The Programme for Government commits to establishing four Citizens’ Assemblies, on the topics of Biodiversity Loss, the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin, Drug Use and the Future of Education.

The Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss and the Dublin Local Government Citizens’ Assembly were formally established in February 2022, began their meetings in April and are on schedule to complete their work and submit their reports by the end of this year, in line with the timelines set out by the Oireachtas.

The Government is committed to establishing the next Citizens’ Assemblies, on Drug Use and the Future of Education, at the earliest opportunity following the completion of the assemblies currently underway.

The timelines and terms of reference for the next assemblies will ultimately be a matter for the Oireachtas to agree on. It is anticipated that the Government will consider the matter early in the New Year, following which motions will be put before Dáil and Seanad Éireann for debate, setting out timelines and Terms of Reference for the new assemblie s.

The National Economic and Social Council (NESC) advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social and environmental development in Ireland. The NESC work programme, in 2022, include five main areas:

- To carry out a major piece of research and consultation on climate, biodiversity and how to achieve a just transition in agriculture.

- To continue to help us deepen our understanding of how to deliver more affordable and sustainable housing systems drawing on international and national experience, including ongoing work in Ireland on cost rental.

- NESC is continuing to support work on Ireland’s well-being framework by examining how well-being frameworks are implemented in practice.

- NESC has undertaken an extensive programme of research and consultation to support the Shared Island Initiative. It produced a report on the Shared Island in Q1 2022, which made recommendations in five key areas: economy and infrastructural investment, social policy, climate and biodiversity, well-being frameworks and data coordination.

- It examined aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic to help identify strategic lessons about public governance and how government can be supported to arrange and manage its activity to deliver the best results for society. The findings of this examination were published in June this year.

The NESC Council published reports can be found at www.nesc.ie/publications/

As reports are finalised in the relevant areas they are brought to Government for approval in advance of publication.

A Policing Service for our Future is the Government’s Plan to implement the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

As recommended in the Commission’s report, implementation of the Plan is being overseen by a dedicated Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach.

The Policing Reform Implementation Programme Office monitors progress on A Policing Service for our Future , and supports the work of the Implementation Group on Policing Reform, which has an independent Chair, Helen Ryan. The Office also keeps the High-Level Steering Board on Policing Reform, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, apprised of progress being made. In addition, progress is reported to the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality, which I chair.

A Policing Service for our Future has been broken down in to four stages of implementation, namely:

1. The Building Blocks Phase;

2. The Launching Phase ;

3. The Scaling Phase; and

4. The Consolidation Phase.

The first three phases of A Policing Service for our Future have been completed and much has been achieved. For example:

- The roll-out of a new Operating Model for An Garda Síochána, designed to streamline Garda administration and to provide a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide is underway;

- The recruitment of nearly 1800 garda staff which has supported the reassignment of many gardaí to frontline policing duties;

- Roll-out of over 5000 digital communication devices enabling front-line gardai to perform their duties without returning to stations;

- An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened resourcing of a Human Rights Unit and re-established the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee;

- Local Community Safety Partnership Pilots have been established in three locations around the country, in Dublin’s North Inner City, Waterford City and County and Longford County;

- The development by An Garda Síochána of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Statement, and Action Plan 2020-2021; and

- launch of a three-year Garda Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which will see the introduction of additional health and wellbeing supports.

There has also been progress on legislative reform. The Government has approved the drafting of:

- the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill which provides for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation;

- the Garda Síochána (Digital Recordings) Bill, which concerns the use of recording devices (including body worn cameras); and

- the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill which brings together and modernises police powers of search, arrest and detention.

The Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Area) Act 2022, which will facilitate the roll out of the new operating model, was brought into law earlier this year.

The future focus of the Programme for the final or Consolidation Phase will be on several key organisational and corporate enablers to assist in achieving a sustainable transformation of policing.

This includes areas such as IT, HR and finance, which are key enablers across the entire reform programme, as well the necessary legislation, Operating Model, Community Safety and Non-Core Duties.

I visited New York for UN High Level Week from 21-23 September. In delivering Ireland’s National Statement to the General Assembly, I said that all countries, no matter how small, have a contribution to make to international peace and security, and to economic and social development; and that all people have the right to live in dignity; to have their human rights and fundamental freedoms respected. I spoke frankly also about the need for a strengthened and reformed United Nations, one that is not hamstrung by the veto power of a single member state.

I noted, however, that this is not the case for those currently facing hunger and food insecurity, nor for those in Ukraine being bombarded by Russian missiles, nor for many people in Syria, Afghanistan or Palestine. I spoke also of the devastating impacts of climate change, with those who bear least responsibility for its causes often most affected.

The HEA has reported a total of 10,013 full time PhD students in 2021/2022.

The most recent Higher Education Expenditure on Research and Development (HERD) Survey 2018/19 carried out by my Department, found that there were 10,044 research students (doctoral and masters by research) in 2018, of which 6,143 (61%) were in receipt of a stipend and 3,901 (39%) were fully self-funded. The majority of PhD students are in receipt of grants from their individual institutions and research funders such as the IRC and SFI.

Other research funders in the national system include, e.g., the Health Research Board and Teagasc. There are also typically a number of PhDs funded through European Programmes and individual Higher Education Institution (HEI) schemes. The Department allocates recurrent funding to the HEA for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions and as autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding is a matter for the individual institution.

Of the bodies referred to in the question, my Department has responsibility for SFI and the IRC and can only provide detailed information relating to these bodies. In this regard, as at the 1st of September, there were 2,022 PhD Students directly attributed to active SFI awards and the Irish Research Council is currently supporting 1,143 PhD researchers across its range of funding programmes.

I was very pleased to be in a position to provide an additional maintenance payment to SUSI maintenance grant holders through the cost-of-living measures. I can confirm that this additional maintenance grant payment will be paid on the 16th December to eligible students.

As part of Budget 2023, I have also increased the Maintenance Grant rates by 14% for those on the Special and Band 1 rate of grant and by 10% for all other Maintenance grant holders. Importantly, for students in the current academic year the change in rates will be effective from January 2023 so students in the current academic year will see their grant payments increase proportionately once this measure comes into effect in January.

To put this in context a SUSI maintenance grant holder in the 22/23 academic year who is a recipient of the Special Rate non-adjacent rate will benefit by over €1,000 from both the additional maintenance payment and increase of grant rates effective from January 2023.

As the deputy will appreciate the SUSI application process is still open and applications are still being processed. However, as of the 7th of October, SUSI data shows that 49,408 students are expected to benefit from the additional monthly maintenance payment. I will of course arrange for the full breakdown of this data on a County by County basis to be sent directly to the Deputy.

I have been consistent in my position that we need to develop our student support system over time to ensure that it supports more flexible forms of learning.

At present, the student grant scheme is targeted at full-time students in approved institutions. Courses that are part-time, less than two years in duration or leading to a special purpose or minor award, rather than a major award, are not approved for the purposes of the Student Grant Scheme. Online and Distance Learning Courses are regarded as part-time courses for student grant purposes and, as such, do not qualify for grant assistance.

I have recently published three significant policy documents which will shape the evolution of the student support scheme over the coming years.

The Review of the Student Grant Scheme contains a recommendation that the Government should consider extending supports to more flexible forms of learning including blended/online & part-time.

The National Access Plan, which I launched in August, contains five student centred goals, one of which is flexibility and a key objective in this regard is to better support priority group students who study on a flexible basis.

Finally Funding the Future sets out a multi-annual funding and reform framework for higher education, including the need to support more flexible forms of learning.

To take forward implementation of Funding the Future, I established a steering group which I chair alongside Professor Anne Looney and Professor Tom Collins. Two working groups have been established led by Professors Looney and Collins. The working group focused on skills, participation and cost is examining the potential to support students to avail of more flexible learning opportunities.

I will consider the product of this work, and also any engagement which will take place with the sector on managing delivery from an institutional perspective, in the context of future Estimates processes and alongside other priorities in the Funding the Future framework.

My Department is strongly committed to supporting the health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce and support a range of clinical teams in our health services.

In July, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, and I jointly announced an additional 60 places in medicine programmes for this academic year. The agreement reached with the medical schools will create additional places in medical programmes over five years, with the number of additional places per annum climbing to 120 in September 2023, and up to 200 by 2026.

I also announced further permanent additional places on healthcare disciplines in July, including 135 places on nursing programmes commencing from September 2022. Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department and the Department of Health in relation to further substantial expansions in nursing places. We continue to work closely with the Chief Nursing Officer, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland and the Higher Education institutions on the sustainable introduction of places on nursing programmes.

My officials are also actively engaging with the Department of Health, the HSE and other relevant Health and Social Care Profession stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector. The availability of appropriate placements and placement supports is a key enabler of this expansion, and engagement across my Department, the Department of Health, HSE and Higher Education Sector is ongoing.

I am pleased that as part of the Government's cost of living measures, every SUSI maintenance grant recipient will receive an additional once-off extra maintenance payment. This includes PLC students, undergraduate students and Postgraduate Students who are in receipt of the Special Rate of Grant.

Students will receive an additional payment equivalent to one monthly maintenance grant payment. I can confirm that this additional once-off payment will be made on 16 December 2022.

In addition, I have also increased the Maintenance Grant rates by 14% for those on the Special and Band 1 rate of grant and by 10% for all other Maintenance grant holders. Importantly, for students in the current academic year the change in rates will be effective from January 2023 so students in the current academic year will see their grant payments increase proportionately once this measure comes into effect in January.

I am committed to ensuring that we develop an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers and vets within Ireland. This must of course be within the overall context of strategic workforce plans for the sectors concerned, the development of which are led by the relevant Departments.

Health and social care, and veterinary programmes, are by their nature complex in delivery. In particular, securing appropriate long-term placements and placement supports is a key element in unlocking additional provision. It is also crucial that any increases in places are introduced in a sustainable way, so that higher education institutions can build appropriate staffing capacity.

Working collaboratively with the Department of Health and the higher education sector, we have already made good progress in putting in place a multi-annual plan to deliver more medical places.

My Department is continuing to work closely with officials in the Department of Health on other emerging workforce requirements, and the placement issues. A workshop on placement issues will take place in the coming weeks, and will involve the HSE and higher education providers.

Officials from my Department have also been engaging extensively with the Higher Education Authority and the higher education sector to identify where additional places can and should be provided in the higher education system. The Higher Education Authority are currently developing a request for Expressions of Interest to issue to the sector targeted specifically at healthcare and veterinary provision.

The Deputy will be aware it was agreed that the Cavan Institute project, which was previously part of the Department of Education school building programme, would be advanced as part of the new Further Education and Training (FET) capital funding programme under my Department.

We remain committed to advancing this project, subject to compliance with Public Spending Code requirements. I spoke to representatives from CMETB and Cavan Institute during my recent visit to Cavan Youthreach Centre and I am fully aware of the importance of this key development for the region.

As part of the agreed process for appraisal of major FET capital projects, a Strategic Assessment Report in relation to Cavan Institute was submitted by Cavan Monaghan ETB to SOLAS. This report is currently part of a SOLAS-led assessment process, together with other proposals from the sector. The outcome of this initial strategic assessment is expected to be communicated to CMETB shortly. The next stage will see proposals proceed to the development of a detailed business case. This in turn will inform the level of investment and the works to be carried out.

To address short and medium term accommodation needs for FET services in Cavan town, I have also granted approval for the purchase of a new modular unit for CMETB. This unit will be located at the FET campus at the former Dún Uí Neill Army barracks and will be fully operational for the start of the academic term in January 2023.

This development will enable the delivery of a range of further education programmes, including but not limited to music production, science, beauty, sports, animal care, sports therapy and general skills programmes. It will also provide canteen and sports facilities and office space.

I am strongly committed to the development of a high-quality multi-campus environment for the South East Technological University - SETU - including in Waterford.

Since 2013, over €90 million has been made available under the Higher Education Landscape and Transformation Funds, for the development of technological universities. This includes funding of €14.3 million for the development of SETU.

My Department and the Higher Education Authority are currently engaging with SETU to advance a number of capital projects in Waterford.

Two significant projects are scheduled to enter construction in 2023. This includes a planned Engineering, Computing and General Teaching building, which is progressing as part of Bundle II of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership – PPP - Programme. At over 13,000 square metres, this is the largest building project in the PPP programme.

Also, under the Energy Efficiency and Decarbonisation Pathfinder Programme, a deep fabric retrofit to SETU Waterford Business School is now in design and is due to enter construction next year.

The Deputy will also be aware that engagement is ongoing with SETU in relation to expansion of the Waterford campus footprint, and my expectation is that significant progress will be made on this objective during 2023.

The specific level of investment in the Waterford campus in 2023 will be informed by the scope and pace of capital projects and will be decided within the context of my Department’s overall allocation under the National Development Plan.

In the case of the PPP project, it should be noted that, while it is planned that subject to procurement outcomes the project will enter construction next year, expenditure will mainly commence after construction by way of unitary charge payments to the private partner.

Government is acutely aware of the issues being faced by students trying to source affordable accommodation. It must be recognised, however, that fundamentally, the challenge is one of supply of housing more generally. That is why Government launched Housing for All, led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The plan is backed by the largest housing budget in the history of the State to transform our housing system, in excess of €20 billion.

This summer I met with the presidents and chairs of all the traditional universities and technological universities (TUs) to discuss any immediate proposals they may have identified for additional student accommodation.

In a welcome development, the sector indicates that hundreds of additional bed spaces have been made available by higher education institutions for the start of this academic year and University of Galway is to deliver some 674 new bed spaces later next year.

I also brought a proposal on student accommodation to the Cabinet Committee on Housing and received support to progress a new policy that supports the delivery of additional purpose-built student accommodation.

This would involve the State for the first time assisting higher education institutions with the cost of building student accommodation so as to ensure increased availability and promote greater access in particular for priority student groups in line with the national access plan. To advance this work I have recently established a dedicated Student Accommodation Unit to draft an updated policy for Student Housing and Accommodation as a matter of urgency. This unit will lead the examination and development of a range of policy options to increase supply in the context of Government's overall Housing for All policy.

Government has also implemented restrictions to limit the amount that students can be required to pay up-front for their accommodation. The total amount that anyone is required to pay to a landlord by way of a deposit is now no more than the equivalent of 2 months’ rent – that is one month’s rent, and one month’s deposit. In addition, student accommodation is subject to rent pressure zone caps and students now have recourse to the Residential Tenancies Board for dispute resolution where appropriate.

It is also open to homeowners to rent a room to students and homeowners can rent a room, retain their social welfare entitlements where applicable, and earn up to €14,000 in rental income before having to pay tax. All higher education institutions continue to support their students to find accommodation in the private rental sector. Institutions are actively promoting this option in their localities. This is an approach Government fully supports and encourages.

Together with our EU partners, Ireland has been resolute in our response to Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable and morally reprehensible war against Ukraine.  The EU has repeatedly demonstrated its strong and unwavering support for Ukraine, including in relation to sanctions against Russia and the provision of military assistance. 

We have consistently underlined that Ireland is militarily neutral but is not politically neutral in the face of Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.   Our own focus has been on easing the plight of the Ukrainian people, providing for the many Ukrainian refugees who are seeking protection in Ireland and holding the Russian leadership to account.

At the same time, it is important to underline that the EU is not a party to the conflict and neither is Ireland.  Moreover, security and defence remain predominantly Member State competences and Ireland’s policy of military neutrality is well understood by EU partners and codified in the Protocol attached to the Lisbon Treaty.  

Both I and my officials meet regularly with unions that represent students when I visit campuses across Ireland, through formal bilateral meetings and also as part of Departmental structures including the Funding the Future steering group.

At these meetings we discuss many issues including how the cost of living and the cost of education is impacting on students and their families.

These meetings were valuable in framing my approach to the significant package of supports for students which was introduced as part of Budget 2023.

Having listened to Students in Budget 2023, I gave priority to providing students and their families with financial support through a number of measures:

- All higher education students who are eligible for the fees initiative will benefit from a once off reduction in the Student Contribution rate of €1,000 for the 2022/2023 academic year.

- A once-off additional maintenance payment for SUSI maintenance recipients will be paid on the 16th December 2022.

- PhD students funded by the SFI and the IRC will benefit from a once off payment of €500 in the current academic year.

- Post Graduate Students who meet the eligibility criteria for a SUSI Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant will benefit from a once off increase in their grant of €1,000 from €3,500 to €4,500.

- In addition, all maintenance grants are increasing effective from January 2023. The special rate and Band 1 rate of maintenance will increase by 14% and all other maintenance grant rates will increase by 10%. Students in the current academic year will see their grant payments increase proportionately once this measure comes into effect from January 2023.

- I have also secured a further €8 million of funding for the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year. This will mean that for the 2022/23 Academic Year, there will be €17.1m available through this fund.

My officials are also developing policy proposals to activate supply for student accommodation and it is my intention to bring these proposals to Government. In addition, I have established a dedicated Unit in the Department to lead on this work in consultation with the HEA and with the sector.

Other measures that will offer relief to students for the 2023/2024 academic year include:

- A reduction of €500 in the student contribution fee for eligible grant applicants earning between €62,000 and €100,000; This measure will benefit some 42,000 students.

- The threshold for the student contribution 50% grant has been increased from €55,240 to €62,000; This measure will benefit some 8,000 students.

- An increase in the Post Graduate fee Contribution Grant by €500 from €3,500 to €4,000 from September 2023;

- A €500 increase to the stipend baseline in 2023 for PhD students who receive an IRC or SFI award.

- A change to the eligibility criteria for “second chance” mature students as defined in the Student Grant Scheme reducing the period for a full break in studies from 5 to 3 years;

- An increase in the deduction allowable for student earnings outside of term time from €4,500 to €6,552 for academic year 2023/2024.

- An exclusion of rental income declared to Revenue under the Government’s rent-a-room relief scheme up to €14,000 when calculating reckonable income under the Student Grant Scheme for the 2023/2024 academic year.

- €3 million in funding for mental health and wellbeing initiatives for the 2023/24 academic year.

These significant measures will see students have more money in their pockets to help them tackle the challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis.

With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has issued a passport to the applicant.

My officials are making enquires in relation to the Deputy's query, and a letter will follow to the Deputy on this as soon as possible.

Apprentices are primarily employees and all of the 66 available apprenticeships are undertaken under a contract of employment. For the majority of apprenticeships, the rate of pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer with the employer paying the apprentice during both on-the-job and off-the-job training elements of the apprenticeship.

For the 25 craft apprenticeship programmes, the minimum rates of pay applying under the employment contract are either agreed within the relevant sector, or are set out in legally binding Sectoral Employment Orders recommended by the Labour Court. These minimum rates vary between occupations and sectors but in all cases craft apprenticeship rates are expressed as a proportion of the qualified rate, increasing yearly from 33% of the qualified rate in year one to 90% in year four.

Periods of off-the-job training are funded from the National Training Fund with payments of the agreed rate made directly to craft apprentices by the education and training boards during this time.

Training allowances for apprentices are calculated with reference to gross-wage norms payable in industry for the different trade sectors. The actual allowance received will generally be less as it is based on the net take home pay calculated based on the gross wage norm. The gross-wage norm is per week and the norm to be used will be determined by the industry in which the employer is engaged.

On that basis any review of those rates currently payable is a matter for negotiation and agreement under the appropriate industrial relations structures in place and it would not be appropriate for me to be involved in the determination of apprenticeship pay or training rates.

While attending off-the-job training, craft apprentices are paid a training allowance appropriate to their training phase. In addition to training allowances, craft apprentices attending phases of off-the-job training in an Education and Training Board (ETB) training centre, Institute of Technology, or a Technological University are entitled to make an application for either travel or accommodation allowances for the duration of the period of off-the-job training.

As part of Budget 2023 I announced a cost-of-living package for students, and investment in third level education for 2023. Included in this was a once-off reduction of up to 33% in the contribution fee for apprentices and additional funding for social inclusion measures in apprenticeship, such as a bursary for apprentices from under-represented groups.

As employees, apprentices who find themselves in difficulty are correspondingly entitled to access general employment supports through the social welfare system. I would also advise any apprentice to discuss the matter with their Authorised Officer who may be in a position to provide guidance .

Medicine, veterinary medicine, and healthcare professions generally are areas of high student interest and demand, and applications for higher education places in these areas has consistently outstripped the supply available.

Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified healthcare professionals is a key priority. My Department is strongly committed to supporting the health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce and support a range of clinical teams in our health services. However, there are real, material limits on the number of places that can be created on courses with significant practical elements and placement requirements, such as veterinary medicine.

In July, the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, and I jointly announced an additional 60 places in medicine programmes for this academic year. The agreement reached with the medical schools will create additional places in medical programmes over five years, climbing to 120 in September 2023, and up to 200 by 2026.

Officials from my Department have been engaging extensively with the Higher Education Authority and the higher education sector to identify where additional places can and should be provided in the higher education system. These additional places will be targeted at areas of acute skills need as identified through our national skills architecture. The Higher Education Authority are currently developing a request for Expressions of Interest to issue to the sector targeted at specific areas including veterinary provision and in healthcare areas.

The Deputy may be aware that I have already instigated improvements to the student grant scheme in Budget 2022. For the academic year 2022/23, I increased the income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant by €1,000.

As part of Budget 2023, I have secured a significant cost of living package for third level students including a once-off €1,000 state financial support towards the undergraduate student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for my Department’s free fees schemes.

The once off €1,000 support relates specifically to the student contribution payable by student’s eligible for free tuition fees under the Department free fees schemes in academic year 22/23. It will reduce the student contribution payable for free fees eligible students from €3,000 to €2,000 in 22/23.

In addition, I have made two changes to the income thresholds for the student contribution grant for the academic year 2023/24 which will reduce the cost of education for students and families. I have increased the income limit from €55,240 to €62,000 for students to avail of the 50% Undergraduate Student Contribution and introduced a new Student Contribution grant to the value of €500 for qualifying families on incomes earning between €62,000 and €100,000. It is estimated that between 42,500 and 50,000 families could receive support under the Student Grant Scheme in 2023 for the first time as a result of these measures.

I have introduced two further measures whereby income up to €14,000 as declared to Revenue under the Government's Rent a Room Scheme will not be counted as reckonable income when calculating eligibility for the 2023/2024 academic year. In addition, the holiday earnings provision under the Student Grant Scheme will allow for a deduction up to a maximum amount of €6552 (an increase from €4500) to be applied to student earnings outside of term time within the reference period when calculating reckonable income for grant eligibility for the 2023/2024 academic year. As a result of both measures some students may find that they will receive a higher rate of grant and some new students may also find themselves eligible for a grant for the first time once these measures are introduced.

In addition, for the 2022/2023 Academic Year, a further €8 million of funding has been secured for the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year. Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The Fund provides financial support to students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college. Students can apply for SAF to help with either temporary or ongoing financial difficulties and can be assisted towards their rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. It is open to both full and part-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration leading to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification. It is designed to provide a source of financial support in addition to a SUSI grant.

Applications can be made under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) through the Access Office in the third level institution you are attending. They will have more information concerning their own HEI. More information on this fund and other supports are also available at www.studentfinance.ie.

One of the five overarching objectives of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is "Apprenticeship for All". In other words, ensuring that the profile of the apprenticeship population more closely reflects the profile of the general population. As per the latest data available there are 1,744 female apprentices, up from 60 in 2016 and only 665 at the end of 2019, and representing 7% of the overall apprentice population.

While this increase is mainly due to the expansion of apprenticeship into new areas, it is also important to note that female representation in craft apprenticeship has doubled in the last 2/3 years and participation in industry areas such as Manufacturing and Engineering is also increasing. Women also feature more strongly in the new apprenticeships in the hospitality, healthcare, property, sales, biopharma and ICT sectors.

Targets and interventions for specific groups will be detailed through an Equity of Access subcommittee of the National Apprenticeship Alliance to ensure that the voice of under-represented groups is integral to the development of the apprenticeship system. The actions set out in the Plan build on the outcomes of the 2018 Review of Pathways to Participation in Apprenticeship which has already resulted in a significant widening of measures to support increased visibility of apprenticeships.

The Action Plan contains a number of key deliverables designed to secure significantly greater diversity by:-

- including the voice of under-represented cohorts in apprenticeship;

- putting in place an inclusive apprenticeship access and delivery structure; and

- monitoring and assessing targets and developing appropriate interventions.

On 14th April I announced a new gender-based bursary for apprenticeship employers as part of the national Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 . The bursary, which is worth €2,666, is available to employers who employ apprentices in the minority gender on any national apprenticeship programme with greater than 80% representation of a single gender. It is being implemented with effect from 01 January 2022, and covers all new apprentice registrations from that date on eligible national apprenticeship programmes. The apprenticeship gender-based bursary is an expansion of the ‘female bursary’ available to craft apprenticeship employers prior to 2022. Currently there are 41 programmes eligible for the bursary.

This bursary is in addition to the Government supports that apprenticeship employers receive via the craft training allowance and the employer grant.

Information on apprenticeship was included on the CAO website for the first time for CAO 2022. This is expected to make a significant contribution to showing the range of learning and qualification options for school leavers. As part of this landmark change, a freephone helpline has been introduced for learners, parents and guidance counsellors to provide information on apprenticeship, including how to find an employer. The helpline supplements the existing guidance counsellor service at post-primary and further education and training levels.

There has also been a specific focus on female participation as part of the Generation Apprenticeship national promotional campaign. SOLAS ran a media campaign over three weeks in January 2021 promoting the apprenticeship route and celebrating diversity and the 1,000th female apprentice.

An all-female Software Developer Associate Apprenticeship programme commenced in November 2019 in conjunction with Fastrack into IT (FIT). It is a 2 year course offered at level 6 of the National Framework of Qualifications. The off the job training is being delivered by Liberties College which is under the remit of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. A high level of interest has been reported in this programme to date.

The general push towards women in STEM roles under the STEM Education Strategy and the ICT Skills Action Plan should also feed through to the apprenticeship intakes.

I am satisfied that these measures and the implementation process for the Apprenticeship Action Plan overall will have a significant impact in ensuring greater diversity in the apprenticeship population as a whole.

My Department is strongly committed to supporting the wellbeing of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health and education workforce, and support a range of public services, including educational psychology. In this context, the Department is engaging on an ongoing basis with the Department of Health, the Department of Education and other relevant stakeholders with regard to how the further and higher education system can best support workforce planning for the delivery of essential public services. The National Health and Social Care Professions Office in the HSE have advised my Department that the Psychology Project Team completed a report in 2021 which recommended the development of a workforce plan for psychology, including educational psychology. My Department understands that implementation of the recommendations in this report is currently being examined by the HSE including in light of overall resource requirements arising.

Progress in relation to workforce planning in this area by the Department of Health and the Department of Education will inform the Funding the Future reform process for higher education, a key focus of which, in collaboration with professional regulators, is on ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified individuals to enable the delivery of essential public services in areas such as health and education.

My Department and its Embassy network has engaged in promotion on social media where there is important information that needs to be brought to the attention of citizens, and for the wider promotion of Ireland around the world. This includes campaigns for St Patrick's day, encouraging the timely renewal of Passports, COVID-19 travel restrictions, and the impact of Brexit.

I meet frequently with students both through regular engagements with the USI and on visits around the country and I know the pressures they face, particularly in relation to securing affordable accommodation.

As part of Budget 2023, my colleague the Minister for Finance has introduced a new Rent Tax Credit for people who pay for private rented accommodation. I have spoken to Minister Donohoe and I understand that the Department of Finance are continuing to consider issues in relation to application of this tax credit. This is an area of significant complexity and careful consideration is required.

It is important to look at Budget measures in the round. This Budget has done lots to support people facing cost of living pressures, including increasing the standard tax income band. There is a substantial cost-of-living package for students including €1,000 state financial support towards the student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for the free fees initiative this academic year.

I am also progressing significant work on a new student accommodation policy which would see, for the first time, state investment in the development of student accommodation. I secured Government support to develop a policy to assist with the cost of building student accommodation. I have established a dedicated Unit in the Department to lead on this work in consultation with the HEA, and we will be bringing proposals to Government next month on this.

The Final Report by the Independent Expert Panel on the Further Education and Training Funding Model Review was published in July 2022. SOLAS is in the process of establishing an Implementation Steering Group which will be chaired by the Chief Executive of SOLAS and will include representatives from my Department, SOLAS, Education and Training Boards Ireland, the Education and Training Boards and Quality and Qualifications Ireland. The proposed terms of reference for the group, which will be considered at its first meeting to take place in the near future, are to:

- oversee and monitor the full implementation of recommendations in the Funding Model review;

- input and provide advice on how these recommendations can be implemented most effectively and efficiently, taking account of the context, history and differing characteristics across the FET system;

- identify and communicate any external dependencies on the ultimate success of funding model reform, and propose actions to mitigate this;

- commission particular pieces of work, and establish sub-groups as appropriate, to respond to particular work streams required to implement the recommendations and

- ensure awareness of and alignment with funding model changes across policy-maker, funder, provider and quality assurer.

The key work streams around programme harmonisation, data, costing, and financial systems will be addressed by sub-groups which may involve other relevant stakeholders as required.

Implementation will require a phased and incremental approach, ensuring that ETBs can plan and respond to the new and evolving funding model.

Third Level Fees

115. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students who will benefit from the €1,000 reduction in student contribution fee per county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51162/22]

My Department officials and I have engaged and continue to engage on an ongoing basis with the Minister and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the wider higher education sector and relevant stakeholders on student accommodation issues including within the context of the advancement of the Government's Housing for All policy.

Accommodation shortages in the private rental market have impacted significantly on students this year.

Fundamentally, the challenge is one of supply. As a country, we need to dramatically increase the supply of all types of housing and accommodation, including student accommodation.

To increase supply, I am currently developing a new policy that supports the delivery of additional purpose-built student accommodation.

This will involve the State for the first time assisting with the cost of building student accommodation so as to ensure increased availability and promote greater access in particular for student groups in line with the National Access Plan. I have established a dedicated Student Accommodation Unit which will bring forward this new Student Accommodation policy as a matter of urgency.

I will be bringing this new policy to Government shortly.

Housing For All contains also contains a commitment to support technological universities (TUs) to develop purpose-built student accommodation where such a requirement exists.

The Deputy may be aware that I have made several changes to income thresholds, both in Budget 2022 and 2023.

For the academic year 2022/23, I increased the income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant by €1,000.

As part of Budget 2023, I have secured a significant cost of living package for third level students including a once-off €1,000 state financial support towards the undergraduate student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for my Department’s free fees schemes.

The once off €1,000 support relates specifically to the student contribution payable by student’s eligible for free tuition fees under the Department free fees schemes in academic year 22/23. It will reduce the student contribution payable for free fees eligible students from €3,000 to €2,000 in 22/23.

In addition, I have made two changes to the income thresholds for the student contribution grant for the academic year 2023/24 which will reduce the cost of education for students and families. I have increased the income limit from €55,240 to €62,000 for students to avail of the 50% Undergraduate Student Contribution and introduced a new support to the value of €500 for families on qualifying incomes earning between €62,000 and €100,000. It is estimated that between 42,500 and 50,000 families could receive support under the Student Grant Scheme in 2023 for the first time as a result of these measures.

I have introduced two further measures whereby income up to €14,000 as declared to Revenue under the Government's Rent a Room Scheme will not be counted as reckonable income when calculating eligibility for the 2023/2024 academic year. In addition, the holiday earnings provision under the Student Grant Scheme will allow for a deduction up to a maximum amount of €6552 (an increase from €4500) to be applied to student earnings outside of term time within the reference period when calculating reckonable income for grant eligibility for the 2023/2024 academic year. As a result of both measures some students may find that they will receive a higher rate of grant and some new students may also find themselves eligible for a grant for the first time once these measures are introduced.

In addition, for the 2022/2023 Academic Year, a further €8 million of funding has been secured for the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year. Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The Fund provides financial support to students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college. Students can apply for SAF to help with either temporary or ongoing financial difficulties and can be assisted towards their rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. It is open to both full and part-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration leading to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification. It is designed to provide a source of financial support in addition to a SUSI grant.

Applications can be made under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) through the Access Office in the third level institution you are attending. They will have more information concerning their own HEI. More information on this fund and other supports are also available at www.studentfinance.ie.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 118, 596 and 598 together.

As is clear from the actions already taken in the cost of living measures outlined in Budget 2023, my Department is monitoring the issue of stipends and the views expressed by students and other stakeholders, in the context of the resources available and the competing needs to which they can be allocated.

With that in view, as an immediate and tangible relief against the challenges of the rising cost of living, I am introducing:

- a once off payment in 2022 of €500 for PhD students who receive an IRC or SFI award.

- a €500 increase to the stipend baseline in 2023 for PhD students who receive an IRC or SFI award.

PhD student recipients may also, in certain circumstances, qualify for support from SUSI.

I am commencing a review of current PhD training provision, including supports for students such as stipends. I have asked my Department to set out a scope for such a review, building on previous work in this area and with a view to framing practical actions that can be implemented within the resources available and competing needs.

The duration, commencement dates and other terms of any accommodation arrangement should be set out in the license agreement signed at the beginning of the academic year.

Students facing issues should, in the first instance, engage with their accommodation provider to see if an arrangement can be reached. If this is not possible, under the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 students have access to the Dispute Resolution Services of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

Restrictions have also been put in place to limit the amount that students can be required to pay up front for their accommodation, ending the practice whereby students were required to pay a lump sum up front each term. The total amount that anyone is required to pay to a landlord by way of a deposit or an advance rent payment to secure a tenancy to no more than the equivalent of 2 months’ rent- that is one month’s rent, and one month’s deposit. In addition, student accommodation is subject to Rent Pressure Zone caps.

I have not been made aware of any plans to develop a campus on the north side of Cork city. However, my Department is willing to work collaboratively with higher education institutions on the development of capital projects in line with their established masterplans.

My Department is currently supporting a number of key ongoing major capital projects in Cork city, including a new Learning Resource Centre on the MTU Cork Campus, which is part of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership Programme, and a major upgrade project to the 1970s Building on the MTU Cork Campus Bishopstown.

UCC is also approved in principle for funding of €25 million under the first phase of the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund to co-fund a custom-built Business School in Cork city centre.

Two new programme calls recently launched by my Department – the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund (HESIF II) and Technological Sector Strategic Projects Fund (TSSPF) - will support additional capacity, upgrade and enhance current infrastructure across the higher education sector. Proposals received from MTU and UCC under both of these programme calls are currently under assessment.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 601 and 612 together.

The information requested is not available.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is responsible for collecting, analysing and disseminating student and graduate enrolment data from higher education institutions and the HEA does not collect data for PhD completion rates.

The Department has not conducted research on the reason behind PhD researchers withdrawing from their programmes but will raise this issue at the next National Forum for Doctoral Education meeting which is scheduled for 14 December 2022.

My Department officials and I have engaged and continue to engage on an ongoing basis with the Minister and Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the wider higher education sector and relevant stakeholders on student accommodation issues including within the context of the advancement of the Government's Housing for All policy.

I have also engaged over the course of the year with higher education institutions in relation to identifying local solutions in the immediate term.

I will be bringing a paper outlining proposals to increase the supply of student accommodation before the Cabinet Committee on Housing shortly, including proposals relating to a new model whereby for the first time the State would assist directly in bridging the gap between development costs and rental affordability in relation to the provision of additional student accommodation. This could involve the State assisting with the cost of building student accommodation in return for affordability commitments on rent. My Department is also ready to work with any of the new technological universities to support them to borrow to build student accommodation.

I have established a dedicated Student Accommodation Unit which will bring forward this new Student Accommodation policy as a matter of urgency.

Social Care Programmes are provided across the tertiary system on a full and part time basis in both publicly funded institutes and by two private providers.

CORU is an independent Regulator. The Department of Health have advised my Department that to join the register existing professionals and current students will either need to:

1. have undertaken an approved education programme, or

2. to have obtained 2 years of professional practice in the 5-year period prior to 30 November 2025, in addition to passing a competency test.

Further information in relation to these “grand-parenting” provisions for existing practitioners, should be sought from the Department of Health or CORU directly, as these matters are not within the remit or responsibility of the Minister or the Department.

Earlier this year I wrote to all relevant publicly-funded HEIs and asked that full and transparent communications be made with all social care students regarding entry on to the Register.

Student Accommodation

125. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the engagements that he has had recently with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to student accommodation. [51608/22]

The Military Authorities have advised that there have been no changes to catering arrangements for army recruits in recent months. Individuals who undergo recruit training are provided with a daily allocation of rations, constituting three meals and supplementary food, such as fruit.

This level of rationing is provided to recruits throughout all phases of induction training.

Budget 2023 introduced a major package of supports to mitigate against the significant impact that the large increase in energy prices is having.

The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 (RTA) regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and set out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Acts to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 extended protections to student accommodation arrangements under both lease and licence.

These protections include a capping of annual rental increases in line with the provisions for Rent Pressure Zones and extends access to the RTB’s Dispute Resolution Services to students.

While the vast majority of people who rent their homes have their own Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), some have arrangements whereby their landlord holds the MPRN and energy costs are paid to the landlord. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the RTB has worked with the Department for the Environment, Climate and Communications to make people aware of the RTB mediation services available to tenants in the event landlords do not pass on credits to tenants. The RTB has reported that contacts with them on this matter were extremely low with regard to the first Electricity Account Credit Scheme.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 130, 133 and 141 together.

Under the Department’s Free Fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible Irish and EU undergraduate higher education students who are pursuing approved full-time undergraduate courses of study in an approved higher education institution. All students eligible for the free fees schemes receive State support whereby the State pays the cost of tuition fees exclusive of the student contribution.

The student contribution applies annually to all free fees eligible students and the current rate is €3,000 per annum. The State pays the student contribution, in full or part, on behalf of students who qualify under the student grant scheme.

In Budget 2023, in recognition of the cost of living challenges faced by students paying the full student contribution fee, we have introduced a once off reduction of €1,000 in academic year 2022/23. This additional level of support towards tuition fees will benefit almost 94,000 students at a cost to the State of c.€95.6million net.

Furthermore, I have been clear and consistent in stating that I believe the value of the student contribution share, as paid by students and families, compared to the State's contribution, is too high.

As part of Budget 2023, I made two changes to student contribution thresholds to reduce the cost of education for students and families (for college year 2023/24):

- increased the income limit from €55,240 to €62,000 for students to avail of the 50% Undergraduate Student Contribution;

- new support to the value of €500 for families on qualifying incomes earning between €62,000 and €100,000.

In May this year, I convened the Funding the Future Implementation and Review Group. Comprised of members of the Department, higher education sector and union and industry partners, the FFIRG is committed to addressing the questions of pathways and access to higher education. Financial barriers are clearly a large part of these issues and form core considerations for the FFIRG and its Working Groups.

I will continue to examine all the levers I have to address the cost of education in a way that has impact for students and families and that applies broadly and fairly across society.

A key government priority is to ensure that we have world-leading skills to ensure a sustainable and equitable economy now and in the future.

The construction sector is no exception. We recognise the changes which have taken place and the response needed to support innovation in construction. We also recognise the need for targeted, collaborative and industry- focused opportunities available across the tertiary education and training system.

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 annual apprenticeship registrations by 2025.

Among the 66 apprenticeships currently available, construction-related programmes include electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery, plastering, painting and decorating and the recently launched scaffolding apprenticeship. Curricula in existing apprenticeships are updated on an ongoing basis to keep pace with changes in industry practices and regulations.

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. Of these registrations 62%, or 5,337, were in what we deem construction apprenticeship programmes. As of the end of September 2022, there have been 3,296 registrations in construction apprenticeships.

The Green Skills for FET Roadmap 2021-2030 was launched on the 23rd March. It incorporates the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021 (NRRP), and the Green Skills Action Programme which begun in 2021. The NRRP committed €29M to NZEB & Retrofit upskilling and reskilling programmes and €10M to Green Skills Modules. Under the Plan, 4,550 retrofit and NZEB standard places and 60,000 green skills places are to be provided by the end of 2022.

Three Centres of Excellence for NZEB and retrofitting training are officially opened in Waterford-Wexford ETB, Laois-Offaly ETB and Limerick-Clare ETB. Courses are also being delivered in Cork ETB and Mayo-Sligo-Leitrim ETB, and further courses will be provide through a sixth centre in Finglas, under CDETB.

The FutureBuilding Initiative was launched in May this year, with an aim to spearhead activation and recruitment for the construction sector along with supporting the industry by significantly scaling-up in education and training opportunities. It is a joint initiative between my Department and that of my colleague, Minister Humphreys. Recognising that we need to change the narrative around careers in construction, a large focus is on highlighting the range of occupational opportunities which exist across the sector.

The Department is also working with colleagues both in SOLAS, the HEA and other Government Departments to deliver an appropriate response to existing projections of skills needs in the construction sector. We expect to publish a report and corresponding tertiary action plan on how to address these needs shortly.

My Department is currently collaborating with other stakeholders on the development of the Innovate for Ireland programme, which we do not expect to be in place before 2023.

The stipend determined for that programme will apply to the Innovate for Ireland programme only.

My Department is currently preparing a review of PhD provision. This review should conclude early next year, on the basis of available information, how issues of support for PhDs should be managed, mindful of the different stakeholders involved including DFHERIS competitive funders, HEA, HEIs, other public and private funders and the students themselves.

I should also explain that my Department allocates recurrent funding to the HEA for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding as a block grant to the institutions and as autonomous bodies, the internal disbursement of this funding is a matter for the individual institution.

I might add that Impact 2030, Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy prioritises the nurturing and development of talent and excellence to build on Ireland’s reputation as an Island of Talent and a location for research excellence and impact. The strategy recognises that the quality of our researchers is fundamental to the quality of our research system, its collaboration with partners in industry and policymakers, both in Ireland and abroad. The strategy also highlights the need to foster an environment within the research and innovation community that supports our ambition to be an Island of Inclusion and Engagement.

As the Deputy is aware, Higher Education Institutions are autonomous institutions and therefore it is a matter for individual institutions to determine the rate of tuition fees for postgraduate academic programmes including psychology.

My Department is strongly committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce, and support a range of clinical teams in our health services.

My Department understands there is a longstanding arrangement in place under which the HSE recruit Trainee Clinical Psychologists and sponsor their training in order to encourage employment with the HSE of suitably qualified professionals. This arrangement is made by the HSE and is not the responsibility of my Department. The question of whether similar arrangements should be put in place in relation to other psychological specialities in order to meet their workforce needs is a matter for consideration by the appropriate recruiting bodies.

Issues arising from sponsorships and employment eligibility in relation to psychologists, and indeed more generally, are matters for relevant employers rather than the responsibility of my Department.

The principal support provided to students by the Department in financial terms is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.

As of 9 October 2022, 61,799 applications have been awarded, 13,248 have been refused and 6,729 are in progress or awaiting processing.

Of the 6,729 applications, 6,041 are awaiting supporting information from the applicant, 290 are awaiting initial assessment and 398 are awaiting final assessment.

Please note these figures are likely to change as processing for the 2022/23 academic year is ongoing.

Progressive implementation of measures to address cost as a barrier to education is a key objective for my Department. I also recognise that costs are not limited to tuition fees and students have real cost of living challenges such as fuel, food or accommodation and have specific costs associated with their courses such as books or materials.

In Budget 2023, I gave priority to introducing a significant package of measures that will see students and families directly benefit and will help them tackle the challenges posed by the increased cost of living.

In 2022 these measures include:

- A reduction of €1,000 in the student contribution for 2022/23

- A reduction of up to 33% in the contribution fee for apprentices

- Additional maintenance payment for SUSI maintenance recipients in 2022

- an increase in the SUSI Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant

- increased funding for the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year.

From January 2023, the SUSI special rate and Band 1 rate of maintenance will increase by 14% and all other maintenance grant rates will increase by 10%.

Furthermore, from the academic year 2023/2024, I am introducing a new SUSI band whereby those eligible will have a €500 reduction on student contribution. This will benefit some 42,000 students.

I am also increasing the threshold for the student contribution 50% grant to benefit some 8,000 students for the next academic year.

The Post Graduate Fee Contribution Grant will increase by €500 from €3,500 to €4,000 from September 2023. We have also made changes to allowable income and reduced eligibility criteria for “second chance” mature students from 5 to 3 years.

These changes, in addition to previous measures such as removing the €200 PLC levy from September of this year, will see a real and tangible reduction in costs for students and families.

In Budget 2023, I gave priority to introducing a significant package of measures that will see students and families directly benefit and will help them tackle the challenges posed by the increased cost of living.

In 2022 these measures include:

- Higher education students who are eligible for the fees initiative will benefit from a once off reduction in the student contribution rate of €1,000 for the 2022/2023 academic year. Students eligible for a 50% student contribution grant support as paid by SUSI will benefit proportionally and will see the amount they pay to their institution reduce from €1,500 to €1,000.

- A reduction of up to 33% in the contribution fee for apprentices for the 2022/2023 academic year

- A once-off additional maintenance payment to be paid on the 16th December 2022. This payment will be made to all students who are in receipt of a maintenance grant payment and will include PLC students, undergraduate students and postgraduate students who are in receipt of the Special Rate of Grant,

- Post Graduate Students who meet the eligibility criteria for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant will benefit from a once off increase in their grant of €1,000 from €3,500 to €4,500.

- I have also secured a further €8 million of funding for the Student Assistance Fund for the current academic year. This will mean that for the 2022/23 academic year, there will be €17.1m available through this fund.

- PhD students funded by SFI and the IRC will also benefit from a once off payment of €500 in the current academic year.

In addition, all maintenance grants are increasing effective from January 2023 in order to provide further financial assistance to those students most in need. The special rate and Band 1 rate of maintenance will increase by 14% and all other maintenance grant rates will increase by 10%. Students in the current academic year will see their grant payments increase proportionately once this measure comes into effect from January 2023. It is important to note that the increase which is effective from January 2023 will not be backdated to the start of the 2022/23 academic year.

Other measures that will offer relief to students for the 2023/2024 academic year include:

- A reduction of €500 in the student contribution fee for eligible grant applicants earning between €62,000 and €100,000; This measure will benefit some 42,000 students.

- The threshold for the student contribution 50% grant has been increased from €55,240 to €62,000; This measure will benefit some 8,000 students

- An increase in the Post Graduate fee Contribution Grant by €500 on 2022 levels from €3,500 to €4,000 from September 2023; This measure will benefit postgraduate students who are eligible for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution towards the cost of their Tuition Fees. That means postgraduate students whose reckonable income is up to €55,240 and who are not eligible for the special rate of grant will benefit.

- A €500 increase to the stipend baseline in 2023 for PhD students who receive an IRC or SFI award.

- A change to the eligibility criteria for “second chance” mature students as defined in the Student Grant Scheme reducing the period for a full break in studies from 5 to 3 years.

- Increase in the deduction allowable for student earnings outside of term time from €4,500 to €6,552 for academic year 2023/2024.

- Exclusion of rental income up to €14,000 declared to Revenue under the Government’s rent-a-room relief scheme when calculating reckonable income under the Student Grant Scheme.

These changes will see a real and tangible reduction in costs for students and families.

Historically, Higher Education Institutions have used borrowings to develop their own student accommodation, without State support. Institutions have accessed financing at competitive rates from sources such as the Housing Finance Agency and the European Investment Bank.

In more recent times, the student accommodation sector has been impacted by the same construction inflation and global supply chain challenges affecting the wider construction sector, and this has presented challenges for the existing student accommodation model.

In this context, I have brought a proposal on student accommodation to the Cabinet Committee on Housing and received support to progress a new policy that supports the delivery of additional purpose-built student accommodation.

This would involve the State for the first time assisting higher education institutions with the cost of building student accommodation so as to ensure increased availability and promote greater access in particular for priority student groups in line with the National Access Plan. To advance this work I have recently established a dedicated Student Accommodation Unit to draft an updated policy for Student Housing and Accommodation as a matter of urgency. This unit will lead the examination and development of a range of policy options to increase supply in the context of Government's overall Housing for All policy.

My Department is focused on driving a skills ecosystem and skills agenda in Ireland which is agile and flexible to priority skill needs, and to changes in the world of work driven by technology, to ensure Ireland has a skilled and productive workforce. Our approach to addressing these challenges is firmly rooted in collaborative partnership with enterprise and other stakeholders, and is central to our economic and social ambitions, as borne out in the 2021 Economic Recovery Plan.

Skillnet Ireland, the National Skills Council and the Regional Skills Fora network all work closely with my Department to foster engagement, dialogue, and collaboration between the education and training system, the enterprise agencies, and enterprise representatives in relation to skills priorities.

My Department’s project with the OECD to review Ireland’s skills approach has seen a comprehensive review throughout the year of these issues. Clear areas of focus emerging include our need to have more dynamic, granular, real-time data to inform how we respond rapidly to industry's needs, particularly across digital skills demands in all sectors; our intent to continue focus on short, flexible and blended skilling options for individuals entering and for people transitioning in the workforce; and, our ambition to progress ease of navigability through options for skilling and ensuring individualised, continuous learning journeys are enabled, encouraged and as easy as possible to undertake.

The effectiveness and impact of the whole of the tertiary education system – FET, HE & Apprenticeship – is enhanced when education and training provision, as well broader upskilling and reskilling opportunities, are informed by the experience, insights and expertise of the enterprise sector. We will only ensure the best possible skills and talent pipeline through working together and continuing to challenge each other as partners.

A range of industrial relations issues regarding adult education tutors have been under discussion for a number of years and progress has been made in resolving key issues, including the introduction of a consistent formula for awarding Contracts of Indefinite Duration across ETBs in 2017 and the provision of access to leave schemes, paid leave and access to the appropriate public sector pension scheme in 2019.

The claim to align adult education tutors to a pay scale of an existing grade in ETBs remains unresolved. The Labour Court recommended in 2020 that the Department identify the scale of cost it was prepared or able to absorb and make an offer within those parameters given the constraints applying under FEMPI legislation and the Public Service Stability Agreement (PSSA) in relation to cost-increasing claims.

The Sectoral Bargaining Fund under Building Momentum is to deal with outstanding issues within the terms of the Fund and within the Exchequer funding limit in place.

My officials have been engaging with colleagues in the Department of Education, which has regulatory responsibility for the ETB Sector, and have prepared a joint proposal aimed at resolving the outstanding issue which is under consideration by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. My officials have met with the Unions on a regular basis on this matter and they will be sharing details of the proposal with the TUI and SIPTU representatives as part of the ongoing engagement regarding this claim.

My officials are in touch with their colleagues in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Inclusion and Youth, who have primary responsibility for the provision of short-term emergency accommodation for displaced Ukrainians in Ireland. They have advised that, given the challenging environment in which it is currently operating, it not in a position to provide bespoke accommodation solutions to displaced persons unless they are deemed medically vulnerable.

Significant progress is being made in realising the ambition for apprenticeship set out in the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025. The further development and mainstreaming of apprenticeship in Ireland through the creation of a single unified apprenticeship system has a key role to play in meeting Ireland's skills needs in a manner that presents a valued proposition for apprentices and employers alike. Despite the challenges of Covid, significant progress has been made to date.

Just this week I was in Drogheda for the announcement of the Drogheda Training Hub. LMETB, working in partnership with employers, industry partners, and SOLAS have successfully secured support and permission for this innovative response to address the urgent need for craft apprentices in the construction and industrial sectors. The proposal will allow for a significant expansion of apprenticeship training in the Louth Meath area in key craft areas such as electrical trades.

In its Training Centre in Dundalk, LMETB provides Craft Apprenticeship Programmes in all craft areas including Pipe Fitting at Phase 4, as well as apprenticeship programmes in Electrical, Motor, Carpentry and Joinery, Metal Fabrication, and Plumbing.

In response to Government initiatives and political imperative in the area of construction, LMETB has increased the frequency and number of electrical apprenticeship programmes doubling the capacity of the centre and using all existing space available. By extension of this work, the securing of premises in Drogheda to provide for an additional eight electrical programmes running continuously throughout the year will contribute greatly in the need to address the requirements of the sector.

We are delivering a training facility wholly dedicated to electrical apprentices. When fitted out, it will provide a state of the art training centre and help to alleviate the delays faced by apprentices in what is an enduringly popular profession.

I am particularly pleased to see progress being made in qualifying more electricians- they have an important contribution to make in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. When operational, this facility will ensure a meaningful contribution to one of the greatest cross-generational challenges facing our society.

As well as climate targets, the facility will make a valuable contribution to the availability of skilled workers in the construction industry, helping to achieve the ambition set out in Housing for All .

At a local level, having over 300 apprentices attending the facility will be a huge boost for the area’s economy. It will help to support businesses and job creation here in Drogheda and the surrounding area, as the apprentices will need to avail of accommodation, services, and hospitality.

This represents a tangible demonstration of the desire and the will of Government to work to address the skills challenges of our time, and to support balanced regional development.

With this week’s announcement for Drogheda and LMETB, I can assure Deputy O’Dowd that the North-East occupies a strong position in the transformation of Ireland’s apprenticeship system, now and into the future.

Officials from my Department have been engaging extensively with the Higher Education Authority and the higher education sector to identify where additional places can and should be provided in the higher education system. The Higher Education Authority are currently developing a request for Expressions of Interest to issue to the sector targeted at specific areas including veterinary provision.

There are significant practical elements and placement requirements as part of Veterinary Medicine Programme provision, including appropriate laboratory facilities to ensure it meets the necessary standards of the Veterinary Council of Ireland.

Ensuring a supply of qualified Vets to meet the demands of the sector is a priority for my Department. Workforce planning requirements for the veterinary medicine sector would require advice from and consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Veterinary Council of Ireland, as the regulators of the profession.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 145, 595 and 597 together.

The Taoiseach and I recently launched Innovate for Ireland, which is a new partnership between industry and the Government to recruit and retain research talent to Ireland.

Innovate for Ireland should commence in 2023 and the initial phase will seek to attract up to 400 high calibre PhD students to undertake research in Ireland that tackles national and global grand challenges such as climate change and climate adaptation; global health and pandemics; water poverty; digital society; and cyber-security.

The programme will embrace all relevant disciplines from Science, Technology and Engineering to Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. It will also support excellent curiosity-driven research. This programme aligns with my Department's Strategy Statement 2021-2023 and also the strategic goals of the Government’s R&I Strategy, Impact 2030.

The programme will include dimensions of training in innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership. Relationships will also be formed between the students and the company sponsors.

The initiative will be open to Irish and international students.

The next step in implementing this proposal will be the development of a robust governance and financial management framework, following which a competitive funding call should be initiated.

Work has been undertaken by my Department, the Higher Education Authority, Irish Research Council, Science Foundation Ireland, Health Research Board and private sponsors on devising a possible call framework.

Officials from my Department will also be working with relevant Departments across Government on the implementation of the programme.

Both I and my officials have been engaged with Carlow College St Patrick's over the course of the last year and more. As the Deputy is aware the College is seeking to be integrated into the publicly funded higher education system in the South East, and would like to be incorporated into the new South East Technological University (SETU).

SETU is an institution established under the TU Act 2018, and it is entirely a matter for the governing body of SETU as to whether it would wish to incorporate the College or part thereof into the new TU. I can not direct SETU on these matters.

Given the financial challenges faced by the College, my Department is also working closely with it on potential supports in the immediate term. I understand that officials are awaiting material from the College in this regard.

Ultimately, the decision to proceed, and the terms of any potential future integration of CCSP into the public higher education system via SETU will be a matter for the governing bodies of the two institutions.

Munster Technological University (MTU) received approval in principle in December 2019 for exchequer funding in the amount of €18.75m for extensive upgrade and refurbishment of the 1974 Building at its Cork Campus. This funding represents a key investment for the Campus and will further boost the role played by MTU as a driver of economic development in the southern region.

The 1974 building caters for a large proportion of the MTU Cork student population, with approximately 85% of the Faculty of Engineering and Science being accommodated within the building. The investment will facilitate the continued growth of MTU Cork’s STEM provision, in line with the objectives of the National Skills Strategy 2025, demographic growth projections and industry needs in the region and nationally.

The works are scheduled by MTU to be delivered on a phased basis. To date, four work packages have been completed with a fifth package of works due to be completed by the end of 2022. Further packages of works are scheduled over the 2023 -2025 period.

To date in 2022, c.€6.084m of the approved project funding has been drawn down by MTU

I remain firmly committed to supporting Cavan Institute as a hub for further education and training in Cavan town and the wider region.

The Deputy will be aware that it was agreed that the Cavan Institute project, which was previously part of the Department of Education school building programme, would be advanced as part of the new Further Education and Training (FET) capital funding programme under my Department.

As part of the agreed process for appraisal of major FET capital projects, a Strategic Assessment Report in relation to Cavan Institute was submitted by Cavan Monaghan ETB to SOLAS. This report is currently part of a SOLAS-led assessment process, together with other proposals from the sector. The outcome of this initial strategic assessment is expected to be communicated to CMETB shortly. The next stage will see proposals proceed to the development of a detailed business case.

To address the short and medium term accommodation needs for FET services in Cavan Town, I have also granted approval for the purchase of a new modular unit for CMETB. This unit will be located at the FET campus at the former Dún Uí Neill Army barracks and will be fully operational for the start of the academic term in January 2023.

This development will enable the delivery of a range of further education programmes, including but not limited to: music production, science, beauty, sports, animal care, sports therapy and general skills programmes. It will also provide canteen and sports facilities and office space.

A Policing Service for our Future is the Government’s Plan to implement the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

As recommended in the Commission’s report, implementation of the Plan is being overseen by a dedicated Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach.

The Policing Reform Implementation Programme Office monitors progress on A Policing Service for our Future , and supports the work of the Implementation Group on Policing Reform, which has an independent Chair, Helen Ryan. The Office also keeps the High-Level Steering Board on Policing Reform, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, apprised of progress being made. In addition, progress is reported to the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality, which I chair.

A Policing Service for our Future has been broken down in to four stages of implementation, namely:

1. The Building Blocks Phase;

2. The Launching Phase ;

3. The Scaling Phase; and

4. The Consolidation Phase.

The first three phases of A Policing Service for our Future have been completed and much has been achieved. For example:

- The roll-out of a new Operating Model for An Garda Síochána, designed to streamline Garda administration and to provide a more visible, responsive and localised policing service to communities nationwide is underway;

- The recruitment of nearly 1800 garda staff which has supported the reassignment of many gardai to frontline policing duties;

- Roll-out of over 5000 digital communication devices enabling front-line gardai to perform their duties without returning to stations;

- An Garda Síochána has established and strengthened resourcing of a Human Rights Unit and re-established the Strategic Human Rights Advisory Committee;

- Local Community Safety Partnership Pilots have been established in three locations around the country, in Dublin’s North Inner City, Waterford City and County and Longford County;

- T he development by An Garda Síochána of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Statement, and Action Plan 2020-2021; and

- launch of a three-year Garda Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which will see the introduction of additional health and wellbeing supports.

There has also been progress on legislative reform. The Government has approved the drafting of:

- the landmark Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill which provides for the most wide-ranging and coherent reform of policing in a generation;

- the Garda Síochána (Digital Recordings) Bill, which concerns the use of recording devices (including body worn cameras); and

- the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill which brings together and modernises police powers of search, arrest and detention.

The Garda Síochána (Functions and Operational Area) Act 2022, which will facilitate the roll out of the new operating model, was brought into law earlier this year.

The future focus of the Programme for the final or Consolidation Phase will be on several key organisational and corporate enablers to assist in achieving a sustainable transformation of policing.

This includes areas such as IT, HR and finance, which are key enablers across the entire reform programme, as well the necessary legislation, Operating Model, Community Safety and Non-Core Duties.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 158 together.

The Programme for Government commits to establishing four Citizens’ Assemblies, on the topics of Biodiversity Loss, the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin, Drug Use and the Future of Education.

The Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss and the Dublin Local Government Citizens’ Assembly were formally established in February 2022, began meeting in April and are on schedule to complete their work and submit their reports by the end of this year, in line with the timelines set out by the Oireachtas.

The Government is committed to establishing the next Citizens’ Assemblies, on Drug Use and the Future of Education, at the earliest opportunity following the completion of the assemblies currently underway.

The timelines and terms of reference for the next assemblies will ultimately be a matter for the Oireachtas to agree on. It is anticipated that the Government will consider the matter early in the New Year, following which motions will be put before Dáil and Seanad Éireann for debate setting out timelines and Terms of Reference for the new assemblies.

My Department has identified the below four cases where leave was granted for a judicial review and where the Taoiseach is named as a respondent during the period in question, two have concluded and two remain active.

*Costs to be determined when the outcome of the case is known.

In addition to the above, the Department is also aware of one other judicial review proceeding where the Taoiseach is named as a respondent and which is currently with the courts, Murphy & Ors v an Taoiseach, Minister for Health, Minister for Finance, Ireland and the Attorney General, 2021 No 727 JR.

For completeness, the Department has sought confirmation from the Office of the Chief State Solicitor that there have been no judicial reviews taken in that period and will forward any additional information where it arises to the Deputy in due course.

The exact information the Deputy requested is not available.

Statistics on average wages are compiled from the quarterly Earnings, Hours and Employment Costs Survey (EHECS) and from the Earnings Analysis using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS).

The EHECS collects aggregate quarterly data from enterprises with three or more employees in the NACE Rev 2 Industrial Sectors B–S inclusive. Annual estimates are also derived from the quarterly data. The EHECS is the official source of short-term earnings and labour costs estimates in the State. The quarterly EHECS earnings and labour estimates are published in the Earnings and Labour Costs release (ELC). The most recent final figures available are for Q1 2022. For further information please see the Background Notes available on the CSO website.

The EAADS is the official source of structural earnings statistics and is based primarily on the Revenue Commissioner’s employee tax data which provides details of gross annual earnings and number of weeks worked in the year for all employments. The most recent estimates available are for the year 2020. For further information please see the Background Notes available on the CSO website.

The data presented in Table 1 and Table 2 below is mean earnings as it is not possible to calculate median earnings from the EHECS as data is collected at enterprise level and not at employee level. Estimates in relation to mean and median weekly earnings below (Table 3) are taken from the EAADS. Data in relation to hourly earnings is not available from the EAADS.

Table 1 below shows the Mean Hourly Earnings & Mean Annual Earnings for the period 2011-2021 inclusive.

Table 2 below shows the Mean Hourly Earnings for the period Q1-Q2 2022* (Preliminary Estimate).

Table 3 below shows the Median Weekly Earnings & Mean Weekly Earnings for the period 2011-2020 inclusive.

Note: Economic Sectors Nace Rev. 2 B-S, see ELC background notes for further details.

Note: Economic Sectors Nace Rev. 2 B-S, see ELC background notes for further details.

My Department implements a security-by-design and defence-in-depth approach to cyber security. The same approach applies to the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), the only body under the aegis of my Department. ICT services and support for NESC are delivered by the ICT Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.

For operational and security reasons, we are advised by the National Cyber Security Centre not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise security. In common with other Government Departments, my Department has in place comprehensive arrangements to support ICT security and receives regular advice on these matters from the relevant authorities. The range of cybersecurity measures and associated costs span the full spectrum of ICT services including ICT system design and maintenance, device management, user awareness, training and appropriate external expertise.

The Department of the Taoiseach continues to leverage technologies available from cloud service providers in line with the stated advice of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and has increased the amount of services provided via the cloud since 2019. In some instances the cloud service may be provided by another Government Department or Agency and in some instances the cloud service may be provided by a commercial entity. The same approach applies to the National Economic and Social Development Office (NESDO), the only body under the aegis of my Department. Neither this Department nor NESDO currently provide digital services directly to the public and therefore are less reliant on cloud storage.

The details of all Special Advisers formally appointed by Government, including associated Minister and sanctioned pay rate, are published by the Department of Public Expenditure on gov.ie at the following link www.gov.ie/en/publication/9ad159-special-advisers-pay/ .

This list includes all the current advisers employed by this Department in respect of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Office of the Green Party Leader and the Government Chief Whip.

I propose to take the following questions together 156 and 157.

The exact information the Deputy requested is not available.

The official source of structural earnings statistics is the CSO’s Earnings Analysis Using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS). The EAADS is based primarily on the Revenue Commissioner’s employee tax data which provides details of gross annual earnings and number of weeks worked in the year for all employments. The most recent estimates available are for the year 2020. The annual earnings data presented from the EAADS is based on employments that were active for at least 50 weeks in the reference year. For further information please see the Background Notes available on the CSO website.

Table 1 below shows the Proportion of Employments for the period 2011-2020 inclusive earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Annual Earnings.

Table 2 below shows the Proportion of Employments for the period 2011-2020 inclusive earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Weekly Earnings.

Table 1 - Proportion of employments earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Annual Earnings

Source: Earnings Analysis Using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.

Note: Annual earnings data is based on employments that were active for at least 50 weeks in the reference year.

Table 2 - Proportion of employments earning less than 60/66% of Median Gross Weekly Earnings

Source: Earnings Analysis Using Administrative Data Sources (EAADS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland.

Note: Annual earnings data is based on employments that were active for at least 50 weeks in the reference year.

Question No. 158 answered with Question No. 150.

I attended an informal meeting of the members of the European Council in Prague on 7 October.

Leaders discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and the impact it is having on energy prices in Europe.

We were joined in this discussion by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video conference.

We welcomed the adoption of an eighth package of sanctions against Russia adopted on 6 October in response to Russia’s illegitimate referenda and illegal annexations in Ukraine.

We also discussed military and financial support to Ukraine as well as the importance of countering Russian narratives about its war in Ukraine. We confirmed our resolve to support partners across the world in tackling food security issues.

The issue of EU enlargement was not specifically on the agenda of this meeting.

The day prior, on 6 October, I attended the first meeting of the European Political Community, a gathering of leaders from 44 countries from the wider European continent, to discuss issues of common interest and concern, such as the war in Ukraine and energy security. It was not an EU meeting, and its focus was not on the process of EU accession.

In the margins of the meeting, however, I had bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, and Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Šefik Džaferoviæ. In all of those meetings, I expressed my support for the distinctive EU accession pathway of each country.

The ‘Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement’ provides for a waiver of certain obligations of the TRIPS Agreement and includes clarifications that will allow eligible WTO Members to authorise a company to manufacture and export COVID-19 vaccines in a fast and simplified manner and without the consent of the patent owner.

Developing countries will be able to use this solution to authorise the manufacture, import or export of COVID-19 vaccines without prior negotiation with the patent owner and without any notification requirements that would delay the start of the manufacture or export.

Equally important is the clarification that the remuneration for patent owners may take account of humanitarian or not-for-profit purpose of production and hence support the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines at affordable prices for those in need.

The Ministerial Decision covers COVID-19 vaccines as well as the ingredients and processes necessary for their manufacture. At the time of the adoption of the Decision, there was no consensus among the Members to cover also COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.

As a compromise, paragraph 8 of the Decision stipulates that no later than six months from the date of that Decision (17 December 2022), Members will be expected to decide on whether to extend the Decision to cover the production and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.

Trade is an exclusive competence of the EU, and accordingly the negotiations on TRIPS, as a trade matter, are led by the EU. The EU is in the process of conducting internal consultations and analysis on the extension, taking into consideration that the case for COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics is more complex than the one pertaining to vaccines.

Discussions on the extension of the mechanism to cover the production and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics are ongoing in the WTO and the EU is engaging constructively in these discussions.

Ireland will continue to engage with the European Commission and other Member States on the EU position. A decision to extend the earlier Ministerial Decision from June 2022 will require the agreement of all WTO Members.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment does not collect this information. I suggest the Deputy raises the matter with the Department of Finance or the Revenue Commissioners.

An automated acknowledgement issued from my office on the 4 October 2022 and a substantive reply issued to the Deputy on the 13 October 2022.

Ireland has a comprehensive suite of employment rights legislation that protects all employees who are legally employed on a contract of service basis. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent, statutory body under the aegis of my Department with responsibility for achieving compliance with employment law in the State. The functions of the WRC include the inspection of employment law compliance, the provision of information on employment law, mediation, adjudication, conciliation, facilitation, and advisory services.

In circumstances where an employee has not been paid all the wages they are owed, the disputed sum may be considered a 'deduction' under the Payment of Wages Act 1991, and the impacted employee could bring a claim before the WRC. Complaints under the Act may be made using the online complaint form on the WRC's website which can be accessed at Making a Complaint - Workplace Relations Commission.

The WRC also provides a telephone information service. This service is manned by experienced WRC information officers and may be accessed at 059 917 8990 or 0818 80 80 90. The service is operational from 9:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday.

Screen Ireland is the national development agency for Irish filmmaking and the Irish film, television and animation industry. The agency supports writers, directors and production companies across these sectors by providing investment loans for the development, production and distribution of film, television and animation projects. Screen Ireland is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media which approves funding applications by producer companies through section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. Certification by the Minister is granted in accordance with regulations made under section 481 of the Taxes Consolidation Act S.I. No. 119/2019 Film Regulations 2019 and S.I. No. 120/2019 Film (Commencement Order) Regulations 2019.

EU Directive 2019/1152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on transparent and predictable working conditions in the European Union aims to improve working conditions by promoting more transparent and predictable employment while ensuring labour market adaptability.

It repeals Directive 91/533 EEC on an employer's obligation to inform employees of the conditions applicable to the contract or employment relationship. It provides instead for more complete information on the essential aspects of the work to be received by the worker in writing at the beginning of the employment relationship. It also includes a new chapter on minimum requirements relating to working conditions providing completely new material rights for the workers in the European Union. The Directive will be transposed in Ireland by secondary legislation under the European Communities Act 1972.

There are a number of new elements introduced by this Directive that are legally complex. This has prolonged the drafting process and as a consequence, the deadline for transposition of 1st August was not met. However, it is important to note that Ireland pre-empted many provisions of the Directive with the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018.

The 2018 Act has already introduced anti-penalisation provisions, stronger penalties for non-compliance, restriction of zero hours contracts and the provision of more precise information on hours of work and other core terms of employment to employees at an earlier stage in the employment relationship.

My officials are intensively engaging with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure that transposing Regulations can be finalised at the earliest opportunity possible this year.

My Department adopts a defence in depth approach to cyber security. This approach uses multiple layers and disparate systems to deliver security which is not dependent on any single component. Given the heightened level of cyber risk which has pertained in recent times, my Department’s technical staff has adopted a posture of increased vigilance and oversight of systems.

My Department takes advice from its own external security advisers, and monitors advice and guidance coming from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on any additional steps which should be implemented in the light of current risks.

For operational and security reasons, we are advised by the NCSC not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise those efforts. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose information which might assist criminals to identify potential vulnerabilities in departmental cybersecurity arrangements, or to allow those criminals to enumerate differences in approach between public bodies which could be used to identify targets.

Therefore, it is not considered appropriate to disclose particular arrangements in place in relation to cyber security tools and services, or financial details which could be used to rank the cyber defences of public bodies, and my Department does not comment on operational security matters.

The cybersecurity measures deployed and related spend by agencies under the remit of my Department is a day-to-day operational matter for those agencies and not one in which I have a direct function.

With the wide range and disparate nature of the systems and services supported by my Department, and the data required to support these, it is not possible to provide a figure for the proportion of the Department's IT data held in the cloud.

Previously my Department availed of relatively small-scale cloud storage options primarily to facilitate file transfer operations. In recent years my Department has utilised several government cloud "Build to Share" services and applications provided by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. These include applications common across many Departments such as ePQ, eRisk and eSubmissions. In March 2021 my Department commenced a phased migration of its document management system to the OGCIO developed eDocs record management system, which is hosted on the government cloud. This migration is expected to be completed by November 2022.

My Department also avails of OGCIO provided government cloud hosting for online application systems and services, including all of the Companies Registration Office's systems. My Department also uses the National Shared Services Office shared services for payroll and HR services.

Where new business systems are being developed within my Department, cloud-based options are considered first, in line with the public service "cloud first" policy. This year a contract was awarded for the development of a new cloud-based case management system for the Labour Court to replace the existing on-premises system. Plans for further business system developments are at an advanced stage, and it is intended that these will also be based on commercial cloud platforms.

The use of cloud storage by agencies under the remit of my Department is a day-to-day operational matter for those agencies and not one in which I have a direct function.

The tables below set out the names and gross salary rates, as of 01 October 2022, for the Special Advisers in my Department. The application of new salary rates which are effective from 01 October 2022, and are in accordance with the Public Service Agreement, will be implemented by my Department in due course.

The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that in the case where an Employment Permit application is either withdrawn or refused, 90% of the fee paid is refundable. An employment permit is issued when all the qualifying conditions are satisfied.

The current employment permits legislation does not, however, provide for a refund after an employment permit has issued if - such as in this example - for reasons entirely separate from the employment permit process, an immigration permission is refused by the Department of Justice and Equality.

Immigration permissions, including the refusal of visas, are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, and any such queries should be directed to that Department.

Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market.

The system is vacancy led and designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term, and is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine roles that are either in critical short supply or are ineligible for an employment permit.

The Occupations Lists undergo periodic evidence based review and a public/stakeholder consultation. Account is also taken of upskilling and training initiatives and known contextual factors such as the granting of temporary protection to individuals fleeing the conflict in Ukraine that have arrived in Ireland. My Department chairs the Interdepartmental Group to oversee the review process which includes membership drawn from senior officials of key departments including the Department of Transport who have policy responsibility for this sector.

The aim of the Group is to promote an integrated approach to addressing labour and skills shortages being experienced in the economy and is guided by relevant research. This includes assessing proposals received through the public consultation for changes to the Occupations Lists.

The role of Bus Driver is on the Ineligible Occupations List and, as such, an employment permit cannot be granted for this occupation. In order to have an occupation considered for adding to or removing from the Occupations Lists, evidence should be provided demonstrating shortages are due to recruitment difficulties and shortages across the EEA, and not linked to salary or employment terms and conditions. Sectors are also required to engage structurally with the employment service of the Department of Social Protection.

The Department continues to keep the employment permits system under review in light of changing labour market circumstances and the timing of the next Review of the Occupational Lists will be kept under consideration.

The table below provides a list of names of each Special Adviser employed by my Department since 2015, including those whose tenure commenced prior to 2015 but ceased post 2015 and other details requested by the Deputy.

The Employment Permits Section of my Department informs me that, on 26th May 2022, a General Employment Permit application for the person concerned (in the details supplied) was received.

On 28th July 2022 the application was refused. The applicant was informed of the refusal reasons and of their right to request a review of the decision within 28 days from the date of the refusal letter that issued. On 17th August 2022 a request for a review of the refusal decision was received.

Following the submission and consideration of additional information at review stage a decision has been made to award a General Employment Permit to the person concerned and the permit issued on 13th October 2022.

Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market.

The system is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term, and is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine roles that are either in critical short supply or are ineligible for an employment permit.

The Occupations Lists undergo periodic review and a public/stakeholder consultation. My Department chairs the Interdepartmental Group to oversee the review process which includes membership drawn from senior officials of key departments including the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine who have policy responsibility for this sector.

The aim of the Group is to promote an integrated approach to addressing labour and skills shortages being experienced in the economy and is guided by relevant research. This includes assessing proposals received through the public consultation for changes to the Occupations Lists.

Changes to the employment permit occupations lists are made where there are no suitable Irish/EEA nationals available, development opportunities are not undermined, a genuine skills shortage exists, rather than a recruitment or retention problem, and Government education, training and economic development policies are supported.

In October 2021, in light of the continued labour shortages in the agriculture and agri-food sector, I announced a new quota of 100 General Employment Permits for dairy farm assistants subject to a minimum annual remuneration of €30,000. In addition, I also released a further 1,000 General Employment Permits for horticulture operatives, 500 for meat deboners, and 1,500 for meat processing operatives.

All Agriculture quotas were opened with a proviso that a strategic review on labour attraction and retention in the sector is carried out in order to put in place more sustainable solutions for meeting the labour needs of the sector into the future.

Policy responsibility for agriculture and the related food industry is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Following the implementation of an internal plan of action which increased resources and implemented more efficient methods of processing applications, the Employment Permits Unit of the Department has reduced the number of applications awaiting processing from about 11,000 in January 2022 to about 1,942 today, despite further strong demand in 2022. Processing times have fallen from 21 weeks to 2-4 weeks depending on the permit type. The Department plans to reduce these times even further across all permit types assuming demand remains at current levels.

The Department continues to keep the employment permits system under review in light of changing labour market circumstances and the timing of the next Review of the Occupational Lists will be kept under consideration.

Ireland operates a managed employment permits system maximising the benefits of economic migration and minimising the risk of disrupting Ireland’s labour market.

The system is designed to accommodate the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps for the benefit of our economy, in the short to medium term, and is managed through the operation of the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists which determine roles that are either in critical short supply or are ineligible for an employment permit.

The occupation of Youth and Community Worker is currently on the Ineligible Occupations List and therefore an employment permit cannot be granted for this role. Changes to the employment permit occupations lists are made where no suitable Irish/EEA nationals are available and the skills shortage is a genuine one - rather than a recruitment or retention problem, where development opportunities would not be undermined and where Government education, training and economic development policies are supported.

The Occupations Lists undergo periodic review and a public/stakeholder consultation. Submissions seeking changes to the lists will be invited from sector representative bodies and interested parties via the Public Consultation Form when the next Review of the Occupational Lists commences.

My Department chairs the Economic Migration Interdepartmental Group to oversee the review process which includes membership drawn from senior officials of key policy departments including the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth who have policy responsibility for this sector. The aim of the Group is to promote an integrated approach to addressing labour and skills shortages being experienced in the economy. This includes assessing proposals received through the public consultation for changes to the Occupations Lists.

There is no national waiver scheme for household waste collection. The waste management market in Ireland is now serviced by private companies, where prices charged are matters between those companies and their customers, subject to compliance with all applicable environmental and other relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), located within my Department, is the government’s operational unit for network and information security and acts as a central contact point in the event of a government or nationwide cyber-security incident affecting the State. It serves a constituency made up of organisations from the Irish Government and many of the Critical National Infrastructure providers from key sectors such as energy, transport and health. It engages in a comprehensive set of tasks around cyber-security, with a primary focus on securing government networks and securing Critical National Infrastructure. It encompasses the State’s National/Governmental Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT-IE).

  The non-pay, current and capital expenditures from 2019 to date are presented in the table below:

The budget for the NCSC was increased substantially in 2022, with a further €2.5 million allocated across current and capital funding. The current expenditure outturn for year-end 2022 is projected to be at least €1,877,450. It is important to highlight that a substantial proportion of the costs related to the NCSC's interim facility - which is nearing completion - have been borne by the Office of Public Works and paid from Vote 13. This will lead to a projected underspend on the capital allocation for the NCSC. I will seek approval from the Oireachtas for this unspent funding to be reallocated to other priority investment areas in my Department's Vote. The Government has approved a further increase of €7.35 million in the budget allocation for the NCSC in the 2023 Estimates to support the implementation of the NCSC's technology strategy as well as new measures which will arise from the Mid-Term Review of the National Cyber Security Strategy, both of which are currently being prepared. This is broken down into an increase of €3m for current, and €2.85m for capital.

In addition to the spend of the NCSC on cybersecurity measures my Department, and the agencies under the DECC remit, invest in the security of our own network and systems. With respect to the expenditure by my Department on cyber security, The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. It is being collated and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as possible. 

The information requested in relation to the agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for each agency.The Department will request the relevant bodies to reply directly to the Deputy with the information requested in respect of their organisations.

A large proportion of the data held by my Department is currently stored on equipment owned and controlled by my Department.  Data is stored on external cloud services where there are good business reasons for doing so, principally to allow easier sharing of that data with other parties.   In 2020, my Department purchased Microsoft 365 licenses to allow cloud collaboration for staff utilising software such as Office, OneDrive, Teams and Sharepoint in the cloud. Currently we have 6.1K files (95 Gigabytes) stored in OneDrive and 4.4K files (15.1 Gigabytes) stored in Sharepoint online. The Department also utilises ESRI's web-based mapping software ArcGIS Online (AGOL) to partially store data in the cloud on ArcGIS Online, a cloud based WebGIS instance by way of hosted services of DECC and GSI collectively.  DECC data is stored on a US Data Cloud Store (dcenr.maps.arcgis.com); GSI data is on European Cloud Store (geodata-gov-ie.maps.arcgis.com/). Collectively for these two instances there is 40GB of data stored on Cloud Storage. There is no personal or sensitive information contained within these servers. All other data is stored and maintained on Departmental SAN (Storage Area Network) storage.

As the economic, security and governance issues associated with cloud storage evolve, my Department will continue to evaluate the relative merits of cloud and on-premises storage of data when making data storage decisions.

My Department contracted technical support and input from a range of bodies and organisations to support and inform the preparation of a Long-term Climate Action Strategy (LTS) in 2019, in line with the then climate ambition set out in Ireland’s Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. This included analysis on potential decarbonisation pathways. However, with the Programme for Government commitment to substantially increase our climate ambition, including our 2050 objective, submission of Ireland’s draft LTS to the European Commission was paused to ensure it fully aligned with our enhanced climate ambition. While preparing the LTS, we are ensuring that the ambition aligns with our national climate targets, as well as making a strong contribution to the overall EU ambition of achieving climate neutrality no later than 2050, and achieving an interim reduction in overall EU greenhouse gas emissions of 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Similarly, the LTS will support our commitment to the international objective of limiting global warming to 1.5°C relative to pre-industrial levels, as established under the Paris Climate Agreement, and reaffirmed in the Glasgow Climate Pact. The finalised LTS, which also takes account of the recently approved sectoral ceilings, will be submitted to the European Commission in the coming weeks.

The information requested by the deputy is outlined in the table below:

There are no advisors appointed by Minister Smyth to this  Department.

The 3 advisors referenced above work across the portfolio of both this Department as well as that of the Department of Transport. As the payment is through the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, all are included in this response.

All payments are made in line with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Ministerial Appointments and expenses circular and guidelines.

The Communities Energy Grant Scheme  is part of the Government's National Retrofit Programme aimed at upgrading building stock and facilities to high standards of energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, thereby reducing fossil fuel usage, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Scheme supports cross-sectoral and community-oriented partnership approaches that deliver energy savings to a range of building types including public, commercial and community buildings with a particular focus on using the projects to deliver home retrofits.

The Scheme provides funding for a range of improvements to existing buildings. These include the installation of insulation, heat pump systems upgrades to replace fossil fuel boilers, replacement windows/doors, solar Photo-Voltaic technology, energy-efficient lighting, and energy monitors, as well as other energy upgrades.

Demand for the CEG Scheme has been very strong since the launch of this year’s Call for Projects in March. To date, 14 contracts with a grant value of over €35million have been issued by the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) and a further 12 applications are currently under evaluation within the SEAI. All of which points to a strong pipeline of works under the scheme for the remainder of this year and into 2023.

Under this year’s guidelines for the Scheme, contracts for works are extended to 12 months. This will better support year-round delivery of services and allow for more complex projects. The Communities Grant Scheme guidelines were published in March 2022 and can be found at the following link: www.seai.ie/grants/community-grants/project-criteria-and-funding/Communities-Grant-Guidelines-2022.pdf.

Under section 46 of the Postal and Telecommunications Services Act 1983, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, approves any superannuation schemes submitted by An Post. The operation of the schemes is a matter between the management of An Post, staff representatives and the trustees of the schemes. I have asked An Post to correspond directly with the Deputy on this matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 181 together. I propose to answer question no’s 180 and 181 together.

Transposition of Directive (EU) 2019/944 into Irish law is complete. Article 2(15) is transposed via Regulation 2(1) of SI 20/2022.

No financial penalties have been imposed.

Implementation of Directive (EU) 2019/944 is principally a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, which was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity and gas markets following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA), 1999

I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 and 183 together. 182 and No. 183 together,The Climate Action Plan set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector from 7 Mt CO2 eq. in 2018 to between 3.5-4.5 Mt CO2 eq. in 2030.Recognising that the achievement of this target will require a step-change in the pace and scale of delivery Ireland’s residential retrofit programme, earlier this year the Government approved a package of 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.One of the key measures included a special enhanced grant rate, equivalent to up to 80% of the typical cost, for attic and cavity wall insulation for all households, to urgently reduce energy use as part of the Government’s response to very high energy prices. To date this year, applications for attic and cavity insulations have tripled compared with last year, on foot of this initiative. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) have confirmed that, in 2011 approximately 36,000 homes had attic insulation installed under the Better Energy Homes Scheme.

The SEAI estimates that there could be of the order of 500,000 homes that have attic insulation with a thickness of less than 120mm (4-5 inches) of mineral wool that could benefit from additional attic insulation .

The Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme has delivered 3,068 home energy upgrades to the end of September 2022. Upgrades under the scheme can involve shallow, deep or deep heat works. To date this year, approximately 29% of homes under the Scheme have received heating upgrades with SEAI advising that 861 boilers and 21 heat pumps were installed under the Warmer Homes Scheme.Data in relation to the type of heating system upgrades under the Warmer Homes scheme is not routinely reported by SEAI and data is not readily available that differentiates between oil and gas boilers.

The phased introduction of the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) has already begun with the commencement of the MSS domestic solar PV grant on 16 February last and the extension of capital grants for non-domestic installations up to 6 kWe in September. Grant levels for both are up to a maximum of €2,400 and are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). In relation to grants specifically for battery units purchased with Solar PV systems, the SEAI undertook an assessment of incorporating stand-alone battery grants into the new MSS Solar PV Grants and found that with the current high cost of batteries, coupled with their low storage capabilities of only a few hours and their relatively short lifetime (currently in the region of 10 years); that a stand-alone battery grant did not represent efficient use of Exchequer funds. It should be noted that micro-generation installations including battery storage systems are still eligible for grant support under the MSS but there is now no need to install a battery to avail of the maximum grant. Moreover, maximising the consumption of self-generated electricity by installing a micro-generation system to meet the demand profile of your home or business, where possible, will provide the most benefit to offset rising electricity costs. Furthermore, with the introduction of the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG), any residual renewable electricity not consumed on the premises is now eligible for an export payment which further supports the investment. While the very strong level of interest in grants offered under the MSS indicates that the scheme is working well, its operation and effectiveness will, like all such schemes, be kept under review and adjustments made where necessary.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 186, 187, 188 and 189 together. In February this year, Government approved the establishment of the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (NHEUS) Scheme providing increased grant levels of up to 50% of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard.  This Scheme introduces a new, highly customer centric, way to undertake home upgrades.

Following Government approval, the SEAI registration portal opened for companies to apply to be a One-Stop-Shop (OSS), building on the preparatory work already undertaken. SEAI are focused on engaging organisations capable of professionally managing all aspects of a One Stop Shop service. Therefore, the registration process, for this new service, must be robust. The new Scheme is also grounded in robust governance and oversight processes to ensure the OSSs are meeting the necessary customer and quality performance indicators.

There are 12 OSSs registered and SEAI is supporting another 10 organisations through the registration process. The SEAI expects to have 15 registered OSSs offering whole house retrofits by the end of this year. SEAI registered One-Stop-Shops 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 cost of deep retrofit works to bring an individual home to a Building Energy Rating (BER) B2 is determined by a number of factors including the size and type of home as well as the starting condition of the home. The types of works applied for and the grant support available under the Scheme are informed by the Home Energy Assessment undertaken by the OSS.

Recent figures from the SEAI estimates that the cost of an OSS deep home retrofit ranges from €12,600 to €79,000 with a reported average total cost figure of €29,000 for completed works to date. While the average OSS home energy grant offer is €20,500. However, it is important to note that these averages may fluctuate depending on the applications submitted to the SEAI.

Applications for grant funding under the NHEUS take the form of a two-step process where the OSS apply on behalf of the homeowner for (1) a Home Energy Assessment grant and/ or and (2) a Home Energy Upgrade works grant for eligible measures required to bring the home to a B2 BER or better and achieve a primary energy uplift of 100 kWh/m²/yr.

The OSS is required to secure the consent of the homeowner before applying for a HEA or NHEUS grant. The HEA and the associated grant being separate to the home energy upgrade supports, means that the OSS will enter into separate contracts with homeowners at the two points of the process. These contracts will respectively provide that the OSS (i) complete the Home Energy Assessment within 12 months from the date the HEA grant offer issues and (ii) complete all home energy upgrade works associated with a property within 12 months of date of the grant offer.

Most recent figures from SEAI show that 681 homes have been approved for OSS home energy upgrades. The breakdown of this figure on a county basis can be found in the below table. This points to a strong pipeline of works for the coming months under the scheme. To date, energy upgrade works have been completed and paid for 89 homes.

Applications approved for deep home retrofit SEAI grant-aid under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (One-Stop-Shops)

The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 commits Ireland to reach a legally binding target of net-zero emissions no later than 2050, and a cut of 51% by 2030 (compared to 2018 levels). The Climate Action Plan set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the residential sector from 7 Mt CO2 eq. in 2018 to between 3.5-4.5 Mt CO2 eq. in 2030.

The Programme for Government and Climate Action Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal or carbon equivalent and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030.  This represents approximately 30% of the housing stock and is among the most ambitious retrofit programmes worldwide.

Recognising that the achievement of these targets will require a step-change in the pace and scale of delivery Ireland’s residential retrofit programme, earlier this year the Government has approved a package of 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% (up from 30%-35%) of the cost of a typical deep retrofit to a B2 BER standard.

- Significantly increasing the number of free energy upgrades for those at risk of energy poverty, up to 400 per month 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 as part of the government’s response to current exceptionally high energy prices.

To support the overarching policy objectives, the grant rates to homeowners are focused towards those measures which will be most effective in reducing energy use and reducing carbon emissions. Therefore, grant supports for wood pellet stoves will not be available under the SEAI residential energy upgrade schemes.

I propose to take Question numbers 191, 192 and 193 together.Government is acutely aware of the impact that the recent increases in global energy prices is having on households. This is why a €2.4 billion package of supports was implemented during 2022, and a package of once off measures worth €2.5 billion included in Budget 2023. The Budget package includes a new Electricity Cost Emergency Benefit Scheme through which €550.47 (exclusive of VAT) will be credited to each domestic electricity account in three payments of €183.49 (exclusive of VAT) in each of the following billing periods - November/December 2022, January/February 2023 and March/April 2023. The estimated cost of this scheme is €1.211 billion and will be provided to my Department through a Supplementary Estimate.The payment will be applied to domestic electricity accounts, including those with Pay As You Go meters, which are subject to distribution use of system charges at the rate for urban domestic customers (DG1) or the rate for rural domestic customers (DG2). The scheme uses the single identifier of the Meter Point Registration Number (MPRN) to ensure it can be administered automatically and without an application/approval process. This mechanism allowed payments to be made automatically to 2,138,939 domestic electricity accounts, over 99.36% of eligible accounts, under the first scheme which operated between April and June of this year.

It is not being applied to domestic gas accounts on the basis that it is intended to be a universal support. Not all consumers use gas but electricity is supplied to all households. While the majority of residential tenants will hold their own domestic electricity accounts, and therefore receive the credit directly, others could have tenancy agreements where tenants pay their actual share of each bill and, in those cases, will benefit from the payment because the amount of the bill will be reduced by the amount of the payment. A small proportion could have other arrangements in place whereby electricity costs are part of the rental cost. Where tenants have a dispute relating to tenancies including any terms relating to electricity payments, these can be referred to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) for dispute resolution. As there is not data set identifying this cohort, increasing awareness of entitlements of existing social protection measures, which include provision for help with household bills, is an important way of supporting people in this situation.Along with the Electricity Cost Emergency Benefit Scheme Budget 2023 also introduced measures including:

- €400 lump sum payment to Fuel Allowance recipients- €200 lump sum payment for pensioners and people with a disability getting the Living Alone Increase- €500 cost of living lump sum payment to all families getting Working Family Payment- double payment of Child Benefit to support all families with children- €500 cost of living payment for people receiving Carer's Support Grant will be paid in November- €500 lump sum cost of living disability support grant will be paid to all people receiving a long term disability paymentThe CRU has a dedicated email address for deputies to contact them oireachtas@cru.ie for timely replies.

I propose to take Question Nos. 194, 195, 196, 197 and 213 together.

The REPowerEU plan, which was published in May of this year, sets out a range of actions that can be taken at EU and Member State level. While the REPowerEU plan provides the potential for funding via the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the European legislation necessary to provide for such funding is not expected to come into force until early next year. At that point Ireland could amend its National Recovery and Resilience Plan to include any additional funding that may be available.

At this point, it is not clear how much funding may be available to Ireland or what proportions of such funding would be grants or loans. My Department is considering potential proposals for funding under this mechanism with the Departments of Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform.

To date, my Department has not received correspondence from the European Commission inviting applications for funding in relation to REPowerEU. My Department did receive a questionnaire focussing on “Gas supply: Immediate term preparedness”. In preparing a response for this questionnaire, much of the information requested was already available in my Department. Specific information was sought from relevant bodies as needed. 

I would note that Ireland’s current National Recovery and Resilience Plan has been approved by the European Commission. The objective of the plan is to contribute to a sustainable, equitable, green and digital recovery effort, in a manner that complements and supports the Government’s broader recovery efforts. 42% of the plan will support climate investments and reforms.

There is no single register for the number of households that have installed Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Solar PV panels are installed under a number of scenarios. Firstly, Solar PV is installed on new homes, as one of the measures to achieve compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations. These panels are not eligible for Government supports. Secondly, Solar PV panels are installed on existing buildings through grant supports offered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). Since 2018, the SEAI has supported the installation of domestic Solar PV systems for over 14,000 homes and with demand for the domestic Solar PV grant increasing significantly throughout the year, we expect that grant applications will exceed 12,600 in 2022 alone. Since the introduction of the MSS domestic grant in early 2022 applications levels are up 250% year on year. For 2023, the SEAI is forecasting to support over 12,500 homes and over 1,000 small businesses and community organisations. In addition to the MSS offering grant support to domestic and non-domestic applicants for renewable installations up to 6kW, these applicants will also be eligible to avail of the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff. As such, any residual renewable electricity not consumed on the premises of these microgenerators is now eligible for an export payment; which further supports the investment.

I refer the Deputy to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 47 of 8 September 2022 which notes that neither my Department nor DPER is legally permitted to grant pre-approval for a pension increase. An Post, which is an independent commercial semi-state body, has accordingly undertaken to submit that request in 2023 with the appropriate financial and actuarial reports required for further analysis. As stated in DPER Circular 16/2021, such proposals require NewERA’s views, as well as a business case setting out the strategic, policy and financial rationale for the proposed increase. The business case may also necessitate the inclusion of recent actuarial and financial reports, as will be the case with any subsequent An Post pension increase request.

Paragraph 8 of Circular 16/2021 states that approvals should be submitted for approval well in advance of any decision to implement changes and this is in acknowledgement of the necessary processes that must be completed and in order to ensure that pension increases are not unduly delayed. However, it should be recognised that the pension approval process does take time which is necessary to ensure that robust governance procedures are in place.

Ireland sources roughly one-quarter of its gas from the Corrib gas field, and three-quarters via an interconnector from the UK, which has diverse sources of supply. Both the UK and Ireland both have far less reliance on Russian gas than other European Countries. The UK’s gas supply comes from indigenous supplies, via pipelines from Norway, interconnectors with Belgium and the Netherlands and through imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). As production from the Corrib gas field declines, our import dependence on natural gas from the UK will increase in the near term. 

In light of the Ukraine crisis, the European Commission is working closely with Member States to protect the resilience of Europe’s gas supply. The Commission is also actively engaging with other countries to ensure sufficient and timely supply of natural gas to the EU from diverse sources across the globe to avoid supply shocks, including those that could result from disruptions.

The Programme for Government contains a commitment to end the issuing of new licences for the exploration and extraction of gas on the same basis as the decision taken in 2019 by the previous Government in relation to oil exploration and extraction. This commitment was made effective immediately upon the current Government taking office, and was placed on a statutory footing on commencement of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021.

Holders of existing authorisations are not affected by these changes, and may apply to progress their authorisations through the licensing stages towards a natural conclusion – which may include expiry, relinquishment or production. This means that a future commercial discovery in an existing authorisation could potentially reach production. Any applications for follow-on authorisations or applications to conduct petroleum activities in the Irish offshore under an authorisation require Ministerial consent, and are required to meet environmental, technical and financial standards as appropriate. If no further gas and oil is discovered in line with the above process, it could be assumed, given the decline of Corrib, that indigenous gas production will be relatively small post 2030.

In September, my Department launched a public consultation on the medium to long-term security of our electricity and gas systems. This review is considering the risks to both natural gas and electricity supplies and is examining a range of measures (including the need for additional capacity to import energy, energy storage, fuel diversification and renewable gases – such as hydrogen). The public consultation, which is open until the 28 October 2022, will help inform the review and the outcome of the review will be brought to Government for its consideration.

It is essential that we cut our dependence on imported fossil fuels, and power comes from our own indigenous renewable resources including wind and solar. Climate Action Plan 2021 sets an ambitious target to increase the share of electricity demand generated from renewable sources to up to 80% by 2030.

The Single Electricity Market (SEM) is the wholesale electricity market for the island of Ireland. The SEM is regulated by the SEM Committee. The SEM Committee comprises the two energy regulators, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and Northern Ireland’s Utility Regulator and an independent member.The operation and administration of the Single Electricity Market is managed by the Single Electricity Market Operator. Information on capacity auctions and timetables etc. is available in the public domain via the SEMO website: www.sem-o.com/As the Single Electricity Market is operated independently from me as Minister and my Department, the oversight of its operation is a matter for the regulatory authorities.

As a condition of petroleum authorisations, the holders of such authorisations are required to carry out technical work programmes in order to evaluate the prospectivity of the licenced area and to report the results of work programmes to the Geoscience Regulation Office of my Department. The holders of the exploration authorisations in the Slyne Basin, in nearby areas of the Mayo coast adjacent to the producing Corrib gas field, have mapped prospects in their licensed areas but have not drilled any wells on the authorisations. As such, exploration on the authorisations is in the early stages. While the Geoscience Regulation Office in my Department reviews the results of the agreed work programmes it does not carry out its own evaluation of the viability of reservoirs at the early stages of exploration in the licensed areas.

The Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) is targeting support for 380MW of installed micro-generation capacity by 2030, including over 60,000 small microgeneration connections less than 6 KW and 10,000 connections between 6 kW and 50 kW. The first phase of the scheme, consisting of a Domestic solar PV grant, commenced on the 16th February 2022. The second phase of the scheme, announced on 22nd September, sees Solar PV grants being extended to the non-domestic sector, for installations up to and including 6 kW. Grants are administered by SEAI and are up to a maximum of €2,400. This new phase of the scheme provides an opportunity for small businesses, farms and community groups to not only reduce their electricity bills but to visibly demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and Ireland’s broader climate action goals. Moreover, with the recent introduction of the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG), any residual renewable electricity not consumed on the premises of these microgenerators is now eligible for an export payment; which further supports the investment. The final phase of the MSS will involve the introduction of a Clean Export Premium (CEP) feed-in tariff, to support non-domestic applicants for installation sizes greater than 6kWp up to 50kWp. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) will consult on an implementation plan for the CEP tariff, which will consist of a guaranteed export tariff support for new installations, that is fixed for 15 years. The Climate Action Plan also commits to the development of a support scheme for small-scale generation (above 50kW). This scheme will enable larger businesses, farms and community projects to maximise their participation in the energy transition. The design of the scheme is being progressed, with a public consultation process closing last week, on 13th October. The scheme is expected to become available in 2023.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) administers a range of grant schemes to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. Grants of up to 50% are now available for individuals who can afford to contribute to the cost of upgrades as well as free energy efficiency retrofits for people at risk of energy poverty.Delivering free energy upgrades to low-income households and reducing the waiting times on the Warmer Homes Scheme waiting list is a top priority for my Department and SEAI. In order to reduce this timeline to completion and target a monthly average of 400 completions this year, the following actions have already been taken:

- The budget, at €109 million, is nearly three times the 2021 outturn (€38 million) and funding has also been sought through the European Regional Development Fund;

- SEAI has been allocated additional staff for the Warmer Homes Scheme;

- SEAI is working to increase contractor output through active contract engagement and management.Latest data provided to my Department by the SEAI indicates that, for homes completed in 2022 under the Warmer Homes Scheme, the longest time waiting for a survey is 9 months, and the average cycle time from application to completion is 27 months. In recent years, cycle times have been affected by COVID related issues. In addition, there are deeper measures being provided under the Scheme since 2018, which involve more substantive works. At present, there is approximately 9,600 applicants on the Warmer Homes Scheme work programme.The previous question 49201/22 from the Deputy asked for the number of applicants who are currently awaiting approval for works.

The Better Energy Homes Scheme and Solar PV Scheme are demand-led schemes which require homeowners to procure their own contractor following grant approval from SEAI (this approval process is instantaneous once all requirements for the SEAI grant application portal are met by applicants). Latest figures from SEAI show that under the Better Energy Homes Scheme the average cycle time for applications that were received and completed in 2022 is 3.6 months and 6 months for applications completed in 2022. While for the Solar PV Scheme the figures are 4.2 months for applications received and completed in 2022 and 5.5 months for applications completed in 2022.  Applications prior to this year were more likely to be impacted by Covid with respect to their timeline to completion. Under the National Home Energy Home Upgrade Scheme and Community Energy Grant Scheme, homeowners engage a registered One Stop Shop or Project Co-ordinator, respectively, to manage the grant application process and oversee delivery of the retrofit on their behalf. Works must be completed under these schemes within 12 months.

The administration and management of applications under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant schemes are an operational matter for the SEAI. As Minister, I have no function with regard to individual grant applications. The SEAI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that such queries can be addressed promptly, in line with SEAI’s objective to deliver services to the highest standards. The email address is oireachtas@seai.ie

Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity market is a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) which is an independent Regulator, and was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity sector following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 and subsequent legislation. The key benefit of micro-generation is the money you save on your electricity bill by consuming some of your own power, especially as we see rising electricity bills as a result of the war in Ukraine. I signed the Regulations that provide for the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) on the 15th February this year and since then the necessary implementation work has been completed by ESB Networks and suppliers, under the guidance of the CRU, to deliver this benefit to micro-generators. The CRU published a decision on an interim enabling framework for the CEG which outlines the arrangements for its implementation, including eligibility criteria and remuneration methodology. As part of this, the CRU has decided that suppliers will set their individual CEG tariffs on a competitive market basis. I am aware that while all suppliers have now advertised their rates, not all suppliers have made initial payments. The CRU has asked suppliers to communicate their decision to their customers on when initial CEG payments will be made at the earliest opportunity. However, it is important to note that microgenerators will not lose out, as payments will be backdated to the date of eligibility or the 15th February 2022 (the date the regulations were enacted), whichever is the latest. The Deputy may wish to note that CRU provides a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members, which enables them to raise questions on general energy regulatory matters to CRU at oireachtas@cru.ie for timely direct reply.

The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the tables below: Minister Alex White 2014-2016:

Minister Dennis Naughten 2016-2018:

Minster Richard Bruton 2018- 2020:

Minister of State Sean Canney 2018-2020:

Minister Eamonn Ryan 2020 to date :

*The advisors referenced above work across the portfolio of both this Department as well as that of the Department of Transport. As the payment is through the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, all are included in this response.

All appointments were made in line with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Ministerial Appointments and expenses circular and guidelines and all Special Adviser contracts are co terminus with that of the Minister.

The Warmth and Wellbeing pilot scheme aims to objectively measure and validate the health and wellbeing impacts of improving the living conditions of vulnerable people living in energy poverty with chronic respiratory conditions. The scheme is a collaboration between my Department and the Department of Health and was jointly administered by the Health Service Executive and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Since 2016, almost 1,500 homes have received free upgrades to their homes, including attic and wall insulation, window and door replacement and heating system upgrades where needed.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) were engaged to carry out, in collaboration with the HSE, an independent analysis of the health impacts of improved energy efficiency among the participants in the research element of this scheme. The LSHTM has been working closely with the research committee for the project, which consists of officials from my Department, the HSE, the Department of Health and the SEAI since then. A draft final report has been submitted to the Department and is now subject to final reviews and comments for the project team. I will be publishing the report in full shortly when it is finalised.

The report shows positive results for the participants as a result of the energy efficiency upgrades carried out in their homes. These included:

- warmer, more comfortable homes, with heating systems that are easier to control;

- improved physical health including reduced pain;

- improved mental health and wellbeing including reduced feelings of anxiety and depression;

- reduced visits to GP and A&E and fewer incidences requiring hospitalisation;

- reduced prescription drug usage for their respiratory conditions;

- being more comfortable inviting other to their homes.

Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is the State Agency whose remit is provide scientific and management to advice to me, as Minister, on legislative measures to preserve each of the individual salmon stocks around the country.  Annual legislation is enacted based on the conservation imperative that exploitation is only permitted, by the most appropriate method, where there is a sufficient surplus of fish above safe biological limits.

The use of monofilament nets was permitted in both Cork Harbour and Castlemaine following a detailed study carried out by IFI and at a time when salmon were more abundant in these areas. This study was submitted to the then Minister in the context of setting out secondary legislation for salmon management.

This method of fishing is currently under review by IFI in the light of the latest data and, for conservation reasons, there are no plans to extend its use to other areas. 

The Government has not made any changes to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant for heating controls, available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme. Heating control grants are available to all homeowners, including landlords, whose homes were built and occupied before 2011. Summary performance requirements are available from the SEAI website at Homeowner-Application-Guide.pdf (seai.ie). Homeowners must undertake a Building Energy Rating (BER) on their home after grant aided works have been completed. The grants for heating controls and BER are €700 and €50, respectively.

The National Heat Study, published by the SEAI in February 2022, is a comprehensive analysis of the options for reaching net zero emissions from the heating sector by 2050 and contains detailed analysis which will now facilitate the development of options, policies, and measures to decarbonise the heating and cooling sectors to 2050. The Study considered a number of potential decarbonisation options for a wide range of dwelling and business types. This included the use of liquid biofuels, solid biomass, biogases, and other technologies such as heat pumps and district heating networks. The Study finds that heat pumps play a significant role in decarbonising heat. The recommendation of the Study is that heat pumps are the correct decarbonisation path for domestic heating systems, with district heating also being a competitive option that can be widely deployed. Furthermore, in line with the recent agreement on Sectoral Emissions Ceilings to deliver up to 5.7 TWh of biomethane to further accelerate the reduction of overall economy-wide emissions, an obligation on the heat sector to include renewable heat will be introduced by 2024. The introduction of this Obligation will incentivise the use of renewable heat, while spreading the obligation across all non-renewable fuel types. A technical consultation will soon be undertaken, to directly inform the design of a Renewable Heat Obligation.`

I refer the Deputy to a previous reply in relation to this matter, in response to Parliamentary Question 48164 answered on 4 October 2022. The position is unchanged.

Question No. 213 answered with No. 194.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for the policy and overall funding in relation to Active Travel. The National Transport Authority (NTA) in turn works with local authorities to determine funding for specific projects and oversees their development including the relevant design works.

In 2022, €289 million was allocated to the National Transport Authority (NTA) to fund walking and cycling around the country. Noting the NTA's role in relation to the Deputy's specific question about Galway, I have referred your question to that agency for a detailed reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 216 together.

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators. In addition, the NTA is also responsible for determining the organisation of shared systems such as real-time passenger information (RTPI).

In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's questions to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

As the 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.

The issue of the reliability of specific train services is first and foremost an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply.

Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision of bus stops/shelters.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.

As the 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.

The issues raised by the Deputy regarding the number of instances of Irish Rail bridges and level crossing gates in Dublin being struck by vehicles, as well the number of acts of vandalism on Irish rail assets and property are an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's questions to the company for direct reply.

Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

My Department takes the security of it’s Information Technology and email systems very seriously. It would not be appropriate to disclose information which might assist criminals to identify potential vulnerabilities in Departmental cybersecurity arrangements and for that reason I will not elaborate further on operational security matters. I can confirm that our technical staff continue to operate and monitor all relevant systems to the highest levels, and are closely engaged with experts in the OGCIO and the NCSC to ensure that we follow best practice as it relates to all aspects of Cybersecurity.

I have referred your question to the agencies under the aegis of my Department for direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

My Department currently stores a low proportion of data in the cloud. We have an agreed Cloud Computing policy in place since September 2021 which has established a cloud first strategy in the development of all new systems in line with the Government’s Cloud Computing Advice Note of October 2019. Those systems that have moved to the cloud have proved successful and my Department will continue to examine its systems and migrate same when and where appropriate to ensure the full advantages of cloud computing are realised.

I have referred your question to the agencies under the aegis of my Department for direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

The Ukraine crisis and matters arising from it continue to adversely affect European and Global oil markets, causing a sustained increase in the price of crude and in the price of refined products on the retail market.

The Government recognises the important role the haulage sector plays in supporting the economy and is fully aware of cost pressures on haulage businesses arising from high fuel prices in particular since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.

The Government has put in place several measures to ease these cost pressures:

- On 10 March 2022, in direct response to the crisis in Ukraine, the Government introduced an Excise duty reduction of 15 cent per litre of diesel. This has now been extended to 28 February 2023.

- On 15 March 2022, the Government introduced the Licensed Haulage Emergency Support Scheme. The Scheme was administered by the Department of Transport and provided a temporary financial support of €100 per week, for eight weeks, for each eligible heavy goods vehicle authorised on the licence of a road haulage operator as of 11 March 2022. There was good uptake of the scheme, with over €15.6 million paid out to c. 3,080 operators (approx. 80% of licensed operators.)

- The Revenue Diesel Rebate Scheme (‘DRS’) has been in place since 2013 and remains available to licensed haulage operators in respect of vehicles over 7.5 tonnes. At diesel prices over €1.43 (including VAT), the maximum rebate of 7.5 cent per litre is provided. Data from the Revenue Commissioners shows that not all licensed operators currently avail of this support – I would encourage all eligible operators to do so.

- The rising cost of fuel was further recognised by the Government in the Budget through the reduction of the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) Levy to zero. The reduction of the NORA levy, which had been collected at a rate of 2 cent per litre, will help offset the carbon tax increase of just over 2 cent which took effect on 12 October, meaning that the price of fuel will not go up as a result of taxes or levies.

However, it should be noted that the causes of the current fuel price pressures are not within the control of Government and are being directly influenced by external factors, including the Ukraine crisis. Unfortunately, we must accept that it will not be possible to fully insulate citizens and businesses from the impact of these fuel price increases.

Since early March with the benefit of the excise reduction, 8 weeks support under the Licensed Haulage Support Scheme and the ongoing Diesel Rebate relief, haulage businesses will have had the opportunity to revise and renegotiate contracts with their clients in order to reflect increased prices, as is an unfortunate reality in all sectors across the economy.

The Government has limited resources but through the Excise measure, as well as the Licensed Haulage Emergency Support Scheme, it has responded to help to ease the impact of these price increases.

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy’s question in relation to the timetabling of public transport to MTU in Tralee, to the NTA for direct response. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

As the Road Safety Authority has statutory responsibility for the operation of the national driving test service, this question is being referred to the Authority for direct reply.

I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.

On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The appointment of Special Advisers is subject to section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997.

From July 2020 costs of special adviser(s) to the Minister for Transport were absorbed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

The salary costs for the advisers to Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton are detailed below:

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators. In addition, the NTA is also responsible for decisions relating to the granting of licences to private bus operators and I have no role in this matter.

In view of the above, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question in relation to Charleville students trying to access college in Limerick and Cork without adequate morning public transport services, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area which includes, in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), MetroLink.

The current arrangements for the MetroLink statutory consultation process are aligned with legislative requirements, with submissions to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála. TII and the NTA recognise that some aspects of the Railway Order process are quite technical and have set up a process to assist residents’ groups in interpreting technical designs, drawings, etc. and formulating their responses. Independent experts, RINA, have been appointed to review the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) on behalf of the residents’ groups and assist the residents in preparing their Railway Order submissions. Written submissions on the plans can be made to An Bord Pleanála until 25 November.

Given the statutory nature of this process, and the need to expeditiously advance the MetroLink planning stage, it is not my intention to seek an extension of the public consultation period from An Bord Pleanála.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has undertaken a significant amount of work to decide the preferred route for MetroLink and the concerns and considerations of residents along the route have played an important role in this. A public consultation took place from 22 March to 11 May 2018 along the full length of the route and almost 8,000 submissions were received and considered by TII. A further round of public consultation on the route took place between 26 March and 21 May 2019, with over 2,000 submissions received. Following the submission of the Railway Order planning application from TII to An Bord Pleanála on 30 September, written submissions on the plans can also be made to An Bord Pleanála until 25 November.

TII and the National Transport Authority (NTA) recognise that some aspects of the Railway Order process are quite technical and have set up a process to assist residents’ groups in interpreting technical designs, drawings, etc. and formulating their responses. Independent experts, RINA, have been appointed to review the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) on behalf of the residents’ groups and assist the residents in preparing their Railway Order submissions.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The NTA has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area which includes, in conjunction with TII, MetroLink.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a more detailed direct reply to the specific issues raised. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 230, 231, 232 and 234 together.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for the policy and overall funding in relation to Active Travel. In 2021, approximately €313 million was allocated through the National Transport Authority (NTA) to local authorities to fund walking and cycling around the country. The NTA works with the local authorities to determine funding for specific projects and oversees their development.

While this investment marked a large increase in the delivery and expenditure on Active Travel between 2020 and 2021, there was a significant under-spend last year compared to available funds. Factors constraining delivery of Active Travel infrastructure in 2021 included the impact of COVID restrictions, planning issues and staffing constraints. In 2022, however, many of the larger budgets and projects have now bedded-in, new staff are being recruited by the local authorities, and the situation is improving. We expect a much higher draw-down on available funds this year leading to increased delivery.

Noting the NTA's role in the matter, I have referred your specific questions to that agency for a more detailed reply . Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

Deputy,

My Department issued funds to local authorities in 2021 in a wide range of areas. The areas included regional and local road improvement and maintenance, active travel, greenways and Electric Vehicle grant funding.  Funds directly disbursed by the Department to local authorities are tabulated below.

Table 1: EV Grants

Table 2: Environmental Remediation Works

Table 3: Greenways

The EV grant is for a pilot Community Mobility Charging Hub in Finglas which launched in September 2022. Following the transfer of New Ross Port to Wexford Council in 2019, the Department agreed to provide funding towards the remediation of some port sites which presented a potential for serious contamination or environmental risk. 

The development of the Greenway network is now managed directly by TII, including the allocation of funding following agreement between the Department and TII during the course of 2021. The Department issued the 2021 grant funding round. Reasons for expenditure delays include planning and construction delays, and restrictions caused by Covid-19 health measures, which exacerbated these delays. In addition, €20m capital funding "carried over" from 2020 meant that some grant allocations for 2021 were not spent as Councils continued to spend the 2020 grant allocations on delayed projects. 

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for the policy and overall funding in relation to Active Travel.  The National Transport Authority (NTA) in turn allocates this funding to local authorities and works with them to determine funding for specific projects and to oversee project development.

In 2021, €285.13 million was allocated to the National Transport Authority (NTA) to fund walking and cycling around the country. Noting the NTA's role in relation to this matter, I have referred your question to that agency for a detailed reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.

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 initial selection and prioritisation of works to be funded is also a matter for the local authority.

In terms of the regional and local road grant funding allocated to each Local Authority in 2021, details of the regional and local road grant allocations to local authorities are outlined in the regional and local road allocations booklets which are available in the Oireachtas Library. As regards the funding drawn down by each Local Authority in 2021, this is reflected in the regional and local road payments booklets which are also available in the Oireachtas Library.

The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including SPSV licensing, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016.  I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.

Accordingly, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within 10 working days.  

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts. 

The Young Adult Card (YAC) was initially introduced on PSO services in May. Following extensive engagement between my Department, the NTA, and representatives from the commercial bus sector the initiative was broadened to include participating Commercial Bus Operators (CBOs) on the 4th of September. As a result, holders of a YAC or Student Leap Card can now avail of the 50% fare discount on both PSO and CBO services.

In relation to the issue of eligibility requirements for the YAC, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the NTA has informed me that the widening of the age of eligibility for Student Leap Cards to include third level students aged 16, 17 and 18 in the YAC scheme has gone live with effect from last Thursday 13th October.

The Electric Small Public Service Vehicle (eSPSV) Grant Scheme is in place to support the greening of the SPSV, or taxi, sector. It is aimed at improving air quality in urban areas, reducing the CO2 emissions of a sector which typically has very high mileage, and also can positively influence the uptake of zero emission passenger cars by improving general perception and awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles.

The SPSV industry is regarded as a champion in the normalisation of electric vehicle use. The Scheme is funded by the Department of Transport and administered by NTA acting as agents of the Department with delegated authority and as the licensing authority for SPSVs. €15m was allocated in 2022 to enable owners of small public service vehicles, such as taxis, hackneys and limousines, to buy electric vehicles.

In accordance with the terms and conditions of the eSPSV grant scheme, applicants may be granted one extension for a three-month period in which to complete and finalise their application. Given the difficulties in obtaining vehicles, extensions have been granted on a case by cases basis, but only up to three months; and where proof is provided that a vehicle is on order and the date it will become available. No further extensions are available after this time period on the original application. If the application process is timed out an individual is able to reapply to the scheme and will be considered a new applicant for the purpose of the scheme. No extensions will be granted past 2022. Applicants can apply under the new scheme in 2023.

Queries on individual cases should be directed to the NTA as the scheme administrators.

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question in relation to the Bus Éireann Navan NX route and the critical need for a train from Navan to Dublin, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

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 such as driver recruitment.

I understand that many operators in the transport sector are experiencing difficulties with staffing difficulties both as a result of COVID-19 related absences and also difficulties in recruiting new drivers. These issues are found across all types of operators both public and private.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has informed me that they are working with operators to try and mitigate the impacts through recruitment campaigns in recent months with significant numbers of additional drivers expected once required training and tests are completed and licenses issued by the RSA. In addition the NTA are engaging with the RSA to try and expediate the testing and licence process for new bus drivers.

As the Road Safety Authority has statutory responsibility for the operation of the national driving test this question is being referred to the Authority for direct reply. 

I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.

The Road Safety Authority has statutory responsibility for the operation of the national driving test including all application and scheduling matters. 

The question in relation to this case is being referred to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.

As the Deputy may be aware, in late 2018, the then Government gave approval for the publication of a General Scheme of a Bill to amend the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 so as to provide for the regulation of rickshaws.Work was undertaken to advance the drafting of this bill and it was included in the legislative priority list for 2019. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a change in priorities.

I have agreed other work priorities for delivery in 2022 and 2023, and no consideration is being given to re-commencing work in this particular area, at this time.

The Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the electric vehicle charging network over the coming years. A draft national charging infrastructure strategy for the development of EV charging infrastructure, covering the period out to 2025 was published for consultation in March.

The draft strategy sets out the government’s ambition regarding the delivery of a public EV charging network to support up to 195,000 electric cars and vans by the middle of the decade. Responses and submissions received as part of the consultation are currently being considered in the development of the final Strategy for publication later this year.

Having an effective and reliable recharging network is essential to enabling drivers to choose electric. Home charging is the primary charging method for most Irish EV owners as it’s convenient and cheaper for the consumer as well assists in the overall management of the national grid. Over 80% of charging is expected to happen at home. I am deeply cognisant of the need to facilitate residents without a driveway to charge their EV at a reasonable cost within their neighbourhood.

On 21st July I launched a new dedicated Office, Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, which will oversee and accelerate Ireland’s transition to zero emission vehicles. A suite of new of grants and initiatives have been announced including the development of a new residential charging grant which will focus on providing neighbourhood and residential charging solutions, targeting areas where residents do not have access to off street parking and a home charger .

Officials from my Department are liaising closely with the Local Government Management Agency on plans to deliver charging solutions to these types of neighbourhoods.

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's specific question in relation to the 7.30am service on bus route 17, to the NTA for directly reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

The Government launched the National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP) in April 2022. The SMP sets out a framework for active travel and public transport to support Ireland’s overall requirement to achieve a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and seeks to ensure that the development of active travel and public transport infrastructure are fully integrated. As part of this integrated approach, the existing commitment in the Programme for Government to establish a National Public Transport Forum was incorporated into the National Sustainable Mobility Policy as a commitment to convene a National Sustainable Mobility Forum to engage with all stakeholders on progress in relation to the SMP.

A further commitment in the SMP was the establishment of a Leadership Group to oversee implementation of the policy and delivery of its Action Plan. The intention of this Leadership Group is that the National Sustainable Mobility Forum, which it intends to hold on an annual basis, will provide an opportunity for regular engagement and interaction with a wide range of stakeholders, and that this Forum will be a crucial mechanism to ensure that implementation of the SMP is progressed on schedule. The Department of Transport intends to convene the first National Sustainable Mobility Forum in Q2 2023 to coincide with the first anniversary of the launch of the SMP. This will be an opportune moment to take stock of progress made during the SMP's first year, as well as to look towards the next steps required to deliver on the SMP’s core objective of achieving an additional 500,000 daily active travel and public transport journeys and a 10% reduction in kilometres driven by fossil-fuelled cars by 2030.

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.

The issues raised in relation to fines issued by Dublin Bus, Irish rail and Transdev, the Luas operator to passengers for fare evasion is a matter for each of the individual transport operators.

Therefore, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the agency with responsibility for the Luas operator Transdev, for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.  The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area, including BusConnects Dublin.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply.  Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.

On the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The appointment of Special Advisers is subject to section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997.

From July 2020 costs for special adviser(s) to the Minister for Transport were absorbed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

The Budget 2023 expenditure allocation for carbon reduction and public transport is €1.53 billion, as announced on 27 September. Officials in my Department and the transport agencies are now working to agree more precise programme and project-level allocations for 2023, and these will be available in the Revised Estimates Volume before the end of the year.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.  The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision of the PSO bus fleet. 

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question regarding bus numbers in 2021 and 2022 to the NTA for a direct reply.  Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.

I can confirm that the itinerary of Minister of State Naughton did not include meetings with officials of the airlines referred to by the Deputy.

As the 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.

The issue of the installation of artwork in train stations and the associated costs is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have therefore forwarded the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply.

Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the NTA has informed me that the widening of the age of eligibility for Student Leap Cards to include third level students aged 16, 17 and 18 in the Young Adult Card (YAC) scheme has gone live with effect from last Thursday 13th October.

All enquires relating to driver licensing are handled by the National Driver Licence Service, the provision of which I have delegated to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) under the relevant legislation. I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the RSA for direct reply. If he has not heard from the Authority in 10 working days, I would ask that he contact my office directly.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and oversight of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area including, in conjunction with Iarnród Éireann, the re-commissioning works at Kishogue Station.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a more detailed reply on the specific issue raised.  Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.

As the Deputy may be aware, due to the suspension of driver testing services in the first 2020 lockdown, along with associated health protocols when the service resumed and further curtailing of services during subsequent restrictions, a significant backlog developed. Following the easing of public health restrictions, considerable progress was made in addressing this backlog, with waiting times being reduced significantly.

However, there has been an increase in application volumes and learners becoming eligible to take their test since the start of the year as the economy once again reopened post-pandemic and many learners who availed of increased capacity in the Driver Theory Test are now becoming eligible. While there has been some growth in demand over the summer months and accompanying seasonal capacity constraints, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is confident that current delays within the system will rectify before year end. 

 In early 2022, the RSA conducted a review of the current and evolving needs of the driver tester service. As a consequence, the number of permanent driver testers employed by the RSA was recommended to be raised from 100 to 130. My Department approved this request and following the recruitment process it is expected that additional testers will commence work by year end.

 As the operation of the national driving test service is the statutory responsibility of the RSA information on the driving test waiting times in the County Meath area is held by the Authority.  I have therefore referred this part of the question to the RSA for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.

In response to the Deputy's question, I can advise of the following Exchequer supports provided by my Department to Irish airports during the period 2015-2021 and to date in 2022:

In relation to 2022 figures provided above, these amounts relate to the amounts of capital funding that I have allocated to the eligible airports under the Regional Airports Programme in 2022 to date. This funding is to be drawn down by airports by the end of the year.

A further €22 million in operational support is also available in 2022 under the Programme, to support air traffic control, fire services and security related non-economic operations at Shannon, Cork, Donegal, Ireland West and Kerry airports. My Department is currently assessing operational funding applications from these airports with a view to this funding being dispersed in early December.

Waterford Airport is not eligible for funding in 2022. While the airport had been eligible for funding under the Regional Airports Programme in the past, following a continued decline in demand for services over successive years from 2008, Waterford Airport became ineligible for funding when all remaining scheduled flights ceased at the airport in June 2016. In the absence of scheduled passenger flights, Waterford Airport’s operations fail to meet the connectivity objective associated with Government policy on regional airports and the new Regional Airports Programme (2021-2025).

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. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.

Therefore, in light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question in relation to the consequences for persons who have already purchased an annual bus ticket in relation to the latest extension of the reduction of public transport fees, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 259 together.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.  The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Greater Dublin Area, including BusConnects Dublin. 

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply.  Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 260, 261, 289, 290, 291, 292, 294 and 295 together.

As the Deputies may be aware, income arising from a scholarship held by an individual receiving full-time instruction at a university, college, school or other educational establishment is exempt from income tax, Universal Social Charge (USC) and PRSI where the conditions for the relief in accordance with Section 193 of the Taxes Consolidation Act (TCA) 1997 are met.

I am advised by Revenue that, in order to qualify for the exemption, one of the key requirements is that the individual in receipt of the scholarship income must be in full-time instruction at an educational establishment. In addition, the object of the scholarship must be the promotion of the education of the holder rather than the promotion of research through the holder. For the scholarship exemption to apply, there must be no element of service (directly or indirectly) between the sponsor and the student, and the award must not arise from an office or employment (directly or indirectly) with the sponsor.

Revenue also advises that fellowships are generally regarded as being distinct from a scholarship. Students, for example post-doctoral students, who have a salaried position in order to provide research services are not considered to be under full time instruction. In such cases, the scholarship exemption does not apply, and PAYE must be operated by the payer. Further details in relation to the scholarship exemption can be found on Revenue’s website at www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/income-tax-capital-gains-tax-corporation-tax/part-07/07-01-26.pdf

Finally, in the case of stipends to participants in the Innovate for Ireland programme, Revenue advises that in order for the exemption from tax, USC and PRSI to apply, it will be necessary for the students to meet the conditions set out in section 193 TCA 1997. Otherwise, the stipends will be taxable in full.

I wish to remind the deputy that NAMA was established as an independent commercial body and as Minister for Finance, I do not have a role in its operations or decisions.

As the deputy will be aware, NAMA does not own property, rather NAMA owns loans relating to property and the properties themselves act as security for the loans. Properties commonly referred to as “NAMA properties” are in fact owned by private entities who are “NAMA debtors”. The management and maintenance of any NAMA-secured property remains the responsibility of the NAMA debtors. Where a receiver is appointed, they take over these duties and act as agent of the NAMA debtors. In relation to Carrickmines Green, John McStay and Jim Luby of McStay Luby, stand appointed as receiver and agent of the original developer.

While I recognise the considerable anxiety that building defects can cause homeowners and the substantial costs that can be associated with rectifying them, neither I, nor NAMA, can force a receiver to take a particular course of action.

Additionally, by virtue of section 10 of the NAMA Act, NAMA is required to obtain the best achievable financial return from its acquired assets. Any strategies employed in relation to the assets were therefore guided by these legal and statutory obligations.

It should be noted that there is current litigation between the receiver and the Owners Management Company (“OMC”) in relation to the development at Carrickmines Green which NAMA understands is due back in court on 24 October.

Given the on-going litigation, NAMA is not in a position to substantively engage in certain issues, which it is understood are the subject of disputed claims in the ongoing pending litigation.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 263 and 264 together.

The position is that the amount of Universal Social Charge (USC) liability associated with the 3% surcharge on non-PAYE income in excess €100,000 per annum, can only be ascertained when the relevant tax returns have been filed. Data for 2020 should be available in Q4 of this year, while data for 2021 will only be available next year once the returns for 2021 are received, processed and the relevant figures compiled.

However, I am advised by Revenue that the liability associated with the 3% surcharge on non-PAYE income in excess of €100,000 amounted to €71 million and €65 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The origins of the 3% USC surcharge that applies on non-PAYE income in excess of €100,000 per annum, go back to Budget 2011 and Finance Act 2011 when the USC was first introduced.

Against the background of difficult decisions at the time to address problems associated with the public finances, the 3% USC surcharge was introduced to ensure that the relative position as regards the top marginal tax rates for PAYE income earners (52%) and self-employed income earners (55%) remained unchanged when compared with the position before Budget 2011.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government states that the 3% USC surcharge applied to self-employed income is unfair and it contains a commitment that proposals will be considered to ameliorate this over time as resources allow.

However, as the Deputy will appreciate, having regard to current cost of living pressures which impact on low income earners the hardest, it would not be appropriate to seek to address the USC surcharge issue at this time.

It is also important to note that abolishing or reducing the USC surcharge on non-PAYE income would result in a reduction in the overall tax yield, thus potentially raising the question of an alternative revenue stream.

For operational and security reasons, the National Cyber Security Centre have provided advice not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise those efforts. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose information which might assist criminals to identify potential vulnerabilities in departmental, or bodies under the aegis', cybersecurity arrangements. Therefore, it is not considered appropriate to disclose particular arrangements in place in relation to total spend on cybersecurity measures, cyber security tools and services. Furthermore my Department and those State Agencies under my remit do not comment on operational security matters.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) provides ICT services for my Department. The OGCIO produced a Cloud Computing Advice Note in October 2019 which moved the overall debate on the use of cloud from whether to move to cloud, to what, how and when to move to cloud. The focus of my Department and those of the State Agencies under my remit is on using cloud to deliver efficient digital services and where appropriate, use the cloud for the storage of data, in line with Data Protection guidance.

For expenses to be deductible they must be wholly and exclusively laid out or expended for the purposes of the trade or profession. This is in accordance with section 81 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, which sets out the general rules for deductions for the computation of profits or gains arising in respect of trades and professions. I am advised by Revenue that, as a general rule, subsistence expenses such as food are not deductible by sole traders for tax purposes.

Expenditure incurred on food in the course of a trade or profession will generally have a duality of purpose in that the person has the ordinary need to eat. Where expenditure is incurred on food because the taxpayer must eat away from home, that expenditure is not wholly and exclusively laid out or expended for the purposes of the trade or profession and therefore is not an allowable expense.

In the case of employees, in accordance with section 114 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, where an employee is necessarily obliged to incur and defray out of the emoluments of the employment expenses of travelling in the performance of the duties of the employment, or otherwise to expend money wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the performance of those duties, the expenses may be deducted from the emoluments of the employee to be assessed to income tax.

Arising from an employee’s entitlement to a tax deduction under section 114, in respect of certain expenses, there exists a long-standing Revenue practice under which employers may reimburse tax-free to employees the expenses of travel (and subsistence relating to that travel), subject to certain conditions being fulfilled. I am advised by Revenue that the conditions under which the reimbursement to employees of the expenses of travel and subsistence may generally be made without deduction of tax are as follows:

(a) firstly, the employee must be temporarily away from his/her normal place of work in the performance of the duties of his/her employment;

(b) secondly, the travel and subsistence expenses must be necessarily incurred in the performance of the duties of the office or employment, and

(c) thirdly, arising from a long-accepted position, supported by tax case law, the expenses of subsistence must attach to travelling necessarily incurred in the performance of the duties of the office or employment.

Moreover, provided the employee bears the cost of all expenses of travel necessarily incurred in the performance of the duties of his/her employment (and bears the cost of subsistence relating to such travel), Revenue will disregard for income tax purposes the reimbursement of expenses of travel and subsistence, where such reimbursement is made by way of:

(a) a flat rate up to, but not exceeding, the prevailing Civil Service rates for travel and subsistence, or

(b) a flat rate based on any other schedule of rates and related conditions of travel and subsistence, which do no more than reimburse the employee for actual expenditure necessarily incurred.

I wish to advise the Deputy that I am aware of the recent media reports regarding bond purchases made by the ECB.

I am advised that the ECB is also aware of reports concerning corporate bond purchases under the Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP). The list of corporate bond securities held under the CSPP/PEPP as of October 2022 is available on the ECB website at the location in this link.

www.ecb.europa.eu/mopo/implement/app/html/index.en.html

The ECB further advises that the Eurosystem does not publish a detailed breakdown of its corporate bond holdings by issuer. Such disclosure could compromise the effectiveness of monetary policy and impair the ECB’s ability to pursue its primary objective of price stability. However, the Eurosystem remains committed to being as transparent as possible. It will therefore continue to publish breakdowns by country, rating and industry sector every six months.

www.ecb.europa.eu/mopo/implement/app/html/ecb.cspp_climate_change-faq.en.html

I understand that the Eurosystem aims to gradually decarbonise its corporate bond holdings, on a path aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. To that end, the Eurosystem will tilt these holdings towards issuers with better climate performance through the reinvestment of the sizeable redemptions expected over the coming years. The ECB will start disclosing climate-related information on its corporate bond holdings in the first quarter of 2023.

Further information on the above matters is available in the FAQ factsheet available on the ECB website at this link.

www.ecb.europa.eu/mopo/implement/app/html/ecb.cspp_climate_change-faq.en.html

The Irish Real Estate Fund (IREF) tax regime was introduced in Finance Act 2016. An IREF is an investment undertaking, or a sub-fund, which derives 25% or more of its market value (either directly or indirectly) from real estate assets in the State. IREFs are not subject to dividend withholding tax, they are subject to an IREF Withholding Tax (WHT) of 20% on distributions to non-resident investors. The legislative provisions exempt certain categories of non-resident investors such as pension funds, life assurance companies and other collective investment undertakings from having IREF withholding tax applied in circumstances where the appropriate declarations are in place.

Irish resident investors are generally subject to a separate investment undertaking tax, at a rate of 41% for individuals and 25% for companies, on distributions received from the fund.

In addition to a 20% IREF WHT on distributions, the Finance Act 2019 introduced a charge to income tax at the rate of 20% at the level of the IREF to counter the use of excessive debt and other payments to reduce distributable profits. The three anti-avoidance measures introduced in 2019 included (i) a debt cap, to limit excessive leveraging and resulting interest, (ii) a property financing cost ratio, to limit excessive interest rates, and (iii) a “wholly and exclusively” test to limit excessive expenses.

IREF WHT applies on the happening of an “IREF taxable event” which is essentially the passing of value or profits to the unitholder. The operating and pre-tax profits of an IREF will include both realised and unrealised amounts (such as increases in the value of property held by the IREF). Therefore, it is not meaningful to compare the amount of tax arising on the transfer of profits to investors with the accounting profits of an IREF. Where profits remain in the fund, either because they are gains that are recorded in the accounts but not yet realised or because they are being reinvested in Irish property, a charge to IREF WHT does not apply.

Notwithstanding the above limitations, I have set out for the Deputy the operating and pre-tax profits* on the financial statements respectively in each of the years 2018 to 2020 in Table 1. In 2020, IREFs reported an operating loss of approximately €440 million and Revenue is in the process of establishing the nature of these losses.

Table 1 – IREF Operating Profit and Profit Before Tax Figures* as per IREF Financial Statements

*I am advised by Revenue that the profit amounts set out in Table 1 are provided for indicative purposes only and are subject to caveats. For example, there can be inconsistencies in how the figures are reported and in some cases the figures have been netted. There can also be inconsistency in the length of the financial periods, with some in excess of 12 months. This was evident last year where a number of IREFs sought derogations from the Central Bank of Ireland to prepare 18-month set of accounts for 2020 due to the impact caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

**This data is derived from the Financial Statements submitted to Revenue. The data for 2020 has not yet been verified by Revenue.

I wish to inform the Deputy that the information for special advisor’s, for the Minister and Minister of State, for the Department of Finance, are as per below;

I am advised by Revenue that information in respect of the years 2019 to 2021 is available on the Revenue website at: www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/documents/research/ct-analysis-2022.pdf

The information is contained in Table 17, and 2021 is the latest year for which data are available.

The information for the years 2014 to 2018 is shown in the table below.

Ireland is the leading centre for aircraft leasing globally - the industry reports that over 60% of the world’s leased aircraft are managed from Ireland. This industry forms part of our rich eco-system of high calibre indigenous businesses and multinational corporations, which is a key driver of economic growth and allows Ireland to compete in a globalised world.

The distributional analysis published by my Department shows that the overall impact of the budgetary measures is strongly progressive. The analysis provides a breakdown of the measures included in the October to December Cost of Living (CoL) package, i.e. measures impacting incomes in 2022, and of the Budget 2023 package, i.e. measures impacting incomes in 2023.

Overall, household disposable income increases by 3 per cent due to the Budget 2023 package and by 1.6 per cent due to the CoL package. The impact of the measures is shown in nominal terms, i.e. not adjusted for projected inflation in 2023.

Focusing on the electricity credit, the analysis takes account of two electricity credits as part of the Budget 2023 package and one credit as part of the CoL package. The disposable income of households is estimated to increase by 0.7 per cent in 2023 and by 0.4 per cent in 2022 due to the electricity credit.

The lowest income deciles see the highest proportional gains in their disposable income. On average, income deciles 1 to 4 see gains of 1.5 per cent in 2023 and 0.7 per cent in 2022 due to the credit.

Single retired and lone parents experience the highest gains in their disposable income, with single working-age adults with no children and couples with at least one retired person experiencing the next highest gains due to the credit.

Overall, the analysis shows the effectiveness of the Government’s approach in protecting the most vulnerable households from the recent rise in energy prices.

I am advised by Revenue that the benefits concerned in this case relate to Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSA) funds. In general, where an individual dies before benefits are taken, any PRSA funds will pass to the estate of the deceased with no Income Tax liability arising. Details on the treatment to apply are provided in Revenue’s Tax and Duty Manual on PRSA’s, which is published on Revenue’s website at www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/pensions/chapter-24.pdf

Revenue have reviewed all of the records in this case. They have confirmed that they have identified an error in the submission made to them by the pension provider. They will contact the pension provider to correct the record immediately, ensuring the correct treatment, as set out in their published guidance, is applied.

Revenue have also confirmed that as the estate was transferred to the spouse in this case that there is no Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) liability, as any gifts/inheritances between spouses/civil partners are exempt from CAT. Further information relating to the receipt of gifts and inheritances, including the various tax exemptions, can be found on Revenue’s website at www.revenue.ie/en/gains-gifts-and-inheritance/gift-and-inheritance-tax-cat/index.aspx

It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the additional tax revenues anticipated to arise from enhanced Revenue compliance activities during 2023 as set out in ‘Budget 2023 – Tax Policy Changes’ which was published on Budget Day.

I am advised by Revenue that a number of specific risk areas will be targeted as part of Revenue’s activities next year that will include a continuing focus on tax compliance relating to share awards made by employers to directors/employees as well as an examination of non-pay benefits paid to directors/employees; undertaking additional outdoor initiatives to combat shadow economy activity and a return to normalised levels of debt management activity, following its effective suspension during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The anticipated additional revenues for 2023 of €80 million are a conservative estimate based on the actual yield from Revenue’s audit and compliance activities in the ten-year period 2012 to 2021.

I am further advised that, as was the case for the compliance dividend provided for in Budgets 2012-2019, Revenue will conduct a detailed assessment of the programme and publish its outcome along with its 2023 Annual Report.

The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme provides relief from Vehicle Registration Tax and VAT on an adapted car, as well as an exemption from motor tax and an annual fuel grant. The cost to the Exchequer of the scheme, (excluding Motor Tax) was €62 million in 2021 and is currently at €59m Y.T.D., reflecting reductions in fuel grant claims arising from COVID-19 travel restrictions within Ireland. The cost of the scheme in 2023 is expected to be similar to that of previous years. The Scheme is open to severely and permanently disabled persons as a driver or as a passenger and also to certain charitable organisations. In order to qualify for relief, the applicant must hold a Primary Medical Certificate issued by the relevant Senior Area Medical Officer (SAMO) or a Board Medical Certificate issued by the Disabled Driver Medical Board of Appeal. To qualify for a Primary Medical Certificate an applicant must be permanently and severely disabled, and satisfy at least one of the six medical criteria.

In relation to the review of the Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers Scheme, as the Deputy will be aware, I gave a commitment to the Dail that such a review including a broader review of mobility supports for persons with disabilities, would be undertaken.

In this context I have been working with Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We both agreed that the review should be brought within a wider review under the auspices of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS), to examine transport supports encompassing all Government funded transport and mobility schemes for people with disabilities.

We consider this the most appropriate forum to meet mutual objectives in respect of transport solutions/mobility supports for those with a disability.

The NDIS working group, chaired by Minister Anne Rabbitte, with officials from both this Department and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth as well as others, has held a number of meetings this year and have completed a stock-taking exercise of existing transport and mobility schemes currently supporting people with disabilities. At the next meeting of the Transport Working Group in November, proposals for next steps from all members (including the Department of Finance, agencies and stakeholders) will be considered to complete the work required under the NDIS.

As part of its contribution to the NDIS review, my Department established an information-gathering group to capture the experiences, expertise and perspectives of former Disabled Drivers Medical Board of Appeal (DDMBA) members and Principal Medical Officers (PMOs) in the HSE. A range of outputs have been produced, providing information and views on the DDS scheme as inputs into the broader review.

My officials will continue to engage constructively with the NDIS review with a view to assisting in bringing forward proposals for Government to consider.

I cannot comment on any potential changes to the scheme in advance of these proposals.

As the Deputy may be aware, in light of recent international tax changes, a number of amendments were made in Budget 2023 regarding the R&D Tax Credit. These are timing changes and do not affect the quantum of credit that a company is entitled to claim. As a result, the changes are net neutral in budgetary terms.

- The current system which offset the R&D tax credit against corporation tax liabilities and the payment in three payable instalments is being changed to a new fixed three-year payment system.

- A company will have an option to call for payment of their eligible R&D tax credit or to request for it to be offset against other tax liabilities.

- Existing caps on the payable element of the credit are being removed.

- The first €25,000 of a claim will now be payable in full, to provide a cash-flow benefit for smaller R&D projects and encourage more companies to engage with the regime.

Transitional measures will be in place for one year, to smooth the transition to the new payment system for companies that are already engaged in research & development activities.

The R&D tax credit is repayable only in respect of eligible R&D expenditure which is covered under the existing R&D legislative framework.

There is no scope to introduce an income tax refundable tax credit without legislative amendments. Furthermore, there are no current plans to introduce a system of refundable income tax credits.

The matter of refundable tax credits was looked at in some detail in 2002 by the Working Group established under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. The Group was chaired by the Department of Finance and included representatives from ICTU, IBEC, the various farming organisations, the Community and Voluntary Pillar, relevant Government Departments and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. Notwithstanding the passage of time, many of the findings and conclusions identified by the Working Group remain relevant and valid today.

The Working Group found that there were significant disadvantages with such a system. These included the potential negative impacts on the incentive to work, labour supply, labour force participation and overall productivity and output. Refundable tax credits may not be consistent with the objective of encouraging as many people as possible to join or remain in the workforce. In addition, I would note that the minimum wage has been increased from €8.65 per hour to €11.30 per hour, between 2016 and 2023 in an effort to support those on lower incomes.

The Commission on Welfare and Taxation recently considered the issue of refundable tax credits, noting that the 2009 Commission on Taxation concluded against the introduction of refundable tax credits as did the 2012 Advisory Group on Taxation and Welfare. The Commission report states “the costs of introducing a system of refundable tax credits renders it prohibitively expensive and counter to the Commission net revenue-raising approach ”. Further details can be found in the Commission’s report- www.gov.ie/en/publication/7fbeb-report-of-the-commission/.

I am advised by Revenue that Large Cases – High Wealth Individuals Division (LC-HWID) has responsibility for the following business areas:

- Management of the tax affairs of High Wealth Individuals,

- Approval and administration of certain pension schemes, and

- Identification of and challenge to tax avoidance transactions.

The details requested by the Deputy are set out in Table 1 for the range of compliance interventions undertaken by LC-HWID for the years requested. The Deputy may wish to note that a compliance intervention may not be initiated and closed in the same year.

Table 1: Compliance interventions Initiated and closed by LC-HWID and yield*

* Yield includes tax, interest, penalties and also the tax value of losses restricted.

As the Deputy is aware, the Vacant Homes Tax (VHT) is a new measure announced on Budget Day, which aims to increase the supply of homes for rent or purchase to meet demand. Further detail on this measure will be made available on the publication of the Finance Bill later this week.

The introduction of this tax follows from my Department's commitment under Housing for All to collect data on vacancy with a view to introducing a vacant property tax. The Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Act 2021 facilitated the collection on data on vacant property through LPT returns.

A preliminary analysis of the vacancy data was published by Revenue in July this year, following the LPT revaluation in November 2021, and can be found at: www.revenue.ie/en/corporate/documents/statistics/lpt/lpt-vacant-properties-report.pdf.

In arriving at the estimates for the Budget documentation, certain assumptions were made based on the Revenue data and took into account the number of long-term vacant properties (those unoccupied for greater than 12 months), their valuation band, as well as their reasons for lying vacant which may correspond with an exemption from the tax. It is tentatively estimated that less than 15% of the total properties reported as vacant may be in scope of the tax.

The preliminary analysis published by Revenue also gives the distribution of vacant properties by valuation band which suggests the distribution is broadly similar to that of properties that are liable for LPT and is likely to be reflected in the average amount of the tax paid. That said, the VHT payable will depend on the self-assessed returns submitted by property owners, the number of properties declared as liable and the number of property owners entitled to claim exemption from the tax.

It is intended that the legislation providing for the VHT will include a number of provisions designed to encourage compliance with the VHT and identify non-compliance. As outlined, the details will be published shortly in the Finance Bill.

As stated in my Budget speech, this measure aims to increase the supply of homes for rent or purchase to meet demand, rather than raise revenue The estimated yield is low, as I anticipate this tax will influence behaviour and lead to property owners putting their vacant properties to more effective use. As such, the number of properties that will be subject to this tax and the eventual yield may be lower than the estimates provided.

I am informed by Revenue that there are seven members of staff nationally who have been notified of overpayments of salary due to the granting of a Franking Allowance where the allowance was not due. Revenue has informed each member of staff concerned of the overpayment of salary arising and apologised for the error.

Revenue is aware of the concerns that this matter has caused to the individual staff members and has briefed the Civil Service Employee Assistance Service (CSEAS) to ensure they will be in a position to advise and assist the staff members as required. The staff members were each provided with the CSEAS contact details in addition to the details for a direct point of contact on the Revenue pay team.

In addition, Revenue has engaged with the union representing the staff members and has agreed to postpone collection of the salary overpayments pending a formal submission by the union on behalf of the staff. Revenue has advised each of the staff members that the union submission is expected and that collection of the overpayments has been postponed until the submission is received and reviewed.

Decisions in relation to mortgage lending and the management of existing loans, including the particular type of mortgage product offered to existing or new borrowers, are commercial matters for individual mortgage creditors. Neither I nor the Central Bank have a role in setting the rates that mortgage creditors charge on their loans or in relation to the particular mortgage products that they provide to borrowers.

In relation to the regulatory aspects of the provision and operation of mortgage contracts, the Central Bank has put in place a range of measures in order to protect consumers who are taking out a mortgage under its Consumer Protection Framework and which seeks to ensure that lenders are transparent and fair in all their dealings with borrowers and that borrowers are protected from the beginning to the end of the mortgage life cycle, for example, through protections at a time when borrowers may find themselves in financial difficulties. The requirements put in place by the Central Bank complement the European legislative framework, including the European Union (Consumer Mortgage Credit Agreements) Regulations 2016.

Where a loan is sold or transferred to another regulated entity, the regulatory protections that were available to borrowers prior to the transaction continue to be in place with the new owner. It is worth noting that under the Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Act 2018 if a loan is transferred or sold, the holder of the legal title to the credit must be regulated and must act in accordance with Irish financial services law that applies to ‘regulated financial service providers’. This ensures that consumers whose loans are sold or transferred maintain the same regulatory protections that they had, including under the various Central Bank statutory Codes of Conduct, such as the Consumer Protection Code 2012 and the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears 2013.

The Central Bank has also stated that it expects all regulated entities to take a consumer-focused approach in respect of any decision that affects their customers (existing and new) and communicate clearly, effectively, and in a timely manner with all customers.

I wish to highlight, as Minister for Finance, I am precluded from intervening in commercial and operational decisions in any particular bank, even one in which the State has a shareholding. Decisions in this regard are the sole responsibility of the board and management of the banks, which must be run on an independent and commercial basis. The bank's independence is protected by a Relationship Framework which is a legally binding document that cannot be changed unilaterally. This framework, which is publicly available, was insisted upon by the European Commission to protect competition in the Irish market.

Under the current bank remuneration policy, variable payments to employees of three banks in the State require the consent of the Minister for Finance. Both AIB and Bank of Ireland availed of the Small Benefit Exemption which was announced in Budget 2023 having first sought my consent on the matter.

The Small Benefit Exemption allows an employer to provide limited non-cash benefits or rewards to their workers without the payment of income tax, PRSI and USC. I increased the annual limit provided for in the exemption from €500 to €1,000.

As already mentioned, these are commercial decisions for the board and management of the banks and any future decision by the other banks in the State to avail of the Small Benefit Exemption will be a matter for those individual banks.

The price of fuel is determined by a number of factors such as global market dynamics, costs of labour, exchange rates, taxation as well as wholesale and retail pricing policy practices which may include additional pricing to cover transport and distribution costs.

Ireland’s taxation of fuel is governed by European Union law as set out in Directive 2003/96/EC, commonly known as the Energy Tax Directive (ETD). The ETD prescribes minimum tax rates for fuel with which all Member States must comply. ETD provisions on mineral oils are transposed into national law in Finance Act 1999 (as amended) and this Act provides for the application of excise duty, in the form of Mineral Oil Tax (MOT), to specified mineral oils that are used as motor or heating fuels. MOT is comprised of a non-carbon component and a carbon component. The carbon component is commonly referred to as carbon tax and the non-carbon component is often referred to as “excise”, “fuel excise” or “fuel duty”. It is important to note that both components of MOT are excise.

In accordance with the Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act, 2010, VAT is chargeable on petrol and auto-diesel at the standard rate, currently 23%, on the total amount which the supplier is entitled to receive including taxes, duties, levies and charges but excluding the VAT itself. A levy is also charged on petrol and diesel to cover the costs related to maintaining security of oil supplies. While both MOT and VAT are administered by Revenue the levy is administered by, and paid directly to, the National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA). At Budget 2023, I announced a reduction in the NORA to help offset increases in MOT carbon component rates, which came into effect on October 12th. The NORA levy currently remains at 2c/litre but its reduction to 0.01c/litre will be backdated to 12th October. The reduction does not impact directly on MOT rates, rather its offsetting effect will be on the pump price of relevant fuels. My colleague Eamonn Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, is working with his Department and NORA to implement changes to the NORA levy.

The current MOT rates applying to petrol and auto-diesel are €483.34 and €425.45 per 1,000 litres respectively. Diesel used for certain purposes, for example in agricultural machinery, may qualify for a reduced rate of MOT. Such diesel must be marked with prescribed fiscal markers and is referred to as Marked Gas Oil (MGO), green diesel or farm/agricultural diesel. A reduced VAT rate, currently 13.5% applies to MGO. The reduced rate of MOT that applies to MGO is currently €111.14 per 1,000 litres. Current MOT rates are published on the Revenue website at www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/excise/excise-duty-rates/budget-excise-duty-rates.pdf.

The following table provides a breakdown of the taxes and levies applying to petrol, auto-diesel and MGO. Average retail prices are as per the EC Weekly Oil Bulletin of 13 October 2022 which uses prices based sourced on 10 October 2022 (prior to the carbon tax increase on 12th October 2022).

*Rounding applies eg. MOT carbon on Petrol is €0.09487 but reads as €0.09 for ease of display.

Revenue informs me that there are a number of factors that influence the cost of importing a vehicle from Northern Ireland including the value of the vehicle and its emissions.

There are three areas which need to be considered as costs of importing a vehicle into the State from Northern Ireland. These are Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), Value-Added Tax (VAT) and Customs Duty.

1. VRT

For the purposes of this reply, we will assume the Deputy’s question is in relation to Category A vehicles, the VRT category into which cars for everyday family use normally fall into. The origin of the car has no implication whatsoever for VRT calculations.

I am informed by Revenue that the VRT calculation on passenger vehicles is based on the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) of the vehicle and its emissions levels.

In the case of a second-hand imported passenger vehicle, the OMSP is the price, inclusive of all taxes and duties, for which, in the opinion of the Revenue Commissioners, the vehicle might reasonably be expected to sell in an arm’s length sale in the State by a retailer.

The amount of VRT on a passenger vehicle has two components, based on the vehicle’s carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission levels. The CO2 component of the VRT charge is a percentage of the vehicle’s OMSP, ranging from 7% for a vehicle which has zero CO2 emissions, up to 41% of the OMSP for vehicles with the highest emission levels. The NOx component of VRT is calculated using a progressive scale, starting from €5 and rising to €25 per mg/km of the vehicle’s NOx emissions level. As a result of these calculations, the total VRT charge grows higher according to the emissions output of the vehicle involved and its market value.

2. VAT

A vehicle may be subject to VAT. Vehicles first registered in Great Britain (GB), and subsequently registered in NI after 31 December 2020, will be subject to VAT at a rate of 23% of the customs value of the vehicle (the cost price plus the costs of transport and insurance) before it may be registered in the State. If it can be shown that a vehicle has remained in Northern Ireland since first registration, or was in Northern Ireland prior to 31 December 2020, VAT will not apply as Northern Ireland remains within the European Union’s (EU) VAT regime.

3. Customs Duty

Cars purchased from Northern Ireland are not normally subject to customs formalities including declarations or payment of customs duty. However, proof will be required to be provided to Revenue to show that the vehicle was brought into Northern Ireland prior to 1 January 2021, or, in the case of vehicles imported to Northern Ireland after 1 January 2021, proof that the customs formalities were completed in Northern Ireland.

A vehicle first registered in NI after 1 January 2021 can be registered in the State without providing proof of its customs status where it meets the following conditions:

- the registration in NI was the first registration of the vehicle in the United Kingdom (UK)

and

- the vehicle has never been exported and, or re-registered in, Great Britain or any other country outside the European Union.

Additional information can be found on the Revenue website at the following link: revenue.ie/en/importing-vehicles-duty-free-allowances/guide-to-vrt/registration-of-imported-used-vehicles/index.aspx.

It should be noted that the Minister for Finance has no direct function in the operations of commercial banks.

The company in question announced in February 2022 that they would serve their Irish customers using their European banking license, authorised in Lithuania, going forward.

The company is now passport banking services, such as a current account and range of credit products, to Irish customers using its authorisation as a Lithuanian bank.

I understand the difficult situation faced by homeowners whose houses are affected by defective concrete blocks.

In terms of forbearance for such households that have a mortgage, as the Deputy is aware the Central Bank is responsible for the regulation and supervision of financial institutions in terms of consumer protection and prudential requirements. Through its consumer protection role, the Central Bank sets out requirements in its codes of conduct which detail how regulated firms such as banks should deal with and treat their customers.

In particular, the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears 2013 (CCMA) places a requirement on regulated entities to have fair and transparent processes in place to deal with borrowers in, or facing, mortgage arrears and it sets out the process that entities must follow when a borrower is experiencing repayment difficulty. Due regard must be given to the fact that each case is unique and needs to be considered on its own merits. All cases must be handled sympathetically and positively by the regulated entity, with the objective at all times of assisting the borrower to meet his or her mortgage obligations.

Entities must explore all of the options for alternative repayment arrangements (ARAs) offered in order to determine which ARA, if any, is appropriate and sustainable for the borrower’s individual circumstances. The CCMA also provides for an appeals mechanism, including where the entity declines to offer an ARA, where the borrower is not willing to enter into an ARA offered, or where the entity classifies the borrower as not co-operating.

The Central Bank does not have remit over commercial decisions of the entities it regulates. The nature of lender forbearance measures can vary and remain a decision for the individual institution, based on the individual circumstances of borrowers. However, the Central Bank has stated that it encourages borrowers to engage as early as possible with their lenders and to provide the information required to enable an assessment of the individual circumstances commence.

I am advised by Revenue that they use a standardized system of classification of goods, which is also used by all Customs administrations within the EU to classify goods which are imported into the EU from any non-EU country, including the UK or exported from the EU. The TARIC database is based on the World Customs Organization (WCO) Harmonized System and is maintained by the European Commission and is updated daily.

I am advised by Revenue that there are TARIC codes for ‘Ancient coins’ , which apply where they meet the criteria set out in the Harmonized System Explanatory Notes including the condition that they are no longer legal tender. In this regard, the classification of “Ancient coins” is set out in the table below.

Further information on the classification of ‘Ancient coins’ is available from Revenue at tarclass@revenue.ie

The zero-rate of VAT applies to printed books where they meet specific requirements. If the books meet these requirements, the appropriate commodity code for the 0% rate must be included when completing the Customs import declaration to ensure that this rate of VAT is used when the tax and duty is being calculated.

In instances where an incorrect commodity code is included in the Customs declaration, the customer should contact the company who completed the Customs declaration and imported the goods on their behalf i.e. in the instance quoted by the Deputy, An Post, and request that the relevant import declaration is amended to include the correct commodity code for the 0% rate. When the declaration is amended, any resulting refund of VAT will be repaid to the company i.e. An Post, who can then refund the customer.

Conditions for % VAT rate for books are set out on the Revenue website at;

www.revenue.ie/en/tax-professionals/tdm/value-added-tax/part03-taxable-transactions-goods-ica-services/Goods/goods-printed-matter.pdf.

See extract below;

"In order for a printed book or booklet to qualify for the zero rate, it must meet the following four requirements:

1. it must consist essentially of textual or pictorial matter

2. it must have a distinctive front cover which is devoid of body text

3. it must comprise not less than four leaves (eight pages) exclusive of the cover, and

4. it must be bound (loose-leaf or otherwise), or stitched or stapled."

Under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, as amended, anti-money laundering rules require all instances of fraud and/or suspicious transactions to be reported by financial institutions to the Financial Intelligence Unit, which is part of An Garda Síochána and under the remit of the Department of Justice.

The reduction of payment fraud has been an important area of work of my Department in recent years. The revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2) introduced strong security requirements for the initiation and processing of electronic payments, which apply to all payment service providers. This approach is intended to reduce the risk of fraud for all types of electronic payments (especially online payments) and to protect the confidentiality of the user’s financial data.

Under PSD2 payment service providers are obliged to apply strong customer authentication (SCA) when a payer initiates an electronic payment transaction. SCA requires the customer to go through two-factor authentication made up of elements from two of three separate categories: knowledge, possession, and inherence. SCA is a combination of something you know (a password or PIN), something you have (a card reader or token generator) and something you are (a fingerprint).

The European Commission are currently undertaking a review of PSD2, which is expected to cover a wide variety of areas related to the Directive. Officials from my Department have been engaging with the Commission’s review on areas of Irish interest, including strong customer authentication. It is likely that when the review is complete the Commission will bring forward a proposal for a new Directive (PSD3) early in the new year.

On Budget Day I announced my proposal for accelerated capital allowances for the construction of slurry storage facilities. The proposed measure would allow for 50% of eligible expenditure to be claimed over two years rather than the current eight.

The Government intends to legislate for this measure in the forthcoming Finance Bill. The points made in the details supplied with the Deputy's question have been noted.

I wish to inform the Deputy that details on Special Advisers employed by the Department of Finance since 2015 are shown in the table below;

On Budget Day, I announced a €500 Rent Tax Credit which it is proposed will be claimable in respect of rent paid in 2022 and subsequent years to end-2025.

In answer to the Deputy's question, as I have indicated previously in my responses to Parliamentary Questions on this matter, I understand that licence arrangements may exist and that, in such circumstances, the licensee may be entitled to claim the proposed rent tax credit. However, I also indicated that it is intended that entitlement to the tax relief will be subject to compliance with a number of conditions.As the Deputy will be aware, it is intended to publish details of the tax credit in Finance Bill 2022 this coming Thursday, 20 October. I look forward to discussing the credit as well as other aspects of the Bill with members of the Oireachtas in the subsequent Finance Bill debates.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 298, 299, 300 and 301 together.

Section 28B of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 provides for the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) which was an economy-wide enterprise support for eligible businesses in respect of eligible employees. The scheme closed with effect from 31 May 2022.

As the Deputy will be aware, eligibility to EWSS is based on the employer demonstrating that its business is likely to experience a 30% reduction in turnover or orders during a specific reference period and that this disruption to business is caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the business must also have tax clearance.

To qualify for the scheme as a New Business, an employer must have commenced to trade after 1 November 2019. I am advised by Revenue that the question of whether a business is commencing or is the continuation of an existing business is determined by the facts of each individual case. A substantial body of existing case law, in the wider tax context, exists on this issue and certain principles have been established. These established principles include whether the management and control, employees, activities, customer base, suppliers, and accounting systems of the business are substantially the same following any change in activity. I am advised by Revenue that, in this case, the employer registered and applied for the scheme as a New Business. However, on examination, Revenue considered that the business of the employer existed prior to 1 November 2019 and as such, actual turnover for 2019, i.e., 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019, instead of projections, was used to determine eligibility. Based on the information provided, the employer was advised that it did not meet the 30% reduction in turnover criteria and was therefore ineligible for EWSS.

I am further advised by Revenue that the employer in this case has exercised their rights under Revenue’s Complaint and Review Procedure and additional information has been sought from this employer as part of this process. Revenue will consider any additional information provided by the employer which they consider relevant to their claim.

The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) has advised that as at 14 October 2022, its office had 1,077 complaints on hand identified as being tracker mortgage interest rate related complaints. In 2022 to date, the FSPO has identified 113 new complaints as being tracker mortgage interest rate related; closed 172 tracker mortgage interest rate related complaints and re-opened 11 such complaints.

Tracker mortgage interest complaints will continue to account for a substantial proportion of the work of the FSPO, for some time to come, because in most tracker mortgage complaints, the respondent financial service providers continue to confirm that the complaints meet the time limit eligibility prescribed by section 51 of the governing legislation.

Of the 1,077 tracker mortgage interest rate complaints on hand, 104 complaints have been placed on hold. This can be for a number of reasons including where (i) the complaint may be impacted by the outcome of an ongoing statutory appeal or judicial review which arises in a similar matter, (ii) no action is appropriate pending the outcome of the Tracker mortgage Examination Independent Appeals Panel process, (iii) the outcome of external legal proceedings is awaited, or (iv) the hold is at the Complainant’s request for personal reasons.

Of the remaining 973 active tracker mortgage complaints on hand, the detail of their status is listed in the table below:

As of 14 October 2022, there were 302 legally binding decisions relating to tracker mortgage complaints available on the FSPO’s Database of Decisions. Of these decisions 11 complaints were upheld; 12 were substantially upheld; 26 were partially upheld; and 253 were not upheld.

At the time of publication of the Digest of Tracker Mortgage Interest Rate Complaints in February 2020, the FSPO noted that it is likely that it will continue to be the case that a large number of complaints relating to tracker interest rates on mortgage loans will not be upheld, because for a person to have an entitlement to a particular tracker interest rate, there must be some contractual or other obligation on their bank entitling them to such a rate.

The FSPO has advised me that the data contained in this response is extracted from a live database and therefore depicts complaint information at a specific moment in time. Data in this database is subject to ongoing verification and data categorisation as the understanding of the specific complaint is developed.

In the period of time covered by the Deputy’s question, two different certification mechanisms applied. It is necessary to summarise the two certification mechanisms to provide a comprehensive reply.

Prior to Finance Act 2018 a producer company would apply to Revenue for a certificate confirming that the production met the conditions set out for the scheme. The certificate was issued by Revenue, but both Revenue and the then Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht had specific responsibilities in relation to the certification process. The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht had regard for:

- The categories of film eligible for certification and;

- The contribution a film would make to either or both the development of the film industry in the State and the promotion and expression of Irish culture.

Revenue had responsibility for all other aspects of the project, including the financial aspects. Revenue did not issue a certificate unless they had received an authorisation from the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht that they were satisfied with the other aspects of the application. Therefore pre-Finance Act 2018, an application may have failed to be certified by Revenue or by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

As part of this old claiming mechanism, Revenue examined applications based on budgeted expenditure to certify the value of the initial 90% that could be claimed up-front. Upon completion of the film and receipt of the compliance report, Revenue conducted another full examination of the actual expenditure incurred before certifying the balancing 10% of the claim. This process meant that Revenue adjusted the value of the claim where it was incorrect. In this manner Revenue verified that the amount claimed was correct. Therefore there was no incorrect amount claimed to which interest and penalties could apply. I am advised by Revenue that from January 2016 to March 2019, 320 films applied to Revenue for certification and, of these, 19 did not continue to certification.

From January 2018 Revenue began tracking the level of ineligible expenditure which was included in the initial claim, but was excluded from the final claim following the examination by Revenue. By the end of May 2019, 75 compliance reports had been reviewed with combined gross eligible expenditure of €218 million, of which €2 million was deemed ineligible. This reduced the related film relief by €0.6 million. Information concerning applications to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in this period is outlined in the table at the end of this reply.

Finance Act 2018 split the certification process between Revenue and the now Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM). Production companies now claim the tax credit under the self-assessment system. This brings the credit within the normal penalty and prosecution provisions for incorrect claims.

Production companies must first apply to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for a cultural certificate. In order to be certified the production must pass ‘the Industry Development test’ and ‘the Culture test’. The requirements to pass these tests are clearly set out in DTCAGSM guidance. Therefore applicants are aware of the criteria which must be adhered to from the outset.

DTCAGSM perform an in-depth examination of each of the documents which are submitted as part of the application. Applications are assessed by one member of staff in DTCAGSM, reviewed by another member of the Department, and are finally approved at the Principal Officer grade.

If, at the stage of application for certification, an application does not meet the requirements of the relief, DTCAGSM engage with the production companies to advise as to why the application may have not met the standard required. This engagement can often lead to adjustments in the application.

For projects with eligible expenditure in excess of €2 million, Screen Ireland engage thoroughly with applicants to ensure they adhere to requirements concerning skills development and training. Any issues are identified and corrected to ensure adherence with the requirements of the relief. Within 6 months of completion of the project, applicants are required to submit a Quality Assurance Compliance Report to Screen Ireland. Evidence of compliance with all conditions is required, including evidence of skills development activity. The quantity of training and the budget expended in this regard should not be less than that which was proposed at application stage.

In consideration of the importance of Section 481 funding to productions, and the significant conditions attached to the relief, applicants aim to fully comply with these requirements from the outset. As production companies become familiar with the requirements of the relief, the quality of application improves. These factors reduce the number of applications which are rejected outright.

As stated above, prior to Finance Act 2018 an application had to be approved by both Revenue and DTCAGSM to be eligible for relief. The table below concerns applications to DTCAGSM only, it does not include those which were not certified by Revenue as part of the old certification mechanism.

The National Lottery is a significant asset which plays an important role in generating funds for Good Causes throughout Ireland and across a range of areas including sport and recreation, culture and heritage, community health, the arts, and youth affairs.

The National Lottery Fund transferred €289m to the Exchequer in 2021 which represents a significant 14% increase on 2020 and is a record, unprecedented figure under the license commenced by Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) in 2014.

Circa €6 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery commenced operations in 1987.

As agreed by Government, I commissioned an independent, external review to explore potential policy options to help provide a more transparent and effective model for distributing National Lottery. One of the key inputs to the report is a review and report on examples of systems used in other jurisdictions for the allocation of Lottery funding.

I believe that work on finalising and submitting the report is very close to completion and I understand that the report will be available for my consideration in the near future. I will bring the Report to Government and publish it thereafter.

I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland that the following is a list of properties in County Longford that are in the ownership and management of the Office of Public Works.

The following is a list of National Monuments and a Visitor Centre in the management and care of the Office of Public Works.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility on behalf of the State for managing and maintaining a substantial and complex estate - comprising approximately 2,500 properties. This extensive and diverse portfolio of State properties extends from Leinster House to Skellig Michael and includes office accommodation for all Government Departments, the property estate for An Garda Síochána and numerous properties for many State Agencies. I am advised by the Commissioners of Public Works that all surplus properties, including the former Garda station property at Ardagh, Co. Longford are treated in line with the disposal policy of the Office of Public Works (OPW).

The OPW policy with regard to non-operational (vacant) State property is to:

1. Identify if the property is required/suitable for alternative State use by either Government departments or the wider public sector.

2. If there is no other State use identified for a property, the OPW will then consider disposing of the property on the open market if and when conditions prevail, in order to generate revenue for the Exchequer.

3. If no State requirement is identified or if a decision is taken not to dispose of a particular property, the OPW may consider community involvement (subject to detailed written submission, which would indicate that the community/voluntary group has the means to insure, maintain and manage the property and that there are no ongoing costs for the Exchequer).

When a property is deemed surplus to the requirements of the Commissioners, the OPW notifies all relevant stakeholders as part of the OPW policy on the disposal of surplus assets. This includes notifying the Land Development Agency and the relevant local authorities who may be interested in acquiring the property for housing purposes.

In line with the above policy, the OPW has sought alternative State use for the property in Ardagh, Co Longford. To date no State requirement has been identified. The OPW is therefore proceeding with preparing the property for disposal on the open market during 2023.

For operational and security reasons, my Department is advised by the National Cyber Security Centre not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise the Department's cybersecurity efforts. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose any information which might assist criminals to identify potential vulnerabilities in cybersecurity arrangements in my Department or the bodies under its aegis. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the particular information requested by the Deputy or any information in relation to cyber security tools and services or operational security matters.

The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), which is a division of my Department, produced a Cloud Computing Advice Note for public bodies in October 2019. This moved the debate on the use of cloud from whether we should use it to what, how and when we should move to the cloud.

My Department has taken its own advice in this regard and now makes extensive use of cloud. My Department’s focus is on using the cloud to deliver efficient digital services rather than using cloud for the storage of data, in line with data protection guidance. Accordingly, providing the Deputy with a proportion figure on data held in the cloud for my Department is not fully reflective of the extensive use the Department makes of cloud services as the majority of the data that is processed via cloud services is not stored in the cloud. Over the last three years, my Department has used cloud services to deliver significant public facing services including the COVID Tracker App, the EU Digital COVID Certificate and the electronic Passenger Locator Form, as well as Public Service facing applications including the recently launched Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management application. Furthermore, my Department uses cloud services to implement the gov.ie platform which is the primary source of government information for members of the public.

The position regarding the bodies under the aegis of my Department is set out below.

*The State Laboratory does not use store data on cloud technologies.

Special Advisers to Ministers and Ministers of State may be appointed by Government in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 of the Public Service Management Act 1997.

The terms approved by Government for the appointment of Special Advisers are set out in the “Instructions to HR Managers on Ministerial Appointments for the 33rd Dáil” published by my Department.

My Department maintains a Listing of Special Advisers to the 33rd Dáil once their statutory appointment has fully concluded and is notified to my officials. This includes details of individual advisers, the Minister or Minister of State to whom they are assigned, their respective date of appointment, salary scale and starting rate of pay at the time of their appointment. This Listing is updated to reflect periodic changes and is published on gov.ie at www.gov.ie/en/publication/9ad159-special-advisers-pay/

The details requested by the Deputy on Special Advisers in my Department are shown in the table below.

In pursuit of the Government’s decision on the matter, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has engaged with the project to conserve the National Monument at 14 – 17 Moore St and present it to the visiting public together with appropriate historical interpretation and exhibition.

The supporting building technical team has been identified and terms of service have been set out; a formal appointment of the individual team members is expected shortly. Immediately thereafter, the team will review all of the designs and assessments that have been undertaken to date prior to the cessation of works in 2015 and will confirm that they are still valid and in accordance with current building standards or if they need any amendment. Additionally, OPW expects to advertise a public tender for the provision of interpretation design consultancy services to work in tandem with the building team as the design progresses.

The first stage of the project onsite will involve carefully addressing the structure and performing certain engineering works to stabilise these quite fragile buildings and create the platform for the provision of the proposed 1916 Commemorative Centre within them as a second stage.

Specific financial allocations for 2023 have not been determined as yet; however, the project’s financial parameters will become clearer when the Design Team complete their initial assessment. Drawdown from the combined approved Urban Regeneration and Development Fund allocation of €12.17 million and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s match funding will be available to OPW as required when works commence onsite.

The details requested by the Deputy on Special Advisers employed by my Department since 2015 are shown in the table below:

The OPW is continuing to review the feasibility of installing defibrillators at heritage sites across the country, including at Maynooth Castle. In the interim, the Deputy might be interested to know that a defibrillator has been installed in the Gate Lodge at Maynooth University (South Campus), which is situated immediately adjacent to the Castle main entrance.

In the first instance, I will put on record that there is no funding regulatory or accreditation role by me as Minister or by my Department or its agencies and the organisation to which the Deputy refers.

I did, however, write to the organisation in question to seek assurances that it is taking timely and transparent steps to restore confidence that fairness is at the heart of all of their competitions to reassure the many families around Ireland and further afield that have a love for Irish dancing.

The organisation has replied advising that it is undertaking an investigation and that, to ensure transparency, the procedures are being overseen by an external independent individual. The organisation has further advised that this process, in accordance with its disciplinary procedure, is ongoing.

I refer the Deputy to Figure 2 on page 31 of Housing for All, “HNDA Projection 33,000 Annually to 2030”, which provides the annual average breakdown by tenure type. This includes an annual average of 11,800 new private ownership homes and 6,500 new private rental homes, respectively.  

Housing for All: A New Housing Plan for Ireland can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ef5ec-housing-for-all-a-new-housing-plan-for-ireland/.

Following on from the Government decision of the 30 November 2021 in respect of the enhanced Defective Concrete Blocks Grant scheme, the Government approved the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022 on 21 June and the Bill passed through both Houses of the Oireachtas and was subsequently signed into law by the President on the 23 July, 2022.

The purpose of this Act is to implement and give legislative underpinning to a series of measures to improve and enhance the scheme as agreed by Government on 30 November 2021. Full details can be found at www.gov.ie/en/press-release/328d7-minister-obrien-welcomes-progress-on-enhanced-defective-concrete-blocks-grant-scheme/.

Section 36(1) of the Act provides that the Government may make a scheme for the purposes of enabling a designated local authority or an approved housing body to remedy damage caused to dwellings by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction.

In order to inform the necessary administrative and governance arrangements to be put in place prior to the roll out of this scheme my Department is developing a pilot scheme with Donegal County Council on local authority homes which are impacted. My Department is also in discussion with a Donegal based Approved Housing Body with a view to involving homes from that sector in the pilot.

With regard to the separate Pyrite Remediation Scheme, the provisions of the Pyrite Resolution Act, 2013, apply only to dwellings affected by significant damage attributable to pyritic heave consequent on the presence of reactive pyrite in the subfloor hardcore material and not to damage arising in any other circumstance, e.g. such as pyrite in concrete blocks.

The Pyrite Remediation Scheme is a scheme of “last resort” for affected homeowners who have no other practical option to obtain redress and is limited in its application and scope. Implementation of the Scheme is a matter for The Housing Agency who manage the remediation process, undertake procurement of professional services and the remediation contracts.

Local Authority Homes are not eligible for inclusion in the Pyrite Remediation Scheme as per section 3(5)(f) of the Pyrite Resolution Act 2013. Approved Housing Bodies are however scheme participants and are dealt with in the same manner as all other participants.

The Guide for Scheme Participants provides more detailed information around the whole remediation process and can be found on the PRB website www.pyriteboard.ie/.

Staffing numbers for the local authority sector broken down by each local authority area for each of the years 2019 to 2021 and to the end of Q2 2022 are available on the Public Service Numbers Databank which is hosted and maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and is available at the following link: databank.per.gov.ie/.

Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned.

The Programme for Government commits to ensuring that HAP levels are adequate to support vulnerable households, while we increase the supply of social housing. Under Housing for All, my Department was tasked with undertaking an analytical exercise to examine whether an increase in the level of discretion available to Local Authorities under HAP is required. The Housing Agency undertook to carry out this analytical exercise on behalf of the Department to better understand what level of discretion should be made available to Local Authorities under HAP to maintain adequate levels of support.

Following receipt and analysis of this review, I, in cooperation with Government colleagues and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, have now approved an increase in the HAP discretion rate from 20% to 35% and for new tenancies to extend the couple’s rate to single person households. This will secure more tenancies and prevent new entries to homelessness. Both these measures came into effect from 11 July 2022.

It is a matter for each local authority to determine whether the application of a discretionary increase is warranted, and the level of such an increase, on a case-by-case basis.

I am committed to decreasing our reliance on the HAP scheme and central to that is significantly scaling up our social housing supply. Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes in the period 2022?2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies. My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity in all local authorities. This data is available until the end of Quarter 2 2022 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.

The Government's Housing for All strategy commits to delivering a total of 18,000 Cost Rental homes over the period to 2030. Significant funding has been secured and is being made available to support delivery of Cost Rental by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs), Local Authorities and by the Land Development Agency (LDA).

Delivery will increase incrementally, to an average of 2,000 Cost Rental homes per year. 10,000 Cost Rental homes will be delivered from 2021 to 2026. AHBs will be supported by Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL) funding and Local Authorities will be able to avail of funding for Cost Rental delivery through the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF). The LDA will also deliver Cost Rental on its own portfolio of sites, or through acquisitions under Project Tosaigh.

In accordance with the objectives of Housing For All, currently under the Affordable Housing Fund, dwellings in schemes with a net density of over 50 dwellings per hectare in cities designated under the National Planning Framework can qualify for funding of up to €100,000 per unit, dwellings in schemes with a net density of over 35 dwellings and under 50 dwellings per hectare can qualify for funding of up to €75,000 per unit, and dwellings in schemes with a net density of less than 35 dwellings per hectare can qualify for funding of up to €50,000 per unit.

International events have contributed to an increase in the cost of loan co-financing and the trajectory of interest rates which impacts AHB delivery of Cost Rental homes as well as all housing providers. Combined with the ongoing impact of construction cost inflation, the viability of schemes has become more challenging, negatively affecting the required level of cost rent paid by tenants.

With this in mind, Government has decided that it is appropriate to increase the funding ceilings available per dwelling delivered for both the CREL and AHF schemes. The changes for both schemes will be subject to defined criteria which allows the demonstration of need and the operational parameters for implementation are currently being finalised and will be completed over the coming weeks.

Budget 2023 saw the funding allocation for CREL increase from €70m in 2022 to €75m for next year, while funding for Local Authorities through the AHF rose from €60m in 2022 to €90m for 2023. The changes to these two schemes, combined with the increased funding available, will help to address some of the challenges faced by AHBs and Local Authorities in the continued implementation of Cost Rental schemes. The funding available will help to continue to target rents achievable for Exchequer-supported Cost Rental homes at a minimum discount of 25% below open market rates.

An Bord Pleanála ('the Board') is independent in the performance of its functions under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is specifically precluded from exercising power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Board is or may be concerned.

In the light of the media reports which raised a number of matters in relation to conflicts of interest and certain other matters, the Chairperson of the Board announced in May 2022 that he had established an internal team of senior management personnel to examine a sample of decided cases.  The purpose of this internal review is to identify whether there are specific risks to compliance with the internal controls, systems and procedures under the Board’s relevant Statutory Framework and Code of Conduct and whether any other specific matter needs to be brought to the Chairperson’s attention.   

The Chairperson of An Bord Pleanála has informed me that he will update me in respect of the outcome of the review and recommended actions, following consultation with the Board’s legal advisors after the internal review is finalised. 

With regard to broader issues that have been raised in relation to the Board’s internal processes, on 24 August 2022 the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) initiated their review of An Bord Pleanála’s (ABP) systems and procedures as part of its reviews programme. The review, which is being undertaken by independent planning experts from other jurisdictions and Conleth Bradley S.C, is being carried out in two parts in line with the Terms of Reference which have been published on the OPR’s website. The first part was completed on 3rd October 2022 and has been published on the OPR’s website with the second part due by 30th November 2022.

 This review will help inform other internal changes as required and will also assist in identifying legislative amendments which may be required. I have already published an Action Plan for An Bord Pleanála arising from the recommendations of Phase 1 of the OPR Review and the Government has agreed to the drafting of priority legislation to replace the existing system of nominating bodies with a process of open competition for the appointment of ordinary board members to An Bord Pleanála.

Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which he or she is responsible.

My Department oversees workforce planning for the local government sector, including the monitoring of local government sector employment levels. To this end, my Department gathers aggregate quarterly data on staff numbers in each local authority on a whole time equivalent basis.

However, granular data, in terms of the detailed breakdown of the local authorities which might have numbers employed at this grade (Building Control Officer) is not collected and consequently is not available in my Department. The relevant information would be available from individual local authorities.

The correspondence in the details supplied by the Deputy deals with a range of issues in relation to the operation of the private rental sector.

In general, the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 regulate the landlord-tenant relationship in the residential rental sector and set out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) was established as an independent statutory body under the Acts to operate a national tenancy registration system and to facilitate the resolution of disputes between landlords and tenants.

The Government recognises and appreciates the key role of landlords in providing much needed accommodation. Landlords are essential to a fully functioning residential property market. The Government is committed to supporting the continued participation of landlords and growing their investment in the rental market. It has also been necessary in recent and uncertain times to strengthen tenancy protections for tenants including for reasons of supply and affordability in the sector.

In term of assisting landlords, it should be noted that the Minister for Finance announced in Budget 2023 that he would double the amount of tax deductible pre-letting expenses to €10,000 in respect of properties vacant for at least 6 months (currently, a vacancy for at least 12 months is required to avail of this measure). The Department will continue to liaise with the Department of Finance in relation to financial measures to assist landlords.

The operation of the rental market and the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2022 are kept under constant review.

The Land Development Agency Act 2021 was developed taking account of legal advice in relation to State Aid. The Department’s approach, based on advice received, is that the economic functions of the Land Development Agency (LDA) do not give rise to an advantage either to the LDA or other parties under State Aid rules.

The European Commission was informed about the Land Development Agency at the time of its establishment in August 2018. A structured engagement with the Commission through its informal preliminary procedures is currently being carried out by officials in my Department. Detailed information was provided to the Commission prior to the enactment of the LDA Act outlining the nature and role and functions of the LDA. This engagement is ongoing and is consistent with the approach taken in relation to other commercial state bodies and reflects the specific nature of the LDA.

An Bord Pleanála stands at the apex of our planning system and plays a crucial role as the final arbiter of many planning applications. In this light, I treat any allegations of inappropriate actions or behaviour by its members with the utmost seriousness. The government has sought to act openly, quickly and effectively in responding to the immediate problems, address underlying issues and maintain a fully functioning planning system.

On October 4th, following Government approval, I published an Action Plan for An Bord Pleanála, which was informed by the Phase One review by the Office of the Planning Regulator of certain systems and procedures used by An Bord Pleanála. The Action Plan outlines several measures relating to the Board appointment process, structure, capacity, resourcing and operations within An Bord Pleanála. Its intention is to underpin public confidence in the efficacy and ability of An Bord Pleanála to decide cases in a timely manner while supporting the values of independence, impartiality and integrity.

I have also received Government approval for the priority drafting of legislation to introduce a new appointments process for Board members of An Bord Pleanála. It is intended that this process will reflect modern best practice for recruitment to senior executive positions within the Irish public service.

Other immediate measures already taken include

- a comprehensive review of the internal code of conduct of An Bord Pleanála being undertaken by the Board,

- the complete cessation of two person decision making panels, and

- the overhaul of internal compliance procedures on ethical requirements.

I am confident that the actions taken to date, and those proposed, will assure the public of this Governments commitment to ensuring the highest levels of accountability and transparency in the work of our agencies.

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/.

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.  My Department does not compile data on housing applications lodged by local authorities with An Bord Pleanála.  Such information may be sought directly from the relevant planning authority.

It should be noted that arrangements have been put in place by all bodies under the aegis of my Department to facilitate the provision of information directly to members of the Oireachtas. This provides a speedy, efficient and cost effective system to address queries directly to the relevant bodies. The contact email address for An Bord Pleanála in this regard is Oireachtasqueries@pleanala.ie.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 349 together.

Local authorities set and collect rents on their dwellings in accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966.  The making or amending of such rent schemes is generally a matter for local authorities within broad principles set out by my Department, including that rent levels should be based on income and reflect tenants’ ability to pay. 

Local discretion and flexibility are inherent in the devolved administration of rent schemes and different approaches are taken to rent setting across local authorities. Accordingly, decisions regarding the sources of income included and disregarded for rent assessment purposes, including the Carer's Allowance and Working Family Payment, are a matter for individual local authorities. My Department has no role in this regard. 

Housing for All commits to developing proposals for a standardised national differential rents scheme across the country. The timing of this work is being considered as part of the current review of Housing for All and having regard to the significant changes in the economic environment over the past year.

I will arrange for my officials to provide the briefing note given to me in respect of the 2022-2023 General State-wide Wild Birds Declaration that I signed on 6 July 2022.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 353 to 355, inclusive, together.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is not the lead organisation in relation to matters raised. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has responsibly for avian influenza testing in Ireland and the NPWS will always contact them when it becomes aware of such issues. The situation is being monitored intensively and any suspected cases reported to DAFM for testing.

In line with our own protocols NPWS staff do not handle dead or sick wild birds , nor do they handle apparently healthy ‘most at risk bird species (that is water birds, raptors and corvids)’ .

In certain circumstances, however, NPWS volunteers for Avian Influenza collection teams may handle suspect dead/sick birds or water birds/raptors/corvids, but only under specific conditions as set out in the protocol including training, vaccination and PPE Equipment. In terms of Occupational Health and Safety the NPWS are following all formal recommendations and risk management controls including the use of PPE and training as issued by the DAFM and will continue to update its operating procedures in line with these recommendations.

DAFM also carries out year round avian influenza surveillance sampling. In areas where Avian Influenza has already been confirmed, it may not be necessary to collect further birds for sampling. The avian influenza virus is very contagious amongst birds and can survive for several weeks in the environment. The faeces of infected birds contains a high level of virus and so the area can remain infective irrespective of whether bird carcasses are removed from an area or not. If is deemed appropriate for public amenity reasons to remove dead birds or to display signage, etc., e.g., on beaches or areas with frequent human footfall, it is a matter for the Local Authority.

Question No. 354 answered with Question No. 353.

Question No. 355 answered with Question No. 353.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 357 and 358 together.

Housing for All 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 sets out, over four pathways, a broad suite of measures to achieve its policy objectives together with a financial commitment of in excess of €4 billion per annum.  

The Land Development Agency has an immediate focus on managing the State’s own lands to develop new homes, and regenerate under-utilised sites. In the longer-term, it will assemble strategic land-banks from a mix of public and private lands making these available for housing in a controlled manner, which is expected to bring essential more long-term stability to the Irish housing market.

The Dyke Road site forms part of a strategic brownfield landbank located on the edge of Galway City Centre which has been identified for comprehensive redevelopment by Galway City Council. The site extends to c. 1.75 hectares and is located to the northeast of the city centre, within walking distance from Eyre Square and the Headford Road area.

The Land Development Agency has advised my Department they have reached an agreement with Galway City Council who own the lands, to progress with a residential led development at this site.

Following the most recent draft city development plan, the Land Development Agency is advancing the procurement of a professional design team to progress a phased planning application for the site, which following consultation, will determine the number of residential units and other uses to be accommodated on the site along with a phasing plan. 

The Land Development Agency will be funding professional fees for the planning application stage while the capital delivery budget will be developed as the scheme design progresses. The preliminary programme for the project is based on a planning submission in Q3 2024 with unit delivery subject to a positive planning decision.

In relation to Sandy Road, the Land Development Agency has advised my Department that it is currently preparing a Framework Masterplan to guide the development at this site. The public lands are currently owned by Galway City Council, Galway County Council and the ESB, with the ESB site identified in Housing for All as a site that will transfer to the Land Development Agency at the appropriate time. The Land Development Agency will align with the timetable for the Draft City Development Plan and consult on the Framework Masterplan, in early 2023, following the Plan being made. The procurement of a professional design team will follow this.

The Land Development Agency will formulate budgets driven by the feasibility scheme which would support a planning application in the first instance. 

My Department and I have worked closely with the National Women’s Council for a number of years, and last month I officially launched their Toolkit for Local Authorities on Supporting Family-Friendly Local Government, in the Custom House.

This toolkit, funded by my Department, offers recommendations geared towards assisting both officials and councillors in making the role of local authority members more manageable and sustainable. This toolkit recognises that, while the issue of care disproportionately affects women, it also impacts all people who have caring responsibilities.

My Department has undertaken a wide variety of initiatives aimed at promoting the participation of women, inclusion and diversity in local government, through funding research, providing supports to organisations that deliver capacity building and training for women interested in local government, and annual calls for funding geared towards both political parties and local authorities. The latter calls for funding provide investment for innovative and forward-thinking projects which support wider inclusivity and diversity in local government decision-making structures, a number of which were outlined in the NWCI family friendly toolkit, such as workshops, training and information campaigns. This year, my Department expects, for example, to provide funding to Westmeath County Council for a feasibility study which will examine the infrastructure that would facilitate the childcare needs of councillors, along with the feasibility of providing a multi-purpose room and accessible car parking within the boundaries of the Council buildings. Westmeath County Council will also install a baby changing room on site using Department grant funding.

The Building Regulations set out the minimum requirements for the construction of new buildings and certain works to existing buildings. The primary responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Building Regulations rests with the designers, builders and owners of buildings. My Department has no function in assessing whether any particular proposal complies with the Building Regulations. Enforcement of the Building Regulations is delegated under the Building Control Act 1990 – 2020 to the local building control authorities (i.e. the 31 local authorities) who are independent in the exercise of their statutory powers.

Separately, the process of Agrément certification applies to those products and processes which do not fall within the scope of existing construction standards, either because they are innovative or because they deviate from established norms. The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) Agrément assesses, specifies testing, and where appropriate, issues Agrément certificates confirming that new building products, materials, techniques and equipment are safe and fit for purpose in accordance with the Building Regulations and with the terms of the certificate.

The NSAI is a statutory body under the aegis of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and, as such, further detail on the Agrément certification is a matter for the NSAI and its parent Department.

My Department provides funding to local authorities for the Housing Adaptation Grant for Older People and People with a Disability Scheme, in respect of private houses. The detailed administration of the grants, including the assessment, approval and payment of individual grants to applicants, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.

These grant schemes assist in the carrying out of works to make accommodation more suitable for the needs of older and disabled people, the types of works included are access ramps, adaptations to facilitate wheelchair access, etc. The grant schemes also contribute towards other works that are reasonably necessary for the purposes of rendering a house more suitable for the accommodation of a person with a disability or addressing their mobility needs which may include the provision of an extension.

Further details on these schemes is available at the following link:www.gov.ie/en/service/6636c-housing-adaptation-grants-for-older-people-and-people-with-a-disability/.