points to the fact that now is the appropriate time to move beyond monitoring at a number of specific locations and focus instead on modelling air quality across the entire country in order to provide the public with enhanced air quality information for all locations.

The LIFE EMERALD project, which commenced in 2021 and is part funded by my Department, will use the information from our monitoring network to provide a national three-day air quality forecast and near real-time mapping of air pollutants throughout the country, as well as to create historical maps of air pollutants. This project will improve Ireland’s ambient air quality management capabilities, by using an air quality modelling system to gain a better understanding of the factors contributing to poor air quality, and to develop a system that will provide more comprehensive information to the public.

My Department continues to develop the terms and conditions for ORESS 1, the first offshore wind auction under the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme. As noted in Question No. 59 of 14 December 2021, the ORESS 1 auction is scheduled to commence in Q4 2022, subject to a sufficient quantity of eligible projects for a competitive auction. A key component of auction eligibility will be for a project to hold a Maritime Area Consent (MAC). MACs are established under the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021 and on 25 April an 8-week window is set to open for MAC applications from projects. Award of MACs is expected in Q3 this year.

A public consultation on the draft ORESS 1 Terms and Conditions was held between October 2021 and December 2021 and over 150 responses were received. My Department plans to issue a formal response to consultation feedback next month, with final Terms and Conditions to be submitted for Government approval this quarter.

SEAI Retrofit programmes continue to deliver in 2022 with over 2,100 home upgrades delivered so far. The total funding allocation to SEAI is €267 million for residential and community retrofit schemes and the Solar PV scheme in 2022. The overall delivery target is just under 27,000.  The new recently launched National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme introduces a highly customer centric, way to undertake home upgrades. SEAI registered One-Stop-Shops will provide an end-to-end service for homeowners. This includes surveying; designing the upgrades; managing the grant process; helping with access to finance; engaging contractors; and quality assurance.

The Scheme offers unprecedented grant levels, increased from around 30% to 50% of the cost of a typical B2 home energy upgrade with a heat pump. These grants levels are also available in other SEAI schemes. Following Government approval, the SEAI registration portal for companies to apply to be a One-Stop-Shop opened and the first One Stop Shops are now registered. 

The One Stop Shop approach is one of a number of SEAI Schemes available for home energy-upgrades, details of which can be found on their website at Individual Energy Upgrade Grants | Home Energy Grants | SEAI

Homeowners can familiarise themselves with the scheme details on SEAI’s One Stop Shop webpage covering the benefits of engaging a One Stop Shop, the ranges of services on offer and the grant amounts available per energy efficiency measures installed:

www.seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/one-stop-shop/

SEAI have also produced a homeowner guide to advise homeowners through the various steps to completing a whole house upgrade under the One Stop Shop Service:

National_Home_Energy_Upgrade_Scheme_-_Homeowner_Guide[1].pdf

SEAI are focused on engaging organisations capable of professionally managing all aspects of a One Stop Shop service. Organisations interested in becoming a registered OSS should visit the SEAI dedicated One Stop Shop registration webpage:

www.seai.ie/register-with-seai/one-stop-shop/

The Climate Action Plan and National Retrofit Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2 and to install 400,000 heat pumps in existing buildings by the end of 2030. These targets represent a very significant increase in both the volume and depth of retrofit activity in Ireland. The National Development and National Retrofit Plans have ring-fenced €8 billion to support the achievement of this objective. This will be supplemented by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage budget for retrofitting 36,500 local authority homes. My Department is also working to secure EU funding for retrofit and developing a low-cost loan scheme to support retrofit.

The Government recently approved a package of enhanced supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills.

The key measures include:

- a new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme providing increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard (up from 30%-35% grants currently)

- One Stop Shops to offer a hassle-free, start-to-finish project management service, including access to financing, for home energy upgrades

- a significant increase in the number of free energy upgrades for those at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme (400 per month – up from an average of 177 per month in 2021)

- a special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households, to urgently reduce energy use and cost as part of the Government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices

These measures will significantly contribute towards the achievement of the retrofit targets. 

The National Retrofit Plan sets out the Government's approach to achieving the Climate Action Plan targets of upgrading the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal level and installing 400,000 heat pumps to replace older, less efficient heating systems by 2030. The Plan is designed to address barriers to retrofit across four key areas: driving demand and activity; financing and funding; supply chain, skills and standards; and governance. In line with commitments in the Plan, the Government recently approved a package of significantly enhanced supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades. The new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme will provide increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard. A network of One Stop Shops will offer a new end-to-end project management service for homeowners. This includes surveying the home; designing the upgrades; managing the grant processes; helping with access to finance; engaging the contractors to deliver the work and then quality-assuring that work.

In addition, increased grants for attic and cavity wall insulation have also been made available, covering 80% of the cost to homeowners of these highly cost-effective upgrade measures. Free upgrades are available for households at risk of energy poverty. My Department is also developing a residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme which will enable financial institutions to offer loans with reduced interest rates for retrofit projects.

Information with respect to end-Q1 is not yet available. The number of retrofits completed under each grant scheme to end-February is set out in the table below.

Electric scooters are a type of powered personal transporter (PPT). PPTs are classed as mechanically propelled vehicles, the use of which requires a valid licence, tax and appropriate insurance in accordance with Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1961. As PPTs do not fall under any existing vehicle category, it is not currently possible to tax and insure them and there is no separate licence category for them. Therefore, it is illegal to use them on public roads and in public places. However, their use is permitted on private land, with the permission of the landowner. While their use on public roads (including footpaths) is illegal, I am aware that they are currently being used in these places.

It is intended to legislate for e-scooters in accordance with the Programme for Government as soon as possible, so that they may be used on our roads within a clear legal framework. Provision to regulate for their use has been made in the Road Traffic and Roads Bill, which has completed second stage in the Dáil and is due to go to committee stage shortly.

In order to allow for the rapid pace of technological change in this area, specific controls on the use of e-scooters will be set out in regulations, following the passage of the Bill through the Oireachtas. The use of e-scooters on public roads will become legal only once these regulations are in place. As PPTs will be a new category of vehicles, they will no longer be classified as mechanically propelled vehicles and will not be subject to licensing, tax and insurance requirements.

The Ireland - Ethiopia Bilateral Air Services Agreement, signed in 2014, allows for the grant of fifth freedom air traffic rights for airlines of both countries, subject to the approval of the respective aeronautical authorities. The fifth freedom of the air is the right to fly between two or more foreign countries, on a flight originating in or ultimately destined for the country of the air operator concerned.

Ireland traditionally has applied a liberal aviation policy that has proven hugely successful in expanding the international connectivity that is critical in underpinning business, foreign direct investment and tourism. As such we remain positively disposed towards the development of competitive air services. Applications for fifth freedom air traffic rights are considered on a case-by-case basis taking into account all relevant considerations.

For summer 2022, my department has received an application by Ethiopian Airlines to fly between Addis Ababa and Dublin, via Manchester, and has concluded a process of stakeholder engagement. A decision on the application to be made shortly.

The primary purpose of the State site at Kilrane is to ensure that all of the appropriate statutory customs, SPS and health checks and controls required for HGVs arriving from Great Britain are undertaken in a secure, timely and efficient fashion with the minimum of delay. Any additional use of the site would need to have regard to that important priority in addition to the relevant operational and safety considerations.

A review of the design of the site for use for additional parking of HGVs is continuing and my Department has an assessment from the OPW on this. This is being reviewed in the light of the recent decision by Revenue Commissioners to move its mobile scanner to the Kilrane site to facilitate the establishment within the port of a Reception centre for persons arriving from Ukraine. My Department is engaging with the relevant agencies to assess the feasibility of providing the additional parking and this is expected to be completed shortly.

The Department is aware that Rosslare Europort has issued an information statement requesting truck drivers and hauliers not to park their vehicles in neighbouring villages while waiting for access to Rosslare Europort for ferry departure deadlines. It is suggested that drivers waiting for a ferry departure should park their vehicle at Gorey Service Station, Ballyellin, on the M11, or at Barntown Service Station, at Larkin’s Cross near Wexford town.

On 15 March 2022, the Government approved an emergency support measure – the Licensed Haulage Emergency Support Scheme to address cost pressures arising from current high fuel prices. I can confirm that the scheme will be open to operators holding a road haulage operator licence. The Department is currently working to make the scheme operative. Details of how to apply, as well as the scheme terms and conditions, will be communicated to all licensed hauliers using the email address held on file in the Road Transport Operator Licensing unit in Loughrea.

In deciding on this targeted, temporary scheme, the Government considered that the licensed haulage sector is a specific case for several reasons, primarily that the sector is of national strategic importance as a critical enabler of a functioning supply chain, bringing essential supplies into and around the State, supporting key infrastructure and enabling the maintenance of economic and social activity. While this is true for certain other operators also, fuel represents a greater overall proportion of overhead cost for hauliers than would be the case for other businesses who self-provide transport as part of their wider business.

Given the rapid increase in fuel prices linked to the crisis in Ukraine, the haulage sector reported to the Government a serious risk of cessation of business among haulage companies that would have had significant implications for supply chains into the State, including for essential goods.

You will be aware that on 9 March 2022, in recognition of rising fuel costs for all citizens and businesses, the Government reduced Excise duty by 20 cent per litre of petrol, 15 cent per litre of diesel and 2 cent in the excise duty charged on marked gas oil in order to reduce the cost of fuels.

The Minister for Finance has written to the European Commission to ask what flexibilities might be available on an emergency basis to reduce the tax on fuel. Currently, however, the EU Energy Tax Directive limits the possibility of further reducing the tax on fuel. Specifically, the Directive requires a minimum tax of €0.33 per litre and the measures already decided have reduced the tax on diesel to the minimum.

In general, however, it should be noted that the causes of these fuel price pressures are not within the control of Government and are being directly influenced by external factors, including the Ukraine crisis.

The Government has limited resources but through the Excise measure announced on 09 March, as well as the Licenced Haulage Emergency Support Scheme approved on 15 March 2022, it has responded to help to ease the impact of these price increases. However, we must accept that it will not be possible to insulate citizens and businesses from the full impact of these fuel price increases. In support with these sudden increased costs, the Government is seeking to cushion the shock of the rapid spike in fuel prices. While it remains to be seen how fuel prices evolve it is imperative that haulage and other businesses engage with their customers on the need for the prices for their products or services to reflect the increasing costs.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from local authorities' own resources supplemented by State grants, where applicable.

The major cuts to funding for regional and local roads during the post 2008 recession resulted in the build-up of a substantial backlog of works across the country. The estimated cost of the backlog is in excess of €5 billion. Because of the pressures on the regional and local road network, approximately 90% of available Exchequer grant assistance to local authorities under the Regional and Local Road Grant Programme is being directed to maintenance and renewal works rather than for new roads or for road realignments.

Any road improvement projects proposed by local authorities for consideration for funding under the Regional and Local Road Grant Programme are assessed by the Department on a case-by-case basis. All projects put forward by local authorities for consideration must comply with the requirements of the Public Spending Code (PSC) and my Department's Capital Appraisal Framework (CAF). Given the limited funding available for regional and local road improvement works it is important for local authorities to prioritise projects within their overall area of responsibility with these requirements in mind.

No application for funding has been received by my Department from Kildare County Council in relation to the proposed second bridge in Newbridge and Southern Relief route.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of each local authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from Councils' own resources supplemented by State road grants.

The Athy Southern Distributor Road is one of the limited number of strategic regional and local road improvement schemes being undertaken under the National Development Plan.

Implementation of the Athy Southern Distributor Road is the responsibility of Kildare County Council. Following the conclusion of the tender process for the main construction contract for the scheme, the contract was awarded in late 2021 and the construction programme is underway.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 22 together.

Firstly, let me reiterate that this Government is seriously concerned by the lack of consultation or notice offered by P&O in relation to its decision in the United Kingdom, which is contrary to all acceptable industrial relations practice.

I can confirm for the Deputy that I have received correspondence from the UK Secretary of State for Transport in relation to issues arising from that decision taken by P&O in the United Kingdom. As yet, I have not received any detailed proposals from the UK administration. When received, my Department, in conjunction with Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment which has responsibility for labour law in Ireland will review and consider appropriate action to be taken in the matter.

Maritime transport is a global and mobile industry and requires a global response to ensure effective regulation. It is important in the first instance that flag states take responsibility for their fleet and that the Maritime Labour Convention (which Ireland ratified in 2014) is appropriately applied and enforced. Only then can seafarers have confidence in maintaining a sustainable career. My Department continues to work at international level through the International Maritime Organisation and EU to strengthen the protection of seafarers

Irish employment rights legislation applies to workers – national and non-national - on board Irish registered ships. If a similar situation arose with an Irish employer here and with Irish flagged ships, Ireland has a suite of employment rights legislation to protect and support workers. In relation to ships that are not Irish registered, as a general rule the flag state (i.e. the state where the ship is registered) has exclusive right to exercise legislative and enforcement jurisdiction over ships on the high seas.

As the Deputy is aware, a whole of Government approach is being adopted regarding the Ukrainian crisis. In line with this approach, in my own Department, we have established a high-level group to monitor and respond as appropriate to the crisis and consider the role that the transport sector could play.

In this context, it was agreed that free travel would be provided for newly arriving Ukrainian refugees on any Public Service Obligation (PSO) or Local Link public transport service from port of entry to their end destination. This initiative is being applied across all PSO contracted services, including commercial bus services included in emergency PSO contracts, and those services that are part of the emergency commercial bus operator grant scheme.

The issue of providing additional public transport services in rural areas to support Ukrainian nationals who have been provided with accommodation in those areas is being considered. Additional funding would be required to support any increase in services. As the Deputy will be aware, this situation is evolving daily and my Department is working with other relevant Departments and agencies to establish the transport needs and how these might be met.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport, nor decisions on fares.

It is the National Transport Authority (NTA) that has the statutory responsibility for the regulation of fares in relation to public passenger transport services and also has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public transport services by way of public transport services contracts in respect of services that are socially necessary but commercially unviable. The funding of those services comprises both the fares paid by passengers and the subvention payments from the Exchequer. The main purpose of the subvention payment is to meet the gap between income from fares and the cost of operating services.

The provision of public transport services is heavily dependent on passenger fare revenue as it normally contributes about 65% of the operational cost. The remaining 35% of cost is covered by the PSO grant and the Department of Social Protection grant under the free travel scheme.

Prior to COVID-19, €287 million of Exchequer funding was provided for PSO services in Budget 2020; however, since 2020, additional funding has been required to continue to address the significant COVID impacts on public transport provision.

In 2022, I secured €538m to support PSO services including over €200m to address COVID expenses (i.e. loss of fare revenue, cleaning costs). Up to €12m will be provided as ongoing support for the licensed bus sector; while, over €15m has also been allocated to support Local Link regular service provision in rural Ireland.

The Government is strongly committed to helping combat the rising cost-of-living being experienced throughout the country. In this context, a suite of new measures is being introduced by Government to help with this issue, including a 20% average fare reduction on all PSO services until the end of 2022. These discounted fares will benefit the hundreds of thousands of people across the country who use PSO public transport every day. €54m in Exchequer funding has been secured to allow for the introduction of these discounted fares.

Also, in recognition of the importance of incentivising young people to use public transport, as part of Budget 2022 I secured €25m of funding to provide for the introduction of a young adult card (YAC) which will allow any person nationwide who is between 19 and 23 years old, to avail of an entitlement for discounted travel costs, and to increase the level of discount over and above the current student discount to an average of discount of 50% across all services, including city, intercity and rural services. It is envisaged that the discount will initially be made available on PSO services, and then broadened to include commercial operators at a later date. This will not only promote modal shift in the transport sector among this age group but should also contribute towards a reduced reliance on private transport with associated benefit of transport emission savings.

The PSO programme represents a significant expenditure of taxpayers' money, and funding has increased in recent years to cater for additional services and growing capacity. Any assessment of a proposed change to public transport fare structures would be a matter for the NTA to consider in the first instance. Therefore, I have forwarded the Deputy's specific question in relation to the estimated cost of waiving public transport fees for persons in possession of a student leap card. to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Providing a sustainable, low-carbon transport system is a key priority of my Department. The Programme for Government commits to a 7% average annual emissions reduction to 2030; ultimately, the goal is for a zero-emission mobility system by 2050. The national car and van fleet accounts for almost 60% of all land transport emissions, and so a transition to low emissions vehicles, including EVs, is a necessary step-change to effect a substantial reduction in transport emissions.

The number of EV purchase grants and home charger grants paid in Q1 2021 and Q1 2022 is as follows:

The SEAI grant schemes aim to encourage behavioural change and support the Government’s commitment to achieving a 51% reduction in transport emissions by 2030. The grant schemes are kept under continuous review to ensure that they are as effective as possible in driving the decarbonisation effort.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) conducts oversight activities, including inspections and audits, of airports, air carriers, cargo companies, airport suppliers and the suppliers of in-flight services. In addition Irish airports are subject to periodic inspections by the European Commission. My Department receives regular reports on the results of oversight activities but the Deputy will appreciate that we can not comment on security matters.

The improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads is the statutory responsibility of local authorities, in accordance with the provisions of Section 13 of the Roads Act 1993. Works on those roads are funded from the Council's own resources supplemented by State road grants. The initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.

Kerry County Council applied for funding for traffic calming measures in Boolteens Village under my Department's Safety Improvement Scheme. The Council received two separate allocations of €40,000 in 2020 and €60,000 in 2021, of which €97,251 was drawn down.

As the Deputy is aware, public transport infrastructure projects on the scale of BusConnects require a planning and design phase that can take several years and involve the input of a wide range of people and stakeholders.

The planning and design phase is essential in order to achieve buy-in and support for the project and to bring it successfully through the planning permission process and then on to the construction phase, prior to delivery for the public.

I understand the National Transport Authority has provided the Deputy with the total cost to end 2021 of the BusConnects programme for the Greater Dublin Area. The amount referred to by the Deputy was incurred on the BusConnects programme as part of that planning and design phase and is a necessary part of the overall programme costs.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. Under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 it is a statutory function of the National Transport Authority (NTA) to procure public transport services by means of Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts.

In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's specific question in relation to the awarding of new bus routes to Go Ahead Ireland to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

I wish to advise the Deputy that I can provide information in respect of my Department only.

As to private security, the Department of Finance does not utilise such services. In terms of cleaning services, the Department uses "Allpro Services" for these purposes. This company has been in situ since 2021, and was appointed following a competitive tendering process carried out in conjunction with the Office of Government Procurement. This contract amounts to some €416,312.59 per annum for the duration of two years, and currently uses some 20 cleaners ( 3 full-time and 17 part-time). The cleaning service is provided on the basis of a shared service to my Department.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together.

In relation to Question No. 30 (Ref: 18451/22) the Deputy is aware that Revenue is independent in relation to its operational activities and I have no role in directing Revenue to investigate any specific sector. I am advised by Revenue that it conducts a full range of compliance interventions to combat all types of tax evasion, focusing on the areas of greatest risk, including risks from the shadow economy. Revenue defines the shadow economy as activity where businesses and individuals engage in practices with the aim of not complying with their legal tax and duties payment obligations as well as certain licensing obligations.Revenue has an ongoing sectoral shadow economy project which includes a programme of targeted outdoor visits and multi-agency interventions across a range of business sectors. Revenue utilises a wide range of data and intelligence including returns submitted by taxpayers and third parties, tax evasion reports, social media and other sources. Revenue also engages with other stakeholders including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and animal welfare agencies.Local Authorities are responsible for operating the register of Dog Breeding Establishments in their respective areas.

As the Deputy is probably aware capital gains tax (CGT) is, as a general rule, chargeable on a gain arising on the disposal of an asset at the rate of 33%. The first €1,270 of chargeable gains of an individual in any year are exempt from CGT.

Section 604 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 provides relief from CGT on the disposal of an individual’s principal private residence, being a dwelling house together with land occupied as its gardens or grounds up to an area (exclusive of the site of the residence) of one acre. If a property was occupied by an individual as his or her principal private residence for all or part of his or her period of ownership, then full or partial relief from CGT will be available where a chargeable gain arises on the disposal of that property. The last 12 months of ownership of the property by the individual is treated as a period of occupation for the purpose of this relief. In addition, it should be noted that an individual cannot have more than one principal private residence at any one time.

For the purpose of this question, it is assumed that it relates to a situation where an individual shares the property they consider to be their principal private residence with refugees, and that rent is not charged.

In answer to the question, the Deputy should be aware that while the availability of the relief depends on the facts of each case, the fact that an individual allows their home to be shared with refugees, in the circumstances outlined above, should not impact on a claim by that individual to principal private residence relief on the ultimate disposal of the property. I am advised by Revenue that there is an existing practice whereby small adjustments to the calculation of principal private residence relief need not be made where, for example, there is a lodger who has a private bedroom in the property but takes his or her meals with the family of the house.

As the Deputy will be aware material prepared for Central Bank officials in preparation for their appearance at Oireachtas Committees or any other events are an internal matter for the Bank.

The Central Bank is independent in the performance of its functions and this independence is enshrined in the Treaties of the European Union and in the Statute of the European System of Central Banks.

The Deputy may wish to consider submitting a request for the information to the Bank under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.

I am advised that the information collected by Revenue in relation to nationality for the purposes of the Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP), relates to the nationality of the relevant employee.

The number of instances where the employer indicated that the relevant employee was a Russian national, for the years 2017 – 2019 (the latest year for which data are available), cannot be provided due to Revenue’s need to protect confidential taxpayer information, as there are fewer than 10 cases involved in any given year.

Separately, and for Deputy's information, the below table sets out information in relation to the number of individual claimants who resided in Russia prior to arrival in the State, based on SARP employer returns, and the total relief claimed by those claimants under the programme. Please note that these individuals may not be Russian nationals.

The Local Property Tax (‘LPT’) legislation provides for the possibility of deferring the charge to LPT in certain circumstances to assist individuals who may have difficulty paying the tax. The property must be the sole or main residence of the liable person and his or her gross income must be below certain thresholds. A qualifying person may opt to defer, or partially defer, payment of the tax. The deferred LPT remains a charge on the property until it is paid. Property owners claiming a deferral are still required to submit their LPT return for each valuation period and include the deferral claim in the return. Where a person qualifies for a full deferral then 100 per cent of the liability can be deferred. Where a person qualifies for partial deferral, then 50 per cent of the liability can be deferred. Where payment is deferred, interest accrues on the unpaid amount until it is paid (currently 3% per year).

The Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Act 2021 provides that for the 2022-2025 valuation period the deferral thresholds will be €18,000 for a single owner and €30,000 for a couple. Deferral in respect of half of the LPT payable is possible, where the gross income is above the threshold but less than €30,000 in the case of a single person and €42,000 in the case of a couple. These threshold amounts are above the rates of payment for both non-contributory and contributory state pensions.

Further information and assistance in regard to the LPT deferral option is available via the Revenue LPT Helpline on 01-738 36 26. Revenue have published detailed guidance on LPT deferrals on their website.

I am advised by Revenue that the VAT rating of goods and services is subject to EU VAT law, with which Irish VAT law must comply. In general, the VAT Directive provides that all goods and services are liable to VAT at the standard rate unless they fall within Annex III of the Directive, in respect of which Member States may apply either one or two reduced rates of VAT. Ireland, in line with the VAT Directive, also maintains several standstill provisions and derogations that allow it to maintain reduced rates, zero rates and exemptions to certain supplies for historical reasons. These standstill provisions and derogations cannot be extended.

In accordance with one such standstill provision, white (including off-white and cream) cylindrical candles and night-lights were zero rated for VAT purposes. Other candles and night-lights, such as those that are decorated, spiralled, tapered or perfumed, were always liable to VAT at the standard rate.

I introduced an amendment in Finance Bill 2020 to remove the application of the zero rate of VAT to a category of candles and consequently provide for the taxation of all candles at the standard rate of VAT, currently 23%. Following discussions at Committee Stage of the 2020 Bill and having received numerous representations, I decided on a later date for implementing this change on the basis that it would allow the parties involved to amend their pricing and contracts which would already have been set based on the zero rate of VAT. The proposed amendment came into effect on the 1 January 2022 and VAT rate for all candles is the standard rate, currently 23%.

In response to the Deputy's question, the Central Bank has provided the following information - set out in tabular form below.

CreditInstitutionsResolutionFund

(1) The amount paid out by the CIRF, by way of resolution actions, to support Credit Unions was provided in the answer to PQ 16583.

(2) In addition to the resolution action amounts, legal fees were also incurred, details of which are contained in the CIRF financial statements. The financial statements are laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on an annual basis. They can be found at: https://opac.oireachtas.ie/knowvation/app/consolidatedSearch/#search/v=list,c=1,q=title%3D%5B%22Financial%20statements%20of%20the%20Credit%20institutions%20resolution%20fund%22%5D%2Cbrowse2%3D%5B%22Documents%20Laid%22%5D%2CqueryType%3D%5B64%5D,sm=s,l=library3_lib%2Clibrary7_lib,a=t

As per the table the CIRF has not paid any fees to date to any appointed Liquidator. All such fees have been discharged directly from the liquidation.

(3) In relation to Liquidators fees, CIRF has not paid any fees to date to any appointed Liquidator. All such fees have been discharged directly from the liquidation

(4) The amount that has been recouped by the CIRF from the liquidators, during the liquidation processes to date, includes the profit from the sale of the Newbridge Credit Union property (provided in the answer to PQ16583) and the recovery of petitioners’ costs related to the liquidation of 2 credit union following the receipt of a High Court order.

(5) As disclosed in the CIRF financial statements and as provided in the answer to PQ 16583, there is €7.8m of income from the Profit Share from the former Newbridge Credit Union (NCU) loan book. The former NCU loan book is now owned and managed by PTSB. This income is derived from the positive performance of the former NCU loan book and received by the CIRF from PTSB. As this income was not recouped by the CIRF from the liquidators during the liquidation processes, it is not included in the net cost stated in the table above. If it were included, net cost would be €21.1m.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 39 together.

Officials in my Department are currently reviewing the options now available to Ireland in setting VAT rates. This will include consideration of the new options available to Member States when setting VAT rates as well as the new limitations introduced on how reduced rates may be applied.

Decisions about tax changes are generally taken in the context of the Budget and, as part of our normal annual Budget preparations, various options for tax policy changes will be considered by the Tax Strategy Group prior to Budget 2023.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 40, 41 and 42 together.

I am advised by Revenue that the Value Added Tax (Refund of Tax) (No 15) Order 1981 provides for the refund of VAT incurred on qualifying goods for the use of persons with a disability. The Order specifies the degree of disability and defines the qualifying goods as goods which are aids or appliances, including parts and accessories, specially constructed or adapted for use by a disabled person and includes goods which, although not so specially constructed or adapted, are of such a kind as might reasonably be treated as so constructed or adapted having regard to a particular disablement of that person. Where a person establishes to the satisfaction of Revenue that they have paid VAT in respect of a qualifying good and fulfills other conditions set out in the Refund Order they may be entitled to the refund.

An application for a refund of VAT for an upgraded product may be successful if evidence is supplied that the upgraded product is better in assisting with the specific disability than the previous product on which a refund was claimed. The Refund Order does not contain a time limit for the refund application, nor is there a specific list of approved devices which can avail of the refund although items such as domestic aids necessary for eating and drinking, hoists and chairs lift are examples of qualifying goods.

Each claim received by Revenue in relation to this Refund Order is evaluated on its own merits, from the point of view of the extent of the applicant’s disability and the nature of the claim received.

Any application under the Refund Order should be made on Form VAT 61A and submitted to the Revenue Central Repayments Office in Monaghan. Further information is available on the Revenue website www.revenue.ie. Revenue can also assist with specific queries which can be raised through the myAccount function on the Revenue website.

If the Deputy has a specific case in mind she should refer it to my office for referral to Revenue or directly to Revenue.

The Minister for Social Protection has announced the details of the Final Design principles for the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System for Ireland.

As set out in the Design Principles for Ireland’s Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/27bab-launch-of-the-final-design-of-an-automatic-enrolment-ae-retirement-savings-system-for-ireland/ , the current Tax Relief System will continue to apply for those making private and occupational pension contributions outside the AE system. I do not have any plans to change the current arrangements for tax relief on pension contributions.

I am informed by Revenue that based on vehicle sales in 2021, adding a charge of €10 per additional kilogram over 1,800 kg to VRT category “A” type motor vehicles, excluding electric, hybrids and plug-in hybrids vehicles which are heavier than 1,800 kg, could raise an estimated €11.5m in additional taxes. This assumes no behavioural changes in vehicle acquisitions because of the increased price.

I am aware that the European Commission has confirmed that EU member states can consider imposing temporary tax measures on windfall profits of energy providers and use the revenue generated to provide consumers with relief from high prices. Officials in my Department and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications are evaluating the potential for such a proposal.

With regard to tax generally, the trading profits of companies in Ireland are typically taxed at the standard Corporation Tax rate of 12.5%. Some of the main features of the current regime are its simplicity and that it applies to a broad base. Changing this rate (or imposing additional levies on certain sectors) could have unforeseen consequences. However, on a straightforward mathematical basis and on the assumption that the proposed tax would apply to the taxable profits of all energy companies, including companies that are not currently experiencing additional profits, the yield could be in the region of €60 million. This is estimated based on taxable profit levels in 2020 (the most recent year for which tax returns have been filed) and does not provide for the impact of any potential behavioural changes.

In relation to energy policy, which is the remit of my colleague Minister Ryan, a well-functioning EU-electricity market remains crucial for the integration of our Internal Energy Market and for providing investment signals for the integration of new renewables, which are essential to ultimately break our dependence on fossil fuels. The best long-term approach for Ireland to insulate consumers from volatility on international wholesale energy markets is to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Cutting our dependence on fossil fuels and generating power from our own renewable sources will ensure a cleaner, cheaper energy future in the long term. Electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets is solely a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is Ireland’s flagship policy to deliver on the Government’s target of up to 80% renewable electricity by the end of the decade. Electricity technologies now compete through regular auctions under the RESS as well as through other routes to market such as corporate power purchase agreements. The RESS contains strong consumer protection measures with wholesale market revenues above the auction price returned to electricity consumers through the Public Service Obligation Levy. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar generation reduce electricity consumer costs by lowering wholesale electricity prices during periods when they are generating power, highlighting the need to accelerate energy system decarbonisation to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

The war in Ukraine has dramatically concentrated EU efforts to address European dependence on Russian oil and gas through proposed new measures to diversify fossil fuel imports, enhance security of supply, and accelerate energy system decarbonisation to remove regional reliance on fossil fuels as set out in the recent RePowerEU communication. In this regard, the European Commission is working closely with Member States to protect the resilience of Europe’s gas security of supply through solidarity measures. Both the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the EU have stressed that the current situation further strengthens collective resolve to accelerate the clean energy transition, in line with the European Green Deal.

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was a social welfare payment for workers (employees and self-employed) who were out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The taxation arrangements for the PUP, as legislated for in Finance Act 2020, reflected the standard approach to taxing social welfare type payments, which meant they were liable to income tax but exempt from the Universal Social Charge (USC) and Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI).

The PUP was not taxed in the normal ‘real-time’ manner in 2020, meaning the collection of any tax due was deferred until year end. This approach was adopted to ensure payments reached recipients as quickly as possible given the suddenness of the pandemic and on the expectation at the time that the emergency supports would be short-term in nature, which turned out not to be the case due to the continued prevalence of COVID-19.

The continuation of the PUP into 2021 re-established the practice of operating PAYE in the normal (real-time) manner for such payments. The mechanism to tax the PUP in 2021, in common with other Department of Social Protection (DSP) payments such as Jobseekers’ Benefit and Illness Benefit was to reduce the recipient’s tax credits and rate bands.

Revenue has confirmed that persons in receipt of PUP during 2020 and 2021 may have an outstanding liability on their Revenue record:

- Where returns in respect of 2020 were submitted in 2021, any outstanding liabilities after any additional tax credits such as health expenses have been applied, are being collected interest free over four years from 1 January 2022 by reducing the employee’s tax credits. To date over 230,000 PAYE taxpayers who were in receipt of PUP payments in 2020 have submitted income tax returns for that year.

- Where an individual submits their tax return in 2022 in respect of 2020 and/or 2021, the balance of any remaining liabilities after any additional tax credits such as health expenses have been applied, can be collected interest free over four years from 1 January 2023 by reducing the employee’s tax credits. Revenue has confirmed that over 144,000 PAYE taxpayers who were in receipt of PUP payments in 2021 have submitted income tax returns for that year.

Taxpayers can view their Preliminary end of Year Statement online through the myAccount facility on www.revenue.ie where they can also review their tax position and submit their tax return.

I am informed by Revenue that VAT returns do not require traders to separately identify specific product or service types. Therefore, there is no information available on which to estimate the costs that would arise from the proposed measures.

The Government has no plans at this point to establish an ombudsman for older persons. It would fall to the relevant Minister with responsibility for policy regarding older persons to consider and to bring forward such a proposal. I would like to point out to the Deputy that older persons are entitled to use the services of all existing Ombudsman offices for any complaint regarding the manner in which public services are provided.

It is important that Ireland’s statutory National Minimum Wage and the Living Wage concept are not confused. The Living Wage has no legislative basis and is therefore not a statutory entitlement. It currently stands at €12.90 per hour according to the Living Wage Technical Group document 2021.

The National Minimum Wage is a statutory entitlement and has a legislative basis. The Low Pay Commission annually assesses the appropriate level of the National Minimum Wage. The current national minimum hourly rate of pay, since 1 January 2022, is €10.50 per hour, as set out in the National Minimum Wage Order 2021. All civil servants are paid at rates above the National Minimum Wage.

The suggested Living Wage at €12.90 per hour based on the Civil Service 37 hour standard net working week equates to an annual salary of €24,905.50. Detailed data on civil service staff indicates that only 0.1% of staff (FTE) in the civil service are on salary points less than the suggested Living Wage. This includes those on point 1 of both the Services Attendant salary scale and the Services Officer salary scale, as well as points 1 to 3 of the Cleaner salary scale.

Those currently on an annual salary of less than €24,905.50 may be receiving remuneration in excess of the suggested living wage through additional premium payments in respect of shift work or atypical working hours. In addition, these salary scales progress to the suggested Living Wage and above through normal incremental progression.

The current public service agreement is Building Momentum - A New Public Service Agreement 2021-2022. This Agreement is weighted towards those at lower incomes with headline increases of approximately 5% for the lowest paid public servants. The Agreement provides for the following pay adjustments:

- A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, on 1 October 2021.

- The equivalent of a 1% increase in annualised basic salaries to be used as a Sectoral Bargaining Fund, in accordance with Chapter 2 of the Agreement, on 1 February 2022.

- A general round increase in annualised basic salaries for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater on, 1 October 2022.

These groups will also benefit more from other measures in the Agreement including the overtime rates and premia payment adjustments.

I am informed by the Ombudsman of the following:

In 2020 the Ombudsman received 53 complaints about Private Nursing Homes. The majority of these complaints (30) related to the care and treatment of residents while the remainder of the complaints received concerned complaint-handling, the level of fees charged and other administrative actions. Six of the 2020 cases were either upheld or partially upheld, while the Office was able to offer assistance in eight other cases. The Ombudsman’s Annual Report contains a detailed breakdown of complaint received in 2020.

The matter of a four day working week has been raised by the Four Day Week Ireland campaign led by Forsa, ICTU and other civil society groups. Correspondence on this issue has been received in my Department and I also met with the campaign in February of this year to discuss their work.

In the context of the civil and public service, there are two main concerns in considering a move to a four day week - the cost to the taxpayer and ensuring the continuity of services to the public.

There are potentially significant costs associated with a move to a four day week in the public service. Significant additional recruitment would be required in order to ensure the continued delivery of essential public services, in particular in terms of frontline and emergency public services that must be available on a seven day basis.

A comprehensive analysis of the potential costs involved would involve a high degree of complexity, as it would encompass approximately 365,000 public servants in over 300 organisations. At a very high level, paying people for four days but providing services to the citizen over five and in some cases seven days would add at least a fifth to the current pay bill of approximately €21.9bn. That equates to an extra €4.4bn that would have to be found to deliver the same level of services. This is likely a conservative estimate, given the premiums associated with overtime and agency staffing, which would likely be required.

In addition, maintaining the accessibility of services to citizens would be a huge challenge. For example, would there be sufficient time in four days to teach our children properly? What would happen to childcare costs if the public service moved but parts of the private sector did not? And how would the emergency services - hospitals, fire brigades, lifeguards and the Gardaí - operate on a four day week?

These are essential public services, the importance of which has been underlined by the Covid-19 pandemic. The wider implications of this proposal also need to be carefully considered for the entire labour force, not just the public service. Indeed any movement by the public service in isolation could have serious consequences for, in particular, small to medium businesses already struggling in the face of Covid-19.

I would also like to make the point that the State is already a good employer that offers considerable flexibility to staff through the availability of, amongst other things, work sharing, flexible working hours, shorter working years, career breaks and now remote working. As the Deputy will be aware, embedding a framework for 'blended working' is currently a key priority for my Department, the impact of which will not be known for some time.

In my role as Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform I have to ensure that quality public services are delivered to the Irish people in a manner that delivers value for money to the Irish taxpayer.

With this in mind, and in light of the large potential costs and disruption to critical services I do not believe that it is the right time to consider a transition to a four day week.

Responsibility for ensuring compliance with all national and EU procurement rules and procedures rests with contracting or purchasing Departments and public agencies.

Screen Ireland are a body under the remit of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media.

Accordingly my Department has no role in this matter.

Responsibility for ensuring compliance with all national and EU procurement rules and procedures rests with contracting or purchasing Departments and public agencies.

Screen Ireland are a body under the remit of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport and Media.

Accordingly, my Department has no role in this matter.

I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that the site in question is adjoining an operational Garda station and is not surplus to requirements. Therefore, it is not available for use by another organisation or community group.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 55, 62, 63, 64, 65 and 66 together.

As part of the €50 million suite of supports for the Live performance sector in 2022, I recently announced details of a new €15 million Live Performance Restart Grant Scheme (LPRGS). This Scheme will operate in accordance with the provisions of circular 13/2014 of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in like manner to all Schemes run by my Department.

This scheme will provide a new grant for businesses engaged in staging live events in the arts and culture live performance sector. The scheme aims to help underpin the recovery of the live performance sector by providing business restart grants to successful applicants as a support to de-risk the planning of events across spring and summer of 2022. Grants of up to €100,000 will be available to eligible businesses under the scheme.

All applicants must also be able to demonstrate that their VAT-exclusive turnover, for any consecutive 12 month period from 1 January 2020 – 31 December 2021, was no more than 40% of their turnover prior to the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions (excluding Covid supports) , demonstrated via the provision of accounts for their reference year and an Accountant's letter. Applicants are also required to provide their most recent Audited Accounts/Accountants prepared by an accountant.

Eligible business costs for the purpose of this scheme, which include artist fees and crew fees, are clearly outlined in the Service Level Agreements which all Grantees must sign, prior to the release of any funding. Grant funding will be paid in instalments with final payment only being released when the Department is fully satisfied in terms of compliance with all the relevant conditions detailed in the Service level Agreement. Grantees must provide confirmation by way of an Auditor's certificate or Accountant's letter that the monies drawn down under this scheme are to address eligible business costs in order to request the final drawdown of this grant. Grantees must also provide a breakdown of the spend and have all invoices and proof of payment available on request for audit purposes.

All monies drawn down under this scheme must be used to address eligible business costs and successful grantees must provide confirmation of this by way of an Auditor's certificate or Accountant's letter in order to request the final drawdown of this grant.

This scheme will remain open for applications until 20th April via an online application portal on my Department’s website.

Further information in relation to this scheme can be accessed on my Department’s website here - www.gov.ie/en/publication/d1d0c-live-performance-restart-grant-scheme-lprgs-guidelines/ .

The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefitted from sports capital funding since 1998, bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.1 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas.

The 2020 round of the Programme closed for applications on 1 March 2021. By this date, 3,106 applications were submitted seeking over €200 million in funding. This is the highest number of applications ever received.

Approximately one thousand of the submitted applications were for 'equipment-only' projects. These applications were assessed first and grants with a total value of €16.6 million were announced on 6 August 2021. The remaining capital applications were then assessed and 1,865 individual grant offers with a total value of over €143.8 million were announced on Friday 11 February 2022.

Currently my Department is assessing appeals from unsuccessful applicants. The deadline for submission of appeals was Monday 4th April, 2022. Of the record €150 million made available for capital projects, €6 million has been kept in reserve for any successful appeals.

When the appeal process is complete, a full review of the 2020 round of the SCEP will be undertaken and recommendations arising will be reflected in the terms and conditions of the next round. The precise timing of this next round of the Programme will be announced once this review is complete.

Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards, including the allocation of funding across its various programmes. Sport Ireland does not provide direct funding for clubs or individuals but channels the funding through the relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport, in this case Basketball Ireland. There is no mechanism by which Sport Ireland can allocate funding outside of this process.

The club mentioned by the Deputy should engage with Basketball Ireland to see if they can assist or advise in any way. My Department does not have discretionary funding available to it to provide direct financial assistance to the club.

I can confirm an appeal has been lodged by the club mentioned by the Deputy.

Currently my Department is assessing appeals from unsuccessful applicants. The deadline for submission of appeals was Monday 4 April and 146 appeals were submitted by the deadline. Of the record €150 million made available for capital projects, €6 million has been kept in reserve for any successful appeals and it is hoped to have all appeals assessed by the end of this month.

My Departmental officials will be happy to engage constructively with the club on this matter subject to advice from the Departmental legal advisors, the Chief State Solicitor's Office.

The Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme (MEBAS) 2022 was launched as part of a suite of measures I put in place to support the live entertainment sector. MEBAS is a targeted support for self-employed performers and sole traders operating solely in the live entertainment sector who did not qualify for other business supports such as CRSS and who were significantly impacted by restrictions introduced to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, MEBAS supported over 1,000 such performers and live entertainment businesses. This includes self-employed individuals and sole traders, for example, musicians, singers, DJs, lighting and sound crew, and audio equipment suppliers.

MEBAS 22 was open for applications from 27 January to 24 February 2022. 647 applications were received seeking funding of €2.9m

To date 421 applicants or 65% of applicants have been paid a total of €1.7m in funding.

These payments will continue and will be completed over the coming weeks.

The Local Authority Home Loan is a Government backed mortgage for those on modest or low incomes who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial banks to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. It is the successor to the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan.

Eligibility for the scheme is dependent on the applicant's gross income being under the relevant income ceilings. Single applicants for properties in counties Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath or Wicklow must not be earning greater than €65,000 annual gross income or €50,000 annual gross income for properties in all other counties. Gross income reported in the previous tax year is used to determine income eligibility of the applicant for the Local Authority Home Loan scheme.

Further information on the scheme is available on the dedicated website: localauthorityhomeloan.ie/

According to the information made available to my Department in relation to Strategic Housing Developments (SHDs) there are currently 54 active judicial review cases against SHD decisions of An Bord Pleanála (the Board). The number of units in the related planning applications is approximately 16,000.

The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future committed to not extending the SHD arrangements beyond their legislative expiry date of end December 2021, which was subsequently extended to 25 February 2022 arising from the Covid-related extension of statutory timelines within the planning system by eight weeks in respect of the period March to May 2020 due to the shutdown of the construction sector.

The Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Act 2021 (Act of 2021) was signed into law by the President on 14 December 2021. Furthermore, the Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Act 2021 (Commencement) Order 2021 which brings the provisions of the Act into effect was signed with an effective date of 17 December 2021.

The main purpose of the Act of 2021 is to restore the two-stage planning process, with decision making for Large-scale Residential Development (LRD) type applications returning to the relevant local planning authority in the first instance, with subsequent right of appeal to the Board, thereby delivering on the commitments in the Programme for Government and Housing for All in this regard.

By restoring the two-stage decision-making process which allows for appeals to the Board, and increased public consultation at local level, it is envisaged that the number of LRD decisions subject to judicial review will decrease below current levels.

On the matter of judicial review reform, it is intended that the substantive legislative changes will be enacted by end 2022 in the context of the overall Planning Review and in tandem with the establishment of the Environmental and Planning Court which is being progressed by the Minister for Justice. Minister O'Brien is also considering some minor technical amendments to the judicial review provisions in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, before the Summer, mainly to align provisions with EU law.

The issues referred to in the Question are a matter for local Building Control Authorities, who are independent in the exercise of their statutory powers under the Building Control Acts 1990 - 2020. The 31 Local Authorities are designated as Building Control Authorities under the Building Control Acts and monitor compliance with Building Regulations 1997 to 2021 in their area having regard to:

- the minimum requirements for the design and construction of buildings as set out in the Building Regulations;

- detailed Technical Guidance Documents showing how these requirements can be achieved in practice;

- procedures set out in the Building Control Regulations for demonstrating compliance in respect of an individual building or works.

Fire Safety Certificates and all other statutory Certificates required pursuant to the Building Regulations and Building Control Regulations are lodged with the appropriate local Building Control Authority and my Department has no involvement in the operational or transactional element of this mandatory statutory requirement.

Project Ireland 2040 comprises the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the National Development Plan (NDP). One of the key outcomes of both of the NPF and NDP is the compact growth of cities and towns of all sizes, in order to meet sustainability goals and to create more attractive places in which people can live and work. The preferred approach is to focus on greater reuse of previously developed brownfield land and infill sites and the development of sites in locations that are better serviced by existing facilities and public transport. The NPF indicates that there is a need for increased densities in urban areas, while also acknowledging the need for a proportionate and tailored approach, especially in the context of regional cities and towns.

This means that it is necessary to adapt the scale, design and layout of new development according to the type of settlement in which it is located, and its proximity to centres and public transport services. Statutory ‘Section 28’ ministerial guidelines for planning authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (the ‘Sustainable Residential Development Guidelines’) were last issued in 2009, having been first introduced in 1999. Further related guidance has been subsequently issued in the form of updates to the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments Guidelines for Planning Authorities, most recently in 2020, and the Urban Development and Building Heights Guidelines for Planning Authorities in 2018.

While the principles, approaches and general requirements of the Sustainable Residential Development Guidelines continue to be applicable to the objectives of the NPF for the development of compact, sustainable and liveable settlements, it is timely that the guidance is updated to respond to the greater range of settlements types defined by the NPF. It is not proposed to review the Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2020) and the Urban Development and Building Heights Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2018) at this time; however some elements of those particular guidelines will be reflected in the updated Sustainable Residential Development Guidelines due to their interrelated nature.

My Department is currently undertaking a practical and targeted review to update the Sustainable Residential Development Guidelines with new Sustainable and Compact Settlement Guidelines (SCSG). A preliminary draft of the new SCSGs is being prepared for the purposes of screening for Appropriate Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment. Following the completion of the AA/SEA processes, the Draft SCSGs will be placed on display for a focused period of public consultation. It is envisaged that this will happen in mid-2022. Submissions made during the public consultation period will be reviewed and where appropriate and necessary, amendments will be made to the published Draft. Thereafter, the draft guidelines will be submitted to the Minister for approval and the final Guidelines will be issued under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).

In October 2021, my Department approved the 2021-2022 An Bord Pleanála (the Board) Workforce Plan which provides for an additional 24 posts across a range of technical and administrative grades including the setting up of a new Marine and Climate Unit to implement the role assigned to the Board under the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 and associated projects under the Climate Action Plan 2021. Sanction has since been granted by my Department in respect of 16 of these additional posts, and I understand that to date the Board has filled 10 of these sanctioned positions with recruitment for the remaining 6 posts currently underway. On 29th March 2021 the Board sought sanction to fill 5 of the remaining 8 posts, and this request is currently being processed by my Department.

Following an updated assessment by the Board of resourcing issues likely to emerge as a result of planning applications for the National Development Plan and other infrastructure projects as well as legislative changes, a new workforce plan for 2022-2023 requesting 40 additional posts was submitted to my Department by the Board on 1st April 2022 and is currently under consideration. I understand that a separate resource plan for projects associated with the Maritime Area Planning Act, 2021 is expected from the Board in the coming weeks.

Based on general information, including data collected by the Dublin local authorities, my Department estimates that there are some 70-80,000 planning permissions granted but not activated to date, and some 40,000 of these are in the Dublin area. This has influenced many of the actions in Housing for All to activate permissions more broadly, including initiatives such as Project Tosaigh being advanced by the Land Development Agency (LDA). It is also important to note that the activities of the LDA are influenced by national plans such as the National Planning Framework and Housing for All and also the individual county and city development plans for each local authority.

It is important however to note that the targets set for social housing under Housing for All are based on the Housing Needs Demand Assessment and Summary of Social Housing Assessments. Similarly, Affordable Housing Targets for local authority delivery have been set and the relevant housing need in each area was considered as a factor in setting those targets. The degree to which delivery includes already permitted units is a separate consideration.

These perspectives are drawn from general estimates, as my Department does not collate specific data on the estimated number of outstanding planning permissions which have been granted in each local authority area for which development has not commenced. Planning statistics are compiled by each planning authority on an annual basis for collation and publication on my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/9e4ee-get-planning-statistics/.

However, the data collected relates to the total number of applications and decisions for all developments that require planning permission, broken down by year and planning authority but are not broken down by number of outstanding planning permissions which have been granted in each local authority. Such information may be sought directly from the relevant planning authority.

In addition, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical office, compiles and makes available detailed data on a number of planning related issues including permissions granted and completions by development type and county. Data is available at the following link on the CSO website: www.cso.ie/en/statistics/construction/planningpermissions/.

Data on the commencement notices of developments to which the Building Regulations apply is published by my Department online at www.gov.ie/en/publication/a5cb1-construction-activity-starts/ but would not include information on development where construction has not commenced.

My Department administers a number of funding support schemes to support local authority delivery of social and affordable housing. Each scheme, depending on its objectives and delivery mechanism, has a process in place whereby local authorities secure approval for funding support for particular developments.

For affordable housing, the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) provides exchequer funding support to local authorities to allow the delivery of housing at affordable prices or rents on local authority lands or via advance purchase arrangements with developers for new housing on developer-owned land. As a new funding mechanism, replacing the Serviced Sites Fund, the AHF has been open for applications for funding from local authorities since 1st September 2021. Several funding applications have been made since then and, for those that have been approved, the average turnaround time was 8 weeks.

There are no applications for funding in respect of affordable housing to be delivered by the Land Development Agency (LDA) with my Department for approval at this time. There are currently seven applications to the Affordable Housing Fund from three Local Authorities with my Department for approval. The aggregate number of homes that are awaiting approval is 502 units. In general, applications would be expected to be turned around in 8 weeks.

In respect of social housing development applications from local authorities currently with the Department for approval, the information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.

Section 58 of the Housing Act provides for the setting and collection of social housing rents by local authorities.

The making or amending of such rents schemes, including how the rent charged is calculated and any increases or decreases that may be appropriate, is a matter for local authorities. That said, rent schemes should be consistent with the broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay.

In this regard, local authorities have arrangements in place to protect tenants who, for example, experience reductions in income or incur exceptional or unavoidable outgoings that affect their ability to pay. Tenants may seek a review of the rent payable from their respective local authorities in such circumstances.

Similarly, local authority rent schemes also contain hardship clauses. These clauses provide for the payment of lesser amounts for specified periods of time where the local authority considers the payment of the rent due would give rise to hardship for the tenant.

Housing for All (published in September 2021) provides a new housing plan for Ireland to 2030 with the overall objective that every citizen in the State should have access to good quality homes through a steady supply of housing in the right locations, with economic, social and environmental sustainability built into the system.

The strategy commits to increasing the housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence, including policies on rightsizing for older people. Work is underway through my Department to inform and progress the development of national policy on rightsizing this year.

Additionally, the suite of Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme facilitates older people and people with a disability to remain living independently in their own homes. Older people in private housing who want to remain living in their existing dwelling can avail of the Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for People with a Disability and Older People, the Mobility Aids Grants Scheme and the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme to make adaptations and improvements to their homes to enable them to go on living there safely and in comfort.

Housing for All commits to undertaking a review of these housing grants, which is currently underway to ensure the income thresholds and grant levels are updated and that the works being funded are appropriate and the target market being met. The full review will be completed this year.

The Property Registration Authority (PRA) continued to maintain a high level of service to support a robust property market throughout the period of Covid-19 restrictions. In 2021, overall application completion levels recovered to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Notwithstanding this level of activity, there has been an increase in the length of some completion times.

As set out in the PRA Customer Charter, completion times are measured in respect of cases that are in order (are not rejected or queried) and do not involve a change to map. In 2019, 87 per cent of applications were completed within 10 working days and 90 per cent within 20 working days. In 2020 and 2021, the 10-day and 20-day completion rates dropped to 49 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively, in 2020, and to 35 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively, in 2021, on account of the impact of the pandemic and reducing staff resources. The year to date in 2022 shows 45 per cent of cases have been completed within 10 working days and 53 per cent have been completed within 20 days of lodgement with the PRA.

A new Arrears Clearance Programme has already been set in train by the PRA Management Board, and cross organisational multi-disciplinary teams have been established to focus on the elimination of arrears. This programme, underpinned by project management discipline, envisages a structured approach to implementation, with an emphasis on data analysis, innovation and business process improvement. The PRA intends to communicate this intent, and ongoing progress achieved, to both its internal and external stakeholders. One aim of the programme is to achieve the guaranteed casework turnaround times that existed pre-Covid in the PRA’s Customer Charter.

Finally, the PRA is always willing to act on requests from lodging parties to expedite an application pending in the Land Registry, and every effort is made to expedite cases where valid grounds for urgency exist, such as a pending sale or financial hardship.

In September 2021, Minister O'Brien established a Working Group to progress the actions involving local authorities set out in the Government’s Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions.

Chaired by my Department, the Working Group comprises representatives of local authorities and the Departments of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Rural and Community Development.

Following its deliberations, research and consultations, including with survivors and survivor advocacy groups, the Working Group will issue guidance to assist all local authorities in implementing actions relating specifically to local memorialisation projects, in line with the wishes of former residents of mother and baby homes.

Under its terms of reference, the Working Group will also consider and quantify the possible or likely costs associated with delivering this aim at local level. I expect that the Working Group will issues its guidelines to local authorities over the summer.

I am aware that a number of local authorities have already erected or are progressing local memorialisation projects using own resources, which is welcomed.

My colleague, Mr Roderic O'Gorman TD, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has available a grant scheme to support commemorative events for former residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The grant scheme, launched first in 2020, provides financial assistance to survivor led advocacy groups for the purpose of organising and running local commemorative events.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 79 together.

Requests for housing transfers are matters solely for local authorities in line with their respective allocation schemes, made in accordance with s.22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Allocation Regulations.Local authorities are responsible for assessing housing applicants, taking into account factors such as the condition and affordability of existing accommodation, medical and compassionate grounds, etc. Thereafter, the authority prioritises the needs of approved applicants in accordance with its allocation scheme. Ultimately, it is a matter for the local authority to decide the conditions to be met in relation to transfer applications.

The social housing application form, prescribed by the Regulations, requires applicants to provide details of any convictions relating to anti-social behaviour and public order offences. Section 14 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1997 provides that local authorities may refuse to allocate or defer allocation of a dwelling to a person if they consider the person is, or has been, engaged in anti-social behaviour, or if the allocation of a dwelling to that person would not be in the interest of good estate management.

Each local authority has a customer service charter and complaints procedure for persons who wish to make a complaint in respect of any of the services they provide. A complainant may, if they are not satisfied with the Council’s decision on such complaints, refer the complaint to the Ombudsman.

My Department awarded a sum of €350,000 in 2021 for project referred to in the Question.

The project is being led by Mayo County Council who have just completed detailed designs for the works. Subject to minor amendments, the Council expect to progress the project through to the construction tender stage shortly. My Department remains committed to supporting this project.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 81, 83 and 84 together.

Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. Over 300,000 new homes will be built by the end of 2030, including a projected 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes.

The Plan is backed by historic levels of investment with in excess of €20bn through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency and the Housing Finance Agency over the next 5 years. This will provide the sector with the stability and certainty it needs.

The Building Regulations 1997-2021 set out the legal requirements for the construction of new buildings (including houses), extensions to existing buildings as well as for material alterations and certain material changes of use to existing buildings. Their aim is to provide for the safety and welfare of people in and about buildings. The minimum performance requirements that a building must achieve are set out in the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. These requirements are set out in 12 parts (classified as Parts A to M). The Building Regulations are set out in functional terms. They are performance based and technology/material neutral. Primary responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings.

The associated Technical Guidance Documents (TGD A - M respectively) provide technical guidance on how to comply with the Building Regulations in practical terms for simple non-complex buildings. Where works are carried out in accordance with the relevant technical guidance, such works are considered to be, prima facie, in compliance with the relevant regulations. However, the adoption of an approach other than that outlined in the guidance is not precluded provided that the relevant requirements of the Regulations are complied with.

Part D (Materials and Workmanship) requires that all works should be carried out in a workmanlike manner using “proper materials…which are fit for the use for which they are intended and for the conditions in which they are to be used” to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations.

‘Proper Materials’ includes materials which comply with an appropriate harmonised standard or European Technical Assessment or comply with an appropriate Irish Standard or Irish Agrément Certificate or with an alternative national technical specification of any State which is a contracting party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, which provides in use an equivalent level of safety and suitability.

For new innovative products or systems, not covered by existing standards, compliance with the Building Regulations can be demonstrated by 3rd party certification by an independent approval body, such as National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) Agrément.

I.S.440: 2009+A1:2014 Timber Frame Construction, Dwellings and other Buildings is the Irish standard on timber frame construction (as referenced in Technical Guidance Document A 2012 and Technical Guidance Document B Vol 2 2017). I.S. 440 refers to responsibilities, materials, design, manufacture, construction details, site work and services.

Manufacturers of timber frame buildings are assessed under an approval scheme operated by the NSAI for compliance with I.S. 440 requirements including Factory Production Control (FPC). A register of compliant manufacturers is available on the NSAI website at www.nsai.ie/certification/.

My Department does not approve or endorse products for compliance with the Building Regulations or standards. It is critical to ensure that products, systems, and ultimately buildings which are comprised of such products and systems, are designed, constructed, and certified, as fit for purpose, having regard to their intended end use.

Finally, issues relating to forestry wood supply industry are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

We are committed to working with industry stakeholders to increase the use of low carbon materials and technologies in the construction and renovation of buildings in Ireland, informed by evolving EU standards and by best practice in other jurisdictions. Action 197 of the Climate Action Plan sets out that the Office of Public Works is developing a roadmap to promote greater use of lower-carbon building material in construction. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are developing an embodied carbon building rating methodology.

On 30 March 2022, the European Commission launched a package of European Green Deal proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, boost circular business models and empower consumers for the green transition. These include:

- new rules to make almost all physical goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and energy efficient throughout their whole lifecycle from the design phase through to daily use, repurposing and end-of-life (As announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan ),

- a proposal on new rules to empower consumers in the green transition so that consumers are better informed about the environmental sustainability of products and better protected against greenwashing, and

- a proposal to Revise the Construction Products Regulation to boost the internal market for construction products and ensure that the regulatory framework in place is fit for making the built environment deliver on our sustainability and climate objectives.

The Building Regulations 1997-2021 set out the legal requirements for the construction of new buildings (including houses), extensions to existing buildings as well as for material alterations and certain material changes of use to existing buildings. Their aim is to provide for the safety and welfare of people in and about buildings. The minimum performance requirements that a building must achieve are set out in the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations. These requirements are set out in 12 parts (classified as Parts A to M). The Building Regulations are set out in functional terms. They are performance based and technology/material neutral. Primary responsibility for compliance with the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings.

I.S.440: 2009+A1:2014 Timber Frame Construction, Dwellings and other Buildings is the Irish standard on timber frame construction (as referenced in Technical Guidance Document A 2012 and Technical Guidance Document B Vol 2 2017). I.S. 440 refers to responsibilities, materials, design, manufacture, construction details, site work and services.

Housing for All commits that the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, supported by my Department, will promote a culture of innovation in residential construction. This will be achieved through, the development of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and the establishment of a Centre of Excellence Demonstration Park for MMC.

Housing for All also provides that the intended role of the new Construction Technology Centre (CTC), which is under development by Enterprise Ireland, beyond the standard remit of Technology Centres in general for its first three years of operation in order to prioritise residential construction, in particular by incorporating:

- structures and funding to enable innovation in residential construction prior to the National Standards Authority of Ireland

- a proactive role in strengthening the residential construction value chain;

- promotion, development and support for innovation / MMCs using digital and manufacturing technology;

- support for SMEs to develop scale and to adopt MMCs and Building Information Modelling techniques for residential construction; and

- support for digitisation in the manufacturing sector for residential construction e.g. digitally controlled manufacturing equipment.

I have no plans at this time to commence section 212 of the Local Government Act 2001 which deals with the holding of public local inquiries.

The establishment of public local inquiries is a legally complex matter, particularly with regard to how such inquiries would function in practice. Careful consideration would be needed regarding the powers of such inquiries to compel persons to appear before them, how the Constitutional rights of such persons could be protected and how they could seek to assert their rights through the Courts.

The potential costs of public local inquiries would also need very careful consideration and whether such an option would represent best value for money as a means for addressing issues of local concern.

It is also important to recognise that, in October 2011, a referendum was held on a proposed amendment to the Constitution that, if successful, would have granted full investigative powers to Oireachtas committees to hold full inquiries. This proposal was rejected by the electorate. Concerns raised at the time would also apply in the case of public local inquiries held by local authorities. It would not seem appropriate therefore to try to introduce public inquiries at the level of local government when these were rejected by the people at Oireachtas level.

The Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme facilitates older people and people with a disability to remain living independently in their own homes.

Housing for All commits to undertaking a review of the range of housing grants available to assist with meeting specific housing needs both for our ageing population and people with a disability. An initial element of this review has begun and is currently focused on the existing grant limits and income thresholds applicable to the grant schemes. The wider scope of the review, to be completed this year, is also under consideration and is being informed by ongoing engagement with external stakeholders including the Department of Health, the HSE, the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Disability Federation of Ireland.

The newly revised Energy Efficiency Retrofit Programme was introduced in 2021 providing for a 'deeper' retrofit programme designed around the Programme for Government commitment that calls for the 'retrofit' of 500,000 homes to a B2/Cost Optimal Equivalent (BER) standard by 2030, of which, approximately 36,500 are expected to be local authority owned homes.

Works eligible under the revised Programme include attic/cavity wall insulation or external wall insulation where required, windows and doors replacement, heat pump installation and ancillary and associated works.

In 2021 a substantial funding commitment of some €65 million was made available for the Energy Efficiency and Retrofit Programme and the programme will see a significant increase and ramping up of retrofitting works over the next number of years, building on the good work already undertaken by local authorities to date.

In 2022, the EERP will see a significant increase in funding support to €85 million, allowing approximately 2,400 homes nationally to be upgraded to a B2 or cost optimal equivalent (BER). Allocations for the 2022 programme will issue shortly to local authorities.

Statistics in relation from 2013 up to 2021 are available on the link below. As in previous years full details in relation to delivery and funding drawdown for 2022 will be published and available in early 2023. Data in relation to Q1 output for 2022 would not be available at this time.

www.gov.ie/en/publication/668c1-energy-efficiency-retrofitting-programme-expenditure-output/

www.gov.ie/en/publication/b86b3-midlands-energy-retrofit-programme-expenditure-and-units/

The Government is committed to delivering a humanitarian response to welcome people fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking protection in Ireland as part of the EU response.

As part of its response, Government is providing accommodation through the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) and is working closely with Local Authorities to provide accommodation for Ukrainian arrivals in a variety of settings including:

- Hotels, guest houses and B&Bs;

- Accommodation pledged by the general public, which is being assessed for suitability;

- State-owned or private properties, which may be suitable for short-term accommodation;

- Religious properties; and

- Local authority community facilities.

Government is working to ensure local capacity, resources and knowledge are brought to bear on the overall humanitarian response. In this regard, my Department has recently written to local authorities requesting they take the necessary steps to allow social housing tenants, who wish to do so, participate in the Irish Red Cross pledge scheme.

The draft Nationality and Borders Bill is proposed British legislation continues to be debated in Westminster. The Government has been closely following the progress of this Bill as it moves through the legislative process. The Government has significant concerns regarding the proposed Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme set out in this draft Bill in the context of cross-border travel on the island of Ireland.

The British Government has said that there will continue to be no immigration checks on the land border and that the proposed ETA system will not apply to Irish or British citizens. However, as currently drafted, the Bill provides that the UK’s new immigration rules may require non-Irish and non-British citizens, visiting or resident in Ireland, to obtain an ETA before travelling across the land border to Northern Ireland.

The implementation of such a scheme would have implications for day-to-day life on this island, particularly for those in border areas, with potential implications also for cross-border healthcare, tourism, education, and integrated supply chains. Many thousands of people cross the border every day in the course of their daily lives, including to access essential services or to visit family.

I discussed these concerns in detail with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at a recent meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin. The Minister for Justice has written to her UK counterpart and our Embassy in London continues to engage at senior official level.

As this Bill works its way through the UK parliamentary system, we will continue to encourage the British Government, at political and official level, to reconsider its approach and to apply exceptions to their ETA proposals. It is understood that, once the bill has been finalised, secondary legislation will be put in place to facilitate its application in the UK. The final form of the Nationality and Borders Bill and associated secondary legislation on implementation is not yet clear and there will be continued detailed engagement on these matters over the period ahead. On that basis it would not be appropriate to speculate on possible legislative or operational implications in this jurisdiction.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 91 together.

With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has given an update on the status of the application to the applicant's parent.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together.

I have been closely following the progress of the UK’s draft Nationality and Borders Bill through the legislative process in Westminster. As you will know, the Government has very real concerns regarding the proposed Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme set out in this draft Bill in the context of cross-border travel on the island of Ireland.

The British Government has said that there will continue to be no immigration checks on the land border and that the proposed ETA system will not apply to Irish or British citizens. However, as currently drafted, the Bill provides that the UK’s new immigration rules may require non-Irish and non-British citizens, visiting or resident in Ireland, to obtain an ETA before travelling across the land border to Northern Ireland.

The implementation of such a scheme would have implications for day-to-day life on this island, particularly for those in border areas, with potential implications also for cross-border healthcare, tourism, education, and integrated supply chains. Many thousands of people cross the border every day in the course of their daily lives, including to access essential services or to visit family. It is a uniquely shared space. This is something that the Irish and British Governments recognised and committed to in Strand 2 of the Good Friday Agreement. The proposed scheme could also have a major impact on tourism in Northern Ireland with over two-thirds of visitors from mainland Europe and the United States arriving in Northern Ireland via the South.

I discussed these concerns in detail with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at a recent meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin. The Minister for Justice has also written to her UK counterpart and our Embassy in London continues to engage at senior official level. We continue to encourage the British Government to reconsider its approach and to apply exceptions to their ETA proposals and how it will apply to journeys across the land border.

We cannot know the final form of the Nationality and Borders Bill. However, as it is currently drafted, section 81 of the bill on the liability of carriers would not give rise to any new restrictions on free movement between Ireland and the UK by Irish citizens under the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements. Irish citizens ordinarily do not require leave to enter the UK, so the provisions introduced by section 81 would not apply where the relevant individual is an Irish citizen.

In addition to our direct engagement with the British Government on its ETA proposals, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice have also been engaging regularly with counterparts in the British Government on other aspects of its reform plans for UK border control and immigration system, with a view to protecting longstanding CTA arrangements and the interests of Irish citizens and residents of Ireland.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has reviewed this application with a view to processing it within the 40 day average turnaround time if it is fully complete.

The Government has a number of concerns regarding the proposed Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme set out in the UK’s draft Nationality and Borders Bill. I discussed those concerns in detail with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at a meeting of the British Irish Intergovernmental Conference in Dublin in March. As currently drafted, the Bill would provide that the UK’s immigration rules may require that non-Irish and non-British citizens obtain an ETA before travelling to the UK, including for journeys across the land border with Northern Ireland. As the Deputy will be aware, the movement of people on the island of Ireland, particularly in border areas, is unique. Many thousands of people cross the border every day in the course of their daily lives, including to access essential services, for business, tourism, for family reasons and for travel from one part of Ireland to another. This is something which the Irish and British Governments recognised and committed to in Strand 2 of the Good Friday Agreement.The introduction of the proposed ETA scheme for cross-border journeys could cause considerable disruption to the lives and livelihoods of many people across the island who are not Irish or British citizens, particularly those residing in border areas. The scheme could have a significant impact on tourism in Northern Ireland with over two-thirds of visitors from mainland Europe and the United States arriving in Northern Ireland via this jurisdiction. There are potential implications also for cross-border healthcare, education, and integrated supply chains.The House of Commons voted on 22 March against an amendment from the House of Lords, which would have exempted cross-border journeys to Northern Ireland from the proposed ETA requirements.Since this proposal emerged, the Government has been engaging with the British Government to make clear our concerns with regard to the ETA scheme. As mentioned, I raised them directly with the Secretary of State at the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in March. I highlighted the complexities that such a scheme would present for cross-border travel, as well as the serious implications for daily lives and livelihoods.This legislation is not yet finalised and will continue to be debated in Westminster. We will continue to engage at official and political level with British Government counterparts in respect to our concerns. We will encourage the British Government to reconsider their approach and to apply exceptions to their ETA proposals.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the applicant had an appointment to renew their passport at the Passport Office on Monday 4 April.

The Passport Offices in Mount St, Dublin 2, Cork and London offer an Urgent Appointment Service for the renewal of passports. This service was launched in Dublin on 27 September 2021 and in Cork on 26 October 2021. The Passport Office in London launched its Urgent Appointment Service on 1 March.Customers availing of the Urgent Appointment Service can renew their passport within 1 or 4 days in Dublin, within 4 days in Cork and within 5 days in London. The Urgent Appointment Service ensures that, for those who unexpectedly require a very urgent turnaround of a passport renewal, there is an option available that is transparent, predictable and clear. It means that an applicant can book and pay for their appointment, safe in the knowledge that they will have their passport within a day, or a few days. In February 2022, the Passport Service increased the number of appointments at its public offices by 100%, providing an extra 170 appointments per week.

Applicants who have previously applied using An Post's mail-in "Passport Express" channel are able to make renewal appointments with the Urgent Appointment Service. Applicants who have made online applications may also make renewal appointments with the Urgent Appointment Service. However, where an online application is already advanced through the entitlement process, the Passport Service may not be able to facilitate an appointment, and will cancel the appointment and refund the fee. This is because the online application is due to be approved and the passport will be issued and dispatched to the applicant in a short amount of time. When the applicant comes to their appointment at the Passport Office, they must confirm that they wish to cancel their existing online or Passport Express renewal application. The Passport Service will put in place the appropriate steps to cancel that application, and continue with the Urgent Appointment. A refund will be made to the applicant and any supporting documents will be returned to them in due course.Where an online or Passport Express application has already been made, documents submitted in support of that application cannot be associated with the Urgent Appointment Service application. A full new application, including consent, photos and any supporting documents required must be submitted.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has provided an update to the applicant as to the steps they must take to progress their passport application.

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question.

The school previously received funding from my department under the Emergency Works Scheme and Summer Works Scheme in respect of toilet facilities.

The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.

At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.

The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision. The Deputy will appreciate that the immediate priority of my Department is providing new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place.

However, the latter stage of the National Development Plan will see an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock and under which the ancillary accommodation needs of primary schools will also be considered. My Department has contacted the school in question in this context.

The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents.

A Brief Change request had been approved in principle by my Department and a Brief Change report was submitted by the school and its Design Team, which is currently with the Department for review and approval.

Due to proposals from the Local Authority to alter the road and access layouts at the school site, and the recent increase in Brief to 16 classrooms, a new Planning Application will be required.

When planning permission has been secured and work on necessary revisions to the Stage 2(b) documentation has been completed a revised Stage 2(b) report will be submitted to my Department for review.

Upon receipt and review of this revised report my Department will be in contact with the school regarding the further progression of the project.

The criteria for the award of Incremental Credit for previous experience is outlined in Circular 0139/2006 for special needs assistants (SNAs), and was agreed in the first instance, by the Teacher Conciliation Council (TCC). This Council is comprised of representatives of the teacher unions, school management bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.

An application for previous service with a preschool and for substitute teaching service with Department of Education was received in the incremental credit section on 31st January 2022. My Department is currently following up with the Teaching Council regarding the applicant’s registration with this Council. As soon as a response issues from the Teaching Council my Department will process this application. Please note that one of the eligibility criteria for the award of incremental credit for previous relevant service under the above Circular is that the applicant must be a recognised teacher in a State funded school (4.2). The person to whom the TD refers will receive, in writing, the decision of my Department when any such decision is reached.

Officials from the Pension Unit of my Department have confirmed they will contact the person concerned directly regarding their pension entitlements.

From September 2022 the DEIS programme is being extended to benefit 347 schools. These schools will access all supports under the programme to match their respective DEIS band. Schools are assigned to the DEIS bands based on the location of the school and their level of concentrated educational disadvantage.

The school referred to by the Deputy is a rural DEIS primary school. Amongst other supports, the school in question will benefit from additional funding in the form of a DEIS grant and can use this funding to mitigate educational disadvantage in line with the school’s DEIS planning process.

Access to the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Scheme and the School Completion Programme (SCP) is available to urban DEIS schools only.

The impact of socio-economic factors on educational outcomes can be different between urban and rural settings and the HSCL scheme and SCP takes account of that. While urban and rural disadvantage share many characteristics, such as poverty, unemployment and poor housing conditions, the evidence suggests that disadvantage in a rural context does not have the same impact on educational outcomes.

My Department's objective in implementing the DEIS Plan is to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of disadvantage. To achieve this, additional resources must be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest need in terms of concentrated levels of disadvantage.

I am glad to advise the Deputy that a travel pass scheme is available to nearly 80,000 contracted teaching and non-teaching school staff paid by my Department.

The terms of the travel pass scheme operated by my Department are laid out in Departmental Circular 56/2020. A policy decision was made when the scheme was introduced to facilitate the Taxsaver tickets on a yearly basis through my Department’s payrolls. The rationale for this, is the considerable administrative burden involved administering the scheme on a monthly basis, especially given the size of the teaching and non-teaching staff payrolls operated by the Department.

The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.

In view of this I have forwarded your question to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.

This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.

It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.

Parents seeking special class or school placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.

The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.

The local SENOs remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list .

I should clarify, however, that the NCSE does not maintain waiting lists for schools. Boards of management of individual schools are responsible for such enrolment matters.

As the Deputy’s query refers to an individual placement case, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of appropriate accommodation for pupils with special education needs is an absolute priority for my Department. This is in two respects: firstly in ensuring that there is sufficient provision for pupils with special education needs and secondly in designing school accommodation that meets the needs of all users - students and staff - and enhances the learning experience.

The provision of sensory rooms form part of the accommodation brief for Special Educational Need Bases. This information is available on the Departments website www.gov.ie.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the Health Service Executive (HSE). This includes the establishment of special class and special school placements in various geographical areas where there is an identified need.

When the NCSE sanction a special class in a school (primary or post-primary), school authorities can apply to my Department for capital funding to re-configure an existing space within the school building to accommodate the class and/or to construct additional accommodation under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme. ASA application forms are available on my Department’s website.

Similarly, where special schools are requested to expand provision or wish to refurbish existing facilities, they may also apply to my Department for capital funding to carry out these works.

Subject to the type of provision, the number of SEN classrooms, site and accommodation constraints ancillary accommodation associated with Special Education Needs Bases can include a Central Activities Space, Quiet Spaces, a Multi-Activity Room, Daily Living Skills space, Secure Soft Play Area and Sensory Garden. Special Schools include similar ancillary accommodation as well as specific therapy provisions.

Schools may utilise these spaces as they deem most appropriate. Additionally, primary schools may use their annual Minor Works Grant to equip an available space as a sensory room. For these reasons, it is not possible to provide information on the number of sensory rooms in schools in County Kildare.

I can, however, confirm that there are currently 69 special classes opened at Primary level in Co. Kildare and 22 at Post Primary level. This information is available at ncse.ie/special-classes.

I recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools.

My Department is committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which they have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS programme. Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data will now have the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed.

Circular 0019/2022 outlining the details of this appeals process was published recently by my Department and is available at www.gov.ie/en/circular/7e7ca-deis-identification-2022-appeals-process-for-schools/

My Department notified all schools of the appeals process on 30th March 2022. Schools have until 5pm on Friday April 29th to submit an appeal.

From September 2022 the DEIS programme is being extended to benefit 347 schools. These schools will access all supports under the programme to match their respective DEIS band. Schools are assigned to the DEIS bands based on the location of the school and their level of concentrated educational disadvantage.

The school referred to by the Deputy is a rural DEIS primary school. Amongst other supports, the school in question will benefit from additional funding in the form of a DEIS grant and can use this funding to mitigate educational disadvantage in line with the school’s DEIS planning process.

Access to the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Scheme and the School Completion Programme (SCP) is available to urban DEIS schools only.

The impact of socio-economic factors on educational outcomes can be different between urban and rural settings and the HSCL scheme and SCP takes account of that. While urban and rural disadvantage share many characteristics, such as poverty, unemployment and poor housing conditions, the evidence suggests that disadvantage in a rural context does not have the same impact on educational outcomes.

My Department's objective in implementing the DEIS Plan is to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of disadvantage. To achieve this, additional resources must be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest need in terms of concentrated levels of disadvantage.

Under the Teaching Council Standards for initial teacher education (ITE) at primary, all student teachers must complete a 4 week Gaeltacht learning period (GLP) (2x 2 weeks) as part of their programme. This is compulsory in order to graduate. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the traditional Gaeltacht learning periods could not go ahead as planned and the Department and Teaching Council agreed that these could take place online. This ensured that there were no barriers to students completing their ITE programme and graduating as planned in 2020 and 2021. While the online alternative programme worked well, the shared aim of all stakeholders was to return to a normal in person GLP as soon as possible.

While the primary responsibility for the overall administration of Gaeltacht-based Irish language courses rests with the relevant Gaeltacht college authorities – both my Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (D/TCAGSM) together play a key role in overall support of the sector. My Department has had a number of meetings with D/TCAGSM, the Teaching Council, representatives from the HEIs and CONCOS (the representative body for Gaeltacht colleges) in recent days and the shared aim of all stakeholders continues to be for the normal in person Gaeltacht placement to take place this Easter.

The Tréimshe Foghlama sa Ghaeltacht is a rich immersive experience that forms part of the overall requirements for programmes of primary initial teacher education. My Department and the D/TCAGSM has confirmed to the HEIs and CONCOS that there is no public health advice to prevent Irish language courses from being run for student teachers in the Gaeltacht at Easter and it is expected the normal in person GLP will be provided.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 110, 111, 112, 113, 114 and 115 together.

ETBs and Principals have a responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of education and the management of staff in a school as set out in the Education Act 1998. Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 provides for the suspension and dismissal of teachers and principals by employers. The Minister for Education has no role in such matters.

Circular 48/2018 sets out agreed procedures between Employers and Unions to be used in the case of individual disciplinary cases but the Department is not involved in such procedures and is not a party to any individual process. The only role for the Minister of Education in the circular is in nominating people to the list of independent chairs for use in appeals under the procedures. Staff of my Department have no role in the operation of procedures under Circular 48/2018 and so the question of training for them does not arise.

While no procedures can be definitive about the range of circumstances which might give rise to the initiation of disciplinary procedures in general these are likely to be related to misconduct, a threat to the health and safety of students and/or sustained failure to perform adequately the professional duties and responsibilities expected of a teacher. The procedures provide for two separate and independent strands which should be utilised in appropriate circumstances, namely (i) procedure relating to professional competence issues and (ii) Procedure relating to work, conduct and matters other than professional competence.

The procedures are designed to deal solely with issues of employment and supersede all prior existing disciplinary procedures in existence save for those provided in law. The actual operation of the procedures including any investigation is a matter for the employer. The circular does set out that individuals may be placed on administrative leave while an investigation is carried, where the circumstances warrant, and that any process should to comply with the general principles of natural justice.

In terms of cases where some stages of the process may be bypassed, Circular 48/2018 clearly sets out the circumstances and some examples of “gross misconduct for which any or each of Stage 1 to 3 of the disciplinary procedure may not apply depending on the gravity of the alleged offence”. It is entirely a matter for the employer in question to decide if such circumstances exist to warrant proceeding on that basis. Teachers maintain an option of appeal under the procedures, including, in the case of a sanction being imposed under stage 4 of the procedure to a disciplinary appeal panel chaired by an independent person from the list of nominated chairs.

As outlined in Department Circular 48/2018 all matters relating to the disciplinary procedure are strictly confidential to the parties and their representatives. These procedures are without prejudice to the right of a teacher to have recourse to the law to protect his/her employment. In the circumstances and as my Department is not involved in individual cases, the number of times stages under the procedures have been invoked by employers is not known.

In relation to the matter of the internal audit for the ETB sector, the primary purpose of the Internal Audit Unit for the ETBs is to provide assurance to the Audit Committee of the ETB that the system of internal control as implemented by executive management is adequate and operates effectively. However the IAU-ETBs remit also includes the provision of ancillary consulting services which may include the carrying out an investigation of a specific ETB risk area/suspected fraud.

The financial package approved by Government to support schools recognises that COVID-19 poses significant challenges for schools and has made provision for additional funding which is being provided to schools to meet costs relating to COVID-19.

Schools have been provided with a range of COVID-19 capitation grants to cater for enhanced cleaning regimes and the purchase of necessary supplies of hand sanitiser and PPE for use in the school and classroom. Schools were also permitted to employ an Aide in 2020 to assist with the physical and logistical arrangements necessary for school re-opening including movement of furniture, setting up hand sanitising stations, signage, training, engaging with parents and staff etc.

Also, at Post-Primary level additional supervision supports were provided to manage and prevent congregation of large groups of students and ensure the careful movement in a socially distant manner to classes for specialist subjects where it was neither practical nor possible to remain in the classroom.More than €158 million of additional COVID-19 funding has been made available to primary and post primary schools for the school year 2020/21.

My Department has committed to ensuring that the full range of measures necessary to allow schools operate safely in the COVID-19 environment will continue to be available for the 2021/22 school year and has provided a further €109 million in COVID-19 capitation funding to date for Terms 1 and 2 of the 2021/22 school year. A further €50.9 million will issue to schools in the coming weeks to provide for Cleaning, PPE and hand hygiene and enhanced supervision measures. €24.5 million of this is for Primary schools and €26.4 million for Post-Primary schools bringing total COVID-19 capitation funding to €159 million for the 2021/22 school year.

My Department requested schools and ETBs to refund any COVID-19 grant funding not utilised from the 2020/2021 school year. The unspent monies related to grants received for cleaning supports, enhanced supervision, sanitiser, PPE and employing an aide in schools. The attached table is a breakdown per ETB as requested.

CovidTable

COVID-19 funding relating to further education centres is provided by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Ireland’s 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) were established on 1 July 2013. They have statutory responsibility for education and training, youth work and a range of other functions. ETBs manage and operate second-level schools, further education colleges delivering adult and community education and training programmes, and multi-faith community national schools.

The general funding arrangements in the ETB sector are primarily based on budgets determined by my Department. The enrolment in the individual schools is the main driver of the level of these budgets.

Each ETB has a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of grants and may distribute its allocations in line with its priorities and perceptions of need.

As the Deputy may be aware, an investment programme of €210m has been delivered to schools under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015 –2020. Direct funding is provided to schools/ETBs as they are best placed to determine the preferred approach for planning and embedding the use of digital technology in their school in accordance with their own particular context and requirements. A circular outlning the criteria for the grant scheme is published on my Department's website, advising schools of the requirement to have in place a Digital Learning Plan and to align expenditure with that planning. Schools/ETBs must also ensure compliance with Circular: 13/2014 Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds.

A new Digital Strategy will be published shortly. This will build on the progress made under the previous strategy and continue to build capacity in schools to support teachers and learners to avail of the opportunities that the use of digital technologies in education can provide.

My Department, in consultation with Bus Éireann, is putting in place a new process to facilitate the provision of School Transport Scheme Services for children arriving to Ireland from Ukraine. Children will be accommodated on existing services where there is capacity. Children will not be charged for their ticket and normal eligibility criteria will be waived. If there is no service or capacity, a grant can be offered to the family as appropriate.

Bus Éireann has advised that they are currently processing applications for the children referred to by the Deputy and will liaise with the host family directly when complete.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125 and 126 together.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.

This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.

It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.

Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.

The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.

The local SENOs remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list .

I should clarify, however, that the NCSE does not maintain waiting lists for schools. Boards of management of individual schools are responsible for such enrolment matters.

As the Deputy's queries refer to individual schools, I will arrange to have them referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

The provision of Irish-medium education is a priority for my Department and the Government, and we share a strong commitment to increasing the number of Irish-medium places available and providing suitable accommodation in this regard.

As the Deputy may be aware, new schools are established by my Department on the basis of identified demographic demand in an area, and after consideration of the capacity of existing schools to absorb the expected school place demand.

In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.

Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, the Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date information on significant new residential development in each area.

The Department additionally consults with school patron bodies in order to identify areas with pressures on enrolments.

Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:

- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,

- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,

- Provision of a new school or schools.

A patronage process is run after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required. The patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. The Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) has been developed by my Department to provide objective information to parents which will allow them to make an informed choice about their preferred model of patronage as well as language of instruction, i.e. Irish or English, of new schools. Parental preferences, as well as other considerations such as the extent of diversity of provision in an area (including Irish-medium provision), are key to the decision-making process and to whether at post-primary level a school would take the form of an Irish-medium Gaelcholáiste or whether, if English-medium, the school would include an Irish-medium unit or “Aonad”.

Most new post-primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600 – 1,000 students. A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Aonad within a school.

Two Irish-medium gaelcholáistí (Scoil Chaitríona and Coláiste Mhuire) provide Irish medium post-primary places in the areas referred to by the Deputy.

A building project for Scoil Caitriona is included in the Department’s school building programme. The project is currently at project brief stage. The project, when completed, will provide for a long term projected enrolment of 500. In the meantime, the Department has provided a grant to the school to provide interim accommodation pending the completion of the school building project. The school’s current enrolment is 491.

A permanent school building for Coláiste Mhuire 60450U was completed in 2012. The building was constructed to accommodate a long term projected enrolment of 350. The school’s current enrolment is 263.

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that my Department is currently developing a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of Gaeltacht areas. The key objectives of the policy are in accordance with the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish language 2010-2030 and the Programme for Government 2020 and include considering how opportunities for the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí can be increased; and developing a clear policy on the establishment of Aonaid lán-Ghaeilge in existing English-medium post-primary schools to strengthen Irish-medium educational provision. An intradepartmental working group was established within my Department in 2021 to progress this important work.

The school to which the Deputy refers will remain in their current interim location for 2022/23 academic school year.

School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.

The purpose of the Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

The National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) acts in an advisory role to my Department on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs.

Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO).

The child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs.

In November 2021 a new service was sanctioned to cater for the child referred to by the Deputy and 3 others with an escort on board.

In cases where services are not suitable to cater for a child’s needs, a parent/guardian can make a request to the school transport section of my Department outlining the child’s requirements along with supporting documentation. In certain cases a special transport grant may be offered, and where it is not possible for the family to avail of the grant, a new service may be established.

As advised in my previous response of 29th March 2022, an application for an individual service has not been received to date by the school transport section of my Department for the case referred.

The family can contact officials in School Transport Section of my Department directly with queries relating to this application. The email address is: school_transport@education.gov.ie

My Department has recently announced the establishment of Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) to support the needs of Ukrainian children arriving in Ireland.

These Education and Language Teams will be hosted by the 16 regional Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and will be staffed by existing regionally-based education support personnel working closely together to ensure good coordination and alignment of supports for Ukrainian children. My Department will be liaising with the teams to ensure all necessary supports for the Ukrainian children are provided as quickly as possible.

The primary role of the REALT will be to assist children in finding school places and to support schools to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, to advise and support the Department in developing new capacity where required, and to co-ordinate the provision of education services to children and families across their defined area. These teams will ensure that clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures in relation to Ukrainian arrivals.

The regional teams will be hosted and administratively supported within the ETBs and will lead a network of other key agencies, including Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), NEPS regional personnel, NCSE regional personnel and Management body local nominees working together with local schools. All of the key agencies working together in a holistic manner will bring added value and efficiencies to the process of supporting the Ukrainian children.

Language plays a vital role in helping children/students to clarify and interpret experiences, explore ideas and emotions, and deepen their understanding of the world around them. Recognising the significance of language in shaping individual experiences, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has published a range of materials to support learners with English as an additional language (EAL) across the early childhood, primary and post-primary sectors. These materials aim to support teachers and early childhood practitioners to nurture the language development of EAL learners.

A guide to some of these materials can be found on NCCA's websites: NCCA.ie, curriculumonline.ie and Aistear Síolta Practice Guide. It is planned that further material will be added to supplement what is already available.

A central repository of information and CPD resources for school leaders and teachers to support cultural and linguistic diversity is being developed on the Scoilnet.ie website that schools are familiar with. These supports to include those designed by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) to help children suffering from trauma and EAL, intercultural and relevant curriculum supports developed by the teacher education supports services including PDST, the NCCA and the ETB sector.

The property referred to by the Deputy is not in my ownership as Minister for Education. It is in private ownership. The Deputy may wish to make further enquiries with the current property owners.

The Community Welfare Service of my Department delivers the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme which is the safety net within the overall social welfare system. This scheme provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents.

A Community Welfare Officer (CWO) is available to meet with customers at the Intreo Centre in Roscommon Town five days per week. Customers can also meet with a CWO by appointment at the outreach location in Ballaghaderreen from Monday to Friday.

Any person who needs to speak directly to a Community Welfare Officer can also do so by telephone or email. It is important to note that as part of my continued commitment to improve the CWS in County Roscommon and across the country, customers no longer have to meet in person with a CWO to make a claim. Consultations with a CWO are available via phone, at our offices and if the need arises a direct home visit appointment can be arranged depending on the customer’s need. All applications for assistance are dealt with promptly by officials.

This change is a significant enhancement to the service offered to customers as it means that those who require community welfare assistance no longer need to visit an Intreo Centre or Outreach location or wait to make a claim or wait to access the service. These initiatives that I have put in place continue to ensure that the service is easily accessible and responsive to customer needs, particularly in a time of crisis or emergency.

I hope this clarifies the matter.

The European Union has put in place a Temporary Protection Directive to allow Ukrainian citizens and others fleeing Ukraine to move through the EU akin to EU citizens. This Department is providing support and services to assist people covered by this Directive who are fleeing Ukraine and who arrive in Ireland. As the situation is evolving, the Government will, of course, keep all aspects of the Department's various schemes under review to ensure that these people receive the supports and services they require.

Where a person in receipt of social welfare income supports (such as fuel allowance or the living alone allowance) provides accommodation in their home to a person fleeing Ukraine, the Department is developing the necessary changes to regulations or guidelines to ensure that providing such accommodation does not impact on the person’s existing social welfare entitlements. Officials across Government Departments are examining any necessary regulatory or other changes in this regard and it is hoped that these will be finalised shortly.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office functions independently of the Minister for Social Protection and of the Department and is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. When an appeal is assigned to an Appeals Officer for consideration the Appeals Officer makes a summary decision on the appeal based on the documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, holds an oral hearing. The holding of an oral hearing is at the discretion of the Appeals Officer.

Oral hearings have been successfully conducted online or by telephone since October 2020 and these types of hearings will continue. This remote hearing approach has proven to be an effective way, during the pandemic, of facilitating an oral hearing previously achieved through the holding of an in-person hearing.

During this period, Appeals Officers have also made greater use of telephone contact and correspondence to gather additional information or seek clarification which might otherwise have been ascertained in the course of an oral hearing. This has reduced the need to conduct oral hearings.

It is not possible to state how many appeal cases may require an oral hearing at any one time. However, for those appeals where it is identified that an oral hearing is required, a hearing can generally be arranged within approximately two weeks. The position in relation to the conducting of oral hearings is being kept under review by the Chief Appeals Officer.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, which is supporting up to an estimated 400,000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.

The Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs through a combination of supports, energy efficiency awareness initiatives and investment in programmes to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock.

As part of Budget 2022, a number of expansions to the eligibility criteria for the Fuel Allowance payment were announced at that time. The weekly means threshold for the Fuel Allowance scheme was increased by €20 to €120 above the appropriate rate of Contributory State Pension, representing a 20% increase in the threshold, which enables more people to qualify for this support. With effect from the start of the next fuel season, the qualifying period for Jobseeker’s and Supplementary Welfare Allowance recipients to access the Fuel Allowance payment will be reduced from 15 to 12 months.

The Government has, therefore, implemented significant expansions in relation to Fuel Allowance through Budget 2022.

Further Government measures were only recently announced to help mitigate the effects of rising energy costs. As part of this package of measures totalling over half a billion euro, an additional lump sum payment of €125 was paid to all households in receipt of the Fuel Allowance payment. It is expected that this additional lump sum will cost an estimated €49 million in 2022.

This means that low-income households will see an increase of 41% in Fuel Allowance support provided during this Fuel Allowance season compared to last season. A recipient household which would have received €735 in Fuel Season 2020/2021 would see an increase of €304 to €1,039 in Fuel Allowance payments in Fuel Season 2021/2022. When taken in conjunction with the electricity costs emergency benefit payment, due to be paid in April, this household would have received over €500 in additional targeted Government supports over the course of this fuel season.

My Department also provides discretionary exceptional needs payments, where appropriate, to people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills. These payments are not ring-fenced or budget limited as they would be if they were drawn from an earmarked fund, but rather are demand led.

The provision of any additional supports such as extending the Fuel Allowance season or further expanding the qualifying criteria would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

The number of bereavement grant claims in 2013 was 23,716 at a cost of €20.29 Million. This represented an increase of approximately 4% on 2012. Based on a similar yearly increase each year since 2013, it is estimated that the number of bereavement grant claims that might arise in 2023, were the scheme to be reintroduced, would be in the region of 35,200, and the number would be expected to increase in future years. Accordingly, if there were 35,200 such grants made in 2023, at a rate of €850 each, the cost would be approx. €29.92 million. Any decision to reinstate it would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.

It is worth noting that there are a range of supports available for people following bereavement which provide more significant support than the former grant. These include weekly-paid widow's, widower's or surviving civil partner’s (contributory and non-contributory) pensions, which are based on contributions or a means test, and a once-off widowed or surviving civil partner grant of €8,000 where there is a dependent child. A number of social welfare payments, including State pension, continue in payment for six weeks following a death. In Budget 2016, the Government increased the payment after death period to 12 weeks for carer’s allowance. Guardian payments are available where someone cares for an orphaned child. A special funeral grant of €850 is paid where a person dies because of an accident at work or occupational disease.

Under the Supplementary Allowance scheme, the Department may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income, which may include help with funeral and burial expenses. This is a more targeted and efficient manner of assisting people with bereavement expenses.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

I confirm that an application from the person concerned for disability allowance (DA) was received by the Department on 1 February 2022.

The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.

On 9 February 2022 the person concerned was requested to supply further information required by the deciding officer in order to make a decision on their eligibility. Further information was supplied on 4 March and on 9 March 20222.

On 30 March 2022 the person concerned was requested to supply further information required by the deciding officer in order to make a decision on their eligibility. On receipt of this information a decision will be made on their DA application and the person concerned will be notified of the outcome.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Under existing Family Law legislation, parents, certain categories of guardian or those acting in the place of parents, who may be liable under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 are obliged to maintain their children. In cases where the family unit has broken down these obligations continue to apply. Child maintenance arrangements can be agreed directly between the parties themselves, or with the assistance of their solicitors, private mediators or supports such as the Family Mediation Service and the Legal Aid Board, or ultimately through the Courts.

The Programme for Government commits the Government to act to reform our child maintenance system and in line with this commitment, we established a Child Maintenance Review Group to examine certain issues in relation to child maintenance in Ireland. The Group is chaired by former Circuit Court Judge Catherine Murphy and includes legal, policy and academic professionals as well as officials from my Department and the Department of Justice.

The Group's Terms of Reference are to consider and make recommendations on:

(i) the current treatment of child maintenance payments in my Department;(ii) the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by my Department; and(iii) the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency in Ireland.

These Terms of Reference encompass an examination of the treatment of child maintenance payments in the means tests for social welfare payments.

The work of the Group is well underway. A consultation process to facilitate feedback from stakeholder groups and members of the public in order to inform the Group's work was undertaken last year. I have been advised by the Chair that the Group's report is expected to be submitted to me before Easter. I look forward to considering its conclusions and recommendations.I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from October to April, which is supporting up to an estimated 400,000 households in 2022, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.

A person who moves to a community employment scheme (CE scheme) who immediately prior to commencing the CE scheme was in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance will not prevent an otherwise qualified household from receiving the Fuel Allowance payment.

If the CE scheme participant had no entitlement to Fuel Allowance in their own right but was in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment, short-term Jobseeker’s Allowance or Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance immediately prior to commencing the CE scheme, this will also not prevent a household from qualifying for Fuel Allowance.

Any decision to allow a household to qualify for Fuel Allowance when a person who moves to a CE scheme was previously in receipt of a non-qualifying or disregarded payment for Fuel Allowance would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

The person concerned reached pension age on 11 February 2012. They applied for State Pension contributory (SPC) on 13 September 2011.

According to the records of my department, the person concerned has a total of 331 paid full-rate social insurance contributions. This gave them an entitlement to SPC with a yearly average of 18. They were notified in writing of this decision on 10 October 2011.

At that time, an Increase for a Qualified Adult was in payment for the person concerned. The weekly rate of this payment was higher than the personal SPC rate . The person concerned was informed that they would continue on the more beneficial payment.

The person concerned continues to receive the Increase for a Qualified Adult at a rate of €227.00 weekly. Their current entitlement to SPC based on 331 paid full-rate social insurance contributions (yearly average of 18) is €190.00 per week.

The most beneficial rate of payment is still issuing for the person concerned. However, they can choose to be paid the SPC, which is based solely on their record of contributions.

If the person concerned considers they have additional unrecorded contributions or credits, it is open to them to forward relevant documentary evidence and my Department will review their entitlement.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Enhanced Illness Benefit (EIB) is a form of Illness Benefit that is payable to self-employed persons or an employee who is told to self-isolate or has been diagnosed with Covid-19. It is important to note that a person may have received Enhanced Illness Benefit on more than one occasion since the payment was introduced, and thus have more than one claim for Enhanced illness Benefit. The number of claims received and the individuals claiming EIB up to March 31st are provided in Table 1.

Table 1: Number of EIB Claims and EIB Recipients

EIB is payable for up to 10 weeks where a person is diagnosed with Covid-19. In a case where a person continues to be ill beyond 10 weeks, standard Illness Benefit may be paid for an extended period, based on the person’s continued eligibility. Details on the duration of EIB claims are set out in Table 2. The data in Table 2 refers to the claim duration, based on the certification dates.

Table 2: EIB claim durations

4,811 people had Enhanced Illness Benefit claims with a total certification period of 10 or more weeks, of which 3,428 transferred to Illness Benefit payments, and were certified for 2 or more weeks. 78 persons who had at least one EIB claim of more than 10 weeks duration are now in receipt of Disability Allowance. A total of 63 people had a Disability Allowance claim rejected, while 15 people had Disability Allowance claims pending at the end of March 2022.

Community Employment (CE) supports projects that provide work experience for long term unemployed persons to assist them entering the open labour market on exit from the CE scheme, while at the same time providing valuable community services. The programme is delivered through CE sponsor organisations in the community and voluntary sector.

CE sponsor organisations receive annual contracts from my department, which funds the employment of both CE participants and CE supervisors. Funding is also provided towards training and material costs. The materials grant is a contribution towards the running costs of the scheme and covers consumable services and materials necessary for the effective operation of the CE project including such items as Employers and Public Liability Insurances, tools, stationery, audit fees, bank charges (excluding bank interest), protective clothing and the hiring of equipment.

Materials funding is provided to CE sponsor organisations in accordance with their requirements. The department provided an additional materials funding of €2 million in Budget 2019 and this additional annual provision continues to be allocated to those projects that identify a valid requirement for additional materials funding.

Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic each CE sponsor organisation maintained different levels of service provision in line with the public health restrictions. For many CE schemes this has resulted in a reduction in materials expenditure while a number of CE schemes have experienced some additional costs.

If a CE sponsor organisation is experiencing difficulty with rising energy and fuel costs and is seeking further funding under the materials grant, they should make an application through the department's Community Development Officer assigned to their CE scheme.

Last November, Minister Humphreys and I announced the availability of a grant of €9 million available to community groups through the Community Activities Fund in the Department of Rural and Community Development. The Community Activities Fund was available to support groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with their running costs such as utility or insurance bills, as well as with improvements to their facilities. Groups could also use the funding, administered locally by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), to carry out necessary repairs and to purchase equipment such as tables and chairs, tools and signage, laptops and printers, lawnmowers, canopies and training equipment.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

I understand that the Deputy is referring to self-employed contributors who remit their self-employment contributions based on their annual income returns filed with Revenue under self-assessment.

As outlined in my response to the Deputy on 23 March 2022, self-employed contributors have until the end of October 2022 to file their self-assessment returns for 2021. Therefore, the matter of the attribution of contributions in respect of self-employed contributors for the 2021 contribution year will be considered, taking account of the matters set out in the underpinning legislation, towards the end of this year.

This timeframe is appropriate as self-employment contribution data relating to the 2021 contribution year in respect of all self-employed contributors, whether they were entitled to and in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment or not, will only be available after the October 2022 deadline for making self-assessment returns to Revenue.

The Deputy may be aware that the governing contribution year for access to social insurance benefits in 2022, is 2020. Accordingly, benefit applications received during 2022 will reference contributions paid or attributed in respect of 2020.

As I advised the Deputy in my response of 23 March, contributions in respect of the 2020 contribution year have already been attributed to both employed and self-employed contributors. Therefore, self-employed contributors who have until October 2022 to file their self-assessment returns in respect of the 2021 contribution year will not be adversely affected.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

I welcome the opportunity to correct a misunderstanding that appears to have made its way into the mainstream media since the Government announcement on 29th March 2022 of the final design of the auto-enrolment retirement savings system for Ireland.

The Deputy will be interested to know that the UK's National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) does not in fact have a charges cap of 0.3%. The legislative charges cap set by the UK government is considerably higher at 0.75% of fund value. Within the boundaries of that charges cap, NEST imposes an annual management charge of 0.3% of fund value, but it also imposes contribution charges of 1.8%.

NEST is a public corporation set up to administer auto-enrolment pension schemes and is accountable to Parliament through the Department for Work and Pensions. While it is expected to eventually become self-financing through members' charges, it currently isn't and hasn't been since its inception in 2008. Nor will it be for at least another 15 years. Instead it will be using an administrative loan provided to it by the UK taxpayer through the government which is repayable from 2038 - which in turn will have to come from charges on members funds.

There are several UK auto-enrolment pension providers, including NEST, and they all have different charging structures. These include, but are not limited to: annual management charges, contribution charges, employer service charges, monthly administration charges, flat fees and switching charges. None of those additional charges will apply in the Irish AE system, which will be capped at a straightforward 0.5% of assets under management and will cover all administration and investment services charges.

In establishing the Irish AE system, we will conduct an open tendering process in a highly competitive market and, therefore, we fully expect the final charges in the Irish AE system to be considerably less than the ceiling rate of 0.5% and, accordingly, considerably less than those typically charged in the UK.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

To date more than 10,000 of those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine who have arrived in Ireland have been referred to the International Protection Accommodations Service (IPAS) for accommodation.

A dedicated team in my Department is focused on the provision of accommodation to refugees fleeing Ukraine. This team is in contact with all relevant Departments and Agencies on a regular basis in order to ensure that refugees are provided with accommodation and to facilitate access to the supports that they require.

Core Funding is a new funding stream for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services introduced in Budget 2022 and informed by the work of the Expert Group to develop a new funding model for ELC and SAC, outlined in Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare.

Core Funding is a payment to providers designed to support quality, sustainability, and enhanced public management, with associated conditions in relation to fee control and cost transparency, incorporating funding for administration and to support the employment of graduate staff. Core Funding aims to offer better financial sustainability to providers in return for a cultural shift to a partnership relationship between providers and the State that reflects the public good dimension of ELC and SAC.

On 7th March I announced the rates and values for the Core Funding, and launched the online Ready Reckoner tool. The Ready Reckoner is accessible to all and is designed to give an idea of what services can expect to receive based on their characteristics. It also allows different scenarios of provision to be tested. This will show the benefits of applying for Core Funding when it is possible to do so.

The majority of Core Funding (i.e. €183 million of the €221 million) will be distributed based on a service's capacity - opening hours, opening weeks and the age group of children for whom services are provided as well as the number of places available. This €183 million includes allocations for improvements in staff pay and conditions (€138 million), for administrative staff/time (€25 million), and a contribution to non-staff overhead costs (€20 million).

The rationale for this approach to distributing the funding is that these are the primary characteristics that determine the service's costs of delivery. Structuring Core Funding primarily based on capacity will support sustainability and stability for services, since they will have an allocation each year that will not fluctuate in line with children's attendance.

€38 million is allocated to contribute to support graduates to be Lead Educators across ELC and to support graduates as Managers in ELC or combined ELC and SAC services. Heretofore funding has only been available in respect of graduate Room Leaders in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme.

Sessional services with standard capitation, Full Time, Part Time and School Age services will all see substantial increases in funding. Most ECCE services currently in receipt of higher capitation rates will also benefit significantly.

No service will lose out. I have issued a funding guarantee to ensure that no service will receive less in Core Funding that it previously received in higher capitation and programme support payments, if their circumstances remain the same. An estimated 1% of services will be caught by the funding guarantee. All other services will see increases in funding, and most substantial increases in funding.

The 1% of services for whom the funding guarantee will apply and those who will see just small increases from Core Funding are ECCE-only services in receipt of higher capitation for large groups of children and with high occupancy levels. Such services are currently in receipt of between €110-€120 per hour of service provided, which is the highest levels of public funding relative to the staffing levels required for operating those types of services and significantly in excess of average staffing costs required for this type of service.

I would also like to note that there is a sustainability fund in place where services are experiencing sustainability issues that can be availed of by services.

My officials have engaged extensively with provider representatives and providers of all types and continue to do so, via various fora.

Core Funding is designed to facilitate a partnership between the State and early learning and childcare services for the public good. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and to improve affordability for parents, as well as ensuring a fair income to providers. I look forward to working together in partnership with the many providers who which to deliver services for the public good.

First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families, recognises that the workforce is at the heart of high-quality early learning and care (ELC). The evidence suggests children achieve better outcomes when staff are well qualified. This is undisputed internationally. First 5 seeks to continue to build an appropriately skilled and sustainable professional workforce, and includes a commitment to achieve a graduate-led workforce by 2028.

In Budget 2022, I announced the introduction of a new Core Funding stream from September 2022. Core Funding has a number of objectives, including to support improved quality, affordability, sustainability and the achievement of the commitment to a graduate-led workforce. It will also support the introduction of an Employment Regulation Order (ERO) to determine minimum rates of pay for workers as well as conditions of employment.

Of the total of €221m in full year costs, €38m is allocated to contribute to support graduates to be Lead Educators across ELC and to support graduates as Managers in ELC or combined ELC and school-age childcare (SAC) services. This aspect of Core Funding will encourage employment of graduates as Lead Educators across all ELC.

A graduate premium is already in operation under the Higher Capitation scheme for the ECCE programme. This has been in place since the ECCE programme was first introduced in 2010. Under Core Funding, the availability of a graduate premium is extended beyond the ECCE programme to all funded provision of ELC.

The graduate premium is specifically for those who are graduates in positions of leadership, either as Manager of a service or as lead educator with a group of children, which may also include leadership or supervision of other staff in the room. It is expected to support the commitments to the strengthening of career pathways for those working in the sector set out in Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for ELC and SAC 2022-2028, which I launched last December.

Supported by the Higher Capitation payments in the ECCE programme, the proportion of staff in ELC services with a relevant degree has risen from 12% in 2012 to 34% in 2021, as reported in Nurturing Skills.

Nurturing Skills makes a number of commitments to support the move to a graduate-led workforce, including the commitment to remove the exclusive link between higher capitation payments and the ECCE programme through Core Funding.

Providers of early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) are private businesses and the State has no role in the employment of their staff, nor does my Department provide funding specifically to cover the costs of employing staff. However, providers receive income from a number of State funding schemes as well as from parental fees.

Currently, ELC and SAC providers offering the National Childcare Scheme and other Legacy Schemes are funded on the basis of attendance. These providers receive funding for public holidays occurring during the year. Providers offering the ECCE programme are required to deliver the Programme for 182 days a year, with capitation for the Programme paid for 190 days a year. This includes payment for 8 public holidays which fall within the period end August to end June (to include the new public holiday introduced this year).

The level of funding provided by my Department will rise significantly from this coming September with the implementation of the new Core Funding stream.

Holiday entitlements are set under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, which sets out minimum annual leave entitlements and an employee’s entitlement to public holidays. Payment for annual leave and public holidays is a requirement for all employers.

The Tánaiste is progressing the introduction of the Sick Leave Bill. It is proposed that statutory sick pay will initially be paid at 70% of regular earnings up to a cap of €110 per day, from the first day of illness for a maximum of three days per year. If the full 3 days' entitlement were used, this would equate, in percentage terms, to an additional cost for employers of around 0.8% of the annual wage of an employee receiving the average wage in the ELC and SAC sector and working full-time.

I am aware that employers in some sectors - including the ELC and SAC sector - also have to deal with the cost of replacing staff who are out sick, though this is not a new cost. The Tánaiste is setting a cap of €110 or 70% of regular earnings, to give employers certainty around the costs involved at the outset. It is also fair to employees and ensures that they receive an appropriate and predictable level of compensation if they are unable to work due to illness or injury.

The length of coverage is expected to increase over time, eventually providing for an entitlement to up to 10 working days or two weeks per year in the fourth year of the scheme’s operation.

For businesses who genuinely cannot afford to pay, included in the sick pay proposals is an ‘inability to pay’ provision. This would allow the Labour Court to grant an exemption to a business from their obligations under this legislation, for a period of not less than 3 months and not more than 12 months. There is a similar provision in the National Minimum Wage Act 2000. It would only be granted where there is a real risk to business sustainability.

The company in question provides therapeutic and individualised residential care to young people in the care of the State and to adults with intellectual disabilities.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, remain engaged in a tendering process with the provider and as such, the Deputy will appreciate that Tusla is not in a position to share detailed information.

I understand that Tusla communicated the initial results of the tender process to applicants on 24th March, following a careful evaluation against the specifications outlined in the pre-published tender criteria. Tusla has stated that it will no longer be processing any new residential placements with those applicants who were not successful in the recent tender application. I also understand that the provider subsequently informed Tusla of its decision to close 7 centres, commencing Monday 25th April. Currently there are 10 young people resident in these centres who will require a placement within residential services.

Both Tusla and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are committed to promoting safe and high quality practice in all areas of alternative care. This is achieved through the application of Regulations and Standards that govern the placement of children, as well as Tusla’s operation of robust and independent procurement processes where care arrangements are commissioned from private organisations such as the provider in question.

Tusla has confirmed to my Department that it has engaged with the provider with the primary aim of minimising any disruption to the young people currently placed within these services. I understand Tusla will be urgently and carefully assessing each of those pre-existing placements and will take all necessary action in the best interest of the young person(s).

In all instances the best interests of those children in the care of the State must remain the paramount concern.

The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) is an important piece of legislation that represents significant legal reform. It changes the existing law on capacity from the status approach of the wardship system to a flexible functional approach, whereby capacity is assessed on an issue and time-specific basis.

The Act will abolish the wards of court system for adults by repealing the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871. Adults currently in wardship will transition to the new decision-making support arrangements on a phased basis over 3 years from the date of commencement.

Amendments are required to the 2015 Act before full commencement can take place. Work is underway on an Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill. The amendments will streamline processes, in the interests of those using its provisions. They will also strengthen the safeguards included in the 2015 Act.

The Government made a commitment in the Programme for Government to commencing the 2015 Act, recognising the importance of the much needed reform that it represents. Government has committed to commencement of the amended 2015 Act by June 2022.

The company in question provides therapeutic and individualised residential care to young people in the care of the State and to adults with intellectual disabilities.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, remain engaged in a tendering process with the provider and as such, the Deputy will appreciate that Tusla is not in a position to share detailed information.

I understand that Tusla communicated the initial results of the tender process to applicants on 24th March, following a careful evaluation against the specifications outlined in the pre-published tender criteria. Tusla has stated that it will no longer be processing any new residential placements with those applicants who were not successful in the recent tender application. I also understand that the provider subsequently informed Tusla of its decision to close 7 centres, commencing Monday 25th April. Currently there are 10 young people resident in these centres who will require a placement within residential services.

Both Tusla and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are committed to promoting safe and high quality practice in all areas of alternative care. This is achieved through the application of Regulations and Standards that govern the placement of children, as well as Tusla’s operation of robust and independent procurement processes where care arrangements are commissioned from private organisations such as the provider in question.

Tusla has confirmed to my Department that it has engaged with the provider with the primary aim of minimising any disruption to the young people currently placed within these services. I understand Tusla will be urgently and carefully assessing each of those pre-existing placements and will take all necessary action in the best interest of the young person(s).

In all instances the best interests of those children in the care of the State must remain the paramount concern.

Under the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (as amended), working parents are entitled to five weeks of paid parent's leave for each relevant parent, as defined in the legislation, to be taken in the first two years after the birth or adoptive placement of a child.Provision has been made in Budget 2022 to increase the number of weeks of Parent’s Leave and Benefit available to eligible parents from five weeks to seven weeks from July 2022. This will be introduced by way of Regulation as provided for under the Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (as amended).It has been decided that the additional two weeks' leave and benefit will apply to parents of children who are under the age of two in July 2022 (or adoptive children who have been with their parents for less than two years at that point).A date for the commencement of the extension is not yet available as the practical arrangements for the payment of Parent's Benefit are being finalised with the Department of Social Protection.

In December, I announced major reforms to the funding model for early learning and childcare services. These reforms are on foot of a report from an Expert Group established in 2019, which comprised national and international experts, and was independently chaired by Michael Scanlan. Its report, Partnership for the Public Good, proposes a new approach to State funding of the sector in future. Its recommendations include a new additional funding stream for the sector, Core Funding, to support quality of provision, improved pay and conditions for staff, management of parental fees and sustainability of services

Under the new funding stream, in return for a commitment that fees to parents will not increase, providers will be supported in meeting their operating costs, including increased costs related to improved quality measures which includes staff costs. Core Funding will also contribute to cost increases related to non-staff costs (for example, utilities, rent).

Core Funding is equivalent to an increase of at least 9.5% in funding for ECCE services not lead by a Graduate Lead Educator. At a minimum, for every ECCE child €78.75 per week will be available from ECCE and Core Funding, compared to €69 in ECCE standard capitation only. As Core Funding is paid in respect of places rather than children, effectively this could mean a greater ‘per child’ marginal increase if the service has unfilled capacity. For example, with an ECCE occupancy of 9 children per staff member, Core Funding and ECCE together will be equivalent to weekly per child capitation of €80.92.

Core Funding replaces the ECCE Higher Capitation payment which pays a higher capitation rate of €80.25 for all children attending ECCE classes with a graduate ECCE room lead. Core Funding includes a new a graduate premium which will be to be paid to services with graduate room leads for all early learning and care age groups.

The overwhelming majority of ECCE-services with graduate Lead Educators will benefit substantially. While the approach of providing funding for graduate Lead Educators is different, the increased base rate funding plus payment based on capacity rather than attendance means that most services currently in receipt of higher capitation will see significant benefits from Core Funding.

No service will lose out with Core Funding

Core funding is largely contingent on an employment regulation order, ERO, being agreed by the joint labour committee, JLC, for the sector. If agreed, an ERO will establish minimum rates of pay and conditions for all workers and it is a matter for the JLC to determine whether different rates should apply for different roles and qualification levels of staff. A JLC was established this year and has been meeting regularly in recent months.

In addition, my Department will shortly appoint a consultant to undertake a 12 month review of ECCE which will consider any enhancements that can be made based on international evidence and experience to date. The review will involve a wide consultation with providers, educators, parents, children and other stakeholder

Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Childcare (SAC) services are required to have insurance as part of their registration with Tulsa, the independent regulator of the sector. My Department provides funding to childcare providers under a number of programmes to provide fully or partly subsidised childcare services to families. Childcare providers are private businesses and my Department does not provide funding for specific operational costs such as insurance.

Notwithstanding this, insurance reform is a priority for this Government. The Action Plan for Insurance Reform, which was launched on 8 December 2020, has already resulted in reductions in car and house insurance costs.

With regard to insurance costs for childcare providers, I understand that there has been no universal increase in insurance costs in the last two years for the majority of providers, and that the average price of insurance for providers remains at €60 per child, per annum, for full-time childcare.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 162 and 155 together.

With the establishment of my Department in October 2020, the Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 451/2020) transferred functions vested in the Minister for Education to me. These functions included those under the Further Education and Training Act, 2013. Accordingly the grants paid to SOLAS, which may be advanced to the ETBs for further education and training programmes, are paid from my Department’s Vote or the National Training Fund. The transfer of budget lines between the two Departments, including for the PLC programme, has been reflected in the Estimates for the current year. These changes have no impact on the payments to ETB employees or their terms and conditions or to the situation in dual provision schools.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Education Shared Business Services (ESBS), which is a section of the Department of Education, was established to host a range of shared services, including the payroll (including travel & subsistence) shared service for the ETB sector. The ESBS acts as an agent on behalf of the ETB for the purposes of processing salary payments, however the individual ETB remains the employer and there are no changes to any ETB employees’ terms and conditions of employment as a result of the transition to the shared service. ETB employees access their payslips and other pay related documents via an Employee Self Service (ESS) with queries being handled by the ESBS Payroll Helpdesk via email, post or telephone. The migration of ETB Payrolls (and T&S functions) to ESBS went live in June 2019 and 11 of the 16 ETBs have migrated to date.

During the 2020/2021 academic year, statistics from the Higher Education Authority show that there were 49,658 students studying at all levels in our publicly funded institutions on a part time basis.

The costs of extending the SUSI grant scheme to these part time students would depend on an assessment to see if they meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to course mode, nationality, residency, previous academic attainment (progression) and means. As they have not been assessed under the SUSI scheme, we do not know how many of these students would be eligible to receive SUSI grant funding if they were eligible to apply.

However the following will give you an indication of estimated costs of extending the SUSI scheme to these part time students taking into consideration the average fee paid by Susi to educational institutions only:

- If 10,000 of these students were deemed eligible, we would estimate a cost of €30m

- If 20,000 of these students were deemed eligible, we would estimate a cost of €60m

- If 30,000 of these students were deemed eligible, we would estimate a cost of €90m

- If all 49,658 of these students were deemed eligible for funding, we would estimate the cost to be €147m

These estimates are based on the average fee paid by SUSI to educational institutions on behalf of eligible full time students under the SUSI grant scheme. The estimates do not take into account the cost of maintenance to these students and do not include an estimation of extending funding to part time students under the free fees initiative which would be an additional cost to the exchequer.

I am aware of the difficulties faced by students across the country including at the University of Limerick in relation to obtaining affordable accommodation and my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working closely together to address relevant issues where possible.

The final allocation of accommodation by each higher education institution is a matter for that institution. While I can confirm that student accommodation is being offered to displaced Ukrainian people for the summer period generally, this is solely a temporary solution to situation at a time when students are not present on campus, and that this will not impact on the supply for students for the forthcoming academic year.

Fundamentally the underlying issue is one of the supply of housing generally and that there is a need to increase the supply of all types of accommodation including student accommodation. That is why Government launched Housing for All led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage which sets out a series of actions which will be delivered to address the housing crisis backed by a transformative budget of €20 billion.

My Department understands that there were 970 new higher education institution-owned purpose built student accommodation bed spaces completed in the past two years, with work underway on site on a further 929. As of December 2021, there were approximately 14,500 PBSA bed-spaces owned by higher education institutions. The Irish University Association reports a further 3,500 beds either under construction or in planning.

I have also written recently to all universities, technological universities and institutes of technology asking them to identify any potential local solutions, including the repurposing of existing buildings, which could contribute to increased supply ahead of the next academic year.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 158, 159, 160 and 161 together.

The development of a new National Strategy for Research and Innovation is a key commitment in the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan 2021, which sets out the “dual ambition of placing research, development and innovation at the heart of addressing Ireland’s economic and societal challenges, and building capacity and capability across the research and innovation system to move R&I up the value chain.”

My Department has led the development of this new national strategy, in consultation with key Government Departments, agencies and stakeholders. This new Department has been established with a clear mandate to work with all stakeholders to strengthen Ireland’s R&I ecosystem, drive reform and collaboration, and enhance outcomes which contribute to meeting societal, economic and global challenges.

The new strategy will set a vision and ambition for Ireland’s research and innovation system that all relevant actors will identify with and contribute to, with ambitious yet achievable national strategic goals and objectives out to 2030. Action-led Work Programmes will map out specific deliverables over shorter timescales. This will enable agility and responsiveness over the full period of the strategy and a strong focus on delivery and reform.

I expect to bring the new strategy to Cabinet this month with publication thereafter.The strategy will be executed within the parameters of the recently revised National Development Plan to 2025 and the annual Estimates processes for all Government Departments.

Talent will form a priority pillar within the Strategy and students will be an important area of explicit focus within that. The work of the National Advisory Forum for the National Framework on Doctoral Education will be advanced during the course of the Strategy, including progressing the imperative for a consistent research student experience.

Significant progress has been made in gender equality in the public research system in recent years. The 2016 HEA National Review of Gender Equality in Irish Higher Education Institutions and the Gender Action Plan 2018-2020 have been developed by the Higher Education Authority to inform the implementation of a gender equality framework in Irish higher education.

As part of this framework, the HEA Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality was established in June 2019, evolving into the HEA Centre of Excellence for Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in August 2020. In addition to the work in the broad area of EDI, the Centre oversees a number of initiatives in relation to gender equality in higher education, including the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative to award 45 professorships to address gender-underrepresentation, Gender Equality Enhancement Fund, the annual publication of staff data by gender, and the roll out of the Athena SWAN Charter. Certification under the latter Charter is now a funding requirement of the major research funders in Ireland.

I have recently announced a review of gender equality in Irish higher education institutions. This Review will assess the progress made since the first review in 2016. The final report will include an overview of gender equality in Irish Higher Education, focusing on what has worked well, what has not, and what the next steps should be. It is expected to be published in late 2022.

The new Research and Innovation Strategy will continue this progress and we will expand its remit to reflect the wider inclusion agenda, as articulated in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science’s 2021-2023 Statement of Strategy. My ambition is that over the course of the period covered by the strategy, we will bear witness to a more diverse research community that better reflects the society in which we live, in addition to greater integration of equality, diversity and inclusion issues into research activity itself.

There are no officially published statistics for 2022 which provide the full information covering expenditure on higher education as a proportion of national income of the type requested by the Deputy. It is therefore not possible to definitively calculate the costs sought.

For International comparisons I can advise that the OECD, as part of its Education at a Glance publication, provides an assessment of expenditure on tertiary education as a proportion of GDP. In Ireland this includes further and higher education. Expenditure covers not just government expenditure but also expenditure by households; and expenditure from international and private sources. For Ireland, the most recent OECD report based on financial data for 2018 suggests tertiary education expenditure represented 0.9% of GDP, compared to an OECD average of 1.4%. However, in reality this data does not provide a meaningful comparative analysis, given that GDP is not regarded as a good measure of the size of the domestic economy in Ireland. This is borne out by the fact that average figures for expenditure per student at tertiary level were slightly above the OECD average.

In terms of a more meaningful and recent comparison it is possible to give a general approximation of GDP, GNI and modified GNI proportions for the publicly funded Higher Education system, comprising funding investment by my Department towards grant funding and student support expenditure. Based on the Central Statistics Office's assessment of the size of the economy in 2020 and expenditure on higher education via my Department for that year, the proportion of national income on higher education and student support was in the order of:

- Around 0.6% as a proportion of GDP;

- Around 0.8% as a proportion of GNI.

- Around 1.1% as a proportion of modified GNI, which is the measure which most accurately represents the size of the Irish economy.

It is also important to say that public investment in higher education through my Departments allocation is on an upward trend, and now stands at €2.4 billion. Annual current expenditure has increased by 40% since 2015. I am committed to continuing the process of investing in our higher education system and to the development and implementation of a sustainable funding, reform and performance model for the sector

At the outset it is important to highlight the very substantial financial support, currently well in excess of half a billion euros, provided by the taxpayer towards tuition fees and the student contribution for students in higher education. This comprises State funding of tuition costs amounting to over €357m for more than 146,000 eligible higher education students in 2020/2021. It also includes €190m paid by the Exchequer under the Student Grant Scheme in respect of all or some of the €3,000 student contribution which benefits over 65,000 or 45% of free fees eligible students.

The student contribution replaced the student registration fees levied by Higher Education Institutions and while the student contribution now stands at €3,000, it is important to recognise that there has been no increase in the student contribution charge since 2014/15.

The estimated costs of providing for a reduced student contribution, after an associated reduction in the student grant support budget, in 2022/2023 are set out below:

- €1,000 [reduce to €2,000]: would cost the Department an estimated €85.3million per annum

- €3,000 reduction and removal would cost the Department an estimated €256million per annum

The above estimates are based on the number of students that qualified for free fees funding in the academic year 2020/21; taking into account overall projected increase in student numbers and net of the associated reduction in the student grant scheme budget which is paid by the exchequer on behalf of eligible students.

Following the establishment of South East Technological University on 01 May 2022, there will be just two stand alone Institutes of Technology remaining on the higher education landscape. Both these Institutes are pursuing separate trajectories to achieve technological university (TU) status and both are receiving Transformation Fund assistance. In addition, Dundalk Institute of Technology is receiving support from a special advisor from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), Dr. Ruaidhri Neavyn, in relation to its proposals to achieve TU status.

Given the need to demonstrate the ability to achieve the TU eligibility criteria metrics in order to achieve their ambitions, and given the network of TUs now established and in view, it is more likely the Institutes' ambition to become part of a multi-campus TU will de facto require to be considered under the legislative approach prescribed in section 38 of the Technological Universities Act 2018 which provides for the merger of an Institute of Technology with an existing TU.

However, it is a matter for the governing body of each Institute to decide where that Institute positions itself on the higher education landscape. My Department is not aware of any proposals by the relevant Institutes to form a new TU development consortium at this time.

The Department and the HEA will continue to support as appropriate both Institutes in seeking to achieve TU status as desired.

Most apprentices complete part of their off-the-job training in a higher education institution, for which they are required to pay a student contribution.

The amount payable is a proportion of the annual student contribution for students attending a full-time course in higher education.

Please find attached the annual student contribution charge for each consortia-led apprenticeship calculated for the duration of the programme. There is no annual student contribution charge required for the programmes marked €0.

Student Contribution March

The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the total amount spent each year on each form of apprenticeship support since 2006 is being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the rates of support for an apprentice under each support scheme since 2006 is being compiled by SOLAS. An answer will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The Government is committed under the Action Plan to working with employers to promote, enable, and support the recruitment and training of apprentices. There is a very substantial allocation of resources to apprenticeships drawing on the funding raised through the Employer Training Levy into the National Training Fund. Therefore, apprenticeships are not a direct cost to the exchequer.

In 2019, the last pre-Covid full year, registrations were at 6,177. 2020 saw 5,326 registrations, and by 2021 there were a record 8,607 registrations. The associated expenditure for those years was €160m in 2019, €184 in 2020, and €198m in 2021. The 2022 budget allocation for apprenticeship is €206m.

Calculating a cost-per-apprentice is a complex matter involving fixed costs, such as programme development costs, and variable costs per participating apprentice. The nature of specific apprenticeships is also an influencing factor. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform published a Spending Review of Apprenticeships in 2019. This estimated the average annual cost per apprentice in craft apprenticeships at €7,159 and €9,877 for consortia-led programmes.

[igees.gov.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Review-of-Participation-and-Costs-of-Apprenticeships.pdf]

Craft apprenticeships account for 25 of the 64 existing available apprenticeship programmes. They comprise of a standard seven phase programme of alternating on-the-job and off-the-job phases. The off-the-job training for these programmes is delivered in Training Centres, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities

The full estimated projected figure of fully qualified tradespeople for 2022 is 2,670, of which 1,929 are anticipated across the construction family of trades (inclusive of the electrical apprenticeship programme).

The actual certification figure will depend on several factors throughout the year and will be confirmed at the end of 2022.

A key objective of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is to ensure that the apprenticeship system will increase its contribution to meeting Ireland’s skills and human capital requirements by delivering on a target of 10,000 apprenticeship registrations per annum by 2025

There are currently 64 apprenticeship programmes on offer ranging from levels 5-10 on the National Framework of Qualifications: 25 craft programmes and 39 consortia programmes introduced since 2016. These range in duration from 2-4 years.

Among the 64 apprenticeships, construction related programmes include electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery, plastering, painting and decorating and the recently launched scaffolding apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are also in development in roofing and cladding (L5) and advanced quantity surveyor (L9).

In recent years, annual intake in construction related apprenticeships has steadily been increasing, from a low of 650 in 2010 rising to 3,499 in 2019. In 2021, a record 8,607 new apprentices were registered. This was an almost 40% increase on the figures from 2019, the last “normal” pre-pandemic year. 6,955 of these registrations were in craft apprenticeships, and of these, 5,181 were in construction and electrical apprenticeships.

As of February 2022 (the latest full month figures available), there have been 887 craft apprenticeship registrations, with 701 of these in construction related programmes. This is an increase on January 2022 figures where there were 468 craft apprenticeships registrations, of which 379 were in construction-related programmes.

As the Deputy will appreciate, training of judges is not a Ministerial function.

The General Scheme of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2022, which was approved by Government last week, includes a provision that candidates for judicial appointment will be required to show they have undertaken judicial training or continuous professional development.

Amongst the functions of the Judicial Council established under the Judicial Council Act 2019 is to “develop and manage schemes for the education and training of judges”. Section 17 of the 2019 Act provides for the establishment of a Judicial Studies Committee.

That Committee was established on 10 February 2020. As per Section 6 of the Judicial Council Act the Judicial Council is, subject to the provisions of the Act, independent in the exercise of its functions.

As Minister for Justice, I have no role in relation to the operation of the Council or its Committees.

The person referred to by the Deputy created an on-line Preclearance – Join Family (Irish national)(de facto partner) visa application on 21 October 2021. The supporting documentation and relevant fees were received on 17 November 2021 in the Chicago Office. This visa application was forwarded to my Department's Dublin Visa Office for further processing, and was received on the 6 December 2021, where it is currently awaiting comprehensive examination.

To be fair to all applicants, applications are processed in the order in which they are received in the Preclearance Unit in Dublin. The person concerned can be assured that there will be no avoidable delay in finalising their application and they will be notified as soon as a decision has been reached by a Visa Officer.

The Visa Office in Dublin is currently processing applications of this type received on 1 November 2021. Applicants can keep up-to-date with the dates the Dublin Office is processing applications by checking the following webpage; which is updated weekly:

www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie), which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Human trafficking is a particularly heinous crime, based on deception and exploitation of vulnerable people.

This Government is serious about preventing and prosecuting for human trafficking. We are confident that the victim-centred policy approach we are taking will encourage more victims to come forward which will, in turn, strengthen prosecutions and convictions.

There are two areas of progress in particular that I wish to highlight.

The first is the approval by Government to revise the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and to place it on a statutory footing.

The NRM provides a way for all agencies, both State and civil society, to co-operate, share information about potential victims, identify those victims and facilitate their access to advice, accommodation and support.

Currently, when suspected victims of human trafficking are encountered by, or referred to, An Garda Síochána they are provided with a wide range of services by both the Government and NGOs through the NRM. It is widely accepted that having the Gardaí as the sole competent authority for the formal recognition of people as victims of human trafficking is not the optimal system.

The new approach acknowledges other state bodies and NGOs have a role in identifying victims of human trafficking and referring them to the NRM.

We want to be sure that every victim of trafficking is identified and helped so we can support them. Doing this will also help us gather more information and evidence in order to bring to justice the traffickers who prey on vulnerable people with no regard for the lives and safety of their victims.

I also want to note the development of a new National Action Plan on human trafficking. A consultant has produced a short and focused analysis of the current position in relation to human trafficking in Ireland. The analysis includes a research review, a synopsis of the extent of trafficking in Ireland and a summary of issues to address.

My Department is now engaged with a working group to draft the new National Action Plan high-level goals and outcomes. Work is progressing with the aim to have a plan approved by Government by the end of May.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that a search of the PULSE database was conducted on 4 April 2022 to identify any charge created since 1 January 2010 whereby an offence contrary to either the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act, 2000 or the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act, 2008 was referenced. The total number of unique charges created since 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2021 per legislative act is as follows:

I am further advised that in addition to the above, there were 377 incidents of Human Trafficking Offences reported and investigated which either remain under investigation or in which charges under other legislation have been created to date. These include:

1. Any incident of PULSE category “Human Trafficking” which includes the following types:

- Labour Exploitation - Person Other Than A Child

- Sexual Exploitation - Person Other Than A Child

- Labour Exploitation Of A Child

- Sexual Exploitation Of A Child

- Soliciting or Importuning for Prostitution

- Other Offences

2. Any incident of PULSE category ‘Miscellaneous’ and of type ‘Human Trafficking Offences’

Information provided is taken from PULSE as of 4 April 2022 and is operational and may be liable to change. Crime counting rules have been applied to the incident count.

The Courts Service has provided me with the following statistics on the number of persons and number of offences before the courts/sent forward for trial and where convictions were recorded in the District Court from Jan 2010 to 28 February 2022. I am advised that It is not possible to provide statistics back 10 years in the short time provided.

Note 1: Many of those offences have been sent forward for trial to the Circuit Court. At this time, the system in use by the Courts Service in the Circuit Courts is ("ICMS") a lotus notes database and cannot produce reports for specific offences. The only reports which are available are by offence category rather than for individual offences and categories of offences can contain multiple offences.

Note 2: Courts can only provide data in relation to where offence codes provided on the system were used by prosecutors. Prosecutors may have used uncoded free text offences and any such offences would not be included in the data provided.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 and 177 together.

I am aware of the recent European Parliament report referred to by the Deputy.

Prior to this report being launched, I had recently instructed that no further applications from Russian citizens will be accepted into the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP). Since the Programme was introduced in 2012, there have only been three applications made by Russian nationals under the Programme and there are currently no Russian beneficiaries or applications to the scheme.

The IIP was introduced in April 2012 to encourage inward investment and create business and employment opportunities in the State. The programme provides investors with the opportunity to invest in Ireland. Key to the programme is that the investments are beneficial for Ireland, generate or sustain employment and are generally in the public interest. Over 1,400 applications have been successful under the IIP to date with the value of investments approved over €1bn.

The IIP is not a visa scheme or a citizenship scheme. It offers successful applicants a Stamp 4 Immigration permission for themselves and their immediate family members for an initial two year period and is renewed thereafter subject to the scheme’s criteria being met.

Therefore, given the significant immigration benefits accruing and to ensure the highest degree of transparency and accountability for the programme, all applications are subject to enhanced levels of due diligence processes in respect of both personal and financial checks to protect the State's interests.

All immigration schemes are kept under constant review.

The International Protection strand of the Regularisation Scheme opened for applications on 7 February 2022. Applications will be accepted for six months to 7 August 2022.

The International Protection Office of my Department wrote to approximately 4,000 potentially eligible applicants inviting them to apply. This included applicants living in accommodation provided by International Protection Accommodation Services of the Department of Children Equality Disability Integration and Youth.

To date, more than 1,300 applications have been made to this strand of the scheme.

Full details on the eligibility requirements and on how to apply can be found on the IPO website at: www.ipo.gov.ie/en/ipo/pages/whatsnew .

The Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA) is an independent body responsible for the regulation of the legal professions under the provisions of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015.

Since 2019, the Authority has been funded by way of an annual levy on the legal profession based on actual expenditure in the preceding year, in accordance with Part 7 of the Act. It has also been in receipt of advances from my Department of €1 million each year, in accordance with Section 32.

The total expenditure of the Authority for the years 2019-2021, based on the Authority’s financial statements, is outlined in the table below.

LSRA Expenditure by Year 2019 to 2021

The Deputy may wish to note that the increase in the Authority’s expenditure covers a period when the Authority, having been established in October 2016, was becoming fully operational and was increasing its capacity to undertake a range of statutory functions. Further details can be found in the Authority's Annual Reports, annual accounts, and other publications, which are publicly available on its website www.lsra.ie.

Additionally, under the terms of the 2015 Act, the Authority appoints its own staff with the approval of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. However, to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the LSRA has provided me with the information in the table below.

LSRA Staff Resources as at 05 April 2022

I am also informed that the Authority seconds a small number of staff to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.

The person referred to by the Deputy currently holds a Stamp 3 immigration permission. This has been extended until 31 May 2022, under the automatic extension of immigration permissions I announced on 17 December 2021. All permissions have been extended on the same terms and conditions as the permission already held.

It is open to the person concerned to contact their local Immigration Office before 31 May 2022 to apply for a further renewal of their immigration permission. I strongly recommend that they make efforts to renew their permission as early as possible rather than waiting until May when demand for appointments will be significantly greater.

The person concerned can also write to the Domestic Residence and Permissions Unit of my Department to request a change of immigration permission to a Stamp 4, if they meet the required criteria.

Detailed information on the criteria for changing an immigration permission, including instructions on how to change that permission, are available on my Department's immigration website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/changing-your-immigration-permission/ .

Depending on the immigration permission held by their parents, they may also wish to consider if they are eligible to make an application for citizenship by way of naturalisation. Further details are available at: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/ .

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility at INISOireachtasMail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in the cases where the response is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.

The EU Temporary Protection Directive has been activated in response to the Ukraine crisis. Ireland participates in this measure, which has been given legal effect under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015.

Those eligible for Temporary Protection (granted initially for one year on a renewable basis) will have immediate access to the labour market, social welfare, accommodation and other State supports as necessary.

Under the Council Implementing Decision (EU 2022/382), those who have fled Ukraine can avail of a temporary protection to reside in Ireland if they meet one of the following criteria:

a) They are a Ukrainian national who was residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022;

b) They are a national of a third country (other than Ukraine) or a stateless person who would have benefited from international protection (for example: Refugee status) or an equivalent national protection status in Ukraine and were residing there before 24 February 2022;

c) They are a family member of persons covered by a) and b), where their family already existed in Ukraine, prior to 24 February.

Family members include a spouse or partner, unmarried minor children of either of them, and their other close dependent family relatives who have been living with them as part of the family unit.

Temporary protection also applies to people who were residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 with a permanent Ukrainian residence permit, who cannot safely return to their country of origin.

Other people who were legally residing in Ukraine without a permanent residence permit will be assisted to return to their country of origin, if it is safe for them to do so.

Since I lifted the visa requirements for those entering Ireland from Ukraine on 25 February, some 18,600 people have entered Ireland from Ukraine and my Department has already processed more than 15,600 temporary protection permissions.

People who are from a country that is visa-required, will still need to apply for a visa to travel to the State. Anyone who wishes to make a visa application must do so online at:

www.visas.inis.gov.ie/avats/OnlineHome.aspx

I can assure the Deputy that my Government colleagues and I will continue to work with our EU counterparts on any further EU-wide measures that might be needed to assist those fleeing Ukraine.

I can advise the Deputy that my Department has contacted his Office directly to obtain the contact details of the person concerned. This will allow my officials to contact the person directly and to make arrangements to have their temporary protection permission letter issued to them.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility (inisoireachtasmail@justice.ie ), which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

The information requested by the Deputy in relation to applications by Russian nationals to the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) for the period 2016 to date is set out in the table below.

I have recently instructed that no further applications from Russian citizens will be accepted into the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) and there are currently no Russian beneficiaries or applications to the scheme.

Over 1,400 applications have been successful under the IIP to date with the value of investments approved over €1bn. My Department does not currently publish the individual details of approved IIP investments.

The programme was introduced in April 2012 to encourage inward investment and create business and employment opportunities in the State. The programme provides investors with the opportunity to invest in Ireland. Key to the programme is that the investments are beneficial for Ireland, generate or sustain employment and are generally in the public interest.

The IIP is not a visa scheme or a citizenship scheme. It offers successful applicants a Stamp 4 Immigration permission for themselves and their immediate family members for an initial two year period and is renewed thereafter subject to the scheme’s criteria being met.

Therefore, given the significant immigration benefits accruing and to ensure the highest degree of transparency and accountability for the programme, all applications are subject to enhanced levels of due diligence processes in respect of both personal and financial checks to protect the State's interests.

In general terms, I can advise the Deputy that all EU citizens have the right to exercise free movement once they provide a valid passport or National I.D. card.

A spouse will have the same right if they are in possession of a valid residence card issued under Article 10 of the Directive 2004/38/EC. If they do not, they may be required to apply for a visa to enter the intended State.

If they are looking to exercise rights, under Directive 2004/38/EC, in Ireland, they will be required to provide a number of proofs to show that they qualify. These proofs are clearly identified in the Directive and are also available in Statutory Instrument. No. 548 of 2015. It is under this S.I. that Directive 2004/38/EC has been transposed into Irish law.

Applications from ‘qualifying family members’ are processed on an accelerated basis. While every effort is made to process these applications within a reasonable time frame, processing times will vary depending on the volume of applications, their complexity and the resources available.

Applications from ‘permitted family members’ are not subject to the accelerated process and may take considerably longer when the provision of additional documentation is requested or a detailed assessment is required.

Further details are available on my Department's immigration website at:

www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/

As the Deputy will be aware, the development and implementation of road traffic legislation and policy, including the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, and the promotion and advancement of road safety, falls within the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Transport. An Garda Síochána plays a vital role in enforcing road traffic law and in making our roads safer for all road users, including vulnerable road users.

The Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters, deployment of resources and the provision of IT infrastructure. As Minister, I have no responsibility for these matters.

As regards the establishment of a dedicated online portal for the submission of video evidence of potential violations of road traffic legislation, the Deputy may be aware that the current Traffic Watch facility allows for members of the public to report driver behaviour to An Garda Síochána. Matters reported via this facility are forwarded to the relevant District Office for investigation. Similarly, citizens may make complaints to any member of An Garda Síochána or through the Garda website.

Under Action 29 of the Road Safety Strategy, An Garda Síochána will explore the potential of an online portal for road users to upload footage of road traffic offences which could assist in prosecution. This action is due to be completed by Q4 of this year.

As the Deputy will appreciate, there are strict standards in legislation relating to photographic evidence obtained by Gardaí. While An Garda Síochána has confirmed that private dash cam footage may be used during a prosecution, its use must be in accordance with best evidential practices and entails ensuring structures exist around continuity of evidence.

The Department of Transport has advised that any decision to allow film by members of the public to be used in evidence in road traffic cases would raise questions of reliability of, and possible tampering with, the apparatus used, as well as potential privacy issues. It might also raise questions about why Garda apparatus was held to a standard not required of private individuals, if both were ultimately to be treated as reliable evidence.

Road traffic enforcement remains a core policing function of An Garda Síochána. The Garda National Roads Policing Bureau ensures a consistent approach to road safety and enforcement of road traffic legislation across the country. This is achieved through coordination of enforcement measures and development of policy based on research and analysis of statistics and by engaging in campaigns in partnership with other State Agencies, notably the Road Safety Authority.

It is also important to emphasise that road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of all members of An Garda Síochána, in addition to the employment of specific enforcement operations.

I would of course encourage any member of the public to report any incidents of dangerous driving directly to An Garda Síochána.

As the Deputy may be aware, to date specialist palliative care inpatient units have been constructed with funding raised by local voluntary organisations, while the HSE provides fit-out costs.

Capital costs for a specialist palliative care unit will vary dependent on a number of factors including location, number of beds and levels of additional services provided. New units may include space for the Palliative Community Homecare Team, Day Care, treatment rooms and pharmacy, family accommodation, kitchen and canteen, staff room, administration, education and meeting rooms and, where relevant, external groundworks/landscaping.

Based on the revenue costs of new specialist palliative care inpatient beds in Mayo, Waterford and Wicklow opened in 2020/2021, the average revenue funding required to operate a specialist palliative care bed is approximately €266,000 per annum.

Finally, the locations for new inpatient units have been identified in line with national policy and the HSE's Palliative Care Development Framework 2017-2019, with units ranging from 15-36 beds.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

The enactment of the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Bill is a priority for the Government. The Bill will provide the legal basis for an opt-out system of organ donation and will be supported by a public information campaign. Department officials are progressing the drafting of the Bill in collaboration with the Office of Parliamentary Council, with a view to ensuring that Government approval is secured to publish the Bill as soon as possible.

Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was signed into law on 20 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. Under section 7 of the Act, a review of the operation of the Act must be initiated within three years of the commencement of the Act, i.e., before January 2022.

A request for tender to carry out the research into the views of service providers was published on eTenders. The evaluation process has concluded, and the successful application has been informed. In line with the normal procurement process, my Department is engaging with the preferred bidder to complete the necessary contractual arrangements. Once all of the relevant documentation and contractual arrangements have been completed I will be in a position to announce the award of the contract for this important research. The objective of this research is to ascertain the experiences of service providers and will be a key input to the review of the operation of the 2018 Act.

Separately, the HSE's Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programme commissioned research to understand people’s experiences of using abortion care services and unplanned pregnancy supports. This research is being led by Dr Catherine Conlon of the School of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin. This work is ongoing and will also be considered in the review of the operation of the 2018 Act.

As this is an operational matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 and 208 together.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the management of the public healthcare property estate, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to you in relation to this matter.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Thank you for and allowing me to provide you with an update in relation to Ballina District Hospital. Two submissions have been received for Ballina District Hospital. Submissions for a 75-bed replacement unit and an interim 30-bed build respectively. At a site visit meeting on 16th February 2022, it was confirmed that the 30-bed build is an enabling project and is required to facilitate the larger development.

Engagements have taken place with the CHO since the February meeting to confirm bed numbers, types and costs for Ballina. An amended proposal has been submitted for consideration at the next National Property Steering Committee meeting taking place on 26th of April 2022.

In the conduct of initial appraisal of proposed projects, submissions must be considered by the HSE’s National Capital & Property Steering Committee. Once a project submission is approved by this Committee, it can then be included for consideration for inclusion in the Capital Plan. All projects being progressed must be compliant with the Public Spending Code (PSC). The final decision to proceed with the construction of a project cannot be made until the tender process has been completed and the costings reviewed to ensure that the proposal remains affordable and delivers value for money.

I have asked the HSE for progress on this project to be accelerated and to keep me updated on progress.

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

As a result of the increasing prevalence of medicines shortages globally, there has been significant interest at European level in this area, including a task force on medicines availability to identify and address issues linked to the disruption of supplies of medicines. Ireland, through my Department and the Health Products Regulatory Authority, continues to contribute to these efforts at a European level to consider initiatives to minimise the risk and disruption to patient safety and care, and the impact on healthcare professionals, caused by medicine shortages.

In the case of medicines used most often in Ireland, there are typically multiple brands and/or generic medicines available from a range of sources. In the event that supply issues arise for individual medicines, different options, including alternative brands or generic medicines, should be made available to ensure continuity of treatment. If the patient has concerns, they should discuss their treatment and alternative options with their doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare professional. It is important to note that the medical decision to prescribe or not prescribe any treatment for an individual patient is strictly a decision for the treating clinician, in consultation with their patient. I have no role in this clinical decision-making process. I do expect that pharmacies would ensure the equitable supply of medicines to their customers, within their available stock.

The Government recognises that menopause is a key health issue for women in Ireland today, and work is underway by the Women’s Health Taskforce to drive progress in this area. The Taskforce was convened in September 2019, to improve health outcomes and health experiences for women and girls. Significant activity is currently underway to enhance the supports available to women through the menopause.

On the 10th of September 2021, I announced a commitment to establish dedicated specialist menopause clinics across Ireland (see https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/bf7d4-minister-for-health-announces-a-new-approach-to-menopause-care-for-women-in-ireland/).

These clinics will form a core part of a new approach to menopause care for women in Ireland and will be supported by enhanced community and primary care supports as well as the publication of targeted and trusted sources of information for women experiencing menopause.

A dedicated specialist menopause clinic was established in the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, in 2021. This clinic is multidisciplinary supported by GPs with a certified special interest in the area of menopause and clinical nurse/midwife specialists. In addition to seeing women who meet the clinical criteria for referral to the service, the clinical team also provides advice and guidance to GPs in the community to support the effective management of menopausal symptoms for women closer to home within primary care.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) was established in 2007 as an independent regulatory authority to drive high-quality and safe care for health and social care services in Ireland. Since 2009 the Office of the Chief Inspector within HIQA has been responsible for registering and inspecting older persons' public, voluntary and private residential services, including nursing homes.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

The National Positive Ageing Strategy (NPAS) provides a framework to address age-related policy and service delivery across Government and society. The Strategy is intended to promote older people’s health and wellbeing so that older people can continue to contribute to social, economic, cultural and family life in their own communities as long as possible. The Strategy highlights that ageing is not just a health issue, but rather requires a whole of Government approach to address the factors that affect our ageing citizens.

NPAS has permeated through Government and improving digital literacy amongst older persons is addressed in a number of Government strategies, such as Harnessing Digital – The Digital Ireland Framework, and Literacy for Life, a 10 year Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy. Over the past number of years digital literacy has become increasingly important, and these digital frameworks will include and support the well-being of older persons, the length and breadth of the country.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has age in place supports in place through the Housing Adaptation Grants for Older People and People with a Disability.

Social care services for older persons are delivered, as far as possible, in their own homes and within their own communities. These services are provided across a number of settings and are delivered, either directly by the Health Service Executive or through service arrangements with voluntary and private providers. Key services include home supports, day care, intermediate care as well as long stay care when remaining at home is no longer feasible.

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Following engagement with the Deputy's office it has been clarified that the tender in question was published by TUSLA. This matter is, therefore, more appropriate to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 235 together.

As this question relates to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

My Department, through the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, together with colleagues in the HSE and the National Virus Reference Laboratory, continues to monitor the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 carefully.

With regard to mask wearing, the current public health advice states that, as a continuing critical component of our collective and layered response, mask wearing is advised on public transport and in healthcare settings. Mask wearing is also advised based on individual risk assessment, particularly while disease incidence is high. Anyone who wishes to wear a mask should not be discouraged from doing so.

The Office of the Chief Medication Officer continues to keep me apprised of the situation and provides advice as required. In the interests of transparency, my Department has published recent briefings provided to me by the Chief Medical Officer:

gov.ie (www.gov.ie)

Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

I am aware of the report which was published by the Mental Health Commission. I have not met with the persons the Deputy has referred to.

As this is a service matter I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

As this question relates to a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to the respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Digital COVID Certificates for persons who received a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in Ireland will begin to issue shortly. The format of these Digital COVID Certificates will reflect EU guidelines.Persons who are not automatically issued an updated certificate can request one via the online portal or contact the DCC helpline to provide additional contact details. The DCC Service Centre can be contacted on 1800 807 008 or +353 1 903 6437 from outside Ireland. The helpline opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6:30pm.

As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to reply to the Deputy directly

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

As the Health Service Executive is responsible for the delivery of public healthcare infrastructure projects, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly in relation to this matter.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

In accordance with the provisions of the Health Act 1970 (as amended), eligibility for a medical or GP visit card is determined by the Health Service Executive (HSE). With regard to the estimated cost of extending free GP care to the whole population, this information is not readily available at this time. More generally, to ensure the medical card system is responsive and sensitive to people's needs, it should be noted that my Department keeps medical and GP visit card issues, such as existing income thresholds, under regular review.

As the operational detail regarding hospital charges is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly as soon as possible.

Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is required to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. Section 6 of the HSE Governance Act 2013 bars the Minister for Health from directing the HSE to provide a treatment or a personal service to any individual or to confer eligibility on any individual.

In relation to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

The HSE has recently submitted an application to my Department to fund the advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) positions recommended in its report on the Valproate Response Project in 2019. This application is being considered by officials within the Department.

The Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Act 2021, which was signed into law on 22 July 2021, and commenced on 20th October, introduces further safeguards in the NHSS to further protect the viability and sustainability of family farms and businesses. It also includes an amendment in relation to applying the 3-year cap to the proceeds of sale of a house while a resident is in long-term care, which removes a disincentive for scheme participants against selling properties that might otherwise remain vacant. This addresses the first relevant commitment in the Housing for All Strategy (action 19.7).

My Department is actively collaborating with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other Departments in the development of a mechanism in relation to the rental of vacant properties "in a way that is targeted, equitable, evidence-based and provides appropriate safeguards for vulnerable older people", as committed to in Housing for All action 19.8. Complex policy questions are currently being resolved in order to meet these criteria and mitigate the high risks and costs associated with unintended consequences, with a view to introducing legislation as soon as possible once this is complete. I expect to be in a position to bring legislation forward in the coming months.

The NHSS is a complex €1.4 billion Scheme that relies on €350m of contributions from over 22,000 residents. It is important to ensure that the costs, benefits, and unintended consequences of any policy changes are fully understood and resolved before they are put in place. There is no existing exemption of rental or similar income from assessment within the Nursing Homes Support Scheme and due care needs to be taken to ensure that any future changes are appropriate to protect and meet the needs of residents while also making provision for those in need of housing.

As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.

The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the organisation charged with the role of Keeper of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book (IGSB) since 1923. The Stud Book records pedigrees, ownerships, breeding data and transfers of ownership primarily of all greyhounds. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Rásaíocht Con Éireann.

The ICC has informed my Department that there have been no instances where an agent was fined for a breach of late notification of the death of a stud sire as per the AI Regulations 2005 since 2015.

The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the organisation charged with the role of Keeper of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book (IGSB) since 1923. The Stud Book records pedigrees, ownerships, breeding data and transfers of ownership primarily of all greyhounds. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Rásaíocht Con Éireann.

The ICC has informed my Department that each coursing club does not set fines or penalties: coursing clubs are affiliated to the ICC body. The ICC is responsible for setting fines and penalties for matters not prescribed for under statutory regulations.

- AI Regulation Section 19.(4) states : “Without prejudice and in addition to any other sanction that may be imposed by the Club under the Irish Coursing Club Rules, the Club on being notified of the conviction of any person for a breach of these Regulations, shall be entitled to refuse registration of any stud sire, service or litter involved in the proceedings leading to the conviction, or to withdraw or cancel any such registration already effected in favour of the convicted person”.

- AI Regulation 5.6.and 5.7 set out instances, whereby an AI licence will not be issued.

- The AIA Sub Committee and the Appeal Sub-Committee deal with applications and appeals of any refusals related to applications.

- The ICC fine structure in relation to the Stud Book is set out at Appendix B at irishcoursingclub.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Rules-Pt-5.pdf

The ICC fine structure and penalties in relation to prohibited substances, is set out in Rule 88, see Article 12: irishcoursingclub.ie/pdfs/Rule-88-v16-12-2019.pdf.

- The ICC may impose an Exclusion Order subject to the consent of Rásaíocht Con Éireann (this provision will be amended upon commencement of the relevant section of the Greyhound Racing Act 2019).

Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The Board of Rásaíocht Con Éireann introduced regulation in 2005 specifically governing the practice of Artificial Insemination, The Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations, SI 561 of 2005. These regulations set out in detail the rules governing the practice of artificial insemination and whose remit it is to do so. A copy of these Regulations is attached for ease of reference

The Board's remit in these regulations is chiefly the issue of licences on an annual basis on appropriate recommendation from The Irish Coursing Club, who are Keepers of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book. The legislation covers how and where semen (domestic or imported) may be collected, stored, and covers additionally ancillary regulatory provisions under a number of headings.

The Irish Coursing Club has the regulatory responsibility to maintain all relevant records relating to the satisfaction of compliance of the regulations. This includes the number and type of matings carried out and subsequently registered by them. The ICC publishes metrics on matings and litters declared on a periodic basis and attached is a copy of such a publication which identifies whether the mating was carried out by Frozen Semen Implant (FSI) or Artificial Insemination (AI).

The regulations were amended in 2014 by the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds (Amendment) Regulations SI 494 of 2014, which effectively removed the period of use for semen drawn more than 2 years from the death of a Stud (copy attached) .

Table A

Table b

Table C

The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the organisation charged with the role of Keeper of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book (IGSB) since 1923. The Stud Book records pedigrees, ownerships, breeding data and transfers of ownership primarily of all greyhounds. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Rásaíocht Con Éireann.

The ICC has provided my Department with the following data for the years 2020 and 2021, however as surgical implants are not recorded separately on its system it was by a manual check through all its mating certs that the number of surgical implants was ascertained. It was not possible in the time allowed to provide the data for 2019 but the ICC has assured my Department that it will provide the data within the next week. Officials from this Department will forward the additional information directly to the Deputy.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 256 together.

A requirement of the Results-Based Environment Agri Pilot Project (REAP) is that all land declared must remain in the project for the duration of the contract. My department encourages all participants to adhere to the terms and conditions of any scheme or project that they are accepted into. In the event that a participant does not satisfy such terms and conditions a penalty and/or recoupment may apply.

Information in respect of the Tillage Incentive Scheme is available online at www.gov.ie/en/service/28bbb-tillage-incentive-scheme/

All EU and national legislation relevant to my Department is enforced by a large team of authorised officers assigned to specific geographic locations across my Department's Regional Office network. These officers work closely with their counterparts in the Local Authorities and other Government Departments and agencies.

Compliance notices are issued,as deemed appropriate, by individual officers across the country on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific circumstances involved. Such notices may involve potential non-compliance with more than one legislative requirement. My Department does not maintain a central database of compliance notices issued by authorised officers or of the specific legislation referred to in those notices.

My Department issued 4,050 forestry licences last year, which is an increase of 56% on the number issued in 2020, and met our revised target of 4,000 licences. It is our intention to build on this momentum in 2022.

The Forestry Licensing Plan was published and commenced in January 2022. The Plan sets out a range of forestry priorities set to run for the whole of 2022.

The main priorities are:

- A target of 5,250 new licences to issue, which is a year-on-year increase of 30%.

- A higher priority will be given to afforestation licences for 2022 with a 107% increase in output up to 1,040.

- There will be a year-on-year increase of 48% of private felling, roads and afforestation files. Coillte felling licences will maintain the levels they achieved in 2021.

- The Department will also refocus on the delivery of approvals from several schemes including Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS) (Ash Dieback), the Reconstitution of Woodland Scheme (Frost) and the Native Woodland Scheme.

As can be seen in the table below, as of 1st April 2022 the projected target of year to date licences to be issued was 1,313 and the output of licences was 1,310.

My Department will continue to issue progress updates weekly through our forestry dashboard available here gov.ie - Forest Statistics and Mapping (www.gov.ie). In addition my Department will issue a quarterly progress report for a comprehensive KPI update on implementation of the Licensing Plan.

The rate of carbon sequestration by forests depends on a number of different factors which includes the soil present, species and age. Ireland's Afforestation Programme provides financial supports to land owners to plant a range of species. The current requirement under the Forestry Programme is that there is a mix of species and places a target of 30% broadleaves and 70% conifers. Last years afforestation programme in 2021 resulted in 41% of the 2,016 hectares afforested planted with broadleaves.

The recently developed Teagasc Forest Carbon tool, funded by my Department, provides a range of indicative figures for carbon sequestration for different species and soil types.

For example a productive Sitka spruce forest growing on a mineral soil will sequester 8.32 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year. The total CO2 removed from the atmosphere for these forests is estimated at 444 tonnes of CO2 per hectare over its lifetime. Similarly a slower growing oak forest on mineral soils will remove 2.31 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year. The total CO2 removed from the atmosphere for the oak forest is estimated at 535 tonnes of CO2 per hectare over its lifetime. These examples illustrate that although the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere is different for different species the overall carbon removed over the lifetime of each forest can be broadly similar.

Although certain species will remove CO2 at a faster rate as we approach our 2030 and 2050 climate targets we must take into account the wider ecosystem services that forests provide. A mix of forests of different species will provide a balance between a range of services which include climate, biodiversity employment and the provision public goods.

All forestry activities funded under the current Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end 2022) must be conducted in line with the principles of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). My Department offers attractive supports through the Programme to forest owners to assist them in the creation and management of their forests.

These include generous grants and premiums to landowners who wish to plant forestry through the Afforestation Scheme. The Scheme provides 100% establishment grants with annual premiums for up to 15 years, depending on the species chosen.

Support measures for the sustainable ongoing management of forests, are also funded by my Department. The Continuous Cover Forestry scheme is an alternative forest management approach where the forest canopy is maintained at one or more levels without clearfelling. The Woodland Improvement Thinning and Tending Scheme for broadleaves aims to improve the quality and value of retained trees by removing poorer quality stems and redirecting growth onto better quality ones. Protection of forests is further supported by the Deer Fencing Scheme as excluding deer can help trees to establish successfully. The Native Woodland Conservation Scheme aims to conserve existing native woodland and help to convert conifer stands to native woodland at key locations.

My Department supports Forestry Knowledge Transfer Groups whose aim is to increase the level of forest management activity amongst participating forest owners. The target group are those forest owners that require additional knowledge to help them undertake one or more management activities in their forests. KTGs provide the mechanism for gaining this expertise and empower them to manage their own forest over its rotation.

As the Deputy may be aware, Project Woodland was established in February 2021 to ensure that the current licensing backlog is addressed and that a new impetus is brought to woodland creation in Ireland. A national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new Forestry Strategy are currently being developed. SFM is a key tenet of the EU Forest Strategy 2030 which will feed into how we shape this new Irish Forestry Strategy. The Irish strategy will recognise the multi-functionality of forests as yielding social, economic and environmental benefits guided by an overarching commitment to SFM. This new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027 which will continue to offer supports for the establishment and management of forests in Ireland.

All lands suitable for afforestation must be environmentally suitable and have the capacity to grow trees sustainably. My Department has published "Land Types for Afforestation" which sets out the eligibility criteria for grant aid and is based on the capability of lands to produce a sustainable crop of timber. Existing forests and the creation of new forests are important for climate change mitigation and for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The impacts of climate change resulting from increasing temperatures will also have an impact on existing forests and can impact the choice of species to plant in the future. The planting of more resilient forests which contain a mixture of different species will help forests adapt in the future.

All species of broadleaves and conifers remove carbon by sequestration and provide benefits for climate change mitigation when planted on the right site. The rate of carbon sequestration can differ between species. Conifers in general remove carbon at a faster rate than broadleaves. However both types in general store similar amounts when both forests are mature. When assessing the benefits of forests and the mix of forest types planted it is important to recognise the range of non timber benefits which also include biodiversity.

My Department has published the Agriculture, Forest and Seafood Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan which provides information on Ireland's changing climate and the measures that should be taken on how to manage forests now and in the future. This adaptation plan is published on my Departments website.

The Irish forestry sector currently contributes significantly to the Irish economy, accounting for an estimated €2.3 billion of GDP and supporting almost 9,400 rural jobs. The current Forestry Programme which commenced in 2015 and has been extended to the end of 2022 provides significant supports for afforestation. This includes grants and premiums for 12 different planting categories to promote a good species mix and covers 100% of the cost of establishing a forest. In 2021, total expenditure by my Department was €69.5 million which includes afforestation grants, annual premium payments and grant aid for forest roads.

As the Deputy may be aware, afforestation levels have been declining in recent years and Project Woodland was established in February 2021 to ensure that the current licensing backlog is addressed and that a new impetus is brought to woodland creation in Ireland. A national shared vision for the future of Ireland's trees and forests and a new Forestry Strategy are currently being developed. This new Forest Strategy will underpin a new Forestry Programme for the period 2023 - 2027.

My Department is very conscious of the afforestation target of 8,000ha per year set out in the Climate Action Plan and supports will be included in the next Forestry Programme to incentivise afforestation. I am committed to working with all our stakeholders to substantially increase our afforestation rates over the next decade thereby contributing even more significantly to the economy.

My Department has overall policy responsibility for the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010. The Act provides a robust regulatory framework for the licensing, monitoring and inspection of dog breeding establishments by local authorities and, where a serious and immediate threat exists to public health or animal health and welfare, for the closure of such establishments.

The day to day regulation of dog breeding establishments to ensure compliance with the Act is a matter for local authorities. It is the responsibility of each local authority to maintain the register of dog breeding establishments in its functional area. The Act also places an obligation on any person seeking to operate a dog breeding establishment to have the premises included on the register. Welfare standards regarding dog breeding establishments have been provided for through guidelines.

Following a review, my Department is currently developing legislative amendments to the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010, with a view to inclusion in the Government legislative programme. The points raised by the Deputy will be considered as part of that process.

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. The Fund has, to date, allocated funding of €278 million for 191 projects across the country worth a total of €376 million.

Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place and which are ready to proceed. Category 2 provides funding to enable the development of project proposals suitable for future calls for Category 1 applications.

The Athy Food Hub project was approved for funding of €311,159 under the second call for Category 2 applications to the Fund, which was completed in August 2020. The lead for this project is Kildare County Council. Based on progress reports submitted to my Department by the council, development work on the project has been proceeding well.

In December 2021, I announced the opening of the fourth call for Category 1 applications under the Fund. The closing date for applications is 29th April 2022. A guidance document and application form relating to the call can be accessed on my Department's website.

The delivery of public library services, including the provision of library premises, is a matter for each local authority in accordance with the Local Government Act, 2001. Accordingly, the delivery of library services in Blackpool is primarily a matter for Cork City Council.

My department funds a Libraries Capital Programme that is investing €29m in 17 projects, as well as the My Open Library service and a Small Scale Capital Works programme, between 2016 and 2022.

Cork City Council has not submitted a request for Libraries Capital Programme funding to my department. However, as the Libraries Capital Programme is currently fully committed, should Cork City Council submit a request for funding, it will only be considered for support if additional capital funding becomes available.

Local authorities may also submit library development projects as elements of broader regeneration proposals under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund which is administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This funding was established to support sustainable development, through the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland's five cities and other large towns.

Cork City Council is required to consult with my department and the Local Government Management Agency prior to the development of plans for a new public library in Blackpool. They will then be requested to submit a proposal to my department for technical assessment to ensure that the project complies with the 'Public Library National Standards and Benchmarks' which guides the development of the public library service.

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. The Fund has, to date, allocated funding of €278 million for 191 projects across the country worth a total of €376 million.

Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place. Category 2 provides funding to enable the development of project proposals suitable for future calls for Category 1 applications.

The Ballintubber Abbey project was approved for funding of €2,677,352 from the second call for Category 1 applications to the RRDF. Mayo County Council is the lead party for the project. I am informed by my officials that the project is currently engaged in the detailed design process.

If more detailed information is required on the progress of the project, I would advise the Deputy to contact the Council directly.

As the Deputy will be aware, the construction of the helipad on Inishturk is being undertaken by the relevant Local Authority, Mayo County Council, with financial assistance from my Department. Officials from my Department have been in ongoing contact with the relevant officials in Mayo County Council to progress this development.

My Department provided the Local Authority with funding for the purchase of land for this project in late 2020. The Local Authority subsequently submitted an initial design; however, the Department required amendments and I understand that a revised design has now been agreed.

I also understand that the Local Authority has prepared tender documents for the project and hopes to commence the tender process shortly with a view to having the construction completed in 2022.