Paschal Donohoe

-----of €157 million. These measures will be ring-fenced to ensure that carbon tax policy is progressive.

We will spend this revenue on social welfare measures and other measures to prevent fuel poverty and to ensure a just transition, with a socially progressive national retrofitting programme, and to encourage and support our farmers to farm in a greener and more sustainable way.

For example, the allocation for the warmer homes scheme, which provides completely funded retrofits to low-income households, has seen an eleven-fold increase relative to where we were in 2020. We are also making huge progress on solar generation. Today, there are over 140,000 households with solar PV installed, providing greater energy affordability for these homes, both by reducing their own en…

In the spirit of Deputy Doherty having raised an important issue on a point of order, I will respond to what he has said and will then take time to respond to his additional question. I agree with him that what is happening with regard to the flotilla is a very serious matter. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste are currently in New York, concluding their work at the United Nations annual assembly. They h…

I gave Deputy Doherty the opportunity to confirm or at least explain to the House whether Sinn Féin is still making the case for an energy price cap, which it did in the last Dáil. I notice that he did not answer that question.

Indeed. In relation to the matters that Deputy Doherty has just raised, we are well aware of the challenge that the cost of living is posing for so many. I would make the point that for every budget I have brought into this House, he has always criticised me for not spending enough. He has always criticised us for running budget surpluses. If we had taken his approach in recent years, we would not…

I thank Deputy Nash for raising this matter. When I was preparing for Leaders' Questions here today, part of me thought it was unlikely that I would get a question about the Government spending too much money. I am really glad that the Deputy has raised this because it gives me an opportunity to respond on what are very important issues. First, on the sustainability of our public finances and whe…

Deputy Nash knows I have the height of respect for him and the points he raises. He is correct in saying that the Labour Party is a rare exception on the Opposition benches in being willing to support, at times, sensible policies to broaden the tax base. He asked me my views on broadening the tax base. I will talk about what we have already done and what we are yet to do. There are: the changes wi…

I thank the Deputy for raising, as Deputy Doherty did, a really important issue regarding the protection of citizens on international seas and the rule of law with regard to them. The Government, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste are keenly aware of this. What are we doing with regard to it? We are taking diplomatic action. We are raising this matter with other governments within the European Union a…

For a country with our long-standing tradition in the context of respect for human rights and our neutrality, diplomacy is the way conduct our affairs. It is also the way we seek to influence the world and protect the rights of our citizens. Words are not powerless. Words are not an absence of action. Words are do not represent a lack of effort. Words and diplomacy are the way we seek to make our …

I thank the Deputy Collins for raising this important matter. Before I respond to the important and specific questions he raised in respect of the school transport scheme, it is important to put the matter in the context. In that regard, this is the scheme that, in 2024, the taxpayer funded at a cost of €512 million. In 2019, the cost was €219 million. The cost of this scheme has doubled in a shor…

When we speak of children who are left on the side of the road, acknowledging there are issues we need to address, I emphasise to the Dáil that nearly 180,000 families and their children get support and the service they need through this scheme. This is at an overall cost to the taxpayer of more than €0.5 billion in recognition of the issues raised by Deputy Collins today and raised often by Deput…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We are now very much in a phase where not only is the number of people living in our country growing, which is a great gift to the ability of our economy to grow and our society to grow and flourish, we are also seeing more people who are older and have the level of care need to which the Deputy referred. Growing life expectancy in our country - the grow…

I thank the Deputy. Of course, the sustainability of our social insurance scheme is an important concern of Government. What are we doing in relation to it? First, it is important to acknowledge the Social Insurance Fund is in healthy surplus and is a big part of our overall healthy public finances at the moment. Second, this is the very reason we are going ahead with the auto-enrolment pension sc…

I have seen at first hand the important role our SNAs play in classrooms all over the country, giving that little bit of additional support and help to young girls and boys who need it as they begin their school life and throughout their educational journey. There are 23,000 SNAs in our country. Compare that with where we were a number of years ago. In 2011, we had just over 10,000. There are now …

I thank the Deputy. I was not aware of the matter until he raised it. I can only imagine it is really difficult for somebody to live in a partially repaired home in which work has been going on for so long. I know the Deputy would not raise it if he did not think it was serious. I will make sure the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, is aware of this. My office will contact him after this to pass it on. It…

I have to say that in most cases I find the line between antisocial behaviour and criminal activity is very thin. For those who experience antisocial behaviour, which I am sure the Deputy has to deal with in his constituency, it can be very intimidating and difficult but I accept some activity may well be outside the parameters of criminality. We allowed a motion to be passed here for further dis…

I do not need to be lectured by the Deputy on points of procedure and how this Parliament works. I was making the point that just because a motion was passed in the Dáil does not mean the Government was bound to implement every element of it. The Deputy knows that. Regarding Housing for All, the Government, with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne at the heart …

I thank the Deputy for reminding the House of the nature and detail of the motion. He was calling for the consideration of ideas in this area. We should all be able to participate in that. The Government is certainly happy to do so. Regarding the specific proposal around a Bill, I will have to consult the Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. I take care around putting really important policy matt…

They do make the odd appearance over Phibsborough, but for many who live very close to the airport, it is an important matter. As Deputy Ó Muirí said, changing the airport cap at Dublin Airport is really important, not just for the airport, but for broader aviation and growth within our economy. Regarding how we are going to respond to the matters raised, it will first be by continuing to support …

The last thing we are looking for in preparing the budget is plaudits, particularly from Sinn Féin. I do not hold out any hope of us ever getting them from Sinn Féin. If we were to, I would be convinced we were doing the wrong thing. Regarding what we are looking to do, the Government's track record on trying to help students is pretty clear by this point. For example, the work done by the previo…

-----the current Minister, Deputy Lawless, is clearly building on that. Efforts have been made to look at eligibility for SUSI grants to ensure they can play a role in the cost of living for students going to college. The Government is well aware of the sensitivity of the decision we will make about registration fees for students. No decisions have yet been made, but all of the Government, and no…

The Deputy's raising of this matter gives me an opportunity to remind us all of the value of the scheme. It now stands at a value of €14,000 per year. In recent years, we have seen a considerable increase in the number of taxpayers who are availing of it. It went from being roughly 10,000 per year to 16,500 in 2023. It is playing an important role in the availability of additional student accommod…

I remember being in Clonmel with the Deputy during the summer. On what was otherwise a bright and great morning, the Deputy walked around the centre of Clonmel and pointed out to me the number of properties that were not being used and were on the verge of dereliction. I cannot give him an exact timeline for when this fund will be available, but I can assure him of two things. First, the capital …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue on behalf of Rebecca. I will ensure that the Minister for Health is aware of the status of this medicine, Veozah, and that it is given the consideration it needs. I cannot second guess or answer on behalf of the independent bodies that look at the variety of available medicines and whether they are appropriate and can be made available in a sustainable way…