Jim O'Callaghan

I thank the Deputy. I agree that housing aid and housing adaption grants are vital. They are hugely important and the Government is supporting them. I do not have the details required to reply to the Deputy's question, and I apologise for that. However, I will engage with the Minister, Deputy Browne, try to get the information and come back to the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I know he featured in the programme. I had a walk-on part as well. The Data Protection Commission is treating this matter seriously and is investigating it. The officials in my Department are engaging with the commission, which is required by law to ensure that it investigates matters such as this if it believes what is involved infringes upon t…

I thank the Deputy for informing and educating me about the success of the Wade family in kickboxing. As the Deputy knows, Sport Ireland is the entity that allocates funding directly to the relevant national governing bodies. I am concerned to hear that they received no funding whatsoever. This is an issue that I will raise with my colleague the Minister for sport. The way we decide how funding sh…

Ireland has provided significant humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza. The amount is in the region of €90 million. I ask the Deputy to tell me what she wants the Irish Government to do.

We are keeping our eyes on what is happening in Gaza. We are condemning the actions of the Israeli Government.

We are leading by example in the European Union, and other countries are following our example by recognising the State of Palestine. We are leading by example in ensuring that the issue of the EU-Israel trade agreement is coming under consideration. People are coming around to the Irish point of view. We are doing a lot.

The Deputy says there are only three candidates for the Presidency of Ireland when there are 5.5 million people here. In the United States of America, which has a population of approximately 400 million, there are only two candidates.

I ask the Deputy to bring forward legislation.

I ask the Deputy to bring forward legislation and it can be considered. I must point out that it will require a constitutional amendment. My view is that when you look at the provisions contained within the Constitution, they are probably correct. Twenty Members of the Oireachtas and-or four local authorities are required. Much consideration went into drafting that. If the Deputy wants to change t…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of childcare facilities in Kildare. If a premises is left vacant for a lengthy period, it is, in the first instance, an issue for the local authority in Kildare to assess what can be done. The Government has invested a considerable amount of money to fund childcare. I am conscious that one of the issues is trying to identify appropriate properties for the …

I move the following Further Revised Estimate: Vote 24 - Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Third Further Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €2,724,546,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2025, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Prob…

I thank the three Deputies for their useful contributions. Obviously, they were all present for the justice committee meeting yesterday where we covered much of the ground in respect of international protection accommodation services. Deputy Carthy started with reference to the issue of IPAS. All of us here - Deputies Gannon, Kelly and Carthy and myself - agree that far too much money is being sp…

I know the Deputy did not ask that. What the Deputy wanted to know was the basis upon which we try to categorise a price. Location is one consideration. The size of the entity and the services in the surrounding area are others. There is greater consistency coming in.

I thank Deputy McDonald for the question. At the outset, can I say that she does not have a monopoly on empathy or compassion for householders-----

-----when it comes to addressing the difficult circumstances that members of the public find themselves in as a result of cost-of-living pressures? It is important to point out that this Government has done a huge amount in respect of those cost-of-living pressures. By looking at what was done in budget 2025, the Deputy is invoking those measures today as a means of assisting people. She was not s…

-----and indeed 24 months ago. In budget 2025, a wide range of measures were introduced which had the effect of protecting members of the public from the excessive costs that were arising as a result of inflation. We introduced an increased payment in respect of the rent tax credit; it went up from €1,000 to €2,000. There was the extension of the 9% reduced VAT rate for gas and electricity. That v…

-----and brought forward by the Minister, Helen McEntee. The Deputy might not like the fact that a huge number of measures have been taken by this Government to relieve pressure on hard-pressed families. The fact of the matter is that any fair assessment of what is being done shows that this is being done by this Government. I must say that the Deputy's concern about what is going to happen in th…

I am the Minister for justice. I am not the Minister for Finance or the Minister for public expenditure.

I do not announce the budget terms two weeks before the budget is announced. We will all have the opportunity to hear the budget two weeks from now when it is announced by the Ministers for Finance and public expenditure. On hard-pressed families, the Deputy has not responded to the issues I have raised about the measures we have taken in the past.

They cannot just be ignored.

The Deputy cannot ignore the past.

The Deputy cannot ignore what we have done in the past and now try to claim credit for what we did previously in circumstances-----

-----when Sinn Féin did not support those measures at the time we announced them on a previous budget day. Let us consider the VAT rate on energy costs. We have retained the 9% rate. That will be dealt with on budget day and we will wait to hear what will be announced. I am not going to pre-announce the budget. What I will do, and what I assure the Deputy that the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and C…

I thank Deputy Bacik for her question. Obviously, child poverty is an enormous issue in this country and an enormous one that the Government wishes to respond to. The Deputy will have heard the Taoiseach, and indeed the Tánaiste, say that child poverty will be at the centre of the budget that is forthcoming and will be announced two weeks from now. I can understand why the Deputy wishes me to give…

-----and alleviate the issue in respect of housing. We have repeatedly stated that the most effective way of getting people off the homelessness and housing lists is to ensure a greater supply of housing in our society, and available housing. Although the Deputy can criticise the Government for the amount, we have stated that this is our commitment. When you look at the figures produced, you can …