Paul Murphy

No, we are asking questions.

4. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration when he will review the disposable income threshold of €18,000 for accessing civil legal aid, which has not been updated since 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54227/25]

The disposable income threshold for civil legal aid is only €18,000. Incredibly, it has not been updated since 2006. Think of all the cost-of-living crises and everything else we have been through since then. How much additional funding is provided for civil legal aid in the budget? Will it allow for the raising of the threshold very significantly and for abolishing it entirely in cases where dome…

I agree this is a question of access to justice. Some people are being denied justice because they are just over the threshold and therefore cannot afford it. A woman has come to me whose daughter is dealing with an abusive ex-partner and is fighting for full custody. She is €50 per week over the current threshold and has therefore had to spend €45,000 on a custody case, which is horrendous. I no…

To tease that out a little further, does the Minister agree that a different threshold or abolishing the threshold entirely would be appropriate in cases where domestic violence is a factor or in family law cases like that for precisely the reason he outlined? Can the Minister provide any sort of timeframe for when this consideration is likely to be complete? I underline the point that it is not s…

Increase their wages then.

Give them a living wage then.

After the election-----

You are.

There are private equity firms involved in a lot of those franchises.

Hear, hear.

This is a budget of austerity at a time of plenty, which is incredible. No exaggeration, but this budget is going to make life for ordinary people harder at a time when we have a very large budget surplus and when €1.7 billion is being given to corporations in various forms of corporate welfare. If an alien had come down here at 1 o'clock today and listened to the budget speeches of the Ministers,…

This is going to become an issue in the election. The budget has clarified who this Government represents.

This Government represents the burger joints, the developers and the corporate landlords, but not ordinary people.

This is a law now, is it?

Can I just ask for clarity? What Standing Order is that, or is it a salient ruling?

Which number? Could you send me an email with the number?

What problem does Sinn Féin have with the people of Listowel? It is absolutely ridiculous, Minister, to be fair.

I have not followed the issue but I thought that was a bit ridiculous.

6. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will increase the payment under the basic income for the arts scheme in budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52583/25]

32. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will make the basic income for the arts scheme permanent in budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52584/25]

My question goes back to the previous grouping in relation to the basic income for the arts, BIA, scheme. What the Minister said earlier was unambiguously positive in terms of the evidence of the cost benefit analysis of the scheme. Will the scheme be made permanent? Will it be expanded to four or five times its current size so that all eligible applicants can benefit from it?

The evidence is absolutely clear. As Minister said earlier, the headline from the cost benefit analysis is that society received a benefit of €1.39 for every euro spent on this scheme. The Minister said that he is in favour of this being made permanent, I think, or at least being continued. Does he agree that it should be massively expanded? Just over 8,000 artists applied to this pilot but only 2…

Again, it is unambiguously positive. It is positive for the artists who participated and for society as a whole. It provides some sort of halt or counterpressure to the drain of mass emigration of many of our most creative young people who are effectively being driven out of here by the cost-of-living crisis and are going to live in less expensive but creative cities which is sucking the energy an…

83. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health when she anticipates that no child will have to wait longer than three months for spinal surgery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52561/25]