Marian Harkin

No.

No.

I thank Deputy Scanlon for raising this important issue. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Finance. The Deputy will be aware that capital gains tax, CGT, is a tax on the gain that arises on the disposal of an asset. The chargeable gain of an asset is the difference between the amount a person received for it - in other words, the sale price - the amount a person paid for it, the purcha…

I thank the Deputy for bringing this issue to the House. The rate that capital gains tax is charged at has varied upwards and downwards. The truth is that the existence of capital gains tax can help maintain a balance between the rate of taxation of capital assets and the higher rate of income tax. It can also prevent tax planning behaviour. There are a number of targeted reliefs from capital gain…

I thank Deputy Buckley for raising this very important issue. I have been asked to respond on behalf of my colleague the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon. Volunteerism has long been a defining feature of Irish industrial relations. It respects the autonomy of employers and workers, places a strong emphasis on dialogue and engagement and has served the State well over many decades. This model rema…

I go back to what I said initially, which is that our system of industrial relations is built on volunteerism, which is a model that values engagement, respect and good faith over compulsion. It has delivered stability and progress precisely because it prioritises dialogue rather than conflict. As I said, however, volunteerism only works when all parties participate responsibly. The Labour Court …

The Minister for Health has asked me to thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for the opportunity to update the House on it. He has outlined it very clearly. On behalf of the Minister, I fully acknowledge that waiting lists for primary care therapies, including occupational therapy, are far too long. She recognises that people waiting years to access these services is simply unacc…

Again, on behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Deputy Ward for raising this important issue and the cases of the various people he spoke about. The Minister fully acknowledges that the increasing waiting times for primary care therapy services is a source of real concern for service users, their families and, indeed, the Minister herself. As outlined, a national initiative is under way to a…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government's commitment to expanding apprenticeship opportunities is delivering strong results. My Department secured €79 million additional investment through budget 2026, bringing the total investment for apprenticeships to over €410 million, more than double the level of 2020. This investment has supported significant growth with annual registrations ris…

The new business and operations apprenticeship will open up new pathways, beginning with the Civil Service, as well as contributing towards the overall target of 12,500 new apprentice registrations. There are other relevant programmes, including paramedic, spatial planning and data analytics. Information on public service apprenticeship uptake is not available prior to 2022 so I do not have figure…

The point Deputy Kenny has made is very important. We have a number of programmes, especially in construction, and I will come back to the public service in a minute. One of our best programmes was a social media programme, Building Heroes, whereby 15 young men and women in the construction industry were involved in a social media campaign so that young people could see what it was like to be invo…

The Deputy did bring this to my attention previously. I assure him that there have been no cuts to GRETB's core funding allocation. My Department remains committed to supporting a further education and training, FET, system that enables individual success, supports economic growth and strengthens communities, underpinned by almost €1.1 billion in current funding for ETBs in 2026. In 2026, GRETB's …

The point I made earlier is that there is no cut to the GRETB budget. In fact, it has significantly increased this year from last year. It is also important to say that while ESOL provision has reverted to pre-2022 levels before the Ukraine war, when it was significantly expanded on a temporary basis, ESOL continues to be delivered nationally as part of core funding. It is not that we have stopped…

I accept the Deputy's bona fides on this, and I hear what he says. However, I cannot emphasise often enough that there are no cuts here. There is an increase of €4 million in the budget. Each ETB has to decide how they spend their individual budgets, within certain parameters, obviously. ESOL programmes are simply going back to pre-2022 levels. We have seen similar tapering off of supports across …

I thank Deputy O'Hara. The Minister, Deputy Foley, thanks him for raising this important issue and I will respond on her behalf. The HSE is very much aware of the importance of respite service provision for the families of children with disabilities and the impact the absence of respite service provision can have on other services being delivered. As Deputy O'Hara said, respite is a vital support…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is a priority for the Minister, Deputy Foley, the Department and the whole Government. I agree that respite services are essential for people with disabilities and their families. The Government is committed to the continued expansion and development of respite services, as set out in the programme for Government and the new National Human Rights St…

Tairgim: "Go léifear an Bille don Dara hUair anois." This is an important Bill, and I am happy to bring it to the House on behalf of the Minister. The main aim of the Bill is to implement the European Media Freedom Act, EMFA, in Irish law. EMFA is an EU regulation which puts in place new rules to protect media freedom and pluralism in the EU and strengthen the internal market for media services. …

The Deputy never fails.

I thank Members for their valuable and considered contributions and their constructive approach to the Bill. As a general point, I want to emphasise that the core aim of this Bill is to implement EMFA, which is a landmark part of EU legislation that is designed to protect media freedom. The European Commission proposed the European Media Freedom Act as a response to worrying trends in relation to …

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)(b) and 188(1).

I will conclude by again acknowledging the seriousness of the issues raised in this motion and the genuine concerns that motivate it. I have not heard all of the contributions but those that I have heard have been considered and informed. A number of issues were raised and I promise that those I have heard will be brought to the attention of the Minister. I cannot be sure of responses but I can gu…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because it gives me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil the position regarding Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin in County Dublin. Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin is under the patronage of the Archbishop of Dublin. It is located in the Clondalkin-D22 school planning area and has an enrolment of 445 pupils. The Depa…

Once again, I thank the Deputy for providing me with the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for education, to outline the position in relation to Gaelscoil Chluain Dolcáin. The Deputy asked me to refer this to the Minister on his behalf. I can promise that I will certainly do so because I can see that it is an issue of real concern, for the Deputy and, I presume, many of his constituents. I wi…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton. Just like the previous Deputy, I hear the passion in his voice and local knowledge, as well as his understanding of what is at issue for the many families and children there. I guarantee that I will bring it to the attention of the Minister. Aside from that, the Gov…

I thank the Deputy again for raising the question and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an education suitable to their needs. The Department continues to engage intensively with the NCSE in regard to the forward planning for new special provision to ensure every child has a …