On the behalf of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, I thank the Deputy for his dedication to this topic. The Minister agrees that more can be done in this regard. Both he and his Department are fully committed to progressing this work. I have to admit that I honestly was not aware of this practice until I was asked to cover this Topical Issue Debate this evening. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has lead policy responsibility within the Government for animal welfare and takes its role most seriously. Th…

I thank the Senator for raising this issue, which has been raised recently in national media. As the Senator will be aware, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility for the financial well-being and effective financial management and accountability of local authorities. Where a policy change in relation to local government finances and funding is sought, the first consideration will be by that Department. The Senator will be aware that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and…

Senator Fitzpatrick said the task force would not report until 2026. Perhaps I am wrong, but it seemed like she was saying that is a long time away. It is not really.

Budget 2026 is probably only 12 or 13 weeks away. Preparations for it are well advanced in my Department. We are meeting various groups to hear pre-budget submissions and work is under way. If we could get something agreed in the task force, a realistic timeframe would be for budget 2027, given that it is only 12 or 13 weeks to budget 2026. I do not need to tell Senator Fitzpatrick what to do because she is acutely aware of how to do her work, but I encourage her to focus her efforts and work with the local authori…

I acknowledge the good work Deputy Ardagh has done in this area, both in this Dáil and in the last Seanad. She galvanised support across the various political parties to ensure that cancer survivors who have come through cancer for a prolonged period can access life insurance when availing of a mortgage. Owing to the good work the Deputy has done and the legislation that has been drafted, I am pleased to advise that my Department will be uploading an electronic submission for the Cabinet's consideration next Tuesda…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. We are all quite rightly sickened with the recent "Prime Time" exposé about how certain nursing homes treated residents, the impact that has had on the families of the affected residents and also the impact that has on families who have people in nursing homes. My family has just gone through an agonising number of months, deciding whether nursing home care was the right care for my father. We arrived at that decision a number of weeks ago. It is important tha…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Bill. For the avoidance of any doubt and as most people know, I am a landlord, but that should not preclude me from having the opportunity to contribute to debates on legislation. A previous speaker mentioned that he has been inundated with calls from renters in Limerick who are worried about the future. Current renters in the city of Limerick, like those in County Westmeath, who are governed by existing or RPZ legislation will see no impact. They are pro…

I thank all the Deputies who have spoken so passionately during this debate about the horrific and inhumane situation in Gaza. Being in government is about doing everything in our power to address issues facing society, but doing it within the confines of international law so real progress can be made. There may be differences of opinion regarding our approach, but I do not for a moment doubt the sincerity of this motion. What is being asked, however, is for the Government to bring in measures where there is a mate…

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and for her ongoing advocacy in this regard. I am advised by Revenue that the VAT rating of goods and services is subject to EU VAT law, with which Irish law must comply. In general, the VAT directive provides that all goods and services are liable to VAT at the standard rate unless they are exempt from VAT or fall within Annex III of the directive, in respect of which member states may apply reduced rates of VAT. The reduced rates of VAT in Ireland are 9% and 13…

I again thank the Senator for raising this issue. I acknowledge that it is very important for many people. The position remains that the VAT directive provides that all goods and services are liable for VAT at the standard rate unless they are exempt from VAT or fall within Annex III of that directive, in respect of which member states may apply reduced rates of VAT. As sunscreen products are not included anywhere within Annex III of the VAT directive, the VAT applied to them must be at the standard rate of 23%. Th…

If the Cathaoirleach will forgive me, even though I am not a Member of this House, it is good to see one of my local councillors and his partner Deirdre up visiting the Dáil this evening. I am glad to say it was not me who was the Minister getting the grilling in the butcher shop during the Seanad campaign. I sincerely thank Senator Nelson Murray and all our colleagues in the Fine Gael group for tabling this important motion on insurance reform, and all those who contributed to the motion in a positive way. It is a…

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to provide an update on this important matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Helen McEntee. The State Examinations Commission has responsibility for the reasonable accommodations at certificate examinations, RACE, scheme. A central tenet of the RACE scheme is to ensure equitable treatment for all candidates. The range of accommodations provided within the scheme has been designed to ensure fairness for all when facilitating candidates in demonstra…

As I mentioned, almost one in four candidates at the 2024 certificate examinations were provided with some form of reasonable accommodation within the RACE scheme to support them in accessing State examinations, underlining the importance of the scheme. Deputies may be aware that an extensive range of accommodations are currently available for candidates with dyslexia. These include an individual reader, a reading assistant, an exam reading pen, a word processor, a recording device, additional time for any candidat…

I thank the Deputy. This happened before I was born so my memory does not stretch that far back. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy O'Callaghan. I will respond to the issue raised by Deputy Ó Snodaigh on the Minister's behalf. Deputy Ó Snodaigh is aware that the issue concerns an investigation conducted almost 50 years ago, which resulted in the courts overturning the convictions of two people in 1980, a presidential pardon for a third person in 1992, a…

Again, on behalf of the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As outlined, the case in question has been the subject of court proceedings, pardons and associated compensation settlements. More generally, the rights of suspects and the policing oversight regime have been completely transformed. I referred to the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, which provides a new governance and oversight regime for policing. A key part of the Act is the reformed and s…

I am quite happy to listen to Deputy Kelly and relay his concerns to the Minister tonight but the information I was given was that this Topical Issue was withdrawn and I do not have a brief from the Department. I am not a Minister of State at the Department so I may not have a suitable answer for Deputy Kelly tonight. If he wants to proceed and make his intervention, I am happy to listen to it and relay it back to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. Another option is for Deputy Kelly to withdraw his matter and have i…

To be helpful, the matters for the morning will already have been selected and the relevant Deputies will be coming in for them. Perhaps I am speaking out of hand, but I do not think even Deputy Kelly will be ready to come in at 9 a.m. after staying here until 12.10 a.m. I will give a commitment. I accept that the error was probably made by the Department of Justice.

It was an error, and errors can happen. To be fair to Deputy Kelly, however, he has waited until 12.10 a.m. I do not have the information to hand to be able to give him the comprehensive answer that he deserves and that is warranted. I am sure the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, will facilitate the hearing of this matter on the earliest possible date that suits Deputy Kelly and the Minister or a Minister of State from his Department, with the agreement of the Ceann Comhairle. Between the three of us, I think we can g…

I congratulate Deputy Hayes on making his maiden speech in the Dáil. I did not expect to be saying that at this stage. However, I congratulate him and his supporters who join him today. As a small open globalised economy that is home to substantial levels of foreign direct investment, elevated levels of intellectual property, and by extension capital allowances associated with that intellectual property, are inevitable. The development, enhancement and exploitation of this intellectual property in Ireland forms a k…

I find it somewhat bizarre that the Deputy is critical that this is the first time this is being raised in the Dáil when he has been here six months himself and this is the first time he spoke.