2025-12-09

I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Motion re Excess Vote relating to 2024 [Vote 14] (without debate) - Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025 (Second Stage) (to conclude within 3 hours and 34 minutes) Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Assessment of Needs, selected by Sinn Féin. Wednesday's business shall be: - Statements on Online Safety (not to exceed 2 hours and 25 minutes) - Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a Council Decision to sign the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (to commence no earlier than 5.20 p.m. and to conclude within 1 hour) - Irish Film Board (Amendment) Bill 2025 [Seanad] (Committee and remaining Stages) (to conclude within 1 hour) - Motion to Instruct the Committee on the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 (to conclude within 1 hour and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 (Committee and remaining Stages) (if not previously concluded, to conclude either at 12.22 a.m. or after 4 hours, whichever is the later) Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Second Stage of the Dog Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2025, selected by Social Democrats. Thursday's business shall be the Motion re Restoration of Private Members’ Bill to the Order Paper (without debate). Thursday evening business shall be the Second Stage of the Health (Waiting Lists) Bill 2024, sponsored by Deputy David Cullinane. Proposed Arrangements for this week’s business: In relation to Tuesday’s business, it is proposed that: 1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent: (a) the time allocated to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business and the Dáil may sit later than 10.48 p.m.; (b) Oral Parliamentary Questions to the Taoiseach pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) shall not be taken and Government business shall commence at the time when Parliamentary Questions to the Taoiseach would normally be taken; and (c) private members’ business may be taken later than 6.12 p.m. and shall in any event be taken on the conclusion of the Second Stage of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025, with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following in the ordinary routine of business, namely, Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Finance and topical issues; 2. the proceedings on the Motion re Excess Vote relating to 2024 [Vote 14] shall be taken without debate; and 3. the proceedings on the Second Stage of the Arbitration (Amendment) Bill 2025 shall be brought to a conclusion after 3 hours and 34 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply: (a) the arrangements for the first speaking round shall be in accordance with those contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down); (b) on the conclusion of the first speaking round or where speeches conclude before the 3 hours and 24 minutes have elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, whereupon proceedings shall be brought to a conclusion; and (c) members may share time. In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that: 1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent: (a) the time allotted for Government Business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business and the Dáil may sit later than 9.30 p.m.; (b) the SOS pursuant to Standing Order 25(1) shall be taken immediately following Taoiseach’s Oral Parliamentary Questions pursuant to Standing Order 47(1), which shall be taken at the time when the SOS would normally be taken; (c) in the event the Statements on Online Safety conclude before 5.20 p.m., the sitting shall stand suspended until 5.20 p.m. when the order of business shall resume with the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a Council Decision to sign the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; and (d) the weekly division time shall be taken on the conclusion of proceedings on the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Dáil shall adjourn on the conclusion of the weekly division time; 2. notwithstanding anything in Standing Order 177(2), the proceedings on Second Stage of the Dog Welfare (Amendment) Bill 2025 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 2 hours; 3. the Statements on Online Safety shall not exceed 2 hours and 25 minutes and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows: (a) the arrangements for the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down); (b) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and (c) members may share time; 4. the proceedings on the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann for a Council Decision to sign the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply thereto: (a) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State – 10 minutes; speeches by representatives of Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Social Democrats, Independent and Parties Technical Group, and Independent Technical Group – 7.5 minutes per party or group; speeches by Other Members – 7.5 minutes in total; and speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; and (b) members may share time; 5. the proceedings on Committee and remaining Stages of the Irish Film Board (Amendment) Bill 2025 [Seanad] shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 1 hour by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport; 6. the proceedings on the Motion to Instruct the Committee on the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply thereto: (a) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State – 10 minutes; speeches by representatives of Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Social Democrats, Independent and Parties Technical Group, and Independent Technical Group – 7.5 minutes per party or group; speeches by Other Members – 7.5 minutes in total; and a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes; (b) members may share time; and (c) any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately; and 7. the proceedings on Committee and remaining Stages of the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion either at 12.22 p.m. or after 4 hours, whichever is the later, by one question, which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that: 1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent: (a) pursuant to an Order of the Dáil of 2nd December, 2025, Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) shall be taken for 96.5 minutes immediately following the SOS; (b) topical issues may be taken earlier than 7.24 p.m. and shall in any event be taken on the conclusion of the Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science pursuant to Standing Order 47(1), with consequential effect on the commencement time for Second Stage of the Health (Waiting Lists) Bill 2024; and (c) the Dáil shall adjourn on conclusion of the Second Stage of the Health (Waiting Lists) Bill 2024; and 2. the proceedings on the Motion re Restoration of Private Members’ Bill to the Order Paper shall be taken without debate.

Are the proposed arrangements for the week's business agreed?

Not agreed.

Not agreed.

I call Deputy Mac Lochlainn.

The reports into Operations Kenova and Denton expose a central role of the British state over decades in hundreds of targeted assassinations and murders of nationalists in the Six Counties. We need an urgent debate. Tomorrow there are statements on online safety, and I suggest to the Chief Whip that we have a debate on these reports tomorrow and deal with the seriousness of it, the central role of the British state and how it cannot dictate in terms of the legacy legislation and consider how it blocked co-operation with these reports.

We need an urgent debate on the crisis in emergency departments across the country. Last week 14 ambulances were stacked up outside Wexford General Hospital, with no access to the emergency department because it was already packed. Some 14 ambulances taken out of service, some for up to seven hours. We are facing an urgent crisis in the emergency department. Wexford needs a demountable unit to avoid this crisis happening again.

Over the weekend, a child of four years of age and his 60-year-old great aunt were murdered in their own home through an arson attack in a manner most despicable and most heinous. It is something which absolutely requires the immediate attention of this House. I cannot understand how the justice Minister is not here talking about how we are going to crack these gangs and how we were are going to confront drug-related intimidation that is destroying our communities. This warrants immediacy.

I joined disabled activists and disability groups in a protest outside the Dáil this morning. They were protesting over the fact that the recent budget has plunged them into poverty. One disabled person described how, for example, he has to sit down and consider whether he can put one bar or two bars on the gas heater that he sits beside. He described his own personal humiliation at having to go to food banks to get sandwiches because he cannot afford food. They were pleading with this Government for an emergency winter payment to be provided to deal with this and for a cost-of-disability payment. Will the Minister respond?

I want to bring up the Galway West and Dublin Central by-elections and the fact that nobody is talking about them and the writs have not been issued. The Mercosur deal is hugely important. We have a crisis in this country where we face, on 20 December, the Commissioner trying to push this ahead so that she can sell vehicles from Germany. There is a Fine Gael MEP and a Fianna Fáil MEP who state they support this shocking, terrible deal which will bring rotten meat into this country.

Thank you, Deputy. Time is up.

We need a clear statement form the Taoiseach. What is the stance of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael MEPs? Do they support the Mercosur deal or not?

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and all the Whips for raising these important issues. We will take the opportunity on Thursday at the Business Committee meeting to discuss them further. The Order of Business stands.

Are the proposed arrangements for the business agreed?

Not agreed.

Before I move to questions on policy or promised legislation, I welcome the transition year students from Intermediate School, Killorglin, in County Kerry, along with their teachers James Culloty an Annie O'Connor, who are guests of Deputy Michael Cahill.

As has been mentioned already, as we speak there are people with disabilities protesting outside the gates of Leinster House because they are struggling with the cost of living. The hard reality is that in the budget the Government took away the supports that these individuals were relying on. People with disabilities are up to €1,400 worse off. The Government stripped away the vital supports they depend on to deal with the spiralling cost-of-living crisis. Those are not my numbers but the Irish Wheelchair Association's numbers. The Government shamefully left vulnerable people high and dry. This has caused serious anger, worry and stress for people with disabilities, many of whom are going to be forced into real deprivation. That is why they are gathered outside the gates of Leinster House pleading for the Government to introduce an emergency winter disability payment and do the right thing. Will the Government listen to the disability sector? Will it reverse its decision and introduce an emergency winter disability payment because these individuals cannot wait 12 months for it to get its act together?

As I said in response to Deputy Cairns, this was a budget where we absolutely took the provision of disability services very seriously. That is why there is a 20% increase following the negotiation and settlement with the Minister, Deputy Foley, which will make a real difference in strengthening and enhancing service provision. That is being complemented with a series of targeted social protection supports in terms of core welfare increases, the fuel allowance and other payments. Of course, we will continue to engage with stakeholders in the disability sector and people with disabilities in advance of budget 2027 on the priorities for next year's budget. That is the context in which we agreed budget 2026.

My Labour Party colleagues Deputies Eoghan Kenny and Alan Kelly have recently uncovered alarming details of a shocking sweetener given to the former Garda Commissioner. Last week, we learned from them that roughly €1 million in public money went towards accommodation, refurbishment and security for one of the highest paid public servants in the State. Public funds covered a rent-free home for the former Garda Commissioner in the Phoenix Park at a time when many ordinary gardaí cannot afford to rent or buy in Dublin. We need to know why the public was kept in the dark on this for so long. Deputy Kenny has already sought responses from the Garda and the OPW but I want to put these questions on the record of the Dáil. Why was a house leased from the OPW before the recruitment process even began? What does this say about the fairness of the 2018 selection process for the Garda Commissioner if this accommodation deal was never publicly acknowledged as part of the package? Clearly, multiple questions arise from this revelation and we need to have answers.

I thank Deputy Bacik. As has been previously stated, the Policing Authority advised the then Minister for Justice and Equality in 2017, in advance of the recruitment of a Garda Commissioner, of the terms and conditions that should apply to such an appointment. This advice included a recommendation that in the case of an external successful candidate it may be appropriate to provide for accommodation or an accommodation allowance, given the requirement that the Garda Commissioner reside in Dublin. The recommendation at that time was accepted and the Department initially engaged with the Office of Public Works to explore support that it could provide if it turned out an external candidate was successful. Further to the appointment of former Commissioner Harris in June 2018, suitable accommodation was identified for the Commissioner. The OPW at that point set the rent for this property, which was paid by An Garda Síochána and, as has already been confirmed, the former Commissioner paid benefit in kind in respect of the accommodation that was provided. The Department of justice and the OPW can provide any further information that Deputy Bacik is seeking.

I want to pay tribute to Cara Darmody's determination on the assessments of need crisis and welcome Cara and her dad, Mark, here today. There are now over 18,000 children whose assessment of need is overdue. The Government is spending many millions of euro fighting in the courts some of these families who are trying to have their right to an assessment of need upheld. At the same time, the Government is imposing recruitment restrictions on the very services in primary care where many of these children should be seen quickly for assessment, followed by timely intervention. This is an absurd way to provide services. What we need is an extension of the right to an assessment of need to also become a right to intervention. The crisis in assessments of need is part of a broader crisis in disability and primary care services and it stems from years of Government neglect, failure to invest and failure to plan. This under-resourcing has created a feedback loop whereby the services are now struggling to retain staff when they do advertise jobs because they have become so difficult to work in, with out-of-control waiting lists. What we need now is proper workforce planning with a clear staffing target per population across these services and a comprehensive recruitment drive.

First, I want to acknowledge Cara Darmody, who is continuing her campaign outside the gates of Leinster House. I know Cara has met with the Minister, Deputy Foley, and they have had good and positive engagement. In terms of assessment of need, the demand for assessments of need has more than doubled since 2020 and there has been a 57% year-on-year increase in the assessments of need that have been completed within the HSE. We are also using every available mechanism to reduce the backlog as quickly as possible. There have been 5,000 assessments procured privately through the waiting list initiative. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is advancing legislative change to reform the assessment of need without weakening the rights of children, establishing a dedicated panel to provide autism diagnostic assessments, removing the requirement for an assessment of need for accessing non-health supports including special classes and school places, and the roll-out of the education therapy service. In the agreement for budget 2026 the significant increase in disability funding of 20% will make a significant difference in ramping up recruitment in terms of improving assessment of need across the system in addition to the reforms the Minister is progressing.

The programme for Government states on page 68 that the Government will support the school building unit in the timely delivery of school building projects. Coláiste Íosagáin in Portarlington has been waiting for a decade and a half. Portarlington is the second-biggest town in County Laois and the school is full to capacity. It has a catchment area taking in Killenard, Lea, Emo, Ballybrittas and Courtwood and, in Offaly, Walshisland and Bracknagh. There is huge pressure on student places and a large part of the school is in prefabricated buildings. There is a new school plan for 1,300 pupils but this has been going on for a decade and a half. I am asking Deputy Chambers, as Minister for public expenditure, to move this on. They have been waiting for approval to go to tender. Will the Government and the Minister for education now move this on? Deputy Chambers, as Minister for public expenditure, has a key role in this because we cannot have schools waiting for up to 20 years to get new buildings in place. It is important for the education of the children. It is important for the staff who work there as well.

In the engagement I have had with then Minister for education, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, we have prioritised the school building programme in the national development plan. For the next five years we have a total allocation of €7.5 billion. That is up from €5 billion over the previous five years in the national development plan, which was agreed in 2020 or 2021. That will allow for significant ramping-up of the overall delivery of school buildings and, in addition, the special education needs, which are critical in overall school provision. The Department has to work with the allocation it has and manage its pipeline in that context. I can ask the Department of Education and Youth to provide a more specific note on the timeline for that particular school.

Today sees the publication of a significant report into British collusion in the killing of innocent Irish citizens. The report details how MI5 managed murderers and then sought to hide the truth afterwards. The Glenanne gang, who killed 127 Irish people, and was also made up of British Army, RUC and loyalist paramilitaries, is another example of collusion. In most countries, information such as this would be of the gravest priority but not here. The legacy Act, which was designed to let British soldiers away with murder, has been binned but it has been replaced by the British-Irish legacy framework document. Currently, that is going through Westminster. The British Government is seeking to build in protections for British Army veterans in relation to that. It is also looking to put the Secretary of State in charge of what information can be brought to these investigations. It may even put senior RUC officers in charge of those investigations. People who were involved in the organisations that were involved in the collusion will investigate collusions. The Government has a chance to stop or change this. What efforts will the Government make to make sure the information is made available to the families and survivors who need it?

At the outset I thank the Kenova team for its service, initially under the leadership of Jon Boutcher and, subsequently, Sir Iain Livingstone. People who have an opportunity, if they have not done so already, to read the report today will see it certainly makes for interesting reading. There are shocking claims of collusion. Paramilitary groups were regularly supplied with intelligence by members of security forces. However, it is also very critical of the Provisional IRA, referencing the wanton use of torture and murder in its own community. This is a really important piece of work that has been done. The Deputy is wrong in saying that there has not been a priority or a focus put on this by the Government. There has been a huge amount of engagement between this Government, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the UK Government to bring about the framework, which was agreed in September. The framework strikes a very fine balance in making sure the most important thing happens here, namely, that families get the truth. Any information here will be fed into the overall work that is being done with the framework but the legislation will go through the Houses-----

The Secretary of State is still in charge of the information.

The fact that the UK Government has moved with such speed is welcome and we will work with which to make sure it can be implemented.

Yesterday, a large number of people in the village of Newmarket on Fergus, County Clare, received a letter advising them that their local GP surgery would close and all operations and appointments would be moved centrally to the Saffron and Blue clinic in Clarecastle. One might say what about it, is a doctor not allowed to make those decisions? I would say that the answer is fundamentally "No". It is a failure if this is allowed to happen. There are 927 people on the patient list who are medical card holders. Therefore, the State is a major stakeholder here. That is a State contract. Owing to age and, indeed, the lack of public transport in many situations, there is a need for the surgery to be at the heart of Newmarket on Fergus. The HSE has advised me that it tried to seek a premises on the main street to house a surgery. So far, those efforts have failed. I ask that the Government and HSE redouble its efforts. It is imperative that Newmarket on Fergus has a GP practice on the main street and people are not shipped up the road to Clarecastle. I ask for Government and HSE intervention on this.

I thank the Deputy. I regret the fact that residents in Newmarket on Fergus are seeing an important community healthcare provision in terms of their GP service removed and replaced at another location. I will ask the Minister for Health and HSE to follow through on this and the impact of the absence of transport provision for many vulnerable people who need basic community healthcare and a continuity of healthcare in their local community. I will ask that the HSE and Department of Health respond fully to the Deputy's query.

I want to raise the concerning issue of waiting times for assessment of need for children in County Laois. I received a letter from the HSE dated 3 December 2025, stating that 870 children in the Laois-Offaly area are currently waiting to be reviewed by the assessment officer to determine the eligibility of progress for assessment. For those deemed eligible, the average waiting time is 21 months, almost two years, before beginning the process of accessing supports. The HSE did not provide me with specific figures but the scale of the backlog is undeniable. The families are in distress and children are being denied critical early intervention. Even more troubling is that the HSE confirmed to me that 95% of the assessments have been outsourced to private providers but waiting times are not improving. The current situation is not sustainable and urgent action is needed to ensure these children are not left behind.

I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge that many people in all of our constituencies are waiting too long for an assessment of need. We have seen increased resourcing of this over the past number of years but a doubling of demand since 2020, which has put significant pressure on the overall service. For example, approximately 9,570 applications were received in the first nine months of this year alone. We have significantly resourced this in the current year but also in budget 2026, with a 20% increase in disability funding. This will provide for significant recruitment support and increased provision of assessment of need. Complementing the resource allocation, we also need to reform the assessment of need process to make it much more efficient and effective for many of the children who are waiting for an assessment of need. We also need to increase the provision of therapies for many of the people in communities we represent. That is complemented by the waiting list initiative. The legislative reforms that will be progressed by the Minister, Deputy Foley, and Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, will make a difference in improving the process. Ultimately, we want to vindicate the rights of young people so there is a quicker process around the assessment of need and they get the therapy and intervention from the allied health professionals and providers.

The Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, spoke last week at Shannon Airport and said he would like to see a rail link built to the airport in the future. However, he failed to give any certainty about the project. When asked about the timelines for the project, he was vague and unconvincing. Given the Minister's interest, it was notable that the project was absent from the national development plan review. This project is essential and would greatly boost the future of Shannon Airport, County Clare and the entire region. I welcome the Minister's interest in it but vague aspirations and intentions are no substitute for plans and implementation. We need certainty to provide confidence in the project. What are the Minster's plans to commence the process for the construction of the rail link? What steps has he already taken? What plans will he bring forward in the time ahead? Can we be assured it will commence within the lifetime of this Government?

I thank the Deputy. I will have to ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to refer specifically to her query. In budget 2026 and the national development plan, we have secured €24 billion for transport capital investment over the next five years, which will make a significant difference in improving public transport, the development of roads and the wider active travel programme right across communities in our country. Part of that is the strengthening the provision of rail in many communities across our country. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is working on the sectoral investment plan, which he has published for the next five years, but he is also building a trajectory and pipeline of capital investment over a series of years. He has referenced the strategic link to Shannon Airport and he will be able to set out a more accurate timeline for that.

The vacant home refurbishment grant has been a hugely successful lever for dealing with the scourge of vacancy and dereliction as there have been over 15,000 applications. However, it was reported during the week that there is a proposal to cap the grant at €650,000, which would have a hugely disproportionate impact on Dublin where close to one in four properties currently would not be eligible to receive that grant. I would ask bluntly whether this figure is under consideration. I hope it is not. I really hope a decision is not taken to cap the vacant refurbishment grant at a level that would reduce the number of houses, particularly at a time when the Minister for housing has acknowledged that dereliction in its own right is a form of antisocial behaviour and that we are trying to get people back living in the city centre.

I thank the Deputy. The Minister for housing has an ongoing review of that particular grant. It is my understanding that it has yet to come before Government. He will be able to respond to any particular queries after he has concluded a review, or if any changes are to be made at that point.

We know from our engagements in our constituencies that for some children, the hot school meal scheme represents a significant portion of the food they might be given on a day. We know that one in five parents skip meals and reduce portion size in order to ensure their children have enough to eat. It is an important initiative. However, there have been issues with how the scheme has been administered. This year, we saw a last minute, four-month delay impact hundreds of primary schools. Funding, portions and size remain consistent for infants right through to sixth class, despite children's nutritional needs changing as they grow and traceability is poor. Small local companies have told me they feel frozen out of the tendering process. It then leaves the schools having to use heating equipment to ensure the food is hot. Will the Minister undertake to address these issues?

I thank the Deputy. All schemes are constantly under review. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, who oversees the hot school meals programme can take into account any feedback the Deputy has relating to procurement. He can also take into account feedback on the nutritional value of the hot school meals programme. I will ask him to provide a more specific answer to the Deputy's query.

The Complex is the only multi-disciplinary arts centre in Dublin's north inner city. It combines a performance space, a gallery and 18 artists' studios. It is also about to close. Management of the Complex have been talks with the Government and the city council since 2018 to secure the long-term future of this centre but it has now been served with a notice to quit. The city council passed an emergency motion on the issue and there is due to be a public meeting on the issue on Thursday. As Minister for public expenditure, is Deputy Chambers aware of this issue and will he commit to engage with Dublin City Council and with his colleague, the Minister for Finance, to work on a solution to protect this key cultural space for Dublin city centre?

I thank the Deputy. I am familiar with the Complex and its important role for many in the arts community. Obviously, the specific capital needs in terms of any acquisition will be a matter for the Minister for arts. I will reflect on what the Deputy said and I am happy to engage with my colleagues on that matter. Obviously, if there has been immediate notice given, I do not know the facts on how quickly that is moving. It will be a matter for the Minister for arts to respond to and I will ask him to do so.

My question is on that same topic because I understand the Minister attended two meetings with both members of the board and management of the Complex, along with the former Minister, Paschal Donohoe, over the past number of months. He is obviously very familiar with the situation. The Complex's ask is very simple, in that it has secured funding from DCC and it has a loan but the third part of the jigsaw is securing funding from Government. The reality and the context here is that for the past 20 years, we have counted up to 52 losses or closures of arts spaces and studios in Dublin. The reality is that Dublin is being hollowed and culture cannot compete with capitalism. The Minister has engaged directly with the Complex. There was a hope the Government would step in. The Department of culture has made it very clear it is not in the business of purchasing or ensuring the long-term lease for properties. We are asking what the Minister will do to save this arts space in Dublin?

I recognise the role of the Complex for many in the arts community. I will engage with colleagues on it again. That particular notice has been advanced and I understand the urgency of the issue but I will engage with the Department of arts and culture on it and revert.

I was genuinely shocked and appalled by the video that was circulated by the Department of housing yesterday. It was drafted by a charity, as we know, but it was released on the Department of housing's official communication channels. It actually beggars belief that some bright spark in the Department of housing came up with releasing that video. Is it now official Department policy that young people should move in with their parents to have housing?

No it is not Would the Deputy stop?

Is that the official policy of the Government? The numbers have doubled in a decade and the Government still wants them to move in with their parents. Youth unemployment among the highest it has ever been, if you strip out Covid and the recession. What is the official policy of the Government for housing for young people?

The Deputy has not referenced the housing plan, which is to sufficiently ramp up the provision of social and affordable homes to ensure we ramp up overall housing supply. The Deputy is misrepresenting the facts on this. It was something produced by SpunOut. It is not something-----

It was released by the Department.

This is not a back-and-forth discussion, Deputy.

The Government's policy on housing is what we have set out in our housing plan. The series of actions the Minister, Deputy Browne, has taken to ensure that young people can build a future and set up roots here, and the many interventions we have made in terms of the viability of housing and the increased provision in our national development plan for social and affordable homes, are all about ensuring we increase affordability and the supply of social homes right across our country. Our focus over the next number of years is to ramp up housing supply so that we ensure more young people have the ability to buy a home or have affordable rent across our country.

There are many people doing important work in adult education across this country. One mechanism for that is so-called local training initiatives, LTIs. There are 100 workers spread out throughout 16 ETBs. Scandalously, these workers for LTIs have not had an increase in their pay in 20 years despite the deepening cost-of-living crisis. In 2001, the Labour Court recognised pay inequities within the community training programme and recommended a 20% pay increase, as well as future increases, but they were not extended to those working for LTIs. Community training staff who are funded in the same way as LTIs, follow identical guidelines and work with the same students received those pay increases and salary scales but the LTI workers did not. Their committee has two simple asks, namely, pay parity with community training centres, CTCs, and the implementation of pay scales. I am aware that there are discussions ongoing with a small offer being made but there is still no promise of a pay scale like other, similar workers. Can the Government commit to these asks?

I appreciate the Deputy raising that issue. I do not have an up-to-date position on the matter, but I will ask the relevant Department Minister to respond to the Deputy.

That concludes Questions on Policy or Legislation.