Micheál Martin

I have.

I accept that 19 years is far too long to spend in temporary accommodation. I am not aware of the specific background but I will talk to the Minister to see what can be done to improve the situation. In relation to Stepping Stones Special School, there has been a significant uplift in capitation for special schools arising out of the last budget. I presume that will take effect some time this year…

Again, these issues are optimally resolved locally. All idle property that is not earmarked should be used. There should be more proactivity among State agencies, the OPW and local authorities in utilising existing buildings. A good local authority will do that and will proactively seek to get buildings utilised, particularly for an organisation like Men's Sheds, which has been very impactful in …

Is St. Paul's a DEIS school at the moment?

It has not been ignored, so.

DEIS status affords very significant opportunities to schools in terms of pupil-teacher ratios and additional supports. The Deputy has outlined the position with DEIS+. The budget has approved it and allocation of resources has happened. Obviously, a scheme has to be developed. It is going to be a very targeted programme for those most in need in education. I will ask the Minister to revert to the…

There is a responsibility on the local authority. The derelict sites levy is there. We are changing that as a result of the budget, as the Deputy knows. The Government has decided that the responsibility for dereliction and derelict buildings will transfer to Revenue. Work is under way between the Department of Finance and local authorities to get the proper maps for local authority areas that wil…

Public transport is the way forward. Rail is particularly important. The more people we can encourage and incentivise towards using rail, the better, particularly in areas like Kilkenny and Carlow which are very close to the Dublin area where people would commute for work and so forth. Sustainability in terms of financial sustainability is potentially an issue. Sometimes charges are made because i…

I appreciate the Deputy taking the opportunity to express sympathies on the death of his late colleague, Mickey Brady. I join in the sympathies to his wife Caroline and his family more generally. On the carers situation, I answered the Deputy's party leader earlier in respect of that. Nothing has changed. There is no additional taxation. Rather, the Government has significantly increased the incom…

I thank the Deputy. As he said, other Members have also raised this issue. I did a tour of Maynooth with Deputy Ó Cearúil. It is a classic education town. It is a beautiful town with tremendous potential at all levels of education. Is féidir leat do thuras oideachasúil idir bhunscoil, an dara leibhéal agus an tríú leibhéal a dhéanamh trí Ghaeilge. Is áit speisialta é. We are very committed to exp…

I will help in that I will communicate with X and ask that they turn up. There is not that the gap in the legislation. The 2020 Act does cover-----

It does cover the sharing, dissemination and distribution of intimate adult images.

We can arrange legal advice for the Deputy in that regard.

We always put the worker first. I question much of the basis of the Oxfam report, as I have in the past, as the Deputy knows. Economists are dubious about some of the basis and premise upon which the research is based and its application to Ireland, in particular. Certainly, there is no €1 billion waiting out there in terms of a wealth tax.

I move: That, pursuant to subsection (2A) (inserted by section 2 of the Standards in Public Office Act 2001 (No. 31 of 2001)), of section 21 of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 (No. 22 of 1995), Dáil Éireann recommends the appointment of Ms. Justice Elizabeth Dunne, currently a Judge of the Supreme Court, by the President on the advice of the Government to be the Chairperson of the Standards …

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 18, inclusive, together. In May 2024, the Government appointed a task force to take a holistic view of the measures required to rejuvenate Dublin city centre, north and south, to make Dublin city centre a more thriving, attractive, and safe cityscape and a desirable location to live, work, do business and visit. Following the task force report and recommendat…

Deputy Séamus McGrath raised the issue of a task force for Cork city, as did Deputies Pádraig O'Sullivan and Thomas Gould. First of all, we have not been awaiting the establishment of the task force in respect of investment in Cork city. The most significant investment recently was the up to €90 million announced for the Crawford Gallery, which is a national institution. It is very substantial and…

Again, the city council has a key role to play here, particularly as I said earlier in terms of playing facilities. That applies in terms of arts facilities and cultural facilities as well. Many facilities have been provided, but it is very disappointing in terms of The Complex.

Sorry, I am speaking now. What is important is that for those areas and premises that we can control, the local authorities should identify and prioritise those for community and artistic engagement. In terms of the recommendations, the establishment of a special purpose vehicle, SPV, under section 66 of the Local Government Act 2001-----

-----is a matter for the elected members of Dublin City Council. The council is taking the required steps to set up the legal entity. The SPV is key. We have seen in the past that when SPVs get established, they can get things done in respect of buildings and having control and agency in a lot of areas. It is expected that the legal entity will be established by the end of quarter 2 of 2026. The …

As the Deputy knows, work is under way on Moore Street under the aegis of the OPW. I have been there. This will also form part of the overall rejuvenation of O'Connell Street, respecting the ethos and the historic nature of Moore Street, in particular. A previous Government designated it as a national monument. We are very clear about its importance historically. We will preserve and make availabl…

The funding will be allocated as required. You do not just send a dollop straight up. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett referred to The Complex also and the core and multi-annual funding for theatre. He described the model as a neoliberal model. I think we have a thriving arts and cultural situation in Ireland. The Arts Council is important in that regard. The arts departments of city councils are very…

I will. I did not catch it but I will now that the Deputy has drawn my attention to it. I will have a look at that. I am always very open to supporting production, drama and so on. The question is what the most effective way of doing it is. It is a core part of any city in terms of quality of life, which is important. We do not just live in an economy; we live in a society. We have strengths in th…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 to 28, inclusive, together. The Department of the Taoiseach's annual report for 2024 was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas in October of last year. I hope everybody has read it. The report sets out the work of the Department in 2024 to achieve the strategic priorities identified in its statement of strategy and to support the implementation of the progra…

I thank all the Deputies who raised a variety of issues. Deputy O'Meara raised the issue of affordable housing, specifically in Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny in a variety of towns. There is a variety of schemes to help people to afford housing. Lots of people have used the help to buy and first home schemes. The local authority affordable scheme has had applications in some counties more effec…